The Big Questions:
1. Who told Mary that she would have a baby?
An angel. Luke 1: 30 -31 (The Message) “God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.”
2. What did the angels tell the shepherds?
The angels told them that Jesus had been born. Luke 2:8-11 (NIV) “It was night, and they were taking care of their sheep. An angel of the Lord appeared to them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them. They were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news. It will bring great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. Here is how you will know I am telling you the truth. You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”
3. What good news do we have that we can share?
The mystery of Jesus is good news. Have you ever had good news that was so exciting you just couldn’t wait to share it. (Jump up and down with excitement.) When you have good news you just want to share it with everyone that you know. You tell your friends, you tell your parents, you tell your grandma, you tell your neighbour, you even tell your Great Aunt Susan! Good news is to be shared with everyone. The mystery of Jesus is good news. At Christmas we take time to celebrate the good news of Jesus with friends and family. The mystery of Christmas is Jesus, God revealed. This is good news that leads us to worship Him.
Parent At Home Activities:
Christmas Memory: Print and cut apart: Christmas Memory Cards (below). Mix up the Christmas memory cards and set them out face down in a 4 x 4 grid.
One at a time children can take turns to choose two cards to turn face up. If the pictures match, they can keep the pair, if they don’t match, they must flip them back over to be face down. Everyone can try to remember the position of the different pictures, and try to get a match. As children match the pictures talk about what part the person/item, represented by the image, plays in the Christmas story.
Angels - The angels announced to Mary and Joseph that they would soon have a baby and call Him Jesus. The angels also appeared to the shepherds and told them that Jesus had been born.
Donkey - Mary rode a donkey all the way to Bethlehem, the place where Jesus was born.
Wise Men - The wise men followed a star to find Jesus so they could worship Him.
Star - Lots of people put stars on top of their Christmas tree, it’s a reminder of the star that the wise men followed to find Jesus.
Manger- When Jesus was born, He was placed in a manger. A manger is what was used to feed animals.
Mary - Mary was Jesus’ mother. She was chosen by God to be pregnant by a miracle.
Shepherds - The shepherds had an important job taking care their sheep. One night angel’s appeared to them and told them that Jesus was born. They went to find Jesus laying in a manger.
Joseph - Joseph was engaged to Mary when an angel told them Jesus would be born. Joseph was Jesus’ earthly dad.
Memory Verse:
“The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” Luke 2:11
Preschool
Elementary
JHi
Christmas Memory