In the last session we learned that thousands of angels appeared to some shepherds in Bethlehem and told them the wonderful news of Jesus’ birth! They searched and found Mary and Joseph and they worshipped the baby Jesus, God's Son, because they knew how special he was! A couple of years later Mary, Joseph and Jesus were living in a house in Bethlehem when they had some more, very special, visitors. 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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How did King Herod feel when he heard that Jesus had been born?
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What gifts did the wise men give to Jesus?
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Where did the angel tell Joseph to take Mary and Jesus so they would be safe?
There were some wise men who loved to study the stars in the sky. One day they saw a star that they had never seen before. They remembered old teachings in the Bible that said: when the King and Saviour of the world is born, a great star will shine in the sky as a sign to them. They knew that they had to follow the star and try to find this new King! This bright star led them to Jerusalem and they decided to ask King Herod where Jesus was. But King Herod was a bad man! He was jealous and wanted to be the only King in Israel! And so he tricked the wise men and told them that when they found Jesus, they should come back and tell him so he could worship Jesus too. But Herod really just wanted to catch Jesus and get rid of him!
The wise men followed the star all the way to the house where Mary and Joseph were living. They bowed down and worshipped Jesus and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense (a kind of perfume) and myrrh (a kind of spice). They recognised that Jesus was the King that God had promised to send into the world! When they left the house, an angel appeared to them in a dream and told them to not go back to Herod, so they obeyed and went home a different way. An angel also appeared to Joseph and God kept them safe in Egypt until it was okay to go back to Israel.
Jesus was and still is the King and Saviour of the world! He is the Son of God who came to earth to teach us about God and to make a way to save us so that we can be a part of God's family and live with him in heaven forever! The wise men gave Jesus gifts fit for a King. We give gifts to our family and friends at Christmas time too, but Jesus is the best gift we can have! He is God's greatest gift to us, not just at Christmas but for all time!
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you that you are the greatest gift we could ever have! Please help us to remember the true reason we celebrate Christmas and to share that gift of your love with other people. Amen.
This Week's Song: I Reach Up High
This Week's Crafts: Wise Men Chain and Crowns
Wise Men Chain
You will need: White paper or card, colouring pens, a pencil, scissors, glue, masking tape or paper clips, glitter or other decorations (optional) and a copy of the printable template.
Print out a copy of the template on A4 white card or paper. Follow the instructions at firstpalette to create your Wise Men Chain. What will your wise men look like?
Craft by: https://www.firstpalette.com
Crowns
You will need: White paper or card, colouring pens or pencils, glue, sellotape, glitter, sequins or decorations (optional) and a copy of the printable template.
Print a copy of the template from firstpalette. There are lots of different styles of crown to choose from. Follow the simple instructions further down the page to make your crown. Decorate however you like!
Craft by: https://www.firstpalette.com
