Year B - Fourth Sunday of Advent (December 18, 2011)

It’s still a whole week until Christmas!  This is the longest advent possible – 28 full days!  But, it is also your last chance to worship around the Advent Christmas message with those folks who will be leaving town for the holidays.  Many congregations will build this service around a cantata or pageant.  The possibilities are endless.  But, just in case you are working mainly with the texts for the day….

2 Samuel  7: 1-11, 16

'''' Adults will enjoy the details of the play on the word “house” here.  But, children will either not get it all or be only vaguely interested in it.  So, skip the clever word play and go straight to what it meant to build a house for God.

'''' David was not to build a house for God because God is too big to be stuck in one little place.  Had David built God a house, everyone would assume that God lived only there, would know they could go there to talk to God,  and would assume God wouldn’t bother them any place else.  We are getting a big lesson on how God moves around in the next weeks.  God becomes a human baby with a poor teenage mother.  God sends angels sing to shepherds working the fields.  Sages cross a desert to see the king God is raising up, but find him in a manger rather than in a palace.  So, we need to be looking for God moving around in the world today and join in God’s activity.

Luke 1:46b – 55

'''' The Magnificat is best read by a teenage girl.  To help her get into the mood of the song, tell her about a picture of Mary with her hair in braids, wearing a t shirt, rolled up jeans and high-top tennis shoes.  (The photo collage I saw is copyrighted, but you easily can imagine it.)  Practice with the reader to get the feisty reading the song implies.

Set the context before the reading by bringing the Mary figure from the crèche to the lectern.  Briefly tell the story leading up to Mary’s song, leave the figure on the lectern, and step aside for the young reader.   You may want to keep the figure there for the remainder of the service perhaps referring to it when appropriate during the sermon or plan for the reader to return it to the crèche after she reads.

'''' When read today this song is all about Mary’s joy.  Mary is not in a safe, happy situation.  She is an unwed teenage mother to be.  But, she is full of joy because she is doing something huge for God.  God has trusted her to be the mother of Jesus!  One paraphrase I read included two phrases children and youth will especially appreciate,

“God did not say, ’she is just a girl’.”  God took Mary seriously, trusted her, and put her to work.

“The rich, for all their wealth and status, can go suck lemons.”  The rich here would include anyone who thinks they are better than she is.  Mary was a poor nobody, but God chose her not someone rich and famous and important to be Jesus’ mother.  So, all those people who look down on her can just go suck lemons. 

All this leads me to wonder what Mary’s t shirt might have said.  It might be fun to play with the possibilities during the sermon and challenge worshipers to imagine, even design, t shirts for Mary to wear as she sings her joyful song.

OR    Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26

On this Sunday this psalm is far from the interest of children. 

Romans 16:25-27

'''' Save lighting the Advent wreath this day for the benediction.  At benediction time go to the wreath, point out that we are almost to Christmas, next Sunday is THE DAY.  Then while lighting the candles paraphrase Paul’s words something like….

On this fourth Sunday of Advent, let us give glory to God

Who gives us the strength to stand firm

Who has shown us and all the world the mystery that was once hidden.

In the baby in the manger, the teacher, the healer, the one who died on a cross and rose again we meet God.

To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever!  Amen.

(maybe with a happy grin)  See you on Christmas Eve!

Luke 1:26-38

This is Mary’s Sunday.  The challenge with children is to help them see Mary less as a passive, gentle, agreeable person and more as a prophet who saw God at work in her world and was willing to take big risks to be part of the action.  Sweet Christmas cards and years of children’s pageants make this a very real challenge.  Little girls are especially prone to over-sweeten Mary.  They to hear stories of fights over who gets to be Mary in pageants embedded in thoughtful comments about what Mary might really have been like.  The story and the Magnificat insist that she was a strong, brave, active young woman who was aware of the realities of her world.  That’s a good role model for today’s children, especially today’s girls.

Another thing about Mary that is important to children is that she is a nobody.  She was a poor girl living in a rural village in an occupied country.  Everyone around her discounted her.  But God did not.  This gives everyone else who feels like a nobody the assurance that God values them too.  God has work and a plan for them.  They have to be ready to do it.

'''' Bring the Mary crèche figure to the lectern before reading this story and the Magnificat, then place it near the manger in the crèche.

'''' Two hymns tell the annunciation story.  Read the story from the Bible first after alerting people to listen to this story because we are going to sing it after we hear it.

“The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came” is shorter and includes a chorus which can be introduced and rehearsed for the sake of young readers before the congregation sings it.

