The best thing about Christmas is Jesus, because he makes us friends with God
Sat 15 December 2007
| Bible Bite | The best thing about Christmas is Jesus, because he makes us friends with God. |
|---|---|
| Date | 2007-12-15 |
| Passage | Luke 2 |
| Passage Text | But the angel said, \"Don\'t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David\'s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord.\ |
| Luke 2:10-11 (Contemporary English Version) | |
| Tags | Christmas, Jesus, Grace |
| Other Refs | Luke 2:10-11 (New International Reader\'s Version) |
| 10 But the angel said to them, \"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy. It is for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. | |
| Luke 2:10-11 (Contemporary English Version) | |
| But the angel said, \"Don\'t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David\'s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. | |
| Key Points | Jesus is the best gift, better than toys. |
| Jesus gives us friendship with God. | |
| Props/Materials | |
| Preparation | Check out stage, prep wireless mic and stand for Pat, prep powerpoint/laptop |
| Debrief | Went well, fainting good, not as good as at school last year!. |
| Other | They won\'t know the Bible. Connect to something they already know/connect with Christmas, and encourage more, explain a little bit. |
| Fainting gag inspired by | |
| Christmas by Jeff Robson | |
| http://www.puppetresources.com/\ | |
| index.php?scriptID=23&what=viewscript&t=1164578887 |
LEADER: Hello there. I want you to meet my friend Stinky, who lives in this bin. I'm going to knock, and when he says 'Who is it?', we all have to say 'Come out Stinky!'. Some times he doesn't hear, so we'll have to say it again REALLY LOUD!
[ [knock bin, call out 3 times, Pat opens lid, S comes out, says hello to kids and Pat. Someone sets up mic pointing down] ]
STINKY: Oh, hello little monkeys! Hello Ms Pat!
LEADER: How are you Stinky?!
STINKY: Oh, I'm so excited!! I'm excited about the special time coming up, when I get lots of toys and we sing songs, and I get lots of toys, and we eat lots of food, and I get lots of toys!
LEADER: Oh... You mean Christmas!
STINKY: Sorry, what did you say?
LEADER: Christmas!
STINKY: [Faints, Pat can look down asking if S is OK, then comes up] Oh... I just fained! Oh, I get so excited about this special time that when I hear about the word, I just faint!
LEADER: I\'m sorry Stinky, I promise I won\'t say that word again.
STINKY: Which word?
LEADER: Christmas!
STINKY: [Faints, comes back slowly]
LEADER: I\'m sorry, I won\'t say it again, the word that starts with \'C\'.
STINKY: Which word? Carols?
LEADER: No, the other one...
STINKY: Cake?!
LEADER: [Frustrated] No... Christmas!
STINKY: [Faints]
LEADER: OK Stinky, I won\'t say this word again, I\'ll spell it C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S...
STINKY: [goes through letters....] Oh! You mean Christmas! [Looks at kids, says \'oh-oh...\', faints, then comes back]
STINKY: Oh... I just hope the children don\'t say the word... [suggestive]
LEADER: [encouraging kids...] What do you think kids, shall we say it?
[ Kids say it, Stinky faints, then returns. ]
STINKY: Oh... after all those faints I'm feeling better, I think I can hear the word again. Let's see, can the little monkeys say it one more time? ['Test' cure with kids]
LEADER: Stinky, you get so excited about Christmas! What do you think is the best thing about Christmas?
STINKY: Oh, that's a hard question! Hmmm... I know! Getting lots and lots of toys!
LEADER: Ohh...
STINKY: No, wait! I usually get bored with my new toys pretty quick -- I can't even remember what I got last year! I think it's.... all the decorations and things to look at in the shops!
LEADER: Ohh...
STINKY: No, no, wait! I just remembered all the grumpy shoppers and mums and dads in the shops! It must be... when Santa comes!
LEADER: Ohh...
STINKY: No, no, no, wait! I just remembered I'm really worried that maybe I wasn't good enough this year. I know! It has to be... all the pretty lights on the street!
LEADER: Ohh...
STINKY: No, no, no, no, wait! I just remembered all the lights go out soon after -- and they waste lots of electricity!Oh Miss Pat, this is hard!
LEADER: It sounds like it, Stinky!
STINKY: Oh! I know how to find out! What does the Bible say is the best thing about Christmas?
LEADER: That's a good idea, Stinky! Let's get Robbie the Robot to find out...
[ Slide shows ]
LEADER: Ah! This bit of the Bible tells us what happened to some shepperds on the first Christmas. They were just looking after their sheep in the night, in the country. Suddenly, an angel appeared!
STINKY: Whoa! I would have been really scared. Did they faint?!
LEADER: They were very scared, but let's read what the angel told them...
[ [read passage ]\ But the angel said, \"Don\'t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David\'s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord.\ Luke 2:10-11 (Contemporary English Version)]
LEADER: See? The best thing about Christmas is Jesus!
STINKY: Why is Jesus so good?
LEADER: Jesus showed us how we should live, and he taught us many great things. But the best thing is that he can make us friends with God.
STINKY: Wow! Really!
LEADER: Yes! You see, the Bible says that We all say \'NO\' to God and disobey Him.
STINKY: That\'s not right! God wouldn\'t be happy about that -- he made everyone.
LEADER: No Stinky, that means we can\'t be friends with God.
STINKY: Oh no. How can I be friends with God? Maybe I can give him some presents?
LEADER: No Stinky, instead God has given us Jesus -- as our saviour and king.
STINKY: I hope Jesus is better than all the toys I get!
LEADER: He is. Jesus is heaps better. Jesus did an amazing thing. He died for us. He took the punishment we deserved so we can be forgiven by God.
STINKY: So he took our place?! Even though he didn\'t deserve to be punished? That\'s amazing!
LEADER: Yes, it is amazing! If we say sorry to God and accept Jesus as our king, we can be friends with God.
STINKY: Oh, it must be great being God's friend!
LEADER: It is!
STINKY: Can anyone be friends with God? Even the little monkeys?
LEADER: Yes Stinky - anyone. And that\'s why Jesus is the best Christmas gift ever.
STINKY: Wow! That\'s AMAZING! So what\'s our lesson for today?
[ Slide shows Bible Bite: The best thing about Christmas is Jesus because he makes us friends with God. ]
LEADER: The lesson is this: The best thing about Christmas is Jesus because he makes us friends with God. Do you think we can say this together kids? [read] How about you Stinky, can you say it?
STINKY: Ah... I'm not very good at these, I might need a bit of help. Let me see... The best thing about Christmas is fainting...
LEADER: Oh Stinky! Let's read it all together again to help Stinky. [read]
STINKY: Wow! That's worth getting really excited about.
LEADER: That's right!
STINKY: Thank you for teaching me about Jesus and Christmas Ms Pat! I better go now... See you later little monkeys! [exits]