Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room The Advent Season Written by: Kendall Kennedy Edited by: Hayden Sentenn
Note to the readers: Thank you so much for your interest in using this devotion to help teach your children about the true meaning of Christmas. When I set out to write this, I only intended using it for my own child. I often would sit her in front of me (2 years old) and read what I was writing out loud to make sure I was writing in a way that would intrigue her little brain. However, with so much prayer, I was diligent not to lessen the story of what Jesus did for us. I pray this opens their minds to the Gospel and lets them see their own need for a Savior. May they understand at an early age that action is required on their part to invite Jesus into their little hearts! I hope these lessons, pictures and activities give you an avenue to talk in depth about the love of our Savior with your littles. I am praying with you that as you read these stories, that they will grow a desire to prepare Him room in their hearts! I am also praying FOR you as you shepherd the hearts of your little ones during this Holiday season! To give credit where credit is due: every page was edited by my sweet friend, Hayden Sentenn. All images and most of the crafts are straight from Google! I do not claim them as my own! To God be the glory, great things He has done! I hope you have Merry Christmas as we celebrate the coming of our sweet Savior! Advent Activity Supply List Pipe cleaners Paint Glue Stapler Scissors Markers Construction paper Tissue paper String Cotton balls Paper plates Bells Hole punch Toilet paper rolls Popsicle sticks Candy canes Tealight candles Clear jar
Day 1: SAVIOR What in the world is a Savior? Why do we need one? When it is Christmas time, you might hear a lot of people talking about the Savior. We sing songs about the Savior and we talk about celebrating the Savior, but who and what is a Savior? Think of someone super cool. like a doctor, your teacher, a police man or a fire fighter! We love these people because they are nice and they help us. BUT even though they are awesome they are people just like you and me. There is ONLY ONE, TRUE SAVIOR! Our Savior is Jesus, and that is who we celebrate on Christmas! Jesus was born to a mommy and daddy, just like you were. BUT Jesus was ALSO the son of God. God sent Jesus down from Heaven to Earth so that He could show us how to love everybody. Sometimes you might disobey mommy and daddy, or you might be mean to a friend, or even say words that are not so nice. These actions are called sin. Everyone sins (name people the child knows), BUT that is what makes Jesus so cool. HE IS THE ONLY PERSON WHO NEVER SINNED; He never did anything bad! Jesus is so awesome because He came down to Earth and lived a perfect life with no sin. BUT because He loves us so much, He took the punishment for EVERYBODY S sins. Everybody in the WHOLE, WIDE WORLD! So that is why we say Jesus SAVED us from our sins, and THAT is what makes Him our SAVIOR. So now, when you hear people talk about the Savior, you can tell them you know about Jesus the Savior! Matthew 1:21 "She will have a baby boy; and you shall call Him Jesus because He will save His people from their sins." Key Point: Jesus is our SAVIOR! Prayer: Dear God, thank you for sending your son Jesus to the earth so that we could learn how to love people better and thank you for saving us from our sins. We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Make a paper chain with 24 rings on it. Explain to the kids that you will tear one off each day as it gets closer to Christmas day!
Day 2: Promises Just like you read tons of books, the Bible is a big book that has lots of little books inside it. The Bible was written by God, and we believe everything in it is TRUE! He gave us the Bible so we can learn more about Him! The first section of the Bible is what we call the Old Testament. In the Old Testament we read about people waiting for the day the SAVIOR would come. These people KNEW a Savior would come because God made a promise. They did not know how the Savior would come or when the Savior would come. BUT, they believed it would happen because of God s PROMISE. GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES! They did not know it yet, but the Savior they were waiting on was Jesus. Did you know Jesus is also a KING? We call Jesus the King of Kings, which means He has more power than anyone else! One of the books from the Old Testament says: What I saw in my vision hasn t happened yet. But some day, a king of Israel will appear like a star. (Numbers 24:17) This verse means that one night a man went to sleep in his bed, and while he was sleeping he had a dream! In the dream God told him that one day a new King will be born into the world! So, when the man woke up, he told all his friends that they needed to be happy and excited because God promised them there would be a new king! Advent Activity: Make a rainbow out Key Point: We can believe God s promises are true! of cotton balls and cut up pieces of color paper. Explain that rainbows Prayer: Dear God, thank you for giving us the bible so that we are can a learn sign of more God s about promises you and to us! thank you that we can know that the bible is true! You are KING and we love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen!
