This worship series finds us preparing for Christmas. For most families, there are many traditions and rituals that coincide with the Advent season. The children’s messages for this series are created around one such tradition – Christmas cookies. Each week, a traditional cookie-cutter shape will be introduced, reinforcing the scripture passage for each week’s message. Provide a cookie-cutter template for children to take home each week. Encourage their families to bake cookies and reflect on each Sunday’s message during Advent.

The cookie shapes used are as follows: tree, snowflake, heart, angel, small gingerbread man, and larger gingerbread man.

DOWNLOAD Cookie-cutter Template (PDF)

Bring all the cookie-cutter shapes with you each week to use as visual aids and have the children select the shape that coincides with each week’s message.

A secondary activity could be to use the templates for coloring pages and/or Christmas tree ornaments and family discussions.

First Sunday after Christmas Day, Year C

Luke 2:41-52, New International Reader's Version

⁴¹Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. ⁴²When Jesus was 12 years old, they went up to the feast as usual. ⁴³After the feast was over, his parents left to go back home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But they were not aware of it. ⁴⁴They thought he was somewhere in their group. So, they traveled on for a day. Then they began to look for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵They did not find him. So, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courtyard. He was sitting with the teachers. He was listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷Everyone who heard him was amazed at how much he understood. They also were amazed at his answers. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him, they were amazed. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried about you. We have been looking for you everywhere.”

⁴⁹“Why were you looking for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he meant by that.

⁵¹Then he went back to Nazareth with them, and he obeyed them. But his mother kept all these things like a secret treasure in her heart. ⁵²Jesus became wiser and stronger. He also became more and more pleasing to God and to people.

Visual Aids:

All cookie-cutter shapes.

Cookie shape:

Larger gingerbread figure to suggest growth from baby to boy.

Message:

The Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – don’t tell us very much about Jesus before he was grown. We have a lot of stories that we have shared throughout the past few weeks about Jesus first coming and being born in a stable, but then the Bible stories move past his childhood and into his almost-teenage years. The only story that we have in our Bible about Jesus as a child comes from the Gospel of Luke. It is a story that has a scary middle, but it does have a happy ending.

Have you ever been separated from a parent in a large crowd? Maybe you were in a big store and turned around to discover mom wasn’t right there next to you? Perhaps you were at the mall and with all the hustle and bustle of Christmas shoppers, you discovered that dad wasn’t as close as you thought? How did you feel? (Allow children to answer.) Today, we are going to learn about a time Jesus’ family didn’t know where he was. That’s right; even Jesus’ parents felt that fear of being separated from their child.

Every year, Jesus went with his family and a large group of neighbors to the city of Jerusalem to celebrate a special holiday that honored God. When Jesus was twelve years old, his family went as they did every year to Jerusalem. They traveled in a large group, and I am sure the kids would have walked together and played games as the adults talked. Have you ever traveled together in a large group? What was it like? Maybe it was a family reunion get together. (Allow children to share their stories.)

When the holiday was over, Jesus’ parents went back home with the large group. They thought Jesus was in the group playing with the other children, but he wasn’t. Show me on your face how you think Jesus’ parents felt when they couldn’t find him. (Pause for their facial expressions.)

Jesus’ parents went back to Jerusalem. Guess where they found him? They found him in the Temple, where people went to worship God. Jesus amazed the teachers in the Temple. He was only twelve years old, but he could talk with the teachers and answer their questions with amazing wisdom. They couldn’t believe how much he knew about God. When Mary and Joseph found him, he told them why he was in the Temple. He told them that he had to prepare and learn so that he could grow up and do what God had planned.

Think about what you want to be when you grow up. What must you do to prepare to get ready and learn for the jobs you want to have?

Jesus knew exactly what he was going to be when he grew up. He was going to show all people how much God loves us. So, when he was twelve, he wanted to spend lots of time with God. He did know a lot already about God, but he wanted to learn even more from the teachers. The best way for him to prepare for his future was to spend time in God’s house, learning from others.

When Jesus’ parents found him, he knew he had some more growing to do. He went home with them and obeyed his parents. The Bible says that he became wiser and smarter from learning from his parents and teachers. He became stronger by growing bigger. He also became more and more pleasing to God and people.

Which cookie-cutter shape do you think demonstrates the growth of Jesus? (Allow the children to choose.) That is right. The larger gingerbread figure represents Jesus. Jesus grew bigger as he grew older. He also grew wiser and became more pleasing to God and all the people who were shown God’s love. Jesus grew up and obeyed his parents. He wants you to do the same. This week as you prepare, bake, and wait, think about these thoughts with your family:

I wonder, as my body grows, how I can also grow in wisdom.
I wonder, as I grow in wisdom, how I can also become more pleasing to God.
I wonder how I can learn more about God, so that I can teach others.

Prayer:

God, as my body grows, help me grow in wisdom as well. Help me to know you better, so that I can show and teach others about your amazing love. Amen.

Between the Sundays: Advent Edition: Family Conversation Starters

We have added conversation starters to each children’s message series to help spark conversations within families during the week. We encourage families to use these questions to guide them through conversations and subject matter discussed during the worship service, including the children’s messages on Sundays. These conversations will reinforce learning and nurture faith formation for the entire family.

For this series, the conversation starters have been sent home each week with the cookie cutter shape. Below is the entire series list of wondering conversation starters to share with families.

I wonder how people must have felt when Jeremiah told them God was sending Jesus.
I wonder how it felt to know God was using the family tree of David to send Jesus.
I wonder how it feels to be told the place where you live will remain safe.
I wonder how we can share with others that Jesus is coming.
I wonder if there is something in your life that you need God’s help to change.
I wonder if you can think of one bad habit that needs to be “purified” by God.
I wonder how you can show others the passion you have for the shine of holiness and goodness of God.
I wonder how John felt as he told people that Jesus was coming.
I wonder how the people felt when they saw Jesus being baptized and heard God’s voice.
I wonder how I can be more like John and tell others about Jesus.
I wonder how you would feel if an angel told you some amazing news about your life.
I wonder how easy it was for Mary to believe immediately.
I wonder how you can share the good news of Jesus with others.
I wonder how the shepherds felt when the angel told of the good news of the birth.
I wonder if all who were there realized all the amazing things Jesus would do when he grew up.
I wonder how you can share that same amazement and excitement of the good news of Jesus’ birth as you spend Christmas day with your loved ones.
I wonder as my body grows how I can also grow in wisdom.
I wonder as I grow in wisdom, how I can also become more pleasing to God.
I wonder how I can learn more about God, so that I can teach others.