Christmas Devotion (Day 25) - I AM

Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
God said to Moses: "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 
-- Exodus 3:13-14

"You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to Him (Jesus), "and you have seen Abraham!"
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I AM!"
-- John 8:57-58

In Jesus we have the richest, most vivid picture of God imaginable. God is not remote, displeased with the world He has made. Instead, through Jesus He bends toward us, sharing our weakness and shouldering our burdens. Through the perfect offering of His life He becomes our Way back to the Father. He is the True Vine in which we abide, bearing fruit for God's kingdom. He is the loving God who will never abandon us, but who will be present with us always, leading us to life eternal.

By using the name, I AM, the Lord may have been revealing Himself not only as the God who has always existed but also as the God who is always present with His people. Jesus used this name not only to identify Himself in answer to the religious leaders' questions but also to introduce a number of self-descriptions in the book of John:
I AM the bread of life (6:33)
I AM the light of the world (8:12)
Before Abraham was born, I AM (8:58)
I AM the gate for the sheep (10:7)
I AM the good shepherd (10:11)
I AM the resurrection and the life (11:25)
I AM the way and the truth and the life (14:6)
I AM the true vine, and my Father is the gardener (15:1)

By living and dying to save us, Jesus Himself has become the Promise we live by. He is the Word of Truth we stand on, the Bread that nourishes us, the Shepherd who leads us, the Light that drives all the darkness and fear away. He is the Savior for which we hope and the Messiah, our gateway to eternal life. He is all of these things and more - the Almighty, everlasting God, the One who is the great I AM!

Discuss: How have you experienced the I AM...God's faithful presence in your life?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the great promise-keeping God, the One who was, and is, and who is to come. You are the Resurrection and the Life, the True Vine, the Way, the great I AM. Help us, O Lord, to live in You, bearing fruit that will last through the power of Your Spirit both now and forever. It is in Your precious name that we pray this, Amen.

Songs: O Holy Night, Mary Did You Know


Devotions come from Praying the Names of Jesus by Ann Spangler

Christmas Devotion (Day 24) - Savior

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.
-- Matthew 1:20-21

They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.

-- John 4:42

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, 

to the glory of God the Father. -- Philippians 2:9-11

Just as Yahweh is God's personal name revealed in the Old Testament, Jesus is the personal name of the One we call Redeemer, Lord, and Christ. His name is intimately linked to the God of the Hebrew Scriptures because it means "Yahweh is salvation." Indeed, Jesus is Yahweh come to earth. He is God bending toward us, God becoming one of us, God reaching out in mercy, God humbling Himself, God nailed to a cross, God rising up from the grave to show us the way home. 

There's power in the name of Jesus, but it's not some kind of magical chant. Saying His name is not like rubbing a lamp to conjure a genie. No, the power of the name of Jesus is released when people earnestly cry out to Him and when they live in obedience to Him. 

There are many stories that reflect this truth. One was told by a woman at Ann Spangler's church. While walking to her car in a deserted garage one night, a thug accosted her, knife in hand. Though she was terrified, this woman managed to command the man who wanted to hurt her: "Get away from me in the name of Jesus!" To her astonishment, though they were alone in the garage, the man backed up as though someone had just threatened him with a knife. Then he turned and fled. 

Then there's the story of E.P. Scott, a missionary to India. One day Scott decided to visit a mountain tribe who had never heard of Jesus. But as he approached the mountain, a band of angry tribesman surrounded him with spears pointing straight at his chest. On impulse, the missionary took out the violin he was carrying, closed his eyes, and began playing and singing a hymn in their native language. When Scott finally found the courage to open his eyes, he was amazed to see that his attackers had dropped their spears and that several of them had tears in their eyes. Scott spent the rest of his life preaching and serving the people of that tribe, many of whom became believers. What was the hymn he sang? "All Praise the Power of Jesus Name!"

Discuss: What comes to mind when you hear the name Jesus? 

Prayer:  Dear Jesus, thank you for being my Savior.  Thank you for all the sacrifices that you made in Your earthly life.  Thank you especially for Your sacrifice on the cross that I might find salvation and spend eternity in Heaven.  Amen.

Songs: Silent Night, Christmas Offering by Casting Crowns

Ornament: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNamesJesus.html#.VnlChNA-Ab3

Craft: Make a banner or other decoration showing the Cross.

Service Project Idea:  Participate in a church visitation program, mentor a new Sunday School member, help set up a new members’ program at your church, etc.  Another option would be to participate in any program that helps to spread the Gospel.


Devotions come from Praying the Names of Jesus by Ann Spangler

Christmas Devotion (Day 23): Lion of Judah

I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." 
-- Revelation 5:4-5

Only once in the New Testament is Jesus described as a lion. The book of Revelation (named in part for what it reveals about Christ) portrays the risen Jesus as the only one worthy to open the scroll that contains the ultimate unfolding of God's purposes for the world. The apostle John perceived Jesus as both Lion and Lamb, who through his death and resurrection becomes the ultimate victor and conqueror. When you pray to Jesus as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, you are praying to the One with the power to banish all fear, to the One who watches over you with His fierce protecting love. You are also praying to the One who is judge of the living and the dead.

The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the sky will tremble.
But the LORD will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.
-- Joel 3:16

The Gospels tell us that Jesus cried out just before His death. John's Gospel supplies the words: "It is finished!" These are not the last gasping words of a dying man. No, the Gospels say that Jesus cried out in a loud voice and then gave up His Spirit! It was a shout of triumph, the raised fist of victory! Jesus had gone willingly to the cross, fulfilling every detail of the mission the Father had given Him. Having won the struggle for our souls, it was as though the great Lion of Judah had roared from the cross itself.

No wonder the earth shook, the curtain of the temple ripped apart, and people rose up from their graves! Jesus, the conquering Lion of Judah, could neither be caged nor killed. Through His victory He has made a way for sin to be forgiven, for death's power to be rolled backward. By dying Christ shows us the lengths to which God's love will go. By rising He shows us the heights to which God's power will stretch.

The cry of Jesus on the cross still reverberates, still heralds the news of what God has done for us. As believers we need to reshape our lives toward that victory, even when we feel defeated. We need to remember that no matter what or who is against us, God is still for us. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah is reigning from His throne, protecting us, purifying us, and using even the worst of circumstances to our advantage.

