Sermon of the Week - December 15, 2013

Sermons 4 Kids
Sermon of the Week
Third Sunday of Advent Yr. A
December 15, 2013

Sermon of the Week

Title: The Gifts that Jesus Brings

Theme: The true meaning of Christmas. Advent 3-A.

Object: A calendar and a color advertisement section from the newspaper.

Scripture: Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Matthew 11:4-5 (NIV)

Look at this calendar! Can you believe it? We are only a few days from Christmas! (Count the days remaining until Christmas.) Have you finished all of your Christmas shopping? The newspaper will be full of ads for those who have some last-minute shopping to do.

I did some research on the Internet to see what the top-selling gifts are this year. Here are a few of the most popular gifts for kids:

Big Hugs Elmo - I know you probably think this is just for younger children, but it was on every "Top Ten Toy List" I found. There are many ways to play with the Big Hugs Elmo and it comes with more than fifty animated sounds and phrases!

Furby Boom! - Sorry parents, Furby is back, but it's not the same old Furby from past years. There is a whole new generation of Furby critters out there! You can even interact with the new Furby using an iPad, iPod, or iPhone!

Doc McStuffins Check-Up Center - Doc McStuffins follows the adventures of a veterinarian who operates on stuffed animals. Fans of the popular TV series will love this one.

Nerf Rebelle Heartbreaker Bow - This looks to be this year's hottest Nerf gun. It's a nerf weapon that comes in pink and is being marketed to girls!

Nerf N-Strike Elite Centurion Blaster - Don't worry, boys. There is a Nerf gun for you too!

Flutterbye Flying Fairy Doll - Unlike other fairy dolls, this one actually flies.

Well, those may be some of the best-selling gift items that children will find under their Christmas tree this year, but they don't compare with the gifts which we receive from the Christ of Christmas.

In our Bible lesson today we learn that John, even though he was in prison, was hearing about all of the wonderful things that Jesus was doing. He sent a message to Jesus by some of his friends. "Ask Jesus if he is the Messiah we have been expecting, or should we continue to watch for someone else?"

When Jesus was asked the question, he answered, "Return to John and tell him what you have seen and heard. You have seen the blind receive their sight, the crippled and lame are able to walk, those with leprosy are being cured, the deaf are able to hear. Even the dead have been raised and the good news is being preached to the poor."

If you were blind, what better gift could you receive than to be able to see? If you were crippled, what better gift could you receive than to be able to walk? If you were dead, what better gift could you receive than the gift of life? Oh, by the way, that last gift I mentioned... the gift of life. That is the real meaning of Christmas. Jesus came to earth to give us life -- eternal life! What a gift!

Father, every good gift we receive comes from you and the greatest gift is eternal life brought down to us through your Son. Father, we thank you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

(Note: This sermon should not be construed as an endorsement of any of the toys mentioned. It is just what I found by searching the Internet. Feel free to change up the list of toys to suit your needs.)

Coloring Pages and Activities

GROUP ACTIVITIES PAGE

COLORING PAGE

CROSSWORD PUZZLE (PDF) (HTML)

DECODER PUZZLE (PDF) (HTML)

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUIZ (PDF) (HTML)

WORD SEARCH PUZZLE (PDF) (HTML)

WORSHIP BULLETIN (DOC) (PDF)

Save the bulletin to your computer and personalize it with your church's name. Print side one then reinsert it into the printer and print side two.

Sermon Links

PRINTER-FRIENDLY AND ALTERNATIVE SERMONS

A PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION OF THIS SERMON: "The Gifts that Jesus Brings"

AN ALTERNATE SERMON BASED ON Isaiah 35:1-11: "Joy to the World"

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