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(Children's Sermon Service...Plus)

Today is the beginning of a brand-new year. We even call this day "New Year's Day" and celebrate it. We like new things. I wonder how many of you got new things for Christmas? (Let them answer.) Old things come to an end and new things come. 1996 is now behind us. Now we live in 1997!

Everything that is new will someday become old. I remember one Christmas when I got a new... (Here tell a story of a gift that meant a great deal to you when it was new but the newness wore off and became old.) People are like our Christmas gifts. New people are babies and old people are our seniors. New people come into the world and old people leave the world and go to heaven.

There is one person who is both new and old. I'm talking

Almost every family has something that is passed on within
the family. I have this (show them the family heirloom that is
yours and tell them something about it). Do you have something
that is in your family that once belonged to a grandmother or
grandfather or great-grandmother or great-grandfather? (Let them
answer.) We call these things our "inheritance." These are
things that are ours because we are related to the people they
once belonged to.

Today we learn of something that Jesus promised to all who
believe in him. Does anybody know what Jesus promised us? (Let
them answer.) He promised to all who believe in him the gift of
heaven.

Teachers or Parents: New Year's Day is a strange one for
children. They don't quite get what it's all about. "How is New
Year's any different from any other day?" they wonder.

* Make a New Year's calendar together. If there are any
special events coming up -- family weddings, confirmations,
anniversaries -- note them on the calendar.

* Place all 1998 birthdays on the calendar.

* Post the calendar in a prominent place and refer to it
frequently. Perhaps vacations and holidays can be highlighted.

* Note: This day is also celebrated as the "Name of Jesus"
(Lutheran) and "Feast of Saint Basil" (Eastern Orthodox
Christian).

And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." (v. 40)

Good morning, boys and girls! Who can tell me what today is? (allow answers) Today is New Year's Day! Today we are celebrating the beginning of a brand new year. Today we celebrate the future and look ahead to the good things that we pray this year will bring us.

Our readings today look ahead not just to the next year, but to eternity! How many of you know what "eternity" means? (allow answers) "Eternity" means "forever." When we talk about eternity in church, we are usually talking about life after death. We are talking about heaven!

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. (v. 4a)

Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) How many of you have ever cried? (allow answers) That might seem like a silly question to ask on New Year's Day -- usually people don't talk about crying at the new year! During New Year's celebrations, people look forward to happy things that they hope will happen in the next year. But for our sermon today we're going to talk about sadness.

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


* This activity is creating hygiene kits for those in need. Contact your local Red Cross agency or other local humanitarian relief organization to find out if they are accepting these kits and to double check what their requirements are. You may want to ask members of the church to donate the supplies for these kits.


Materials:
Gallon Ziplock bags
Plastic combs
Hairbrushes
Mini shampoo and conditioner
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Deodorant
Soap
Razor
Lotion
Wash cloth
Pen


Directions:

The Point: The new year is ahead of you. What will you fill your days with?

The Lesson: Good morning boys and girls. I am always blessed when you come up to share this time with me. Thank you.

Happy New Year to you! Isn't it exciting to know that we have a new year ahead of us? (let children answer) I brought with me a new calendar. What is a calendar used for? (let children answer) You notice that my calendar has beautiful pictures of God's creation. Each picture reflects the season of the year. The beautiful scenes always bring joy to my heart and praises to my mouth for our Creator. Also notice that there is always a Bible verse for each month. I read the verse each day during the month so that it guides my thoughts for the day.

When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. (vv. 3-4)

Good morning, boys and girls. If you did not know how to spell a word, where would you look to find out how to spell it correctly? (let them answer) That's right, the dictionary. (pick out a word, look it up, and spell it) That works every time. Now let's suppose you wanted to make a certain kind of cookie, like a brownie, and you did not know what to use to make a brownie. Where would you look? (let them answer) That's right, again. You would look in a cookbook. (open the cookbook

In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (vv. 5-6)

Good morning, boy and girls. Today is a special day in the church year. It always comes on the same day of the year just like Christmas. Today is Epiphany. It always falls on January 6. How many of you can say, "Epiphany"? (let them say it a few times to get it right) That's a big word, but it means that this is the season that we think about how Jesus made God real to us by coming and living with people just like you and me.

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

Materials:
Heavy paper (cardstock or poster board)
Pencils or pens
Star patterns (already made and cut out for younger children)
Stickers, markers, or other decorating supplies
Scissors

Directions:

1. Give each of the children two pieces of the heavy paper.

2. Have the children draw a large five-pointed star on one sheet of their paper. Younger children may do better if you have the star patterns already made for them.

