Year A - First Sunday After Christmas (December 26, 2010)

On the day after Christmas children who come to worship (not unlike the adults who come to worship) will not be many in number and will be coming in many moods. Some will be basking in the rosy glow of a happy Christmas. Others will be deeply disappointed either because they did not get what they wanted or gatherings were less than peacefully cheerful. Some will bring along leftover relatives, who are becoming more or less welcome. Others are just tired – and maybe cranky. Christmas is over and won’t come again for a year. It is a challenging day to plan worship. But, because numbers are low and expectations are not what they were for earlier December worship services, it is a relaxed Sunday with the possibility to try a few somewhat different ways of praising God and responding to the Christmas story.

Isaiah 63:7-9

I don’t find much here for the children. Maybe one of you will???


Psalm 148
A Call for Universal Praise

On the day after Christmas recall the Christmas story, then enjoy calling on everything in the universe to praise God for this amazing deed. Instead of having one reader, invite as many as possible in the sanctuary to get involved in this call to praise. As it is laid out below, Group 1 could be the choir and Group 2 the congregation. Or, Group 1 could be the left side of the congregation and Group 2 the right side. Invite children especially to join in the reading since the words are words they are likely to know.


All:           Praise the LORD!

Group 1:  Praise the LORD from the heavens;
                    praise him in the heights!

Group 2:  Praise him, all his angels;
                    praise him, all his host!

Group 1:  Praise him, sun and moon;
                    praise him, all you shining stars!

Group 2:  Praise him, you highest heavens,
                    and you waters above the heavens!

Group 1:  Let them praise the name of the LORD,
                     for he commanded and they were created.

Group 2:  He established them forever and ever;
                     he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

Group 1:  Praise the LORD from the earth,
                     you sea monsters and all deeps,

Group 2:        fire and hail, snow and frost,
                     stormy wind fulfilling his command!

Group 1:  Mountains and all hills,
                      fruit trees and all cedars!

Group 2:  Wild animals and all cattle,
                      creeping things and flying birds!

Group 1:  Kings of the earth and all peoples,
                      princes and all rulers of the earth!

Group 2:  Young men and women alike,
                      old and young together!

Group 1:  Let them praise the name of the LORD,
                      for his name alone is exalted;
                      his glory is above earth and heaven.

Group 2:  He has raised up a horn for his people,
                      praise for all his faithful,
                      for the people of Israel who are close to him.

All:           Praise the LORD!

                                               New Revised Standard Version


Give children a page with a small picture of the nativity in the center and lots of space to add pictures of things mentioned in the psalm. These might be handed out during a children’s time or simply be in worship bags. Watch for children to have them as they leave the sanctuary and take time to see what they have drawn.

“All Creatures of Our God and King” sets the words of St Francis of Assisi to music. St. Francis was surely remembering Psalm 148 as he wrote it. The repeated “Alleluias” are easy for even non-readers to sing and recall all the Christmas “alleluias.” Other hymns based on this psalm are harder for children to sing.


Hebrews 2:10-18
A reflection on the Incarnation

Children will miss this abstract text almost entirely. If you want to explore the incarnation in children’s terms, go back to the suggestions for the Fourth Sunday of Advent’s Matthew text. It includes a discussion outline and a plan for walking through “Once in Royal David’s City.”

On birthdays we not only retell stories about “the day you were born,” we also celebrate all you are doing and becoming. So on the day after Jesus’ birthday it is appropriate to take time to connect Baby Jesus with stories about the man Jesus. If there is an old teaching picture file in the church school, dig out pictures of Jesus to show the children in order to remind them of familiar stories. Basically you need a nativity scene and pictures of Jesus teaching, healing, and on the cross followed by a picture of the empty tomb. (If you add pictures of events such as calling Zacchaeus down from the tree, be ready to take time to hear a young story teller tell a rather long version of the story with possibly garbled details. Teaching and healing pictures can be identified without reference to details of specific situations and therefore move along a little faster.)


Matthew 2:13-23
Flight into Egypt

Children hear this horrifying story most easily when the emphasis is on the flight into Egypt rather than the slaughter of the children. One way to tell it is to work with a crèche. Recall the Christmas story and how almost magical the night was. Then announce that the story did not stop there. Remove the angels noting that they went back to heaven. Set the shepherds aside noting that they went back to their sheep in the fields. Touch the three magi, noting that they did not sleep well that night. They had a dream in which God told them King Herod was really jealous of the new king and was ready to try to kill the baby. Given this God said they should go home without stopping off to tell Herod where Jesus was. Move their figures off to another side and note that they did as God told them. Now go back to Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Tell the children that they did not sleep well either. Joseph had a dream in which God warned him that Herod was out to get the baby. So, they were to get up right then, in the middle of the night and head down the road to Egypt. Move their figures away from the central place. Explain that they stayed in Egypt for two years. It was not an easy time for them. After two years they started back home, but God warned them that the King who followed Herod was just as evil as Herod was. So, instead of going back home, they settled in the little town of Nazareth. PAUSE. SIGH. Admit that this is a sad follow up for such a wonderful Christmas in the stable story. It would be nice if everyone had gone happily home and watched Jesus grow up safe and secure with angels watching over him and no problems for anyone. But it didn’t work that way. It doesn’t work out that way for any of us. We all have all sorts of problems to worry about and work on. The good news in this story is that God knows that. Jesus’ family had to run away in the middle the night to escape an evil king. So God understands when we and our families have scary problems. God is with us and loves us not just when things are Christmas Eve wonderful but also when nothing is going right. Right now, on the day after Christmas, that is really good to know. Christmas is over for this year. We still have New Year’s Day to look forward to. But, soon it’s back to school and all the old problems and people we will struggle with. It’s a good time to remember that God was with Jesus and his family in the peaceful stable AND on the scary road to Egypt.