Day 3: Holly Holly is something we see as decoration at Christmas time! It is a green plant and the ends of the plant are very prickly! You have to be careful if you touch it because it could poke your finger and make you bleed! But it s leaves are dark green and it has beautiful red berries in the middle! The red and green are colors we use to represent Christmas time! Just like so many other decorations, holly is supposed to remind us of a very important part of Jesus story! We have talked about Jesus being the Savior of the world. But, did you that the reason God sent Jesus to the earth was so that He could die on the cross to save us from our sins? The Bible tells us that Jesus was born, and as He grew up He lived a perfect life! Then, when He was an adult some people didn t like Jesus. Those people did not understand that Jesus was truly the Lord! But, this was in God s plan all along. God knew that this would happen! Even though Jesus had never sinned and never did anything wrong, He had to die on the cross so that He could save us from our sins. When Jesus was on the cross, they put a crown of thorns on His head. The thorns were very prickly just like holly! This sounds like a sad story, BUT IT IS NOT! God knew that this would happen, and we can trust that His plan is always perfect! This story is not sad because Jesus did not stay in the grave! He rose up from the dead, and went back to be with God in Heaven! For all of this to happen and for us to be given a Savior, Jesus had to be born! THAT is why we celebrate Christmas, because it is the day Christ came! So when we see holly, we should stop to remember that Jesus came so that He could die on the cross for our sins! Key Point: Holly is a reminder that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins! Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for obeying God and dying on the cross to save us from our sins. Please help me to focus on you during this Christmas season! We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Go for a walk around your neighborhood or a park and look for some holly! Or make some out of construction paper!
Day 4: The Nativity Today we are going to talk about what a Nativity is! Do you have a Nativity displayed at your house? The word Nativity means, what was happening at the time of the birth. People put up their Nativity at Christmas time to help to remember WHY we celebrate Christmas in the first place. We celebrate Christmas because that is THE DAY JESUS WAS BORN! HOORAY! On the day you were born, you were in a clean hospital or maybe in your own comfortable home! You had all the things little babies need like: a blanket, a bottle, and lots of diapers. You also probably had a warm and snuggly crib to sleep in too. But, did you know that when Jesus was born that is NOT what it looked like for Him? Jesus was born in something similar to a working barn! There were a lot of animals, it was not clean, and it was probably very smelly. They did not have a bed for him, they had to lay little baby Jesus on hay, the stuff that cows and horses eat! However, just like you had and and (fill in the blanks with names of friends and family) come visit you when you were born, he had special people come visit him too! When we set up the Nativity scene in our house, we see baby Jesus, his earthly mommy and daddy, some friends who came to meet him, lots of animals, and an angel! Each piece of the nativity is very significant and makes up a very important part of the day Jesus was born! We will learn about all of these pieces, or characters, as we read through these Advent lessons! Take some time today to go look at your Nativity scene and talk about all the pieces you see! Key Point: God had a perfect plan for the birth of Jesus! The Nativity scene lets us see what it looked like when Jesus was born! Prayer: Dear God, thank you for my nativity scene and how it lets me see what the coming of Jesus looked like. We love you so much. In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Set up your family s nativity scene. If it is already up, let the kids pick up the pieces see what they can tell you about the story of Jesus already!
Day 5: Christmas Trees Today we are going to talk about Christmas Trees! What can you tell me about Christmas trees? (Think: color, decorations, favorite ornaments, etc.) We love putting up a Christmas tree and decorating it all pretty! Can we just go in the back yard and cut one down? NO! Usually, people get a certain kind of Christmas Tree called an Evergreen tree! In the fall when all the trees outside start to change colors from red and yellow and shades of orange, the Evergreen tree STAYS GREEN! It is GREEN FOREVER! So, for Christmas we use Evergreen trees because it can help remind us that we get to be with Jesus forever! As Christians, we believe that Jesus came to the earth as a baby so that he could SAVE US from our sins! Because Jesus saved us from our sins, we get to spend forever with Him in Heaven! That should make us so happy! John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whosoever believes in me will not perish but have ever lasting life! This verse means that God loves you so much that He was willing to send Jesus down to earth to be our Savior! If we love Jesus and believe He REALLY IS THE SAVIOR, then we will get to live with Him FOREVER!! That is so, so cool! So today, when you see a Christmas Tree in your house, at the store, or maybe in someone s yard, stop for a minute and pray to Jesus thanking Him for being our Savior! Key Point: Christmas Trees can help us remember that Jesus is our Savior and we get to spend forever with Him!! Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you so much for being our Savior and for being with us FOREVER! We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Let the children make and decorate their own Christmas Trees (felt, Play Doh or construction paper
Day 6: Christmas Bells Have you ever been to a store and seen someone ringing a bell outside the door? Or maybe there are some people who play the bells at your church during the Christmas Season? And we all know the song about Jingle Bells! Bells play a big part in celebrating Christmas! Have you ever had some happy news that you were excited to tell someone? Maybe you had a great day at school and you wanted to tell your mom about it? Or maybe someone you knew was having a new baby? That is all very fun and happy news! Well, Jesus being born on Christmas Day to save people from their sins is the BEST NEWS EVER! We should be SO HAPPY and SO EXCITED to tell everyone we know about the story of Jesus!! At Christmas time we see the bells and we sing about the bells, but did you know those bells are a symbol of RINGING OUT THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS BEING BORN? In Romans 10:15 it says that God thinks the Children who tell everyone about the Good News of Jesus coming to save us from our sins are so BEAUTIFUL in His sight! So now, when we see BELLS at Christmas time, we can remember to be telling EVERYONE WE KNOW about the BEST NEWS EVER: Jesus came to the earth to save us from our sins! Praise Jesus! That should make us so happy! Key Point: When we see Christmas Bells, we need to remember to RING OUT THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS!!! Prayer: Dear Jesus, Thank you so much for coming to the earth as a Savior. We pray that we will remember to tell all our friends about the GOOD NEWS of Christmas! We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Using any type of bell, tie some ribbon to the end of it! Have kids hang them in their room or on the handle to their bedroom as a constant reminder! OR have kids tie the bells to the strings on their shoes as a constant reminder all day!
