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

This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. (v. 12)


Good evening, boys and girls. I wish you a very blessed Christmas. Tonight is the night that Jesus was born more than 2,000 years ago, and the reason why we celebrate Christmas. None of us were present 2,000 years ago so we learn about his birth from the Bible. All of us know the story of how Joseph and Mary traveled from their hometown, Nazareth, to a larger town called Bethlehem. Bethlehem was the city of King David and Joseph was a relative of David, even though that was a long time before Joseph was even born.

When they arrived in Bethlehem, they looked for a hotel to stay in. They were late in

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all. (v. 11)


Good evening, boys and girls. Or should I have said (put on your top hat and cape and with a big gesture say), "Good evening, ladies and gentleman, and welcome to the greatest show on earth"? Tonight I am going to introduce you to the greatest gift that has ever been given. We are not talking about mountains or oceans. We are not talking about the sun, moon, and stars. We are not talking about being tall and muscular or beautiful and dressy. We are talking about the greatest, the most magnificent, the most glorious happening in the history of the world.

Tonight, Christmas Eve, is a star-spangled occasion. At this time, more than 2,000 years

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


Materials:

Microwave oven

Microwave safe bowl

Two wooden spoons

Waxed paper

Cooking spray

Ingredients for cookies (see below)





Directions:

1.
Using 50% power, melt the chips and peanut butter in the microwave (approximately three to five minutes).

2.
Using one of the wooden spoons, stir in the peanuts and chow mein noodles.

3.
Drop by spoonfuls onto the waxed paper.

4.
Coat the back of another wooden spoon with cooking spray, and use it to press an

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


Materials:
Straw
Paper gift tags (non-adhesive preferred)
Ribbon
Scissors
Markers, pens
Hole punch (if needed for tags)


Directions:
1. As a class, talk about what the "perfect" Christmas should look like. Talk about the stable at Bethlehem -- was that the "perfect" Christmas?
2. Have each child take a small handful of straw and tie a ribbon around it. Tie a gift tag on the ribbon and have them write their name in the "to" field. It should be "from" God.
3. Have them take it home to hang on their tree as a reminder of the "perfect" Christmas. It's not about ribbons and bows -- it's about Jesus' birth in a manger.

Today I have a bag of surprises!  How fun surprises can be!  There is the thrill of surprise and wonder.  In our Christmas story today we also have surprises.  I have to wonder if Mary and Joseph were really thinking she would have the baby on this trip or if it caught them by surprise a bit.  Maybe the journey caused the baby to arrive early?! 

It must have been a surprise to them that,  "there was no room for them in the inn"  (Luke 2:7). That kind of surprise is not such a pleasant one. They most likely knew there would be lots of people but it could have taken them by surprise that there was no vacancy anywhere. Sometimes surprises force us to trust God more.

Then as the night went on ...

This story is obviously missing some details. There is nothing about the long road trip and the arguments when they got lost. There is nothing about the anxiety of being turned away from inn after inn. Mary calmly births her first child without a medical team circling. There are all sorts of details missing. Some years I feel like I want to nitty gritty details out back in to remind us that the chaos is okay. However, the clean-cut version demonstrates what we should hold on to in our stories.

Object: A cardboard box about the size of a small cradle, filled with straw or shredded/pieces of paper.

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story? (Let them respond.) Great! Let’s go!

This is a story about two people. One of those people was a man called Caesar Augustus. Have you ever heard of him? (Let them respond.) We talk about him at Christmas time, don’t we? (Let them respond.) He was the ruler of the Roman Empire, kind of like the King of the entire land. He made the rules, and he didn’t like anyone who might disagree with him, or who didn’t do what he wanted them to do.

Merry Christmas, boys and girls. (Show one of your signs). Do any of you know what this sign means? (Let them answer.) That's right, it means (provide answer). (Show another sign and ask what it means. Let them answer.) Very good. Signs are very important aren't they? They give us direction. They tell us what to do and what not to do. The Bible gives many signs also.

