Adult/Parent: Set aside ten minutes tonight to talk about God’s mercy in sending a Savior. The only materials needed are five candles, matches, and a Bible.
LIGHTING OF THE ADVENT CANDLE
Have one member of the family light last week’s candle and a second candle.
SCRIPTURE READING
Have one person read the following passages out loud.
And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
~ Luke 2:3-7
And there, in the stable, amongst the chickens and the donkeys and the cows, in the quiet of the night, God gave the world his wonderful gift. The baby that would change the world was born. His baby Son.
~ The Jesus Storybook Bible
REFLECTION
Have an adult read the commentary below.
Do you remember the promise we talked about last week? God’s promise to send a Rescuer? His promise to send Jesus? Well, Jesus came, just like God said He would!
After thousands of years of waiting, on an ordinary night, Jesus came. God gave His people hints and clues about how Jesus would come. He told them that Jesus would come from Bethlehem, be a Ruler, and bring peace. Many expected a soldier; some expected a politician. No one expected a baby. But that’s how Jesus came.
Mary and Joseph lived in a town called Nazareth. One day, the king gave an order that everyone was to go back to their hometown to be counted for something called a census. Mary and Joseph traveled a long way to the town of Bethlehem, where Joseph’s family was from. When they got to Bethlehem, the town was full of other travellers, and there was nowhere for Mary and Joseph to stay. So they found a stable to sleep in. While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby, and Jesus, the Savior, was born.
Jesus, the King of heaven, left His perfect home to be born as a baby to a young man and woman. He became fragile and helpless. His room that night was a stable—dirty, smelly, and full of noisy animals. His bed was not kingly and luxurious; it was a feed box that animals ate out of. But everything that happened that night was exactly what God had planned and promised. Jesus came, just like God said He would. God saw that we needed to be rescued from sin. He cared about us in our need, and He acted. He sent Jesus.
The events of that night, in that stable in the little town of Bethlehem, would change the world forever.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for sending Jesus to be born as a baby who would save us from our sins! AMEN!
OPTIONAL SINGING/LISTENING
As a family, sing or listen to “Away in a Manger.”