CSSPlus!
(Children's Sermon Service...Plus)

And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. (v. 16)

Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like birds? (let them answer) What is your favorite kind of bird? (let them answer) We have lots of favorites. We like eagles, red birds, robins, sparrows, hawks, and many others. All birds seem very graceful as they fly through the air. They make amazing nests for their eggs that soon hatch into babies. Some of them whistle a beautiful song and some birds, like parrots, can even talk.

Today, I want to talk about a special bird. Do you remember when Noah was in the ark?

That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. (v. 37)

Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you ever watch the Weather Channel on television? (let them answer) How many of your moms or dads watch the Weather Channel? (let them answer)

A lot of people watch this channel because they are interested in the weather. They like to know if it is going to be really hot or cold. They want to know if the sun is going to shine or if the rain is going to fall. The people on the Weather Channel seem to know what is

SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME

Materials:
Dove shape cut from heavy paper
Markers
Glue
Craft sticks
White feathers

Directions:

1. Give each of the children a dove shape.

2. Using markers, have the children draw in the eyes and beaks of their doves.

3. Help the children spread the glue with the craft sticks over the rest of the dove shape.

4. Help the children carefully add the feathers to the glue to cover their dove shapes. Allow the glue to dry.

5. Let the children take their doves with them and tell them to hang the doves on their doors at home.

SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME
AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME


Materials:
Construction paper (red, pink preferred)
Paper doilies
Markers, crayons, pens, pencils
Glitter (optional)
Ribbon
Other decorating supplies


Directions:
1. Have children cut large paper hearts out of construction paper.
2. Encourage them to decorate the hearts with pictures, doilies, ribbon, glitter, and so on.
3. Have them write "I love you!" on the heart.
4. Instruct them to give their heart to their parents, grandparents, or guardian. Talk about keeping the fourth commandment -- "Honor thy father and mother."

Have you ever received one of these on a paper at school? Doesn't receiving these stickers make you feel like you've done a good job? It gives you encouragement that you are up to something good and can make your day. In our story today Jesus received more than a smiley sticker. It says in Matthew 3:16-17,

"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened... And a voice from heaven said, This is my son whom I love, with whom I am well pleased."

John the Baptist is humbled by Jesus’ request to baptize him. John sees himself as the stand in place holder until Jesus arrives. Once he does John is more than happy to hand over the ministry. Jesus, however, wants John to use his expertise and experience to serve Jesus’s ministry. Baptism is what John is good at after all, it’s right there in his name. He has spent his ministry baptizing others. He probably has a super awesome liturgy and Jesus wants to be a part of that.   This story teaches us that God calls us to use what we are good at to help Jesus’ ministry.

In your message say something like:

Object: Some type of “ID” card, like a driver’s license. I will use “driver’s license” in the message, but you can change it to whatever type of ID you are using.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) I have a story today that some of you have probably heard before. It is the story about the day Jesus was baptized. Does anyone remember that story? (Let them respond.) I’ll tell it to you now and see if you remember it.

Good morning, boys and girls. What am I wearing this morning? (Let them answer.) I'm wearing part of a uniform of the (name the team). Have any of you gone to a game where the (name the team) has played? (Let them answer.) I think one of the most exciting parts of a game is right before it starts. That's when all the players are introduced. Someone announces the player's name and number. That player then runs out on the court of playing field. Everyone cheers. Do you like that part of the game? (Let them answer.) Some people call that pre-game "hype." That's a funny term, isn't it?

Our Bible story this morning sounds like the events that take place before a game begins. In the Bible story guess what player is introduced and guess who is the announcer. Jesus is

Good morning! Let me show you this certificate. (Show the
baptism certificate.) Does anyone know what this is? (Let them
answer.) Yes, this is a baptism certificate. It shows the date
and place where a person is baptized. In addition to this
certificate, we also keep a record here at the church of all
baptisms so that if a certificate is lost we can issue a new one.
What do all of you think about baptism? Is it important? (Let
them answer.)

Let me tell you something about baptism. Before Jesus
started to preach and do miracles, the first thing he did was to
get baptized. He came to John the Baptist, who was a relative of
his, and he was baptized in the Jordan River. Now, if Jesus

Good morning! How many of you have played Monopoly? (Let
them answer.) In the game of Monopoly, sometimes you wind up in
jail. You can get out of jail by paying a fine or, if you have
one of these cards (show the card), you can get out free by
turning in the card.

Now, in the game of life, the real world where we all live,
we are also sometimes in jail. Most of us never have to go to a
real jail, but we are all in a kind of jail called "sin." The
Bible tells us that when we sin we become prisoners of sin, and
if we don't do anything about it, we will stay in that jail
forever. That means we would never be able to go to Heaven. Do
all of you want to go to Heaven? (Let them answer.) Yes, of

Good morning, boys and girls. On January 20, the president of the United States will be inaugurated. That means there will be a ceremony for him to officially begin his job as president. This will be a very special event and there will be many people in Washington D.C. watching it happen. Millions of other people all around the world will watch it on television. The president will recite his oath of office, placing his hand on a Bible that his wife will hold.

Good morning, boys and girls. Some of you might have a shirt with your school's name on it. Maybe you have a shirt from a favorite sports team. Grown-ups say they are partial to the teams they like. When this sermon is almost over I will tell you the teams I am partial to.

