Props Needed: Hand held jingle bells
(Gather kids around you, dialogue with them about what they want for Christmas, then move into the children’s sermon).
What kinds of sounds do you hear at Christmas?
(listen for answers – they might say Christmas music, singing, shopping, traffic, etc…)
I have one more sound for you to hear.
(Pull your jingle bells out from a bag and ring it loudly)
These are jingle bells. What does it make you think of when you hear them ring?
(Let one or two of the children answer)
Some people think of the song, “Jingle bells.” Other people think of horses pulling sleighs through the snow. Other people think of Santa’s reindeer. All of these things are happy sounds for many people.
Do you know what makes the sound of a jingle bell? There’s a small ball on the inside of this jingle bell and hits against the sides of the metal bell causing the sound.
And what causes the bell to make the sound? (when it’s shaken).
So the sound is caused by something on the outside (the shaking) but it’s made by something on the inside (the ball).
Even at a happy time like Christmas, life can sometimes shake us up. This happens when someone is mean to us or if we don’t get something we really want. Sometimes it might happen if we have to move from a house we really like or if we lose someone who is really close to us.
One group of people who were shaken in the Bible were the shepherds. They were out in the fields in the middle of the night when an angel appeared to them and really scared them a lot. They were probably shaking with fear. But the Bible says that “the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people!’” (Luke 2:10)
What was the good news they were talking about?
(Wait for a couple of answers)
That’s right, the angel was talking about Jesus being born. That’s the best news anyone could ever hear because the Bible says Jesus “would save His people from their sins.” That’s a good reason for us to have joy, isn’t it?
Even now, when our lives are shaken, we may feel bad and quiet, but if we know Jesus, we can still ring with joy because Jesus lives inside us!
Let me pray with you before you go back to your seats…
(Depending on the kids, you may choose to have them pray with you or have one of them pray. After praying, send them back to their seats.)
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