Series Description
Merry Christmas! It’s time once more to “let every heart repair a broom” and “sleep in heavenly peas.” Even though there can be confusion around some of the classic carols, every kid knows that Christmas is a time to celebrate. And we have the incredible privilege of explaining why! You may be teaching the Christmas story for the fourth time (or twenty fourth), but it’s still fresh and new for the kids in your ministry. Even though some of them may have heard the story every year, that doesn’t mean they yet understand how the birth of Baby Jesus two thousand years ago changes everything for us today.
In Week 1, we’ll look at prophecies of Jesus’ birth from a dark time in the decline of God’s people and the return from exile. We’ll explore how God had a plan from the very beginning to send Jesus and how all of history leads up to that point. In the stories of Mary and Zechariah, in the birth of Jesus, and in the visits of the shepherds and the wise men, we see how God’s perfectly orchestrated story was cause for celebration then… and how it’s just as much reason for us to celebrate today!
God didn’t need cable news or social media to broadcast the greatest birth announcement of all time. Instead, God sent an angel to Mary and to Zechariah and a full-on angel choir to the shepherds. And then, because no-big-deal, God placed a brand-new star to share the news with the wise men. Throughout history, the extraordinary news of Jesus’ birth has been spread in every way imaginable, which is why we’re shouting it out through this month’s theme: “Extra! Extra!: Celebrate the Good News of Jesus’ birth.”
Memory Verse
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord.”
Luke 2:11, NIrV
Application
Christmas
Week 1 (December 7)
Jesus Is Promised
Jesus is Promised | Isaiah 9:6-7, Micah 5:2
Bottom Line: Jesus is good news for everyone.
Conversation Starter: What is the best news you’ve ever heard?
To start off the month, though, we’re hopping back in time to look at the most important prophecies of Jesus’ birth. Isaiah lived in a tumultuous time as the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed and enemies closed in on Judah. But God gave Isaiah words of hope and peace for God’s people then… and for the whole world. “A child will be born to us. A son will be given to us. His rule will be based on what is fair and right. It will last forever.” That news makes me want to cheer! Then Micah points to a ruler who would be born in Bethlehem. More incredible news.
Week 2 (December 14)
Gabriel Visits Mary
Gabriel Visits Mary | Luke 1:5-66
Bottom Line: God always had a plan to send Jesus.
Conversation Starter: What are your plans this Christmas?
Week 2 brings us to the stories of Mary, Zechariah, and Elizabeth. After hundreds of years with no recorded word from God, the rescue plan was set in motion. God sent angelic messengers with amazing news to Zechariah and to an ordinary girl named Mary. While Zechariah couldn’t quite believe that he was part of God’s plan, Mary chose to humbly accept her role as the mother of God’s own Son. No matter how we respond, God’s rescue plan can’t be stopped.
Week 3 (December 21)
Jesus is Born
Jesus is Born | Daniel 6
Bottom Line: Jesus is the greatest gift.
Conversation Starter: What’s the best gift you’ve been given?
It’s Week 3, and we’ve reached the main event. Jesus is born! God could have sent His Son to be born in the finest palace – but instead, Jesus was born in a place where the animals stayed with a manger as his bed. The birth announcement was pretty dramatic, though – because God sent brilliant angels to declare the news to a group of shepherds in the nearby fields. And once these shepherds saw the baby king, they couldn’t help shouting out the good news wherever they went.