I've got some school jerseys here. (hold up each shirt) Are you partial to any of these schools? (let them answer) Many of us feel partial to the school we go to or will go to when we are older. We root for our teams when they play football, basketball, or soccer.

Good morning, boys and girls. I brought my globe this morning, so that we can understand the Bible lesson better. This globe shows all the nations of the earth. It shows where we live. It shows where Jesus lived. It shows all the continents and is lands and oceans of the world.

Can anyone point to where we live? (Let someone point.) Can anyone point to where Jesus lived? (Let someone point. Be prepared to show the location.) We live in the United States. Jesus lived in a country called Judea. Today we know it as Israel. (Point out to the children some of the countries where their ancestors came from.) Many of your great-grandparents came from ________________. Here is where that country is on the globe.

Have you ever heard a voice from heaven? I can't say that I have. I would be impressed to hear such a voice. When Jesus was baptized, a voice spoke that said, "This my Son, the Beloved." Wow! Wouldn't that be neat?

Baptism is neat! It is important. In Baptism God points to you by name and says that you also are beloved. You are an important person. God knows you and loves you and calls you by name.

Can you tell me what we do at baptisms? (Let them answer. Then go through the motions of a real baptism. Let the children feel the water. Tell them that God approves of baptism and affirms the person being baptized just as God called Jesus "the Beloved.")

Every person who is baptized is an important, beloved child of

(Give each child a piece of the pie-shaped circle as he or she comes forward for the children's sermon. Keep one piece for yourself.) Good morning! I have a piece that is better than your piece. How do I know mine is better? (Let them answer.) Mine is better because .... Know what? I can't think of a reason why mine is better than yours. It's not bigger. It's not fatter. It's not more colorful. I'm going to put my piece on the floor. In fact, let's all put our pieces on the floor and see if we can make a circle. (Do it.) Look! A circle!

Sometimes some people think they are better than others. Some people think they are better because they are nicer looking. Others because they are good at sports. Some because they are

How many of you like popcorn? (Let them answer.) I have some here. Would you like some? (Let them try some of your unsalted popcorn.) How do you like my popcorn? I don't like it too much because I Like a little salt on my popcorn. (Put some salt on your popcorn.) Now, that tastes better.

Jesus once said that those who believe in him are "the salt of the earth." That's a strange thing to say. Anybody have any ideas about what Jesus meant? (Let them answer.) Do you suppose that Jesus meant that because of people like you and me, the world would be different -- just like the popcorn tastes different because of the salt? I think that is what he meant. He meant that because of believers like you and me, the world would be better -

Good morning! I brought a television so that I could be a better speaker this morning. (Put the box in front of you as if you were on television.) This is better. Now, maybe I'll be like the actors and actresses who are on television. They don't make very many mistakes, and sometimes I do. Sometimes I forget what I want to say or I stutter or I say the wrong thing. I wish I were as good as the people on television!

How many of you have ever been to a television studio? (Let them answer.) Did you know that the people who are on television often have the opportunity to say things over and over again until they get it right? They can get to be perfect. But when I say something or when you say something, we might have mistakes

Today we hear the story of the day Jesus was baptized. How many of you have been baptized? (show of hands) How many of you haven't? How many aren't sure? Baptism is a wonderful thing that Christians do. Churches all over the world baptize people when they have decided to follow Jesus. Not all churches baptize in the same way, but we all teach the same idea.

(Hold up the drawing) See this circle? It has no beginning and no end. (trace the circle with your finger) It just keeps going and going and never stops. The year is like that. We have spring, summer, fall and winter -- and then we start over again. We're never done, and we're always getting ready for the next season.

The church seasons are like that too. Instead of spring, summer, winter and fall, the church seasons are Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost. Every year we go around the circle and then begin again. We've just finished Advent and Christmas. Now we're in Epiphany. This season is about his life, what he did while on earth.

Materials:
Toilet paper roll (one per child)
Construction paper
Scissors
Glue
Crayons
String
Hole punch

Directions:

Make a template for each child which includes the following pieces:


1 rectangle large enough to go around the roll


1 dove head


2 small feet


2 wings


1 tail

(See page 34 in the printed version of this issue of CSS Plus! for a template that can be enlarged then reproduced on a copier or a computer printer.)

Allow each child to color their pieces before cutting them out.

Teachers: The dove is a familiar Christian symbol. One of its meanings is related to Jesus' baptism. The shell is a Christian symbol used by many denominations to denote baptism. Another image of baptism is Jesus standing in the Jordan River being baptized by John.

Some of these images and symbols may be present in windows of your church. Help your students create a stained-glass window of their own, based on the baptism of Jesus theme. Create your own example first. Have it available during the class to help explain the project to your students.

Here's how to create your window. Using white paper and crayons, have your students design and color a church window. Suggest students use the theme of clouds opening with a dove

Teachers or Parents: See the previous Plus section for an Epiphany idea that might revolutionize the meaning of Epiphany (perhaps Christmas as well) in your congregation. It's worth a try. Children love to re-enact a story. We have Christmas pageants that often (wrongly) include the Epiphany story of the men from the East, why not an Epiphany pageant?

For Baptism of Our Lord: This is a great Sunday for baptisms. Perhaps a baptism is on the agenda. If so, invite the children to gather around at the baptism. You might reschedule your children's sermon just prior to the baptism itself.

*Share the story of your baptism. If you practice infant baptism in your church, have the children find the date of their