“”To a Maid Engaged to Joseph” is longer and therefore offers more details. 

'''' “Here I Am” is usually listed as a confirmation or ordination hymn.  But, today it is a perfect response to Mary’s story.  Instead of an affirmation of faith following the sermon, invite the congregation to sing the hymn as a way of stating their intent to respond to God at work in the world as Mary did.  It can be sung in unison or responsively with the choir or a soloist singing God’s verses and the congregation responding with the “Here I am” choruses.

from Chrismons: Basic Series, p.48

'''' According to tradition, Mary’s flower is the rose.  So somewhere among all the poinsettias find space a single rose in a vase today.  If could be put near the pulpit, the crèche, or on the central table paired with the crèche figure for Mary.  If you sing “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” walk through the words of the two short verses taking time to point out and explain some of the references to Mary.  If you have a rose Chrismon ornament on the tree, point it out.

Year B - Second Sunday of Advent (December 4, 2011)

'' The call to work for justice while waiting for God is all through these texts.  The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate, by Janice Cohn, tells the true story about the townspeople of Billings, Montana who put drawings of menorahs in their windows in response to a hate group which had thrown a rock through the menorah decorated bedroom window of a Jewish boy.  The story is told from the perspective of the boy and the young Christian friends who rally around him.  The book takes way too long to read in worship.  But, it would be a great story to tell in your own words during the sermon.

'' The Feast of Saint Nicholas is on December 6^th (Tuesday this year).  Saint Nicholas was a wealthy boy who dedicated his life to caring for others.  There are all sorts of colorful stories of his aiding groups of people who then adopted him as their patron saint.  In one connected to Christmas he saved three sisters from being sold because their family could not afford dowries for them.  Nicholas threw three bags of gold through their windows at night.  Saint Nicholas, by Ann Tompert, is a picture book with a child-friendly telling of many of the stories about Nicholas.  An Author’s Note at the end details how he morphed over the centuries into Santa Claus.  The book is much too long to be read as a whole in worship.  Either read one or two stories about Nicholas from it or use it as background to tell about Saint Nicholas in your own words.  However you present his story, today is a good opportunity to connect the real Santa Claus to the Advent teachings about God’s work for justice.

Give each child (or each worshiper) a small mesh sack of chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil with the challenge to give coins to people in honor of Saint Nicholas between now and Tuesday evening.  Suggest that they might give some to family and friends, but could also do like Saint Nicholas and give some of them to people who will be happily surprised that someone cares about them.  (Check local discount stores or Google “chocolate coins.”)

'' The Mark and John readings both call us to get to work with God.  Emphasize this with the lighting of the Advent Wreath.  

If the congregation regularly says an affirmation of faith during worship, choose one about God at work in the world.  Light the first candles of the wreath as the congregation says it together.

Or, tie the lighting of the wreath to the offering.  Invite all worshipers to tear off a corner of their bulletin and write their name on it.  As the offering plates are passed, urge them to drop both their money gift and their name into the plate as a sign to God that they are willing and ready to join God at work in the world.   Light the candles as the offering baskets are presented at the front.

Isaiah 40:1-11

'' The verse 11 image of God tending the people like a good shepherd tends a flock offers two good Advent connections for children.

1.       Pick up one of the shepherds in the creche.  Talk about what shepherds do to take care of sheep.  Then read verse 11.  Describe the shepherd-like ways God takes care of us, i.e. provides food, walks with us in the dangerous places, rescues us when we get into trouble, etc.  This could be a children’s time or could be done at some point in the Sermon.

2.       Read verse 11, briefly identifying ways God cares for us like a shepherd cares for sheep.  Then display one of the shepherd’s crook crosses from the Chrismon Tree.  You might even give all children (or all worshipers) white or gold pipe cleaners (one about 10-12 inches long, one about 3 inches for the cross piece) with which to twist an ornament to put on their tree at home. 

'' If you sing one of the Psalm 23 hymns choose one with the children in mind.  Avoid those following the King James text or those using lots of unusual vocabulary.  If the congregation has a favorite version that includes difficult words, take time before singing it to put the phrases in which they appear into words children will understand.

