Born Amongst the Dung (Kids' Talk)

The point of this Christmas Kids' Talk is to contrast the God of Jesus with the idol we carry around with us.

• Start by asking the kids who was at the first Christmas for the birth of Jesus the king.
• Collect answers, and then ask what was also there. Answers like cows etc are easy. But keep on saying, 'But you have forgotten something.' The kids will start coming up with funny answers like, "The inn keeper's lantern.' That's when to introduce the forgotten ingredient.
• Have a bag of animal dung up the back. Get someone to bring it down. Say things like, "Don't drop it," and "Hey, did anyone drop one?". But don't directly let on to what is in the bag.
• Then show them, and make the contrast: where do kings usually get born? And Jesus, born amongst the dung?
• the God of Jesus doesn't do what we expect; or something about God on the side of ordinary people, or the poor, or something of that nature fits.