Resources for Christian Education

Adults

View next
Children’s Sermon

View previous

Children’s Sermon

Luke 2:41-52

Belonging with God

December 29, 2024

First Sunday in Christmas

Lectionary Year C

PRINT page without images

VIEW the scripture

SAVE .pdf of message

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

Good morning!
I have a question for you. Have you ever had something and then lost it? Like a glove or a shoe or a toy?
Maybe you’d seen other people lose things, too? Maybe someone you live with once lost their keys, or their wallet or their phone – has that ever happened?
And when one of those things were lost was there then lots of looking to find that thing until it was found?
While the looking happened, were there feelings of concern and worry? Maybe even feeling sad or scared that the lost thing wouldn’t ever be found again?

TELL (a.k.a. The Freeway)

I ask because in today’s Bible story, we hear hear that Joseph and Mary have lost something very important – their 12 year old son, Jesus.
They couldn’t find him anywhere!
They looked for him for three days.
They finally found him in the Temple; he was talking to the teachers that were there. Turns out that he had been there the whole time.
Once they found him, Joseph and Mary told Jesus that they had been very worried about him.
In other words, his parents had been worried that Jesus had been lost and missing.
But it turns out that Jesus knew exactly what he was doing, where he was, and was not scared at all. We know this because that’s what he told Mary and Joseph in the story.

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

What we see in 12 year-old Jesus in this story is something we also see in adult Jesus in other Bible stories.
Jesus is never lost or at a loss of what to do or say. He always knows where he is and where he’s going.
This is a very good quality in a person who then invites others to follow him, don’t you think?
When we follow Jesus, who is never lost, then we will not be lost, either.
In a world where things and people so often feel lost, this is a very nice gift for us to receive.
And, when we are living into this gift of knowing where we are, and where we belong, then we can share that gift of belonging with those around us.

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

CLOSING Prayer

This is a repeat-after-me prayer.

Dear God,
Dear God,

Thank you for Jesus…

…who offers us the gift…

…of always being at home…

…in and with you.

Thank you and Amen

Originally posted December 6, 2015

Updated on November 28, 2024

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 you may not sell it or require any personal information for it.

Supplies: No supplies needed

Related message(s): N/A