Gabriel - God's messenger
Children's sermon
Object:
A Christmas tree angel or nativity set angel
Good morning! I brought an angel with me this morning to
tell a wonderful story about God. God doesn't work the way we
work. We often see people based on their importance. We think
some people are very important and we treat them special. Can you
tell me about some people we consider very important? (Give the
children an opportunity to tell about important people.) We treat
kings and presidents in special ways that we don't treat others.
Sometimes when a person is very poor or doesn't have a really good job, people are tempted to treat them as if they are not as important as others. That's the way many people are. It was true a long time ago as well.
Many years ago in a little town -- which itself was not important -- there lived a young woman. Many would say she was not important at all. She was poor and she had no important job. She did not have a high position, such as being a princess or queen. Many people probably thought this poor woman was not at all important. Does anybody know this woman's name? (Let them answer.) Her name was Mary and she lived in Nazareth.
Others didn't think much of Mary from the unimportant town of Nazareth, but God thought she was very important. God sent a messenger to this woman. The messenger's name was Gabriel. Gabriel was one of these -- an angel. Does anyone know what God wanted Gabriel to say to Mary? (Let them answer.)
God told Mary she was to have the baby Jesus. That was important. That was the most important thing anyone could ever do.
One thing I think this story tells us is that every person is precious to God. God could have chosen anyone to have Jesus, but God chose a person everyone else thought not important. Now we consider Mary very important, but she was important to God long before anyone else thought she was important.
Do you know what? YOU also are important to God.
Dearest God: Thank you for making us important people. Amen.
Sometimes when a person is very poor or doesn't have a really good job, people are tempted to treat them as if they are not as important as others. That's the way many people are. It was true a long time ago as well.
Many years ago in a little town -- which itself was not important -- there lived a young woman. Many would say she was not important at all. She was poor and she had no important job. She did not have a high position, such as being a princess or queen. Many people probably thought this poor woman was not at all important. Does anybody know this woman's name? (Let them answer.) Her name was Mary and she lived in Nazareth.
Others didn't think much of Mary from the unimportant town of Nazareth, but God thought she was very important. God sent a messenger to this woman. The messenger's name was Gabriel. Gabriel was one of these -- an angel. Does anyone know what God wanted Gabriel to say to Mary? (Let them answer.)
God told Mary she was to have the baby Jesus. That was important. That was the most important thing anyone could ever do.
One thing I think this story tells us is that every person is precious to God. God could have chosen anyone to have Jesus, but God chose a person everyone else thought not important. Now we consider Mary very important, but she was important to God long before anyone else thought she was important.
Do you know what? YOU also are important to God.
Dearest God: Thank you for making us important people. Amen.
