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A Christmas Gift – Personally Wrapped in Love! by The UKI Territory Evangelism Department
Preparation:
- Display
in large letters the word PERSONAL
- A
manger scene
-
Have
a Christmas stocking with small gift for each person (this could be
a home baked biscuit, mince pie or chocolate)
- Encourage
interaction and sharing
Personal
He
came right down to me
He
came right down to me
To
condescend to be my friend,
He
came right down to me.
While
they were there (Bethlehem), the time came for the baby to be born,
and Mary gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in
cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them
in the inn. Luke 2: 6-7)
He
came from splendour to be born in poverty. He left the presence of
angels, for the company of me. He laid down a sceptre in heaven to be
laid in a manger, and exchanged the worship of angels, for the praise
of lowly shepherds.
Share
briefly how this truth impacts your life.
Expected
Come,
thou long-expected Jesus
Born
to set thy people free;
From
our fears and sins release us,
Let
us find our rest in thee.
Christmas
is a time of expectation. What
are your expectations in your walk with the Lord?
Remember
each other as you pray.
O
God, help us to prepare our hearts for Christmas. May we not be so
busy preparing everything else that we barely have time for
reflection. May we kneel at the manger and experience the real
meaning of Christmas. Help us to realise that Christmas is not only
about the giving of material gifts but that it’s about the gift
that cannot be bought, the gift of your Son whose birth we celebrate
with the shepherds of old. It’s about the giving of ourselves.
Give us loving hearts where the spirit of Christmas lives every day
of the year. As we sing and listen to the old familiar carols again,
may we reflect on the meaning of the words and commit ourselves anew
to you.
We
ask this as we bow in adoration before the Christ Child, the greatest
gift of all.
Sing
some of those carols. Perhaps one or two people could share the
significance of the words for them.
Ornaments.
Either just contemplate the manger scene while some music plays
quietly considering the part each person played that first Christmas
or ask someone to remind everyone of the part they played.
Noel. The
word Nowell
comes from the French
word Noël
meaning’Christmas’, from the Latin
word natalis
(‘birth’).
Angels.
Read Luke 2:8-14. Discuss the significance of the appearance of
angels in the Christmas story.
Let’s
ponder on God’s word and think specifically about Mary.
Play the
song by Mark Lowery and music by Buddy Greene — Mary
did you know? (very
powerful lyrics)
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy
Would someday walk on water?
Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
That your baby boy
Has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered
Will soon deliver you.
Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Will calm the storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby
You've kissed the face of God.
The blind will see
The deaf will hear
The dead will live again
The lame will leap
The dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb.
Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know
That your baby boy
Will one day rule the nations?
Did you know
That your baby boy
Is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding
Is the Great I Am .
What
questions would you ask Mary? Here are some to consider?
- Mary,
while you carried him safe in your womb, you sang a praise song
for your role in God's drama. Later, in his ministry, when
exposed to his hands-on way of loving others, did you marvel at
being swept up in his cause?
-
Did
you perceive the world's greatest hope for calm came through the
babe you laid in a manger? Later, when Jesus was twelve and said, ‘I
must be about my Father's business,’ did you realise the magnitude
of the endeavour?
-
I
suspect many events puzzled you, Mary. That you, like so many of us,
didn't have all the answers. But, like you, our hope rests in Jesus.
For ‘the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on
those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned’
(Isaiah 9:1.2).
FURTHER
THOUGHT
Christmas
is such a special time. It is God’s personal
message
of love for the world. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us (John 1:14). He didn’t send a messenger — he came to
bring his personal touch to each of us.
Nothing
compares with the wonder of seeing the baby in the manger (Luke
2:15-16). The fulfilment of prophecy brought salvation. Luke’s
gospel records the story of Simeon. When receiving the Christ child
he exclaimed: ‘My eyes have seen your salvation’ (Luke 2:30)
Throughout
his earthly ministry we see so clearly how Jesus always brought the
personal touch to people’s lives. As we again sing the familiar
carols and hear the message afresh may we indeed experience that
personal touch and pray that others will receive it too. The Word
became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
Children
& Adult Ministry
Evangelism
Department
United
Kingdom Territory
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