Dear God, just like I never forget to eat, please help me never to forget to pray. Amen.

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Eustace McGee
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2 I fell over and hurt myself, but God helped me to be brave Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go Dear God, sometimes I get a little scared Please help me to be brave Amen I love food and never forget to eat I should also never forget to pray Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; Dear God, just like I never forget to eat, please help me never to forget to pray Amen I like treasure hunts and treasure, but we shouldn t be greedy We should be concentrating on filling our lives with God s love instead of material objects Matthew 6:20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal Dear God, please help me to stop being greedy Instead help me to fill my life with you and your love Amen I was going to say something, but stopped just in time I realised that it was not a nice thing to say We need to remember only to say nice things Proverbs 21:23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles Dear God, please help me think before I speak I want to use my mouth to say words that are good and full of encouragement Amen

3 Sorry I broke your toy I was just playing with it I didn t mean to break it Please forgive me Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you Dear God, I get mad when people do something wrong to me, please help me to forgive them Amen Look at the person in the mirror They are imitating me We should be imitators too Imitators of God Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children Dear God, I am so happy that I can imitate you, but it is very hard Please help me to love others, just like you so that I can become like you Amen When you believe in God, He comes to live inside of you We need to take care of our bodies - the temple in which God lives 1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? Dear God, thank you for letting us believe in you Please help us to take extra special care of our bodies - your temple Amen God gave us hands to use for many different things We should use our hands for good like playing the piano, helping people Not bad things like punching Jeremiah 25:14 For many nations and great kings shall be served by them also; and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the works of their own hands Dear God, thank you for making hands Please help me to use them for good and not for evil Amen

4 The Legend of the Candy Cane M & M s Christmas Poem Christmas Symbols Craft Pack The Legend of the Christmas Tree

5 Many animals can hear sounds that we can t God can hear prayers that are said in the tiniest voice You can pray to God anytime, anywhere and He will always hear you Psalm 66:19 But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer Dear God, thank you for listening to me I know I can tell you anything and you hear every word I say Amen Tarsiers, the giant squid and many other animals have big eyes to help them see God can see better than all animals and is always watching over us Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, Dear God, thank you for watching over me and keeping me safe Amen As you can see I love myself but God loves me more If God had walls, He would put pictures of you everywhere John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life Dear God, thank you for loving me so much Thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins I love you too Amen God wrote a book It is the best book in the world It helps you to know how to live and is an amazing book You should read it everyday Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek Dear God, thank you for writing a book that helps teach me the right way to live Please help me to remember to read it everyday Amen

6 Candles are great for providing light and were used to decorate the Christmas Tree Now we use Christmas lights instead Both the candles and the lights help us find our way in the darkness Jesus, our Saviour, is the Light of the World He helps us find our way in this world and he also helps us to shine, so we can show others the way to Him John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life Dear God, thank you for being my light and please help me to shine might light and show others to way to youamen Just like the wise men followed the star to find Jesus, so we should follow Jesus to receive the greatest treasure of all Matthew 2:1-2 (2:1-12) Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him Dear God, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, and that He died on the cross for our sins That is the greatest treasure of all Amen Yummy, yummy fruit and it s good for you too We should be good act like Jesus so that others can see how good He is Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law Dear God, we love eating fruit that is good for us Please help us to use the fruit of the Spirit and be examples to others around us Amen Gingerbread people are the same colour as the dust that Adam was made from They can remind us of our God and how He created us all Genesis 1:26-27 God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them Dear God, help me to remember that I am here because you created me and not to hurry through each day, but take time to spend in prayer with you Amen

7 Belshazzar didn t believe in God He bowed down to statues His behaviour was bad and full of sin We shouldn t seek answers from wizards or magicians like Belshazzar first did We should seek answers from God He will lead you in the right direction Daniel 5:21 Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses Dear God, please help us to seek guidance from You and not from wizards or magicians You are the true Gold who will always help us Amen Rainbows are amazing God created them as a promise to us His promise is that He will never again destroy the earth by flooding it God will keep His promise God loves us, just liked He loved Noah and his family and saved them from the bad storm He will save us too Genesis 9:12-13 And God said: This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth Dear God, thank you creating the rainbows as a reminder of Your promise Please help us to remember that no matter how bad the storm is, You love us and will always be there for us Amen Pride is not good The people who were trying to build the Tower of Babel became full of pride This does not make God happy When you do this, you stop thinking about God and everything He does for us We need God to help us, so don t let pride get in the way Genesis 11:4-5 And they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built Dear God, please help us to remember that we need you and not to let pride take over us Amen I have tried to hide from you today, but you still found me Just like I couldn t hide from you, you can t hide from God He made you, know your thoughts and loves you very much Psalm 139:1-3 O LORD, You have searched me and known me You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways Dear God, You see all that I do and all that I say Please help me to do good things and say good words that are pleasing to You Please help me not to try and hide from You Amen

