Episcopal Church offers Advent sermons for children at no fee

The Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs 

To engage children in a more active role during worship this Advent, the Episcopal Church is offering a four-week series of lectionary-based children's sermons. Offered at no fee, the children's sermons provide clergy and lay leaders with step-by-step instructions on how to help the children lead the adults in worship. "The sermons were designed for use in small congregations, but are appropriate for churches of any size and with any number of children, ranging in age from young children to youth," explained Sarah Johnson, Editor of Sermons that Work in the Episcopal Church Office of Communication.

The sermons for the four weeks of Advent are available the Sermons That Work website. The sermons are also available in Spanish on the Sermones que Iluminan website. 

"These materials provide a subject lesson, rather than an object lesson," explained Teresa Stewart, writer of the children's sermon series and founder of Paper Bag Cathedrals, a website for small-church resources. "Instead of linking some outside object to Advent, these work in the opposite direction. The children's feelings - something they know well - are the subject of the exploration. The children will be asked to imagine, pretend and act out experiences that they are already familiar with. Then you can help link these feelings to this Holy Season. Start with their expertise. It's a whole-body, not brain-only, kind of Christian formation. Experiential, not just cognitive."  

The four-week series are:

First Sunday of Advent (Year C), December 2: "Wait and Trust: Remember God Keeps Promises"

Second Sunday of Advent (Year C), December 9: "Wait and Get Ready: Make Things Right for All People"

Third Sunday of Advent (Year C), December 16: "Wait and Dream Big: Expect Really Good News"
Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year C), December 23: "Wait and Give Thanks: Celebrate the Promise"

For additional information, contact Johnson at sjohnson@episcopalchurch.org.