(Invite children, grades 1 to 4, to gather around the altar on the floor.)
What are we celebrating today?
Birth of Jesus, Incarnation, God became man
Why did God become man? Why was Jesus born?
To save us. So, we could get to heaven. Came as savior, redeemer. To forgive us, so we could be with God again in His kingdom.
Have you ever broken anything?
Toy, something of mom or dad’s.
Even more important: have you ever broken your promise?
To mom or dad on going to do something or not going to do something; behaving.
When you do something you shouldn’t have done (like breaking something or breaking your promise to behave), have your folks ever given you a “time-out” to think about what you did that hurt someone or something? A “time-out” when you can think about how you might change what you did for the next time, so you won’t do it again; won’t hurt someone again.
That’s what happened a long time ago. God created people. We usually call them Adam and Eve. And because he loved them so much, He wanted them to be with Him all the time.
What do we call that place?
Garden of Eden, paradise, heaven, kingdom of God, kingdom of heaven
But what happened? God’s creatures, Adam and Eve, whom He loved, did something they should not have done. They broke a promise they made to God. And God said: OK, you have to have a “time-out” so you can think about what you did. And when you have thought about it long and hard, you can come back to me and we will live together in paradise, in heaven, in my kingdom.
But something happened next. God had a problem. How was He going to tell us that our “time-out” was over; that we were now forgiven and could join Him in heaven. He tried to tell us but we had a hard time understanding what He said. So before I tell you how He did it, I have another Christmas story to tell you.
Once upon a time there was a farmer. He was a very good and kind man. He had a wife and two children. Now this farmer believed in God, but he wasn’t at all sure about Christmas. He couldn’t figure out why the Son of God was born. And so on Christmas Eve, his wife and the children would go to church to celebrate the birth of the Christ-child, but the farmer would stay home.
Now one Christmas Eve, it was very cold. And the farmer went out to check on the animals in his barn. He saw they were warm and well-fed. But as he was leaving the barn, he saw a flock of birds in the yard. Now this farmer, as I said, was a very good and kind man. He felt sorry for the birds. He knew if they stayed out in the cold during the night they would freeze and die.
He tried to shoo them into the barn where they would be warm and have grain like his animals had. But they flew up into the air. They were frightened by him. He tried to lead them into the barn with a trail of grain, but they ignored him. The farmer was very frustrated because he was very concerned for the birds … and finally he shouted out: “O God, if only I could become a little bird, I could lead all of these other birds into my barn where they would be safe.”
And suddenly, the farmer realized just why God had to become a man; so that He could lead us into His kingdom, where we would be safe. Where we would be saved. God knew we needed to have someone like us who also was like Him. Someone that could teach us and lead us into His kingdom.
And although the farmer couldn’t become a bird to lead the other little birds to safety, God was able to become a man to lead us. But he knew he couldn’t come as an already grown-up man. He couldn’t suddenly appear and have us follow him. Instead, He came as a little baby, one who grew up into a man who became a teacher. And what did he teach us?
He taught us that God is “our Father.” He also taught us our Father has forgiven us; that He wants us back home, with Him in the kingdom of heaven. To be safe with Him. And He summed it all up in that prayer we say; the one that starts with “Our Father who art in heaven …” and the one that says we should forgive others as we have been forgiven.
And that’s what Christmas is all about. It’s about how God has forgiven us. How God has become like us so that we could be saved; we could be safe with him. And He has asked us to forgive one another so that we could all be part of His kingdom. Yes, that’s really what Christmas time is all about. It’s the time for us to forgive one another about all of the past hurts we may have caused. It’s the time to end the “time-out” and return home.
And so you can go back to your folks now; and when you do, I’d like to have you whisper something to them. Will you do it? When you get back, whisper the words “Please forgive me.” And I hope that the big folks can whisper back the words: “I forgive you” – and remember that this is what Christmas, the coming of Christ is all about. I forgive you. Merry Christmas.
Christmas, December 25, 2003
Children’s Lectionary, Scriptures not used directly