Week 4 - Christmas Eve Night

Tonight We Light the Christ Candle

December 25

In those days, a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.  This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.  All went to their own towns to be registered.  Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David, called Bethlehem, because he was decended from the house and family of David.  He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.  And she gave birth to her first born son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Luke 2:1-7

Something to talk about:
What do you notice about this part of the story?  I wonder what part stands out to you?

When I read this part of the story, I am impressed.  I am impressed with its simplicity.  People were simply going about their business, tending to their taxes, traveling. 

In the midst of this every day life, there comes a man, and a woman, and a baby to be born.  At this point, no one in Bethlehem knew that this was a special baby, so they didn't make a special place for him. He was born in a barn and laid in a manger, while the bustle of the city was still going on.

There are many things that distract us from noticing the baby that is born this night.  There are many things to distract us from the daily ways that God enters our life.

How will you find time this day, and in the days to come to make a special place for this baby to be born?

Something to do:
Gather your family around your Advent wreath or around your nativity scene.  Quietly light the Christ Candle or place the baby Jesus in the manger.  Each person take turns sharing why you are glad that Jesus was born.

Dear God,
We thank you that you sent your extraordinary son into the midst of our ordinary lives.  Come again, Lord Jesus, to all the places where people are busy, lonely, anxious, tired, homeless, sick, afraid and to the places that are happy, hopeful, peaceful.  Come Lord Jesus, be born in us today.  Amen.

Week 4

Love

December 23

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but should have ever lasting life.

John 3:16

Something to talk about:
What is the best gift you have ever received?  What is the best gift you have ever given?

At my house, we are busy selecting or creating gifts for one another.  This is hard work finding just the right thing for a person we love.  The first Christmas gift ever given, was a baby, who would grow to be a child, who would grow to be a man.  This baby, Jesus, would grow up to show us God's love.  He was wrapped in simple bands of cloth, not shining wrapping paper.  At first, he didn't do much, just ate and slept, and cried.  But one day, he would tell stories about God and God's kingdom.  One day, he would walk on water.  One day, he would calm a storm, and another day, he would feed the many who had gathered to hear him.  One day he would heal a man born blind, and one day, he would die on a cross.  Because he loved us, he came to us, told us about God, calms our storms, feeds our hungers, helps us to see, and gave his life for us.

Something to do:
Cut out a paper heart.  Find or draw a picture of yourself and glue it on the heart.  Write on the heart,
"Because God loves ______ (your name)so much, he gave his only Son, so that ________ (your name) might have life!"  Hang your cross on the Christmas tree.  OR  Make a similar heart, find or draw a picture of someone you would like to give a gift to, and write the same words with your friend's name on them.

Dear God,
Thank you for the gift of your love!
Amen.

Week 3

Joy

December 16
 

I am bringing you good tidings 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

 

Something to talk about:

I wonder what makes you smile? I wonder if you have ever had some great news to share? What was the news? Who did you tell?

What excitement there must have been in heaven when the news was shared! He has been born! The angels must have been bursting to tell! And so they all went to tell… the king? No. The queen? No.  They told the good news to shepherds, waiting under the starry skies, tending their sheep.  To shepherds, who might have been cold, and lonely, who might have been huddled around a fire singing songs, telling stories.  To shepherds who must have been awfully surprized to be visited by angels.  To shepherds who were ready, to get up and go see what the angels had told them.
Something to do:
Someone is waiting to hear the good news that Jesus has been born, that God is with them.  Who will you tell?

Dear God,
Help us to hear the good news with fresh ears, with the ears of shepherds.  As we hear the story again this year, fill us with joy! Show us someone who needs to hear the good news and help us to tell it.
Amen.

Greetings Favored One!

Journey to the Manger

Day 11

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.  The virgin's name was Mary.  And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one!  The Lord is with you."  But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.  The angel said to her,, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And now you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, you will name him Jesus.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.  He will reign over th house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."   Luke 1:26 - 33

Something to Talk About:
"Greetings favored one!  The Lord is with you!"  Today, let these words be for you.  For you are like Mary, favored, and like Mary, the Lord is with you this day!  That is good and perplexing news.

Like Mary you and I have been asked to carry the Son of the Most High.  When Mary agreed to be the mother of Jesus, her plans changed.  She had been planning to marry Joseph, to live a quiet life.  But, now her plans are to follow God's plan.  How will carrying Jesus change your plans today?

Prayer:
Dear God,
Thank you for your favor and thank you for your promise to be with me this day.  Help me to say yes, to carry Jesus in my heart.  Help me to be different because you live in me.  Amen.

Knowing God

Day 10

Journey to the Manger

 

Isaiah 11:9

They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

 

Something to Talk About:

Talk as a family about what you know about God.  God is the creator, the baby in the manger, the man teaching on the hillside, the traveler who stops for those who call out, the spirit that moves among us.  What else do you know about God.  How does what we know help us to make sure that we don't hurt or destroy?

Prayer:

All Knowing God,

Help us to know you.  Help us to share our knowledge of you with others this day as we help rather than hurt, as we build up rather than destroy.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 



A Little Child Will Lead

Journey to the Manger

Day 9

 

Isaiah 11:6

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.

