Matthias — Choosing a New Apostle Preschool Lesson
Preschool lesson (ages 3–6, 20 minutes)
1. Welcome (3 min)
Sit in a circle, greet every child by name and show one thing from the story to touch.
2. The little story (5 min)
Teach the refrain first: “They prayed, and God showed the way.”
Jesus had gone up to heaven. His friends watched him go up, until a cloud hid him. Two men in white clothes stood by them. They said that Jesus would come back one day. He would come the same way he went.
Jesus had told his friends, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem.” He said, “Wait for the promise of the Father.” God would send them the Holy Spirit. So they waited.
They walked back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. It was only a short walk. They went up to a room upstairs, where they were staying.
The eleven apostles were there. Let’s count them on our fingers! Peter, John, James and Andrew. Philip and Thomas. Bartholomew and Matthew. Another James, Simon, and Judas son of James. Eleven!
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was there too, with some women and Jesus’ brothers. They all kept on praying together, with one heart. Can you fold your hands, like them? They prayed, and God showed the way.
Jesus had chosen twelve apostles. But Judas Iscariot had turned against Jesus. He had led the men who took Jesus away. Now he was gone. There were only eleven. That was a very sad thing.
One day Peter stood up. About one hundred twenty people were there. Peter said that God’s book had told about this long before. A psalm says, “Let another take his office.” That means: Someone else should take his job.
Peter said they needed a new apostle. It must be someone who had been with Jesus all the time. He must have been there from the day John baptized. He must have stayed until Jesus went up to heaven. And he must tell everyone that Jesus is alive!
They picked two men. One was Joseph. He had two more names: Barsabbas and Justus! The other was Matthias. Which one should it be? What do you think they did?
They prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men. Show which one of these two you have chosen.” They prayed, and God showed the way.
God sees inside every heart. He knows what each person thinks and what each one loves.
Then they drew lots. Lots were little stones or sticks, used to choose. Shake, shake, shake!
The lot fell on Matthias! He was counted with the eleven apostles. Now there were twelve again! They prayed, and God showed the way.
Soon God would send the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised. That happened soon after, at a feast called Pentecost. And twelve apostles would be ready to tell the good news.
God knows every heart, and he showed them his choice. They prayed, and God showed the way.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- Why do you think they prayed before they chose?
- How do you think Matthias felt when he was chosen?
4. Move (3 min)
Refrain Freeze: move around the room; when you say the refrain, everyone freezes and says it together.
5. Make (4 min)
Color the 11 apostles, and then 1 more: Matthias!
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men” — Acts 1:24 (You, Lord → point up high; who know the hearts → hands on your heart; of all men → open your arms wide)
Dear God, you know every heart. Thank you that we can ask you to show us the way. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God Has a Plan for You
Memory verse: “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen.” — Acts 1:24 · WEB
The Bible story
After Jesus went up to heaven, His friends had a big choice to make, so they prayed and asked God to help them pick a brand-new helper.
Talk about it
- Where did Jesus' friends gather after He went to heaven? — An upstairs room
- What did the friends do together while they waited? — They prayed together
- What were Jesus' twelve special helpers called? — Apostles
- Who stood up and said they needed one more helper? — Peter
- Why did they need a new apostle? — Judas was gone
- What kind of person should the new apostle be? — Someone with Jesus from the start
Where is Jesus in this story?
The new apostle had to be someone who had walked with Jesus and could be a witness of his resurrection (Acts 1:21–22). That was the heart of the job: telling everyone that Jesus is alive. Jesus had promised, “You will be my witnesses... to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Because of witnesses like Matthias, the news that Jesus rose has reached you today.
What God wants to tell us
Matthias was not famous. He simply kept following Jesus, day after day, without needing to be at the front. Then God chose him for something wonderful! This tells us that God sees every one of us, even when nobody else notices. You do not have to be the loudest or the biggest to be special to God. If you keep loving Him and doing kind things, He has a beautiful plan just for you, and He will use you in ways you cannot even imagine yet.
Prayer
Dear Jesus, thank You that You know my heart and have a special plan just for me. Help me to be faithful and kind, even when nobody is watching. Thank You for choosing Matthias, and thank You for loving me too. Amen.
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