Merry Christmas To Me! (Week 4)

INSTRUCTIONS: Each week of this series, create a video or simple comedy sketch featuring you and at least one of your volunteers, students, or any pastors from your church who your students would recognize. Decide whether you'd like them to play a satirical version of themselves or invent a character to play, and explain you'll be the host of a new segment called "Merry Christmas to Me," where you'll be interviewing them about the gifts they'll be giving themselves this Christmas. Each week, have your actors of the week show up in costume, prepared to talk about their Christmas indulgences. Check out Week 1 of this series for tons of character ideas!

We've spent the last few weeks hearing from folks like these about what they plan to give themselves this Christmas, but now I think it's time for us to think about what we want for Christmas.

ACTIVITY | Gift Switch

I have a stockpile of gifts here that I desperately want to give away. Some of the items are amazing, and some are . . . um, not. You might have a say in what gift you walk away with, or you might not.

As we play, keep your eye on the gift you really want to take home, because you might just get a chance to steal it!

INSTRUCTIONS: Before your program starts, place a random assortment of items in gift bags — one gift for each student (or, if you have a large group, one gift for each student you ask to play).

Get some good gifts (like Christmas candies, $5 gift cards, or Christmas socks) and some gag gifts (like baby food, used socks, or partially used rolls of toilet paper).

For groups of 15 students or fewer, have everyone play the game.

For larger groups, bring 15 people to the front to play. You'll also need a spinning wheel or a bowl and index cards.

Before your program, fill the wheel or bowl of index cards with prompts like, "Everyone pass to the right," "Everyone pass two to the left," "Everyone unwrap your gifts," or "The spinner swaps for a gift of their choice."

Let every player choose a gift, but don't let them open it.

Give each player a chance to spin the wheel (or draw a card from the bowl) and have everyone follow the instructions on the prompt. If a player lands on "everyone unwrap your gifts" after the gifts have already been opened, give them another spin (or draw).

After every player has spun the wheel or drawn a card, have everyone open their gifts if they haven't already, and announce what they play to do with their new gift.

VIDEO | "The Magic of Gift-Giving," from Magic for Humans

All month, we’ve been talking about how we have sometimes have this tendency to focus on ourselves — especially during the Christmas holidays. We can often become so focused on ourselves that we fail to notice anything other than what we want.

If you've ever seen an illusionist perform, you know this is exactly how they perform their tricks! They know how to manipulate our attention so we fail to see what else is going on around us.

But like we'll see in this video, sometimes all it takes is a gentle reminder to help us adjust our focus and think about something other than what we want.

INSTRUCTIONS: Play this video (or a portion of it).

I don't know about you, but I love seeing those kids choose to give something up in order to give a gift to someone they love.

SO WHAT? Why does it matter to God and to us?

Philippians 2:5–11 NLT

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

OBJECT LESSON | Nativity Set

INSTRUCTIONS: Each week, you'll need a nativity set of your choice. Your set should be complete by this point, so all you'll need to do is display and reference it as you teach.

Over the last few weeks, we've heard the stories of people who we might only think about once a year when we assemble our nativity sets — Mary, Joseph, the angels, the shepherds, and the wise men.

On the very first Christmas, all of these people learned what the kids in that video learned: that it really is better to give than to receive.

Mary and Joseph gave up their comfort in order to be part of something bigger than themselves.

The shepherds gave their stories to tell others the good news of Jesus' birth.

And the wise men gave their worship to Jesus, knowing He was their King, God, and Savior.

But Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men weren't the first people to give something up on the very first Christmas. The very first Christmas gift was given to us from God.

POLL | What future life event do you look forward to the most?

Before we go back in time 2,000 years to the first Christmas, let's look forward to the future.

INSTRUCTIONS: Poll your students by either asking them to stand, cheer, use a polling service like polleverywhere.com, or run to the corner of the room that you designate to represent each option.

What future life event do you look forward to the most?

Graduating

Getting your own place

Starting your career

Starting a family

We all love to think about our futures. Hopes, dreams, and goals can help us remember that we're part of a story that's bigger than what's going on in front of us today.

SCRIPTURE |

Luke 2:29–32 NLT

“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

Today I want to introduce you to one more character from the first Christmas story. He's not represented in any nativity sets because he met Jesus several days after he was born. His name was Simeon, and Simeon had been waiting a long time to see his future hopes and dreams fulfilled.

Simeon was a Jewish man who was completely devoted to God.

Many people of the Jewish faith believed that one day God would send a Messiah, or Savior, to rescue God's people and forever change the world!

Long before Jesus was born, God specifically revealed to Simeon that he wouldn’t die until he had seen Jesus — the one God promised would come and rescue the world.

Shortly after Jesus was born, His parents Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple to be purified — and that's where they ran into Simeon.

INSTRUCTIONS: Read Luke 2:22-32.

When Jesus was only eight days old, Simeon fully understood who Jesus was and why His life mattered. Simeon saw baby Jesus for who he really was . . .

The Savior of the world.