Today as we consider what Jesus has done, let us lift our voices in praise of the One who humbled Himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! Let us remember that God has exalted Him to the highest place of all and given Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Discuss: Why do you think the book of Revelation portrays Jesus as both Lion and Lamb?

Prayer: Jesus, You are the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Thank you for Your fierce love and Your strong protecting power. Come with Your might and rule over us. Defeat your enemies and ours, extending Your reign throughout the universe. In Your name I pray, Amen.

Songs: Glory in the Highest by Chris Tomlin, A King Like This by Chris Tomlin

Devotions come from Praying the Names of Jesus by Ann Spangler

Christmas Devotion (Day 22) - Rabbi / Teacher

When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" He asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than His master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
-- John 13:12-17

"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and He is in Heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
--Matthew 23:8

In Jesus' day, the name "rabbi" or "teacher" was normally reserved for someone who had studied under another rabbi for many years. Jesus offended the religious leaders of His day by ignoring this system. Instead of apprenticing Himself to a rabbi, He simply laid down His carpenter tools and called twelve ordinary men to become His disciples. Unlike other rabbis, who merely passed on the teaching of the rabbi under whom they studied, Jesus spoke with an authority that startled many of His listeners. His wisdom came from above -- a fact remarked upon by many who heard Him.

Jesus was an enormously popular teacher who drew crowds wherever He went, using parables, questions, discussions, proverbs, symbolic actions and even miracles in order to teach people the way to live. The content of His teaching is most powerfully and eloquently evident in the story of His life.

When He counseled His disciples not to follow the pattern of the Jewish rabbis and their disciples they saw around them, He wasn't discounting the benefits of learning from the examples or teachings of others. But He was warning His disciples against following or becoming self-important teachers who led others astray by their focus on externals.

Our call, like that of the disciples, is centered not on externals, not on adhering to a set of laws or regulations, but on following a person - Jesus. That's why faith is such an adventure. We are called to keep moving, growing, learning, becoming. We are lifelong disciples, bound to Jesus in a unique way, serving Him daily and relying on Him to provide for our needs just as the rabbis of old did for their disciples.

Two thousand years later, we are called to become His disciples, to stay as close to Him as a disciple would to a rabbi, studying His life, examining His teaching, and allowing His Spirit to remake us in His image. When you pray to Rabbi Jesus, remember that you are praying to the only Teacher who is all-wise, all-good, and all-powerful, able to transform not only your mind but also your heart.

Discuss: Why do you think Jesus cautioned His disciples against them using the title "rabbi?" Why do  you think Jesus washed His disciples' feet, making this one of the last lessons before His death?

Prayer: Jesus, my Rabbi and Lord. On the night before You died, You painted a picture by Your words and deeds of what it means to be Your disciple. Help me to advance in wisdom, love and grace as Your disciple. Give me opportunities to follow you by serving those around me. Help me to seek hidden and humble ways to do Your will. In your name I pray, Amen.

Songs: He Shall Reign Forevermore by Chris Tomlin, One Small Child

Devotions come from Praying the Names of Jesus by Ann Spangler

Christmas Devotion (Day 21) - Friend

As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you keep My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit - fruit that will last - and so that whatever you ask in My name the Father will give you. 
-- John 15:9-16

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions.
-- Matthew 11:19

Jesus is not only Lord and Master but the greatest of all friends, who willingly proved His friendship by His death on the cross. By this costly gesture He has won the friendship of billions of men and women from every tongue and tribe and nation. When you pray to Jesus your Friend, you are praying to the One who loved you before you were lovable and who links you together with His many friends throughout the world.

Jesus took the first step toward us, basing His friendship not on a set of shared interests or on mutual admiration - the usual basis for friendship - but solely on His love. But there's a catch: None of us will ever be attractive enough, good enough, or successful enough to warrant His friendship. In fact, we must admit our weaknesses and sins before we can become His friend. Because Jesus is only and always a friend of sinners, of people who are broken enough to know their need.

We are to be like our friend Jesus. We should reach out to those we know who are not as easy to be friends with, those who are different than us, those who maybe don't even like us, and just like Jesus did...show them friendship and kindness and the love of Jesus.

Discuss: There are other passages about Jesus being a friend but this one is more revealing. Why? Think of a good friend. Why are they your friend? What qualities do they have that make them a friend.

Prayer:  Dear Jesus, thank You for being my true friend.  I know that I need never be lonely with You in my life and that I can talk to You about anything and everything.  Amen.

Songs: The Little Drummer Boy by 4Him, O Come, O Come by Mercy Me

Ornament: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNamesJesus.html#.VnVM49A-Ab3

Craft: Send a homemade greeting card to a friend or to someone who might need a friend.  You may also chose to send a “welcome” card to someone new in your church or in your neighborhood and make a new friend.

Service Project Idea: Plan and carry out several helpful chores … serving your family.  You may also know of other ways that you can “serve” in your community.


Devotions come from Praying the Names of Jesus by Ann Spangler

Christmas Devotion (Day 20) - Bridegroom

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
"Hallelujah! 
For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give Him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and His bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean was given her to wear."
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God." 
-- Revelation 19:9

I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD.
-- Hosea 2:19-20

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. 
-- John 14:1-3

God is not content to be known merely as Creator, Lord or even Father. Incredibly He reveals Himself also as Bridegroom or Husband. The Hebrew Scriptures contain numerous allusions to Yahweh as Israel's divine Husband, and the New Testament presents Christ as the church's Bridegroom. He is the Holy One who did not cling to His divinity but left His Father's house to dwell among us, calling us to become one with Him in the most intimate way possible. To all of us, male and female, Christ offers Himself as our provider, protector, the One who has forever pledged Himself in faithfulness and love.

Although God's people have turned away from Him time and time again in disobedience, God made the most gracious gesture imaginable. He came Himself in the person of Jesus Christ, to call His people back. Just like a Jewish groom, Jesus left His Father's house to come and pay the bride price for His beloved. But instead of paying in so many coins, Jesus secured the marriage covenant with His own blood.

God loves us as a bridegroom who is passionately in love with his bride. Let us pray today for the grace to understand the lengths to which God has already gone to unite us to Himself. And let us heed the voice of Jesus who tells us not to let our hearts be troubled as we wait for Him, but to take heart because He is preparing a place for us in Heaven.

Discuss: What do you think it means that Jesus is the bridegroom?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You left Your Father's house to come to earth and claim me as Your own. Thank you for showing me what love is by the way You lived Your life. Preserve me from both worldliness and weariness as I await Your coming. I pray that on that great and terrible day, I, along with all Your people, will be ready, eagerly awaiting Your return as our Savior and our Bridegroom.