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

'' Introduce the poetry of personification as talking about something invisible as if it were a person.  Read verse 10 (“steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss”).  Laugh a little at the mental picture this produces – or simply refuses to produce.  Then, explain that the psalmist’s word pictures are telling us what God does.  Do this at the beginning of the sermon.  Then, assign sermon seatwork.  Challenge the children to draw pictures of steadfast love, faithfulness, righteousness, or peace.  Show them a picture you have drawn of your family and explain how it is a picture of steadfast love.  Brainstorm briefly about other pictures – e.g. a dog for faithfulness, a picture of a family doing something together you all love to do for peace, even a picture of bringing food for the food drive for righteousness.  As you preach, at some point make a reference to the assigned task perhaps saying, “now that is a picture of ….”  Invite children to post their work on a bulletin board nearby, tape it to a rail at the front, or lay it on the floor around the Advent Wreath.  Post the one you drew there as a starter.

2 Peter 3:8-15a

'' Behind many of the Advent texts is a call to understand time in God’s expansive terms rather than our own human terms.  The older we get the faster time seems to fly.  But, children have experienced only a few years.  So short times seem huge to them.  The time since last Christmas or even the beginning of school feels enormous.  As they wait for Christmas during Advent, it seems Christmas will never come.   They are fascinated by verse 8’s puzzling claim “with the Lord a thousand years is like one day and one day is like a thousand years.”  Explore time with questions like “which is longer an hour spent doing really hard homework or an hour spent playing a video game?”  (This is not an easy question for elementary school children to sort out!)  Talk about the value of spending an hour playing with your little brother so your parent can cook supper for the whole family.  (That food will keep the whole family going for hours and the fun around the table will make the family closer and happier for an even longer time.)  The Advent texts call us to measure time in God’s terms.

'' The Alpha and Omega symbol insists that God is at the beginning and the end of all time.  In kid words, god was before anything and when everything is totally over, God will still be there.  Point the symbol out wherever it appears in your sanctuary or on the paraments.  If you have a Chrismon tree, display the Alpha-Omega ornament or point it out on the tree.

'' The remainder of this passage deals with waiting for the Day of the Lord.  One preacher humorously titled his sermon “God is Coming!  Look Busy!”  During the month when children are totally caught up in waiting for Santa or at least in “what will I get?” it is almost impossible for them not to get Peter’s urging to be “good” while waiting confused with all the “Santa is watching” talk.  There is no way to explain the difference in the two that makes sense at their age.  So, I’d suggest skipping it with children.

'' Go to Year B - The First Sunday of Advent for ideas about singing “O Come, O Come Emanuel” or “Watchman Tell Us of the Night.”

Mark 1:1-8

'' If you project video clips during worship, show the section of The Lion King in which Raffiki, the baboon who is a prophet, seeks out Simba who has run away in guilt after his father was killed trying to save him in a stampede.  Raffiki insists that Simba has forgotten who is he and leads him back home.  In many ways Raffiki is like John the Baptist who preached to the people that they had forgotten that they were God’s people and urged them to change their ways and to get ready for the great thing God was about to do.   (Thanks to Ann  at http://seedstuff.blogspot.com/2008/11/advent-2-b-december-7preparing-road-in.html .)

'' To tell the story of John the Baptist, point out that there is one person who though he was not at the stable should probably be in the nativity set, but never is.   Pick up one of the shepherd figures in the crèche.  Explain that the shepherds probably looked most like John.  Describe his way of dress and his food.  Then tell his story fleshing out the details in Mark’s account.  For the rest of the day display the figure on or near the baptismal font.  Key parts of the story for children include:

-          John was Jesus’ cousin

-          How John dressed and ate

-          John told people they had forgotten how to live like God’s people and needed to make changes

-          John baptized people who heard him and wanted to make those changes

-          John promised that someone was coming from God who was going to be Very Important

-          John baptized Jesus – I’d use this as the stopping point noting that we’ll hear that story on Jan 8, after Christmas.

'' The people who heard John preach did not find him in the Temple in town.  They had to leave the city and go out to the river at the edge of the wilderness.  The wise ones who were looking for the baby Jesus did not find him at the palace.  Jesus was born in a stable and slept in a manger.  Pick up the manger in the crèche and discuss the surprising places we find God at work.  Encourage people to look for God is surprising places this week.  Then either display the manger on the central table for the remainder of the service or add a small cactus plant to the crèche area to remind us of the surprising places God comes to us. 

Planning for the Advent and Christmas Season - Year B

The Advent calendar this year poses logistical challenges.  First of all Advent is as long as it can possibly be – the full 28 days.  Then, the way the days fall presents challenges.

- Christmas falls on a Sunday which means Christmas Eve is on Saturday night.

