Twenty years ago, a church educator named Paul Osborne was asked to plan an intergenerational Christmas morning service. Wanting to provide all ages with an opportunity to interact with the Christmas story in a way that was festive and fun, he decided to write a participation story. The result was a highly engaging, celebratory Christmas Participation Story which Osborne used then as a call to worship and has now graciously made available for free in this post on the wonderful site for Christian educators, Hope4CE.
I love Osborne’s version of the story for its simplicity, its joy and its accessibility to all ages. In addition to using it in a worship gathering, I think it would be wonderful to use with extended family before Christmas dinner or as part of a children’s program.
If you're looking for a quieter, more contemplative version of the Christmas story to use during worship, with family, or in children's ministry, you might also enjoy Welcome Home: A Christmas Devotional.
