Tag Archives: Christmas

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

December 7, 2020 kensapp Leave a comment

Robert May worked in the advertising department of Montgomery Ward, the 2nd largest department store chain in America at the time.

In 1939, he was asked to create a children’s book for Christmas about an animal to give as a gift to their customers. But the year proved difficult, as May’s wife died from cancer. The future was bleak as he was forced to raise his young daughter alone. On September 1st, 1939 World War II broke out, bringing an uncertain future, and dark times for the whole world.

As Robert sat down to write, he was inspired by his daughter’s love for a deer at the local zoo. He created Rudolph, a shiny-nosed reindeer as a symbol for himself and his young daughter that happier times were coming.

When the story was released for Christmas, It was an instant hit. 2.4 million copies of the children’s book were given as gifts. They would have given away even more if there hadn’t been wartime restrictions on the use of paper.

The story of Rudolph the red-nosed reeindeer was made into a song, and then into a movie as well. The movie has been broadcast every year since 1964, making it the longest-running Christmas TV special in the history of television.

It is perhaps a fitting story for 2020, as the world struggles with Covid-19.

A terrible storm threatened to cancel Christmas. Rudolph, a young reindeer with a bright red nose, felt left out, alone, isolated. But in the midst of the gloom, Rudolph found his purpose and shined brightly in the darkness. And in doing so, he made a joyful Christmas possible for everyone.

If you are feeling alone, isolated.
If the future seems bleak.
Remember the story of Rudolph.

God created you with a purpose.
Embrace your special God-given talents.
You too can shine the light of His love this Christmas
And bring a little joy to the whole World.

As you remind everyone that they are not alone.
A bright future lies ahead
The “Light of the World” came
That all might have hope and future
In the accepting embrace of God’s Love.

Devotional, Food for Thought

Be It unto Me According to Your Word

November 6, 2016 kensapp Leave a comment

christmas_mary “When the angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her of God’s invitation to her to bear the Christ-child, there was a silence between the angel’s news and Mary’s response. In that silence, all the heavenly host became quiet and the celestial movement of the stars and planets ceased. In that silence even God himself leaned over from his heavenly throne and listened. The whole universe waited her reply. Then, when Mary said “Yes, be it unto me according to your word,” God smiled deeply while also shedding a tear, the angels began to sing, the heavenly host celebrated, and the cosmos had started once again.”

We will never know, at least not in this life, if Mary was the first one to whom this offer had been made. We will never know if God’s offer had been rejected before. What we do know is that Mary could have rejected the announcement.

I’m sure Mary may have had many ideas and expectations about what her life would be like. We all do. We knew she was expecting to marry Joseph. And then this angel shows up with a message from God that lays out a whole different plan for her future. To say that this was going to complicate her life is putting it lightly. While Scripture talked a lot about the coming of the Messiah, it didn’t include instructions for being the Messiah’s mom.

Mary is the ultimate example of a life yielded to God’s purpose. Mary puts God in the driver’s seat. But it’s one thing to see that kind of faith in a Biblical figure who lived 2,000 years ago. It’s another thing to live out that faith today, and walk in submission to God. True worship, True adoration, gives God control.

Let us rearrange our lives around the Savior. As Mary did!

Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Icebreakers

Christmas – Across the Line

December 18, 2015 kensapp Leave a comment

Christmas - Across the Line
Location
Anywhere a line can be drawn across the meeting area.

Energy level: Medium

Description
Which side are you on? Do you know where you stand? Find out in this Christmas icebreaker where participants move back and forth to opposite sides of the room depending on their Christmas related preferences.

Resources
If you have time, use string or tape to make a line down the center of the room. Alternatively, just use chairs or stand in the center as a reference point.

Preparation
Come up with a list of Christmas related choices. You will want to choose those ideas that are a little crazy and fun
as well as lead into the topic of your discussion. It’s best to end with the one that is most closely related to your Christmas discussion topic. Here is a partial Christmas list. Highlight those or put a tick mark beside those you wish to use for your Christmas Bible study / lesson.