- January 1 falls on Sunday and could be seen as The First Sunday After Christmas, New Year’s Day or even Epiphany (if you do not celebrate Epiphany mid-week).

- January 8 is The Baptism of the Lord – and then it’s into Ordinary Time.

Advent is long and Christmas is short.  The Advent readings are more abstract and therefore difficult for children than were the readings for Year A.  Therefore, this is one year when it would be especially wise to find ways to slip some of the Christmas carols and stories into Advent. 

One way to do this is to emphasize some of the Advent rituals and arts.  They may be familiar to you, but they are new to children who encounter them only one month each year.  So, plan to explain and enjoy them fully in worship.  The children need the introductions and most adults enjoy watching the next generation claim their treasure and in the process learning things they did not know about familiar rituals.  Below are summaries of ways to use Advent wreaths, crèches, Chrismon trees, and carols this Advent.  Detailed information on each will be found in the materials for each week of the seasons.  You might also want to check Planning for the Advent and Christmas Season - Year A  for slightly different ideas.

Most congregations love lighting the Advent Wreath.  But lighting the wreath with a collection of people reading a verse and a prayer each week can be an awkward spot in the service.  Often people in the pews lose all the words and simply enjoy the candles.  There are other ways to do it.

1.      Instead of lighting the wreath at the same time in the service, tie it to different parts of worship.  Rather than following a verse-prayer-match format, light the candles as part of that element of worship.  Specific directions are offered each week this year.  The general flow is

Ø  Week One:  Prayer of confession to name darkness, assurance is the lighting of the candle

Ø  Week Two: Offering or affirmation of faith

Ø  Week Three:  set the Joy theme lighting the candles at the Call to Worship or during a rejoicing hymn or carol

Ø  Week Four:  Sing “Here Am I” at affirmation time to stand ready with Mary
OR paraphrase Romans at the benediction

2.      Instead  of reading as the candles are lit, sing a song.  Three below have both good choruses that can be sung each week and child friendly verses that can be added as the weeks progress.

“When Hope Was a Child,” by Brian Wren.  (This could be sung responsively with a choir or soloist singing the verses and the congregation singing the choruses.)

“Christ Be Our Light”, by Bernadette Ferrell  (Another way to use this is to sing the chorus only each week as that week’s candles are lit just before the call to worship.)

“Christmas is A Coming, the Church is Glad to Sing,” by John L. Bell

This creche graces the sanctuary at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, VA. 
The tallest figures are 15 inches tall.  They are all lightweight and unbreakable.

Children do not have as many opportunities to hear the nativity store as they once did.  So, displaying a large (for visibility), unbreakable (for fearless handling) crèche in the sanctuary and referring to it often during Advent is a good way to build children’s familiarity with the story.  It might be used different ways in different years.  Some years the figures might begin advent scattered throughout the sanctuary making their way to the manger over the weeks.  Other years all the figures may spend the season in a one place with individual figures being moved out for special attention each week.  If you use the later approach this year, there are several possibilities for each week.  Find details in each week.

Week 1:      Unpack and set up the figures talking about what each one is doing and wishing for before Christmas.

Week 2:      Feature a shepherd to either explore Isaiah’s shepherd who feeds the flock OR  to stand in for John the Baptist OR the empty manger

Week 3:      Feature a shepherd to be a John the Baptist look-a-like OR maybe Mary (if not saving her for next week)

Week 4:      Feature Mary

 C’mas Eve/Day: baby in manger//shepherds.....

If you have a Chrismon tree, feature a different ornament each week.  In early Advent display it in the worship center.  Once the tree is up, point to it with a flashlight.  Connect it to the theme for that day.  Possibilities to consider this year include:

Ø  Advent 1:  hand of God who is at work in the world

Ø  Advent 2:  alpha-omega ornaments or a shepherd crook cross

Ø  Advent 3:  stars for joy – maybe, but probably need to save for epiphany

Ø  Advent 4:  Rose for Mary ornament

Ø  Christmas Eve: ……

Ø  Christmas Day: …..

Ø  Epiphany: ……..

Advent hymns and Christmas carols are among the favorites of many worshippers.  But, they are generally sung during a very few weeks in worship.  We used to depend on the schools to teach them to the children, but that no longer happens.  Indeed, I listened to a podcast in which three Lutheran seminary professors suggested that in order to “save our heritage of Christmas carols” we need to find ways to include them in Advent worship.  Many congregations already do that.  Now seminaries seem to be recognizing the wisdom of that.  So, choose Advent-Christmas hymns carefully and plan to do more than just sing them.

