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Theme: The Christmas Story
1. In Luke 1:44-45, Mary praises God for fulfilling his promise to her. Where have you seen God keeping his promises to you?
2. In Luke 1:26-38, an angel visits a young girl named Mary. The angel brings some amazing news about what God wanted Mary to do. When you read these verses, can you believe what God’s plan was? Mary couldn’t possibly have understood the angel’s message completely. Do you think she may have been afraid, excited, nervous? But how did she respond? With belief, obedience and joy. She said to the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1: 38). That’s what God looks for: belief in him and obedience to him. As you listen to this special episode, think about how you can joyfully obey God’s call.
After you listen
Memory Verse
“As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Quiz
Reflect
Mary was with Jesus at his birth (Luke 2:1-20), through his entire life (John 2:1-12), and his death on the cross (John 19:26-27). Mary was young. She was poor. She was an ordinary Jewish girl. Why did God choose her?
God looks inside of us for qualities the world may not understand. As a Jewish girl, Mary knew both God and his Word. So, Mary already knew what the angel meant when the angel told her that God chose her to be the mother of the Messiah.
After Jesus was born, the shepherds visited Mary and Joseph. They told Mary and Joseph how angels had appeared to them and announced Jesus’ birth. Luke 2:19 says that “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” After everything that had happened, Mary had a special joy. She had a beautiful baby to care for. But she also had a preview into God’s plan to save His people. With belief, obedience and joy, she raised God’s son.
God hasn’t changed. He still doesn’t look at the outside; he values the inside. He still wants to know if you believe in his son. You’ve got a special preview into God’s plan. In the Bible, you can read about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. You also get to know the happy ending. This Christmas, the best gift to get is salvation through Jesus Christ. The best gifts to give are your belief, obedience and joy!
Challenge
What does Christian joy look like to you? During this Christmas season, create a plan with your family to show your Christian joy in an active way. Then go and do it! Need ideas?
- Go caroling as a family and share your joy with neighbors by singing about Jesus and his birth.
- Act out the Christmas story. You can even dress up!. Focus on expressing the joy that the people in the story experienced.
- Think about things you can do secretly to bless your siblings or parents. For example, you could make your brother’s bed, clean your room without being asked, or prepare a tea party for your younger sister. As you do this work, do it with a joyful heart. Think about how it will make your family members happy.
- Visit a local nursing home and deliver homemade Christmas cards to the residents. Share your joy by wishing them a Merry Christmas!
