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Give Your Life To The Lord

Children's sermon
John 10:11-18
Wesley T. Runk
The Giant Book Of Children's Sermons
Matthew To Revelation
Object: 
a doll or teddy bear
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have a very special doll or stuffed animal that belongs to you? (let them answer) Almost all of you. What do you call your friend? (let them answer) A lot of people have a friend that looks like this. (hold up your teddy bear, hopefully one that is well worn) I call him Teddy. Do any of you call your bear "Teddy"? (let them answer) A lot of you have Teddy bears. That's wonderful. How many of you sleep with Teddy? (let them answer) Does your friend ever eat with you or watch television with you? (let them answer) A Teddy bear can be a very good friend and a lot of fun to share good times with.

I guess the best part of having a Teddy bear is that the teddy bear belongs to me. No one else owns Teddy. Teddy does what I want him to do, goes where I want him to go, sleeps when I want him to sleep and eats when I want him to eat. That's what I mean when I say that Teddy belongs to me. Since Teddy belongs to me, I can share him with you if I want to. I can even give Teddy away if I want to. Of course, if I gave him away, then he would belong to someone else and that person could do the same things with him that I do with him now.

God the Father loved Jesus even more than I love Teddy or more than you love your friend. Jesus belonged to the Father and the Father belonged to Jesus. They shared life together. The Father and Jesus had a plan about how they were going to share the life of Jesus with all of the people in the world. It was their life and they could do whatever they wanted to with it. Just like you can do whatever you want to with your friend Teddy. God decided to offer the life of Jesus for our sins. It was God's plan to have Jesus die for our sins and use up his life so that we would not die forever. God could do this with Jesus' life because it belonged to him. Now there was more to the plan than just dying. God also decided that after Jesus suffered and died he would give him back his life. God could do that also because even when Jesus was dead he belonged to God. So God gave back to Jesus his life.

The same thing can happen to you and me. If God owns your life like he owned Jesus and you own Teddy, then he can give you back your life after you die. God is so good that he will only do what is best for you. So you can belong to God like Jesus did and just like Teddy belongs to me and your friend belongs to you. That is a super plan and one that all of us should follow.

Remember, God will take even better care of your life, if you give it to him, than you take care of friends like Teddy.
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Pastor: Advent God: We praise and thank you for the word of promise spoken long ago by your prophet Isaiah; as he bore the good news of the birth of Immanuel–so may we be bearers of the good news that Immanuel comes to be with us. God of love:

Cong: Hear our prayer.
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1. Text

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this
way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.18 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.19 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the
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Our Matthew text for this week comes from the first chapter of Matthew. Matthew's telling of the Jesus' story is certainly unique. Matthew tells of the early years of our Savior stressing that his name is Jesus and Emmanuel; that wise sages from the East attend his birth; that Joseph and Mary escape to Egypt because of Herod's wrath. No other Gospel includes these realities.
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In the Jewish tradition there is a liturgy and accompanying song called "Dayenu." Dayenu is a Hebrew word which can be translated several ways. It can mean: "It would have been enough," or "we would have been grateful and content," or "our need would have been satisfied."

Part of the Dayenu is a responsive reading that goes like this:

O God, if thy only act of kindness was to deliver us from the bondage of Egypt, Dayenu! -- It would have been enough.
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Some years ago I was in a London theater watching a Harold Pinter play. The drama was not very good really. I was getting bored. Then right in the middle of the play the theater manager walked on stage, excused himself, and made an announcement. The actors stared. The audience looked shocked. Me? I thought it was all part of the play. Such interruptions are rare in a theater. But nonetheless, the stage manager felt that it was necessary this time. His announcement was nothing trivial like, "Some owner has left his car lights on." Nor was it a terrifying message like, "Fire! Fire!
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It is easy to get so caught up in the sentimentality and nostalgia of Christmas that we neglect the true reason we celebrate. We receive Christmas cards portraying a cute infant Jesus lying in a manger filled with straw. The Baby Jesus is pictured in the center with Mary and Joseph on one side, the shepherds and Magi on the other. We know this scene: animals are in the background, in the distance angels can be seen hovering, as a star shines brightly overhead. However, there is more to Advent and Christmas than celebrating the birth of a baby.
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If we cannot relate to Joseph and appreciate his situation, then our lives are simple, easy lives indeed. Now, by relating to Joseph or understanding what he endured, I don't mean to suggest that we all either have been engaged or married to someone impregnated by the Holy Spirit. Even in our frantic search for ways to explain how such a thing might have happened, we probably didn't think of blaming the Holy Spirit!
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"The Lord himself will give you a sign" is the way Isaiah begins his recitation of the promise containing all promises. Isaiah is talking to Ahaz. Ahaz is the king who is stuck in a political mess. It looks like Assyria is about to invade some of the countries neighboring Judah. Isaiah is recommending that the king refuse to sign on with these other countries and their armies and trust only in Yahweh, the Lord of all. Today's reading is a reminder of the promise of God to be with Ahaz and his people, no matter what happens, no matter who invades.
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O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (UM211, PH9, LBW34, CBH172, NCH116)
The God Of Abraham Praise (UM116, PH488, NCH24)
O Hear Our Cry, O Lord (PH206)
Hail To The Lord's Anointed (UM203)
Blessed Be The God Of Israel (UM209)
Emmanuel, Emmanuel (UM204)
People Look East (PH12, UM202)
Savior Of The Nations, Come (LBW28, CBH178, PH14, UM214)
The Virgin Mary Had A Baby Boy (CBH202)
Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus (PH1, 2,UM196, NCH122)

Anthem

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Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:

The Church of Christ

Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

The local community

Those who suffer

The communion of saints


These responses may be used:


Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer

Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
Just before the first Christmas, an angel appeared to Joseph to tell him that Jesus would also be called "Emmanuel", meaning "God With Us." Let us listen to the guidance of the angels today as we prepare to receive God With Us once again.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, fill me with the awe of Christmas.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, fill me with the mystery of Christmas.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, fill me with Emmanuel -- God with us.
Lord, have mercy.

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Over the years, I grow more cynical about Christmas and just about everything that goes along with it. I have not become a scrooge, although the advancing years have made me more careful with my pennies. It is not that I cannot be moved by the lights, the music, and the fellowship of the holidays. I have not become an insensitive, unfeeling clod. My problem is that the language and the images and the music seem to have fallen short in expressing what must have been the feelings of the real human beings going through the events recounted in this story.

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What an exciting day this is! Today is the day before Christmas and tonight is Christmas Eve! People have different ways of doing things. Some people open their presents on Christmas Eve. How many of you do that? (Let them answer.) Others open their presents on Christmas Day. Which of you will open your presents tomorrow? (Let them answer.) Some open gifts on other days. Would any of you like to share another time when you open presents? (Give them the opportunity to answer.)

Why do you suppose we open gifts at this time of the year? (Let them answer.)

Special Occasion

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