St. Peter's UCC in Owensville, Missouri

Is Christmas Really Over?

Theme: In Jesus, we receive the right to become children of God.
Scripture: John 1:1-18
Get Ready: Click here to get your complete supply list for this lesson.

The Children’s Sermon:
You’ll Need:
● A gift you received for Christmas
● Heart stickers
● A box
● Wrapping paper
● Tape
● Scissors
Get Ready: Put the heart stickers inside the box and wrap it.
Do This:
SAY: This gift I am holding was one of my Christmas gifts. Did you receive gifts
for Christmas? (Pause.) What was your favorite gift? (Give the children an
opportunity to tell you about their favorite gifts.)
There’s one thing I’ve learned about Christmas gifts. No matter how much you
enjoy receiving them, they just don't last forever. If you got nice, new clothes,
eventually they’ll wear out, go out of style, or you’ll outgrow them. Even if you got
a fun toy you really enjoy, eventually it could break or you’ll grow tired of it. Maybe
you got candy in your stocking, but when you eat it, it’s gone.
But there’s one Christmas gift that’s different. (Show the wrapped box.) It never
wears out. It never goes out of style. You’ll never grow out of it. It’s the true gift
that Christmas is all about. It’s God's gift to us: His Son, Jesus. (Have kids pass the
box around, each making one rip until the whole gift is unwrapped. Open the box and
give each child a heart sticker to represent God’s gift of love, Jesus.)
The Bible tells us that all who receive Jesus and believe in His name become the
children of God! When we become the children of God, we have all of the rights
and privileges of being His child. God will love us, protect us, and provide
everything that we need. The best part is that it never ends. In Psalm 23:6, the
Bible says that kindness and love will be with us every day of our life and we will
live forever in God’s house.
I enjoy giving and receiving gifts at Christmas, but I think it’s important to
remember the greatest gift of all was God's gift to us. It’s the gift that keeps on
giving!
PRAY: Dear God, we thank You for loving us so much that You gave Your Son so
we too can become Your children. In Jesus' name, amen.

“Adopted Into God’s Family” Video Lesson
You’ll Need:
● “Adopted Into God’s Family” video lesson
● Something to play the video

Do This:
Show them the video.
ASK:
● What does it mean to you to be adopted into God’s family?
● How can you share with others about how to be in God’s family?

J Snacks
You’ll Need:
● Strawberry slices
● Banana slices
● Paper plates - one per child
● Napkins
Do This:
● Give each child a paper plate and a handful of strawberry and banana slices.
● Tell kids to make a letter J out of the slices, alternating strawberry and banana.
SAY: You all did a great job making J’s. Does anyone have a guess what the J
stands for? That’s right, Jesus. Now that was easy, but as we each eat a slice
from our J’s let’s share a word that describes Jesus. (Challenge kids to not repeat
any adjectives describing Jesus.) We could describe how amazing Jesus is all day.
He is truly a gift that keeps on giving.

Gift Box Craft
You’ll Need:
● Small boxes - one per child
● Ribbon
● Stickers
● Markers
Get Ready: You can reuse the small boxes from the game for this craft.
Do This:
To make the gift boxes, have kids follow these steps:
● In the inside bottom of the box, instruct kids to write “Jesus is the gift that
keeps on giving.”
● Then give children stickers and markers to decorate their gift boxes.
● Encourage kids to tie up their boxes with bows and write “open please” on the
outside of the boxes.
SAY: This gift may not seem like it has anything in it, but it includes the greatest
message of all that Jesus is the gift that keeps on giving.
ASK:
● Who is someone you know who needs to hear about the gift of Jesus?
● What will you tell that person about Jesus?
SAY: Take this gift home with you and pray about giving the box to someone who
needs to hear about Jesus. Share with them how amazing He is and how if we
believe in Him He gives us the right to become children of God.

Complete Supply List:
● A gift you received for Christmas
● Heart stickers
● A box
● Wrapping paper
● Tape
● Scissors
● “Adopted Into God’s Family” video lesson
● Something to play the video
● Strawberry slices
● Banana slices
● Paper plates - one per child
● Napkins
● Small boxes - one per child
● Ribbon
● Stickers
● Markers
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