A good news carrier

To prepare for the season of Advent by helping the children to understand that good news is for sharing.

by Janice Ross

Suitable for No Key Stage Specified

Aims

To prepare for the season of Advent by helping the children to understand that good news is for sharing.

Preparation and materials

• You will need some envelopes containing the following: intimation of the birth of a baby; an engagement letter; a bill.
• The story of the angel’s visit to Mary from a children’s Bible (Luke 1.26–38).

Assembly

1. Tell the children that the postman brought you some mail this morning and you didn’t have time to open it. You hope they don’t mind if you have a quick look.
   
   Open the first envelope, containing a baby intimation card. Read it to yourself and say, ‘Oh, that’s good news.’ Share this news with the children. If someone in the school has just had a baby brother or sister it would be nice to celebrate the baby’s birth in this way.
   
   Open the second envelope, which is a letter about someone’s engagement. Read it to yourself and then say, ‘Oh, that’s good news.’ Share this news with the children. Perhaps it could be your niece or nephew and it will mean a summer wedding … and a trip to the shops for an outfit!
   
   The third envelope is a bill in a brown envelope. Look at it and say, ‘I think this looks like a bill!’ Read it to yourself and then say, ‘Oh, that’s good news.’ Share this news with the children. Explain that previously you paid an estimated bill for your electricity which was far too high, so this time your bill is much lower than you expected.
2. Ask the children if they have heard any good news this week that they would like to share. After each offering, say, ‘That was good news. Thank you for sharing the good news with us.’
3. Say that you are going to tell them a story about some good news. This good news didn’t come in the post. An angel delivered it! Because it was very special good news from Father God. The angel brought the good news to a young woman called Mary while she was busy one day doing the housework.
   
   Read the story. Then say, ‘That was good news, wasn’t it?’
4. Explain that just like you have shared your good news letters and stories in assembly today, God wants us all to be his ‘good news carriers’ – just like postmen really!
5. Tell the children that we are approaching a special season called Advent. This is when we begin to read about and talk about the good news of baby Jesus coming to this world. Let’s be ready to hear this good news and then to carry it to others.

Time for reflection

Reflection

Hold hands and pass on a squeeze.
Hold hands and pass on a smile.
Hold hands and pass on the words, ‘The Christmas story is good news’.

Prayer

Dear Father God,
Thank you for this time of the year.
Thank you that soon we are going to be learning your special good news story.
Help us to carry this happy news to others.

Amen.

Song/music

‘Go tell it on the mountain’ (Come and Praise, 24)