Keeping Christ at the Center This Christmas

And just like that.....it's December! Christmas is upon us and a new year isn't far behind. 

Most of us would agree that the Christmas season can be quite chaotic. It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and lose sight of why we celebrate. That is why it is important for you to be intentional in pointing your kids to Jesus during this Christmas season. Dedicate time to worship God as a family and explore the meaning of Christmas. There are many helpful resources for drawing your family’s attention to Jesus during Christmas, but no resource is as valuable as God’s Word. Consider using this short devotion to lead your family in a time of worship.

Open your Bible to Luke 2. Read Luke 2:1-20 aloud or designate a child to read aloud. Consider letting children take turns reading the Bible story.

• Ask: “Why do we celebrate Christmas?” Explain that we celebrate Christmas to honor the birth of Jesus.

• Ask: “What makes Jesus’ birth different from any other baby’s birth?” Remind family members that the Son of God was in heaven with God but came to earth as a human baby. Pick up a wrapped Christmas gift. Challenge family members to think of what it would be like to try and put the entire world in a gift box. Explain that Jesus is the mighty, all-powerful God who created everything but He came to earth as the most tiny and helpless of all human forms.

• Ask the big picture question: “Why was Jesus born?” Say the answer together as a family, “Jesus was born to rescue us (from sin).” Explain that we need a Savior. As sinners, we deserve to spend forever apart from God because of our sin. Jesus kept all of God’s laws perfectly while He was on earth. Jesus did not deserve to die, but He took God’s punishment we deserved and died on the cross in our place.

• Ask: “What makes Jesus’ birth good news?” Explain that because Jesus came to earth, we can be saved from sin. Jesus rose from the dead, and one day, He is coming back to make everything new and right.

Lead your family in a time of prayer:

God, thank You that because of Jesus we can celebrate Christmas. As we do all the fun things that come with Christmas, help us remember Jesus most of all. Thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your very own Son to earth as a baby so that we could be saved from our sin and can spend forever with You. We love You! Amen.

If you plan on leading your family through an Advent journey to Christmas Day, there are some resources below to use! Remember, something is better than nothing. Start this week carving out a time to lead your family in a group devotion. You won't regret the investment made in your family's spiritual wellbeing. 

Your children will help lead worship on Sunday December 14 during the 9am and 10:30am services. We would love to have them for both services but we understand schedules don't always allow. Please have your child sitting on the front row of the church by 8:45am for the 9am service and 10:20am for the 10:30am service. Below are links for the songs they will be singing so please practice with them! Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you so much for allowing us to serve your family each Sunday! 
https://youtu.be/2wn_Ze3-gTI?si=heiYNYdNdIucGcWf

https://youtu.be/TnbQNOM7gHg?si=oZYCjrj29SV2mL1G

Kay Mattern
Children's Administrator
and the Beachside Children's Ministry Team