Ø  Walk through them with the congregation before singing them.  Put key words or phrases into your own words and point to the message of the carol.

Ø  Choose songs with simple choruses that can be rehearsed with the whole congregation before singing so that young readers can join in the singing.

Ø  Sing the songs in different ways to call those familiar with the song to really hear what they are singing and to help younger singers understand the psalm.  Several, such as “Watchman Tell Us of the Night,” beg for responsive singing.

Ø  Replace generally spoken parts of worship with verses or whole carols. 

Ø  Lace sermons with references to the carols – even directing worshipers to open their hymnbooks to review a given carol.  If you are comfortable doing so, sing a phrase or two.  If you are not a public singer, enlist the help of the choir, a soloist, or the whole congregation to sing a verse or a chorus before or after your comments in the middle of the sermon.

Many of these can become children times just before a congregation hymn, but they are best addressed to the whole congregation.  Again detailed suggestions for this are found in posts for each week.

Year A - Epiphany (Sunday, January 2 or Thursday January 6, 2011

These texts are set for January 6 which in 2011 is on a Thursday.  The ideas here could be incorporated into weeknight celebration that includes worship in a freer form than often followed on Sunday morning.  Also, they could be used on Sunday, January 2, by congregations who do not have a weeknight celebration but do not want to ignore Epiphany. 

Isaiah 60: 1-6

Arise, Shine!

Isaiah calls the people of Jerusalem to rise and shine because God’s glory is upon them for all the world to see.  Children heading back to school this week after soaking up God’s Christmas love and glory are ready to hear the call to shine also.  Verse 1 is their key verse.   Actually “Arise, shine!” is all they need. 

One way to explain the symbol of light is to present children with several symbols, e.g. a national flag, a symbol for a sports team, and a cross.  As you present each ornament ask what it stands for and what it makes them think about.  Then tell them that the symbol for God is light.  Since we can’t make a picture of light, we use things that make light like a star, sun, candle, lamp.  Display a treetop star ornament that goes at the top of the Christmas or Chrismon tree and note its meaning.  Recall Christmas candle lighting services and note that we lit those candles to remind ourselves that God the light is with us.  Then, move to the discussion below of the candles in the worship center.  Or, name and explore other light symbols pondering how each reminds us of God.  Encourage the children (and other worshipers) to watch for light symbols scattered through the scriptures we read, the songs we sings and the prayers we pray today.

It is a good day to point out and explain your congregation’s use of candles during worship.  Many congregations light two candles on a central table.  The explanation that I grew up with was that one  candle was “God is the light of the world” (John 8:12) and the other “we are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:13)  I’m sure there are other explanations.  Share any you know in the comments.  An acolyte may light a taper from one of the candles before snuffing both at the conclusion of the service.  The acolyte often walks down the central aisle and out the back door to call worshipers to follow the light of God out into the world. 

Speaking of acolytes:  Lighting candles as a worship leader is a job that older children relish.  Including children in this simple act, training them how to do it and what it means, possibly even robing them to do it, tells them that they are a real part of the worshiping community.  Children as young as eight or nine can take this role successfully if the candles are short enough for them to reach easily.  In some churches serving as acolyte is an activity children sign up for just as they do for choir.  In others, the responsibility is tied to a particular church school class for the year. 

“Arise, shine” is not about enjoying light.  It is a command to reflect and spread light.  Reread this several times pondering the difference in basking in light and shining out in the darkness.  Explore ways we can shine listing ways children can shine God’s love out at school, in the locker room, even in the back seat of a car as well as ways youth and adults can shine.  To encourage worshipers to shine, give each one a star sticker (glittery ones are the best!).  During a children’s message, stick a star on each child’s hand or forehead and say to each one, “Arise, shine.”  Or, pass baskets of star stickers to the entire congregations, instructing individuals to stick a star on the person at their side saying to them “arise, shine.”

Light hymns children can sing at least parts of with understanding:

“I Want To Walk As A Child of Light”

“Let There Be Light” with lots of short phrases of hope for the coming year

“This Little Light of Mine” – a spiritual about our ability to be light as well as enjoy light

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14

A prayer for the king

There have been several opportunities to pray for civic leaders in the last few months.  With the wealth of other themes that speak to children clearly in today’s worship, I wouldn’t work on developing this one for the children.

