by Pastor Victor Chen

When talking with children about Christmas, we can face a theological dilemma.

We can liken Christmas to Jesus’ birthday in our efforts to explain the significance of Christmas to children. And though it is true that Jesus was born into this world on Christmas (the exact day likely unknown), we see in John 1 that Jesus was there from the beginning with God because He was God.

What can follow then is a endless discussion with a child navigating the difficult theological topics of the trinity, incarnation and the eternal nature of the Lord:

“I thought Jesus was born on Christmas. It’s His birthday, right?”

“Well, yes. Jesus was born on Christmas into this world. But Jesus was there from the beginning. He always existed because He is God.”

“Wait. I thought God sent Jesus on Christmas.”

“He did. God the Father sent Jesus, God the Son, on Christmas.”

“Wait. How come Jesus is a baby when He has been there from the beginning of time?”

And on and on the discussion can go with “why?” interspersed every other second.

To help children (and adults) avoid theological confusion and better understand the significance of Christmas, we can begin moving away from saying that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday and start saying that Christmas is when Jesus, God the Son, came.

We can then go on to share why Jesus came.

On Christmas, God the Father sent Jesus, God the Son, into the world to rescue us from our sin. Jesus did this by taking our place, the punishment for our sin, at the cross. There, Jesus endured the wrath of God the Father for our sin and died as an offering for our sin. God the Father raised Jesus, God the Son, from the grave and as a result, we have new life with God the Father in Jesus.

On Christmas, Jesus came. He came to live in this world, but ultimately to die in our place.

On Christmas, Jesus came to die.

And if Jesus came on Christmas, He will come again.

Jesus will come again to make all things right and make all things new.

We know this for sure, because on Christmas, Jesus came.

So we celebrate Christmas because we celebrate that Jesus came to rescue us.

And we celebrate Christmas to remind each other that because Jesus came, He will come again.

“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)

by Victor Chen

This is the fourth part to the previous blog post, “What Are My Children Supposed to Do During Sunday Service?”

Thanks to help of our communications, admin and children’s ministry staff, we have designed various helping aids for your child to listen and stay engaged with Sunday service. These materials are designed specifically for Pre-K through 6th grade. I wanted to take the time to go through and explain each.

Pre-K/Kinder

The final two pages of each week’s children’s bulletin are designed with this particular age group in mind. Your children are able to engage with the message with a drawing or coloring activity. The final page will highlight the sermon series logo.

I would encourage parents to direct their child’s attention to the “keyword” and the hand motion attributed to it. There is also a maze in the children’s bulletin your child can do that leads you to the “keyword”.

1st/2nd Grade

The entire children’s bulletin is designed with this age group in mind. Children are able to track with the order of service, note the preacher and the passage being preached. In addition to the “keyword” maze mentioned previously, there is the preaching passage (in the translation being preached) so the children can follow along and an activity to search for specific words that appear multiple times. Your child should be able to work through the entire children’s bulletin for the duration of the message.

3rd/4th Grade

This age group should be able to listen and track along with the sermon. We have designed generic sermon notes to help your child track with the flow of the sermon and write down the key points. Consider this like a training aid to help your child listen and takes notes during a sermon.

5th/6th Grade

This age group should be able to listen and take notes without the aid of the generic sermon notes. However, your child may still find it helpful to use the generic sermon notes. I would encourage you to provide a journal or notebook for your child to take notes during Sunday service. 

What about my child younger than Pre-K?

I would encourage parents to have their child pay particular attention to the keyword and the hand motion associated with it. Ask your child to track how many times the keyword is mentioned. You can open up a children’s bible and see if there are any pictures associated with the passage being preached. Your child may enjoy doing particular portions of the children’s bulletin as well.

 What about my child older than 6th grade?

The goal from 3rd grade on is to have your child listen and take notes during the sermon. Feel free to make use of the generic sermon notes and try to provide a journal or notebook for your child to take notes in.

The Final Helping Aid

The final helping aid I want to share is you. Do not underestimate the influence you have on your child. If your child sees you actively engaged and listening to the sermon, that will be a tremendous example for your child. Take notes during the message and compare notes with your child afterward. Make Sunday night Family Worship a time to review the sermon and the sermon notes. 

Even with all of these materials we’ve provided, the greatest thing that can help your child listen during a Sunday service is you.

by Victor Chen

This is the second part to the previous blog post, “What Are My Children Suppose to Do During Sunday Service?”

With distance learning in place, our home has discovered one common need among our three children. 

Sure, our 5th grader is quite independent and able to log on, listen to instructions and track assignments. Our 2nd grader is pretty independent as well and able to follow along. Our Kindergartener is doing his best and making the most of it. 

All of them, though, need parental guidance. 

The younger ones need more parental guidance in varying degrees, whether it be sitting next to them during class or checking class schedules ahead of time. But the older ones still need accountability, because assignments can be missed and instructions can be misunderstood.

But this makes sense, right? This is the reason why distance learning is particularly difficult for the working parents. Because at some level and to some degree, parents need to monitor their children when it comes to learning. 

Why do we think it is any different when it comes to Sunday service?

Sure, our 5th grader can be independent and track along with the sermon with the help of the Church Sermon Notebook. Our 2nd grader may not be too far off with engaging with the passage and message through the Children’s Bulletin. We may need to encourage our Kindergartener to find simple key words in the sermon passage like “God” or “Jesus.”

All of them, though, need parental guidance. 

Our children cannot listen to Sunday service without us. 

They can’t do this alone anymore than they can do distance learning on their own.

We need to help them listen. 

What is the one thing to help children listen during Sunday service?

Parents, it’s you.