Songs: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Wedding Day by Casting Crowns

Christmas Devotion (Day 19) - Son of David

The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end." 
-- Luke 1:32-33

"I declare to you that the LORD will build a house for you (David): When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish His kingdom. He is the One who will build a house for Me, and I will establish His throne forever. I will be His Father, and He will be My Son. I will never take My love away from Him, as I took it away from your predecessor. I will set Him over My house and My kingdom forever; His throne will be established forever." 
-- 1 Chronicles 17:10-14

"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a king who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness." 
-- Jeremiah 23:5-6


David was Israel's greatest king, a man whom the Bible describes as having the very heart of God. So it may not be surprising that the New Testament both begins and ends with references to Jesus as the Son or Offspring of David. He is the One who fulfilled the promise of a coming King so beloved by God that His throne will endure forever.

Like David, Jesus was born in Bethlehem (the city of David). And like David, who established his kingdom by overcoming Israel's enemies and uniting God's people, Jesus would establish His kingdom by defeating the principalities and powers, making a way for us to become part of it as we confess our faith in Him. When you pray to Jesus as the Son of David, you are praying to the long-awaited King, human by virtue of His descent from David and divine by virtue of being God's only Son.

At the time of Christ's birth, the people of Israel longed for the Messiah, a descendant of the great King David, who would drive out Israel's persistent enemies and restore the nation to its former glory. When people cried out to Jesus as the "Son of David," they were expressing their faith that He was this long-promised Messiah.

But what the people didn't understand was that they needed not just another David but someone far greater. They dreamed of a military leader who would drive out their Roman overlords, not realizing they needed a Savior who would drive out their sins. They longed for political power to restore the kingdom of Israel to its former glory, never reflecting on the fact that Israel, even at its peak, had never been more than a very small nation, which had flourished as a united nation for only about a hundred and twenty years - equivalent to something like a millisecond in the scope of world history.

Nor did the people of Jesus' day understand that David's Son would exceed David in all things. He would inaugurate a kingdom that extended throughout the world and one in which every trace of sickness and death would eventually be driven out, a kingdom in which the lion and the lamb, the poor and the rich, the great and the small would lie down together perfectly and forever at peace.

Today as you read the headlines or watch the nightly news, remember that it is important to pray for our nation and our political leaders. We should regularly ask God for wise and humble leadership, for men and women who hunger for justice and who are eager to pursue peace. But remember too that we need more than good leadership. We need our sins forgiven, our relationships healed, our sicknesses overcome, our selfishness defeated. We need Jesus, the only King who is able to drive out our worst enemies and bring us together from every tribe and tongue and nation into a kingdom that will endure forever.

Discuss: What does it mean that Jesus was the Son of David? You might read Jesus actual genealogy in Matthew 1:1-16 (traces through his adoptive father Joseph) and Luke 3:23-38 (traces through his biological mother Mary).

Prayer: Jesus, Son of David, take up Your throne! Drive out Your enemies and be our protector. Then rule with Your wisdom and grace. Scatter the proud and raise up the lowly. Establish Your kingdom now and forever. Amen

Songs: Joseph’s Song, O Little Town of Bethlehem/It Came Upon a Midnight Clear by 4Him

Christmas Devotion (Day 18) - King of Kings

"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered: "You are right in saying I am a King. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me." 
-- John 18:37

On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.
-- Revelation 19:16

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!  Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!  See, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
-- Zechariah 9:9

The world has never seen a king like Christ, a ruler mightier than any earthly sovereign and more powerful than the unseen powers of the universe. Though He entered the world humbly, as an infant born in Bethlehem, Magi from the East still recognized Him as the newborn king. Though His reign unfolds in hidden ways, He has promised to come again, at which time He will reveal Himself as "King of kings and Lord of lords." When you pray to Jesus, the King of kings, call to mind His mastery not only over human beings but over nature, disease, and death itself.

Throughout history nations have tried to control their population through punishment, lies, power, money and death. But God's kingdom, presided over by the most powerful ruler in the universe, operates on entirely different principles. Its integrity depends not on external force but on the internal, indestructible power of Christ's love. Our king begins by inviting, never forcing, us to join His kingdom. When we do, He begins to change us internally by the power of His Spirit. In this way, step by step, Jesus builds the only kingdom that will last - the only kind worth living in forever.

Thank God today for the greatest of all invitations - to entrust your life to King Jesus, who calls you to live and reign with Him forever. And while you are thanking Him, remember that we cannot force or pressure others into the kingdom. Only God's Spirit can enable a man or woman to be born again into God's kingdom. Each of us is called not to advance the kingdom by force but to spread it through the contagious power of Christ's love. Pray today that God will use your life as an invitation to bring others to Himself, so that they may join you in praising Him as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Discuss: What do you think it means to have Jesus as your King? How have you experienced His reign in your life thus far? What would life on earth look like today if Jesus' reign was perfectly established?

Prayer:  Thank you Jesus for being my King.  Help me to let you lead and guide me in the actions I should take in my life.  Fill me with the values of Your kingdom. Help me to love my enemies, do good to those who hate me, serve the poor, and spread the good news of Your kingdom everywhere I go.  Amen.

Songs: O Come All Ye Faithful, We Three Kings, What Her Heart Remembered by Michael Card

Ornament: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNamesJesus.html#.VnFGpNA-DoD

Cooking: Epiphany, celebrated in European countries, marks the coming of the wise men who brought gifts to the Christ Child. Epiphany is also called Little Christmas on the Twelfth Night, and is celebrated twelve nights after Christmas. People from all of the world celebrate Epiphany by exchanging gifts and feasting. A very popular custom that is still celebrated is the making of the "King's Cake" which represents the three kings who brought gifts. A plastic baby is baked inside the King Cake, and the tradition is whoever receives the baby in their piece of cake must buy the next King Cake or throw the next party. King Cakes are made of a cinnamon filled dough in the shape of a hollow circle. The cake is topped with a delicious glazed topping and then sprinkled with colored sugar. The three colors of the sugar are Purple (representing Justice), Green (representing Faith) and Gold (representing Power).   Follow the recipe http://www.marthastewart.com/319092/king-cake  to make your own “king cake.”

Craft: Make crowns. Older children can perhaps illustrate the combination of Jesus as servant and king.