Especially if your congregation is active in ministry to refugees in your community, explain that Joseph, Mary, and Jesus became refugees. Compare their experiences in Egypt where they were foreigners with the challenges refugees in your community face. Talk about some of the ways your congregation reaches out to refugees. Suggest that taking care of refugees is an especially good “after his birthday” birthday present for Jesus or a good New Year’s resolution in Jesus’ honor.

Year A - Fourth Sunday of Advent (December 19, 2010)

I suspect that on the fourth Sunday of Advent there are lots of congregation’s worshipping “away from the lectionary.” So, what about sharing in the Comments what your congregation (and its children) is doing this fourth Sunday when Christmas is still six days off. Names of cantatas, dramas, etc. that you think are child friendly AND appropriate to the congregation’s worship would be appreciated by all of us.

Isaiah 7:10-16
A woman shall bear a son named Emmanuel

The key verse for children is verse 14, “a virgin (or young woman) shall bear a son.” The Old Testament context is beyond them. They mainly want to know that the phrase is a promise in the Bible and perhaps link this promise to the name Joseph is to give Jesus in the Matthew reading. Select music that uses the name Immanuel in it after explaining the meaning of the word and pointing to its appearance in the gospel text.


Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Another prayer for national restoration

Especially on the Sunday before Christmas, this prayer for national restoration is going to fly past the children. Let it go.


Romans 1:1-7
Who is Jesus?

The ideas about who Jesus is that are woven into this text are important. But it seems to me that today worshippers of all ages are more interested in hearing them fleshed out in the gospel text. Maybe one of you has an idea about how to use this text in a way that will speak to children on the Sunday before Christmas.

Matthew 1:18-25



Illustration by Margaret Kyle
The Family Story Bible, p. 157
http://www.woodlakebooks.com/

 Mary and Joseph prepare for Jesus’ birth

Children are likely to miss the story as it is read from Matthew. So, you may want to retell it in your own words with the children in mind. If you told the story of Mary last week, this week recall Mary’s story and tell Joseph’s story. Talk about all things Joseph did – search for a place to stay in Bethlehem, make the barn as comfortable as possible, even stay close to Mary when the shepherds showed up. (Mary must have been surprised and a little frightened.) Then imagine together some of the ways Joseph took care of Jesus as he grew up. He taught him carpentry skills, told him Bible stories and taught him the Ten Commandments. Children are curious about Joseph who gets much less attention than Mary.

If you did not tell Mary’s story last week, take more time telling the story of the couple. Note Mary’s bravery in being willing to have a baby, even God’s baby, before she was married. Note Joseph’s strength in being willing to marry her, even though she was pregnant. Talk about how much they must have loved and trusted each other and how curious they must have been about this special baby. Then light the fourth candle of the Advent wreath for the love and courage of Mary and Joseph and move the Mary and Joseph figures to the manger in the crèche.

Or, be brave. Discuss the incarnation with the children:

The name Joseph and Mary are to give this child is Emmanuel, “God with us.” When we want to know what God is like, we look at Jesus. Jesus once said, “If you have seen me, you have seen God. What I say is what God says. What I do is what God does.”

Who can think of one thing Jesus did or said? In response to their answers say, “yes, God …..(does that)… too.” (Be ready with a few hints to get it started, e.g. what did Jesus do with Zaccheus? When people were sick, what did Jesus do?)

God is invisible. Jesus when he lived on earth could be seen and heard and touched. Jesus is God with skin and bones.

God is more than we can understand. But Jesus is like us. He was born, grew up, told stories, and took care of the people around him. I think that is one reason God became Jesus. God wants us to know what God is like.

• For the purpose of this discussion, I’d not bring up that Jesus is God’s son. If children bring it up, note that many fathers and sons look and act alike. Jesus and God are even more alike than human fathers and sons. Jesus is God in human skin.
• If impossible to answer questions such as “when God was being Jesus, who was taking his place in heaven” come up, affirm them as good questions that everyone wonders about at times. Most such questions have the same answer. We don’t know how God does it because God is bigger and “more” than anything we can imagine. It is mysterious.

To explore incarnation without using the word, ask everyone to get out their hymnbooks and walk through the verses of “Once in Royal David’s City.”

• Verse 1 simply gets the story started. So just read it or ask one of the children to read it.
• Verse 2 is pure incarnation. After reading the words, make comments, “hey, did you hear that? It says Jesus is God straight from heaven AND that Jesus who was God was born in a barn and lived among the poor people. He didn’t have to do that. He was GOD! But he did. Wow!”
• Ask another child to read verse 3. Note that this verse recalls Jesus’ childhood experiences to make the point that because he has lived through the same things we do, Jesus understands us. He knows how we feel.
• Read verse 4 using your voice to emphasize its message that even though Jesus was a child, just like us, he was also always God and Lord. Ponder that, the lord of the whole universe understands us and loves us.

Then, invite the congregation to sing the carol.