In the last session we learned that baby Jesus was born in a place where animals lived, because there was no room for him in any of the inns or houses in Bethlehem. Jesus, the King and Saviour of the world had been born! In this story we are going to hear about the very first people that were told about Jesus’ birth. Let’s watch the video to see what happened:
Story Video:
Video by http://saddleback.com/
Time to Think and Pray
Questions
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Who visited the shepherds while they were looking after their sheep?
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How do you think the shepherds felt seeing such an amazing sight?
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What did the shepherds do straight after meeting Jesus?
The same night that Jesus was born, there were some shepherds in the fields nearby that were looking after their sheep. Suddenly an angel appeared to them! They were scared but the angel told them that they didn’t need to be afraid. The angel told them the amazing news that Jesus, the King and Saviour of the world, had been born in Bethlehem! Just then, thousands and thousands of angels appeared in the sky and started singing and praising God! What an amazing sight that must have been! The shepherds were amazed and set off straight away to find Jesus. Usually babies are born in houses, not barns or places where animals slept. But because the angel had told them that Jesus would be lying in a manger, the shepherds knew what to look for. And when they found him lying in a manger (the place where animals would eat from), they knew for sure that this baby was Jesus! They bowed down and worshipped him because they knew how special he was. As soon as they left, they went all around Bethlehem telling everyone the good news about Jesus and what they had seen!
So the very first people that God decided to tell about the birth of his Son, Jesus, were shepherds! In those days shepherds were very poor and looked down on by others. They weren’t paid much money at all and people didn’t like them. They had a very difficult job, sitting out in the cold every day and night, and they might have been very dirty and smelly. But God loved them so much and wanted them, the poorest of the poor, to be the first to meet Jesus!
We don’t have to be rich or popular to be a part of Jesus’ family. Jesus loves us so much and wants to be our friend!
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you that you came to earth as a tiny baby so that you could grow up to save us. Please help us to worship you just how you deserve to be worshipped! Amen.
This Week's Song: Away in a Manger
This Week's Crafts: Christmas Trees and Handprint Angel Christmas Card
Christmas Trees
You will need: A4 green or white paper, craft stick/lolly stick, scissors, glue, pencil, colouring pens or pencils, paper cup or bottle lid, sand or clay to fill the bottle lid, decorations such as glitter, sequins or buttons, and a copy of the printable template.
Follow the instructions on firstpalette to make your Christmas Trees. You can see an example of how to decorate your trees below.
Craft by: https://www.firstpalette.com
Handprint Angel Card
You will need: card or paper, colouring pens or pencils, pipe-cleaner for a halo, hot glue gun or PVA glue, and a gold marker pen.
Follow the instructions on thesoccermomblog to make your Handprint Angel Card. If you do not have coloured paper, use white and colour in with coloured pens or pencils. Have fun!
Craft by: https://thesoccermomblog.com