Christmas Devotion (Day 17) - Servant

Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
-- Matthew 12:18

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.
-- Matthew 20:28

Like most of us, Jesus' disciples were sometimes caught up with a sense of their own self-importance, at times even arguing with each other about which of them was greatest. Jesus startled them by reversing the natural order in which it is the weak who serve the strong. He assured them, instead, that He came not in order to control and dominate but in order to serve.

Though prophets, judges and kings were called servants of God in the Bible, Jesus is the greatest of all God's servants, the Man of Sorrows who laid down His life in obedience to His Father. He is the Servant who through His suffering has saved us. When you pray to Jesus as Servant, you are praying to the Lord who has loved you in the most passionate way possible, allowing Himself to be nailed to a cross in order that you might have life and have it to the full.

Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, he loved them to the end...During supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off His outer robe, and tied a towel around Himself. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around Him. (John 13:1-5)

The night before He died, Jesus removed His outer garments. Wasn't He showing His disciples a picture of what was about to happen, when the next day He would be stripped of His clothing before being nailed to a cross? And what about the water He had poured into the basin in order to cleanse them? Hadn't He also poured out His blood for them on the cross? Surely Jesus had acted the part of a slave by washing their feet. Wasn't He also executed as a slave? Crucifixion, they knew, was a punishment so cruel it was reserved for subjugated peoples and slaves. In the midst of His disciples' reflections, one of them would have recalled Jesus' words shortly before the Passover feast: "I lay down my life for the sheep...No one takes it from me but I lay it down of my own accord" (John 10:15, 18).

Jesus gave His life - not grudgingly, but gladly. He stripped Himself of power so that a deeper power could be at work reversing the deadly effects of our sin. Today, when you think of Jesus as the Suffering Servant, think not so much of what you have done to cause His suffering but of what He has done to cause you joy. Dwell not on your own unworthiness but on His worthiness. Think about His willing sacrifice, His determination, and His love. Just as Jesus loved His disciples to the end, He will love you to the end. Praise Him for saving you and changing you through His great, long-suffering love.

Discuss: This passage calls Jesus a servant. What is a servant? Where are there actual examples of Jesus being a servant? Describe an experience in which someone served you. How did it affect you? Describe experiences in which you have been able to serve someone else with the love of Christ. How can you be a servant today, this week?

Prayer:  Dear Jesus, I was like a bruised reed You would not break, a smoldering wick You would not put out. Instead You allowed Yourself to be pierced for my sins, crushed for my iniquities. You were despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. The punishment that brought me peace was placed on You.  Help me to grow a true servant’s heart for Your ministry and not complain about or question the direction You have for me.  Amen.

Songs: In the Bleak Midwinter by Jars of Clay, Noel by Chris Tomlin

Ornament: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNamesJesus.html#.Vm_0kdA-Ab3

Craft:  Have the student(s) make “coupons” that can be redeemed by the receiver.  The coupons should be for things that are above and beyond normal and expected chores but within the student’s capabilities.

Service Project Idea:  Participate in helping a food kitchen (may also be called a  soup kitchen).  If the student is too young for this, have them help cleaning up after a church function or some type of community function.  Also, see if there is someone in your neighborhood, church, or family who is in need of assistance with housework, yard work, etc.  This help is to be given without financial compensation.  This activity should reinforce the idea of having the “heart of a servant.”

Christmas Devotion (Day 16) - The Word

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 
-- John 1:14

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
-- Revelation 19:13

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
-- John 1:1

Though God has always revealed Himself in some way, the incarnation (when Jesus came down as a baby) is the clearest, most compelling revelation of who God is - of His holiness, love and power. Because Jesus is one with the Father, He is uniquely able to communicate God's heart and mind. As Logos, or "the Word," everything about Jesus - His teaching, miracles, suffering, death, and resurrection - speaks to us of God. Our destiny depends on how well we listen. Will we believe, or will we turn a deaf ear to the message of God's love? When you pray to Jesus as the Word, you are praying to the One whose voice calls us from death to life and from darkness to light.

Words can be beautiful but they can also cause great hurt. However, God's Word is always good and is "living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). God's Word has the power not just to communicate His purpose but to accomplish whatever it intends. It never returns to Him empty.

When God speaks, things happen. "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. And God said, 'Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.' And it was so. God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation.' And it was so." The world was created by God speaking it into existence. Jesus, the Word of God, the second person of the Trinity, was thus present at the world's beginning.

But the perfect world that God created was soon corrupted through sin. Jesus came to earth to recreate the world, restoring it to God's original purpose. Miracles happened when He spoke. Storms ceased, the lame walked, people were delivered from demons, and the dead were raised. These were signs that a world deformed by sin was being reshaped by God's all-powerful Word.

Jesus is still speaking, still reshaping the world, one person as a time. As His followers, we need to study and pray over His words. We need to listen carefully and expectantly for His voice. Opening ourselves to God's Word by reading the Bible daily, is a way of investing ourselves in the conversation God wants to have with us. It is a way of clearing the channel for communication, of giving Him room to speak while we listen. And as you read the Bible, pray. Ask Jesus, the Word made flesh, to communicate His heart and mind to you. He is eager to speak. May we be eager to listen.

Discuss: Read John 1:1-14 How does it summarize much of what you've learned about Jesus? John says that though "the world was made though Him, the world did not recognize Him" (John 1:10). Do you think this is still true today? Why or why not?

Prayer:  Jesus, You are the One and Only Word made flesh, speaking Your love and Your light into the world's thick darkness. Reshape my life through Your message of mercy. Give me ears to hear and a heart to do Your will. Make me eager and able to proclaim Your Word in season and out, confident in Your life-giving power and in Your enduring love. In Your name I pray, Amen.

Songs: Born That We May Have Life by Chris Tomlin, What Child is This

Ornament: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNamesJesus.html#.Vm_qvNA-Ab3

Craft:  Make a scroll using a long piece of paper and sticks, cardboard tubes, etc. to roll the paper on.  On the paper itself write John 1:1

Service Project Idea:  Get involved with a group who distribute Bibles to those that cannot afford their own.  Alternately, assist a missionary in getting the Word out to people around the world.

