This weekend we taught the children the biblical account of Jesus’ birth and how the shepherds responded to the good news. In Jesus’ time, shepherds were considered the lower class citizens. The Scriptures tell us that shepherds were living in the fields (Luke 2:8). Their job was a dangerous one because they were exposed to nature that included wild beasts and thieves. The shepherds who tended their own sheep were often the youngest or the oldest of the family those who could not perform much labor on the homestead. Some shepherds tended the flocks of others, working as wage earners. These shepherds were usually the sons of peasants who did not inherit land or possessions. Shepherds were often nomadic, living off the land with their sheep. Yet God chose to reveal the birth of Jesus to lowly shepherds. God could have chosen kings or persons with clout and authority. Instead, he chose shepherds. It was obviously a good choice. These shepherds were among the first missionaries of their day, for they did not keep the good news of Jesus’ birth to themselves. After finding Joseph and Mary and seeing the Savior for themselves, the shepherds told others, and others were amazed at what they heard (Luke 2:17-18).

This weekend’s lesson will help the children connect with this biblical account of Jesus’ birth and how the shepherds responded to the good news. As you interact with your children this week, encourage them in responding with joy to the good news of Jesus’ birth. Also, listen to any concerns your children may have. While Christmas is exciting for some, for others it brings along with it pressures: financial concerns, holiday family strife, perhaps even being alone at Christmas. Some children may have picked up on some of the stress of Christmas from you their parents or other adults, so they may express these concerns as well. Pray with and for the children. Use all the activities you will be doing this week to point them to ways to celebrate Jesus’ birth.

To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11

This weekend we continued preparing for the birth of our Savior, Jesus. We taught the children how Mary and Joseph prepared for the birth of Jesus. We also taught the children of ways they could prepare to receive God’s gift of Jesus.

We have calendars, day planners, and all types of electronic gadgets to assist us in making proper plans and preparations for our events. We have notepads and alarm clocks on our cell phones, watches, and computers to ensure that we reach our destinations on time. We plan and prepare, researching the details and logistics of our business trips, vacations, and family visits. We have timed everything perfectly, and we think we know the outcome. We are in control. Yet with all of our planning and expectations, sometimes things don’t work out exactly like we want. Something goes wrong—our watch battery dies, we lose our calendar, or there’s no room at the inn. What do we do?

Joseph and Mary probably thought they had everything planned out. They were dutifully following Emperor Augustus’s decree to return to their own hometown for the census (Luke 2:1-3). The journey was also close to the time for Jesus’ birth, so surely Mary and Joseph had that at the forefront of their minds. They probably made preparations for baby Jesus before they left home, bringing extra food and clothing and ensuring they could make the return journey with a third person, a baby! Then they arrive in Bethlehem and cannot find a place to stay. Mary’s thoughts were probably along the lines of: “Why can’t I be home in my own bed bringing my child into this world?” But it wasn’t Mary’s child, it was God’s child; and God had a plan, just as God has a plan for us. No matter what we calculate, plan, schedule, or determine, God is in control and God knows how it will all work out. God’s plan was for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem. All it took was for Mary to affirm God’s control in the situation.

This week as you go about your daily routine, know that God’s divine plans are taking place simultaneously. What does this mean? It means that God will use you in the lives of your children to accomplish His plans. God will use you to reach your children with God’s love. Doesn’t it feel good to know that God is in control?

Remember God will use you to serve. Make preparations to the best of your ability, plan to teach your children about God’s greatness and His love for them, and relax in the knowledge that God is at work in your life and in the lives of your children. Trust God to be with you and to divinely lead you as you help your children in preparing to receive God’s gift of Jesus.

“To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord”. Luke 2:11

“Merry Christmas, from all of us in the Kidz Alive Ministry”.

This weekend we continued teaching the kids that God is a great big God, that He loves us with a great big love, and we are part of God’s great big world. We taught the children the biblical account of how Mary shared the good news about Jesus with her cousin Elizabeth. We also taught the children different ways that they can share the good news of Jesus with others. When we hear good news, we want to share it with everyone we know. Everyone wants to hear good news and an exchange of good news is what takes place in this week’s lesson. After hearing Gabriel’s announcement of Jesus, Mary shares this message with her cousin Elizabeth. Even though Mary did not fully understand Gabriel’s pronouncement, she knew how important it was. So she received it and went to a close relative to share the news.

