Prepare in a Loving Faith
Children's sermon
Object:
a lump of coal
The Point: We prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth not out of fear but out of a loving faith
The Lesson: Welcome, girls and boys and thank you for sharing this time with me. In just twelve days it will be December 25th, Christmas Day, the day that we celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus.
Are you getting ready? Are you prepared? (let the children answer)
I remember when I was your age I tried so hard to be good. Everything that I was supposed to do I did. I wanted to make sure that I was good so that I would not get this -- a lump of coal. (show lump of coal) I prepared for Christmas out of fear that I wouldn’t get anything at all... just a lump of coal.
That was really the wrong reason to get ready for Christmas, wasn’t it? (let the children answer)
In our Bible reading today John the Baptist said some of the people wanted to be baptized because they were afraid of eternal punishment. John didn’t want the people to prepare for Jesus out of fear but rather out of faith.
Jesus wants us to come to him out of a faith that trust not in ourselves but in his loving grace for all that is important because it guides us in the right way to prepare.
When we prepare in a loving faith for Jesus, we will share what we have with others. Christmas in Jesus is about sharing and giving out a loving faith. When we prepare in a loving faith we do the things we are supposed to do like worship and praying and helping and obeying our parents with a joyful spirit and not a have-to-attitude. When we prepare for Christmas with a loving faith we know that all we need and have comes from Jesus who truly loves us. We don’t worry about what we don’t have; we rejoice that in Jesus we have everything.
We still have twelve days to prepare our lives to receive Jesus. Prepare not out of fear but out of a loving faith.
Prayer: Boys and girls, let us unite our hearts and hands in prayer. Jesus, soon we will celebrate your birth in our midst. May you find our hearts and lives prepared to receive you in loving faith. Lord Jesus, in your holy name we pray. Amen.
The Lesson: Welcome, girls and boys and thank you for sharing this time with me. In just twelve days it will be December 25th, Christmas Day, the day that we celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus.
Are you getting ready? Are you prepared? (let the children answer)
I remember when I was your age I tried so hard to be good. Everything that I was supposed to do I did. I wanted to make sure that I was good so that I would not get this -- a lump of coal. (show lump of coal) I prepared for Christmas out of fear that I wouldn’t get anything at all... just a lump of coal.
That was really the wrong reason to get ready for Christmas, wasn’t it? (let the children answer)
In our Bible reading today John the Baptist said some of the people wanted to be baptized because they were afraid of eternal punishment. John didn’t want the people to prepare for Jesus out of fear but rather out of faith.
Jesus wants us to come to him out of a faith that trust not in ourselves but in his loving grace for all that is important because it guides us in the right way to prepare.
When we prepare in a loving faith for Jesus, we will share what we have with others. Christmas in Jesus is about sharing and giving out a loving faith. When we prepare in a loving faith we do the things we are supposed to do like worship and praying and helping and obeying our parents with a joyful spirit and not a have-to-attitude. When we prepare for Christmas with a loving faith we know that all we need and have comes from Jesus who truly loves us. We don’t worry about what we don’t have; we rejoice that in Jesus we have everything.
We still have twelve days to prepare our lives to receive Jesus. Prepare not out of fear but out of a loving faith.
Prayer: Boys and girls, let us unite our hearts and hands in prayer. Jesus, soon we will celebrate your birth in our midst. May you find our hearts and lives prepared to receive you in loving faith. Lord Jesus, in your holy name we pray. Amen.