Day 1 Broken/Separate (Dec. 18) Item Needed: Garden of Eden Stickers Wouldn t it have been wonderful to walk in the garden with God? Can you imagine what it would have been like to physically walk and talk with God on a daily basis? (Parent Note: Scholars don t agree on the form that God took in the garden, but they do agree that it was more of a physical, tangible form than we typically experience today.) Read Genesis 3:1 8. When Adam and Eve sinned, it created a separation from God. God s plan was that we would all walk and talk with Him like Adam and Eve were able to do. What does the story of the first sin have to do with Christmas? Everything! Without this sin, there would have been no need for a Redeemer. God loves us so much that He was not OK with being separated from us. Pray Together: Thank God for His great love, a love so great that it allows us to make our own decisions. Because of that love, God made a way for us to be in relationship with Him even though our sin separates us. Jesus makes it possible.
Item Needed: Hourglass and Hershey Kisses Day 2 Wait (Dec. 19) From the time that Adam and Eve sinned, God knew He would send a Redeemer (someone to save them from sin because sin separated them from God). That Redeemer would be Jesus. God was going to bring people into a right relationship with Him again. Read Isaiah 9:6 7. (Parent Note: This was written seven hundred years before the birth of Christ!) The Israelites thought that the Messiah would be a strong warrior who would save them from centuries of mistreatment. The very last thing the Israelites were expecting was a baby born in a feeding trough for animals. It was hard for the Israelites to wait. Sometimes it s hard for us to wait on God too. We think we know best, but God sees the big picture and all we see is the tiny little piece in front of us. Pray Together: Thank God for His ability to see the big picture of your life. Ask Him to help you trust His timing as you wait on things. His timing is perfect.
Day 3 Prepare (Dec. 20) Item Needed: Heart Sucker What do you do when you know you re having company for dinner? Usually your moms will make you spend time getting ready for company. You help cook and clean your house, right? Preparing for guests often takes a lot of time and effort. As the Israelites were preparing for the arrival of the Messiah, God did something that was strange to them. He was silent. He didn t speak or give them any signs. He was silent for four hundred years! Even though the silence seemed strange to the Israelites, God was working behind the scenes all of that time preparing the way for Jesus. Read Luke 1:11 17. Finally, after four hundred years, God broke His silence through an angel who delivered a message to a priest named Zechariah, whose name means God has remembered. The angel told Zechariah that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son who would prepare the way for Jesus. Through Zechariah and Elizabeth s son, John, plans were put into place to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah. John s role would be to preach and teach about the coming of Jesus. He would prepare them. Pray Together: Ask God to help you as you prepare to celebrate the coming of Jesus in a few days. Ask Him to prepare your heart to be receptive and receive the miracle of Jesus with brand new wonder and joy.
Day 4 Immanuel (Dec. 21) Item Needed: Jesus Was Born Ornament Spend some time gluing the pieces of this ornament together. Notice the words on the cross: God sent His love in Jesus. Jesus presence here was important. It was God sending a part of himself to live among us. God called Him Immanuel. The word Immanuel means God is with us. In every sense, God was with them! Read Isaiah 7:14. (Parent Note: The book of Isaiah uses the name Immanuel while the book of Matthew uses Emmanuel. ) God came to make a life here among us. His plan for redemption was just beginning to be seen. God s very own Son, Jesus, who was himself part God, came to live among people. The good news is that God loves people so much that He is willing to go to any extreme to show that love. He came to be with us and like us. If Jesus hadn t become human, He couldn t have died. So Jesus coming to live with us as Immanuel was the first important step in the redemption process. Pray Together: Thank God for loving us enough that He would come and live among us. Thank Him that this Christmas season reminds us God is with us. He continues to be until we will one day see Him face-to-face. What a gift!
Day 5 Share (Dec. 22) Item Needed: Magic Color Scratch Shepherds Spend some time working on the magic color scratch projects. Talk about what you think the shepherds may have been thinking when they heard the news about Jesus birth. The shepherds were so excited to hear that the Messiah had come that they ran to find him. As soon as they heard the news, they left in a hurry, filled with excitement. Are you full of excitement as you look forward to the arrival of the day we celebrate Jesus birth? Who around you needs to hear about Jesus birth and why it matters to them? Who can you tell? Read Luke 2:8 20. Pray Together: Thank God that Christmas time is so exciting. Ask Him to give you a renewed sense of excitement as you look for Him this season. Ask Him to give you courage to share Him with others.
Day 6 Peace (Dec. 23) Item Needed: Peace on Earth Bracelet Because God came to live among us He bring us the ultimate peace a right relationship with God. Because of this peace, we don t have to live in fear of our future or worry about present circumstances. How different would your life be if you didn t have peace? Read Luke 2:13 14; Romans 5:1. God brought peace to earth. It s our job to choose to live at peace with Him by accepting the gift of Jesus. He also wants us to live in peace with others. He wants us to live in peace with everyone. Wear this bracelet as a reminder that God brings peace. Pray Together: Thank God for the gift of peace that is ours each day when we choose life with Jesus. Ask Him to help you to live in peace with others who might be hard to love.
Day 7 Promise (Dec. 24) Item Needed: Bookmarks God has always kept His promises. God promised that He would send a redeemer and He did. He also promised that the Redeemer would return again one day. We are part of God s story as we wait for that promise. Just like Mary and the shepherds, we play an important role in God s story. If we allow Him, He will use us to spread His message as we wait. Read Romans 8:19, 22 25. Because we can trust Him, we wait for the promise that one day He will return again. God keeps His word! Can you think of some of the promises that God has made in the Bible? As we wait on the promise that Jesus will return, we do so excitedly, knowing that one day all will be made right and we will be forever with Jesus face-to-face. Use this bookmark in your Bible and let it remind you to wait in excitement and anticipation for the day Jesus returns. Pray Together: Thank God for the excitement we have because of the promise that Jesus will one day return for us.