Eph. 3:1-12

Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles

Demonstrate Paul’s mystery that God loves people all around the world by including people of as many different racial and ethnic backgrounds in worship leadership.  Some might even come in native dress or speak/read in native languages.  Include music from many different cultures.

Pray your way around the world.  Display a globe.  Explain that remembering the mystery Paul discovered, i.e. that God loves all people all over the world, your prayers today will move around the globe.  You might use the continents as your outline, offering prayers for each continent followed by time for worshipers to add their own voiced or silent prayers for that continent. 

Present several pairs of portraits of people from different parts of the world asking which of these does God love.  The answer of course is that God loves both of them.  See the full description of this and a suggested resource in the Year C – 25^th Sunday of Ordinary Time under the ideas for 1 Timothy.

Matthew 2:1-12

The visit of the magi

Tell the story of the three kings in your own words moving the kings from the crèche around the sanctuary as you talk.  Actually you will need three assistants, one to carry each king and perhaps a fourth to carry a star on a pole.  Start in a far corner of the sanctuary telling about the beginning of the trip.  Stop in another corner to tell about the visit to the palace, then come to the mother and child figures.  (These figures might be in a prominent spot at the front of the sanctuary or in a nook off to a side.)  Finally tell about the warning not to return to Herod and accompany the king figures back to their homes following another path around the sanctuary.  (After the story you might want to return the kings to their positions around the mother and child figures.)

Do a hymn study of “We three Kings of Orient, Are.”   Ask all worshippers to open their hymnals to the carol.  Walk through the verses explaining the significance of the three gifts.  Then sing the carol together.  This could be the outline for the day’s sermon or a fairly brief introduction to the hymn.

Interesting sidebar for children:  the carol is generally known as “We 3 Kings of Orient Are.”  Most children assume that Orient Are is the place the kings come from.  The truer to the meaning grammar for this verse would be:

We three kings of (the) Orient are bearing gifts.

We traverse afar, (over) field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star.

Chalking the Door is an Epiphany ritual that can be done at church then repeated in the congregation’s homes.  It is basically a house blessing.  Using chalk, members of the congregation or household write on the door frame the year’s date and the letters C, B, and M (the initials of the three wise men).  Prayer is then offered asking that the door welcome many visitors during the coming year and that all who come through the doorway be blessed.  Write on the church doors during the worship service with the focus on the congregation’s home.  Then encourage households to repeat it in their own homes.  Print a simple blessing for use at both church and home in the order of worship and give out small pieces of white chalk for home use.  Below is a sample blessing.

God of doors and homes, bless this home this year and every year.

Bless all who come and go through this door, both those who live here and those who visit.

May all who enter through this door come in peace and bring joy.

May all who come to this door find welcome and love.

May the love and joy in this home overflow and spread into the community and the world.

The world is full of stories about people who were invited to go with the three kings, but declined for a variety of reasons all related to being too busy. In most this person later then decides to follow the kings, but is always too late and spends the rest of his/her life looking for the child.  The message in all the stories is to stay alert for signs of God at work in the world (like a star in the sky or an invitation) and to be ready to drop everything to respond.  The Other Wise Man, by Henry Van Dyke, is a rather complicated long American version of this tale.   Two of the best of these stories for children are:

The Legend of Old Befana, by Tomie dePaola.  In this well loved European folk tale, an Italian grandmother meets the kings, then spends the rest of her life leaving cakes and cookies for children during the night on January 6.  It could be used at least two ways in worship.

-          Read the first 13 pages ending with Befana telling the 3 kings that she has seen the star which kept her awake at night and that she had work to do. (approximately four minutes to read aloud)  Stop there to ponder the possibility of missing out on something wonderful because you were stuck in a grumpy rut.  Note that the new year has many possibilities.  Encourage worshipers to stay open enough to give them a chance. 

-          Or, instead of stopping read one more page.  Then, stop.  Ask listeners what Befana might have done next.  Read or tell what happened in the next 13 pages (approximately three minutes to read the rest of the book).  Compare Befana’s (grumpy) face in the pictures of her sweeping with her (happy) face on the last page.  Ponder what made the difference.

Baboushka, retold by Arthur Scholey, is a Russian folktale about another busy grandmother who meets the three kings and is invited to join them.  At first she declines with lots of busy excuses, then decides to follow, but never catches up.  An angel points out that the shepherds left immediately after the angels sang to them.  The kings followed the star as soon as it appeared.  She is simply too late.  She keeps searching, carrying with her toys that she leaves with sleeping children in case they are the Christ child.  (About ten minutes to read aloud)