Use the following materials for a children’s session or choose activities as appropriate for an all-age service.
Candlemas is celebrated on 2 February, 40 days after the birth of Jesus, to remember when Mary went to the Temple in Jerusalem for ritual purification.
Mary and Joseph presented their baby son to God as an act of thanksgiving and met the prophets Simeon and Anna. Simeon blessed Jesus and called him ‘a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel’ (Luke 2.32).
In pre-Christian times, this date was a festival of light, as it marked the mid-point of winter, halfway between the shortest day of the year and the spring equinox. At Candlemas, Christians have traditionally blessed candles to be used in church in the coming year.
The resources explore:
Jesus: special baby, special man; Jesus as a light; blessing.
Look out for the globe icon for ways to connect faith with everyday life .
Gather
A gathering prayer
God our Father,
we thank you for your love for us.
Thank you that you love us
and care for us as babies,
as children,
and as we grow up.
Amen.
Two ways to begin your session
Prepare the story (Quiet)
Display on a table some building blocks, a baby doll, a blanket, a candle, a cross, a globe, and a picture of Jesus as a grown man. Invite the children to:
- build a ‘temple’ with the building blocks
- wrap the doll in the blanket
- light the candle (supervise carefully or use a battery one)
- identify the other objects/pictures.
Explain that they will all be used in the story.
Growing-up quiz (Active)
Copy and paste the questions below into a separate document, print and distribute copies and pens. Encourage the children to answer the questions on their own.
- I was born in…
- When I was a baby, I…
- When I was a toddler, I…
- When I was in Year…
- Now I am… years old, I can…
- Next year, I would like to be able to…
- When I grow up, I want to be…
- When I am a grown-up, I hope that…
Come together to share answers. Talk together about growing up: what they are looking forward to and what they are not.
Open the Word
Present the reading
Open the Bible at Luke 2.22-40 and choose from these two ways of telling the story.
Picture the story
Use the script below and the objects/pictures in Prepare the story (above) to tell the story. Instructions are in italics.
Thousands of years before Jesus was born, God gave Moses a list of rules. They said that every firstborn son should be brought to the Temple to be blessed. So Mary and Joseph took their baby, Jesus, to Jerusalem. Build Temple with building blocks.
Simeon lived in Jerusalem. He was a good man, who prayed every day for his country, Israel. The Holy Spirit had told Simeon that he would not die before he saw the Messiah. Bring hands together in prayer.
The Holy Spirit led Simeon to the Temple, where he met Mary and Joseph. He saw their baby son Jesus and took him in his arms. Cradle the baby doll tenderly in your arms. Look down at the baby and smile.
Then, to Mary and Joseph’s amazement, Simeon began to praise God for their child. Lift up the doll, lift your head and eyes upwards and smile.
Simeon said, ‘Master, now you can let me go in peace; I have seen your plan to save the world with my own eyes.’
Cradle the doll in one arm and lift up a world globe in the other. Look down at the baby.
Everyone will see what you’ve done; your plan will be a light which reveals you to foreign nations and brings glory to Israel.’ Cradle the doll in one arm and lift up the candle. Look down at the baby.
Mary and Joseph were speechless with surprise. Simeon blessed them both, then he said to Mary, ‘Although this child will save many, others will be against him. And through how they treat him, God will reveal what people are really like. But your own soul will feel like it’s been pierced by a sword.’ Cradle the doll in one arm and lift up a wooden cross. Look down at the baby.
At that moment, an old prophetess called Anna, who prayed and worshipped in the Temple, day and night, came and joined Mary, Joseph and Simeon. Bring hands together in prayer.
She also started praising God for Jesus, then began telling people about him, saying that he would save Jerusalem.
Lift arms up praising God and then open arms wide.
Having followed all the rules that God had given to Moses, Mary and Joseph went home to Nazareth. Jesus grew up to be strong and wise and God was pleased with him. Show the picture of Jesus as a grown man.