Day 7: REJOICE Have you ever heard the word REJOICE? A lot of people use this word at Christmas time! The word means to be HAPPY AND CELEBRATE! A really awesome Christmas song says Rejoice, Rejoice Emanuel, has come to Thee oh Israel. Emanuel is another word for Jesus! Therefore, this song is saying: Be happy and celebrate because Jesus HAS COME to be the Savior for His people! That is why Christmas can always be a HAPPY time for EVERYONE even if we are a little bit sad about some things going on in our life. So even if we didn t get to spend time with our family, we didn t get any presents, or didn t get to do all the fun Christmas things we love to do we can still be SO HAPPY because what we are really celebrating is Jesus being born on Christmas day, and that is ALWAYS something to REJOICE about! Philippians 4:4- Rejoice in the Lord always! Again, I will say REJOICE! At Christmas we do not REJOICE because we get presents or because we get to eat a lot of candy. We are REJOICING because Jesus came to this sad world to make us happy and to save us from our sins!! That is the best reason ever to be happy and celebrate!! Key Point: Rejoice means to celebrate that Jesus came to earth as a baby to save us from our sins!! Prayer: Dear Jesus, please help me to always remember to celebrate you, not just at Christmas time, but all year long! We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Philippians 4:4 Coloring Page Linked: https://coloringpagesbymradron.blogspot.co m/2014/10/rejoice-in-lord-always-philippians- 44.html (hope this works)
Day 8: Mary We learned about the Old Testament in the Bible, but today we are going to talk about a story from the New Testament which is the second half of the bible. We are going to learn about Mary, the mother of Jesus, who lived in a city called Nazareth. Mary was a very sweet girl, and she loved God so much. One day an angel named Gabriel came to Mary and told her that because she loved God and obeyed God, God was going to bless her with a big surprise. Then the angel told Mary that God was going make her pregnant with a baby boy, and told her she will name the baby Jesus. Mary was overwhelmed and afraid, but she loved God and wanted to obey God. In spite of her fear she said: Okay! Since God wants me to have this baby, I will do it with a happy heart because I trust Him! Remember, Jesus is the SAVIOR who was coming to save people from their sins! Therefore, Mary was going to be the mommy of Jesus the Savior! Isn t that so cool? God always has a perfect plan, and Mary was happy that God chose her, out of all the other girls, to be the Mommy of Jesus on earth. *Scripture references from Luke 1:28-38 Key Point: We can trust that God s plan for us is perfect because He loves us so much. Prayer: Dear Jesus, please help me to be like Mary and trust that you have a perfect plan for my life. Please help me to obey what you ask me to do all the time. We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Create a foot print/hand print angel!
Day 9: Joseph The person we are talking about today is named Joseph. He was a very nice man, and he also loved God very much. Joseph was engaged to Mary. This means that he loved Mary a lot, and had plans to marry her soon and commit to her as his wife! But, when Joseph found out Mary had a baby in her tummy, he was very confused because he and Mary were not married yet! But then, the same angel who talked to Mary also came to see Joseph one time when he was sleeping. The angel told Joseph to NOT BE AFRAID to make Mary his wife! The angel explained to Joseph that God put the baby in Mary s tummy and God chose Mary to be the mommy of Jesus! Gabriel, the angel, also told Joseph that the baby would be a boy and they should name him Jesus! So, Joseph was chosen by God to be the daddy of Jesus while Jesus was here on earth! When Joseph woke up from his dream, he obeyed God and did what the angel told him to do and made Mary his wife. Even though Joseph did not yet understand what was going on, he knew that he could trust the plan of our sweet and powerful God! Scripture referenced: Matthew 1:18-25 Key Point: Joseph obeyed God even when he did not understand because he knew God loved him so much. Prayer: Dear Jesus, please help me to trust you even when I do not understand. I know you are a good God and that you love me. We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Make prayer hands! Write things you are thankful for and things you are trusting God for.
