Come Emmanuel

Children’s Message
Sunday, December 21, 2008


Every Wednesday, the staff starts our morning with prayer together. We read a Psalm and another scripture lesson, we sing hymns, we hear about, and pray for, Presbyterians in another part of the country or the world, and perhaps most importantly, we pray. We pray for our work in the church, we pray for the world, we pray for the sick, and we pray for you. We go through all of the members alphabetically twice each year. We just started at “A” again this week, so between now and June, you all will be prayed for again by our staff.

Now we all take turns leading prayers, and a week and a half ago, it was my turn. Normally, we sit where the choir sits, but that morning, everybody sat in the first few pews, and I was standing right here. And we sang the hymn that we began our worship with this morning, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. I stood here as we sang and I looked down the aisle and out the front doors. It was one of those postcard mornings—a light snow was falling as cars sped by on East Avenue. And it was one of those moments when everything just felt right. As we sang, “Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace” I wanted to freeze everything—to hit the pause button on the day, because, I felt in the Advent spirit.

This sure is a fun week coming up. Maybe a celebration at school, certainly a whole slew of services here at church, probably family coming over—food, presents, parties and games. I bet that this week you will have a few moments when you will want to hit the pause button—freeze the whole world and enjoy the spirit of the moment.

Christ is coming—the day is almost here! O come, O come Emmanuel!

Let’s pray: Loving God
As we wait
As we celebrate
Help us to experience
The joy of Christ’s coming.
Amen.

Christmas songs. . .

Children’s Message
Sunday, December 14, 2008


Do you ever wish that your life was like a movie, where when people remember things, there was always some great and touching music playing in the background? Or maybe like an actual musical, where when something really good or really bad happens, everyone breaks out into song. Do any of you have a soundtrack of your favorite songs going through your head all the time?

Music is an important part of our lives—and certainly, music is an important part of our life together. If I asked the average kid here at Third Presbyterian Church to recite a line of scripture for me—some of you could do one or two maybe. . .but if I asked one of you to sing me a “church song” I bet you would know a ton, and maybe you’d even be surprised to know that your favorite church song is, in fact, actually a line of scripture as well.

There is probably no other season in the church year when people are as excited about music than at Advent and Christmas time. The hymns! The carols!!

I want you to think in your head about your favorite church Christmas song. . . what is it you like. . . the tune? The words? A special memory of singing it? What does your song say about Jesus?

Think about it—and your homework is to talk with whoever you eat lunch with today about your special song, and to ask them avout theirs.

Let’s pray: Loving God
Thank you for your word to us
In scripture. . .
In song. . .
And help us to always to remember
To speak to you in prayer.
Amen.