Children’s Sermon (Luke 3:1-6)John Preached and Baptized for Peaceful Preparation through Christ. (2024)

Children’s Message on Luke 21Fulfillment of the Prophecy “The Second Sunday of Advent.”

Note:During the season of Advent, messages and lessons will include a unifying focus that coincides with the four themes of the Advent Sundays (hope, peace, love, and joy). Additionally, each week a Christmas song will be featured, which also incorporates the theme.

Main Objective:This message considers how we make preparations. There are a lot of important things we might prepare for or “clear the way” for, but how do we get our hearts ready for Jesus? Just as John the Baptist prepared the way and pointed others to Christ, our job is to tell others about Him and to consider how we can focus on His love and promises. As we do so, we can embrace the peace that only He provides. Christmas preparations can feel stressful, even as they are exciting, but focusing on God’s peace provides profound comfort and strength in the midst of that.

Law/Gospel Theme:When we think about preparing for Jesus, we often contemplate how we can be ready for His Second Coming or how we can point others to Him. While these are significant elements, it’s also important to remember that we can prepare our hearts for Him now. We do this through prayer, reading His Word, and finding peace in His promises. The Advent season focuses on His birth, but much more than that we rejoice in His life, death, and resurrection.

Luke 3:1-6Children’s Sermon-Peaceful Preparations

Optional Materials:Pictures or representations of signs (traffic or road signs, building signs, signs of things that we hope for).

Bible Passage:Luke 3:1-6

Message:Note: As with most messages, the details of how you choose to communicate this are adaptable and should cater to timing as well as to your audience and student needs.

Greet children, and talk about preparations…In this message, the specific example involves preparing for heavy snow. Obviously, the example you use might vary if you live in Florida.

Hello, children of God!
Do you know what I have here?Show snow shovel or similar snow removal item.This is a snow shovel. Now, if you live in a place where it snows a lot, it’s very important to have one of these. When it snows, the only way to get out of your driveway is to shovel the snow and prepare a path for your car to drive through. You have to have a way to get out and drive safely. Now, if you have an extra long driveway, you might need something a little more efficient, like a snow blower!Demonstrate picture. This is a faster way to clear out pathways and get rid of snow. Or (show another picture), for the real heavy duty method, a snow plow is a vehicle that rids large roads and highways of snow, allowing cars to drive. These tools are all necessary if you live in a place that gets cold winters, because they prepare the way for other vehicles to come through. If cities (or individuals) are prepared, it makes rough weather easier to deal with.

What are some other things we might need to prepare for? We prepare when guests come to visit our house, cleaning and getting things in order. We might prepare for tests or events at school. At Christmas, there’s a lot of preparing to do, buying things and preparing presents, cooking or going to parties…it can get pretty stressful, actually. Now, how do we prepare for Jesus? That might seem like a strange thing. We know that Jesus is returning, of course, though we don’t know when. How can we be prepared for that? For Him?

There was a man named John who lived at the same time as Jesus. We call him John the Baptist because he baptized people. He was a cousin of Jesus, actually, and he preached and taught right before the earthly ministry of Christ began. John said that he came to prepare the way for Jesus, and to make His paths straight. John was quick to point out that he was not the Messiah, but came to point others to Him. His message was meant to prepare the hearts of people to hear what Jesus had to say. They didn’t always do that, but John’s business was to prepare for Him. And we have a job to prepare for Him, also.

How do we do that? Well, we can prepare ourselves as much as possible by being aware of His presence now and His eventual return. We can pray and read God’s word to prepare ourselves. We point others to Jesus, just as John the Baptist did, telling them of His love and sacrifice for us. Meanwhile, we prepare our hearts for Him. We consider all that He does for us, and we recognize the peace that only He provides. In the midst of hardship or chaos, in busy seasons or confusing ones, Jesus brings us peace. Advent reminds us that He came to rescue and to provide peace. We can prepare for Christmas, prepare for His Second Coming, and prepare to have hearts of gratitude and praise. This is something we can do every day of the year!

Let’s pray now and ask for God’s help in preparing our hearts for Jesus…

Prayer:
(Have kids repeat each line)
Dear God,
Thank you for sending your son.
Help us to point others to Jesus
And to prepare our hearts for Him.
Help us to embrace the peace that you provide.
Thank you for your peace.
Thank you for your love
We love you, God!
In Jesus name, Amen!

Bible Verses/story to Reference:

In the fifteenth year of the reign ofTiberius Caesar,Pontius Pilatebeing governor of Judea, andHerod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,²duringthe high priesthood of Annas andCaiaphas,the word of God came toJohn the son of Zechariah inthe wilderness.³And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiminga baptism of repentancefor the forgiveness of sins.⁴As it is written inthe book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,^[a^]
make his paths straight.
⁵Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
⁶and all flesh shall seethe salvation of God.’” -Luke 3:1-6

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