*If you’re able to go to Sunday School, I would encourage that! If you aren’t, then I hope these Virtual Sunday School lessons will encourage you to keep studying God’s Word.
You can watch this week’s Virtual Sunday School lesson online where we talk about how the angel Gabriel came to visit Mary. She was from the lowly city of Nazareth and may have felt unimportant, but the angel told her she was “favored” by God. An angel (possibly also Gabriel-though the Bible doesn’t specify) visited Joseph as well. God had a special purpose for these two! And He has a purpose for you too! In next week’s Sunday School lesson, we will read about Jesus’ birth.
The paper village craft idea came from here: http://www.pinkstripeysocks.com/2016/…
Here is the free Family Devotional to go along with the Sunday School lesson this week. [This is an excerpt of Celebrating the Story of Christmas which can be downloaded FREE under Shop and Free on this website.]
Setting the table…
Play the quiet game. Set a timer for 1 minute and see if everyone can be
quiet – without making a sound or moving around.
Digging in…
Four hundred years! That’s how long it had been since God had spoken to
the people through His prophets. But God was very active during this timelining everything up in history perfectly according to His plan.
Finally, when the time was right – God spoke! And like when he spoke to
Elijah who was hiding in a cave, it wasn’t in the great and strong wind that
He spoke; it wasn’t in the loud earthquake that He spoke; it wasn’t in the
roaring fire that He spoke; instead, He spoke in a low whisper. (1 Kings 19:9-
18)
And it was in a cave many years later that God spoke on a silent night in the
city of Bethlehem. A baby was born. He was wrapped in cloth and laid in a
manger (feeding trough for animals). Lowly shepherds, watching their
sheep, first heard the news. They were told by angels. They went to see
the baby and then ran to tell others. Far away, wise men who studied the
stars realized through a special star God had placed in the sky, that the
Messiah they had read about had been born. They began a journey to
honor Him with 3 gifts – gold (royalty), frankincense (worship), and myrrh
(burial spices).
And when that baby was older, He too, climbed a hill like Abraham and
Isaac had. This time, there would be a human sacrifice. And it would be
this baby now grown up who would die. And once more, spices were
brought at his death. And, He was laid in a cave – this time a tomb.
But, the story doesn’t end there. This, too, was all part of God’s plan. You
see, that baby was Jesus – God’s son. He would be a substitute sacrifice, a
kinsmen-redeemer for all people! God made a way for those who believe
in Him to be rescued from sin and death and to one day live in a beautiful
promised land forever – Heaven.
Remember the 3 day journey Abraham and Isaac took? Remember the 3
times God called Samuel’s name in the night? Think back to the 3 gifts the
wise men brought? These are just little glimpses of another time when the
number 3 would be significant. When Jesus was crucified on the cross, the
sky grew dark and remained dark for 3 hours. (Matthew 27:45)
After Jesus died, His body was wrapped in cloth with spices – a mixture of
myrrh and aloe (John 19:John 19:39-40) and He was laid in a cave. A huge
stone was rolled in front of the entrance. But, 3 days later, something
happened. An angel rolled back the stone and sat on it. The Roman
soldiers who had been guarding the tomb, shook with fear and fell like dead
men! (Matthew 28:2-4)
Jesus was alive! He walked on the earth for a time, telling people that God
did not send Him to deliver them from unjust rulers, like the Romans. He
had a much greater plan in mind. He was born to die for the sins of
mankind. Those who were sorry for their sins could be forgiven. (Luke
24:27)
Jesus told them, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send
in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all
that I have said to you.” (John 14:26, ESV)
The number 3 once again is important! God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit all
make up the Trinity – each separate, but also fully God.
Jesus went to live in heaven where God lives. That’s where He is today.
TAKE AWAY TRUTH: God loved us so much that He gave His one and only
Son to redeem us from our sins! (John 3:16)
Second Helping…
• Read the story of Jesus’ birth from the Gospels.
o Mathew 1:18-25
o Matthew 2
o Luke 1:26-56
o Luke 2:1-20
• Read Matthew 28:19-20 & praise God for the hope of the Gospel for you
and the nations.
Dessert…
Prepare – Collect coats for Koats for Kids. These coats can be gently used or
new. If you feel led to give, discuss how you can do this as a family and pray
about what God would have you do.
BTW, Joseph was in Jesus’ family tree!