You all know the story about the shepherds on Christmas Eve. The shepherds were in the field watching their sheep. Suddenly an angel appeared to them. The Bible says that the shepherds were very afraid when the angel appeared. Have any of you ever been afraid? (Let them answer.)

When the angel appeared, the angel said, "Don't be afraid. I

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all… (v. 11)

Good morning, boys and girls! How are you today? (allow answers) Who can tell me what today is? (allow answers) That's right -- it's finally here! Today is Christmas [Eve]! We have spent the whole season of Advent preparing for right now. The long preparation is finally over. Christmas is here!

Good evening, boys and girls. Tonight I'm going to tell you a wonderful story. It's the story of the birth of Jesus.

Hello, boys and girls. We are getting so close to Christmas we can hardly breathe! Within 24 hours Jesus Christ will be reborn in our hearts. Everyone loves Christmas with all the music, gift-giving, visits with relatives, and family dinners. It is a wonderful time of year.

Even with all the festivities, we shouldn't forget the reason Jesus was born. He did not come into the world so we could exchange gifts. Jesus did not come to have a big dinner with his whole family. He was born so that he could change us into the children of God. Jesus came to purify us and make us like him, always ready to do good for others.

Merry Christmas boys and girls! Christmas is an exciting time isn't it? (Let them answer.) What is the best part of Christmas? (Let them answer.) Right, it is opening presents. I brought a present that I want to share with you in just a moment. (Show your gift.)

Christmas is more than just receiving gifts. It's giving gifts, isn't it? (Let them answer.) I'm sure that most of you have gifts that you will be giving your mom and dad, and other family members.

Why do you suppose that we give gifts at Christmas? (Let them answer.) It could be that the wise men gave gifts to baby Jesus. I have another idea about gifts. I want you to think about this. In our Bible story it says that God gave himself to us. That's

Do you know what I'm thinking? (Let them answer.) Is there any way you can know what I'm thinking? (Let them answer.) We can know by talking -- by using words. We use words to tell each other what we are thinking.

I can tell what someone was thinking even though that person is now dead. How? That's right -- WORDS! I can take this book and read it and learn what the author, who died in (year), once thought. Words are wonderful.

When God wanted to speak to us to let us know how much God loved us, God used a person who used words and actions. We call this person Jesus. We also call him "God's Word." What person is God's Word? (Let them answer.) That's right -- Jesus is God's Word. When Jesus came into the world at Christmas, it was God who

If you want to know what you look like, what do you do? (Let them answer.) You look in a mirror, don't you? A mirror will tell you if you have mustard on your face or if your hair needs combed. You can tell what you look like just by using this mirror.

Since no one can see God, we often wonder what God is like. We know what God is like because Jesus is like a mirror of God. The more we get to know Jesus, the more we get to know all about God.

This day is one of the most special days of the year. This is Christmas! Christmas is so special because of Jesus and what Jesus did -- he showed us what God is like. A mirror shows us what we are like; Jesus shows us what God is like.

I've always thought it would be a wonderful thing to see an angel! When the shepherds were in their fields, an angel came to them and stood before them. The Bible says the "glory of the Lord shone around them." That must be some kind of light! And the poor shepherds were afraid. Maybe if I saw an angel, I would be afraid, too.

Today I'm going to tell you that you have seen an angel. Maybe the angel is not exactly like the angel the shepherds saw, but the angel is an angel nevertheless. You see, the word "angel" means "messenger." An angel tells the story about God.

Maybe some of you have been to (or are going to) a Christmas pageant and you saw someone dressed like an angel. Was that person really an angel? (Let them answer.) This might surprise

How many of you like to play with dolls? (Let them answer.) That's great! Many girls and boys enjoy dolls. It's fun caring for a doll like you would a real person. Sometimes dolls can be just like real persons. What are the names of some of your favorite dolls? (Let them answer.)

