The Birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1-14)
Printable NativityThe printable nativity in Christmas on the Move is great to print out and give to families as at your christmas services. Encourage them to make their own at home, or give them a pack with pens to start making it in the service.
Head to the Christmas on the Move page on the Strandz website 
Amazing Days
The newest offering from Bible Society UK, based on Bob Hartman’s story booklet The Amazing Days
Download the video Preview the video and find out more Sign up for a free impromptu nativity script with powerpoint The Impossible Promise
The Bible Society NZ has a free Christmas booklet for families, based on Bob Hartman’s story booklet The Impossible Promise.
Animated video (YouTube) Download Video Download PowerPoint Instant Nativity (pdf) |
Gospel Conversations '22Once again the GC team aim for the slightly chaotic goal of nine of their friends tackling the Christmas Gospel, all within 15 minutes! This year we took a verse or two each and dug for the Good News. Who knew there could be good news in a census, or the power of an emperor, or the terror of the shepherds? Join a whole bunch of us as we celebrate this joyous Christmas message and promise.
Gospel Conversations '21 In this video, they opened up the conversation to anyone who had been a part of the Gospel Conversations over the year. The result was a slightly chaotic but joyful and varied sharing of what the challenges, good news and 'so what's' of the story of Christmas might be" - Rev. Dr. Anne van Gend. Thanks Dunedin team - these have been so great!
Overview: Luke 1-2BibleProject Luke 1-2 Overview
|
Jesus Presented in the Temple (Luke 2:22-40)
When Joseph and Mary took their infant Jesus to the temple to dedicate Him to God, they met Simeon and Anna—two senior adults who knew who Jesus really was. They rejoiced in seeing Jesus and in what He would accomplish in and for God’s kingdom.
|
Leaders Input(Almost) Everybody Sang!
On the First Sunday after Christmas, the Lectionary offers us the text known as “The Presentation of Jesus.” It’s Luke 2:22-40 and comes in four distinct scenes. The Presentation The scene is set for the Presentation with references to the Holy Family and the law of God. We tend to picture just three people: Mary, Jesus, and Joseph. Tradition has Joseph older, a widower, with children from his first marriage who will, in the Gospels, be called Jesus’ siblings. The number is not so important. The text emphasizes their Jewish faithfulness. With no fewer than three references to the requirements of the law, they are shown coming to the temple, ready to observe the rites of purification. It is easy to forget their Jewishness somehow. But this Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, born to a Jewish family in a Jewish land, practicing the Jewish religion. That’s our savior... Continue here |
Kids Talks
Why was Jesus presented in the temple?Has anyone been at church recently when there was a baptism? One of the important parts of a baptism in our church is when the priest says their name while baptising the baby.
Well, when Jesus was a baby there were different rules about what you had to do to name a child.... It was a bit like a baptism in a way - but different. When Jesus was still a young baby, Mary and Joseph took him up to the church temple. It was a special time for a baby. Joseph brought 2 young birds with him. He would give them to God. It was Joseph’s way of telling God “thank you” for Jesus. It also was a way of dedicating Jesus to God. That means that Jesus would always be in God’s hands and they would teach Him about God. Simeon and AnnaMary and Joseph took baby Jesus to the temple because God commanded his people to do that. They were being obedient and faithful to God. They weren't expecting anything amazing to happen. But something amazing did happen.
