Childrens Sermon Service

Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you can tie your shoes? (Let them answer.) How many of you can untie your shoes? (Let them answer while you hold up the untied shoes.) I want to tell you a story about a man whose name was John. Many people thought that John was a very important man from God. Yet John told people that he wasn't even good enough to untie the shoes of Christ. What do you think he meant by that? (Let them answer.)

He was an interesting person. The Bible says that John wore clothes made of camel hair '' you all know what a camel is '' and had a leather belt around his waist. The Bible said John ate grasshoppers and wild honey. He ate and dressed this way because he lived in a place called the wilderness. It was a lonely place where wild animals and very few people lived. The thing about John that I want you to remember is not what he ate or wore. Remember what John had to say to people. John must have been an excellent preacher. Many people went to hear him preach. He preached out of doors. When he preached he told people to change their bad ways. John told people that God's special person was coming soon. People should get ready for this person by telling God that they were sorry for doing the wrong things. Many people listened to John. He took those people to the Jordan River and baptized them. That is different than the way our church baptizes people. We don't take them to a river to do it. We baptize people in church.

There's one more thing I want you to remember about John. Some people asked if John was the Messiah that everyone was waiting for. John's answer was, "No. The one who is coming is more powerful than I am. When he comes I am not worthy to stoop down and untie his shoe strings." (Hold up your shoes.) John then told people that the one who is coming will baptize people with the Holy Spirit. You and I know that John was talking about Jesus. John was telling people about Jesus. Jesus is the reason we celebrate Advent.