What Jesus Wants For Christmas

What Jesus

Wants For

Christmas

Contents Week 1

1

Week 2

5

Week 3

9

Week 4

12

Impact,

This, the last month of 2013, I think it’s great for us to close on, ‘What Jesus Want’s For

Christmas’ for the following reasons:

 Christmas is the worlds most recognized celebration, yet, Jesus is not the worlds most

recognized figure  Society is working to dismiss the relevance of Jesus in public schools, activities and

our day to day lives  It’s a huge slap in God’s face, to celebrate the birth of His son, and fail to acknowledge

His son at all.

This lesson is my attempt to help kids

Isn’t it ironic that the first people celebrating

remember the real reason for the season, in a

Christmas in the bible, through the giving of

world that will continue to make them forget

gifts, weren’t giving them to anyone else but

as they grow older. The goal is to use heavy

Jesus? Isn’t it something that the bible calls

visual presentation as you’ll see inside, to

those men wise? Likewise, I’m convinced

mark their thinking on just what Christmas is

there is a wellspring of blessing wrapped in

all about. Instructors will begin the lessons by

returning the hearts of our young people,

opening an actual gift, not for the kids, not for

away from all of the media portrayals of what

themselves, but for Jesus. It will be based on

that day is, and what the bible says it should

the three things scripture tells us Jesus wants

be about.

most. As we present the gift before him, we will chart out ways in which kids can actually give Jesus that gift on a regular basis, keeping in mind that it is for his birthday.

I hope in earnest that everyone has a very Merry Christmas, and that the topic brands our thinking for Gods glory

-Jamiel

Week 1 Introduction

The week 1 instructor will simply introduce the topic. A few points he/she must discuss is as follows:

A) Jesus is the real reason for the season B) Jesus wants something this Christmas

A) Jesus is the real reason for the season

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None Christian society, and even amongst the body of Christ, Christmas is often turned into a celebration of love, Santa Clause, good works, each other and other ‘good’ things, instead of ‘the’ thing or person it was designed to celebrate. Here, the instructor must clarify that Christmas is the day we celebrate the coming of messiah and all that his coming has accomplished. That this man, Jesus, saved you and I from eternal damnation and has made peace with God on our behalf.

Other things you can address here are: Why the giving of gifts takes place In essence, God gave us his best, so, we give gifts to each other.

Santa clause, Christmas trees, etc.

That many other cultures, modern society and more, though well meaning, have

diluted the focus of what Christmas is all about. And while those things aren’t bad, they can become very bad if we allow it to pull us away from Christmas’s true meaning.

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B) Jesus wants something this Christmas

Here the instructor should go into an analogy of a birthday party where all of your friends are

invited. However, once they arrive, they have gifts, lots of GREAT gifts, but none of them were for you. In fact, they went through all of the trouble of finding out what everyone else but you wanted in advance. Ask them how would they feel? Finally, move into the fact that God too is displeased when we give everyone else, but Him, something on His birthday. Proceed to prepare the children for the following weeks, in which the instructors will present just what it is that Jesus wants for his birthday/Christmas.

Suggested Activity

Do a puzzle where they have to match the gifts with who is most likely to want it. Example below:

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Diamond ring

4 year old boy

Baseball glove

Married woman

Big wheel

5 ½ year old girl

Barbie doll

13 year old boy

Use it to Segway into what sort of gifts do you think Jesus would want on His birthday?

Scripture references Luke 2 James 1:17

4

Week 2 Jesus wants your sins

The week 2 instructor will present a gift with dirt or something ugly in it. He or she will proceed to read 1 John 3:5. They should start by saying something to the effect of:

“How many of you would like to have this [hold up dirt] under the tree this Christmas?

Well what if I told you that this is JUST what Jesus wants. He wants your sins. He wants you to repent, let go, and walk away from disobedience for Him. How many of you think you can give him for his birthday this year?�

The instructor must proceed to cover two critical points:

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A) What repentance is?

B) How to repent

Finally, they should cover that God is pleased, as is His son Jesus, when we walk away from any repeating sin in our life for good.

A) What repentance is?

Here the kids will begin to see giving up a particular sin, whether it’s rebellion against parents or using profanity, as an actual gift to God. They must learn that Jesus really wants their sins, so much, he died for it. Finally, go over that repentance means to turn away from and walk in a different direction.

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B) How to repent?

Explain to the kids that repentance is two steps. 1, they must confess that it is wrong before God. 2, they must move away from it, towards something better. For instance, a kid who uses profanity must confess that it is wrong and receive God’s forgiveness, but secondly, he or she must turn from it and move in a different direction with their day to day talking. Review the part that mind renewal plays in this as well.

Suggested activity Tug of war, here the students will pull a rope in two different directions against each other. The goal is to reveal how pulling away from sin isn’t always easy. Yet, this is one of the big things that Jesus wants us to give him for his birthday, - repentance.

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Scripture references

1 Samuel 15:22 Romans 12:1-3

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Week 3 Jesus wants your talent

The week 3 instructor will open up a gift that represents talent. A good idea of what to put in the box is something that represents talent like a microphone if you can sing, or, a basketball if you play sports. Whatever the talent is, the kids must know that God really wants us to live a life, using our talent to glorify him. Do so by covering the following:

A) God gave us talent, but He wants it back B) God wants us to develop our talent

C) Ways to use your talent to glorify God

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A) God gave us talent, but He wants it back

The scripture is clear, God wants the talent He gave us back. And the only way to give it to Him,

is to use it to bring others towards Him. Turn them to James 1:17 and begin the conversation of where those gifts come from, and how it is wrong [though common] for us to use it to pull people away from Him, instead of towards Him.

B) God wants us to develop our talent

Here you will discuss how our gift must be presented to God properly and with excellence if he is to be pleased. Touch up on ways that young people can hone their god given gifts, at church, at home , at school and abroad. Let them know that God expects them to sharpen the talent before they present it for His use.

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C) Ways to use your talent to glorify God

See suggested activity

Suggested activity

Develop 4 case studies of talented people in the following fields. 1, sports; 2, music; 3, ministry 4; business. Write a plot of how they each used their talents, 2 for God, and 2 others for themselves.

Finally, ask the kids to guess which one did which, and discuss as a group why they believe such.

Scripture references 1 Peter 4:10

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Week 4 Jesus wants your heart

The week 4 instructor will go over the fact that more than anything else, Jesus wants our hearts.

They will go over how He wants us to give him our entire selves, starting from the inside. Cover

the following:

A) Jesus wants a dwelling place

Do a fast study of how the presence of God once dwelled in the garden of Eden, then the ark of the covenant, then the temples but now, it dwells in the hearts of those who have

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accepted him. As a result, He is able to move through us and interact with the world we live in.

B) How to give Him our hearts

Here the instructor will touch on always sharing with God, what is valuable to us. Why? Because that is the only way the bible outlines that we can know we have given our hearts to him [Matthew 6:21].

Suggested activity Scripture references

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Mark 12:33

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