You can also add your own ideas! Don’t use them all… about 10 to 15 is a good number… after that it gets boring! Always leave them wanting for more… as soon as interest starts to decrease a little, it’s time to move on to the next debrief!

Here’s a list of ideas

Shepherd – Wise man
Mary – Joseph
Candy Canes – Chocolates
Give a gift – Receive a Gift
Gingerbread Man – Plum Pudding
Rudolph – Frosty
Poinsettia – Mistletoe
Nuts – Fruits
Live Tree – Artificial Tree
Silent Night – Jingle Bells
Snow – Sunshine
PSP – Wii
Cinnamon – Nutmeg
Eggnog – Hot Chocolate
Christmas Eve – Christmas Day
Nutcracker Suite – Handel’s Messiah
Matthew – Luke
Wreath – Holly
Star – Angel
Homemade Card – Store Bought card
Snowflake – Snowball
Red – Green
Tinsel – Garland
Turkey – Ham
Apple Pie – Pecan Pie

What to Do

Divide the room in half and put a line down the middle. You will be giving the participants TWO Christmas options, one for each side of the room.
Stand on the line in the middle of the room. As you call out each Christmas related preference point to the corresponding side of the room.
Everyone must then move to the side of the room based on his/ her Christmas related preference. If both options apply then they must choose the one which is true more often.

For example. I may call out Eggnog (point to left side) and Hot Chocolate (point to right)… If someone prefers eggnog rather than hot chocolate he /she will move to the left side of the room. If they prefer hot Chocolate they should move to the right side of the room.

Breaking into Groups
As you play, take note of those options where the groups were almost equal in size. Later if you want to break the participants up into two groups, use those identifiers to split them up.

Take It to the Next Level
General discussion questions:

Which Christmas related choice was easiest for you to make?
Which Christmas related choice was most difficult for you? Why?
Where there any surprises? (Example: People with the same choice as you that you didn’t expect?)
In what ways is the group most alike?
In which choices were you in the minority? Does being in the minority make you more bold or more uncertain?
Have you ever felt that you were all alone in certain beliefs, attitudes, habits, or characteristics? How can knowing others are just like you help?

Take It Spiritual

Did you choose Mary or Joseph? Why?
Mary and Joseph had some difficult choices to make. What were some of the issues they faced? Whose choice was more difficult? Why?
Did you choose shepherd or wise man? Why? What did the birth of Christ mean for each?

Action Point

You probably shared something in common with almost everyone in the group during one choice or another. What is one way you can you build on the things you have in common to form positive relationships with everyone.
This Christmas you will need to make a lot of choices… Make sure all of your choices bring glory to God and proclaim the good news to all people!

Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Game Ideas, Object Lessons

Gift Wrapped Christmas

December 2, 2014 kensapp Leave a comment

We are attracted by extravagantly wrapped gifts with red bows and colorful paper. But its not the wrapper we treasure but the gift. Sometimes the wrapper might give clues as to what is inside but sometimes the gift inside is a complete surprise and totally unexpected. The gift of the first Christmas was not wrapped the way the world expected either. The Jews wanted a mighty warrior with a sword in one hand and King’s crown in the other. But instead, God sent his greatest gift – an innocent, defenceless, vulnerable baby, wrapped in cloths, not wrapping paper.

