Alive and reigning

01 · GATHER ROUND

Start with a question.

“Where do you think Jesus is right now—and what do you think he’s doing?”

Let kids guess before you read. Their pictures of heaven are often sweet and surprising.

03 · OPEN THE BIBLE

Breakfast on the beach.

Early one morning, some of Jesus’s disciples were out fishing. They hadn’t caught a thing all night. Then someone on the shore called, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat!” They did—and the net was so full of fish they could hardly pull it in. When they reached the beach, there was Jesus, cooking fish over a campfire. “Come and have breakfast,” he said.

This happened after Jesus came back to life on the third day. He wasn’t a ghost or a dream. He had a real body. His friends could touch him, and he ate with them.

Forty days later, Jesus went back to heaven. So where is he now? Our Bible verses say God raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above every ruler and power. In Bible times, the right hand was the place of honor and authority, like the seat right beside a king.

Why seated? When a builder finishes a house, he can finally sit down. Jesus’s work to rescue us is finished, so he sits. But he isn’t resting because he’s tired. He’s seated on a throne. He reigns as King over everything—every leader, every storm, every power in the universe.

That means nothing in your life is outside of Jesus’s rule. Not your hardest day at school, not a sickness in your family, not the scariest news. Hard things still happen, but the King who loves you is alive and in charge, and one day everyone will see it.

Where is Jesus right now? Alive, in a real body, seated in the place of honor—and still the same Jesus who cooked breakfast for his friends.

04 · WONDER TOGETHER

Let’s talk about it.

1. Why does it matter that Jesus rose with a real body, not as a ghost?
2. What does it mean that Jesus is seated at the Father’s right hand?
3. What’s something hard in your life that you can trust King Jesus with?

Try answering one yourself first. “I don’t know yet” is a fine place to start a conversation.

06 · TALK TO GOD

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, thank you that you rose from the grave in a real body and that you are alive today. Thank you that you are seated at the Father’s right hand, ruling over everything. When we feel scared or small, remind us that our King is in charge and that he loves us. Amen.

Then invite everyone to add one thing they want to tell God.

07 · MAKE IT STICK

A little truth to learn by heart.

Play Stand and Sit. Everyone stands for the first part of the answer, about Jesus rising from the grave, then sits down together on the words about him being seated at the Father’s right hand. Repeat it faster and faster until it’s a bouncing, giggling chant.