8 I have a surprise for you today I was reading in the Bible last night about how a young boy shared his lunch which God used to feed thousands of people It is good to share and be generous I thought I would share some of my favourite things with you John 6:9 There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many? Dear God, You have given me a lot, please help me to share and be generous just like the boy in the story shared his lunch Amen Salt was very important in Jesus time It makes food taste better, helps preserves food, and helps heals as well We should be like salt We should help make life better for others, help stop the bacteria of sin ruining everything, help heal people by bringing them to the Lord Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men Dear God, please help me to be like salt Help me to spread the good news to others by telling them about you and your love for them Amen I m get sad when I lose things but am very happy when I find it again Just like the shepherd who rejoiced when he found his lost sheep, there is lots of rejoicing in heaven when you follow Jesus He is sad when you turn away from Him, but rejoices when you turn back Luke 15:6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost! Dear God, thank you for never leaving me I don t want to make you sad, please help me to follow you and make you happy Amen I am wrapped up in this cocoon just like a caterpillar When the caterpillar comes out of the cocoon, they are a new creature When you believe in Jesus and ask Him into our life, He makes you a new creature 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new Dear God, please help me to believe in You so that you can make me a new creature that trusts and obeys you Amen

9 Some people do bad things and try to get us to do them to We should not follow them, but have a backbone and stand up tall and do what is right Doing right is what makes God happy Daniel 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself Dear God, please help me to make up my own mind and not to follow others and do the bad things that they do Please help me to have a backbone and stand tall Amen Jesus was a baby, then grew into a boy, then a man He knows what you are going through He came into the world for a reason His reason was to die on the cross for our sins We can learn lots from ants They are hard working, diligent and wise They store up food for when they need it We need to work hard, cooperate and be diligent too Proverbs 6:6 Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Dear God, thank you for the ants and help us to learn to be diligent and hard working like they are Amen Luke 2:6-7 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn Dear God, thank you coming into the world You know what it is like to be a baby, child and a man Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins Amen

14 The Legend of the Candy Cane According to legend there was a candy maker in Indiana who wanted to invent a candy that was a witness to Christ First of all, he used a hard candy because Christ is the rock of ages This hard candy was shaped so that it would resemble a J for Jesus or, turned upside down, a shepherd s staff He made it white to represent the virgin birth and the sinless nature of Jesus Finally a red stripe was added to represent the blood Christ shed for the sins of the world, and three thinner red stripes for the stripes He received on our behalf when the Roman soldiers whipped Him Sometimes a green stripe is added as a reminder that Jesus is a gift from God The flavour of the cane is peppermint, which is similar to hyssop Hyssop is in the mint family and was used in the Old Testament for purification and sacrifice Jesus is the pure Lamb of God, come to be a sacrifice for the sins of the world So, every time you see a candy cane, remember the message of the candy maker: Jesus is the Christ!

15 M & M s Christmas Poem As you hold these candies in your hand And turn them, you will see The 'M' becomes a 'W', An 'E', and then a '3' They tell the Christmas Story-- I'm sure it's one you know It took place in a stable A long, long time ago The 'E' is for the East, Where the star shone so bright The 'M' is for the Manger, where the Baby Jesus slept at night The '3' is for the Wisemen, Bearing gifts, with which they came 'W' is for Worship, Hallelujah! Praise His Name! So as you eat these candies Or share them with a friend, Remember the meaning of Christmas: It's a love that never ends

16 Christmas Symbols Craft Pack Source - Peppermint Plum Evergreen Tree Titus 1:2 Eternal Life Star and Lights: Matthew 2:9-10 Star that told of Christ s birth Candy Cane: Luke 2:8-9; John 10:11 Staff of shepherds who visited beby Jesus/ Christ is the good shepherd Bells: John 10:16 Ring out to bring the lost sheep back to the fold Holly and Berries: Titus 1:2, Luke 22:44 Green for Eternal Life and Red for the Blood of Christ Present: Matthew 2:1,11 John 3:16 Wise men s gifts to baby Jesus / God s greatest gift to us was the Saviour

17 Elf Activity Cards Fell Over and Hurt Myself put band aids or bandages on the Elf and surround with medical supplies Never forget to eat / Never forget to pray Elf laying on plate (with full belly) surrounded by food Sorry I broke your toy Elf sitting with face in hands next to broken toy Look at the person in the mirror Elf looking in the mirror on his head or doing something funny I like treasure hunts surround your Elf with gold coins (chocolate ones) or have you Elf holding a treasure map and have a treasure hunt I was going to say something Elf has tape on mouth When you believe in God Elf cleaning their teeth or brushing their hair God gave us hands make handprints out of sugar or flour or leave out a craft turn handprint into reindeer or Santa Many animals can hear give Elf big ears for hearing Tarsiers, the giant squid give Elf big eyes or put a magnifying glass over eyes The Legend of the Candy Cane Print out page and have Elf sitting / next to it with some candy canes or tie 2 candy canes together like a sleigh and have Elf riding the sleigh or candy cane cut outs and have the kids decorate them M&M s Christmas Poem Print out page and have Elf sitting in a bowl of M&M s Christmas Symbols Craft Pack Print out page and place with the craft supplies and the children can play / glue them onto a sheet ( 2html) As you can see take photos of your elf and put them up everywhere or have the camera set up on a tripod and the Elf in front of the camera Check to see the many photos the Elf has taken of himself during the night God wrote a book Elf sitting on a Bible Yummy, yummy fruit Elf sitting in fruit bowl surrounded by fruit Gingerbread people Have recipe for gingerbread people for child to make or have some pre-made ones with the Elf

18 Elf Activity Cards Just like the wise men another treasure hunt with clues written on stars The Elf is holding the first clue Find baby Jesus / nativity scene or Christmas DVD at the end The legend of the Christmas tree put the Christmas tree up and have the Elf sitting in it The kids can help decorate it in the morning after reading the book: The Legend of the Christmas Tree by Rick Osborne Belshazzar didn t believe in God have the Elf sitting next to a mirror and have writing on the mirror use lipstick for the writing Pride is not good make a tower out of lego and have the Elf in or next to the tower Rainbows are amazing have Elf painting a rainbow or with strips of coloured paper so the kids can make a rainbow, or a rainbow made out of lollies I have tried to hide from you have Elf hiding under a blanket I have a surprise for you today Elf sharing some of his favourite things like books or toys Salt is very important have Elf with a salt shaker or laying in a bowl of salt I m sad when I lose things Elf with a lost toy or book or sheep or whatever you like or maybe a sheep craft like a drawing of a sheep and a pack of cotton balls for the kids to glue on to make the sheep woolly I am wrapped wrap Elf up in a cocoon like a caterpillar and put a picture of a butterfly next to the Elf You can make a butterfly as a craft or learn more about the life cycle of the butterfly Some people do bad things Have Elf standing tall You could have a picture of a backbone next to the Elf and talk about how the backbone in our body works Candles are great have Elf next to candles or tied up in Christmas lights We can learn lots from the ants Make an ant craft Have the Elf with a stamp pad, black pen and some paper Use the stamp pad to make fingerprints on the paper and draw on legs with the black pen to make fingerprint ants Jesus was a baby Have the Elf sitting next to a Nativity scene or have out some clay and make your own nativity scene

19 Other Ideas Sitting on toilet food colouring change water green Snowball fight with marshmallows Hanging from the ceiling fan With recipe to cook biscuits or gingerbread house Elf getting homesick make a foam house or find them in the freezer Elf has sent up camera on tripod and is sitting in front of it Check the camera and Elf has taken lots of shots of themselves Elf could leave out crafts / activities for the kids to do eg Christmas paper for paper chains, colouring sheets, Christmas decorations to decorate Christmas Dvd a treasure map or clues for a scavenger hunt Elves leave M&M s Christmas poem with m&m s Elves leave chocolate reindeer noses maltesers and jaffas Elves leave Candy cane with Christian message snow angels with flour / sugar toilet paper the Christmas tree spell name out with cereal footprints use shaving cream add food colouring to milk green or red add food colouring to pancakes for breakfast red or green hide in the Christmas tree cover up names on stockings with tape and put his name their instead

20 Places / Activities to take the Elf on For the Elf Adventure Journal Take to look at the Christmas lights Visiting relatives Visiting the zoo Visiting the park reading a book riding a bike driving in the car with the pets cooking breakfast / time playing the xbox / playstation / DSI s Playing in the freezer (keeping cold reminds him of home) watering the plants having a bath

21 Elf Activity Bible Verse Mini Story Short Prayer Notes

A Family Advent. Useful Dates. Preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Local Events. Gloucester Cathedral

A Family Advent. Useful Dates. Preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Local Events. Gloucester Cathedral Useful Dates Local Events A Family Advent Gloucester Cathedral Sing carols and reflect on the meaning of Christmas. A service for switching on the Christmas lights and a procession of children carrying