Christmas Eve
Children's sermon
Story Time At The Altar
86 Messages For Children
Call To Worship:
"Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
Leader:
With eager expectation
In great anticipation
We have waited for this night.
With glowing adulation
We join with God's creation
To see anew the wondrous sight,
The birthday of this newborn King,
While heaven and earth and angels sing.
While the congregation joins in singing a Christmas hymn, a child carrying a large star attached to a pole enters, coming down the central aisle, to place the star in a container. The choir and children follow into the semi-lighted church. Having been invited beforehand to bring their favorite stuffed animal, the children come to the altar area where they are to provide the animal sounds as the poem is read:
On Christmas Eve it has been said,
Inside the stable, 'round his bed,
Animals kneel to give God praise.
Then one by one they stand to raise
Their "alleluias" to their King.
In their own way the animals sing:
The horses neigh,
The doves coo,
The sheep bleat, "Baaaa,"
The owls cry, "Whoooo,"
The dogs bark, "Woof,"
The cats meow,
The mice make squeaks,
"Mooo," moans the cow,
The cricket creaks,
The chickens cluck,
The goose cries, "Quack,"
So does the duck.
On Christmas Eve, around his bed,
The animals speak, or so it's said.
Prayer:
The gift of love begins in the heart,
In the thought of the one who cares,
In the time that it takes to think and plan
For the love that the giver shares.
The gift of love is a simple gift,
No matter how large or small,
For the givers offering themselves
Is the greatest gift of all.
Dear God, we thank you for this gift of love you have placed in our hearts. May it grow to your glory. Amen.
"Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
Leader:
With eager expectation
In great anticipation
We have waited for this night.
With glowing adulation
We join with God's creation
To see anew the wondrous sight,
The birthday of this newborn King,
While heaven and earth and angels sing.
While the congregation joins in singing a Christmas hymn, a child carrying a large star attached to a pole enters, coming down the central aisle, to place the star in a container. The choir and children follow into the semi-lighted church. Having been invited beforehand to bring their favorite stuffed animal, the children come to the altar area where they are to provide the animal sounds as the poem is read:
On Christmas Eve it has been said,
Inside the stable, 'round his bed,
Animals kneel to give God praise.
Then one by one they stand to raise
Their "alleluias" to their King.
In their own way the animals sing:
The horses neigh,
The doves coo,
The sheep bleat, "Baaaa,"
The owls cry, "Whoooo,"
The dogs bark, "Woof,"
The cats meow,
The mice make squeaks,
"Mooo," moans the cow,
The cricket creaks,
The chickens cluck,
The goose cries, "Quack,"
So does the duck.
On Christmas Eve, around his bed,
The animals speak, or so it's said.
Prayer:
The gift of love begins in the heart,
In the thought of the one who cares,
In the time that it takes to think and plan
For the love that the giver shares.
The gift of love is a simple gift,
No matter how large or small,
For the givers offering themselves
Is the greatest gift of all.
Dear God, we thank you for this gift of love you have placed in our hearts. May it grow to your glory. Amen.