Day 10: Bethlehem Have you ever traveled a long way away from your house? Maybe you were in the car for a very long time or maybe you got to fly in an airplane! Traveling far away can make us very tired, right? Well while Mary was pregnant with baby Jesus, she and Joseph found out they were going to have to travel very far away from where they lived. They were going to have to travel to a town called Bethlehem. BUT GUESS WHAT? They did not have a car, a plane, a train, a boat, or a bicycle! When people needed to go somewhere, they had to walk everywhere they went. Mary and Joseph had to WALK all the way to Bethlehem! Bethlehem was very far away! They did not want to go since Mary was going to have baby Jesus soon, but they knew God had a plan for them! Mary s tummy was very big because baby Jesus was growing inside! This made it even harder for Mary to walk! When me and you go on a trip, we take things with us. Maybe we take some snacks we can eat along the way, some toys for entertainment, and maybe a pillow in case we want to take a nap! Well, Mary and Joseph also brought some things with them for their trip! They had a donkey that came on the trip with them, and the donkey would carry Mary and Joseph s things on its back! Sometimes when Mary was having a hard time walking (because remember she had baby Jesus in her tummy too!), she would also ride on the donkey s back. Not a lot of people were able to have a donkey come with them on their trip, so Mary and Joseph were very thankful God provided them with a donkey to help! Their trip to Bethlehem took them almost a week of walking! But finally, they made it! Key Point: God always has a perfect plan and provides what we need. Prayer: Dear God, thank you for always having a perfect plan for us and giving us the things we need just like you did for Mary and Joseph on their trip! We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Create the town of Bethlehem with paper towel or toilet paper rolls. Substitution: roll and tape brown construction paper. Big kids can make the windows and doors, little kids color them and decorate! Use nativity pieces and put Mary and Joseph walking into Bethlehem!
Day 11: No Room Mary and Joseph finally reached the town of Bethlehem! Many other people had also come to Bethlehem, so many that Mary and Joseph could not find anywhere to stay! Joseph knocked on every door of all the homes and all the hotels! He told each owner that his wife was pregnant and would have the baby soon, but every single person he talked to told him that there was no room for him and Mary. All of the rooms in the town had already been taken! Mary and Joseph trusted that God would take care of them and provide them with a place to stay. One man came out of his home, he felt sorry for Mary and Joseph, so he told them they could go sleep where he kept his animals. It was a cold night and they knew they needed to be inside, so they went to stay in the same place where all of the animals lived called a stable. Can you believe it? Jesus is about to be born! He is going to be the SAVIOR and the KING over all the kings, yet he would be born where the pigs and cows live. God could have chosen a better place for Jesus to be born, but He had a perfect plan! Tomorrow we will read about the birth of baby Jesus! Key Point: Mary and Joseph trusted that God had a plan for them even though to them it seemed a little crazy. Prayer: Dear God, I know that I can trust you have a perfect plan for me even when that plan is not what I want. Thank you for loving me so much. In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Using popsicle sticks, make a stable where animals would live!
Day 12: Jesus the Savior is Born Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem and sleeping in the stable with the animals. Mary told Joseph, it was time for baby Jesus to be born! Remember, the angel who talked to Mary and Joseph told them that this baby would be the son of God and save people from their sins! Mary and Joseph KNEW how special this baby boy would be! Joseph wrapped the new born baby Jesus in some blankets to keep him warm and then laid him in the manger. A manger is a box that is full of hay for the animals to eat, but because they did not have a bed for Jesus they laid him on top of the hay! Mary and Joseph began to worship baby Jesus because they knew he was the Son of God! As Christians, we believe a few very important things: 1. Jesus came to be our Savior and to save people from their sins. 2. Jesus is the King over all the other kings. 3. Jesus is the son of God. God sent Jesus to the earth to be a person like you and me, but He was also holy and perfect like God! This makes him different than all the other people who have ever lived! That is why the birth of Jesus was so special and worth celebrating in a big way! God tells us in the Bible that there has never been and there will never be a birth as special as this one! *Bible reference Luke 2. Key Point: Jesus is the son of God and the Savior of the world. Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for coming to earth to save people from their sins. Thank you that because of you, I can go to heaven. We love you so much. In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Paint or draw a scene of baby Jesus laying in a manger. Add some animals around the stable too for extra fun!
