Change Is Coming in 2017

It seems I have just gotten used to writing 2016, and now, I have to change to 2017!  A friend asked me last week, "Do you know how many Baptists it takes to change a lightbulb?" The response was, "Change?"  It's true, some of us seem to be resistant to change of any kind.

Another joke I have heard is, "The seven last words of the (you fill in the blank) church was, "We've never done it that way before!" We may chuckle at such jokes, but the truth of the matter is that if we refuse to make needed changes, we will be left behind.

So, what changes do we at Sermons4Kids anticipate in 2017?  Well, the first change we will make, after changing the date on our Sermon of the Week to 2017, is a redesign of our website.  "Why?", you ask.  Technology is constantly changing. It has been brought to my attention that almost half of our users now access our website from a mobile device.  The problem is that our current site does not render well on mobile devices.  You can access the site on a mobile device, but a different design for tablets and mobile phones is needed for our site to be fully readable and functional.

The process to redesign our website to make it fully compatible with all types of devices has already begun.  I am telling you about this now so that you won't freak out the first time you click on a link to www.sermons4kids.com and see an unfamiliar face.  The same material will still be available, but it will have a little different layout.  Click Here for a sample of what you can expect to see when you visit our newly designed website.

Don't panic!  You will find the same content and the menus will work pretty much the same as they have in the past. The difference is, we hope you will find the site more friendly, easier to navigate, and definitely, more useable on your mobile device. If not, click the Contact Us button and let us know what we can do to help.

Finally, I wish you a Happy and successful New Year in Children's ministry.  I hope that our new website design will greatly enhance our role in assisting you in teaching children about Jesus and his love.

Countdown to Christmas

At the beginning of the Advent season, Sermons4Kids provided an Advent Calendar for the children to color a star each day as they counted down to the day which we have set aside to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

This past Sunday, our pastor reminded us that it was only two weeks until Christmas.  It started me to thinking, "What special things could we do to bring more meaning to the final ten days of the Countdown to Christmas?"  Here are some of the ideas I came up with.

10 - Raid the pantry and gather a sack of canned goods and take them to your church food pantry.

9 - Go to a store that has a Salvation Army bell ringer and make a donation—then leave without going into the store.

8 - Take a few small gifts to a shelter for women and children.

7 - Leave a gift at a neighbor's front door.

6 - Visit a home for the elderly and hand out homemade cookies.

5 - Write a letter to a member of the military who is stationed overseas.

4 - Watch a favorite Christmas movie with your family.

3 - Put on Christmas music and listen to it all day long.

2 - Have a family night out with dinner and a movie.

1 - Attend Christmas Eve services.

You may have some better ideas of your own.  Whatever you choose to do, make it a time when you think of others rather than thinking about yourself.  It will bring the true meaning of Christmas into focus.

THE WAITING OF ADVENT by Rebecca Edwards

The word “Advent” means an arrival of a notable person or event.  In the Christian tradition, Advent is a season.  An intentional time of waiting, Advent is quiet and dark.  We are getting ready for the Mystery of Christmas.  While the rest of the world seems to celebrate, those observing Advent are waiting for the reason we celebrate.

In our family, we have several Advent traditions.  First, Our church celebrates the first Sunday of Advent with a Hanging of the Green service, where we sing hymns and decorate the church.   The Chrismon (Christ-Monogram) Tree is the focus of our decor, with splashes of blue, purple, and white hanging from tables and walls.

At home, we gradually get our own Advent/ Christmas decor out and around the house.  Our church also helps with this in hosting the annual Advent Dinner Fellowship, which involves a potluck supper and creating a family Advent wreath.   The wreath represents the eternal Love God has for His people.  We light a candle for each of the four Sundays in Advent, one for Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace.  Then, on Christmas Day, The Christ Candle (the big candle in the middle is lit, the life of Christ that has come into the world, pure and spotless.

We live near Baylor University, and every year, during the first week of Advent, we attend the Advent service in the beautiful Armstrong-Browning Library.  It is a lovely night that visually and musically sets our hearts ready for the season.

At home, our family begins Advent devotionals with The Jesse Tree, a journey through the people of Scripture that culminate in the birth of Jesus Christ, based on Isaiah 11:1:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

In 2010, I found a wonderful resource online from Ann Voskamp. It was a printable Jesse Tree devotional, complete with ornaments and daily Scripture. (Click here for the devotional.) Other resources are available, too, and it is fun for the children to hang an ornament on the tree each day as we approach Christmas.

As the season goes by, with Christmas events around town, we hold the waiting still.  While school “holiday” parties happen, we remember the “Holy Day” for which we are preparing.

However your family chooses to celebrate this Advent season, what is important to remember is this waiting prepares us for the journey of this Christian life. This waiting in the “not yet” is the daily practice of a Christian.

A note from Charles Kirkpatrick: Rebecca Edwards is a Native-born West Texan transplanted in Waco.  A wife, mother, volunteer, and substitute teacher, her passions include her Christian Faith, her family, her children, and her community.