Explaining All Saints Sunday to Children

For a very long time, I thought of All Saints Day as a day of glorifying the dead. There was always a necrology read with sad music played underneath and a list of dead people in the bulletin. As a kid, that made it feel pretty creepy. (Especially, on the heels of Halloween.) As an adult and a worship leader, I have come to realize that, while it is a day to remember those who have passed away, it is also a lot more than that. 

However, it can still be a little tough to explain it to kids who, like I once did, might be a little "creeped out" by all the death talk. Having done an All Saints Sunday children's sermon on a few occasions, here are four ways I have found to approach it that take the focus off the death aspect and make it a little more digestible for kids. 

One way is to play on kids' love of super heroes and equate superheros to saints. It might go something like this. 

•  Show some pictures of super heroes (Superman, Wonder Woman, etc.) and ask children to identify them OR simply ask kids who their favorite superhero is. 
• Then, show some pictures of saints and ask kids if they know who those people are. (Most likely, they will not.)
• Explain that they are all saints which means that they are superheros of the church who were special because of the things they did. (You can give an example or two such as St. Francis of Assisi who was superhero in the way he loved all of God's creation; Saint (Mother) Teresa who was a hero in the way she cared for sick & poor people; St. Patrick who was a hero in teaching people about Christianity.)
• Then, ask if they see anyone in the congregation who looks like a saint or superhero (probable answer is no unless your congregants wear halos & capes! 😉).
• Finally, explain to them that, actually, we are all saints because God loves us and has given each of us special & unique gifts and talents.
• Wrap up by explaining that this is All Saints Sunday which is a day that we remember saints (people from God's family and our congregation) who have passed away and a day that we remember we are all saints who have the ability to be God's superheros. 

Another idea for All saints children's messages is to focus on family heritage. 

• Bring in a family photo album or family tree and show the children some of your relatives who were important in your faith but have passed away.
• Then
• Option A - Explain that the bible is like a photo album of God's family as it tells the story of so many people who loved God and helped to create the Church. 
• Option B - If available, you could use a pictorial directory of your congregation here. Explain that it is a different kind of family photo album because it shows the church family. 
• Finally, explain that we are all saints because we are all part of God's family. On All Saints Sunday, we remember the people in our family who have passed away and express gratitude for all the saints - past and present - who have helped form the church and who have helped us personally form our faith.  

A third idea is to focus on the Beatitudes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. 

• Begin by asking children if they have rules in their family. Then, ask them to list some. (Examples might be not hitting, share toys, bedtime at 8pm, etc.) (If possible, you can choose a personal family photo album and talk about some rules you had to follow as a child). 
• Remind children that we are all God's children and ask if there are any special rules we have to follow as part of God's family.  Jesus gives is a list of these rules/expectations in the Beatitudes. Read the scripture or excerpts from it. 
• Let children know that we are called saints because we are all part of Gods family and that we should all use the Beatuuides as a guide to help us remember how Jesus wants saints to live. 
• Explain that today is a special day to remember saints that have passed away and to be grateful for all the ways those saints showed us how to live by the Beatitudes. 

Last, but no least, books are always a great way to explain difficult topics to children. Two books that are perfect for All Saits Day are The Keeping Quilt (Patricia Polacco)  and The Name Quilt (Phyllis Root). In both books, an heirloom family quilt is used to keep memories and pass down stories of family members who are gone. This is a great way to explain that, while we may not have a quilt, All Saints Day is a special day when we remember people who were part of our church family and have passed away. 

I think the biggest goal in an All Saints Day children's sermon is to help children understand the concept of Saints and that we are all, in a sense, saints. It is also important to try and put a positive spin on the concept of death which can be confusing and scary for kids. Hopefully, one of the ideas listed here will help you formulate your own children's sermon that is meaningful in your congregation.