There was a man named Simeon who was living in Jerusalem, where the temple was. Sometime he went to the temple and sometimes he didn't, but on the day that baby Jesus was going to be there, God told Simeon to go to the temple. God didn't say why, but Simeon obeyed! You see, many years earlier, the Holy Spirit had come to Simeon and told him that before he died, he was going to see the Saviour, the Messiah - in other words, Jesus, but Simeon didn't know his name! Simeon believed what God had said. He had faith. Do you know what faith is? (allow answers). Well faith is believing in something you can't see. Simeon believed that the Saviour was coming in his lifetime because God told him that, but he hadn't see the Saviour with his own eyes. THAT was about to change. Simeon went to the temple and when he saw Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus, he went right up to them and asked to hold the baby. He said, 'Now I've seen my saviour. Now whatever happens to me is ok." Then he turned to Mary and Joseph and told them how special their baby was, how he was going to be a bright light in the world and save people. Then Simeon blessed Mary and Joseph - and Mary and Joseph were amazed! God had kept his promise to Simeon! Nearby there was someone else who was going to know who Jesus was. Anna. Anna was 84 years old. She'd been serving God and praying in the temple for many years. Maybe she heard Simeon praising God, or maybe God just led her to where Mary and Joseph and Jesus were, but Anna also was so excited about seeing Jesus. Imagine spending years and years and years serving and loving God and then suddenly seeing the baby that was going to grow up and free people from their sins. Not only did she praise God, but she started talking about Jesus to everyone who wanted to be free! Anna and Simeon both recognised that Jesus was a king, and Mary and Joseph understood even more just how important their baby was! After they went to the temple, Mary, Joseph and Jesus traveled back to Nazareth, the place where they lived. They taught Jesus and He began to grow up. He became strong and wise. He learned many things about God and the Bible. Quick questions
|
ActivitiesSimeon and Anna Puzzle (Sunday School Zone)
Secret Code Activity (Sunday School Zone) Wordsearch (Sunday School Zone) Wordsearch (Bible Explore) Puppets (Sunday school zone) Colouring in (Higher Praise) Someon and Anna luminaries (Flame Creative) 
Preschool craft
Puppet retelling of the storyWhat you will need
Come up with some creative puppets or props to retell this story - you could make your own Choose people to be in charge of the various props and retell the story, if you have older ones they could do the reading possibly. Re-telling the story will take a while they will want to walk their characters in etc. You might want to retell it using this narrative instead of the actual story (if it works wonderfully well, you may want to do it in church for everyone, as long as it is fairly short!): ‘Here I am at the Temple,’ says the old man, Simeon. (Show the puppet.) ‘I’m working hard to help God.’ God is pleased with Simeon. God says, ‘Simeon, I promise that, one day, you will see a very special baby. You will see my Son.’ So Simeon waits to see God’s special baby. He looks at all the babies in the Temple each day, but they aren’t God’s special baby. He doesn’t know when he will see the special baby. But he trusts that God will keep his promise. (Show the Anna puppet.) ‘Here I am at the Temple,’ says the old woman, Anna. ‘I come here every day to talk to God.’ Anna waits and prays. She knows that one day God will do something amazing but she doesn’t know what it will be! She keeps on trusting God. Who is this coming into the Temple? It’s Mary and Joseph. (Produce these puppets.) They’re coming to say thank you to God for their baby, Jesus. (Show the Jesus puppet.) Simeon looks at the baby. (Move Simeon near to Jesus.) He knows this is the baby that God told him about. At last God has kept his promise! At last he has seen God’s special baby! Simeon holds the baby in his arms (put the two puppets together) and says, ‘Thank you, God, for letting me see this special baby, your Son, Jesus.’ Then he says to Mary and Joseph, ‘When this baby grows into a man he will do wonderful things. He will change the world forever! ’ Anna looks at the baby. (Move Anna closer.) She knows this is the baby she has been waiting for. She knows that God has kept his promise. She says, ‘Thank you, God, for letting me see your Son.’ And Anna tells everyone she meets, ‘I have seen the baby Jesus.’ (Move Anna around.) Simeon and Anna trusted that God would keep his promises. They had to wait until they were very old to see the promised baby, Jesus. How long do we have to wait until Christmas Day, when we remember Jesus being born? Work it out roughly. Is it a special day, worth celebrating, but we can remember the great news that Jesus is with us, all year round! If you have time, once you have retold the story, set up the scene as a tableau and ask a few of the quick questions |
Media
|
|
|
|
Jesus as a child (Luke 2:41-52)
Today's story helps us understand that Jesus knew who he was, even when he was young.
Leaders InputMonday Meditation on Luke 2:41-52
(Source: Gary Neal Hansen) As the only recorded scene of Jesus’ life between infancy and adulthood Luke 2:41-52 is a treasure. It is also pretty hilarious when you think about it. The Holy Family had travelled to Jerusalem for Passover, keeping to the rich practice of their Jewish faith. They did it every year, apparently with a large contingent of extended family and friends. It must have been a combination of religious holiday, pilgrimage, and group vacation. Then it all went terribly, terribly wrong. If Mary and Joseph hadn’t actually heard the saying that it takes a village to raise a child, they certainly acted like it was true. They headed back toward their home town, trusting that Jesus was safe the care of — well, someone. No worries. Then after traveling a whole day, they noticed Jesus wasn’t actually with them (Luke 2:44). My kids haven’t quite reached the pre-teen stage, but they make enough of a splash most of the time that their absence would be noticeable. The text is silent as to their conversation when Mary and Joseph realized they’d lost the Son of God. There might have been some… unguarded words. Keep reading here... |
Visio Divina is the thoughtful contemplation of a picture, photo, work of art, or really anything visual that invites God to speak to us. Visio Divina can be done in a group with others or practiced alone. Here are the basic steps:
- Pray - ask God to speak to you and trust that He will. - Notice your first impressions of the picture. - Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings. - Listen for God's voice. - Share, journal, respond - as you wish. - How will things change as a result of this? No image from the amazing lectioviso.com this week so instead try this one by artist Sophia Novelli. Bigger image and reflection questions here. 
