Well, Christmas is over here in Australia and we are onto Boxing Day. I’ve never quite worked out how this time thing works and we end up a day ahead, so I hope everyone over the other side of the world has a happy Christmas. It’s been church Sunday, then Christmas Eve and then Christmas day. I thought you might be interested to hear about one of our services here in my church in Australia.
Our church service on Sunday morning was a little different. We started with ‘Angels From the Realms of Glory,’ which has always been one of my favorite carols. Then the service moved into a drama or skit set up to resemble a TV studio with three contestants answering three questions.
The contestants’ names were,
Soty Pical
Isabelle Ringing
Will Power.
(Run each of the two names together quickly and you’ll see why everyone laughed when they were announced)
After each one gave their answer they were compared to what the Bible had to say on the topic. The questions for the contestants were:
1. How many times should I forgive someone?
I think this is particularly appropriate at Christmas as sometimes families can do and say things that hurt. Jesus gives us the answer to this question of forgiveness in Matthew 18:21-22. Jesus then went onto tell a parable which demonstrated how much God has forgiven us and why we should therefore forgive others.
2. What make a person great?
Once again our ‘contestants’ came up with all sorts of answers like, ‘education,’ ‘money,’ and ‘being a good person.’ Basically all the things the world would see as making people great. These answers were compared to the bible’s answer in Matthew 20:25-28.
3. Why did Jesus come?
This last question stumped one of the ‘contestants’ But the other two ended up with answers that mirror the view the world would give – to be an example, to show us how to live.
This then led into the bible talk given by our minister which answered the question about why Jesus came. Yes he came to give us an example but this was not the only, or the main, reason. The talk explained that the reason why Jesus came is, because we needed a Savior, John 3:16, 1 Timothy 1:15.
We then finished with a prayer, so if anyone was challenged by the message to commit to Jesus and an appropriate song, which highlighted the points made in the talk. Interspersed in the skit we had various carols, songs and bible readings of the Christmas story as well. The method of presentation was a bit different but the truth of the gospel message still came out clear and strong.
Please visit these related blogs
All About Jeus and Life
The Natural Response of a Thankful Heart