board, about 22 by 28 inches. Attach a loop of yarn or ribbon for hanging the poster in the children’s instructional area.
I’m going to give each of you a postcard. This is the size of the first Christmas cards that were printed. Take the card home and think about a drawing that you could make on one side of the card. Make the drawing to send to a friend or a cousin or a grandparent who lives far away. Think about some words to write on the card, too. Maybe you could say, “Good news! Jesus is born,” or “Jesus is the reason for Christmas,” or “Joy to the world!” Ask a grownup to help you. I’m sure that your card will bring a smile to the person who gets it in the mail.
But first, let’s pray: (Ask children to bow their heads and repeat after you. Say short, meaningful phrases.)
Dear God, we are happy because you sent Jesus to be a baby, to grow, just like we do. Help us to remember the reason for Christmas. Help us, also, to tell the good news about Jesus to everyone who hasn’t heard it. Amen.
(As children place the extra Christmas cards, handed out earlier, in the basket or box, give each one a postcard.)
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The Greatest Story
Theme: The story of Jesus is the greatest story ever told.
Scripture: . . . go and make followers of all the people in the world. —Matthew 28:19a (NCV)
Preparation: Read Matthew 1:18–2:15, Matthew 28:19–20. Obtain a Nativity Set or artist’s rendition to display.
Who likes to hear stories? Do you know what the people in a story are called? They are called characters. Sometimes animals are characters in stories, too. Are the characters in your favorite stories real or make-believe?
I know a story that is the most important story that was ever told or written. Do you know what it is? It’s the story of a person named Jesus.
In a story, each happening is called a scene. Here is a scene from Jesus’ life story. (Refer to Nativity scene). Can you name the characters? What is happening in this scene? Where is it happening?
The story of Jesus says that God is his father. He was born to Mary and Joseph and laid in a manger in the little town of Bethlehem. Angels came to shepherds in the fields who then went to see the baby. Wise men followed a star to find him and bring him gifts. Then Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Egypt to escape the ruler who wanted to kill him.
That’s the story we hear at Christmastime. But it’s not the end of the story. What else do you know about Jesus? Did he remain a baby? . . . The baby Jesus grew to be a man. He taught people to love God and to love one another. He made sick people well. He did many miracles so that people would believe he is the Son of God.
Do you think everyone believed him? . . . No, they didn’t. Because he claimed that God is his father, Jesus was put to death on a cross.
But Jesus’ dying is still not the end of the story. What story about Jesus do we hear at Eastertime? . . . On Easter we celebrate Jesus’ leaving his grave! He lives and, even today, he sits beside God the Father in heaven. He gave his life so that, if we believe in him, we can live forever with him in heaven. That’s why the story of Jesus is the greatest, most important story ever told. And Jesus is real. He’s not a make-believe character in a made-up story.
But he hasn’t left us alone. He sends the Holy Spirit to live inside us. Jesus said, (Matthew 20:b) “You can be sure I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the world.” He will be with us until the end of time! What a wonderful promise!
And Jesus gave us a job to do. Do you know what that job is? It is to obey his teachings and to tell his story to those who haven’t heard it. Jesus said, (Read from Bible Matthew 28:19–20a ) “So go and make followers of all people in the world. . . . Teach them to obey everything I have told you.”
How can you help others to learn about Jesus? (Invite playmates or classmates to participate in Sunday School, Summer Bible School, Christmas programs, children’s choir, etc.)
Let’s pray.
Dear God, thank you for Jesus. Let us never get tired of hearing his story. Help us to tell it over and over again. Amen.
Stretching Further:
Jesus also told his disciples to “baptize (the followers) in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19b). Do you know if you have been baptized? You can talk about it with your parents.
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More About Jesus
Theme: God’s word continues to teach us.
Scripture: She (Mary) will give birth to a son. You (Joseph) will name the son Jesus. . . . All this happened to make clear the full meaning of what the Lord had said through the prophet. —Matthew 1:20b,22
Preparation: Read the prophecies of Jesus’ birth in Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 61:1–2; Micah 5:2; and the wise men’s visit in Matthew 2:1–12.
I already know that you like to hear stories. Does anyone like to read stories? Do you have a favorite story that you never get tired of?
There are stories in the Bible that you will hear many times. Can you think of a Bible story that you have heard more than once?
How do you feel when you hear a Bible story for the second or third time? Are you excited to say, “Oh, I know that story. I know what happened. I know how that story ends!” Or do you think Oh, no. Not that story again?
I discovered something about hearing and reading Bible stories. I found that I can learn something new and surprising about a story I thought I already knew.
You know the Bible story we always hear when we are getting ready for Christmas. What is the Christmas story about?
We find the story about Jesus being born in the part of the Bible we call the Gospel of Matthew. The very first page of this book is where the Christmas story begins. This story is one of the Bible stories that people know best.
Here are some things I didn’t know about the Christmas story when I was your age.
About 700 years before Jesus was born there lived a man named Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet. Do you know what a prophet is? A prophet is someone God gives messages to share. God gave Isaiah some very special news that he told all the people. He said that God’s Son would be born on earth.
Another prophet lived at about the same time as Isaiah, long, long before Jesus was born. His name was Micah. Micah’s message told where the one who would become the King of the Jews would be born. Do you know the name of the person we call the King of the Jews? (Jesus) Where was Jesus born? (in Bethlehem)
It was because teachers had read Micah’s message from God that the wise men knew exactly where to find the baby Jesus. The wise men had also discovered a new star in the sky. They believed that a new star was a sign that a great leader was going to be born. So they followed the star to find him and to give him gifts.
The story about Jesus being born is a story we need to hear over and over again. It is the beginning of the greatest story ever told. It should be at the center of our Christmas celebration.
