Sermon
Fanfare for a King
Theme
Announcing the coming King
Object
A trumpet, a shofar, or a recording of a fanfare and the advent wreath.
Scripture
As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation.'" Luke 3:4-6 (NIV)
Activities + Resources
(If possible, begin by having someone play a fanfare on the trumpet or a blast on the shofar. If that is not possible, just show the children a trumpet or shofar or play a fanfare on a recording and adapt the sermon to fit your situation.)
Wow! That was exciting, wasn't it? That exciting piece played on the trumpet is called a fanfare. A fanfare is a loud, short piece of music that is usually played on a trumpet to announce the arrival of someone important. For example, a trumpet fanfare is often played to announce the arrival of a king, queen or president.
The trumpet fanfare has been used to announce the coming of a king for many, many years. It was even used in Bible times! The Bible tells us that when Solomon was crowned as the King of Israel they blew the trumpet and shouted, "God save king Solomon." (1 Kings 1:34)
The word fanfare is also sometimes used to describe any showy celebration surrounding a special event. There is always a lot of fanfare surrounding the coming of a king, isn't there? Well, not always. There wasn't much fanfare surrounding the coming of Jesus. There were no trumpets and no one shouting, "God save the king!" The Bible tells us that there was only a man named John who was like a voice calling out in the desert saying, "Prepare the way for the Lord."
That wasn't much of a fanfare for a king, and it sure wasn't much of a fanfare for the King of Kings. As we look forward to the celebration of his birth, we do it with great fanfare. (Have trumpeter play the fanfare again.)
Today we light the second candle on our Advent wreath. We light the candle of peace -- for our King -- the Prince of Peace.
Heavenly Father, we look forward to celebrating the birthday of our King, Jesus. He is King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the Prince of Peace. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