CLICK HERE TO SHARE “GIFT WRAPPED CHRISTMAS” ON FACEBOOK

Games using Wrapping Paper

All Wrapped Up – Tear up various types of Christmas wrapping paper and place it inside a large sheet. More is better. There are two rounds to this game. In the first round, each group wraps one of its members in masking tape (STICKY SIDE OUT) from ankles to just below their arms. Arms should NOT be wrapped. Be sure to emphasize STICKY SIDE OUT. The first team to completely wrap up their teammate in making tape with no cracks whatsoever wins. In Round two, first, throw all the torn up wrapping paper on the floor of the playing area and then teams work to roll the wrapped player in as much wrapping paper as possible. After a couple of minutes, tell teams to stop. Award the team with the most wrapping player stuck to their teammate. Be sure to take group photos!
Christmas dice gift exchange – Have everyone sit in a circle and start with a gift. Play a Christmas carol while 1-3 dice are being passed around (space them out). Each person rolls and passes the dice. If they roll a six, they can trade gift wrapped packages with whomever they want. At the end of the song, everyone keeps the package in front of him or her.
Christmas Unwrap – Wrap a gift with several layers of paper and heavy duty tape to make it difficult to unwrap. Youth line up and then must roll doubles six on a pair of dice, run to a baseball bat, spin 5 times around the bat, then go to the gift and put on a woolhat, snow / ski gloves and then begin to unwrap the present – first to do so wins the prize. As soon as they get to the present the next person can start rolling the dice to start the process again. When someone new gets to the present, they first person must stop, remove the clothing items and then run back to the end of the line. The youth who successfully unwraps the gift gets to keep it.
Christmas Wrap Up – You’ll need a lot of wrapping paper, some tape, and a bow for each team. The objective is to be the first team to completely wrap someone up and place a bow on their head like a giant Christmas present. Be sure that your students do not forget to make a gift tag written to whom the present is for and from. You can have an award for the most completely wrapped as well as the most creative and best wrapped. Be sure to take some photos along the way.
Christmas Wrapping Paper Match – Cut out squares from several different patters of Christmas wrapping paper. You want to have one square for each person in your group. Place them all in box with a small hole cut in the top. You’ll also want two of the squares to be identical in design and pattern but make all the others different. Fold each square and place it inside the box. Let each youth pick one square. Once everyone has a square announce, that the first two people to find matching squares will win a prize.
Gift Ball – Save used wrapping paper, bubble wrap, cardboard, plastic, and packaging bits to create a ball. To create the gift ball, begin by wrapping a small prize or even money in a piece of used gift wrap. Layer on additional wrap and packaging bits to create a ball, securing it tightly. If you are short of gift wrap you can also use magazines, plastic bags, newspaper, and other things you have around the house. Add a few layers of these between the layers of wrapping paper. You can secure the layers with any kind of tape, yarn, string, and leftover ribbon bits, etc. You can add candy and small gifts to the ball in a bonus layers as you go along. The more the merrier so that everyone has a chance to get something. The bigger the ball, the better, especially if you have a large group. To play, have the youth group members sit in a circle with the gift ball and a pair of dice. One youth begins unwrapping the ball as fast as he can while the player to his left rolls the dice repeatedly until he gets a 7. When he does, the ball is passed to him to unwrap, and the dice are passed to the next player. Tearing off layers and dice-rolling continues until someone finally reaches the prize and claims it as the winner. You can make it more challenging by making the player wear winter gloves.
Gift Guess – Gift wrap a variety of common objects and place tags on them with numbers (socks, ornaments, a candy cane, holly, pinecones, bells, an angel, Jesus in a manger, a can of egg nog, a Santa hat, a reindeer, a cookie, and any other common Christmas items you can find. Pass the gifts around and give each person a small amount of time to feel the gifts and make their guesses as to what•s inside each. Give them a peice of paper to number and write down thier guesses. The youth that make the most correct guesses are the winners.
Gift wrap Relay – Cut up the front pictures of several old Christmas Greeting cards and hide each piece in a separate box. Gift Wrap the boxes. Divide the youth into two or more teams and put the pile of wrapped boxes on a table at the other end of the room. You’ll need to have one set of boxes and one picture for each team. The first player in each team runs to the table, unwraps a present, grabs his picture piece and sprints back to his next teammate. The rest of the team has a turn until all the pieces of the picture have been unwrapped. The teams then need to race to assemble and correctly identify their picture. The first team to do this wins!
Gift Wrap Snowball Fight – Take a bunch of used wrapping paper and wad it up into balls. Divide the room in half or quarters so that you have a team in each section. Dump the wadded up wrapping paper in the middle of the room. On go, youth toss the balls of wrapping paper at each other and into other sections as quickly as they can. When time is up the team with the least amount of wrapping paper in their section wins.
Penguin Gift Race – Divide the youth into two teams. Have players at the start of the line put a gift wrapped box between their knees and waddle to a designated spot and back. The next in line does the same until all youth have had their turn. If the gift is dropped, they must return to start and begin waddling again. The team that finishes first wins.
Siamese Twin gift-wrapping race – For this Christmas game you•ll need to have a box, wrapping paper, scissors and tape for each team. Divide your youth group into pairs who will stand side by side with one hand free and the other around the waist of their team member (as if they were one person with two hands- a left hand and a right hand). The object of the game is to see which Siamese Twin team can gift wrap their present (correctly) in the smallest amount of time.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