Through the children’s involvement with this weekend’s lesson, they learned to share the good news of Jesus with family and friends. When we think about the good news, like Mary, we do not fully understand all that Gabriel said to Mary. To gain a better understanding, we carefully study this passage in Luke and analyze, scrutinize, and theologize it. Yet all our theorizing only takes us back to Mary’s decision to receive and accept Gabriel’s message, even without complete understanding.

This week as you interact with your children, think about any good news that you have heard within the last month about yourself, family, friends, or even someone you do not know. Take a moment to thank God for this good news. Consider prayer requests in which you are awaiting good news or a positive report. Offer a prayer for those concerns, knowing that God is a great big God and God cares about you and your loved ones. As you share with your children, remember that you are bringing good news to the children. You are providing big truths to the children news they can use forever!

“To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord”. Luke 2:11

This weekend we continued teaching the kids about the real reason for Christmas. We taught them that God is a great big God, and that God loves us with a great big love. We shared with the kids the biblical account of how the angel brought the good news of Jesus to Mary. We also showed them ways to celebrate the good news about Jesus.

We begin this quarter with some good news! We as Christians believe that God sent hope to all people through the birth of Jesus. Prior to the scene described in today’s Bible passage, the angel Gabriel visited a priest named Zechariah during his time of temple duty and announced that Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth would have a son. Now, in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Gabriel visits Mary and announces that she, too, will have a child. Try to read the story forgetting that you know the ending. Imagine the thoughts and emotions that Mary must have experienced during those initial minutes with Gabriel, as she felt the first flutterings of her unborn child. Reflect on Mary telling Joseph about her experience with Gabriel. Consider how she may have told her family. At this point in our Bible story, Joseph and Mary are engaged, or betrothed. Betrothal was a commitment as binding as marriage. Like a divorce, it could only be broken by a legal transaction made with sufficient grounds, such as adultery. Once pregnant, Mary may have been perceived as an adulteress and, as such, subject to stoning (Deuteronomy 22:23-27). Read Matthew’s account of this story in which Joseph “planned to dismiss her quietly,” but didn’t (Matthew 1:19). This shows us Joseph’s strength and faith.

This week as you interact with your children remind them that God doesn’t just use angels to send us messages, remind them that God’s messengers come to us today through various forms. They are often ordinary, everyday people and occurrences. They are often initially unrecognizable or hidden. But when they are recognized, they are extraordinary and powerful. Think of people who have appeared in your life and have helped you hear God’s voice or feel God’s touch. Share a story with your children. When we least expect it, perhaps when we most need it, we will experience God’s good news that Jesus is the Savior God promised to send to all people. That assurance brings hope. That assurance also brings faith that “nothing will be impossible with God.”

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11

This weekend the children heard the Bible account about the birth of John who was Jesus’ cousin. We taught the children that John was born to prepare the way for Jesus, God’s promised Messiah. And we gave the children opportunities to give thanks for the coming Messiah as they begin to celebrate Advent.

Thanksgiving is over, and the stores and radios are surely already full of Christmas music. It can be tiring to think that Christmas is already here. Didn’t we just celebrate Labor Day? Didn’t school just begin? For children, the yearly extension of the Christmas holiday can seem tortuous. The excitement and anticipation they feel throughout the season, usually centered on what presents they will be receiving or maybe giving, can seem to last forever. It can be a difficult lesson in patience, made more difficult by the larger community’s insistence that presents are the focus of the season.

But the truth is, the patience and anticipation is what the season is all about. The season of Advent is a time for us to prepare for the arrival of the Christ Child. In physical ways, we prepare our homes, spend time with friends, and prepare gifts for friends and family because we give gifts in honor of Jesus. But we also prepare for Jesus’ arrival in our hearts. This week’s lesson will help your children learn about the anticipation of Advent. Our lesson is based on the account of Zechariah and Elizabeth giving thanks for the birth of their son, John. While this may seem a strange story to begin the season of Advent, we see in Zechariah the patience he had in waiting for the birth of his son without the ability to speak! And once John was born, Zechariah sings praise to God for the wonderful things that are to come in John and in God’s Son, Jesus.

This week as you interact with your children, return to the themes taught on the fourth Sunday of September rest, sabbath, and a gift from God. As we anticipate this most precious gift from God, we take time to pause and enjoy the moment, however hectic it may be. We look longingly toward the day when Jesus arrives as a tiny baby in Bethlehem. And we praise God for the gift of a Savior, one who will prepare the way for the Lord.

I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1