Merry Christ-Mas!

A Joyful Movement

Children Message

December 24, 2025

I want to tell you something special about the words we say tonight:

Merry Christmas.

First, the word merry.

Do you know what merry means?

It means happy, joyful, full of gladness — the kind of feeling that makes your face light up.

So when we say merry, we’re talking about a feeling in our hearts.

Now let’s look at the big word Christmas.

It’s such a big word that we sometimes say it without thinking.

But Christmas is actually a movement word.

It tells a story about what God is doing.

If we slow it down, we hear two parts:

Christ — that’s Jesus, the One God sends to love us.

Mas — that’s the gathering where we receive Jesus’ love and then go share it.

So Christ‑Mas means:

Christ comes to us… and Christ sends us out to share love.

It’s like getting a gift…

and then becoming a gift for someone else.

That’s what the shepherds did.

They heard the Good News, they felt joy.

And they hurried to share it.

And we can do that too.

So if we put the whole phrase together — Merry Christ‑Mas — it means:

Be joyful…

Christ comes to us…

and Christ sends us out to share love.

Now I want to ask you:

When you hear the words “Merry Christ‑Mas,” what do you think it means?

Repeat‑After‑Me Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for Jesus,

for Christ comes to us,

for Christ sends us out to share love.

Thank you for filling our hearts with joy,

for helping us share your love,

and letting your love flow through us.

Merry Christ‑Mas, God.

We love you, Jesus.

Amen.