Day 1- 01 THE STORY

This is the passage in the Bible that most churches read at Christmas time. Get excited because this week you are going to celebrate Christmas a little early this year.
Read Luke 2:1-18
What city was Jesus born in? Where at? Why?
What was a manger used for? If you don’t know, ask someone to help you.

Day 2- 02 THE WITNESSES

Jesus didn’t have a grand arrival. He showed up the way everyone shows up on earth… as a baby. Jesus was born in poor conditions. You were probably born in a hospital, but Jesus was born in a stable with animals. His first bed was an animal feeding trough. Go take one look at your dog’s bowl. Gross! Ask your mom if the bowl were about 20 times bigger, if she would ever let you sleep in the bowl as a baby. I am sure her answer was “NO WAY!” You would think people would have planned a big party or baby shower for Jesus’ arrival as a baby, yet only Mary and Joseph were expecting Jesus to show up. There were a few people who were surprised with the good news after Jesus was born.
Read Hebrews 11:8. Who told the shepherds about Jesus? What was the sign that what the angels were saying was true? Who else showed up to celebrate?
Can you imagine what the shepherd felt when they saw tons of angels singing praises to God in the sky? What did they go to do?
What did the shepherds do after they saw Jesus?

GIVE IT A TRY!

Ask your mom or dad to help you bake some Christmas cookies. It could be fun to invite some friends over to help you. It’s a great opportunity to tell them about Jesus. They will want to know why you are baking Christmas cookies when it’s not December.

Day 3- 03 THE SOURCE

Read John 1:29
What did John the Baptist call Jesus?
Have you ever thought, why did God invite shepherds to be the first to celebrate Jesus? Why not family, Jewish leaders, or world rulers? Why tell the shepherds first? Why would God open up heaven, send down the angels, and have the most awesome baby dedication in the sky with the shepherds? The answer is really simple. Before Jesus, God’s people had to sacrifice a lamb to deal with their sin. They had to do it every year. Jesus was coming to be the True Lamb. He would sacrifice Himself on the cross for everyone’s sin. No one knows a sheep better than a shepherd. God chose the shepherds to celebrate first because He knew the shepherds would recognize Jesus. He was right. The shepherds found Jesus, recognized Him as the Savior, and glorified God because they met the True Lamb.

Day 4- 04 THE MOTIVE

Read John 3:16
Why did God send Jesus? What happens if you believe in Him?
Do you believe in Jesus? If you have more questions, ask your parents or Sunday school teacher to help you.

Day 5- 05 CAUGHT IN THE ACT

Today, you are going make a Christmas list on the next page. Are you excited? One little thing… this is not a Christmas list for you. The greatest gift that anyone could ever receive is the gift of salvation in Jesus. Today, instead of writing all things you want, write down a list of a few people who you want to share with the gift of Jesus with! It could be fun to make a goal to do it before Christmas.
This goal can be scary to most people, but don’t be afraid… you have good news to share! There are many ways to make this happen. You can start by caring about the person. Show them Jesus by how you act! You could also start to invite them to your activities at church. Have fun and make sure you ask God for help.

Write down on your character sheet what you learned from this part of the story of Jesus’ birth.

MAKE A LIST OF PEOPLE YOU WANT TO SHARE JESUS WITH.
_________________________________________________