Mime
As you narrate the story, invite volunteers to play the parts of Mary, Joseph, Simeon and Anna and mime appropriate actions.
Talk together
- What’s it like to wait for something for a long time? How do you feel when it finally arrives?
- I wonder how Simeon and Anna knew that Jesus would grow up to be a special man.
- How do you think Mary and Joseph felt after hearing Simeon’s words?
Explore & respond
Choose from these ideas to help the children make connections between the Bible reading and their lives.
Spiritual styles abbreviations
W Word E Emotion S Symbol A Action
Read our Spiritual Styles articles
Do
Be a blessing (15 mins; W E A)
Use drama to explore how we might be a blessing to others
You will need: small cards, on which are written the following places: home, school, church, street, park, bus, supermarket.
- Talk together about what it means to be a blessing to others, e.g. showing love, offering to help, making someone feel better. Think of some practical examples.
- Divide the children into pairs and give each pair a card. Encourage them to devise a short role play, showing how one of them could be a blessing to the other in that particular place.
- Invite each pair to perform their play for the rest of the group.
Make
‘God bless you’ cards (10 mins; W E S A)
Encourage others with a special message
You will need: coloured card, felt tips, stickers, sparkles, envelopes.
Simeon blessed baby Jesus. That means he prayed for God’s blessing on him. We can pray for God’s blessing on people, too. It could be for someone who needs God’s love, his help or protection, or to feel God’s presence.
- Ask the children to think of someone for whom they would like to pray God’s blessing.
- Invite them to make a card, saying ‘God Bless You’, and write a special message in the card.
- They can give the card to the person and pray that God will bless them every day this week.
Baby Jesus grows up (15 mins; W S)
Posters to illustrate Jesus as a child and a grown man
You will need: two large sheets of coloured paper, small pieces of drawing paper, pens, pencils, crayons, scissors, glue sticks.
- Explain to the group that they are going to think about what Jesus did as a baby and a child, and the special things he did when he grew up.
- Label one sheet ‘Jesus as a child’. Talk together about the kind of things Jesus might have done as a baby and a child. Invite the children to draw or write down their ideas, cut them out and stick them on the poster.
- Label the other sheet ‘Jesus as a grown man’. Talk together about what special things Jesus did as a grown man. Invite everyone to draw or write down their ideas, cut them out and stick them on the poster.
- Display the posters next to each other.
Pray
Candlemas candles (5 mins; E S)
A prayer of light and blessing
You will need: a sand tray, votive candles, one per child, matches or a taper.
- Sit in a circle with the sand tray in the centre. Give everyone a candle.
- Explain that today we are celebrating Candlemas. Christians traditionally use candles to pray at this festival to remember Simeon’s description of Jesus as a ‘light’ to the world.
- Say that you are going to ask God’s blessing for each other using candles.
- Invite each child to hand over their candle, and as you light it for them and place it in the sand tray, say the following prayer:
Jesus, thank you for your light.
Thank you that your light shines in each of us.
Thank you that your light shines in (insert name)
God bless: (insert name)
God bless: (insert name)
When you have been round the whole group, all sit in silence and enjoy the light for a short while. Close with:
Thank you, God, for your blessing.
Amen.
Sing
Under 5s
This little light of mine (chorus)
Jesus bids us shine with a pure, clear light
The Spirit lives to set us free
Under 12s
The light of Christ has come into the world
Siyahamba (We are walking in the light of God) (Wild Goose Worship Group)
The Lord is my light (Taizé)
Children’s sheets
Activity sheet colour (English)
Activity sheet black and white (English)
Activity sheet (Welsh)
Colouring sheet (English)
Colouring sheet (Welsh)
A sending out prayer
Jesus,
thank you that Simeon and Anna
recognised you as a special baby,
and knew you would grow up
to do God’s special work.
Help us to discover who you are,
and how you are special.
Amen