Children’s Sermon

Luke 2:22-40

Simeon and Anna

Kyle and Kelly were so excited when Uncle Carl and Aunt Lynda came to the family’s get together. They brought their new baby so everyone could see her. Everyone talked at once when Uncle Carl carried the baby inside. “Oh look, she’s smiling.” “Look at her tiny fingers.” Kelly couldn’t believe how little she was. Kyle wondered how long it would be before she could play with them.

The twins remembered a story from the Holy Bible about a time when Jesus was a small baby. Mary and Joseph took him to the temple. The temple is like our church, a place where people worship God. That day at the temple there was an old man named Simeon who loved God with all his heart. Simeon knew from the Holy Spirit that he wouldn’t die before he had seen the Savior. When he saw Jesus, Simeon began to pray to God, “My eyes have seen your salvation.” (vs. 30) He knew in his heart that he had seen the Savior––Jesus was the Savior. So Simeon prayed for Joseph and Mary, who were Jesus’ parents.

Also, in the temple was a very old woman named Anna who was a prophetess. A prophet or prophetess is a person who understands important things that most people don’t understand. That day in the temple, Anna talked about God and told people stories about God. When Anna saw Jesus, she prayed “and gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him (Jesus) to all those who were looking for redemption.” (vs. 38) She knew Jesus would grow up to be the Savior. He would be the answer for those looking for redemption.

Mary and Joseph must have been overwhelmed with everything they had heard from Simeon and Anna. They already knew that Jesus was the son of God, and that he would save the world but they didn’t understand how that could happen or when that would happen.

The twins thought about the story and wondered how Mary and Joseph must have felt. They thought about their new little cousin and wondered what she would be like when she grew up. They wanted to be sure that they told her about Jesus who was born in a manger in Bethlehem and who came from God to redeem the world.

Today, we don’t know what a baby will grow up to be like. We always hope that the babies we know will grow up to men or women of God and will love Jesus with all their hearts. That’s why it is important for us to tell them about Jesus.
PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for babies. They are precious to us, and we know they are precious to you. We understand that you love all babies and that you want them to know about you. Help us to always share the stories of Jesus with them, and tell them about your love. Amen.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible