Christ the Savior Is Born Count-Up-to-Christmas Activity Card 4 Family Devotions to Accompany the Count-Up-to-Christmas Activity Card Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11 Enclosed are four FREE, reproducible devotions, written to accompany the Christ the Savior Is Born Count- Up-to-Christmas Activity Card (Item #CSB18KT). Each devotion also includes a brief Faith Talk @ Home. You may make as many copies of the devotions as you would like for use in your own organization or congregation and for distribution to the families you serve. Here are some ways to use them... Read a classroom devotion each week in Sunday school, as part of worship time in your Christian day school, as part of devotion time in your midweek Bible club, or during the Sunday morning children s sermon. Send home the family devotion for that week. Give the activity and copies of all four Faith Talk @ Home sheets to your families during a family activity time four weeks before Christmas. Encourage them to use one devotion each week as they prepare to celebrate Christmas. Host a Mom s Day Out or other community event. Use the classroom devotions to tell the story of Christmas to all the children who attend. Then give each family a Count-Up-to-Christmas Activity Card and a set of the four Faith Talk @ Home sheets for use in the weeks leading up to Christmas. However you choose to use the Christ the Savior Is Born Count-Up-to-Christmas Activity Card, we pray that it will draw many individuals and families closer to their Savior, Jesus, during the Advent and Christmas seasons. May our Lord continue to bless all the work you do for his people! 2018 CTA, Inc. www.ctainc.com Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization, but not for resale. Scripture quotation is from the King James Version of the Bible.
Week 1 Hope Each day this week, set aside a special family time to light a Christmas candle (or one of the blue or purple candles on your Advent wreath). As you do, say these words together: Hope, peace, joy, and love Jesus brought these gifts to earth, And soon we celebrate his birth! As the week begins, affix the HOPE sticker to the area (marked HOPE) at the top right corner of the path on the activity card. Talk together about these three questions: What is hope? Tell about a time when something you hoped for came true. How does trusting Jesus give you hope? During the week, add each day s sticker to the path as you count the days until Christmas. Before you blow out your candle, read this verse or recite it together: Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11 2018 CTA, Inc. www.ctainc.com Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization, but not for resale. Scripture quotation is from the King James Version of the Bible. Week 2 Peace Each day this week, set aside a special family time to light a Christmas candle (or two of the blue or purple candles on your Advent wreath). As you do, say these words together: Hope, peace, joy, and love Jesus brought these gifts to earth, And soon we celebrate his birth! As the week begins, affix the PEACE sticker to the path where appropriate. Talk together about these three questions: When and where is it hard for you to feel peaceful? When and where do you feel the most peaceful? Why is the peace Jesus brings the best peace of all? During the week, add each day s sticker to the path as you count the days until Christmas. Before you blow out your candle, read this verse or recite it together: Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11 2018 CTA, Inc. www.ctainc.com. Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization, but not for resale. Scripture quotation is from the King James Version of the Bible.
Week 3 Joy Each day this week, set aside a special family time to light a Christmas candle (or two of the blue or purple candles and the pink candle on your Advent wreath). As you do, say these words together: Hope, peace, joy, and love Jesus brought these gifts to earth, And soon we celebrate his birth! As the week begins, affix the JOY sticker to the sticker to the path where appropriate. Talk together about these three questions: What is joy? Why do we sometimes feel joyful at Christmastime and sometimes not so joyful? Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we can always know our sin are forgiven. How does knowing that bring you joy? During the week, add each day s sticker to the path as you count the days until Christmas. Before you blow out your candle, read this verse or recite it together: Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11 2018 CTA, Inc. www.ctainc.com. Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization, but not for resale. Scripture quotation is from the King James Version of the Bible. Week 4 Love Each day this week, set aside a special family time to light a Christmas candle (or all of the candles on your Advent wreath). As you do, say these words together: Hope, peace, joy, and love Jesus brought these gifts to earth, And soon we celebrate his birth! As the week begins, affix the LOVE sticker to the sticker to the path where appropriate. Talk together about these three questions: Is love a feeling or an action? What makes you think so? List some things Jesus did to show he loves us. Make your list as long as you can. What are some things we do in our family to show our love for one another? During the week, add each day s sticker to the path as you count the days until Christmas. Before you blow out your candle, read this verse or recite it together: Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11 2018 CTA, Inc. www.ctainc.com. Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization, but not for resale. Scripture quotation is from the King James Version of the Bible
Getting Started For the first devotion, plan to light a special candle as a Christmas devotion candle. (If you will be using an Advent wreath, light the first candle a blue or purple one.) Bring a small box, wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper. Inside the box, place a Baby Jesus figurine taken from a crèche. If you don t have one, search the internet for a painting of the Holy Family just after Jesus birth. Print it and place it in the box before you wrap it. NOTE: You will not open the package until Week 4. Today, you will just show the package. Add a gift tag with the words For YOU! written on it. Bookmark Romans 15:13 in your Bible so you can find it quickly during the devotion. If possible, use a children s Bible. Introduction This package is all wrapped up for Christmas. Suppose it had a tag with your name on it. If it did, what would you hope was inside? (Let several volunteers comment.) Most of us have hopes for Christmas. I, for one, hope we will have (name your favorite Christmas feast food ham, apple pie, three-bean salad) for Christmas dinner. I also hope there are plenty of leftovers for the week after Christmas. Think about Christmas as you finish this sentence: I hope that... (Invite several children to add an ending.) This time of year, we hope for a lot of things, don t we? Getting to the Heart Are hoping and wishing the same thing? We wish it would snow, but our parents hope it won t. I hope for ham and three-bean salad, and you wish that your grandma would bring cherry pie for Christmas dinner. What are other examples of wishing and hoping? (Let the children comment.) Many times, wishing and hoping are alike. Week 1: Hope In the Bible, though, hope is very different! (Read Romans 15:13.) When God says he will do something, we can be sure he will. In the Bible, HOPE is sure and certain. When God promises something, we wait in HOPE with confidence. Long ago, God promised his people he would send a Savior, someone who would take away their sins and bring an end to all the bad things caused by sin. What are some of those bad things? (Let volunteers mention some.) You re right! If it weren t for sin, no one would ever be sick. No one would ever be sad or afraid. If there were no sin, there would be no trouble or pain or storms or murders or wars or death. We can wish those things would go away. But wishing never helps. God helped, though! He promised a Savior. God s people HOPED for the Savior. And when the time was just right, God sent the Savior. It was the very first Christmas. What was the Savior s name? Yes, it was Jesus! Jesus died for us for each one of us on the cross. He was punished for the sins you and I commit. Now, we are God s forgiven children. We know God s love. That love has no end, no limits. And so, everyone who believes in Jesus can have confident HOPE! We might wish for toys or books or three-bean salad at Christmastime and some of what we wish for may happen. Continued 2 Pullout Reproducible Page * * * Christ the Savior Is Born Count-Up-to-Christmas Activity Devotions * * * Pullout Reproducible Page
But we have confident HOPE that God will do everything he has promised. We especially HOPE for the day Jesus comes back to take us to live together in the heavenly home the place where all sin is gone forever. In that place, all of sin s terrible effects will be gone, too. We know it will happen because Christian HOPE is sure and certain. Especially at Christmastime, we live in HOPE. We remind one another that Jesus came to earth once, long ago, and Jesus is coming again to take everyone who believes in him to live together with him forever. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Invite the children to repeat this prayer with you. Do so several times until most can say it by heart.) Taking It Home (Show the children the Christ the Savior Is Born Count-Up-to-Christmas Activity Card. Point out the family activity ideas and the stickers with numbers.) In the coming four weeks, we will use these stepping stones as we get ready for Jesus birthday. You can each take an activity card home and your family can use it to get ready for Christmas! This week, for example, you will add the HOPE sticker to the beginning of the path on the activity card. (Demonstrate.) Then, you can add one sticker to the path each day. As you and your family do that, you can read the question or activity for that day. Then, as a family, you can do what it says. Keep on adding the stickers and doing the activities for each day in December until we meet next time. Pray: Dear Jesus, because of you, we have HOPE! You came to earth once to die for our sins. We are confident, sure, and certain you will come again to take us to our heavenly home. Remind us of this HOPE every day as we get ready for Christmas. Thank you, Jesus! Amen. 2018 CTA, Inc. www.ctainc.com Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization, but not for resale. Pullout Reproducible Page * * * Christ the Savior Is Born Count-Up-to-Christmas Activity Devotions * * * Pullout Reproducible Page 3
Week 2: Peace Getting Started Be ready to light the Christmas candle you used last week. Or plan to light two blue (or purple) candles on an Advent wreath. Bookmark Isaiah 9:6 in your Bible so you can find it quickly during the devotion. Introduction How many names do you have? Some people have a first name and a last name. Some people have a first name, a middle name, and a last name. Some people have two middle names or three! And some people have a nickname. (Use your own names as an example and perhaps tell about someone you know as a second example.) Getting to the Heart I want to read you a Bible verse Isaiah 9:6. It lists some of Jesus names. See if you can count those names as I read. Ready? (Read the verse, perhaps a bit more slowly than you might usually read it.) How many names did you count? (Depending on the Bible version you are using, the answer is four or five.) These are not the only names for Jesus. The Bible tells us lots of other names, too. Jesus, for instance! Who knows some other names for Jesus? (Let one or two volunteers suggest a few more.) Each name tells us more about who Jesus is and what he came to do. That s why we often talk about all those names at Christmastime. For instance, one name for Jesus is Immanuel. That means God with us. Jesus, our Savior and our God, came at Christmas to be with us so we could be with him forever! Another name for Jesus is the Good Shepherd. That name tells us that he takes very good care of us at Christmastime and throughout the year. But let s go back to the list I read from Isaiah 9:6. We often read this verse as we get ready for Christmas. One name on that list of names is Prince of Peace. When we belong to Jesus, his love brings us peace! We can trust him to do the very best for us, no matter what. Our hearts can be calm, trusting, and peaceful because Jesus the One who loved us enough to die for us rules over our lives. If there s a scary storm, we can go to a safe place and be calm and peaceful because Jesus is there in the storm with us. If we are worried about someone in our family or school who has problems, like money problems or job problems or health problems, we can pray for that person. We can find ways to comfort and encourage him or her and we can stay calm and peaceful because Jesus is ruling over the life of our friend and over our lives, too. Or maybe we feel guilty about some sin we have committed. Maybe we have said or done something to hurt someone. Maybe we have been a bully. Maybe we have taken money that isn t ours. Maybe we have been disrespectful to a parent or teacher or neighbor. If we have sinned, we can tell the people we have hurt that we re sorry. We can ask them for forgiveness. We can ask Jesus for forgiveness, too. And we can be calm and peaceful because Jesus always, always forgives us. The peace of forgiveness is the best peace of all. Jesus is the Prince of Peace! He rules over our lives in love, in power, and in forgiveness! Continued 4 Pullout Reproducible Page * * * Christ the Savior Is Born Count-Up-to-Christmas Activity Devotions * * * Pullout Reproducible Page
