John the Baptist

Could I please have all of the kids come up?

Today we are going to start with the Advent candles. Do you know which candle we light today? Today is the pink candle. Do you know what it stands for? Today we are celebrating the joy of advent. Who is going to help me light the pink candle? Thank you. Now we have a repeat after me prayer …

God of hope and peace.
With joy we listen for your call.
Help us to hear each other
and to find your Word
in the world around us.
Amen.

Could you come with me? We’re going back to the baptismal font.

(Sermon at the font.)

John the Baptist was a smart man. Do you know who John the Baptist was? His mom was Jesus’ mom’s aunt Elizabeth and he was born just a few months before Jesus.

Do you know what John the Baptist did?
- baptised people in the Jordan river
- baptised Jesus
- preached about salvation (what is salvation)
- was put in jail and put to death by Herod
- said that all could be saved, even the tax collectors
- said that God could make anyone a son of Abraham (a Jew)
- said that being born to the right family didn’t make you God’s chosen
- said that what he did was just a small thing, the Messiah was coming to baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
- He preached the good news (gospel) before it was written down
- People thought he might be the Messiah


(Hold up the Bible) This is a very important book. It helps us to learn how to live as people of God. In here it is written in words. Do you know where else God writes the good news? John the Baptist didn’t have a Bible but he knew the words anyway. He could feel them written in his heart. He could also see them written in the world around him. Each and every one of us can do that too. This is a promise that God made to us. This is God’s gift in our lives that we celebrate at Christmas time.


We make a promise back to God. In baptism we make a promise or have a promise made for us. A promise to live as Christ teaches us to live. Christ teaches us in here (the Bible), in here (our hearts) and everywhere (the world).

Who here likes to get people wet? OK, each of you take one of these branches and then do what I do.

(Dip in bowl, fling water, say “remember your baptism”)