The Christmas decorations are being stored away for another year, but the story of Christmas is still being talked about! And rightly so; we can talk about Christmas every day! (After all, the whole story is about Jesus.) So for this reason, it shouldn’t seem strange that this coming weekend, the Cool Disciples will be reviewing the story of Jesus’ birth.
Continue to reinforce the learning happening at church, by talking about this story at home; how about around the dinner table?
Ready for some family discussion about our story?
Time Out. Talk about…
Jesus described himself as “the light of the world” (John 8:12). Name some ways that your family used light to celebrate this season?
In the Art workshop for this Rotation, kids were creating stained glass candle holders. I would have liked to have seen them all lit up with the light shining through the various colors!
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| 1st graders use colored pieces of felt representing various story elements to tell the story; creating stained glass! | 3rd graders use stick-on lead lines and glass paint to create. |
Time Out. Talk about…
“The Light of the World” was just one name Jesus had. He had many other names with different meanings; the name we normally use, Jesus, means “God saves.” Jesus was also called “Immanuel.” What does Immanuel mean?
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| 2nd grade enacts visitors to the newborn King. | 1st grade enjoys their first visit to the Drama workshop! |
Immanuel means “God is with us.” God sent Jesus to be with us! God meant for his son Jesus to live as a person like us, to show us how to live, and ultimately, to die for us so that our sins could be forgiven.
Time Out. Talk about…
How have you experienced God with you?
Do you suppose our interactions with God will be a dramatic experience like a visit from an angel, or could it be in a quieter way?
What are some ways that God connects with us?
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| 4th graders use the game wheel to determine how many points a correct answer was worth. | 2nd graders are eager to hear the next question. They’ll ring a bell if they know the answer! |
Time Out. Talk about…
The questions asked in the Games Workshops highlighted the difference between what the Bible tells us, and what people think the story says (in a fun way). Here are a few to try out. (Check a Bible if you’d like; the kids were allowed to do so!)
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| 6th graders assemble a bag of snacks to use to retell the story. | Playing with their food! Exactly what I hoped they’d do! |
Did you find the answers to the previous questions? In all cases, the answer is: the Bible doesn’t say! Were you surprised?
Finally, I just had to share this picture.
Care to join us in our workshops? You may get drafted to play a role! (But not unless you want to do so.)
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| 1st graders in the Drama Workshop with their Shepherd and Workshop Leader. Fun! |
Photo credits:
Photos by Carol Hulbert and Beth Pascoe. Used by permission.
Family Faith Companion 
What a wonderful celebration! I particularly love both forms of stained glass — great ways to tell and re-tell the story.