- Theme: Christ was born to save the world, the entire world, not just us.
- Review Your Family's 2012 Christmas Memory Verse (for information on our family's memory verse, see this old post.)
- 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. According to John 3:16, "God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." What a precious gift this is. Who do you think that Jesus came to save? He came to save anyone who believes in Him. This could be your friends, neighbors and even people that you don't think are very nice.
God wants us to treat everyone kindly and to tell others about Jesus. We learn in Matthew 5:14-16 that "[We] are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." If we are kind to our friends and neighbors and especially to those who are not kind to us, we are letting God's light shine in our lives. We can pray that they notice and that they will want to learn more about Jesus.
God also wants us to take care of others. In Matthew 25:34-40, the Bible says, "Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” This means that when we do kind things for people here on earth who need our help, it is like we are doing them for God. God loves all people, and He wants to use us to help those who are in need. Can you think of some ways that we can help people this week?
· Alternate Lesson for Preschoolers:
o “The Light of the Whole World” pg 184 of the Jesus Storybook Bible
· Discussion:
o Who did Jesus come to save?
o How does God want us to show love to others?
o Who does God want us to be kind to? Everyone--even people who are mean to us. Although it is hard to be kind to people when they are not kind to you, they need to see God's love. Jesus died for us even though we sin. No one is perfect, and we can show that we are thankful for the gift of Jesus is by being kind to others.
o Is there anyone who God does not love? No. God loves everyone, and every single person is important to Him. The poor, the sick, the needy, even people in prison--each person is precious to God.
o What types of things could we do this week to show others that Jesus came for all of us?
o What does it mean to be the light of the world? If we live differently--by being kind to people when it is not easy to be kind and by taking care of people, others will notice. We want them to notice this difference and to praise God. This is how we can shine here on earth.
· Week Three Key Verse (Matthew 5:14a)
o You are the light of the world.
· Sing “This Little Light of Mine”
· Activities: You can talk about the power of light while doing all of these activities.
o Go look at Christmas lights
o Play flashlight tag.
o Make Luminaries: Start by folding down the tops of brown paper sacks. You can use a punch(stars and snowflakes work well) to create a pattern around the top if you like. Put a couple of inches of sand or kitty litter in each brown paper sack. Place a candle in the bottom of each sack. We used real candles until last year when I discovered battery powered tealight candles. These are much safer and look just as good. I would highly recommend them!
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| Make sure you stop for hot chocolate! |
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| One of Grace and Sam's Favorite House from 2010 |
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| Sam and Grace with Luminaries |
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| Glowing Luminaries |
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| The kids decorating their mini Christmas trees |
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