The Children's Christmas Service

Friends, just a short post before Christmas about that wonderful tradition in many churches: the Sunday School Christmas Service. Perhaps yours has already taken place. Perhaps it is scheduled for Christmas Eve. In our large congregation there are often three such services, two in the weeks before Christmas and one on Christmas Eve. I hope yours was a wonderful event for the congregation, its children, and their families!

Now it's time to start thinking and planning for next year. The first step in that planning process should be defining the purpose for the event. I see the following goals as important ones to consider.

Share the Gospel

The primary purpose of any worship service or Christmas program would proclaim God's Word of grace, the reason He sent His Son, Jesus, to take our human form for a time, life a perfect life and die a sacrificial death in our stead, and win for us eternal life with Him in heaven. Entertainment and photo opportunities don't measure up!

Let the Children Tell the Story

The children's Christmas service or Christmas program is a wonderful opportunity for the children of your Sunday School to share the Gospel with their family, friends, congregation, and community. In the process, it should become a story they understand and can express in words that could be their own.

Tell the Story Accurately

Sad to say, there are many resources offered for your use on this occasion that stray far from the truths of Scripture.It should not need to be said that snowmen and Santas are really not part of the equation.

Tell the Story Winsomely

That is not to say that the service or program cannot enjoyable and touch the hearts of those who see it. Narrations that are well rehearsed, familiar songs and hymns of the season, and a visually rich environment can be important considerations.

What else needs to be said?

What will you be looking for in your next Christmas service?

Thanks for making it another occasion to share God's Word with His children!

What Is the Value of Sunday School?

What is your Sunday School for? How you answer that question will guide all the critical decisions about Sunday School.

• Many congregations are facing tight budgets in these tough economic times. Every expenditure, including the cost of Sunday School material, is being reconsidered with at an eye to saving money. Perhaps they will look at a different, less expensive Sunday School curriculum.
• A publisher has mailed an attractive flyer to your Sunday School director featuring their new curriculum. It looks fun, interesting (which is the job of such a flyer). Some teachers are all in favor of trying it out. Should you?
• A parent reports that it is difficult to get her child to attend Sunday School; the child says it is boring. He would rather be signed up for the city soccer league and be out on the field on Sunday mornings. You wonder whether some new style of Sunday School would make it more attractive to families with similar issues.

If your Sunday School is in competition in family schedules with other activities as a form of entertainment, a nice opportunity to have fun with friends, someone has missed the point. It is unlikely that your Sunday School can compete in this arena, and I wonder why you would want to.

Sunday School is valuable as an agency that assists families with the spiritual nurture of the children and adults in those families. It is a place where the proclamation and study of God's Word combats the forces of sin, death, and Satan, offering grace and forgiveness for those burdened by guilt and mired in sin. Sunday School, seen in that way, offers far more than any game of soccer.

If that is not what your Sunday School does, change is in order. If that is not how Sunday School is perceived by the families of your congregation, it is time to get that message out. Sunday School is an opportunity for God's children to see Jesus and know the salvation He came to win for us on the cross.

That kind of Sunday School will not be in competition with soccer, will not be evaluated only the basis of fun, and will more likely be seen as worth the cost.

How do we communicate the real value of Sunday School to the families we serve? What tips can you share for presenting that message?

God's blessings as you teach His children His Word.

Christmas Plans

I've seen some posts this past week on e-mail list I follow on the topic of how to deal with Sunday School on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Most, almost all, of the responses fall into two groups: those who are going to cancel and those who are going to some form of alternate activity.

I'll admit I'm hard pressed to choose between the alternative of teaching nothing or turning the class over to a video of dancing and singing vegetables who preach moralism instead of God's grace.

Those who follow this blog will know where I stand on this one: there is no better day to teach a solid lesson about God's gift of a Savior from sin, death, and Satan, than on the day we celebrate the Nativity of that Savior and no excuse for teaching moralism in Sunday School ever.

I know that staffing your Sunday School can be difficult on these holidays and I know that low attendance can make planning and teaching a challenge. But in the long run, how we handle these Sundays will say a lot about a congregation's priorities.

How will your congregation meet these challenging Sundays?


How can a congregation prepare for the staffing and attendance challenges without sacrificing the opportunity to teach God's children His Word?