Christmas Devotion (Day 15) - Priest / Prophet

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
-- Hebrews 4:14-16

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
-- Hebrews 1:1

Jesus is both Priest - the One who faithfully bears us into God's presence by virtue of His self-sacrifice - and Prophet - the One who perfectly communicates God's Word to us. We are called to listen to Him, to trust in His work, and to take our places as part of a kingdom of priests who in Christ Jesus offer ourselves on behalf of others. As you pray to Jesus as both Priest and Prophet, ask Him to help you understand the deep meaning of these titles so that you can live out their truths in your life.
Prophet, priest and king - these were the three major offices in Israel, titles also ascribed to Jesus. While the king governed as God's representative on earth, the priest's role was to represent the people to God by offering sacrifices, prayers and praise on their behalf. While the primary role of the priest was to speak to God on behalf of the people, the prophet's primary responsibility was to speak to the people on behalf of God. While prophets sometimes predicted future events, like Isaiah and Daniel, more often they called people to faithfulness like Moses, Jeremiah and Elijah. But unlike the prophets who went before Him, Jesus would be the one Prophet who not only perfectly revealed God's Word but who perfectly revealed God Himself.

Discuss: Why do you think it is important that Jesus, as High Priest, is able to sympathize with our weaknesses? What about Jesus made Him able to do this? Why do you think Jesus was more effective than the priests of the Old Testament?

Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus. for understanding what it means to be weak and tempted, and thank you also for never giving in to temptation. You are the only one able to bring me to the Father so that my sins can be forgiven. Through Your life and through Your death you  have told me who God is and what His plans are for me. Now I pray that You will help me to imitate You, so that others might know You as both Priest and Prophet. Amen.

Songs: Joseph’s Lullaby by Mercy Me, Go Tell it on the Mountain

Christmas Devotion (Day 14) - Light of the World

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." 
-- John 8:12

 Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through Him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 
-- John 1:3-9

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the shadow of death a light has dawned
-- Isaiah 9:2

According to Jewish tradition, one of the names for the Messiah is "Light." How fitting, then, that Jesus is called the "Light of the World." John's Gospel portrays Jesus as the light that rids us of the darkness brought on by sin - a darkness that ends in death. In the darkness our fears have a tendency to multiply, failings become exaggerated, challenges seem insurmountable. We need daylight to restore our perspective.

Christ has opened the eyes of a sin-darkened world to the truth of the Gospel. We who believe in Him have moved from darkness to light, from death to life. Darkness has been extinguished by light. In His light we see light. When we pray to Jesus as the Light of the World, let us remember that we are calling on the One who was so determined to draw us into His light that He spent nine months in the darkness of His mother's womb in order to become one of us. He is also the same one who was transfigured before His disciples so that "His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light" (Matthew 17:1-2) Let us ask Jesus, our Light, to make us shine with His reflected glory.

The Old Testament is full of images that link God with light - pillars of fire, burning lamps, consuming fire. Such images are often associated with God's nearness or His presence. John's Gospel portrays Jesus as the embodiment of the divine light, a light so powerful that it cannot be overcome by the darkness of sin and death.

Just as natural light is essential to life on earth, Christ's light is essential to unending life with God. Whoever believes in His light becomes like Him, reflecting His brightness by walking in His light and obeying His commands. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

Discuss: Why do you think John's Gospel uses images of light and darkness to describe Jesus and the world's response to Him? Have you ever been afraid of the dark? How does it make you feel when a light is shone into that darkness?

Prayer:  Dear Lord, thank you for being such a Light in my life that there is no darkness that you cannot shine through.  Thank you for being the Light that even the blind can see.  Amen.

Songs: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Casting Crowns, Adore by Chris Tomlin

Ornament: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNamesJesus.html#.VmlZHdA-DR3

Activity: Light a candle at your dinner table during the Christmas season to remind yourselves that Jesus is the Light of the World.

Craft:  Look at some "religious" paintings in an encyclopedia. What do you notice about "light"?

Service Project Idea:  Often homeless individuals have to make do with natural lighting when they are on the street.  When it gets dark, there isn’t a convenient switch to flip.  The use of fires and candles are often prohibited by local safety codes.  Contact your local homeless shelter about donating batteries and flashlights for the needy.  You may wish to turn this into a group activity by including other family members, support group members, church families, etc.

Christmas Devotion (Day 13) - Holy One / Son of God and Son of Man

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
-- Luke 1:35

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
-- Matthew 16:15-17

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
-- Daniel 7:13-14

Like the Father, Jesus is God. He always was, always is, and always will be. But unlike the Father, Jesus is also a human being. Though charged with blasphemy and crucified for claiming to be one with the Father, Jesus' resurrection validates His claim to be God's Son in a unique way. When we confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God, we share in the love the Father has for the Son, becoming adopted children of God.

Though Jesus is the Son of God, He is also the Son of Man, a title that emphasizes both His lowliness and His eventual dominion. Near the end of His life, when the high priest asked Him whether He was the Son of God, Jesus no longer avoided the title but said that the high priest would one day "see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 26:64). Together the titles Son of Man and Son of God express the incredible mystery of the incarnation - that the second person of the Trinity came down from Heaven to become one of us so that we could be one with Him. When you pray to Jesus as the Son of God and Son of Man, you are praying to the Holy One who is your Brother and your Lord.

Discuss: What do you think it means to say that Jesus is the Son of God? What about the Son of Man?

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, open our eyes to the mystery of who You are - God's only Son who became a man that we might be reconciled to the Father. Open our ears to hear Your voice and our hearts to do Your will. Shape us into Your likeness by the power of Your Spirt as we grow in greater maturity as children of the living God. We believe that You are both the Son of God and Son of Man. Thank you Jesus. Amen

Songs: O Holy Night, Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant

Ornament:http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNamesJesus.html#.VmlZHdA-DR3

Craft:  Make a relief map of the Holy Land area of the world using a salt dough/clay or any of the clay or dough recipes located at the end of this unit.  Alternately you could make a banner with “holy” as the theme.

Service Project Idea:  Assist in a church clean up and/or beautification project.  Or, build a place in your yard (or local park) that encourages worship.

Christmas Devotion (Day 12) - Bread of Life

"I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from Heaven, which people may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." 
-- John 6:48-51

Without bread no one in ancient Israel would have survived for long. So it seems entirely reasonable for Jesus, in what has become known as the Lord's Prayer, to instruct His disciples to pray for their daily bread. On the cross, the body of Jesus became that bread that was "broken for us," to save us from our sins. Yet the Lord also challenged His followers not to work for food that spoils, announcing Himself as the only food that would enable them to live forever. In fact, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which means "house of bread."