Taking It Home Last week, we added the HOPE sticker to our path. This week, we will add the PEACE sticker. (Demonstrate.) Because Jesus came to be our Savior, we have HOPE and PEACE. Each day this week, you can add one numbered sticker to the path and do the family activity until we meet next time. One of the activities this week is to read Isaiah 9:6. When your family reads it, you can remember what we talked about today. You can tell what you remember about Jesus names and, especially, about Jesus, who is our Prince of Peace! Pray: Dear Jesus, you are the Prince of Peace at Christmastime and all year, too. Please rule in our lives in love, forgiving, protecting, and helping us. Give us your peace every day as we get ready for Christmas. Amen. 2018 CTA, Inc. www.ctainc.com Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization, but not for resale. Pullout Reproducible Page * * * Christ the Savior Is Born Count-Up-to-Christmas Activity Devotions * * * Pullout Reproducible Page 5
Getting Started Be ready to light the Christmas candle you used last week. Or plan to light two blue (or purple) candles and the pink candle on an Advent wreath. If possible, find a short YouTube clip that features a handbell choir playing a Christmas carol. Have the link ready to play on your phone or plan to show the clip on a larger screen. If neither of these is possible, bring a Christmas bell to show the children even a jingle bell will work. Bookmark Luke 2:8 14 in your Bible. Week 3: Joy Introduction Many people decorate for Christmas using bells. (If you brought a jingle bell, show it and ring it.) Many churches use handbells at Christmastime, too. Handbell choirs can play all kinds of beautiful Christmas music. (Play the example from YouTube at this point, introducing it as one example of what you just said.) As you listen to Christmas bells ringing, do you feel joyful? I do! There s just something about bells that makes me smile. Getting to the Heart We have been getting our hearts ready for Christmas. We have talked together about HOPE. Last time, we talked about PEACE and about Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace. Today, we will think about JOY. HOPE, PEACE, and JOY all belong to us because of Jesus. (If you are using a traditional Advent wreath, point out that this week you lit the pink candle. It reminds us of joy. Christmas is coming closer and closer. We can hardly contain the joy that we feel. We want to celebrate Jesus birthday right NOW! But we have a few more days to wait.) Christmas is a time of HOPE. Christmas is a time of PEACE. And Christmas is especially a time of JOY! Listen while I read Luke 2:8 14. Listen to hear a message of joy. See if you can figure out who spoke about that joy. And see if you can figure out who heard that joy-filled message. (Read Luke 2:8 14. Speak slowly enough that even the younger children will be able to answer the questions you have posed.) Who spoke the message of joy? Yes! God s holy angels! The joy of heaven burst out onto earth on that very first Christmas night. Christ the Savior is born! Joy! Joy! Joy! Who heard that message? Yes, the shepherds who were taking care of their sheep and goats out on the hillside that night. The shepherds were the very first to hear the Good News. If you had lived in that place back in that time, you might have questions about that. Shepherds usually kept to themselves. They didn t live in houses, at least not all year long. Instead, they camped out in the fields and that s just where the angels found them on the first Christmas. Shepherds were usually poor, and many people suspected they were dishonest, that they might steal your money if you didn t watch out. And because shepherds camped outside and lived with their flocks, shepherds quite often didn t smell too sweet. Hardly anyone would want a shepherd for a friend. So if God had such good news, why did he tell shepherds first?! Why didn t his angels tell more respectable people church leaders or teachers or doctors or carpenters? Why did God send his angels to tell shepherds?! Continued 6 Pullout Reproducible Page * * * Christ the Savior Is Born Count-Up-to-Christmas Activity Devotions * * * Pullout Reproducible Page