Day 13: Emmanuel- God with Us Do you have a nick-name? Maybe some people call you a silly name or by your initials! Well, just like you, people called Jesus a lot of different names. Jesus, King of Kings, Lord, Messiah, Son of God, Savior, Christ, and Emmanuel. Wow! That is a lot of names! Today we are going to talk about the word Emmanuel! Emmanuel was one of the names people called Jesus! This word is in a few different Christmas songs you might have heard! The word Emmanuel means God with Us. Jesus and God are the same! So, when Jesus was born and lived on the earth God did too! Remember, in the Old Testament of the Bible, people had been praying and waiting for Jesus to come for a very long time! Therefore, when Jesus was finally born and was here on earth everyone started saying Emmanuel (God is with us!). God is with us ALL THE TIME. He is our friend, and He will always take care of us! Key Point: God is with us BECAUSE of Jesus! Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for coming to the earth so that you could provide a way for us to be with you forever. We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: paper towel piece for baby Jesus, popsicle sticks and crumbled construction paper. Great way to practice the letter E also!
Day 14: SHEPHERDS Today we are going to talk about Shepherds! Shepherds are people who take care of sheep. On the night baby Jesus was born there were some shepherds nearby. They were taking care of their sheep when all of a sudden, an angel from Heaven came down to talk to them! Can you imagine if you were outside playing and suddenly an angel came to talk to you? That is what happened to the shepherds! The angel told the shepherds, I am here to tell you about something super exciting! This is good news for the whole world! Jesus Christ has been born today in Bethlehem! He is the Savior! Go visit Him! As soon as the angel was done talking MORE angels appeared! They all started singing, Glory to God in the highest! Even the angels were praising Jesus! Once all of the angels went back up into Heaven, one shepherd said to the others, Let s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened that the angel has told us about! The shepherds went quickly to go see baby Jesus! When they arrived at the stable they also began to worship the newborn King! The shepherds were so excited about baby Jesus being born! They knew He was the Savior, so they ran to tell everyone about His birth! Key Point: The Shepherds believed what they heard and went to tell everyone about the birth of the new King! Prayer: Dear Jesus, I pray that I will always be excited about your birth! Please help me to have confidence when I am telling my friends about Jesus like the Shepherds did! We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Using toilet paper roll, paper and pipe cleaners, make a shepherd! Add on: Let the kids add him to the Bethlehem scene!
Day 15: STAR Have you ever looked up in the sky at night to see the stars? They are so beautiful, but during the day they go away! Well on the night baby Jesus was born, a huge star appeared in the sky all of a sudden! It was shining very brightly! In fact, it shined SO bright that even when the sun came up and it was daytime- people could STILL SEE THE STAR! That star shined all day and all night! You might be really good at drawing a star, but this star was unlike any other star! It had fourteen points! A long time ago, before Jesus was born, God told people about this giant star! God told them that this star would appear when Jesus Christ the Savior was born! Therefore, people who saw that star knew to follow it to where baby Jesus would be! This is why many people have a star on their Christmas tree! Maybe it is at the top of the tree or maybe you have a star ornament? We put stars on our Christmas tree to remind us that Christmas is about the birth of our Savior! So, when we see stars at Christmas time, we need to remember to always follow Jesus! Key Point: When you see a star at Christmas time, let it remind you to stop, and refocus on Jesus during the fun holiday season! Prayer: Dear Jesus, please help me to remember to focus on you during Christmas! Thank you that we get to celebrate you being born! We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: 6 popsicle sticks and some markers or paint! Perfect for any age to be creative and make it however they want!!
Day 16: The Wise Men Back when Jesus was born, there were people called the Wise Men. The Wise Men were kings of different countries. They were very smart and they would study things that had been written a long time ago. They would also study the stars because stars could tell you what direction you were going when you went outside for a walk- north, south, east or west! Well, when the big and bright star appeared over the stable where baby Jesus was born, the Wise men knew it was a new star and had not been there before! Because of some old writing they had studied, they knew that the star would appear when the King of Kings was coming into the world! They were so excited to see it because they knew that meant JESUS was born! They decided to walk towards the star and go see baby Jesus! Remember, they did not have cars or planes or trains or bikes! So, they had to walk everywhere they went! They walked for weeks following the star so that they too could meet Jesus! When they finally arrived in Bethlehem a few weeks after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph had moved into a small house. As soon as the Wise men entered the home, they began worshiping and praising Jesus. They knew He had come to be the SAVIOR! They bowed at His feet and gave Him gifts. Matthew 2:1-10 Key Point: The Wise men followed the star to Bethlehem so they could meet baby Jesus! Prayer: Dear Jesus, I pray that I will always want to spend time with you and worship you the way the Wise men did! Thank you for coming to the earth to save us from our sins! We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Like the shepherds, make Wisemen out of toilet paper rolls. Add them to your Bethlehem scene!