3. Tell the older children to trace the stars onto the other pieces of paper.

4. Allow the children to decorate their stars using stickers, markers, or whatever other

When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him… (v. 3)


Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) How many of you have ever been scared of something? (allow answers) What have you been scared of? (allow answers) People are scared of many different things! Some people are scared of water. Some people are scared of heights. Some people are scared of frightening masks like this one. (put mask on)

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


Materials:
Construction paper
Crayons, pencils, colored pencils, markers
Yarn
Tissue paper
Stapler, tape, glue


Directions:
1. From construction paper, have children cut out the shape of a guardian angel.
2. Give each child a long, 6" wide piece of tissue paper. Have them fold it accordion style, short ways. Tie in the middle with a piece of yarn. Fluff out the ends to create white wings for the angel.
3. Attach the wings to the angel with glue, tape, or staples.
4. Attach a piece of yarn to the angel so that it can hang. The guardian angel will remind the children that God protects us from our fears.

I have just been to the library and look at all my amazing books! Don't you think I will be much smarter after reading all these?! But will I be much wiser? What is the difference between being smart and being wise?

Let's look at our story in Matthew 2:1-12. It tells us that Magi or wise men came seeking to find the one born King of the Jews. Most people did not even realize that Jesus had come into the world but these men were wise, they stood out differently from the rest of the people. Wise people may not follow everyone else but are willing to do the right thing even if they are scared. 

Today we are going to be like the wise men from the East who looked for baby Jesus. They were told the wonderful story about a promised Messiah who would save the world. He was the "king of the Jews" and would be king of all people. They traveled a great distance. They wanted to see the baby. They had to see the baby! So they left and ended up in Jerusalem. There they asked about the promised king.

The man who was king became very jealous. Even though they were looking for a spiritual king -- a king of our hearts, minds, and souls -- King Herod thought this little king might want to take over his throne. He wanted the wise men to find the baby and then report back to him where the baby was.

Teachers: Most youngsters (and many adults) have a misconception of the wise men. The Bible does not state that the wise men visited Jesus at the manger. Even so, our tradition of gift giving at Christmas may relate to the wise men's gifts. The church celebrates the arrival of the wise men's visit to Jesus 12 days after Christmas. This event is called "Epiphany."

Take a moment to explain to your students the significance of Epiphany, the wise men, and Jesus. The lesson from Matthew states three gifts that the wise men gave Jesus: gold, frankincense and myrrh. You can recreate these gifts and give one of ea ch to each student, making each student a "wise man" or "wise woman."

Most youngsters understand that gold is a precious mineral.

Teachers or Parents: Have an Epiphany pageant to close off the Christmas season and the twelve days of Christmas with the children of your church. Have people stationed in various parts of the home or church building where you might go to ask the question, "Are you the Messiah?" They will, of course, say, "No." The first group might add, "Look for the star." Involve as many children as possible. Let them ask the question. Let them get into the role of wise men from the East. Help them relive the story and see that Jesus is more than king of the Jews or king of this congregation or home. Jesus is king of all!

The Epiphany pageant might become an annual event for your congregation. This is a great year to start it since the Epiphany

The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (v. 17)

Good morning, boys and girls. How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about justice. How many of you have ever played cops and robbers? (allow answers) Do any of your parents watch TV shows like Law and Order or CSI? (allow answers) How many of you have had a police officer come into your classroom at school to talk about safety or following the law? (allow answers) What does the police officer wear on his uniform to show that he is who he says he is? (allow answers)

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


Materials:
Construction paper
Pencils, pens, crayons
Scissors
Safety pins


Directions:
1. Create a (or several) badge template(s).
2. Have children cut out a badge from construction paper (using templates if desired).
3. Have them design badges for the "Mercy Police." Their job this week is to show mercy to others.
4. When finished, have them pin the badge on their shirt.

John’s opening is daunting. There is so much packed into 18 verses I often feel like I need to sit a few minutes with each word before I can move on to the next one. The strength of this opening is that it tells you all you need to know about what the book is about without ruining the story telling process. In these opening verses, John wants to frame his gospel in a theology and prepare the reader for what is to come.

Good morning! The Bible tells us that Jesus is the true
light, a light which enlightens everyone. Why do you think Jesus
is called a light, a true light? (Let them answer.) Jesus came
into the world to show us the truth about God and God's plan for
our salvation. Showing people the truth is what it means when it
says that the light enlightens everyone.

Let's see if we can illustrate this for you. I have here a
box, and there is something important in it. Look through these
holes and see if you can tell me what's in the box. (Let them try
to see through the holes. Check it out beforehand to be sure they
can't see what is in there.) It's too dark to see, isn't it?