Faith Formation Journeys

Walking Together in Grace

Tag: John

  • Children’s Sermon 2nd Sunday in Christmas, John 1:10:18, Ephesians 1:3-14, and/or Jeremiah 31:7-14 – January 5, 2014

    Prepare:  Bring a beautifully wrapped box.  There doesn’t need to be anything in it, it is just a visual aid. However, if you wanted to you could have a small baptismal remembrance in the box for each child.  Maybe a small shell, or a dove.  It would be a fun addition, but it is not necessary.

    20130822-223454.jpg  Welcome the children with a big “Merry Christmas!”  You may get a few strange looks or “Christmas is over” comments, but that is exactly what you want.

    FaithCross  What do you mean Christmas is over?  We still have one more day, today!  This is the last day of the Christmas season – it is the twelfth day of Christmas, just like that song, The Twelve Days of Christmas.  Do you know that song?  I can’t always remember all the gifts that were given in the song, but I do remember that a gift was given for each day of Christmas.  (This is where you would have the gift box out.)  I have a box here all wrapped up like a Christmas gift.  Maybe you got gifts on Christmas, I know that I got a few.

    Maybe you are wondering why we are talking about Christmas gifts here?  Well, it’s because all of the readings from the Bible today talk about an amazing gift that God gives to each of us.  God adopts each one of us as God’s children.  Each of us are loved, forgiven, given God’s mercy, accepted by God for who we are.  God sets aside any and all bad things that we have done and loves us more than any of us could imagine.

    Wow!  What a gift!  Now, what are you going to do with that gift?  Think about it – What did you do with your other Christmas gifts?  I, for example, got some new pants (ok, insert a gift that you got here) and I am going to wear them!  I might even point them out to people, “Hey, check out these great new pants!”  Well . . . maybe I won’t point them out to everybody, that might be a little weird . . .

    Some of you might have gotten Legos, and I bet you will build them and show them to your parents and friends and aunts and uncles.  Some of you might have a new doll or toy truck – I bet you will play with that and take it with you friends houses.  Or maybe you got a new game or a bike!  You will probably play with all of them.

    So, what will you do with God’s gift?  Will you keep it a secret?  Will you hide it and not let anyone know that God loves you?  Or will you share God’s amazing love and forgiveness with others?

    (If you did bring a reminder for each child hand it out now)

    Here is a little reminder that you are loved by God.  Take this with you and share God’s love with everyone you meet!

    FaithCross_PrayALT  Loving God, we praise you for your generous gift of love and forgiveness.  We thank you for the grace that gives us another chance when we don’t get things right, and we thank you for the love that surrounds us when we are sad or afraid.  Help us to share your love and grace throughout our lives.  Amen

    FaithCross_BlessALT  May God’s Word shine a light into your life today and always.

    ~GB

    Permission to use for nonprofit. When printing give credit to Faith Formation Journeys. Intellectual property rights apply.

  • Children’s Sermon Christmas Day, John 1:1-14, December 25, 2013

    Prepare:  You will need a nativity set with all the pieces!

    20130822-223520.jpg  Tell them that today we get to hear the Christmas story from the Gospel of John, then read John 1:1-5.  Feel free to make the language a little more “child friendly,” like changing “testify” to “talk about,” or something like that.

    FaithCross  Huh.  That’s a funny Christmas story.  Let’s see here, I brought a Nativity set to help me tell the story, but I’m not sure that any of these pieces are in the story that I just read.  (Take the pieces out of the nativity scene as you mention them.)  I didn’t hear about wise men, or shepherds.  There wasn’t an angel, either.  Mary and Joseph weren’t there.  I didn’t even hear about a baby!  Well, I guess I brought the wrong things to tell the story today . . . wait, let’s read a little further in the story.  (Read John 1:6-14)

    Did you hear that?  The Word of God became flesh and lived among us!  That sounds like a baby to me!  Let’s put the baby back then.  When we talk about the Word of God we often think of stories.  Well, before we had so many books people had to remember stories so that they wouldn’t get lost.  And babies need people to remember them so that they can get food and be taken care of and not get lost, so let’s put Mary and Joseph back.

    What good is a story if it doesn’t get told?  That’s the best way to learn a story, right?  To hear someone tell it and then tell it back?  Just like the angels told the story with their song!  And who did they tell?  A story needs to be heard, right?  That’s right, they told the shepherds.  So I guess we should put the angel and the shepherds back, too!

    Alright, now all the people here know the story, but they all live here.  What this story needs is someone to help spread it around.  I wonder who we could find to come hear the story and then take it with them?  The wise men!  That’s it!  Three people from a far away land who came to see and hear and who will take the story with them to their homes.

    Look!  Out Nativity set is complete again!  And you thought that this wasn’t a Christmas story!

    20130822-223749.jpg  Word of God, teach us the stories of our faith, be always on lips and always burning in our hearts.  Be with as we hear the story again and again, and give us the courage to tell the story again and again.  Amen

    FaithCross_BlessALT  May God’s Word shine a light into your life today and always.

    ~GB

    Permission to use for nonprofit. When printing give credit to Faith Formation Journeys. Intellectual property rights apply.