Monday, December 24, 2012
December 24 - Jesus’ Birth
After thousands of years of waiting, the time finally came for the Son of God to be born into the world! Luke recorded, “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).
Complete Devotionals HERE.
Opening Song: In A Little Stable-piano; vocal copy
Have the children ring bells while singing.
Ornament: manger or Nativity scene
Timeline: 1 B.C.
We can think of these swaddling bands as symbols of Christ growing up in the right way and doing what is right. Show the children how to swaddle a baby in a blanket and have them try. You could also get inexpensive dolls for each child with their own strips of swaddling bands to wrap their baby in.
Every baby during that time was wrapped in swaddling clothes, but only Christ was laid in a manger. Mary and Joseph were far away from their home in Nazareth, and could only find refuge and privacy in a stable. Having no bed for Jesus, they made use of a manger, a feeding trough for animals. Although Jesus was a king, the creator of the earth, and the greatest of us all, he was born into very humble circumstances.
Jesus called himself “the bread of life.” “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). “For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world” (John 6:33). Food and water sustain our physical lives. This manger carried the food of eternal life for all.
Our heavenly family waited thousands of years for Christ to be born on earth. That day did come 20__ years ago. The angels rejoiced at His birth, and miraculous signs appeared all over the earth. We celebrate tonight His choice to descend below all things and be born as a mortal baby here on earth. We celebrate His life of example and teachings that we can follow. We celebrate His redemption of all mankind from sin and death. Joy to the World, the Lord did come!
Hang the ornament on the tree.
Close with a Nativity Program (Luke 2, carols) and family prayer.
Tell the children that you are going to show them a magic trick. Find a book with the word “Christmas” on it or print out the word. Showing the word, say, “This is Christmas.” Now cover up “mas” and say, “This is Christ.” Say “This is Christ,” uncover “mas” and say “This is Christmas.” Repeat this until the children understand: This is Christ, and this is Christmas. Christmas is a holiday to celebrate the coming of Christ into the world.
After thousands of years of waiting, the time finally came for the Son of God to be born into the world! Luke recorded, “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).
Show painting of Madonna and Child: Swaddling is an age-old practice. After an infant was born, the umbilical cord was cut and tied, and then the baby was washed, rubbed with salt and oil, and wrapped with strips of cloth. These strips kept the newborn child warm and also ensured that the child's limbs would grow straight (Wikipedia). It was commonly believed that this was essential for the infants to develop proper posture (to grow strong and straight).
I used to think the timeline should be at zero, but gospel study manuals and the scriptures taught me that Christ’s birth is counted as 1 B.C.
I bought a miniature manger and added a hook and thread.
This is my favorite manger ornament, which came with my inexpensive set from Oriental Trading.
There are loads of Nativity scene ornaments. This is a fancier one from a set I found at Deseret Book.
Tyler’s nursery leader bought a baby doll for each of the nursery kids, made diapers for them (left) and strips of cloth for the parents to help them wrap their babies in. It was so sweet that I bought more babies (from Target) for my kids to use for this lesson.
Watch “The Nativity” (5:52).
Watch “Jesus Christ is Born” (1:27) and/or
Watch “The Nativity” (7:53). This is the new one.
