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Children's Sermons

God’s great joy! Christmas Eve Children’s Sermon on Luke 2

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Bring the children forward and have a plain amazon box.

I’m sure you recognize this! It’s an Amazon box! We seemed to have many of these come to our door this week! And I’m sure you did too! Every time a box came to our home, it was a reminder that someone who lived far away in our family or from our friends was thinking of us and we are not alone! Now, the plain box itself is one thing, but then when we open it, the gifts inside are decorated with fun paper or bows, like this, on them. When we wrap gifts, we often think of how special that person is to us and we hope that the gift we send makes them happy. But it’s not really about the gifts. Maybe in the past you’ve received a toy that you really wanted, fun new pajamas, a new bike or gaming system and that made you happy. But toys break, we outgrow pajamas or bikes and technology will stop working. Does that mean that the person who gave you those things no longer loves you? NO! Those things made us happy, being loved never stops and that is what joy is all about. Joy is about being connected to love: people who love us: moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, friends, teachers, and that we love all of those people too.

In our Christmas story tonight we heard an angel tell the shepherds good news of great joy for ALL people. What was that good news? Jesus was born!!! God loves us so much that God came to us as baby Jesus, to connect us to God’s love and to each other and this is great joy! Everyone, you, me, everyone here, everyone in the world, is connected to God and God’s love and are filled with Great Joy! God wanted the shepherds, Mary, Joseph and us to know that we are loved, and are God’s Great Joy. We are part of God forever. And God’s Great Joy can’t be put in a box or under our tree, It’s so big that it covers the whole world! And so as people who are God’s Great Joy-our job is to tell everyone we see that they are God’s Great Joy too! Just like we put bows on presents to remind the person that they are special, I have a bow for each of you tonight to remind you that you are special, connected to God and God’s Great Joy forever!

Dear God, thank you for loving us and connecting us to you! May your Great Joy , through Jesus, be for all the world to see! Amen! Merry Christmas!


+Glory to God in the highest, you are God’s Great Joy!+
Children's Sermons

Children’s Sermon Christmas Eve (Or Christmas Day)

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Prepare: This one takes some preparation time. You will need about six 2×2 (or so) boxes and three large Christmas card sized envelopes, a large Christmas stocking and the supplies to make the below objects that tell the story of the Nativity. Disclaimer: This retelling combines the Matthew and the Luke narratives. It does not follow just one gospel.

Faith + Gather:  bring the children up to either the tree in your sanctuary or to the crèche. Show them the stocking and ask if they have one similar at home. What do they find in their stocking? Presents! Well in your stocking is a present as well, and a story about the best gift of all.

Faith + Connect: Have the boxes/envelopes marked #1-8 for ease of getting the order correct. Begin by pulling out

#1-Have a child open the box. Have a small scroll tied with a gold ribbon. The scroll can say something like-“Name: Joseph From: Nazareth Family Line: David Report to: Bethlehem. Tell this part of the story. Tell why Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem.

#2-Have a printed of picture of Bethlehem (a clipart version is available). Tell the children about how when they got to Bethlehem there was no room to be found at all! You can also use a picture of a stable if you prefer.

#3-I use a large envelope for this one. I made a “manger” by cutting a toilet paper tube in half the long way and stapling the two halves together-one is the base and the other holds (in #7) the baby Jesus. I glued yellow felt for hay an used small popsicle sticks for the base of the manger. Tell how Mary had to put her baby in a feeding trough. No crib, no hospital-just the animals and Mary and Joseph!

#4-I have use a picture of Mary, Joseph and the animals in the barn. You can have younger children name barn animals.

#5- Put a small candy cane in the box. This is to talk about the shepherds who were in their fields watching sheep (the candy cane is the shepherds hook.)

#6-I made an angel “halo” out of gold sparkle pipe cleaner. The angels appeared to the shepherds proclaiming the birth of Jesus. You could sing “Gloria” here.

#7-The shepherds go to the stable and find the baby Jesus in the manger. I made a baby Jesus out of a small clothes pin. I drew a face and just glued white felt around the “baby.” Have a child put the baby Jesus in the manger from #3.

#8-I have a cross ornament that says Love on it. (I also use and envelope for this one.) I then talk about how Jesus is God’s love that has come down to be with us and to make sure that nothing ever separates us from God. This the best gift that we will ever get. While we may get fun things in our stockings this year or from under the Christmas tree, Jesus is the only gift that we need.

You can sing one verse of Away in a Manger here or Jesus Loves me.

Faith + Pray: Dear God, thank you for this story of love. You love us so much and all of the time and it is the best gift that we could ever get. Amen.

Faith + Bless: (Make the sign of the cross on one another): You are a gift from God.