Hope for humanity.

God's gift to us.

IMAGE | Your Baby Picture

Speaking of babies, can you name this baby?

INSTRUCTIONS: Show a picture of yourself when you were a baby, and give students a few chances to guess who it is.

Yep, this adorable little baby got old and is now standing here talking to you about Christmas. It is weird to think about the friends and adults we know as babies, right?

GOD CHOSE TO BECOME A BABY

I don't know if you've noticed, but babies are helpless! They need someone to take care of them at all time. They have no authority, no power, no skills, and no possessions.

So it's kind of odd to imagine the God of the universe as a baby. It's hard to believe that Jesus, God Himself, was born just like you and I were.

He was small. He cried. He needed His parents to care for Him, to feed Him, and to change Him.

God, the Creator and Savior of the world, became a baby so He could live among us.

We’ve been talking all month about the people in the story of Jesus’ birth and how much they gave in order to make the first Christmas happen. These were all huge sacrifices, but there was one sacrifice that started it all: God's sacrifice.

We often say Jesus' birth was God's gift to us. On that first Christmas, God (in the form of Jesus) chose to . . .

Humble Himself.

Enter the world He created.

Constrain Himself in a human body.

Begin a life He knew would be brief and would end in His death.

God came to us as a baby. A small, helpless, hungry, and vulnerable little human — not a mighty king walking the earth in glory and honor, but a child.

Jesus gave up so much just by coming to earth, but His birth is only the beginning of the story.

SCRIPTURE |

John 3:16–17 NLT

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

Here’s a little secret, Jesus coming to earth as a baby was all a part of the plan to save the world. Let's take a look at a couple of verses that are typically more associated with Easter than Christmas — because, when you think about it, Easter wasn't the only time God made a big sacrifice for us.

Does anyone know the verse John 3:16 by heart? What about the verse after it?

INSTRUCTIONS: Read John 3:16-17.

Jesus came to earth, giving up everything, so we could have eternal life and a relationship with God. This was part of God’s rescue mission since the very beginning of creation. Why? Because God loves us so much.

Jesus' conception and birth story was already miraculous, but it was only the beginning of an even greater miracle. The real miracle is that our Creator came to earth to save us.

On the first Christmas, God gave everything. This Christmas, what will you and I do with the gift of Jesus?

NOW WHAT? What does God want us to do about it?

REFLECTION | Giving Our All

Think about the best Christmas present you've ever received. What made it so great? Why was it so special?

Whatever that Christmas present may be, it pales in comparison to what God has given all of us through Jesus, the Savior who came to make all things new.

INSTRUCTIONS: Prompt students to close their eyes while they listen and reflect on the following ideas. Encourage them to think, pray, or text an adult leader who they'd like to talk to afterward. Don't forget to tell them when to open their eyes again!

For some of you, maybe this is the first time you're hearing or realizing that the Christmas story is just the beginning of a story that's all about God's mission to rescue you.

Jesus was born, knowing He would die, but His life didn't end with a grave. Jesus is alive today! He's the conquerer of death and offers all of us a chance to share in that new life.

If you're new to seeing how the gift of Jesus has the power to change your life, or if you have questions, or if you're having a hard time accepting that it's true, try talking to a friend or an adult you trust before you leave tonight.

For others of you, maybe you’ve had a relationship with God for a while, but it's been some time since you've paused to think about how great of a sacrifice Jesus made for you. If you've known Jesus for a long time and feel like your faith has become a little mundane, this Christmas is an opportunity for you to take a moment and remember just how much God gave for you.

RESPONSE | Write It Down, Give It Up

Before we wrap things up today, I want us all to write down one thing we're going to do about the gift God has given us this Christmas.

Do you need to receive God's gift for the first time?

Do you need to thank God for that gift?

Do you need to make a change in your life that shows how much God's gift has changed you?

This Christmas, what will you do with the gift God has given you?

INSTRUCTIONS: Before your program, print and cut the handouts provided in your Week 4 folder, and place two handouts under each seat along with a pen.

Wrap a cardboard box in Christmas wrapping paper and either keep the top open or add an opening in the top where cards can be dropped.

Have students write their thoughts down twice, keeping one card for themselves and placing the other in the box. Play or perform the song "Silent Night," by 116 (featuring Crystal Nicole) while students pray, write, and reflect.

See that card in your hand? Take it home and put it somewhere you’ll see it overt the next few weeks. Put it on your mirror, on the table next to your bed, or on your pillow every morning so you can see it when you go to bed that night. Every time you catch a glance of that card, I hope you'll remember the incredible gift God has given you — and that's everything.

On the first Christmas, a lot of people gave a lot of things.

Mary and Joseph gave up their comfort.

The shepherds gave their stories.

The wise men gave their worship.

And God gave everything.

This Christmas, how will you respond to the gift God has given you? And what will you give so that others can respond to God's gift too?

MUSIC | Christmas Worship

INSTRUCTIONS: To close, spend some time in worship together, singing a few worship songs or classic Christmas songs.

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