The following 3 routines can be used independently or combined to create a longer illustrated sermon.

Magic Stocking

Props:
Net fronted stocking 'egg bag' made upfrom the following:
Black felt, black net, coloured ribbon, thin plastic, baubles, small bulldog clips, battery operated star lights

To make the stocking:
Cut small tags from thin clear plastic and attach with wire to baubles

To make the feke take piece of plastic 25 x 5 cm and attach 4 bulldog clips along length with split pins (take care that spacing allows for the baubles to hang freely)

Cut out two identical stocking shaped pieces of black felt [A] & [B], an identical shaped piece of the net [D], and the black art curtain [C]. (Sizes depend on size of your feke. NB curtain will need to be large enough to just hide baubles when hanging from clips)

Decorate [A] with stars and LED lights. Attach feke to [B] as per diagram. You may need to pre drill holes in plastic to sew through.

Assemble pieces as follows, face down:

• [A] with decoration side face down.

• [B] with feke uppermost (battery pack and wiring for lights goes between these first two pieces, battery pack at toe end.) Cut a slit in the toe end [E] to facilitate replacing batteries.

• Black art curtain [B]

• Net front [C]

• Sew all layers together (leaving the bottom edge of curtain open of course!)

• Edge with coloured ribbon  

Set up:  
Insert the baubles into the bulldog clips, lights off.  

Effect and Routine:
Nowadays all the children have beautifully decorated Christmas stockings, but I never had a proper stocking when I was little (aah) I used to have to make do with my Dad’s smelly old socks (aah). So, I decided to make my own - would you like to see it? Show stocking net side to the front. I put a net on the front so I could see what gets left inside on Christmas morning. There’s nothing in it yet of course (put hand inside net to prove your point) but I am sure it will be full up on Christmas morning.  

I have put these lovely stars on the back, look (turn stocking round and show stars – under cover of this release first bauble into stocking by locating clip through cloth and squeezing). So there you are, stars on one side and an empty net on the other (turn stocking round and wait for children to comment on the bauble now sitting nicely in the stocking. Notice bauble and remove from stocking.) Did you notice how many stars I had on the stocking? (Turn it round and count stars with children, releasing second bauble as you do so. Turn stocking to front again and reveal second bauble which you then remove. While doing this you feel through the material for the battery pack and switch on the lights which are facing you. Turn stocking around again and while children comment on appearance of lights release third bauble. Turn stocking around to reveal this and remove.) Of course what I didn’t tell you was that my stocking is a magic stocking. Shall I tell you how it works? Well actually this stocking makes invisible baubles appear visible. What you don’t know is that I have hanging on my jacket some invisible baubles and while you were all so busy looking at the stars I simply popped one into the stocking. What you don’t believe me, I’ll prove it. I have here one of the invisible baubles (mime removing bauble from jacket and hold up for all to see -!!?) and I would like someone to hold it for me. (Choose volunteer and hand them the ‘bauble’) On the count of three I want you to throw the bauble towards the stocking and I will try to catch it and you will see it appear as it enters the stocking. (As child throws ‘bauble’ make a catching motion with the stocking, releasing final bauble, net side to front this time, which will appear to materialize before their eyes as it lands in the bag.)  

Gospel Application:  
I tend to use this routine as outlined above as a fun item to set the theme and use the following as the main message. However it could be easily adapted to illustrate a Christmas message such as:

The baubles could be coloured and used to tell the wordless book Gospel message. WHITE (God created a sinless world), RED (our sin and God’s love/Jesus’ blood), GREEN (new life), GOLD (heaven).  

Baubles could be replaced with small nativity characters (Angel, shepherds, wise men, stable) Not sure how well these would drop past the net front without snagging.  

Wonder of God’s generosity in coming to Earth – although I would strongly advise against using the final appearing bauble to represent Jesus coming into the world.  

Disclaimer  
I am aware that Supreme put out a net fronted stocking years ago which produced baubles but I have no idea what the mechanics of their version were. The addition of stars/lights plus the main routine above is wholly my creation.

Christmas Colouring Book  

Props:
Colouring Book (non Gospel), Thumb Tip Streamers (optional)

Effect and Routine:
I love Christmas - always have done. One of my fondest memories of Christmas is the stocking. We always took one of Dad’s socks up to bed with us on Christmas Eve and placed it on the foot of the bed. Throughout the night I would wake up and feel around under the covers with my feet to find out if the stocking had been filled. Eventually I would know the thrill of the heavy weight and the rustle of the now full stocking.

I was one of four children and was always the first awake. We had a deal that whichever one of us woke first we would wake the others and sit on one of the beds and open our stockings together. It always contained the same kind of things – even up until the time I left home at 23! Sweets, orange, small games, puzzle book, a pack of crayons and always a colouring book rolled up holding everything inside.

Colouring book similar to this. Show Book then Flick to reveal B&W pictures. We then spent the rest of the morning before Mum and dad got up colouring in the book.... Even at 23!! It was Christmas!!!     

