Luke 2:8-20
That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. An angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and suddenly they became very frightened. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, because I am bringing you some good news. It will be a joy to all the people. Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is Christ, the Lord. This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a feeding box.”
Then a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel. All the angels were praising God, Saying: “Give glory to God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace to the people who please God.”
Then the angels left the shepherds and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened. We will see this thing the Lord told us about.”
So the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph. And the shepherds saw the baby lying in a feeding box. Then they told what the angels had said about this child. Everyone was amazed when they heard what the shepherds said to them. Mary hid these things in her heart; she continued to think about them. Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything that they had seen and heard. It was just as the angel had told them.
Discussion Questions
- Who told the shepherds about Jesus’ birth? The angels.
- Where did the angels tell the shepherds they would find the baby? Lying in a feeding box.
- What was the first thing the shepherds did? They went to Bethlehem to see Jesus and then told everyone about his birth.
- How did people feel about what the shepherds told them? They were amazed.
- What did the shepherds do after they visited Baby Jesus? They went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the story of the Angels who told the good news, and for the Shepherds who went to see Baby Jesus. Thank you for sending us your son, Jesus, as a baby.
Amen.
Bible Verse for December
“God loved us and sent his Son.” 1 John 4:10
Activities:
Angel Matching
Begin by cutting out pictures of angels from Christmas cards, gift wrap, ads, napkins, computer printouts, etc (NOTE: each picture should be different from the others). If you use only Christmas cards, simply cut off the front flap of the card. Otherwise, glue the angel pictures to construction paper or cardboard to make them easier to handle. Then cut each picture in half, horizontally. Keep the top and bottom halves separate. Mix up the top halves. Then mix up the bottom halves. Give your child one of the top halves and then ask her to find the bottom half that matches the top half. Continue until all the matches are made.
Talk About:
- What do you think angels look like?
- Who did the angels visit in our story?
- How do you think the people in our story felt about seeing the angels?
- Who sent the angels?
Choose one family member to be a stable keeper. The stable keeper stands on one side of the room, and the rest of the family stands on the other side. Ask the stable keeper to think silently of an animal that might have been in the stable the night Jesus was born. Then the stable keeper should make the noise of that animal. The other family members now pretend to be that animal and make its sound while moving like that animal, across the room to the stable keeper. Once all the animals have made it to the stable keeper, the stable keeper goes to the opposite side of the room. Play continues as the new stable keeper thinks of an animal and makes the sound. (If your stable keeper needs help thinking of an animal, whisper a suggestion to her: cow, horse, donkey, dog, cat, chicken, sheep, bird, mouse, etc).
Talk About:
- What is a stable?
- What kinds of things might you see in a stable besides animals?
- What might a stable smell like?
- Why was Baby Jesus born in a stable?
- Who visited him at the stable?