Unfortunately, because God came to us wrapped in a human body and not in his majesty and glory a lot of people at the first Christmas missed Him. The gift wasn’t wrapped as they expected. There was no special welcome, no special preparations, no grand entrance and in fact there wasn’t even room for him in the inn nor a real bed to sleep in. The son of God was wrapped in rags and lying in a manger, a feed trough.

Just imagine focusing on the wrapping paper from a Christmas gift and treasuring the wrapper and missing and throwing away the gift.

Unfortunately, today, too many people in the world are so focused on all the wrappings of Christmas – the gifts, the cheer, the celebrations, the wishes of peace – that they forget the real gift – that God sent his Son to save the world.

What matters is not the outside wrapping, but rather the gift inside and what we do with it.

We don’t have to earn a gift, work for it, or do anything other than receive it. Read Romans 2:8: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–”

Read Luke 2:1-20

The people God first told about the birth were shepherds. In general, the shepherds were the poor, the jobless, the powerless, the less educated, the uncultured, maybe even the outcasts. Often when we buy gifts for others, we reserve the best gifts for the special people, the ones who will surely give us something in return, the ones who are our favorites. But the gift of Jesus was first announced to the shepherds, those without titles, those who could return little.

God had given the world a gift it didn’t think it wanted or needed, and certainly not as expected, and he presented the gift to a group of people who weren’t the powerful, the rulers, or those most looked up to. It was a seemingly ordinary gift, in an ordinary wrapper, given to ordinary people.

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

The Shepherds
Read Luke 2:1-20
* Why do you think the angels appeared to the shepherds and not someone else?
* Could the shepherds have chosen to accept or decline the angels invitation? What did they choose to do?
* How long do you think it took them to decide?
* Why do you think it was important to them to see the Baby Jesus first hand?
* Why did the shepherds drop everything to go find out about some baby? Why were they so excited?
* What does this baby mean to them?
* What does this baby mean to us?
* Why was the birth of Christ Good News?
* What are some lessons, truths, attitudes, and responses can we learn from the shepherds?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

* Do you still find a sense of wonder when you consider God’s gift to the world, or has it lost its luster? Are you more focused on the wrappings of Christmas or the Gift God Sent?
* What are you hoping for this Christmas?
* How can you have a deeper first hand experience with Christ this Christmas?
* What can you do to help others see through all the wrappings of the holiday and clearly see the true gift of Christmas?
* The gift is not really ours until we choose to receive it. It is of no use to us unless we take it for ourselves, unwrap it, and make it our own. Have you received the gift of Christ in your life?

SCRIPTURES

Luke 2:11-12 (NIV) – “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

CLICK HERE TO SHARE “GIFT WRAPPED CHRISTMAS” ON FACEBOOK

Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Game Ideas

Christmas: An Unexpected Gift

December 3, 2013 kensapp Leave a comment

We are attracted by extravagantly wrapped gifts with red bows and colorful paper. In this game, participants will try to guess the objects that have been wrapped up as Christmas gifts. But the gifts are probably not what they will expect – they are simply things that are very ordinary. The gift of the first Christmas was not wrapped the way the world expected either. The Jews wanted a mighty warrior with a sword in one hand and King’s crown in the other. But instead, God sent an innocent, defenceless, vulnerable baby – just a seemingly ordinary baby boy.

PLEASE SHARE THIS IDEA ON FACEBOOK – CLICK HERE

What You Need

Wrap up several Christmas gifts that are ordinary objects. Some ideas are toilet paper roll, box of tissue, toothpaste, a pencil, a comb, a bar of soap, an ordinary drinking glass, an ice cube tray, a battery, a can of food, etc.)