Something to Talk About

Jesus was the little child that showed us how to live together in peace.  Children sometimes don't know the power that they have.  Talk with your children about the ways that they lead you to do the right thing.  Talk about the ways that they lead others by the things that they say, and the things that they do.  Today, challenge everyone in your family to notice someone making a good choice and to thank that person for doing so.  ("Mom, thank you for helping me with my homework."  "Bobby, thank you for showing your brother how to use the remote control.")

 

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for coming as a child to show us your way of peace.  Help us to follow and to encourage others along the way.

Amen.

Peace: The Second Sunday in Advent

Waiting for Peace

December 9
 

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given,

and the government will be upon his shoulder, his name shall be called

"Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

Something to talk about:

 

I wonder if you have ever had to wait for something? I wonder what you did to make the time pass more quickly?

God’s people had been waiting a long time for this child promised by the prophet Isaiah to be born. They kept looking for him. Whenever a baby was born, they would wonder, is this him?

They knew this child would be a very special king, a king they would want to follow, a king who would bring peace.

We know that they baby was born and his name was Jesus! We know that people followed him and follow him still. But still there are people who are waiting for the Prince of Peace, places where people do not get along, where people do not have enough, where people are afraid.

Something to do:

As a family, name the people and places that seem to be waiting for the Prince of Peace. Maybe it is two friends who are arguing or a place like Zimbabwe where many children grow up without parents due to the AIDs epidemic, or in Israel/Palestine where children hear the sounds of bombs throughout the night.

Draw the hands of the Prince of Peace on a piece of paper by tracing your own hands and write the names of those people in the hands. Continue to add names throughout Advent as you think of them. Fold the hands together and pray for those people and places. Over time, look for the way that those lives are touched by the Prince of Peace.

Prayer

Dear God,
Thank you for your promises to us. Help me to live so that others will know that I follow the Prince of Peace. Hold the people we have named in your hands so that they too might know and follow the Prince of Peace.

Amen

Power to Become

Journey to the Manger

Day 4

 

 

John 1:10 - 13

10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.  

 

Something to talk about:

What does it feel like to be left out?  Jesus was not accepted by everyone when he came to be one of us.  Jesus knows what it feels like to be left out.  Do you know someone who is being left out?  How can you reach out to them?

 

Something to do: 

Earlier this week, we thought about the generations that have connected us to Jesus.  Today, lets think about the people who are our brothers and sisters, not by genetics, but because we have a common faith in Jesus.  Write a Christmas card, or an email, or a tweet to someone who is walking with you along the journey to the manger.  Tell them how much their Christian witness means to you.

 

Prayer:

Lord,

When I feel alone, help me to remember that you understand.  When I see others who are left out, help me to reach out to include them.  Thank you for all the brothers and sisters I have because you came as a light to those who feel alone.  Amen.

Follow the Light

Journey to the Manger

Day 3

John 1:1-9

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

Something to Talk About
The the Gospel of John, the journey to the manger began... well,  all the way back, back before Abraham, back before Adam to the very beginning.  The journey to the manger began when the first word of creation was spoken... "Let there be light!"

Have you ever watched how a plant will turn the face of its blossoms and its leaves to the light?  That is because the plant needs light to grow and bear fruit.  Like the sunflower above, John the Baptist was pointing toward the light.  How do you stay focused on the light you need to grow and bear fruit?  How are  you pointing others toward the light that leads to the manger?

Prayer:
Dear God,
As I journey toward the manger, help me to keep focused on your light.  Help me to be like John and show others the way to you.  Amen.

Linked

Journey to the Manger
Reading for Monday, December 3, 2012
Matthew 1:1-17

1 An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.  
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, 4 and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.  

Something to Talk About: 
The journey to the manger, began a long time ago.  According to the Gospel of Matthew, it began with Abraham, a man who listened to, trusted, and obeyed God.  I know there a many strange names here, but each is a link in the chain to Jesus.  Each has a story. 
Ask each member in your family to share a story about someone who is a link to Jesus for them.  Who is a father or mother in faith for you?  Who first told you the story of Jesus?

Prayer:
Dear God,
Thank you for the generations from Abraham to Jesus.  Thank you for the generations from Jesus to me.  Show me a way today that I can lead others to you.  Amen.

HOPE: The First Sunday in Advent

We Journey With Hope

December 2

The people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light;

those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined.  

Isaiah 9:2

Something to talk about:
I wonder how a dark room makes you feel?  I wonder how lighting a candle or a nightlight in a dark room makes you feel?  Isn’t it amazing how that one small light makes the darkness go away?
When God began to create the world, the first thing God said was, “Let there be light!”
God knew that light would help us find our way and help us not to be afraid.
Over the years God has continued to send us light.
God sent light to God’s people in the wilderness to guide them to the promise land.
And God sent a light to shine over a stable in Bethlehem:  a light to guide those who were searching to the child who was sent to be the light of the world.

Something to do:
Each week in Advent, light another candle on your family Advent wreath.
Have a member of your family look up the scripture above and read it out to the family.
Watch how the light grows each week as we get closer to Christmas, even as the darkness outside grows.  (The longest night of the year is Dec. 21)
Pray with your family about the things that frighten or worry you and ask God to send the light of Jesus to comfort and guide you.

Dear God,
Thank you for all the lights we see at Christmas.  Send your light to comfort and guide those who are frightened and lonely tonight.  Show me ways that I may reflect your light and offer hope to those around me.
Amen.