Day 17: Gifts of Worship Everyone loves to get presents at Christmas time! It is so fun to make a list of what you would like! It is also fun to go buy presents for other people! But do you know why we give gifts to people at Christmas? It is actually because of what the Wise men did when they met baby Jesus! When the Wise men walked into the house to meet Jesus, they opened up the presents they had brought Him! There were three very special gifts! They wanted to give Jesus only the nicest and most beautiful things! The first one the Bible talks about is gold! Gold is the most precious metal! It is beautiful and costs a lot of money! The next one that is mentioned in the Bible is called frankincense! Frankincense is a very fancy perfume! Lastly, the third gift that was brought to Jesus was called myrrh which is a special oil. Matthew 2:11 Jesus has given you and me a lot of gifts! A home, a family, friends, school, toys, our time and every single new day we wake up are all gifts to us from Jesus! Just like the Wise men, we should always use our gifts to make Jesus happy. As you celebrate Christmas and get fun gifts, just remember that we give and get gifts because it represents an awesome way to worship Jesus! So today, think of a way you can use your gifts to worship Jesus too! Maybe this means sharing your toys, or using your time to help clean your house, or use your words to say kind things to people! All of these things are ways we can worship Jesus! Key Point: Use the gifts you have been given to worship Jesus like the Wise men did! Prayer: Dear Jesus, please help me to remember to worship you in everything I do. We pray that as we get and give presents this year, we will remember why we really celebrate Christmas and that is because you were born! We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Tell your child to pick out someone very special to them. Go to your local Dollar Store and let your child pick out something special they want to gift to that person. My baby who was 23 months old picked out hot pink sting for her daddy. Its not about what they get, it s that they are learning to think for other people.
Day 18: Servant God sent Jesus to show us an example of how we should live. Jesus was perfect and never sinned, which means he never did anything wrong! As humans, we are sinful people. We do things that make Jesus sad, like saying mean things or not obeying our parents. But Jesus never did anything bad! So now, we get to read stories about the way He lived his life and learn from Him! We should always want to be more like Jesus. The Bible says in Matthew 20:28, The son of God did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. This verse means that EVEN THOUGH Jesus was the KING OF KINGS and the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD, He did not want people serving Him and doing special things for Him. Instead, He served everyone else! To serve means to do nice things for other people. Can you think of a time someone did something nice for you? That was an example of them serving you! Jesus came to love us and serve us by dying on the cross for our sins! That was the whole reason he was born! This is why we celebrate Christmas! So today, take some time to serve someone else the way Jesus came to serve you! Key Point: We need to be a servant like Jesus to the people around us. How can we serve someone today? Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for living a perfect life and showing us an example of how we should live. Please help me to learn how to be a servant like you. We love you so much. In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Serve someone today with your child. Help them serve a sibling, grandparent, neighbor or friend!
Day 19: Candy Canes Candy Canes are a favorite treat for everyone to eat at Christmas time! They re peppermint flavor is so yummy! But, did you know that a candy cane is supposed to remind us of the story of Jesus in many different ways? 1. A Candy Cane looks like the stick called a crook that Shepherds used to carry around while they were taking care of their sheep! So, the candy cane can remind us about the Shepherds who came to visit and worship baby Jesus when He was born! 2. If you turn a candy cane upside down, it looks like the letter J! The name Jesus starts with J! Next time you are eating a candy cane, turn it upside down and see how it makes a J and remember that the season of Christmas is all about Jesus! J E S U S 3. The colors of a candy cane are very important also. Traditional candy canes are white and red! reminds us that Jesus is the Savior, because when we trust in Jesus He wipes away our sins and makes our heart white as snow! RED is a symbol of Jesus blood that was shed as He died on the cross for our sins. So, next time you eat a candy cane, take some time remember these things and remember that we celebrate Christmas because it was the day Jesus was born! Key Point: Candy canes can remind us to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas time. Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for coming to this world as a Savior and dying on the cross for my sins! We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Pick up some candy canes at the store and let your child hand some out and explain the meaning of the candy canes to the people they share with (even if it is just a neighbor or parent)!