Preparation

Get the gifts and wrap them up nicely. Wrap them well, maybe in more than one layer of paper so that they are not easily opened and so that the youth cannot easily take a peak.
Place a tag with a number on each gift.

What to Do

Give everyone a piece of paper and pass the gifts around.
Have them write down what they thing each gift is according the numbers on each one.
The youth who correctly guesses the most objects is the winner.
You might choose to award the gifts to the winner.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

Unfortunately, because of the world’s expectations, the gift of God was unnoticed by most! There was no special welcome, no special preparations, no grand entrance and in fact there wasn’t even room for him in the inn nor a real bed to sleep in.

This is still true today. We welcome the excitement, the expectation of wonderful gifts, the idea of Christmas cheer and celebrations, but most people are unwilling to welcome the Christ Child into their hearts. He’s not really what most people are looking for during the Christmas season.

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

The Shepherds
Read Luke 2:1-20

Why do you think the angels appeared to the shepherds and not someone else?
Could the shepherds have chosen to accept or decline the angels invitation? What did they choose to do?
How long do you think it took them to decide?
Why do you think it was important to them to see the Baby Jesus first hand?
Why did the shepherds drop everything to go find out about some baby? Why were they so excited?
What does this baby mean to them?
What does this baby mean to us?
Why was the birth of Christ Good News?
What are some lessons, truths, attitudes, and responses can we learn from the shepherds?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

Do you still find a sense of wonder when you consider God’s gift to the world, or has it lost its luster?
What are you hoping for this Christmas?
How can you have a deeper first hand experience with Christ this Christmas?
What can you do to help others see the true gift of Christmas this year?

SCRIPTURES

Luke 2:1-20

Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Creative Teaching Ideas

The Christmas Story: Elizabeth & Zechariah

December 16, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

The story of the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth is an integral part of the Christmas story as found in Luke 1:5-25; 57-66. Mary, pregnant with Jesus, visits Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. In the presence of Christ in Mary’s Womb, John the Baptist jumps in Elizabeth’s womb. But this story is not only about John the Baptist and Jesus. Elizabeth and Zachariah are wonderful examples of patience and belief.

Christmas Time Line Relay

Resources

Index Cards

Preparation

On the index cards place the following events from the story of the Birth of John, one per card. Make a set for each team.
On a wall/ board across the room place the numbers 1-10.
Shuffle the cards and place them at the front of the line for each team.

Zechariah draws the small straw so he goes into the temple to burn incense
An angel of the Lord appears to Zechariah
The Angel Gabriel prophesies about the birth of John and his life
Zechariah doubts
Zechariah’s voice is taken away so he cannot speak
Elizabeth became pregnant
Elizabeth has a son
Elizabeth wants to call the baby “John”
Zechariah sings a song of prophesy
John the Baptist grew and became strong in the Spirit and lived in the desert

What to Do

Zechariah had to communicate using his hands to gesture or by writing on a piece of paper. Play Christmas charades with the youth using the Bible events from the story of Zachariah and Elizabeth. Divide into 1 or more teams and give them the cards with the various events.
The first person for each group must take a card and act out the Bible person or situation while the rest of the team tries to guess the event. Only once the event is guessed, can it be placed on the timeline.
Once the event has been guessed, the youth must run and place it in what they think the correct position (positions 1 to 10) on the timeline and then run back to the line. They may rearrange those cards already placed on the timeline while they are there.
Teammates can shout help.
If at the end of the relay, not all cards are in the correct order, the next person in line can go up and rearrange the cards and come back.
Do not tell the team whether it is correct until they come back. If something is out of place, do not tell them which events are out of order, but simply tell them it is incorrect.
The first team to complete the time line in the correct order wins.

Variation

To make things more interesting, or to make it last longer in a small space, give the teams straws and peanuts or peas. They must pick up a pea or peanuts using suction through the straw and carry it to the timeline and back. If the person drops the pea/ peanut that he must return his card to the deck and go to the end of the line. The next person then goes.

