The Promise of Christmas - Who To Pick?
Children's sermon
Object: A crèche, or manger scene. Any size and style is fine as long as it includes shepherds. Have the creche set up before you begin.
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Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent! I want to tell you a story about something that happened a long time ago when the baby Jesus was born on the very first Christmas. Did you know that God had a really big problem on that first Christmas? (Let them respond.) It was a BIG problem, too. Does anyone have an idea what problem God had? (Let them respond.) God had gotten everything ready for the baby Jesus to be born in the little town of Bethlehem, right? (Let them respond.) Yes. And when the baby Jesus was born, people came to see him, didn’t they? (Let them respond.) Yes, they did. But that’s when God had the big problem I mentioned. The people in Bethlehem heard about the baby being born, but how was God going to make sure other people heard about it, too? God wanted everyone to know about the baby Jesus, but they didn’t have television or the internet, so how in the world could God tell everyone, everywhere? And it was really important that God told everyone, too, because people were really afraid and God wanted to tell them that Jesus was going to help them.
People were afraid because they were worried about what was going to happen to them. The people were afraid because there were a lot of people from other countries coming to live with them and they weren’t sure what they might do. There were Romans, and Greeks, and Egyptians, and lots of others, and they all talked differently and believed different things. And the people were afraid because their leaders were always arguing. The Pharisees argued with the Sadducees who argued with the Scribes, who argued with the Priests, who argued with the Romans. It seemed like all everyone did was argue and threaten to fight with each other. And there was a lot of fighting going on, too. Almost every day, the people heard news about wars with the Romans, the Parthians, the Sardinians, the Germans, the Balkans, and lots of others. There were so many scary things going on that people were really worried and didn’t know who to believe or who they could trust to help them. That does sound scary, doesn’t it? (Let them respond.) And that’s why God had the big problem. God had to figure out how to make sure that everyone, everywhere, heard the good news about the baby Jesus so they could all relax and not be so afraid.
God had a choice to make. God could pick Herod to tell everyone about the baby Jesus. Herod was the King of the land, and he had armies he could use to make people do what he wanted them to do. God could tell Herod to send his armies to tell everyone about the baby Jesus and make them go see him, right? (Let them respond.) Or King Herod could create laws that said if people did not go to see Jesus and listen to what he said, they would be put in prison, couldn’t he? (Let them respond.) Herod didn’t really care about the people or about God, but if God picked him to tell everyone about the baby, he could sure make people pay attention to Jesus, couldn’t he? (Let them respond.)
Or God could pick the shepherds to tell everyone about the baby Jesus. The shepherds weren’t powerful, didn’t have any armies to send, and couldn’t really do anything to make people go see Jesus and listen to him, could they? (Let them respond.) All the shepherds knew how to do was take care of their sheep. They knew how to keep their sheep safe, make sure they had food and a safe place to live and knew how to take care of them if they were afraid or hurting. If God picked the shepherds to tell everyone about the baby, they couldn’t make people pay attention, could they? (Let them respond.) But they could tell them that God cared for them just like a good shepherd cared for their sheep, couldn’t they? (Let them respond.)
So, God’s problem was to decide who to send to tell everyone about the baby Jesus; King Herod or the shepherds. And who did God pick? (Let them respond.) Let’s look at this and see. (Show the creche.) What is this? (Let them respond.) It’s called a creche, or the manger, and it is what some people think it might have looked like when the baby Jesus was born. Let’s see who is there. (One at a time, point out and mention the baby, Mary and Joseph, the animals, and any other characters in your creche other than the shepherds.) Now, let me ask you another question. Do you see King Herod anywhere in here? (Let them respond.) Nope, I don’t either. But who are these people? (Point to and pick up the shepherds to show them.) They are shepherds, aren’t they? (Let them respond.) So, who did God pick to tell everyone about the baby Jesus on that first Christmas, the King or the shepherds? (Let them respond.) God sent the Shepherds to show everyone that Jesus was not going to just force them to do things like a powerful King might do, but Jesus was going to take care of them like a good shepherd would take care of them. God did not send the baby Jesus to make people do things someone told them they had to do, but God sent the baby Jesus to help them when they were afraid.
That is the promise God made on that first Christmas, and that is the promise God makes on this Christmas, too, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) Because we get scared sometimes, too, don’t we? (Let them respond.) Today, we hear some people worry about people from other places who come to live with us, don’t they? (Let them respond.) And we hear our leaders argue a lot, too, don’t we? (Let them respond.) And we hear a lot of news about wars that are being fought around the world, don’t we? (Let them respond.) And sometimes we worry about things that the people didn’t even think about on that first Christmas, don’t we? (Let them respond.) We worry, and try to figure out who we can blame for the things that scare us, don’t we? (Let them respond.) And we wonder who will help us when we are afraid like this, don’t we? (Let them respond.) Who should we choose to help us? Should we choose someone like a big, powerful king who can send armies and make laws to make people do what we want them to do? Or should we choose someone who just knows how to take care of us, the way a good shepherd would take care of us? (Let them respond.)
The next time we feel worried like that, I hope we will remember our story and look at the creche that reminds us of that very first Christmas. (Show the creche.) Is King Herod there? (Let them respond.) Nope! Who did God pick to tell everyone about the baby Jesus? (Let them respond.) God did not send the powerful and angry King to force everyone to do what he wanted, but God sent the shepherds to show everyone how much God loved them and how Jesus was going to care for them.
Before we go, I have a question for us to think about as we celebrate Christmas. When we are worried about things that are happening around us, do we treat other people the way a king would treat them, or do we treat them the way a shepherd would treat them? When we are afraid, do we get angry with people and demand that they do what we want them to do, or do we do our best to show them how much God loves them and how much we care about them?
Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us and for forgiving us when we forget that. And please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
* * *
Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent! I want to tell you a story about something that happened a long time ago when the baby Jesus was born on the very first Christmas. Did you know that God had a really big problem on that first Christmas? (Let them respond.) It was a BIG problem, too. Does anyone have an idea what problem God had? (Let them respond.) God had gotten everything ready for the baby Jesus to be born in the little town of Bethlehem, right? (Let them respond.) Yes. And when the baby Jesus was born, people came to see him, didn’t they? (Let them respond.) Yes, they did. But that’s when God had the big problem I mentioned. The people in Bethlehem heard about the baby being born, but how was God going to make sure other people heard about it, too? God wanted everyone to know about the baby Jesus, but they didn’t have television or the internet, so how in the world could God tell everyone, everywhere? And it was really important that God told everyone, too, because people were really afraid and God wanted to tell them that Jesus was going to help them.
People were afraid because they were worried about what was going to happen to them. The people were afraid because there were a lot of people from other countries coming to live with them and they weren’t sure what they might do. There were Romans, and Greeks, and Egyptians, and lots of others, and they all talked differently and believed different things. And the people were afraid because their leaders were always arguing. The Pharisees argued with the Sadducees who argued with the Scribes, who argued with the Priests, who argued with the Romans. It seemed like all everyone did was argue and threaten to fight with each other. And there was a lot of fighting going on, too. Almost every day, the people heard news about wars with the Romans, the Parthians, the Sardinians, the Germans, the Balkans, and lots of others. There were so many scary things going on that people were really worried and didn’t know who to believe or who they could trust to help them. That does sound scary, doesn’t it? (Let them respond.) And that’s why God had the big problem. God had to figure out how to make sure that everyone, everywhere, heard the good news about the baby Jesus so they could all relax and not be so afraid.
God had a choice to make. God could pick Herod to tell everyone about the baby Jesus. Herod was the King of the land, and he had armies he could use to make people do what he wanted them to do. God could tell Herod to send his armies to tell everyone about the baby Jesus and make them go see him, right? (Let them respond.) Or King Herod could create laws that said if people did not go to see Jesus and listen to what he said, they would be put in prison, couldn’t he? (Let them respond.) Herod didn’t really care about the people or about God, but if God picked him to tell everyone about the baby, he could sure make people pay attention to Jesus, couldn’t he? (Let them respond.)
Or God could pick the shepherds to tell everyone about the baby Jesus. The shepherds weren’t powerful, didn’t have any armies to send, and couldn’t really do anything to make people go see Jesus and listen to him, could they? (Let them respond.) All the shepherds knew how to do was take care of their sheep. They knew how to keep their sheep safe, make sure they had food and a safe place to live and knew how to take care of them if they were afraid or hurting. If God picked the shepherds to tell everyone about the baby, they couldn’t make people pay attention, could they? (Let them respond.) But they could tell them that God cared for them just like a good shepherd cared for their sheep, couldn’t they? (Let them respond.)
So, God’s problem was to decide who to send to tell everyone about the baby Jesus; King Herod or the shepherds. And who did God pick? (Let them respond.) Let’s look at this and see. (Show the creche.) What is this? (Let them respond.) It’s called a creche, or the manger, and it is what some people think it might have looked like when the baby Jesus was born. Let’s see who is there. (One at a time, point out and mention the baby, Mary and Joseph, the animals, and any other characters in your creche other than the shepherds.) Now, let me ask you another question. Do you see King Herod anywhere in here? (Let them respond.) Nope, I don’t either. But who are these people? (Point to and pick up the shepherds to show them.) They are shepherds, aren’t they? (Let them respond.) So, who did God pick to tell everyone about the baby Jesus on that first Christmas, the King or the shepherds? (Let them respond.) God sent the Shepherds to show everyone that Jesus was not going to just force them to do things like a powerful King might do, but Jesus was going to take care of them like a good shepherd would take care of them. God did not send the baby Jesus to make people do things someone told them they had to do, but God sent the baby Jesus to help them when they were afraid.
That is the promise God made on that first Christmas, and that is the promise God makes on this Christmas, too, isn’t it? (Let them respond.) Because we get scared sometimes, too, don’t we? (Let them respond.) Today, we hear some people worry about people from other places who come to live with us, don’t they? (Let them respond.) And we hear our leaders argue a lot, too, don’t we? (Let them respond.) And we hear a lot of news about wars that are being fought around the world, don’t we? (Let them respond.) And sometimes we worry about things that the people didn’t even think about on that first Christmas, don’t we? (Let them respond.) We worry, and try to figure out who we can blame for the things that scare us, don’t we? (Let them respond.) And we wonder who will help us when we are afraid like this, don’t we? (Let them respond.) Who should we choose to help us? Should we choose someone like a big, powerful king who can send armies and make laws to make people do what we want them to do? Or should we choose someone who just knows how to take care of us, the way a good shepherd would take care of us? (Let them respond.)
The next time we feel worried like that, I hope we will remember our story and look at the creche that reminds us of that very first Christmas. (Show the creche.) Is King Herod there? (Let them respond.) Nope! Who did God pick to tell everyone about the baby Jesus? (Let them respond.) God did not send the powerful and angry King to force everyone to do what he wanted, but God sent the shepherds to show everyone how much God loved them and how Jesus was going to care for them.
Before we go, I have a question for us to think about as we celebrate Christmas. When we are worried about things that are happening around us, do we treat other people the way a king would treat them, or do we treat them the way a shepherd would treat them? When we are afraid, do we get angry with people and demand that they do what we want them to do, or do we do our best to show them how much God loves them and how much we care about them?
Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us and for forgiving us when we forget that. And please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.
