Prepare: This series of children’s sermons in Advent
will utilize your Advent wreath in your worship space. Each week the as the
candle is lit you will explain what the candle means and then give them a take
home. Please see the attached sheet. The
sheet has an ornament to print and the devotion to print on the back of it. The
devotion will change each week. Have a copy made on card stock for each child
and household.
Faith
+Open: Gather the children to the Advent wreath. Say, Last week we talked about the Advent wreath,
the color, the number of candles, and what Advent means. Who remembers why we
light a candle each week? (Accept all answers) That’s right to remind us that Jesus is the light of the world and that
Jesus will come again to us. Last week we lit the candle of Hope, this week we
light the candle of Love. (Have an acolyte, or an older child light both
candles.)
Faith
+Connect: What is love to
you? This week in our Bible stories we hear about how much God has loved us-all
people from the very beginning of time. When you love someone, some place or
something you want to be with that person, that place or that thing (like a
doll or blanket) all the time don’t you? Well God also wants to be with us and
everyone all the time. And God wants us-all of God’s people whom God loves-love
to be together too. We hear in Luke 1 a blessing from Zechariah-John the
Baptist’s father-to his son John, and the blessing is that John will tell the world
about God’s love and that God will make all of us peaceful with one another.
How
can we show our family, brothers, sister, neighbors God’s love and peace?
Each
of you will get this candle ornament that you can take home and color blue (or
purple if you do purple in Advent). You can hang it on your Christmas tree and
each week you will get another one to add to the tree. So now you will have
two. On the back is a Bible passage from Luke 1 to read, a prayer and a
blessing. You can do this at dinner, in the car or before bed. Let’s practice
it now!
Faith
+Pray: God of Hope, you
free us from whatever keeps us from you. Thank you for being with us always,
amen.
Faith+Bless:
Have
everyone in the congregation turn to one another and say this blessing while making
the sign of the cross on their forehead or hand: “Child of God you are free in God’s love.”