I guess most of us have our favourite Christmas memories. But of course for some Christmas is just a series of blanks. Perhaps it is because they belong to another faith or have some painful childhood memories of Christmas. Or perhaps they have made a conscious decision not to support the commercialism which now surrounds the season. Flick book to show blank pages. Whatever the reason they simply don’t see anything in it at all. Show blank again

Then there are those, like me who love Christmas - they enjoy the food, parties, family time, presents, lights, decorations, carol services. They can probably tell you the basics of the Christmas story, It’s all there for them. They go through the process and generally enjoy the whole experience. Show Black and White pics

But sadly they miss the point. Everything is in place but they fail to appreciate the phenomenal significance of the event. There is so much more to Christmas. Like the black and white pictures in my book (show again) Christmas for them is missing something - ‘colour’         

God never intended that life should be simply lived - black and white, boring, pointless. He created the world to be full of colour and vitality (both physically and spiritually). But when we chose to disobey Him and go our own way, He did not treat us as our sin deserved but out of His mercy He allowed us to continue existing albeit in a significantly reduced state, Show B&W pics again because He wanted to provide us with a means of redemption.

Christmas is a time when Christians celebrate (including with parties, presents, food fun etc.) the incredible fact that God took our humdrum ‘black and white’ existence and sent Jesus to be the colour in our world.   [You could use here any of the many means of collecting colour (Thumb Tip Streamers etc) and transfer to book but I feel it would interrupt the flow for me.]  

Jesus said He had come so that we might have life in all its fullness.
John 10:10 Show colour pictures

Expand on teaching or follow on with next effect.

I pray that this Christmas you will be aware of the fullness of life that Jesus gives to those who accept His gift of forgiveness and live their lives to please Him. 

It is with some embarrassment that I offer my final effect. I ‘invented’ the following and used it several times over the Christmas period last year. I thought it was worth sharing here so typed up the routine. It was only after having done so that I browsed through the Tricks for Truth Christmas product list and discovered that Steve Macbeth had in fact included an outline of the exact same routine with his product description. I had obviously subconsciously taken in the idea from the list and then unwittingly recreated it as my own. I have apologised to Steve and have his permission to share the routine with you – providing you all go and buy the prop from him.        

By way of recompense I have included a further routine for the prop which I think is all my own… Steve?

Magic Christmas Cubes from Bag

Props:
'Magic Cubes from Bag' - available from Tricks for Truth plus a selection of Christmas bits and pieces (cracker, card, decorations etc, - available from your loft, shed or junk cupboard).

Effect and Routine:
I spoke earlier (Christmas colouring book routine) about the 'colour' which Jesus brings to Christian lives.

He Himself called it living life to the full (John 10:10)

I would like to try and give you an idea as to what He meant by that.  

As Christmas approaches most of make the annual pilgrimage to the loft, garage or wherever to get the Christmas decorations out. Ours take up several boxes but I have in this paper bag just a selection of the kind of things you might find. Show bag and remove items - describing/ commenting on each one. Once bag is empty use it freely to gesture and point thus emphasizing that it is empty.

And for some that is it. This pile of bits and pieces represents what Christmas means to them. The fun and laughter, celebration and joy end when the decorations are put away for another year.  

For them life is empty. They have a sneaking feeling that there must be more to life but have never discovered what it is.  

CS Lewis (who wrote the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe) described it like this. Each of us has a God shaped hole which nothing else can fill. Many have tried to satisfy that inner emptiness with a whole variety of things but nothing can fill the aching void except a living, loving relationship with God.  

People who never accept Jesus as Saviour are left with an emptiness that they may or may not ever acknowledge - but it is there.  

The Bible tells us (John 3:16) that God loves us so much that He GAVE us His Son Jesus to be our Saviour, to fill the gap, to satisfy the hunger, to take away the emptiness. When we accept that greatest gift our lives are filled with His Holy Spirit and we discover that He fills our lives with all sorts of wonderful gifts. Shake bag to cause gifts to pop up.  

Gifts such as…

Peace
John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Joy
1 Peter 1:8 - Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.

Love
Galatians 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.

Forgiveness
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Hope
Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Special abilities and talents for ministry - Spiritual Gifts
Romans 12
As each gift is described remove cube from bag and stack on table in front of all the Christmas bits removed previously. During the conclusion I place them (cubes) back into the bag to show that it is now completely full. 
 
But gifts cannot be earned or bought, they can only be received. They are freely given. What you have to do is ask and then humbly receive. 
 
Matthew 7:7-11 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 
 
Extra ‘bonus’ routine
Use the prop in a similar way to illustrate Jonah 2:8 “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs”.  
Bag is filled with things representing possible idols such as: mobile phone; computer mouse (work); photo of family (relationships - Abraham and Isaac); hymn book (traditionalism); money; alcohol; drugs… etc.  
God never stops giving but when we cling to the worthless idols (anything which, even temporarily takes His rightful place in our lives) we take ourselves out of the place where we can receive His blessings. Then reveal gifts as above 

Home Page    Freebies