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Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6 KJV

  • Sunday School Lessons

    Find Sunday School Lessons - Teach kids of all ages with these easy to follow bible stories and lessons.

  • Sunday School Coloring Pages

    Find Sunday School Coloring Pages - Print these FREE coloring pages to use with your lessons or as time fillers.

  • Sunday School Games

    Find Sunday School Games - Teach kids about the bible and help them learn their bible verses with these easy to follow bible games.

    Showing posts with label The Christmas Story. Show all posts
    Showing posts with label The Christmas Story. Show all posts

    Sunday, December 15, 2013

    I often find myself needing something extra for the kids in Sunday school to do. Sometimes kids come early and need an activity to do to keep them busy or sometimes the story is a bit shorter than I anticipated.

    There have been times I have made games up on the spot while other times I have the kids read over bible verses we have printed on the wall. At Christmas time, it can be fun to have an extra activity especially designed for the holiday season.

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    The word search below was made with the "First Christmas" in mind along with making sure Sunday school teachers have what they need to keep the kids learning about our Lord Jesus Christ.

    The First Christmas Word Search Puzzle


    If you print this out and run out of time, send it home with the kids to do. You could even tell the kids to work on it with their parents or siblings. As they do the puzzle together, tell the kids to talk about what each word they are searching for has to do with the First Christmas.

    You can also do this in class together. Reinforcing your Sunday school lesson and the Word of God helps children all parts of the story better.

     
     
    The First Christmas Word Search Puzzle
     
    (click to print)


     

    Monday, December 2, 2013

    So many Christmas traditions surround the holidays that often the true meaning of Christmas gets lost in the shuffle. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Christmas? Is it the lights, the presents, the hustle and bustle of Black Friday deals, getting together with family, Santa Claus, Christmas music, or old Christmas movies?

    The list could go on and on, but the first thing that should pop into our heads (and stay there) is the birth of Jesus.
     
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    Photo courtesy of Malene Thyssen
    http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Malene
     
    Before beginning the Christmas story with your kids, set the scene a bit. Maybe you could say something like this:

    Imagine, it's a dark night and you are alone in your bed. You are awoke by a bright light. As you look around, you see someone in your room whom you've never seen before - an angel. You are scared. What should you do? Should you run or scream?

    The angel begins to speak to you and you calm down and know that this angel is bringing you a message from heaven - a message from God.

    This is what happened to Mary, Jesus' mother. She was scared, but thankfully she didn't run away.

    The Christmas Story


    Just like the scene above, Mary received a surprise visit from the angel Gabriel. The angel had come with a message from God.

    Gabriel first told Mary, 'Don't be afraid. I have good news for you'.

    You see, Mary was very special to God and needed her to be the mother of Jesus. Gabriel had come to tell her the news. Imagine - out of all the women (or girls) in Israel, Mary was the chosen one.

    Mary didn't understand how she could have a baby right now.

    Gabriel said, 'For with God, nothing shall be impossible!' (Luke 1:37 KJV)

    Mary didn't argue or say she didn't want to right now. Instead, she said, 'Whatever you say, I'll do.' (Luke 1:38 KJV)

    If only we would say, "Yes Lord, whatever you say, I'll do it." It can be hard especially if it means being nice to another child at school, minding mom or dad, or even not arguing with your brother or sister. We should all try to be more like Mary and do what God needs us to do.

    Gabriel also told Mary that her cousin, Elisabeth, was also going to have a son. This was also a miracle because Elisabeth was old and had never had any children. The bible tells us that Elisabeth's son was to be called John (later known as John the Baptist). His job from birth was to tell others about the coming Messiah (Jesus).

    Mary wanted to visit her cousin Elisabeth and set out on the journey to see her. Mary stayed three months before journeying back home to tell Joseph about the coming baby.

    Get Christmas coloring pages...

    What Will Joseph Do?


    When Mary told Joseph about the angel's message from God and about the coming baby, Joseph was unsure of what to do.

    Should he still marry her?

    Joseph worried. One night while Joseph slept, Gabriel came to him in a dream. The angel told him not to be afraid to make Mary his wife. This dream was all it took for Joseph to marry Mary. You see, Joseph was to help Mary raise Jesus.

    The Road to Bethlehem

    During this time, Caesar Augustus decided that everyone that was under his rule should come to Bethlehem to be counted so that they could be taxed. (Be prepared to explain this if children ask what taxing or counted means.)

    Inside Bethlehem
    Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons


    So, Joseph and Mary set off on their long journey to Bethlehem.

    When they arrived at the city, it was crowded because of all the other people who had traveled there to be counted. Every place was full. The bible tells us that there was no room for them in the inn.

    Where would they sleep? It was time for Mary to have baby Jesus. There were no hospitals. There wasn't even a room inside a house where she could lay. What would they do?

    Because there was no room in the inn, Mary delivered baby Jesus, wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. We don't know if she was in a stable or a cave of some sort which was where stables normally were in those days. We believe this may have been the case, but the bible does not say. She may have given birth out under the stars.

    What We Can Learn


    The story of the birth of Jesus is surrounded with many wonders which goes along with the wonders of the Christmas holidays. There is so much we can learn, but for younger kids stick to the basics (below). For older kids, you can dig a little deeper into the story.

    We learn that no matter how scared we are if God needs us, we should be willing to obey - just like Mary. We also find that Jesus wasn't born in a fancy house or expensive hospital. He was born and laid in a manger. A manger is a place where the animals eat their food. It probably was dirty and smelt bad.

    Mary didn't have a warm soft blanket to wrap Jesus in either. Instead, she wrapped him in swaddling clothes. Swaddling clothes are strips of cloth that often were used to wipe down the animals with. Jesus didn't have expensive clothes. We often think we have to have the best clothes or the newest styles. If Jesus didn't have to have expensive clothes, we sure don't either.

    This holiday season, don't focus on how many toys or clothes you get. Instead, focus on the birth of Jesus and how many people you can tell the story to.
     

    Thursday, November 21, 2013

    The Christmas story is one of the most important bible stories a child can learn right next to Jesus dying on the cross. While a lot of hype is focused on what toys kids want (and that part of it can be fun) for Christmas, we must remind and remind again that Jesus is the reason for the season.

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    Without Jesus Christ, there would be no reason for living. Living a life without Christ is a life without a joyous ending. Those of us who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior know that when our work on earth is done, we have a home prepared for us in glory - praise God! It is our job to instill that same message inside our little ones whether they are one or 101 years old.

    Below are some Sunday school coloring pages you can print off to use for your classes this holiday season.

    Teach the Christmas Story Sunday school lesson...

    May God bless you and have a very merry Christmas!

    The Christmas Story Coloring Pages

     
     
    Click to print.
     
    

     
     
    If you don't want the yellow in this coloring sheet,
    simply print it off in black and white.
     
     
    The wise men followed the star.