Variation

Instead of charades use pictionary so that youth must draw the events on a whiteboard or large sheet of paper.

Take it to the Next Level

Make it Spiritual

At Christmas, most of us see gifts under the Christmas tree long before Christmas Day. It takes patience to wait until Christmas Day to open the gifts. Israel had waited a long time for the promised Saviour, the Messiah. But the long awaited Messiah had not come yet. Even though Zachariah and his wife were childless, and quite old, he still served God faithfully and continued to pray for a child. Like Israel, he He had waited for a very long time. On this occasion, while he was faithfully serving in the temple, the Angel Gabriel appeared and told him his prayers were about to be answered. He and his wife would have a son and God would use that son – to be named John, to bless Israel and usher in the long promised messiah. God was about to present not only he and his wifeWhile Zechariah was faithfully serving in the temple and praying for the birth of a child for him and his wife a very special blessing, but all of Israel with an incredible blessing as well.

At the angel’s appearance, Zechariah was at first scared, and then when he heard the message he had trouble believing it. Because of his disbelief, Gabriel told him that he would not be able to speak until the baby was born. He had been given a very special message, but he couldn’t speak about it for 9 months. Everyone knew something special had happened, but Zachariah had to patiently trust God that when the baby was born he would get his voice back. After the birth, when there was a question of what to name the baby, Zachariah wrote down the name John. Immediately, Zechariah could speak again.

Make it Practical

What are some of the promises of God given to us?
What are some promises you have seen become real in your own life?
What are some of the promises of God you are still waiting to see become real for you?
What are some things we pray for in life?
What lessons can we learn from the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth related to God’s promises and prayer?
Why is patience and belief important to Christians when it comes to God’s promises and answered prayer?

Make it Personal

What promises of God are you most eagerly awaiting to be fulfilled in your life?
Why? What different would this make to your life?
What is the most persistent prayer you make to God?
Why? What different would this make to your life?
What lessons regarding patience, faithful service, and prayer can you apply to your own life?

Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Creative Teaching Ideas

Insignificant Christmas?

December 11, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

As the streets get lit up, the sidewalks, shop windows, everything gets decorated with scenes of the nativity, we see it all around us, and these symbols carry deep meaning for us. But something we don’t realize is how insignificant they were at the very first Christmas.

INSIGNIFICANT CHRISTMAS?

Resources

A list of 15-20 items that teens carry in their wallets, purses, or on themselves.
Some possible items for your list are: a black comb, facial tissue, a cross, five dollar bill, Bible, a book mark, foreign currency, lipstick, a note from a friend, white shoe string, 1 cent coin, an identity card, brown belt, safety pin, a ring, watch with a second hand, toothbrush, a friend’s phone number, pen, fingernail file, a pencil, picture of dad, friendship bracelet, a blank piece of paper, student ID, blonde hair, credit card, mobile phone, a cosmetic mirror, etc.

Preparation

Divide youth into groups of 4-5 students

What to Do

Tell the groups that you are going to ask for an object.
Each group should present their object to you for a point.
Once they’re back in their groups, they have to form these objects into some kind of representation of Christmas.
Have each group explain their representation.

Take It to the Next Level

Think about the small, insignificant things we see all around us at Christmas time, the sights, the sounds, the images. What are some of them you see?

Insignificant Places

Bethlehem
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, TOO LITTLE to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” (Micah 5:2 – Emphasis Mine) Bethlehem means “House of Bread.” Ephrathah means “fruitful.” It is fitting that the Messiah, the “Bread of life”, the “fruitful vine” would be born there. It is the city of David, who was initially seen by his father Jesse as the most insignificant of his sons when presenting them to the prophet Samuel. Bethlehem was not the capital city. It was not a major trade center. It wasn’t a center of attention. It was a small quiet town, an insignificant place until the Messiah came.

Nazareth
Nathanael asked of Nazareth, “Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46) Joseph and Mary cam from Nazareth. It wasn’t significant. It wasn’t held in high regard as indicated by Nathaniel’s statement.