Bread was baked daily in the ancient world. Made from a variety of grains (barley for the poor and wheat for those with money), it was usually shaped into small round loaves. Because bread was a primary staple, it was also used in various aspects of worship. The Bread of the Presence at the Temple, consisting of twelve loaves of bread without yeast, served as a constant reminder that it was God who sustained the twelve tribes of Israel. Psalm 78:24-25 speaks of how God's people were fed in the wilderness: He (God) rained down manna for the people to eat, He gave them the grain of Heaven. Human beings ate the bread of angels; He sent them all the food they could eat.

When Jesus fed the five thousand, the bread filled the people up and made them glad. It caused them to recognize that God was giving them a sign, like manna in the desert. Surely this was the Messiah and many wanted to make Jesus king. Jesus quickly withdrew from them because He wanted to do far more than feed bodies that would soon perish. He wanted to nourish souls that would live forever. But the people only wanted more cheap bread. When His disciples found Him He said to them: Stop working for food that spoils. Work for the forever food that I will give you. The work you need to do is to believe in Me. I am the bread of life.

It's easy in our world to stuff ourselves with the world's cheap bread - money, success, comfort and pleasure. The danger is that we will fill up on the bread that only satisfies for a moment but can't feed us for eternity. We need to ask Jesus to make us hungry for Him, for His Presence, for the Bible and for prayer. He is the only bread that will truly satisfy us.

Discuss: Jesus knew that bread is one of life's necessities, so what did He mean by saying He was the bread of life? What do you think He meant when He said that "This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world?"

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I hunger and thirst for so many things that do not bring real life. Yet you speak of food that will enable me to live forever. Satisfy me with Your body and Your blood, the bread of Your holy Presence. Nourish and sustain me now and at the hour of my death. Amen

Song: Do You Hear What I Hear, Mary Did You Know

Christmas Devotion (Day 11) - The Christ / Messiah

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ."
-- Mark 8:29

Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.
-- Acts 2:36

Most of us are so familiar with the title "Christ" that we may think it is Jesus' last name. But what exactly does it mean? Like "Messiah," "Christ" means the "anointed one." The phrase "anointed one" refers to someone who has been set apart for a special mission. That was how the first Christians thought about Jesus, as Israel's Messiah.

The Jews had been waiting for years and years for the promised Messiah. When Jesus began His public ministry, He was recognized by His followers as the Messiah, the Christ. But what He did wasn't in line with what they thought the Messiah would do. The Jewish people were under the rule of Rome and they hated it. Their hope was that the Messiah would be a powerful political and military figure who would overthrow Rome and restore Israel to its glory days under King David.

What they couldn't understand was that God wasn't as interested in their current status as He was in their eternal status. God knows that what we all need saving from the most isn't from another person but from the sin that holds us captive. We need to be saved from the sin that will sentence us to eternity separated from God.

That's what Jesus, the Messiah, came to do...to rescue us from sin.  And that's one of the reasons why they crucified Him. Jesus didn't live up to their wrong expectations of what the Messiah ought to be. They didn't understand, until He rose from the dead, that He saved them from so much more...from an eternity in Hell, separated from God.  Jesus was anointed, given the mission, to put and end to our deepest troubles - to rebellion, sin and death. When we pray to Jesus Christ, we are praying to the Messiah, the Anointed One, whose mission involves calling the world back to God through the power of His love.

Discuss:  Talk about the name(s)/title(s). What does it mean to be "anointed"? What are some examples of "anointing" in the Bible?

Prayer:  Jesus, my Messiah, I praise You for triumphing over the powers of sin and death. Thank you for allowing Yourself to be raised up on a cross and then raised from the grave. Cover me with Your forgiveness, and fill me with Your Spirit so that my one purpose will be to glorify You now and forever. Amen. 

Songs: Jesus, Messiah by Chris Tomlin, Joy to the World

Ornament: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNamesJesus.html#.VmlZHdA-DR3

Craft:  You could build a nativity scene with your child(ren).  The nativity is the beginning of Christ’s earthly walk.  

Service Project Idea:  For the student who accepted Christ as their Savior they can share their testimony

Christmas Devotion (Day 10) - Bright Morning Star

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.
-- Revelation 22:16

In ancient times, the morning star (actually the planet Venus) was thought of as a herald of the new day, signaling the dawn of hope and joy. The brightest object in the sky aside from the sun and moon, it is a fitting description for Jesus, who ushers in a new day for the entire world. When we call on Jesus, the Bright Morning Star, we are calling on the One from whom all darkness flees.

A star also announced the birth of Jesus. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? We have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him."...After they had heard the king, they went on their way. and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped Him.  Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11

Just like our bodies need light in order to help us be happy, our souls long for light as well. Maybe that's why the story of Jesus is associated with light from start to finish. A star announced His birth and like the Morning Star, His second coming will usher us into His Kingdom of Light.

Discuss: Jesus says that He is coming soon. In what ways do you think His second coming will be different from His first? What are your feelings toward His second coming...fear, doubt, joy, hope?

Prayer: Lord, Jesus, You are the brightest of all stars. With Your light, chase away the world's darkness and the shadows that linger in my life. Help me to await Your coming with hope and confidence and to long eagerly for the new day that will never end, the day in which Your kingdom will be finally and fully established.

Songs: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, Christmas Star by CiCi Winans

Ornament: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNamesJesus.html#.VmlZHdA-DR3

Craft: Make star-shaped cookies from sugar cookie dough. Decorate your home with stars for Christmas

Service Project Idea:  Create a sun catcher or mobile and give it to a shut-in to brighten their day.

Christmas Devotion (Day 9) - Good Shepherd

I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
-- John 10:11

10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
-- John 10:1-8

One of the most tender images of Jesus is one He supplied when referring to Himself as the Good Shepherd. This name reminds us both of our own vulnerability and Jesus' watchful, protecting care. It evokes a sense of belonging, intimacy, and trust, revealing the Good Shepherd as the One who lays down His life for His sheep. When we pray to the Good Shepherd, we are admitting our need for His care and our confidence in His ability to watch over and protect us.

The Bible uses many metaphors to describe God's people - a temple, a body, a bride, a garden, a vineyard, or a flock of sheep. Shepherding, in fact, was an important job, practiced by Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David. Also, the first people that got to hear about the Good News of Jesus' birth were shepherds.  The role of the shepherd was to provide three things for the flock in his or her care: food, protection and guidance.

