Childrens Sermon Service

Object: Ideally, find a big map of the Holy Land to show where Mary and Joseph traveled after Jesus was born. An alternative would be a large piece of paper you could draw the map on to show how they had to travel.

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Before I tell you a story today, I have a question for you. Have any of you made any New Year’s Resolutions? (Let them respond.) Sometimes we do that when a new year begins, don’t we? (Let them respond.) Maybe we say something like, “This year I am going to be nicer to somebody”, or “this year I am going to do a better job of cleaning my room”, or you say you are going to do something else like that this year. Has anyone made any plans for the new year? (Let them respond.)

Today’s story is about the plans Mary and Joseph made after their baby Jesus was born. (Show the map and start by pointing to the area of Nazareth in Galilee, then show how far it was to Bethlehem as you continue.) We remember that before Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph left Mary’s home in Nazareth and traveled to Joseph’s hometown of Bethlehem and that’s where Jesus was born. And after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph planned on staying in Bethlehem for a while so Joseph’s family could help them take care of the new baby. That was their plan.

But something happened. Do you remember the three wise men who came to see the baby, Jesus? (Let them respond.) When they were there, they told Joseph that King Herod was going to try and find the baby Jesus and take him away so he could not become a king. Bethlehem was only a couple of miles from Jerusalem where Herod lived, so, if Joseph and Mary stayed in Bethlehem, it would be really easy for Herod to find them.

Joseph decided they had to change their plans, and go someplace else where it was safer. One night he had a dream about Egypt, and when he got up the next morning he told Mary that’s where they were going to go. (Use the map to show where Bethlehem is and how far it was to Egypt as you continue.) So Mary and Joseph packed up their baby and had to sneak away from Bethlehem and go to Egypt.

It was a long trip, and most of it was across some really dangerous desert. I’ll bet that was pretty scary, don’t you? (Let them respond.) They knew Herod’s soldiers were chasing them, and they were going to a place they had never been before. They didn’t know anybody in Egypt. And, they were Israelites, not Egyptians. They didn’t look like Egyptians and didn’t talk like Egyptians. So, instead of their plan of staying with family, they were going to be immigrants in a new place, all alone.

We don’t know for sure how long they stayed in Egypt, but one day Joseph heard that King Herod had died, and his son Archelaus was now in charge. So, Joseph made a new plan. (Show the map and the trip from Egypt back to Bethlehem.) He decided they would go back to Bethlehem so they could be with their family again. But what happened? (Let them respond.) When they started back to Bethlehem, people told Joseph that Archelaus was even worse than his father, King Herod, had been, and it was not going to be safe to go back to Bethlehem.

So, Joseph decided they had to change their plans. Again. I wonder how he felt now? (Let them respond.) Probably frustrated, right? (Let them respond.) Joseph talked to people and heard that when King Herod died, his other son, Antipas, had become the ruler up in Galilee. (Show the map and point to Galilee.) And Joseph heard that Antipas was not as mean as Archelaus, so it would be safe for them to go there. So, Joseph and Mary changed their plans again and made the trip from Egypt all the way up to the town of Nazareth in Galilee. (Use the map to show the path from Egypt to Galilee.)

How do you think Mary and Joseph felt now? (Let them respond.) Look at how all of their plans got changed.How do you think they felt? (Let them respond.)

But do you remember something about the town called Nazareth? (Let them respond.) That was where Mary was from, wasn’t it?That’s where they were before they had to go to Bethlehem, wasn’t it? (Let them respond.)

Instead of staying in Nazareth (point to Nazareth on the map) they had to change their plans and go to Bethlehem, didn’t they? (Point to Bethlehem  on the map.) And then, instead of staying in Bethlehem, they had to change their plans and hide in Egypt. (Point to Egypt on the map.) And then, instead of going back to Bethlehem, they had to change their plans again and go all the way back up to Galilee, didn’t they? (Point to Nazareth on the map.)

So even though they had to change their plans, God helped them end up back home with Mary’s family, and in a place where the mean Herod Archelaus could not do anything to the baby Jesus.May and Joseph had their plans, but God had even better plans for them.

Have you ever planned to do something, but your parents said, “Oh, no you don’t! You’ll get hurt doing that!” It might be frustrating, but they do it because they love you and are trying to make sure you stay safe. That’s what God did for Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. And that’s what God might do for us this year too.

(You can show the map again as you continue.) So if some of the plans we are making right now for the new year end up being changed, instead of getting upset or scared, maybe we need to stop and see if God might be giving us even better plans for our year.

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.