Object: None
Lesson: Nothing is impossible with God's help.
Preparation: Be familiar with Luke 1:26-38. This lesson could of course be used as a pre-Christmas sermon, but it could be presented anytime.
I know it's not Christmastime, but this morning we are going to talk about the very beginning of the Christmas story. Does anyone remember what happened first? (Children respond. Offer help as ne...
Object: None
Do you ever wonder how God does things? You may remember that we talked last week about how many people and animals and other things God has to pay attention to, so that’s a good place to start. How does God keep track of so many different things? If everyone in the world is praying to God all at the same time, each in their own language and each with their own need, how does God hea...
Object: A tree ornament
Good morning, boys and girls. I brought this ornament from my Christmas tree to set a proper mood for a little story I would like to tell you. It is about a very poor family who always looked forward to having a Christmas tree. But one year their father lost his job and there simply was no money to buy a tree. The children were most disappointed. Their father tried to ease...
Object: None
Do your parents or teachers ever ask you to do something that you don’t understand? Do they ever say “Just trust me on this?” Is it sometimes rather hard to trust them? When you do trust them and do what they ask, do you sometimes see that they were right when it is all done?
This very thing happened to Mary, Jesus’ mother. The angel, Gabriel, came to her and told her she was going ...
Object: Purple ribbons
Good morning, boys and girls. I’m happy to see so many of you wearing your green ribbons this morning. See, I have mine, too. What does the color "green" remind us of? That’s right, life and growth. Very good. Yes, God has given us all things in creation, including his Son, Jesus. Green reminds us of the life we have in his love, and is certainly a good color for the Christ...
Object: Christmas tree lights
Good morning, boys and girls. We said last week that Jesus is the light of the world and that we are to be lights also. That is one of the reason we put lights on our trees this time of year. But why are these lights brightly colored? I believe it is to remind us that Christmas is to be a very happy time.
Now some people aren't ever very happy, even at Christmas. So...
Sharing This Week's Gospel Theme at Sunday School
Teachers: Before the children arrive, copy the following birth announcement or something familiar on the inside of a 9- by 12-inch piece of construction paper folded in half. Copy just the left side; the right will be filled in by the children later.
WE HAVE A NEW BABY!
Name: Jesus
Nickname: Son of the Most High God
Parents: Joseph and Mary
A...
Object: None
What do you think angels look like? (Let them answer.)
Have you ever seen an angel? (Let them answer again). Be careful now: you may have seen pictures or cartoons of angels, but do you think you’ve ever met a real, live angel?
The Bible says that not many of us ever get to see an angel. After all, there are thousands of people in the pages of the Bible, and only a very few of them...
Object: photo illustration of star over Bethlehem.
Lesson: Mary said, "... let it be to me according to your word."
Boys and girls, let's look at a picture together. (Show them the illustration. Have them tell you what it is and what it means.)
Do you think anybody in Bethlehem, besides Joseph and Mary and the shepherds - and maybe the innkeeper and his wife - thought there was anything special...
Object: An algebra problem or some equation that would not be understood.
Lesson: And he came to her and said, "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.
Good morning, boys and girls. I have with me a problem this morning, the day before Christmas, that I would like for you to help me wi...
Object: a birth announcement, maybe of the newest baby in your congregation
Lesson: The angel came to her and said, "Peace be with you!"
Good morning, boys and girls. I brought a special card for you to see today. Let's look at it. It has a picture of a baby on it. Do you recognize this baby? (Let them respond.) Babies look a lot alike. They are all tiny and usually a little wrinkled. Some of th...
Object: an angel ornament
Lesson: A tree, lights, candy canes which remind us of shepherds - these have been some of our Christmas decorations, and today I have brought a few angels to hang on our tree. Can anyone tell us about angels in the story of Christmas?
Yes, that's right, an angel came to Mary and told her that she would give birth to God's son and was to call his name Jesus. Do you reme...
The Lighting Of The Third Candle: The Name Candle
Everyone has a name. Even before you were born, your parents talked about what to call you. They probably thought of all kinds of different possibilities. They might have looked up names in a special dictionary or thought about names which were special favorites for them. And when you were born, your name was written on your birth certificate befo...
Exegetical Aim: The greatest gift given to Mary and to Me.
Props: A nativity set wrapped as a Christmas gift.
Lesson: I remember the best present I ever received at Christmas. Do you know what it was? (response) Talk about the best present you ever received. The greatest gift I ever received for Christmas was when I got a motorcycle. It was a yellow Yamaha 80 and it had a big red bow on the fron...
Exegetical Aim: Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
Props: Someone to work the lights of the church. You must talk to this person beforehand, and have him/her prepared to time his/her task perfectly.
Lesson: Good morning. Today I want to tell you that something different is going to happen in church today. Something really different. Do you believe me? (response) As a matter of fact, som...
Object: A magnifying glass.
Good morning, boys and girls. Imagine what it would be like to make yourself as big as you wanted to be with a magic wand, or a special word. How big would you like to be? (Let them answer.) That's big. There is something about being big that is exciting. We can hardly wait until we grow up to be as big as our fathers and mothers. To be able to grow tall is wonderful. ...
Object: Some large containers with things to fill them: trash, candy, clothes, empty bottles, etc.
Good morning to you and welcome to God's House. It really makes everyone feel good when God's house is filled and it makes us sad when it isn't filled. Jesus used to tell stories about how God wanted His Kingdom filled with people who wanted to believe and be a part of Him. Once he told a story abou...
Object: a book with a juvenile mystery tale inside.
Boys and girls, do you like mystery stories? (Let them answer.) I like them a lot. It's fun to listen to the story, or read it in a book, and wonder how it will come out. If the story-teller does a good job, we will get a surprise at the end. I have a story like that in my hand right now. How many of you have ever read or heard this story? (Talk...
Object: a book of Christmas carols from many lands (or you could use your own hymnal)
Good morning, boys and girls. This morning, since it's so close to Christmas, I'd like to talk about some special music. We have a verse today that talks about truth in many lands. The truth is that Jesus came to us and was born as a baby and lived on the earth just like we do. Every Sunday we sing lots of songs...
Object: A famous secret recipe (such as Kentucky Fried Chicken)
Good morning, boys and girls. The time has almost come and we are only a few hours away from the day that you have been waiting for. Just think, it is almost Christmas and you have made it. Is there any other day in the whole year that you wait for so much as for Christmas day? I don't think so. Waiting for Christmas is something tha...
Object: A big bottle of vitamins, box of Wheaties, jar of peanut butter
Good morning, boys and girls. How is everyone today? Are you getting excited about Christmas? It will be here before we know it! I'll bet your mothers and fathers have been so busy that they could use some of the things I brought with me today. (Hold up and name the items.) Why do we take vitamins, boys and girls? (Let them t...
Purpose: Helping children to find joy in each day.
Material: Prepare a little surprise package for each child. Your surprise can be anything from a picture to color, to a treat, to a sticker, to whatever is available to you in an amount to cover the number of children present.
Lesson: Have you ever had a nice surprise? ... What is a nice surprise? ... (Something nice happens to you that you did ...