Day 20: Oh, Holy Night There is a wonderful song called O Holy Night! A lot of people sing it at Christmas time! It is a song that talks about how the whole world was changed forever on the night that Jesus was born! The world waited a long time for baby Jesus, and while they waited there was a lot of sin. Without Jesus, there was no one to save them from their sin so they were very sad. BUT they were very hopeful because they knew God had promised them a savior who would come, but they just did not know when that would be or how long they would have to wait. A world without Jesus is a very sad world. But then, as this special Christmas song says that the weary world rejoices! This means that now, because Jesus was born, everyone can be joyful forever! Being joyful is kind of like being extra happy! Joyful means that even if or when you are sad you can still have joy because you know that Jesus came and that is what matters the most! The song also talks about worshiping Jesus! It says to fall on your knees! This means that we need to bow to Jesus and thank Him for coming to this world, worship Him! We can worship Him by reading our Bible and praying to Him. We can worship Him by singing songs about how much He loves us and we love Him, and we can worship Him with our actions and by being kind to others. So today, listen to this song and remember that we get to be JOYFUL FOREVER because Jesus Christ was born! Key Point: We get to be joyful forever because Jesus was born! Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for loving us so much that you came to the world as a baby! Please help me to always remember to worship you! We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Oh Holy Night O holy night the stars are brightly shining; It is the night of our dear Savior's birth Long lay the world in sin and error pining; Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices; For yonder breaks a new glorious morn Fall on your knees, O hear the angels' voices O night divine, O night when Christ was born O night divine o night, O night divine Advent Activity: Play this song on your phone, alexa, or CD while kids help you clean up their room or do some chores. Explain that helping people makes Jesus happy and is a way we can worship Him!
Day 21: O Come, Let Us Adore Him! Another song we love to sing at Christmas time is called O Come, Let Us Adore Him. Let s talk about what this song means because it is super cool! It starts out by saying, Oh come all ye faithful. This line is about all of the people who trusted God and believed He was sending a Savior! Basically, the line is saying, Hey! All of you people who were faithful and trusted God, COME ON and come meet Jesus! He is finally here! Then the next line says, Joyful and Triumphant. Remember, joyful means our hearts can be happy forever because Jesus came! Triumphant means we won! When Jesus was born- HE BEAT SIN! He came so that He can wash away the sin of the world, and that means sin will never win because we have Jesus! The song says again and again, O, come let us adore Him! To adore someone means you love them and respect them deeply. Adore also means to worship, glorify, and praise. We have read all the stories about Mary and Joseph, the Wise men, and the shepherds adoring Jesus! They all knew who He was and they loved him and adored Him! Well, did you know that every single day when you wake up, even when it is not Christmas time, we are supposed to ADORE Jesus? The Bible talks about people and angels singing, dancing, worshipping, and praising Jesus on the say He was born. But we are not supposed to feel this way about Jesus every single day- adoring Him! Sometimes it is hard because we are so tired, in a hurry, or have a lot to play with BUT let s always take time in every single day to stop and ADORE JESUS because He came to beat sin and be our Savior! Key Point: We should ADORE Jesus every single day! Prayer: Dear Jesus, please help me to remember to take time each day to thank you for coming to the earth to save us from our sins! I pray that I will always ADORE you for who you are and what you have done for me. We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Oh Come All Ye Faithful 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 Oh, sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation, Oh, come, oh 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 Advent Activity: Create a scene of baby Jesus and explain to your kids how we should adore Him every day!
Day 22: Go Tell It on the Mountain Go Tell It on the Mountain is a wonderful Christmas song because it tells us so much about the birth of Jesus and the purpose of Christmas in just one song! This song talks about the angel coming to the shepherds, it talks about the Wise men seeing the bright star that they followed to find baby Jesus, and it talks about baby Jesus being born in a stable and being laid in a manger! It gets taken a step further though because now that we know about the birth of Jesus and WHY it was so important that Jesus came to be our savior, GOD WANTS US TO TELL EVERYONE THIS GOOD NEWS! If you believe Jesus came as a baby, lived a perfect life with no sin, and then died on the cross to save us from our sin then that means you are a Christian! To become a Christian, you get to ask Jesus to come live in your heart forever! As soon as you do that, you get to spend forever with Jesus ALL because baby Jesus was born! So, the best line in the whole song says, GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN, OVER THE HILLS AND EVERYWHERE! Now that we know this super awesome story we need to go tell everyone we know about Jesus! In Matthew 28:19 we are told as Christians to Go and make disciples of all the Nations! We are commanded to tell EVERYONE WE KNOW about Jesus! We can do this at home, at school, on the playground, at the store, or anywhere we go. There are always people who need to hear about the awesome story of Jesus! That is why we are going to tell this story from the MOUNTAINS and everywhere we go so that everyone can hear it because it is that good! What if more people will get to invite Jesus into their hearts because of YOU telling them about Jesus? That would be awesome! Key Point: We need to tell everyone we know about the story of Jesus coming to the world! Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for letting me learn this cool story! I pray that you will give me courage to tell everyone I meet about you! We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Go Tell it on the Mountain Go, tell it on the mountain, Over the hills and everywhere; Go, tell it on the mountain, That Jesus Christ is born. Advent Activity: Create some mountains out of paper plates and markers! Add some flowers or a person on top!