Fields
The shepherd kept watch in the fields by night. It was pasture, farmland, a place to raise sheep. In fact, scripture says they were “living in the fields.” It was not at a crossroads, in the public square, on the palace grounds that the Savior’s arrival was announced, but in a field filled with more sheep than men.

A Stable
There was no room in the inn. No decent room. Not even a decent bed. Christ was not born in a palace or event a place created for men. It was a place for the animals, a stable. Instead of a bed, a feed trough.

Insignificant People

Shepherds
“In that region, there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.” (Luke 2:8) Shepherds were banished from the temple, indicating that in some way they were social outcasts who spent most of their lives not among men, but among sheep. As the shepherds tended their sheep they were simply going about their daily tasks. To the shepherds there was nothing significant about the night until the sky suddenly filled with a multitude of angels announcing “Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord.”

The Innkeeper
He was so insignificant that his name was not even mentioned, yet he gave Mary and Joseph a stable that provided some shelter for the night.

Mary and Joseph
They were not well to do and traveled the long journey from Nazareth to pay their taxes. Too young to be married, but old enough to trust God at His word. Mary’s words – “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said”.

From Insignificant to Significant

Christmas reminds us that any place can become special when God visits that place. That anyone can become important when God works through them. God specializes in making the small, the insignificant, the forgotten, and even the outcast significant in his plans. All he needs is a place, in your heart and in your life where ever you may be. When God is near, When God is with us, “Immanuel”, the insignificant grows into significance because he fills the space given to Him.

Make it Personal

What are some of the possibilities for God to use you and where you are at now for his glory?
In what ways can you allow God to fill more of your life?
What things can you do to allow God to use you in a more significant way?
You are significant to God. How would your life change if you said to God like Mary? “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

Scripture References

“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”
– 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Teaching Illustrations

Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus

December 4, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’
Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

VIRGINIA O’HANLON.
115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET.

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

[Source: Written by Francis P. Church, Editor of the NY Sun in 1897 and is supposedly the most reprinted newspaper editorial ever. Image source: Wikipedia]

Take it to the Next Level

Yes Virginia there is a God

Millions of little people around the world believe in Santa. Of course, most are children, but it speaks much of childlike faith. They may be too young to understand the implications of a real life Santa that knows whether what every child in the world wants for Christmas and whether they are deserving or not to receive it, and can deliver all those gifts in a single night. (see Is There a Santa Claus)

As children grow up, they often outgrow Santa. A rational person could not truly believe in such a man and what he supposedly is able to do. Unfortunately, the same is often true of the belief in God. While a literal St. Nick did exist, the claims of who he is and what he does have been exaggerated over the years. Could the same be true of God? On what basis do we base our belief in God?

Perhaps the editorial holds an answer to that question. You find it not in the Sun, but in the SON – the Son of God. Christmas is the celebration of His birth. And it is not because it is written in a newspaper, but because it is written in the Word of God that we trust that it is true. And, as the editorial states, “The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see.” Some things must be taken in Childlike faith.

Scripture references from the Bible

“Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'” – John 20:29

“However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him'” – 1 Corinthians 2:9

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

‘Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.'” – John 18:37

‘He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’ – Matthew 18:2-3

Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Teaching Illustrations

The Tablecloth

December 3, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

He remembers it well…

On Tuesday, the 21st of December that year, the pastor went over to his church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high.

The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.

By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet.

“Pastor,” she asked, “where did you get that tablecloth” The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were… These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria. The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth.

The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was force to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. She was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again.

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home, that was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a house cleaning job.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood,continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn’t leaving.

The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike. He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety, and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between.

The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride.They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman’s apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.

Supposedly a True Story.

[Source Unknown]

Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Humor

Four Stages of Christmas

December 2, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

I believe in Santa Claus
I don’t believe in Santa Claus
I am Santa Claus
I look like Santa Claus!

Creative Youth ideas: 1700+ Resources for youth leaders, pastors, ministers to help plan camps, retreats, and meetings using games, illustrations, Children's Worship, Bible Studies, object lessons, sermons, creative ideas,creative activities