If your kids received books or kits for Christmas, they would be great to use for the activity today!
Friday, December 25, Day 6
Bible Reading: Luke 2:8-40
Memory Verse: “Anna came up to Jesus’ family at that moment. She gave thanks to God. And she spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the time when Jerusalem would be set free.” Luke 2:38
Interesting Facts:
- No one knows for sure how many wisemen came to visit Jesus. There were probably more than three, as they usually travelled in larger groups.
- The gifts the wisemen gave Jesus were gifts normally given to royalty. Frankincense and myrrh were used for medicine and burying people in that time.
- New parents and parents of first born sons were required to go to the Temple to make sacrifices. The sacrifice Mary and Joseph made tells us they were poor.
- Anna was one of the women prophets named in the Bible.
Thoughts to Share: Today’s story was about a lot of people who had been waiting for Jesus, the Messiah, to come to earth. When they found out he had been born, they felt pure joy! Joy is better than happiness. Happiness is felt when everything happens like we want it to happen. Joy is a deeper contentment that comes from trusting God. We can experience joy even when things are not going well in our lives. The people in this story had some special things God wanted them to do. God wanted them to celebrate the birth of Jesus and then tell others the Messiah had arrived. God still wants us to be joyful about Jesus and tell others about him.
Family Fun Instructions: God gives each of us at least one gift or talent that can be a way we will be especially good at telling others about Jesus. We have to find that talent and then work to become really skilled at it. Then we need to look for ways we can use our talent to serve others and teach them about Jesus. Here is a gifts quiz. There is not a grade given, but you can use your answers to help you figure out what gifts God may have given you. Each person in the family should answer the questions. Then other family members can help figure out what gifts each person may have.
You may have some books, kits or other items around your house that will help you explore possible gifts God may have given you. These will give you a chance to try or read about some things to see if you can begin to figure out what your special gift or talent from God might be. If these don’t reveal your talent, keep looking. Everyone has at least one gift from God and if you keep trying new things, you will eventually find your gift. In the meantime, you can have a lot of fun trying new things!
Parenting Tips: Here, as mentioned earlier, you will find a gift survey. Answering the questions, may give you some clues as to which gifts God gave each one of you. Once you find each person’s gift, help them find ways to learn how to do it well. Then help them find ways to use their gifts to serve God.