FAMILY CAROL 2025

Memory Verse:

Luke 2:10 NIVUK

…I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

Props: • Wrapped present • “Sad face” card • “Happy face” card • Present tag labelled: “TO: YOU” • Party poppers to give out • Party poppers for talk

Basket for poppers

Happy and sad stickers!

Rubber Ring

Welcome

Hold up the wrapped present.

Well, good morning everyone — and a very warm welcome to our Family Carol Service!

Who enjoys presents at Christmas?

(Allow brief responses.)

Inside this present is the

greatest gift ever

given - and we’re going to open it later.

To help us get ready, we’re going to learn a memory verse that gives us clues about the gift.

Kids — you get to help everyone remember it.

The verse is:

Luke 2:10 NIVUK

I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

Song: Hark The Herald

Video: The Lego Christmas Story

Song: Away in a Manger

Read: Luke 2:4-15

Luke 2:4–15 NIVUK

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

TALK 1 — “I bring you GOOD NEWS…”

Hold up the sad face.

Who thinks the world could do with some good news right now?

You all got a sad face when you arrived.

Not becasue we all go around sad all the time,

but because,

without this greatest gift (hold present)

we’re learning about, without the good news,

we should be sad.

And The Bible is very honest with us.

Life has wonderful exciting moments

When you win a race at school,

When your friends shares their new doll with you.

— but it also has sadness, stress, pain, and things we wish we could change. Kids feel it.

Adults definitely feel it.

Life is often bad news, not good news.

But The biggest bad news is that even though we have a God who made everything good, and even made you and me,

you and I - don’t love God, obey God, praise God as we should.

So we have cut ourselevs off from God.

We are not friends with God.

But God, even though we are bad, still loves us, and wants to make us good again.

SO he sends us Good news!

That is why the angel starts with these words:

Together

I bring you…

“GOOD NEWS…”

Say the memory verse

…I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Luke 2 10

Song: Joy To The World

TALK 2 — “…that will cause GREAT JOY…” (party popper)

What brings you joy at Christmas?

(Allow answers: presents, family, chocolate, school holidays…)

Those things really do bring some joy — but they don’t last forever.

The wrapping paper goes in the bin. The chocolates disappear far too quickly. January arrives!

Your toy breaks.

But the good news that God sends at Christmas is way better than those things.

Remember

The bad news is - sad face

We are cut off - not friends with God.

But now we know there is good news - and it brings us great JOy!

Hold up the happy face.

Everyone say it

…I bring you good news that will cause great joy (PARTY POPPER)

This joy from the good news, this great gift - doesn't fade, or break. or run out.

When you go home today, make sure you take a smily face sticker, and a party popper to remeber this is good news of Great joy.

But we still don’t know what the gift is… or who it’s for…

we’ll find out in a minute…

Song: See him lying on a bed of straw

TALK 3 — “…that will be for ALL THE PEOPLE.” (4 minutes)

Hold up the present again. Show the tag: “TO: YOU.”

This is my favourite part of the whole announcement.

The angel doesn’t say:

“Good news for the good people…” “Good news for the religious people…” “Good news for the people who have tidied their bedroom - although you should do that!…”

He says:

“good news of great joy (party popper)…for ALL the people.”

Kids, who does “all” include? (They shout: “Everyone! Me!”)

Exactly.

This is God saying:

This gift came for the happy and the sad. - Faces

For the certain and the confused.

For the strong and the struggling.

For those who feel close to God and (run to library) those who feel far away.

For the person who knows the carols by heart, (Once in Royal)

and for the person who last stepped in a church ten years ago. (This is not how I remember St Matthew’s)

This gift is … for you.

Whatever fears,

guilt,

questions,

doubts,

failures,

longings,

or loneliness you have —

there is good news of great joy ‘for you.’

Now let’s say the whole memory verse together:

Luke 2:10 NIVUK

…I bring you good news that will cause great joy (party popper) for all the people.

Prayers - Klaprotts

Talk 4 - Let’s Go (v15)

Open the present - that is empty!.

The greatest gift God ever gave wasn’t something — it was Someone.

And he’s not in this box,

because God has actually already given us all the gift of Jesus 2000 years ago.

Christmas is all about he greatest gift - JEsus,

He’s too great to put in a box,

He’s too great to wait until Christmas day to enjoy,.

He’s too big and strong and loving to keep in a box!

Jesus has been given, he is the good news,

\that bring great joy (popper)(

for all the people!

He is the gift of God who saves us from bad things,

From our sin and evil and bad news in our world.

He may be too great to keep in a box,

But Jesus loves you enough to go somewhere much worse that a box.

He freely died on the cross, faces God’s punishment that we deserved,

So we might have great joy!

That is why Jesus is our Good news!

All we need to do is say sorry, for our sin,

and thank you for the gift of Jesus.

Jesus Himself. Born to save us.- to deal with our sin and bad news - by dying on the cross at Easter. Born to make us friends with God again. Born to give us joy with Him that lasts forever.

If you’re visiting today, you are very welcome here,

but you are also very welcome to receive the gift of Jesus!

To refuse the gift leaves you with only bad news and judgement before God.

And so I encourage you today to commit this Christmas to finding out more about Jesus.

Young or old, we’d love to help you with that:

Come every Sunday and see Jesus.

There is another way you can See Jesus this February…

SKETCH Come to Holiday Club -

Hope Explored

Say the memory verse

…I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Luke 2 10

Song: On that very first Christmas

PRAYER (short & accessible)

Father God, thank you for sending Jesus — the good news of great joy for all the people. Help each of us to believe in Him and find joy in Him. Amen.