Christmas Day Worship and Celebrating

This past Sunday after church, someone asked if there would even be a service next Sunday as it will be Christmas day. I liked the response I heard – “Of all days, why wouldn’t there be?”

The big day is indeed this Sunday, and knowing who and how many will come, especially after Christmas Eve services the day before, will be next to impossible. Some may be those who only show up at Christmas and Easter and have little comfort with church. Many “regulars” may be at family gatherings. It’s one of those Sundays where extreme flexibility is needed.

This Sunday is yet another opportunity to capitalize on whatever you are given. Here are some ideas for making this day special for whoever comes:

1. Try to have something meaningful to give each child that contains the story of Christmas. Many will barely know the story, but even if they know it well, in the midst of mad consumerism it is a tangible reminder of the reason for the day’s celebrations. Christian bookstores often have mini-books of the Christmas story or you can print Luke 2:1-20 on a page with pictures to colour or make copies from a reproducible colouring book. Even handing out candy canes with a tag attached about its story makes a tie in to Jesus’ birth (google The Legend of the Candy Cane for ideas).

2. Pull together whatever simple costumes you have on hand and invite your learners to tell the story with you. If you don’t have bathrobes and halos, improvise with old tablecloths or yardsticks or puppets or talk about what it would be like if Jesus had been born today. Who would be the angels and shepherds? Invite your learners to take on a role in the story and then talk about it after. Challenge your learners to think about how to finish the sentence "If Jesus hadn't been born..."

3. Many kids don’t know carols that tell Jesus’ story anymore. Grab some carol books or sheets and sing Away in a Manger, Silent Night and Joy to the World and any others that they can learn easily. Talk about how the carol tells us something about Jesus’ birth.

4. Jesus’ birthday needs to be celebrated! If you can, bring some plain cupcakes and invite your learners to decorate them with prepared icing and sprinkles for the grownups for after church or to share with their parents and other close family. Plain sugar cookies cut in shapes of Christmas symbols could also be used for decorating. Talk about how Jesus’ birth was a gift to the whole world, and how when we share and give gifts to others with love, we are sharing Jesus’ love. Sing happy birthday to Jesus.

5. The Christmas story is rich with images, dreams and angel messengers. Read Luke 2:1-20 and talk about the idea of angels. Where have your learners felt God’s presence in the past year? Talk about how the shepherds immediately went to tell other people about what they had seen in the manger and what the angel said. We also should be willing to share about Jesus and be messengers for God. Talk about ways of spreading the Good News in words and actions.

This Sunday will be a challenge for many people. Christmas can be taxing with all the expectations and family conflict and even grief. Give yourself a large dose of patience and grace, and be ready to extend it to all who come on Sunday from a variety of experiences of Christmas.

And even as you prepare for this Sunday, be sure to take a breath, and pause, and open your heart to receive the Christ Child again. May your celebration of Christmas truly fill you with joy and reassurance in the One who came to be Messiah of all.