Effective Children's Ministry

Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’

This topic is not especially for children’s workers, but it is good for all of us to have considered it.

 

“The debate about whether or not Christians should celebrate Christmas has been raging for centuries. There are equally sincere and committed Christians on both sides of the issue, each with multiple reasons why or why not Christmas should be celebrated in Christian homes. But what does the Bible say? Does the Bible give clear direction as to whether Christmas is a holiday to be celebrated by Christians?”

A clear and interesting discussion of both sides of the question can be found at  

 

 

Prepare for each team a hat, scarf, pair of gloves, pair of woolly socks and pair of boots. If they are adult size, this will add to the fun the fun!
Choose a representative for each team.
As each team in turn answers the review questions correctly, the representative at the front puts on item (gloves, socks and boots go on in pairs).
First team to wear everything wins!

 

 

This game and other ideas for Christmas review games are on our >> Christmas resources mini-site

Children’s workers are always busy people ( as are others in the Lord’s service!) This time of year may be very stressful, with our own family Christmas to sort out and, on top of that, our church presentations to organize and events to run. If bereavement has placed an additional stress on you, there is help. I found the following article very helpful and hope you will too.

>‘He is… acquainted with grief…’ (Isaiah 53:3).

Christmas can be a difficult time, especially when you’ve lost a loved one. The sounds and sights that once brought you such joy now remind you of them, and reinforce your sense of loss. There’s no magic formula; grief is a process you must walk through, and it takes time. Here are some personal thoughts that might help:

Try to keep things in perspective: Christmas is only one day out of 365. You can do anything for 24 hours because God promised that  ‘. . .your strength will equal your days’ (Deutronomy 33:25 NIV).

Check and see if there’s a needy family or a lonely neighbour who’d enjoy spending an hour with you. Reaching out is difficult – but it brings healing.

Don’t accept the myth that everybody else is having ‘a perfect Christmas’ while you struggle. The truth is, even for Christians, Jesus’ birth gets eclipsed by unrealistic demands and the pressures of shopping, entertaining and gift-giving. Why do you think we’re so relieved when it’s all over?

Don’t maintain old traditions if they make you feel worse. Create new ones that work for you now – you might even want to keep them.

If you’re struggling with Christmas this year, here’s a prayer for you:
‘Lord, You know how I feel today, because Your Word says You are familiar with grief. Heal my heart and fill its emptiness. Become more real to me than the activity without and the loneliness within. Help me to discover You and, in so doing, make this a Christmas like none I’ve ever known. Amen.’ Reprinted from Word for Today by kind permission of UCB, PO Box 255, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 8YY, from whom free copies of this daily devotional booklet are available for the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Catherine and I have just finished making a wee Powerpoint to help keep score in your review game. A very simple idea – the two teams have to light all five bulbs of the Christmas lights.

>> You can download it here.

You’ll find this charming kids’ activity at the WhyChristmas?com site. Click the picture to visit the post.

A free gift to us from Damaris.org, a wonderful source of thoughtful aids to communication in our culture today.

This is not particularly to do with children’s work, but it is a beautiful video, and well worth pausing for a few minutes of reflection.

Thanks to Ian Britton for this lovely Christmas piece.
>>His blog has many other visual treats, too!

There are several places online where you can see this charming video. But I wanted to direct you to >>this page, because there is so much else you will find there by way of free Christmas resources and ideas for your children’s ministry. Ministry-to-children.com is a wealth of stimulating ideas, tips and links. No connection with our ChildrensMinistryFreeStuff.org site – but hey, there’s room for us all in the Lord’s work!

I once read a lovely story about Christmas:

We often learn the most from our children. Some time ago a friend of mine punished his three 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, ‘This is for you, Daddy.’

He was embarrassed by his earlier over-reaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty. He shouted at her, ‘Don’t you know that when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside it?’ The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, ‘Oh Daddy, it’s not empty. I blew kisses into the box – all for you.’

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her forgiveness. My friend told me that he kept that gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each of us as parents has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.
I cringe when I think of the times I have done something similar. Between all the fussing and the disciplining, I sometimes need to stop and remember what a treasure my children are, and how thankful I am to God for blessing me through them. – Anonymous

From Family Worship.org comes a simple but poignant song, presented as Christmas music video. The Youtube page will give you a taste of this inspirational worship experience.

It is good to know that, if you would like to use this for a Christmas service,
>> it is available to buy as a high quality DVD or download.