Out of love for His wandering, lost people, God promises to become their Shepherd. Isaiah 40:11 gives us a wonderful image of God as our Shepherd:
He feeds His flock like a shepherd;
He gathers the lambs in His arms;
and carries them close to His heart;
He gently lead those that have young.

Discuss: How does God’s name of Shepherd emphasize his nature as protector?

Prayer:  You can pray Psalm 23 together

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

Songs: Adore by Kari Jobe, The First Noel

Ornament: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNamesJesus.html#.VmbJuNA-C8q

Craft: Begin to set up a nativity scene. Put in Mary, Joseph, shepherds and lambs thus far.

Christmas Devotion (Day 8) - Lamb of God

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 

John 1:29

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth: He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

Isaiah 53:7

"God has a problem, and it's a big one. He loves people but He hates sin. God is completely good and kind and loving, and He hates it when we aren't. How can He love us when He hates our sins? So God decided to solve this big problem by getting rid of our sins rather than getting rid of us. That's why He sent His Son. Jesus took the punishment for all the wrong things we do. Jesus' death took away our sins, so that now, when God looks at us, He doesn't see the sin that He hates but only the people He loves.

It is impossible to understand the title "Lamb of God" without understanding something about the practice of animal sacrifice. The sacrificial system provided a way for God's people to approach Him even though they had sinned and disobeyed His laws. When a lamb was offered its blood was shed and its body was burned on the altar. Those who offered sacrifices understood that the animal was a symbolic representation of themselves and their desire to offer their own lives to God. 

To the Jews the lamb represented innocence and gentleness. Because the lamb represented the person's pure intentions before God, the lamb had to be physically perfect."

from Praying the Names of Jesus by Ann Spangler

Discuss: Imagine that you are walking into the temple holding a young lamb in your arms. He is like a favorite pet, but now he is going to be sacrificed for your sins. How do you feel? Now imagine doing the same thing over and over because no one sacrifice can possibly take away your sins. What thoughts go through your mind? What do you think of when you think of Jesus as the Lamb of God?  

Prayer: Oh Jesus, Lamb of God, you are worthy of our thankfulness, our praise, and our worship!  Thank you for being so kind and gentle.  Thank you for your sacrifice on the cross that we may one day be with you in Heaven.  Amen

Songs: While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks, In the Bleak Midwinter

Ornament: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNamesJesus.html#.Vma5jdA-DR1

Craft: Make lambs out of cotton and cardboard. Set them in a little display to remind yourselves of the Lamb of God.

Service Project Idea:  During the cold winter months, many homeless individuals could use a blanket.  You may want to participate in making and/or gathering donated blankets to take to a homeless shelter.

Christmas Devotion (Day 7) - Immanuel

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us.
-- Matthew 1:23

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 
-- Isaiah 7:14

The name Immanuel means "God with us." "When our sins made it impossible for us to come to Him, God took the outrageous step of coming to us, of making Himself susceptible to sorrow, familiar with temptation, and vulnerable to sin's disruptive power, in order to cancel its claim. In Jesus we see how extreme God's love is.
One of the greatest of all the promises in the Bible is this: I am with you. Jesus said it to His disciples (and to us) at the end of Matthew's Gospel: 'Surely I am with you always. to the very end of the age.' If the Lord is with us, what do we have to fear? What do we lack? How can we lose? The same Lord who walked on water, healed the sick, and rose from the dead is saving us, watching over us, guiding our steps.
Remember this the next time you feel discouraged, abandoned, or too scared to try something new. For Jesus is still Immanuel - He is still 'God with us.'"  From Praying the Names of Jesus by Ann Spangler

Prayer: Immanuel, I praise You for Your faithful love -- drawing me near when I was far from you. Instead of casting me away from Your presence, You came to call me home. Instead of punishing me for my sins, You came to free from from them. Immanuel, my God, You are here with me today. Live in me and glorify Your name, I pray.  Amen

Discuss:  Read and discuss. What are the implications of “God With Us?” What does it mean? How do we know God is with us?

Songs: O Come, O Come Immanuel; God is With Us by Casting Crowns

Ornaments: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNamesJesus.html#.VmLcb9A-DR0

Craft: Have the student draw or paint a picture of “God With Us” means to them.

Service Project Idea:  Help set up a community nativity scene (at Christmas) or take part in a community production of the life of Jesus (usually found going on during the Easter/Passover holiday)

Christmas Devotion (Day 6) -- Child

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. 
-- Isaiah 9:6

In a loud voice she (Elizabeth) exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!"
-- Luke 1:42

"One of the reasons I find the Gospel so convincing is that it's nothing I would have dreamed up. Think about it, God became human, a little baby who had to be fed, burped, and bathed. God allowed Himself to get the flu, to be teased, to stub His toe like any other kid.
What if I had been God? Would I have devised an all-loving strategy to woo my people back to myself, developing a plan that would require weakness, humility, and dependency on the part of my child? I doubt it. My strategy would probably have involved more power than love because power seems less risky.
The apostle Paul speaks of Christ's crucifixion by saying: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 But surely God's "foolishness" began when He allowed His Son to be born in a stable and laid in a manger.
Jesus puts in to His disciples like this: 'Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven' Matthew 18:3-4.
But what does it mean to become like little children? Most children don't have much money. They don't have a lot of power. They often lack wisdom. And they aren't afraid of asking for help. Hasn't Jesus already made it plain? If you want to be big in God's kingdom, become small in this world. If you want to save your life, be willing to lose it.
Today, God is calling all of us, adult and child, to become like a little child, asking you to follow Him with humility and trust. Decide to embrace His "foolish-seeming" plan for your life, confident that His strength will be perfected through your weakness." Ann Spangler from Praying the Names of Jesus

Discuss: How would you have saved the world? Why do you think God chose this "foolish" way?

Songs: Away in a Manger, One Small Child, A Strange Way to Save the World

Ornament: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/…/Bible…/NamesJesus1.pdf

Craft:  You may wish to create a homemade manger scene, draw a family tree and illustrate it, etc.

Service Project Idea:  Possible ideas include volunteering time in a day care setting for older students, sharing what you have learned thus far in “thinking of you” type cards to shut ins and people in assisted living facilities, creating a puppet show to share with younger children about Jesus being the “first born of every creature,” etc.

Prayer: Lord, you were cradled in human arms and laid in a manger. How can I begin to understand a gift so unexpected? That someone so great would allow Himself to become so small? Help me to follow You, like a little child. Help me to love You, trust You, and lean on You today, and thank you for showing me the way into Your Kingdom.