Day 23: Light of the World Have you every driven around and seen Christmas lights outside? Have you ever helped put lights on the Christmas tree at your house? Lights are so beautiful and it is always fun to decorate with lights! But, did you know that there is a reason we use lights at Christmas time to decorate? In the Bible, Jesus says, I am the LIGHT OF THE WORLD (John 8:12). What does He mean by light of the world? Well, before Jesus came, the world was a sad place because no one had come to wash away their sins yet! All of the sin made the world very dark. BUT THEN, when Jesus came, He was the LIGHT to the whole world! This means that when He came, people had a SAVIOR who would wash away all the dark sins and make everything new again and clean again! So, if we believe in Jesus, He washes away all of our dark sin and fills us with His great light! Guess what? If we are filled up with the light of Jesus, that means we get to shine His light everywhere we go! That is so cool! It s like the song This Little Light of Mine. Can you sing that with me? Just like that song, we need to shine our light so bright because it is the light of Jesus that fills us when we believe in Him! So, next time you see Christmas lights, make sure you take a second to stop and thank Jesus for coming to earth and being the LIGHT OF THE WORLD! Key Point: Jesus is the light of the world and His light shines through us when we believe in Him! Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for coming to wash away the darkness. Thank you for letting your light live in me also! Please help me to shine your light bright to all of my friends! We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Advent Activity: Hop in the car and drive around looking at Christmas lights! While looking, talk to your child about today s lesson. Craft Option: Using a clear class or mason jar, let kids glue tissue paper to the OUTSIDE of the class, papier-mache style! Drop a tealight candle in there and let kids help you light it every day as you talk about Jesus being the light of the world.
Day 24: Every Little Heart We have learned about a lot of songs, but this one is the best! It is called Joy to the World! This song is all about how our hearts can be so happy and so full of JOY all the time because JESUS HAS COME! My favorite part of this beautiful song says, Let every heart prepare Him room. This means now that you know about Jesus and His whole story He wants to come into your heart and be YOUR savior too! If you prepare room in your heart for Jesus that means you believe in Him and that you know how much He loves you. Everyone in the world who hears and understands the story of Jesus has the chance to invite Him into their heart and make Him their savior too. BUT here is the coolest part of all, if you were the only person on earth and there was NO ONE ELSE but you, Jesus STILL would have done the exact same thing! He would have been born as a baby, lived a perfect life, and then died on the cross JUST FOR YOU. THAT is how much He loves just you. Just like we sing Joy to the World! because Jesus came and that gives us so much joy, it also gives Jesus so much joy when we invite Him into our hearts! So, while we celebrate Christmas, just remember that Jesus came to earth to save YOU and He loves you more than you could ever understand. If you think you are ready to invite Jesus into your heart to be your Savior, then talk to your Mom or Dad and they can help you know how to do that! Key Point: Jesus has come for every single heart. Prayer: Dear God, thank you for loving me so much that you sent your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. Please help me to remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas! We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen! Joy to the World Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let Earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!, Let men their songs employ, While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains, Repeat the sounding joy. No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow, Far as the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love. Advent Activity: Create ornaments that symbolize Jesus bringing JOY to the world! Paper or cardboard, blue markers or paint, and green tissue paper! Write JOY across the world when it dries if you do not want to add extra tag at top! Play Joy to the World on REPEAT while you make these! OR make a BIRTHDAY CAKE for baby Jesus to use in the morning to eat and as a reminder of why we celebrate Christmas Day!
Day 25: Christmas Day Today is Christmas Day!! Oh, what a day! While we are going to have the best time opening presents, seeing family, and eating so much yummy food, you must never forget why we celebrate Christmas! Today you will open some awesome presents and you will probably love them! But, the best present you have ever been given or ever will be given is the GIFT OF JESUS. Jesus is everything you could ever need or ever want. He is our provider. This means that everything we have, including our new Christmas presents are all because of Him. He is our protector. This means that Jesus has a perfect plan for your life and that He will protect you. He is our comforter. This means when you are sad or scared Jesus will always be there for you. He is our friend. This means that Jesus wants you to talk to Him and spend time with Him just like you would any if your other friends. He is our joy. This means Jesus is the reason we can be happy no matter what is going on in our life because Jesus fills us with so much happiness! He is our King. This means that He rules with God over everything in the whole wide world! He is our Savior! This means that Jesus came to die on the cross to save us from our sins, and if we believe in Him we get to spend forever in Heaven. THIS is what makes Jesus the greatest gift of all! Key Point: Jesus is the greatest gift of all. Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you so much for coming to earth to save me from my sins. Thank you for loving me even though you know all of my sin. I pray that today, as we celebrate your birth, we will remember you and the story of Christmas. We love you so much! In Jesus name we pray, Amen!