Response-able
Luke 1:26-32 (Jesus’ birth told to Mary) Advent 4, Year B
Supplies:
• Illustrated Bible – pictures of Mary & Angel, Nativity, adult Jesus
• Strips of cloth – one for each child and leader
• Baby doll – ideally brown-skinned like a baby Jesus of Palestine
- Empty manger, i.e. no baby Jesus yet – could be filled with straw
Script: Ready-to-print downloads
Advent Children’s Message – Response-ability WORD
Advent Children’s Message – Response-ability WORD
What’s this? Bible. [Hold up illustrated Bible.]
This is a very special Bible with beautiful illustrations inside.
___________ was just reading to us. Who were they reading about, who remembers?
Show picture of Angel and Mary.
The Angel says to Mary, ‘Even though you are very young, you will have a baby.’
Mary responds, saying, ‘Here I am, God’s helper. Let it be as you say.’ Mary agrees to do what God wants her to do.
What’s this? Hold up a baby doll.
What are babies like?
Are they big or little?
Are they helpful or helpless?
Are they weak or strong?
Babies need looking after. They need people to help them.
God comes to us as a baby called… Jesus.
Show picture of nativity scene.
Can you find Baby Jesus in this picture?
Baby Jesus needs looking after, he needs someone to help him. Who helps Baby Jesus? Mary.
Can you find Mary in this picture?
Who else helps Jesus when he’s a baby and a little child?
Joseph, other family members, family friends.
What happens to babies? They grow… up.
So, what happens to Baby Jesus? He grows… up!
Show picture of older/adult Jesus.
When Jesus is grown up he teaches that God always, always wants our help, help looking after other people, not just babies, but all people, young, grown up, and old.
God wants us to be responsible and use our gifts and talents to help others.
I have a strip of cloth for each of you.
Each strip reminds us of the gifts and talents God has given us.
What are our gifts and talents that we can share?
What can you do to help others?
Let children respond.
Help Dad and mum in the kitchen. Help in the garden. Help around the house. Pick up your toys. Make your bed. Put away your clothes. Say please and thank you. Sing a lovely song. Share with your sister or brother.
There are many, many ways we can use our gifts and talents to help others.
As you get older, just like Jesus, you will learn new ways to help others, new talents to share with God:
play music, sing in a choir, arrange flowers, create artwork, invent things, learn how things work, pray for people, read or preach in church or at school, teach, clean, build, and more.
Let’s put our gift cloths in the manger.
Place cloths across the empty manger, so they hang over the side, like straw.
Pray with me. God, thank you for the gifts and talents that you give to us. Help us be responsible, using our gifts and talents to help other people including helpless babies, our friends and our family.
Amen.
