Emmanuel: God with Us!
As we enter the month of December, one of the highlights is obviously Christmas, the celebration of Christ’s birth. But do we let familiarity with the story dull us to the wonder of it? The birth of Jesus is without a doubt one of the most miraculous things that has ever happened in history as God Himself takes on human flesh in order to be our Emmanuel. God with us.
Jesus came with a purpose, as the big picture question in this advent series will remind us. “Why was Jesus born? Jesus was born to rescue us from sin.” Jesus came not just to dwell with us for a time while He was on earth, but to redeem us from sin and take us home to be with Him forever.
Let’s each take some time to remember just how amazing and how wonderful this is… and then share that wonder with our beloved children this month!
For Teachers
This Fall has been a wonderful time in our children’s ministry! I have been so encouraged by everything we’ve seen over the past several months as we watch the kids learn, as the team has grown, and as I see each team member pouring their heart into the ministry.
It’s time for our quarterly team training, but with the holidays getting underway I figured it will be more of a blessing to you all to have one less commitment on your calendar than to try and meet in person.
So I’ve put together this brief video to cover a few points of equipping and encouragement for the coming months. We will have our next big team training in January when things have calmed down from the holidays. We would love to hear from YOU as a team member what you would appreciate more training on. We want you to feel fully equipped for this ministry!
Staffing the holidays. When it comes to staffing children’s ministry, the month of December is notoriously difficult to navigate with all the holiday happenings, travel and family commitments. We are so thankful for this amazing team, for each person who has stepped up and signed up to serve even in the midst of your busy lives this holiday season. This month is a wonderful gospel opportunity as we will have extra visitors and even those who don’t know Jesus are open to hearing more about his miraculous coming. Let’s not miss this chance to share the truth with them!
For Parents
We do hope and pray that our ministry will be a support to you as you seek to highlight the true significance of Christmas to your children this year!
We have been encouraged to see great engagement from the kids and how you all as parents have worked with them at home with the ROCK books to learn their verses and make use of the take home pages to really grasp the gospel lessons. On December 15th we will be honoring their hard work this semester with our first ROCK Block celebration.
As we celebrate, let’s remind them that the party is a small and temporary reward compared to the greater benefit of their study that we are wanting to point them toward through the ROCK Block program — that as they engage God’s word they are growing and helping to build up the church around them, which leads to real tangible blessing in our community as we love one another and grow together.
Family worship tip for December: Keep the main thing the main thing! Be thoughtful about your plans for the holidays. It’s great to have lots of fun Christmas traditions — decorate your tree, drive around looking at Christmas lights, exchange gifts, etc. But ask yourself if you are leaving enough space to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Push back against the consumerism that is so prevalent in our culture and make time to slow down as a family and read through the Christmas narrative. No matter how many times we’ve heard the story, may we never lose the wonder of Christ’s coming.
Devotional Questions for December 1-7
- Read Psalm 23
- What three words would you use to describe God?
- Share something you worry about and then pray as a family for God’s comfort and guidance.
- Why do you think people sometimes wander from God?
Devotional Questions for December 8-14
- Read Isaiah 7, 9; Micah 5
- Why do you think God used the prophets to tell people about the future Messiah?
- What kind of leader is Jesus? How is that different from worldly leaders?
- Do you believe Jesus will keep His promise to come again?
Devotional Questions for December 15-21
- Read Matthew 1
- What is special about each version of the Christmas story?
- What would it have been like to be one of the magi?
- How can you remind each other of the real Christmas story over the next week?
Devotional Questions for December 22-28
- Read Luke 1
- Which do you prefer—giving gifts or receiving gifts? Why?
- Why does God want to be with us?
- Why was Jesus born?
Devotional Questions for December 29-January 4
- Read Matthew 2
- How did the wise men know about Jesus’ birth? (See Matthew 2:1-2)
- How did the wise men show their respect for Jesus?
- How can your family worship Jesus together?
