Resources for Christian Education

Adults

View next
Children’s Sermon

View previous

Children’s Sermon

Mark 13:24-37

Advent Begins – Get Ready!

December 3, 2023

First Sunday of Advent

Lectionary Year B

PRINT page without images

VIEW the scripture

SAVE .pdf of message

ASK (a.k.a The On-Ramp)

Good morning!
To begin, I want you to think about the start of each school year – it was a few months ago, but I imagine you can still remember it.
Now that you are thinking about the start of the school year, can you remember some of the things that you and your family did to get ready for the start of school? (Yes / no / maybe)
What were some of those things that you did to get ready? (buy new clothes / new backpack / new school supplies, learn who your teacher is, maybe start a new sleep schedule, etc)

TELL (a.k.a. The Freeway)

One reason you and your family get these things ready at the start of the year is so you’ll have everything you’ll need to do well in class.
The idea is that, once you have everything you need for class, then you’ll be able to pay attention to everything that is happening in class.
For instance, if you are prepared for class, that means you’ll have a pencil and paper to write down what the teacher is saying instead of worrying about missing what the teacher says while trying to find a pencil.
This idea to be ready and prepared is exactly what Jesus is telling his disciples to do in today’s scripture reading – I don’t know if you heard that part, but he told them to be ready and prepared, to be alert and awake.
And the reason we are reading that scripture passage today is because today is the first Sunday of a new church year!
Just like school starts a new year every year, so, too, does the Church start a new year every year.
Helpfully, the church year actually starts with some built-in preparation time, which we call Advent.

SHARE the Good News (a.k.a. The Destination)

Advent is the time in which we, as a church, prepare for another year of reading, discussing, and listening to stories about Jesus and teachings from Jesus.
One of the reasons we prepare for a new church year is the same reason we prepare for a new school year: So that we won’t miss a single thing that Jesus, our teacher, has to share with us.
Some of the ways that we can prepare for the new church year is by reading and talking about stories that remind us of what Jesus’ life and ministry are meant to do.
We also get ready to celebrate his birth in December.
As we do these things, then we are better prepared to hear and respond to Jesus’ message of good news and new life: That God’s better way is available today, right now, for us to live.

That’s the good news for today. Let’s pray.

CLOSING Prayer

This is a repeat-after-me prayer.

Dear God,

Please help us to get ready…

…for Jesus’ life and teachings…

…so that we can learn and then live…

…your better way.

Thank you and Amen.

Originally posted November 21, 2014

Updated on November 5, 2023
Written and edited by Nathanael Vissia

View more children’s sermons here

This material is the copyrighted property of rfour.org and Nathanael Vissia. It is also free. Please use, improve and share this material. But do not sell it or require any personal information for it.

Supplies: No supplies needed

Related message(s): N/A