Gospel conversations: The GC team take a well deserved break over the summer, but have put together a quick reflection on the gospel passage for anyone stepping in to lead and preach over the summer break.
|
Activity SheetsWhere's Jesus? Like Where's Wally but better!
Spot the difference - Jesus in the temple I Spy Sunday - what can you see in church? Kids TalksPreschool Lesson - sample lesson from Gospel Light Curriculum.
Kid's Sermon - another funny and thoughtful retelling by garynealhansen.com Don't Miss Jesus! - talk with a focus on not become “lost” or distracted by things and missing out on the constant presence of Jesus. Personalise It! (If you have a similar story to start with, use your own. If not here is a story from Julie Hintz: "When my children were little, we went on holiday and visited the Waitomo Caves. It was an amazing experience. We especially liked the glowworms. All of us, including our six children, went through the cave together, got into the boat and saw the glowworms. But something happened and instead of 6 children coming out with us at the end of the tour, there were only 5! At first I thought Tim was with his dad and his dad thought he was with me. You can imagine how frantic we were when we realised that Tim wasn't with either of us. There were so many people and it seemed like such a dangerous place. My husband and I looked at each other and quietly asked each of our other children if they'd seen Tim. "No" was there answer. The older boys went up the different paths to see if perhaps he'd gotten ahead of us, but Tim was nowhere to be found. Finally while the others were looking, I went back into the entrance of the cave, hoping that somehow Tim had just gotten turned around. And there he was! He was standing with another group of tourists, listening to the guide and getting ready to go back through the caves. After hugging him and making sure he was all right, I asked him, "Where were you?" He looked up, smiled and said, "Mummy, I love this place. I just wanted to stay longer. Where were you?" That reminds me a little of our story today. Mary and Joseph were on their way home and had been travelling for a full day when they realised that Jesus not only wasn't with them, but he wasn't with any of their friends or other relatives. They hurried back to Jerusalem, frantically looking for him, and found him, 3 days after they'd left the city. He was sitting with the teachers in the temple, asking questions, answering questions, listening. The people were amazed at how wise he was. But still, when Mary and Joseph found him, they were so relieved. It must have been a horrible time not to be able to find their son! When Mary said, "Where were you? We've been looking for you for three days!" Jesus answered, "Didn't you know that I'd be in my Father's House?" Mary and Joseph might not have understood what Jesus meant, but when we hear about that, we can know that Jesus knew who he was. He knew that God was his father and that He was God's Son! [I Spy Jesus Bottle, Faith Sprouts] Jesus in the Temple activitiesI Spy Jesus Bottle (Faith Sprouts)
Maze (ShareFaith Kids) Build a Lego Maze (Mombrite) Colour by number (Bible Crafts by Jenny) Help me grow like Jesus - sImple Prayer activity for 5-7 yrs (ish) - start on your session and kids can take home to do some more.
Some fab ideas for interacting and exploring the story here. Bonus - includes some lesson plans incorporating them.
GamesHide and seek - since this story has to do with Mary and Joseph looking for Jesus, have a fun game of hide and seek, in or outside.
Seek and Find - give kids a picture containing several “hidden” elements to hunt for. See how many they can find. I spy - continuing the theme of looking for items, play a fun round of “I spy” using objects around the room and a variety of clues. What’s missing? Have one student leave the room for a minute. Change one thing about the room or someone in the room, and see if the student can detect “what’s missing.” [adapted from ministry-to-children.com] |
Intergenerational worshipIntergen Australia have produced a two-week series called 'Reflect' to help provide space in the lectionary readings to relect on what we know about God and Jesus. The resource highlights the Colossians, Psalm and gospel readings through bible experiences, prayer, creative and interactive reflections.
Written and compiled by Katherine Ruhle. Download here 
Game: What's missing?What you need:
What you do:
Drinking straw mazeNote: This activity contains marbles so is not for younger children under 5yrs.
What you need:
What you do:
You can use sello tape instead of a glue gun if you find the straws move too much before you're able to glue them down |
Media
|
|
|
|