Real babies are just as much fun for adults. When a baby is born, everyone is excited! A baby is someone we can care for and love. But a baby also means hope. Would one of you tell me what "hope" means? (Let them answer.) When we have hope, we think things will get better. With a baby there is often a lot of hope because a baby might grow up and make the world better. Perhaps the baby will find a cure to a serious illness or she might build

Good morning! Do you have any of these hanging on your tree?
(Show the ornament and let them answer.) I'm sure that there are
lots of these hanging on Christmas trees all over the world
today. Besides that, there are a lot of other Christmas
decorations in most homes today and even on the streets and in
the windows of stores. Everybody decorates for Christmas and
celebrates with gifts and good dinners and all kinds of things
that make Christmas a special time of the year.

But, you know what? A lot of people who do all that
decorating and celebrating don't really know what Christmas is
all about. What is it that we are celebrating today? (Let them

Good morning! Has your family received any of these this
year? (Show the card and let them answer.) Yes, I'm sure you got
a whole stack of them. Why do people send us Christmas cards?
(Let them answer.) I suppose the main reason we send cards is to
let our friends and relatives know that we are thinking about
them and we want to greet them at Christmastime. We want to tell
them that we love them, and we hope they have a good Christmas.

Have you ever gotten a Christmas card from God? (Let them
answer.) No, of course not. God doesn't send Christmas cards, but
He does love us and He does want us to have a nice Christmas.
While He has never sent anyone a Christmas card, He did send

Good evening! Can any one of you tell me what tomorrow is?
(Let them answer.) Of course, tomorrow is Christmas, and what is
it that we are celebrating tomorrow? (Let them answer.) Yes, we
are celebrating the birth of Jesus. All of the presents, the
decorations, the good food, everything is supposed to remind us
of the birth of Jesus.

Here's a newspaper story about Christmas. (Show the
article.) It talks about _____________, but it doesn't say
anything about Jesus. It doesn't say anything at all about whose
birthday we are celebrating on Christmas. Can you imagine seeing
an article like this in the paper telling about somebody's
birthday, and yet it didn't even mention the name of the person

Good evening! Seems a little strange to say that when I am
usually saying good morning when you come up here. Why are we
all gathered here tonight? Is there something special about
tonight? (Let them answer.) Yes, it's Christmas Eve and tomorrow
is Christmas. What's going to happen tomorrow? Will somebody
volunteer to tell me what tomorrow will be like for you? (Let one
child tell about his or her expectations, which will probably be
focused on presents.)

That sounds like an exciting day. Presents are an important
part of Christmas, but what if every present you got was like
this one? (Show the empty gift box.) How would you feel about
that? (Let them answer.) You know, even if you got no presents,

Good morning! Can any of you tell me what this is? (Show the
certificate and let them answer.) Yes, this is a birth
certificate. It shows who was born, where the person was born and
the date he/she was born. Do you have one of these at home? (Let
them answer.) I'm quite sure that you do. Everyone that is born
nowadays has a birth certificate, but it wasn't always that way.
Years ago, people didn't get birth certificates. (Tell them about
someone you know who didn't have a birth certificate.)

Now whose birthday are we celebrating today? (Let them
answer.) Yes, this is the birthday of Jesus. Do you think Jesus
had a birth certificate? (Let them answer.) No, they didn't have

Good morning! I want you to look into this mirror and tell
me what you see there. (Let several of them look into the mirror
and identify themselves.) Now, are all of you sure that the
person you saw in the mirror was yourself? Do any of you doubt
that the person you saw was yourself? (Let them answer.) Okay, so
we all agree that when we look in the mirror, we see our own
reflection, and we have no doubt that what we see is an exact
reflection of ourselves.

Now, the Bible tells us that Jesus is a reflection of God's
glory. It says he is an exact imprint of God's very being. That
means that if God looked into a mirror, He would see Jesus, and

Teachers: Today's Bible lesson tells about a decree that "all the world should be registered (counted)." Tell your students that is the reason Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem.

Your students probably don't know what a census is. Allow your students to create their own census. Students may take them home where parents can help complete the project. You might aim the census around family questions. Your census can be as easy or difficult as your age group requires. As a title on each census questionnaire state that "(name of student) is taking a census of the Family of God." List the date, your church name and the teacher's name as the census bureau chief. For art work on the form, suggest a Christmas theme like Mary and Joseph traveling to