The God of Wooden Plows

When we think of Jesus, we tend to focus on His birth or His last three years on this earth. But we should also remember "that Jesus spent most of His life engaged in manual labor. Back in Galilee in the second century, the Christian apologist Justin Martyr said that during his lifetime it was still common to see farmers using plows made by the carpenter Jesus of Nazareth.

In his book, titled The Call, theologian Os Guinness reminds us that even the humblest work is important if it is done for God. “How intriguing,” Guinness writes, “to think of Jesus’ plow rather than His Cross—to wonder what it was that made His plows and yokes last and stand out.” Clearly, they must have been very well made if they were still in use in the second century.

Today, Christians typically exalt spiritual work above manual work. After all, what’s making a plow compared with preaching to multitudes, feeding the five thousand, or raising someone from the dead? But the very fact that Jesus did make plows—and made them well—suggests that any work can be done to the glory of God. Any work can be a genuine calling. A calling, Guinness writes, is anything we do “as a response to God’s summons and service.” When God calls us to some task—even if it’s something the world sees as lowly—that task is invested with what Guinness calls “the splendor of the ordinary.”

“Drudgery done for ourselves or for other human audiences will always be drudgery,” he writes, but “drudgery done for God is lifted and changed.”
Accepting drudgery is one of the ways we practice discipleship—learning to offer it up sacrificially to God. “We look for the big things to do—[but] Jesus took a towel and washed the disciples’ feet,” Guinness writes. “We like to speak and act out of the rare moments of inspiration—[but] He requires our obedience in the routine, the unseen, and the thankless.” We, His followers, must be willing to take on the humble and thankless tasks as well—and not become impatient with changing diapers, doing homework, or taking out the trash.

If you are frustrated in your job or think the work you have to do is beneath you, just remember that for a season the One who turned water into wine and raised the dead to life . . . also made wooden plows."
-- Chuck Colson

Christmas Devotion (Day 5) - Prince of Peace

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 
-- Isaiah 9:6

Everyone longs for peace. However, the Hebrew word for peace, Shalom, means much more than the absence of conflict or the end of fighting. Shalom conveys not only a sense of tranquility but also of wholeness and completion. To enjoy Shalom is to enjoy health, satisfaction, success, safety well-being and prosperity.
Shortly after Jesus was born. we hear angels proclaiming: "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests" Luke 2:14
Paul assured us in Ephesians 2:14 that "He, Himself is our peace." He is the source of all peace because though we were separated from God due to our sins, Jesus reconciled us, making peace through His blood.  The cross was our punishment, the payback for our sins. But Christ, loving us and being unwilling to let us suffer a punishment we could not survive, transformed an instrument of torture into one of victory. Through it He both upheld God's justice and healed our relationship with a holy God.
No matter how broken our world is, it is still right to call God loving, still right to hail Jesus as the Prince of Peace. During His life on earth He calmed the storm, walked on the water, healed the sick, and brought the dead to life. These are signs that He intends to restore God's plan for creation, to bring it to completion by inaugurating and establishing the new creation. One day Jesus Christ will enable the lion and the lamb to lie down together, making the world what it should be. A place where there is no more death, no more decay,  no more illness or suffering or sorrow. A place where sin cannot be found and peace will reign from sea to sea.
Until then we must help those who suffer and console those who grieve. We must pray for peace and work for peace and refuse to accept a world that is less than it should be and less than it will be. And as we pray, let us remember that Jesus not only brings us peace, He is our peace.
Peace with God produces peace with others and peace within ourselves. "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace." John 20:26-27 and Isaiah 26:3 promises that God "will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in (God)." 
When you pray to Jesus, the Prince of Peace, you are praying to the One who is the source of all peace. To live in peace is to live in His presence.

Songs: Angels We Have Heard on High, Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant

Discussion: Discuss the name and its application to Christ. What does it mean to have peace in our lives? Does it mean "no war?" What is the work of the Prince of Peace? (Enables us to have Peace with God, Peace within ourselves, peace with others.) What does it mean to be a "peacemaker?"

Craft: What are some symbols of peace? Draw pictures of them

Service Project Idea: Challenge: Commit to sharing the gospel of peace with someone this week.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, thank you so much for the peace you offer.  In You we can find tranquillity and understanding.  With You with can find reconciliation.  You are truly sovereign and worthy of worship.  Teach us to become peacemakers - loving justice, doing right, and leading others along the path of peace. Amen.

Christmas Devotion (Day 4) - Everlasting Father

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
-- Isaiah 9:6

From the time of creation until about 2,000 years ago, no one had ever seen God. This all changed that Christmas night when Jesus was born to this earth. John 1:18 tells us "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known."

God wanted the people He created to actually be able to see Him and know Him on this earth. What an amazing concept! He loves us so very much and He desires that we would love Him. He knew that it is easier to love someone that you have seen. When Jesus walked on this earth, He showed people what God is like; that He is our everlasting Father.

Why a Father? Caring, loving, protective, one who provides for and takes care of his family, giver of counsel and wisdom...these are all attributes of a good father. They are all attributes of our Heavenly Father. They are all attributes of Jesus. Jesus said: "I and the Father are one." John 10:30 and also that "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." John 14:9 He modeled the attributes of a perfect Father while here on earth as He pointed the way to Heaven where one day, all those who believe in Him, will be able to spend eternity with their Everlasting Father.

Songs: Sweet Little Jesus Boy by Casting Crowns, O Come All Ye Faithful

Ornaments: http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/…/Bible…/NamesJesus1.pdf

For Discussion: The name and it's meaning. How it applies to Christ. What makes a good father? How is Jesus like this? you may also wish to discuss the importance of having a father-figure in a person’s life and whether or not another male figure can substitute for a biological father’s absence.

Craft: Make an evergreen wreath. The wreath is "eternal." It is circular having no beginning and no end. Evergreens symbolize eternal life. Hang a wreath in your home for Christmas

Service Project Idea:  A couple of things spring to mind here.  You could either focus on the actual fathers in your own family and create a special card or gift for them; or, you might have an older child research organizations such as “Big Brothers” that tries to meet the needs of children who do not have a father figure in their lives.  At that point you may also wish to discuss the importance of having a father-figure in a person’s life and whether or not another male figure can substitute for a biological father’s absence.

Prayer:  This may be a perfect time to introduce or re-introduce memorization of the Lord’s Prayer, paying particular attention to the term “Our Father.”