Because God wanted us to know that the Good News is for everyone! We have all disobeyed God. We all need a Savior church leaders and teachers and doctors and carpenters and children and shepherds. Baby Jesus, the baby lying in the manger on that night the angels came, was that Savior. Baby Jesus is your Savior. Everyone who believes in Jesus can have great JOY this Christmas and always. Taking It Home This week, you will add the JOY sticker to the path. (Demonstrate.) Then, you can add one sticker to the path and do the family activity each day this week until we meet next time. One of the activities this week is to read Luke 2:8 14. When your family does that, you can remember what we talked about today. You can share with family members that we all need a Savior and Jesus is that Savior. Joy! Joy! Joy! And if you have the internet, maybe your family can find and listen to Christmas carols performed by a handbell choir. Pray: Thank you, dear Jesus, that you came to be our Savior. Thank you that we do not have to earn or deserve your love. We are all great sinners, but you are our great, good Savior! Give us your joy every day as we get ready for Christmas. Amen. 2018 CTA, Inc. www.ctainc.com Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization, but not for resale. Pullout Reproducible Page * * * Christ the Savior Is Born Count-Up-to-Christmas Activity Devotions * * * Pullout Reproducible Page 7
Getting Started Be ready to light the Christmas candle you have been using in the past few weeks. If you are using an Advent wreath, light all four candles. Bring along the gift-wrapped box you prepared for Week 1. You will open it today and talk about the Baby Jesus figurine or the picture you placed inside. Bookmark John 3:16 and Luke 2:1 9 in your Bible. Week 4: Love Introduction (Show the gift-wrapped present.) Who remembers this gift? Yes, we talked about it a few weeks ago. I asked you to pretend it had a tag with your name on it. We talked about what you HOPED would be inside. We talked about HOPE that day. We said that when God promises something, our HOPE is not just a wish. Our HOPE in what God promises is absolutely sure and certain. Next, we talked about PEACE. And about how Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He rules over our lives in forgiveness and power. Then, last time, we talked about JOY. The angels shared the joyful news about the Savior s birth with the shepherds. Baby Jesus was their Savior and he is our Savior, too! That gives us JOY! HOPE. PEACE. JOY. All these things belong to us because of Jesus. Getting to the Heart (Show the gift-wrapped present again.) Now, back to this gift. How many of you have presents all wrapped up something like this one under the Christmas tree at home? Are any of those presents for you? (Let a few volunteers respond.) Have any of you made gifts for someone special, gift wrapped them, and put them under the tree? (Again, let a few volunteers respond.) Why do people give gifts to one another? Why don t we just make or buy gifts for ourselves? (Draw out the idea that gift giving is one way we show our love for others.) When we love, we give, don t we? LOVE is the last of the four special ideas we will use as we get ready to celebrate Christmas. HOPE. PEACE. JOY. LOVE. God loves and so God gives. God s love is the biggest love of all! Maybe some of you know this verse from the Bible. (Read John 3:16.) Is this verse a Christmas verse? What makes you think so? (Again, let a few volunteers respond.) It s not quite Christmas yet, but let s open this gift anyway, shall we? Who can read the tag? (Have a volunteer read the words For YOU!) Hmmm. I wonder what that means. Maybe if we unwrap it, we will be able to figure it out. (Unwrap the gift.) Who is this? Yes, it s Baby Jesus. It s a reminder that God loved, so God gave. He gave Jesus to be our Savior. You already know the story, but I want to read it to you again. As I read, I want you to think about these words: For YOU! Can you do that? (Read Luke 2:1 9, slowly and dramatically. Help the children catch your reverence and awe.) Continued 8 Pullout Reproducible Page * * * Christ the Savior Is Born Count-Up-to-Christmas Activity Devotions * * * Pullout Reproducible Page
Taking It Home This week, you will add the LOVE sticker to the path. (Demonstrate.) Then, you can add one numbered sticker to the path and do the family activity each day this week until Christmas Day. One of the activities this week is to read John 3:16. When your family does that, you can remember what we talked about today. You can tell them that God loves, so God gives us all kinds of good things, especially forgiveness in Jesus, our Savior. Pray: Thank you, heavenly Father, for loving us and for giving us Jesus to be our Savior. Help us love you and others more and more. Help us show that love every day as we get ready for Christmas. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. 2018 CTA, Inc. www.ctainc.com Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization, but not for resale. Pullout Reproducible Page * * * Christ the Savior Is Born Count-Up-to-Christmas Activity Devotions * * * Pullout Reproducible Page 9