Childrens Sermon Service

Hi everyone! (Let them respond.)The story we’re talking about today is about something that happened when the baby Jesus was born. And, I will bet that you already know it. In fact, instead of just telling you the story, I’d like to play a game, okay? (Let them respond.)Great! I’ll ask you a couple of questions about the story and you see if you can give the answers. Ready? (Let them respond.)

Okay, here is the first question.

After the shepherds came to see the baby Jesus, some other people came to see him and they brought come gifts. Who were those people who brought the gifts? (Let them respond.)

Some people say they were Kings, and other people say they were Wise Men, but the passage in Matthew said they were something called Magi. Does anyone know what a Magi was?(Let them respond.)

In the old days, a Magi might have been a scientist, like an astronomer, or even someone who did fancy things like a magician. We really don’t know who the men were who came to see the baby, but you know what? Another word we could use for the word Magi is a word you might know better. Today we might call those men Wizards. (Let them respond) So, after the shepherds came to see the baby, some Wizards from the East came to see him.

Now, the next question. How many of those Wizards, or Wise Men, or Kings came to see the baby?(Let them respond.)

We usually say there were three Wise Men or Three Kings, don’t we? (Let them respond.)But you know what? The Bible never tells us how many there were. It says they brought three gifts, so we just kind of assumed there were three men. But we don’t know for sure.

We don’t really know who the men were, or what they were called, or how many of them there were. The Bible doesn’t tell us because those things aren’t that important. But I have one more question for you about something I think is probably the most important part of the story. Are you ready? (Let them respond.)

Okay, after the Wizards saw the baby Jesus, what did they do next? (Let them respond.)

The Bible says that after they saw the baby, they left and took a different road to go back home. Do you know why I think that part is so important? (Let them respond.)In fact, I think it is probably the most important part of the entire story and the part that I want to try and remember the most.

The Bible says that when the Wizards came to see the baby, they first had to stop and see the King of the land, whose name was Herod, to get permission to enter the country. King Herod asked them why they were visiting, and they told him they wanted to see the newborn king. Herod said that was great and told them that when they found the new king to come back and tell him where it was so he could go visit it too. That sounds nice, doesn’t it? (Let them respond.)

But you know what? Herod was a really evil king. He didn’t want to go see the new baby king. He just wanted to know where it was so he could get rid of it. Herod didn’t want any other kings around, and he was going to make sure he was the only one. How about a loud “BOO” for King Herod? (Let them respond.)

So, after the Wizards saw the baby, they walked outside and stood by their camels. They had a decision to make. Should they go back and tell King Herod where the baby was, or should they sneak out of the country and just go back home. The Wizards were pretty smart guys, and they knew what Herod really wanted to do about the baby. Should they do what Herod told them to do or not. If they told Herod, something bad would happen to the baby. But if they didn’t tell Herod, the King would do something bad to them for not obeying his command. It was a really big decision, wasn’t it? (Let them respond.)

How do you think they made their decision? (Let them respond.)Do you think one of them got a coin out of their pocket, like this one, and they said, “Heads we tell Herod and tails we go home,” and then they tossed the coin? Do you think that’s how they decided? (Let them respond.)

No, I don’t think that’s how they made their decision either. The Bible says that God talked to them in a dream and told them not to go back to Herod. But you know, I think those Wizards were probably pretty smart guys and knew what the right thing to do was. So, even though it would have been easier for them to go tell Herod, they got on their camels and started riding home. They made the decision they knew was the right decision, not the easy decision.

I think that is the most important part of the story, and the part I want to try and remember. Because sometimes we have to make a decision that has a right choice and a wrong choice, and a lot of the time the right choice is harder. Maybe we have to decide if we should make fun of someone, or take something, or get angry with someone, or say something that isn’t true. Sometimes it is easier to do those things even though we are as smart as Wizards and know they are the wrong choice. So, how do we decide what we’re going to do? Should we just flip a coin? (Let them respond.)No,we can’t just flip a coin. We should do the same things the Wizards did and do what God wants us to do. Even if it is harder.

This year I am going to try to remember how powerful my decisions are and try to remember to always be careful how I make my decisions. Can you try that with me? (Let them respond.)Great!

Let’s say a prayer to ask God to help us remember just how special and powerful our choices are and ask God to help us remember to use our decisions to help other people.

Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us. Please help us remember to make our choices so they help the people around us and show them that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.