Advent adventure #3
Your mission: Take a stroll around a neighborhood to admire the Christmas lights.
For this adventure bundles up warm. Then, walk or drive to a neighborhood with a great Christmas light display. The location should be far enough away that your children would have difficulty finding their way home on their own. At some point in looking at lights imagine with your kids describing everything, you see to a friend or family member that is not in the group.
Bible reading: Read Luke 2:1-7 once again for review, then read John 1:1-3,14,10 and John 14:1-7.
Discussion guide:
Did you enjoy going out to see the Christmas lights?
Sometimes we passed a house that didn’t have any Christmas lights on. How did the brightly lit houses look compared to the unlit ones?
Did you get tired or hungry or thirsty while we were out looking at the lights?
After we had walked around in the dark for a while, looking at the Christmas lights, did you know where you were?
Would you have been able to find your way home on your own?
Last week and the week before, our Advent adventures and Bible readings focused on Jesus’ birth – how Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, and how wise men came looking for the baby Jesus. This week, we are going to talk a little about why Jesus was born.
According to the Bible verses we just read, did Jesus’ life start when He was born as a baby to Mary and Joseph?
Then where was He before He was born to Mary and Joseph?
The Bible tells us that Jesus willingly left heaven to be born on earth as a baby. We don’t know what heaven is like, but we do know it’s a place that’s full of joy; there is no sadness, no pain and no disappointment there. Jesus left the glory of heaven to help us. On earth, He was no longer worshiped by angels. He got cold and tired and hungry just like we do, and as an adult, He was bullied and mistreated.
It’s hard for us to imagine what leaving heaven for all the hardships on earth must have felt like. But when we see a house decorated in sparkling Christmas lights standing beside one that’s not lit up, it can remind us that Jesus willingly left heaven and "switched off" His glory for our sake.
When Jesus came into our world He also left the joy of being with God the Father. When He was on earth, Jesus could talk to God in prayer just like we do, but I’m sure it wasn’t as good as being present with Him. I think Jesus missed God very much. Jesus went through a lot for us.
Remember – when we were looking at the Christmas lights – how I asked if you could find your way home on your own? Did you answer yes or no?
Jesus was born to teach us about God, and to open the way for us to go to heaven when we die. Because of Jesus, one day we will find our way home to Him where we belong. We’ll be welcomed home to heaven by God, and we’ll receive the biggest, warmest hug/welcome ever!
[Close in prayer, thanking Jesus for being willing to come to earth and be our Saviour.]