PBA 2023 Day 1

Why We Celebrate

Welcome to camp and our first day of Bible Study!! The theme of this year’s camp is “Celebrate Jesus!” What do you think of when you hear the word “celebrate?”

What are some things you celebrate? (allow children to respond and share your own reasons to celebrate) (Birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Weddings, Graduations, Baptisms, New Year...)

What are some ways to show someone you are celebrating? (Decorations, balloons, party favors, food....)

We can celebrate big things and little things. Do you have a little brother or sister who just started walking? Celebrate! Did you make good grades on your report card? Celebrate! Did you learn something new, like swimming, skating...? Celebrate!

Celebration’ Charades (Holidays)

5 groups of 3 people each

Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July (Independence Day)

This week we will dive into why we celebrate certain holidays. We will learn about Christmas, which is Jesus in the cradle; Easter, when Jesus was on the cross; and why we should celebrate His return, as King of Kings with His crown.

Did you know that in Old Testament Bible times, God’s people were actually COMMANDED to celebrate holidays? They were called “feasts”. God told them to come together to thank Him, to spend time together and to rest from their work. (Numbers 28:16-29:12)

Some of their holidays were Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Festival of Trumpets, Festival of Lights... Their holidays began at sundown on the evening the day before and all of their special celebrations were to show their gratitude to God and some holidays were to help them remember how God took care of them. Each holiday or celebration period had specific guidelines given by God.

While Christians don’t really celebrate those specific holidays anymore, we do have very special holidays, many which relate to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Christmas? We will learn a lot about Christmas tomorrow. This is the day chosen to celebrate the birthday of Jesus. White or gold is used to reflect the joy of His birth. Christmas and the days through January 5 are part of the season called Christmastide.

Epiphany? On January 6, many celebrate the magi’s visit to the Christ child (Matthew 2:1-12). Since the Day of Epiphany comes at the end of the Christmas season, white or gold is still used. The season of Epiphany lasts until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, and the color for the remainder of the season is green.

Lent? This is a 40 day season of fasting and prayer before Easter, observed in February and March. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. Purple is used a a symbol of penitence, sorrow for wrongdoings.

Good Friday? On this day, many recall the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus on the Friday before Easter. Many churches strip their altars of all color or use black to symbolize mourning and death.

Easter? Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It’s called a “moveable feast” because the date isn’t fixed. We will learn more about the death and resurrection of Jesus in 2 days! White or gold is used to reflect the victory of Jesus’ resurrection.

Pentecost? This season is a reminder of the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13). The Day of Pentecost takes place 50 days after Easter. Red is the color for Pentecost Sunday.

We have so many reasons to celebrate! The greatest day to celebrate is when you ask Jesus to be a part of your life! That is your second birthday! (Ask the children if any of them have already accepted Jesus and give them a chance to share what that day was like. Share your story as well!)

With all the holiday and celebrations that God gave His people in the Bible days, and all the celebrations we have today, God wants us to celebrate and He wants us to have fun! Let’s look up some verses about celebrating: Have different children look up the following verses and answer this question, “What reason does this verse give for celebration?”

Philippians 4:4 (The Message reads: “Celebrate God all day, every day.” The Passion Translations reads: “Be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life. Let your joy overflow!”) So God alone is reason to celebrate! No other reason is necessary. Celebrate all God has done for you every single day!

Psalm 126:3 (“The Lord has done great things for us; We are glad.”) Another verse about being happy over who God is and everything he has done.

Psalm 118:24 (“This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” The Message reads: “This is the very day God acted – let’s celebrate and be festive!”) Celebrating just because it’s a new day! God created each and every day.

Psalm 68:3 (The Message reads: “When the righteous see God in action, they’ll laugh, they’ll sing, they’ll laugh and sing for joy.”) Celebrate what God has done and is doing.

Luke 15:9b (“Rejoice with me because I have found the silver coin I lost!”) [Briefly explain the story of the lost coin.] We can celebrate when we find something that we had lost.

Luke 15:10 (“In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The Message reads: “Count on it – that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.”) Celebrate when a person finds Jesus and changes their ways!

Luke 15:23-24 (“Bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! So they began to celebrate.”) [Briefly explain the story of the prodigal son.] We can celebrate when someone comes home!

Ecclesiastes 11:8 (New Century Version reads: “People ought to enjoy every day of their lives, no matter how long they live.”) We can celebrate life! During holidays and celebrations, people sometimes stay home from work, you get to miss school, you gather with your friends and family...can you think of a time each week when you don’t go to school, people gather together and celebrate??

Coming together for church on Sunday is a weekly celebration! Worship lets us celebrate who God is! What are ways we can celebrate God at church? We celebrate Him by singing, reading our Bibles, going to Sunday School, praying, giving our offerings. Going to church gives us a break from our daily routine of work and school and allows us time to focus and renew our relationship with God!

We are going to do some celebrating this week at camp!