Friday 12/17 - The Wise Men See Jesus

We're wrapping up our last AfterSchool day before Christmas by talking about the wise men!  They saw a star they thought was odd, so they looked it up what the prophets had written.  They realized it was a sign that the Messiah had been born!  They immediately packed up and went to find King Herod.  He wasn't very happy about the idea of a Messiah being born because he didn't want anyone to threaten his throne (he didn't quite understand who Jesus was and why Jesus was coming to earth).  King Herod told the wise men that the Messiah should be in Bethlehem and told them to report back after they found Jesus.  The wise men went to Bethlehem and, sure enough, there was Jesus!  They worshipped him and brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  They realized this was a child worthy of royal gifts.  After they left, an angel warned them not to return to Herod because he only wanted to kill Jesus.  So, they returned another way.

Read it in the Bible in:  Matthew 2:1-12
Dinner conversation starter:  What gift would you have taken Jesus?

Thursday 12/16 - Simeon Meets Jesus

In my opinion, one of the sweetest Christmas stories is the one we're talking about today.  In Jerusalem, there was an old man named Simeon who had faithfully served God in the temple for his entire life.  For years, he had prayed for the Messiah to come, and the Holy Spirit had told him that he would live to see the Messiah.   Although Simeon never knew when this would happen, his trust in God had never wavered.  On this special day, when Jesus was 8 days old, Mary and Joseph took him to the temple.  Simeon saw him and immediately knew it was the Messiah!  He had waited so long!  He had trusted God, and God had kept His promise.  Luke 2:28-32 (NIV 2010 translation) tells us Simeon's sweet prayer:

"Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:  

'Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

For my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and the glory of your people Israel."

Also at the temple was a very old prophetess named Anna.  She also had been waiting for the Messiah.  When she saw Jesus, she thanked God and told everyone there about the Messiah.

Read it in the Bible in:  Luke 2:22-32
Dinner conversation starter:  Why do you think Simeon was so excited to see Jesus?

It's amazing to read how excited everyone was to see Jesus!  Sometimes, we hear this story so much that we forget how exciting it is.  Let us know how this conversation goes!

Wednesday 12/15- The Shepherds See Jesus

Of all people for the angels to tell about the birth of Jesus, who would've thought they would go straight to a group of shepherds?!  But that's exactly what happened!  The shepherds were in the middle of watching their sheep during the night when, suddenly, a group of angels appeared and told them that Jesus had been born.  The shepherds had never been more terrified!  But the angels told them not to be afraid and to go find Jesus in Bethlehem.  As soon as the angels left, the shepherds went straight there.  They wanted to see this for themselves!  When they arrived at the stable, they saw Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.  The shepherds knew Jesus was a very special baby, and they worshipped him.  When they left, they were so excited that they told everyone they saw about Jesus!  They just couldn't keep this good news to themselves!

Read it in the Bible in:  Luke 2:8-20
Dinner conversation starter:  How would you feel if you had gotten to see baby Jesus?

We hope this is an exciting conversation for your family.  Let us know how you would feel if you had gotten to see Jesus!

Tuesday 12/14 - Jesus is Born!

Today, we celebrated Jesus' birth!  Mary and Joseph had to make the long trip to Bethlehem because Caesar Augustus (the ruler) wanted to do a census.  Since Joseph's hometown was Bethlehem, that's where they had to go.  No doubt Mary was uncomfortable riding a donkey on a long trip when she was so close to having a baby, but the good news is that they made it safely to Bethlehem!  Mary and Joseph searched and searched for a room but couldn't find one anywhere!  There were so many people in Bethlehem that every inn was full!  But one innkeeper had room in his stable.  It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.  It's a good thing Mary and Joseph stayed in the stable because Jesus was born that night!  Mary and Joseph loved him from the moment they saw him.  What a special night!  The Savior has been born!

Read it in the Bible in:  Luke 2:1-7
Dinner conversation starter:  How do you think the stable smelled?

Let us know how your conversations go!

Monday 12/13 - Elizabeth Has a Baby!

Today, we found out that Elizabeth did indeed have her baby!  Up until this point, Zechariah hadn't been able to talk at all.  The angel Gabriel caused him not to be able to talk because he hadn't believed Gabriel's original message that Elizabeth would have a baby.  When the family asked Elizabeth what the child's name would be, she said, "John."  They were surprised because that wasn't a name already in their family.  But Zechariah got a tablet and wrote, "He is to be called John."  As soon as he wrote that, he suddenly was able to speak again!  He learned a valuable lesson about trusting God.  With God, nothing is impossible!

Read this story in the Bible in:  Luke 1:57-66
Dinner conversation starter:  Why do you think it is important to obey (and trust) God?

Why do you think it's important to obey and trust God?  Let us know what you think!

Friday 12/10 Family Time: Mary & Elizabeth Praise God!

Today, we're talking about Mary and Elizabeth!  After Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to Jesus, she went straight to see her cousin Elizabeth.  Gabriel had also told Elizabeth the she would have a baby, so Mary spent some time with her.  As soon as Elizabeth saw Mary, she broke out into song!  The Holy Spirit told her that Mary was going to have a very special baby.  Mary and Elizabeth spent a couple of months together, encouraging each others.  It's wonderful to have friends you can rely on, isn't it!

Since it's Friday, we hope you'll take some time this weekend to read this story from the Bible and talk with your children about the Christmas story and how special it is to us.

Read it in the Bible:   Luke 1:39-56
Dinnertime Conversation Starter:   Mary and Elizabeth both had songs to sing about their great news.  What is your favorite Christmas song?  (Maybe you can sing it as a family!)

What Christmas songs did your family list as their favorite?  Let us know!

Family Activity Time: Gabriel Visits Mary

Today in our Bible Story time, your kids are learning about Gabriel visiting Mary and telling her that she would give birth to the Son of God!  Mary was afraid of the angel at first, but he told her she didn't need to be afraid.  He had wonderful news for her!  Mary had followed God faithfully for her whole life, so God had a special mission for her.  She would be Jesus' mother!

Through next Friday, we will keep learning more and more of the Christmas story!  We hope that this Christmas will be very special for you and your family.  To help with that, we have put together a Christmas 2010 Family Calendar!  It tells you where you can read the day's Bible story in the Bible, suggests conversation starters you can use over dinner, and includes some activity ideas for Christmas week!

Read today's Bible story in:  Luke 1:26-38
Dinnertime Question:  How can you trust God like Mary did?


We'd love to hear how this goes for your family!  Your kids always have great (and very cute) answers for Bible questions!