Scripture: for teacher background: Luke 2:1-21 Matthew 1:18-24; Matthew 2:1-18; Revelation 3:14-22 1 Peter 4:2-5
Making
contact:
Pretend that it’s the week before
Christmas and you are planning your Christmas celebration.
Sit on a chair and
with all excitement and enthusiasm make a list of things you will include
excluding anything to do with Christ.
Include presents, new clothes, a
Christmas tree …
Ask the class to help you with your list and if anyone
mentions anything to do with Jesus or the birth of Christ ignore it and move
onto the more commercial side of the day – mince pies, Christmas crackers etc
Once the list is complete, ask the children whether or not they think the list
is good enough?
The answer should be “No! It’s all wrong”..........We ignored the very reason for Christmas and this is what is happening all over the world.
Exploration:
Christmas is to celebrate the
most important birthday on this planet, but there is someone who really wasn’t
happy with the Son of God coming to earth.
He first tried to kill Him as a
baby, in fact lots of babies were killed – who was this? It was King Herod, but
who was behind his terrible hatred? Satan.
Many times
during the life of Jesus, Satan tried to use people to kill Jesus and
eventually he succeeded.
But what he didn’t know was that this death was
ordained from Genesis and the death of Jesus kick-flipped in Satan’s face and
won the war between God and Satan.
So now
what Satan has to do is to try and stop the message of Jesus from reaching
people because they might just find life everlasting!
So any way he can, Satan
will mess up the story of Jesus.
Let’s see what he does with Christmas.
He
takes the story of a very kind man called Nicholas, giving presents to poor
children and he turns him into a magical figure that comes every Christmas and
brings presents. What do we call him? Father Christmas or Santa Claus.
Does this
magical person exist? No.
The man, Nicholas, would be devastated if he knew
they had turned his kindness to poor people as the magic, fat, red man who
spoils rich, good children.
(Note to
teachers: we have to be sensitive here, because many children do believe in
him, but rather tell them the truth now, or one day they will discover the lie
and then think we are lying about Jesus too!)
There are many kids Dvds about Christmas and they don’t even mention Jesus.
Some people even
take the name Christ out of Christmas and call it Xmas.
It’s like having
a birthday party and you are all excited. Your guests arrive and ignore you
completely and then give each other loads of presents, eat all the cake and
sweets and go home and say, what a wonderful party!
What has Father
Christmas got to do with Jesus being born? NOTHING.
Reindeer and magic have
nothing to do with Jesus’ birth.
You won’t find
Father Christmas in the Bible, nor Christmas trees or turkeys.
And yet, every Christmas people go completely
crazy, well, many people do, and have parties, drink, go shopping until they
drop and eat so they could pop!
Deceitful Satan – he takes the focus off baby
Jesus in the manger…
Let’s put Jesus
back in the centre of the celebrations.
Let's compare Jesus and Santa. In many ways Santa is trying to copy Jesus and trick children into loving him instead of Jesus.
Santa is said to live at the North Pole…JESUS is everywhere.
Santa's other name is Father Christmas....Only God is our heavenly Father.
Santa wears red and has a beard..... JESUS died on the cross. Visions of God show Him with a white beard.
Santa makes toys. Jesus was a carpenter.
Santa comes riding on a sleigh…JESUS made the world and walks on the water.
Santa only comes at Christmas time…JESUS is always with us.
Santa supposedly puts gifts in stockings and leaves presents under the tree…JESUS promises to supply our needs and His Spirit gives us spiritual gifts too.
Santa comes to your house uninvited…JESUS says He stands at the door of your heart and knocks. If you open and invite Him in as your Saviour He stays forever.
Santa sits on a throne at shopping malls and you wait in a line to see him. ONLY JESUS is to sit on a throne because only He is King of kings and Lord of lords.
Santa invites you to sit on his lap…JESUS said let the little children come to Me for the Kingdom of heaven is for them. He takes children on His lap.
Santa says “You better be good and you better not cry”…JESUS says “Come to Me and say sorry and I will wash your sins away. When you are sad, tell Me and I will comfort you..”
Santa has elves who make toys…JESUS has children who love Him so they help others.
Santa says Ho Ho Ho with that false laugh.…JESUS is JOY to the world - the Saviour rules.
Santa puts presents under Christmas trees…JESUS died on a wooden cross and He is the greatest gift in the world.
Application
This Christmas season,
let’s focus on the birth of our Saviour. Let’s give our families and
friends small presents if we want to and send cards if we want to, but let’s
celebrate the birth of our Saviour.
Tell them the present we’ve given them is
to show the love of Jesus on His birthday.
Let’s tell the story of how the angel came to
Mary and how she was chosen to be the mother of the baby who had no earthly
father, but was the child of God.
Let’s remember the shepherds who saw the
angel choir, the wise men who traveled far to meet a new king, and how Jesus
had to be born in the place where animals live and eat – in a stable, in a
manger………….
how this little family had to escape to Egypt because all baby boys
were being killed by the jealous king.
Let’s sing all the
songs that tell the wonderful story of Jesus. Maybe on Christmas day or
Christmas Eve you could do the readings on the worksheet for your family, which
tell the story.
Let’s have a true and
meaningful Christmas every year.
Challenge to Mission
At Christmas
time it is important to remember the poor people who suffer, but we should be
remembering them all year.
However, you may be able to go and sing Christmas
carols about Jesus birthday to them or to an Old Age Home.
You could help take
food parcels and gifts to them. Be like the real St Nicholas, but focus on
Jesus.
Consolidation
The work sheet
has the Christmas message of the Bible on one half and the pagan Christmas on
the other. There is a picture of a man looking for Jesus in Christmas.
Some people don't have Christmas trees anymore because they so upset how Christmas has been hijacked. Each family needs to decide whether they can
have Christmas trees etc honours Jesus birthday.
Get the
children to colour in the name Jesus very brightly on the worksheet. They can
decorate their Christmas trees with Christian symbols like crosses, doves,
angels and shepherd crooks.
One can make beautiful ones out of white and gold
beads called “chrismons”
Memory
Verse
“A child is born to us! A son is given
to us! And He will be our ruler. He will be called, “Wonderful, Counselor,”
“Mighty God”, “Eternal Father”, “Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6
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