Sunday, December 18th
- Theme: The birth of Christ is good news and is a reason to celebrate!
- 2011 Christmas Memory Verse (James 1:17a)
o Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.
- Lesson for Elementary School Children:
We have learned that God sent his son to earth to give us hope and the chance to live with Him in heaven some day. But, this is only part of the "Good News."
Read Mark 15:33-16:6. At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.
Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins and then was raised from the dead. Now, He sits at the right hand of God. This is the Good News! If we accept this gift and ask God into our heart as our personal Lord and Savior, our sins will be erased. We can live for eternity with God in heaven. Although it is important to make good choices, there isn't anything that we can do here on earth to earn our way into heaven. We simply cannot get there on our own. We have to accept this gift of grace which is available to everyone. What a powerful and priceless gift. This is a reason to celebrate!
Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.
Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins and then was raised from the dead. Now, He sits at the right hand of God. This is the Good News! If we accept this gift and ask God into our heart as our personal Lord and Savior, our sins will be erased. We can live for eternity with God in heaven. Although it is important to make good choices, there isn't anything that we can do here on earth to earn our way into heaven. We simply cannot get there on our own. We have to accept this gift of grace which is available to everyone. What a powerful and priceless gift. This is a reason to celebrate!
- Alternate Lesson for Preschoolers:
o “The Sun Stops Shining” pg 302 of the Jesus Storybook Bible
o "God's Wonderful Surprise" pg 310 of the Jesus Storybook Bible
- Discussion:
o Why do you think we should celebrate the birth of Christ?
o How would our lives be different if Christ hadn’t been born?
o How can we celebrate the birth of Christ every day?
o Do you think that God wants us to be excited about his son?
- Week Four Key Verse (Psalm 126:3)
o The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.
- Sing “O Come All Ye Faithful” (Third Day)
O Come All Ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all ye citizens of heaven above,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all ye citizens of heaven above,
Glory to God, Glory in the highest;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O Christ the Lord, the Lord,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O Christ the Lord, the Lord,
Christ the Lord.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O Christ the Lord, the Lord,
Christ the Lord, Christ the Lord.
- Activities: Birthday Party Celebration
o Invite some of your children's friends or another family to join you. This is a great way to reach out to others. Have them bring a gift to the party for someone in need. This could be for a toy drive or some other charity. Our guests this year are bringing something to contribute to our Secret Santa, and we are going to do our secret drop off as part of the party.
o Celebrate with a Birthday Cake. Use a large center candle to represent Christ as the center of our lives to light a small candle for everyone there. Place the small candles around the outside of the cake and sing “Happy Birthday”.
o Talk about the Christmas Colors. We use a cake that is some combination of red, white and green colors so that we can discuss the meaning of the Christmas colors.
White—Perfection of Christ
Red—Blood of Christ
Green—Everlasting life that is available to us only through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ
White—Perfection of Christ
Red—Blood of Christ
Green—Everlasting life that is available to us only through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ
o Play birthday party games. Some examples are:
Christmas Bingo: Simply print Bingo cards, and use jingle bells (or some other small object) for markers.
Pin the Nose on the Reindeer
Christmas Pictionary: You can use this Word List as a starting point and can add or delete as needed. For the little kids, we let them choose between drawing and acting out the words. Also, Hobby Lobby sells dry erase posterboard which works really well for this.
Christmas Bingo: Simply print Bingo cards, and use jingle bells (or some other small object) for markers.
Pin the Nose on the Reindeer
Christmas Pictionary: You can use this Word List as a starting point and can add or delete as needed. For the little kids, we let them choose between drawing and acting out the words. Also, Hobby Lobby sells dry erase posterboard which works really well for this.
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| Sam, Grace and friends playing Christmas bingo. |
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| Sam's friend, Barrett, playing Christmas bingo. |
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| Grace playing Christmas pictionary. I love her expression. |
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| Sam playing Christmas pictionary. |
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