The Heart Behind the King of Kings Resources

Helping children grow in faith is one of the most important responsibilities we share. Whether we are parents, teachers, children’s workers or church family, we long for the children in our lives to know Jesus personally. And that means not only as a character in a story, but as someone who is alive, present, and deeply involved in their lives today.

This is at the heart of the King of Kings resources created by SU Scotland in partnership with KOVA International and Angel Studios. These resources are not simply teaching tools or lesson plans; they are invitations for children to step into the story of Jesus and find out how His story shapes their own. Our hope is that as children learn about Jesus, they also come to know Him, trust Him, and recognise His voice in their own lives.

What Makes the King of Kings Resources Unique

One of the most distinctive features of the King of Kings Sunday School lessons is the Imagine section, a time of guided, imaginative storytelling that helps children move beyond hearing about Jesus to encountering Him.

Imagination is also a key part of the King of Kings film motif, as the child Walter imagines himself in all the Bible stories his father is telling him. In the same way, we wanted our lessons to invite children to really experience Scripture for themselves.

Scripture itself invites us to use our imaginations. When Jesus teaches, He does not give lectures; He tells stories. He invites His listeners to picture mustard seeds, lost sheep, wedding feasts, and a prodigal son. The Psalms invite us to imagine God as a shepherd, as a refuge, as a tower of safety and strength. The prophets paint images of valleys transformed, deserts blooming, and dry bones rising again.

God has always encouraged us to use our imagination to help us deepen our understanding and faith.

Children naturally understand the world through picture, play, and wonder. When we invite children to imagine themselves in the Gospel stories, we are not asking them to make something up. We are inviting them to enter a story that is already real and alive.

This is why the Imagine section is a core part of every lesson!

The Practice of Imaginative Prayer

The Imagine approach is inspired by the practice of imaginative prayer, introduced by St. Ignatius of Loyola and used for centuries to engage minds, hearts, and senses with God’s word. Our hope is that this model will help children encounter Jesus in a personal and transformative way, and grow in their love for Scripture.

After reading Scripture and watching a short clip from The King of Kings, children are gently guided through a time of reflection where they picture themselves alongside Jesus. They might imagine what it was like to watch Him feed the five thousand, or to hear Him call Lazarus. They might imagine feeling the sadness of Jesus’ death, or running to the empty tomb. They might imagine Jesus raised from the dead, giving them a hug, smiling with them, seeing them fully, knowing them, loving them.

Our prayer is that this imaginative storytelling helps children feel part of the story, and brings their faith to life!

We are helping children recognise that Jesus is not far away in the pages of a book. Instead, He is Emmanuel, God with us.

When children engage in imaginative Bible engagement…

• Scripture becomes real: no longer a distant account, but a living encounter.

• Faith becomes personal: Jesus is someone they can talk to, know, and love.

• Their hearts are formed: not just their knowledge or memory.

Children often come out of these imaginative prayer times with remarkable insights because it gives them the chance to use God-given creativity and think about all of the different senses. We had such a lovely quote from a Sunday School leader who said,

“[It is] such a privilege to be with [children] who, from their reactions, were clearly hearing the story of Jesus for the first time.”

We are confident these are moments of real encounter with Jesus. This is what will ultimately transform faith from knowledge and information into relationship.

Creating Space for Children to Meet with Jesus

We don’t need complicated props or prep-heavy stations to help children engage with imaginative prayer. In many of the King of Kings lessons, children are simply invited to listen as the leader reads a guided reflection connected to the Bible passage explored earlier in the session.

The approach is flexible — while the resource guide offers suggested scripts, leaders are encouraged to adapt the tone, pacing, and format to suit their group. Some children may sit quietly with eyes closed; others may draw what they imagine or use a small fidget toy to help them stay focused. The heart of the practice is giving children space to picture themselves in the story with Jesus.

Here is an example script from the resource, taken from the story of Lazarus:

“You are walking with Jesus into the village of Bethany—a place full of Jesus' friends where he had visited several times. What does the village look like, can you smell anything or hear anything? People come out to meet Jesus, but they don’t seem happy. They are crying and sobbing—how do they sound? What is it like as they come to speak to Jesus, what do they say to him? Jesus also starts to cry—how does Jesus look when he’s crying? Everyone around you is very sad, but how do you feel? What do you say to Jesus?”

Not every child will see or feel something dramatic—and that is okay. The goal is not to produce a reaction, but to open space for Jesus to speak.

A Faith That Endures

We live in a world full of noise, distraction, and stories designed to grab their attention. Children are constantly being impacted by what they watch, hear, scroll, play, and absorb. As the Church, we are not simply offering information about Jesus; we are encouraging children to delve into the story, meet with Jesus, and grow their personal relationship with Him.

Our prayer is that these resources will help children say not only, “I know the story of Jesus,” but “I know Jesus.”

Because a faith built on encounter is a faith that lasts.

Anna Gill serves as a digital marketer for Scripture Union Scotland, supporting resources that help children and young people explore the Bible and respond to the significance of Jesus.