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Choose from the following Children's Sermons:
Promises,
Promises, Promises,
Jer. 33:14-16, by Rev. R. Quinn (see below)
What is Advent Really? by Rev. F. Schaefer
Gettin' Ready, by Rev. F. Schaefer (please scroll down)
1st Advent Wreath Lighting with the Children (please scroll down)
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Promises,
Promises, Promises
a children's sermon
based on Jeremiah 33:14-16
by Rev. Randy Quinn
Do any of you know what this is? (I
suspect the older ones will know, but I know the younger ones – our
foster children primarily – will not know.) This is what we call an
“Advent Wreath.”
It helps us mark time during Advent.
Advent is the time of year when we get
ready for Christmas. It’s a time to remember that Jesus is coming. But
it’s also a time when we really notice that the days are getting shorter
and the nights are getting longer.
So we light a candle to help us remember
that even in the dark, God is with us. It’s kind of like a reminder to
God – and to us – that God is going to come as the light of the world.
Each week we will light one candle until
all of them are lighted. How many candles are there? Right, there are
four candles around the outside and one in the center. We’ll like the
outside lights each Sunday and then on Christmas Eve we’ll light the one
in the center.
Today, we light the first one. As we
light it, we remember the promise God made to come to us.
Do you know what a promise is? Right.
It’s when we say we’ll do something or not do something. Actually, the
dictionary says the word promise comes from two words – pro and mission
– that together mean it’s something that goes ahead of something to
prepare for it.
When we make a promise, it’s like a
guarantee that it will happen because we’ve already made the first part
of it happen by saying it will happen.
When God makes a promise, we know it
will happen just because God has said it.
Our candles are a reminder to us of
God’s promise to come in the darkness. It’s a promise that Christmas
will come later this year.
Let’s pray: God, as we light this
candle, we remember your promises. You promise to come to us when we
are alone. You promise to come to us when we are hungry. You promise
to come to us when we are cold. You promise to come to us whenever we
need you. And we know that your promise was fulfilled when Jesus came
to live among us. Help us to share your promises with others, and help
us fulfill those promises in the way we live our lives. Amen.
What is Advent
Really?
by Rev. F. Schaefer
In what form did Jesus come to us at Christmas? (human, baby, child)
If Jesus were to come back to earth again, what form would he choose to
come a second time? A king? A politician? A Homeless Person?
Ask the children to explain their answer. You also may want to further
stir their imagination by alluding to contemporary concepts. Ask them if they think Christ
will come back as a super-hero, an alien, angel...
Ask the children if they think people recognized Jesus as God's Son when he came the
first time (slightly shake your head to encourage a no answer).
Ask whether they think that people will recognize Him as the Son of God when he will
come a second time?
Share with them that Advent is really about waiting for Jesus's Second Coming, and
about preparing our hearts for this event. You may also want to share about
the Christian hope and vision that once Jesus returns, he will make this world a good and
safe place. Prayer.
Gettin' Ready
by Rev. F. Schaefer
Objective: teaching about "getting ready" for
Christ.
Props: an alarm clock and a bible (a children's
bible if you have one)
Show the alarm clock and ask the children what it is and what it is used
for. Do any of your children use it to get up in the morning? Why is it
important to wake up on time? Conclusion: the alarm clock helps us get ready in the
morning.
God asks us to get ready for a big event. That event is when
Jesus is coming back to earth. This time, Jesus is not coming as a baby, but he will
be coming with his angels, and he will come to rule the world and make it a better place.
And God has given us something to get ready for Jesus's coming. I am
holding it in my hands. What is it called? (Bible). That's right, it's a bible. Just
like the alarm clock gets us ready for each day, so reading the bible will get us ready
for Jesus coming. It will prepare our hearts as we read about what God wants us to
do, and what God wants us to avoid.
Do you know any example of what the bible says God wants us to do?...
Advent Wreath Lighting with the Children
First Advent
Today we light the first candle. It stands for the
light which God promised would break into our world. During the Advent season we await the
coming of Christ who brings that light.
Prayer: God of light, in you there is no darkness. Be with us, we pray as we
prepare during this Advent season to celebrate the coming of Christ. May we be open enough
to welcome the light you offer us, so we may come out of darkness into your glorious
light. In Christ's name we pray. AMEN.
