CHURCH IN A BAG
Authentic Christmas – Celebrate the Birth of Christ at Home
HAPPY SUNDAY, COMPASS PEEPS!
Some of you are probably very comfortable leading family devotions. For some of you this might be a new experience. Either way, we encourage you to take some time on Sunday, December 22nd and give this a try.
It’s a simple assignment – come together as a family to worship through prayer, song and Scripture.
Below are some suggestions and guidelines, along with some questions for discussion. Feel free to improvise with whatever works best for you and your family.
We’ve provided you with both tech-savvy and “old-school” options. Feel free to choose from both.
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TIPS:
- Before you begin, make sure you’re in a comfortable space with no distractions. Around the kitchen table, in the family room – whatever is the best space, so everyone feels at ease.
- Gather all your materials so you don’t have to look for them during this time.
- Silence cell phones and commit to no calls, texting, Facebook or other social media during this time.
- If you’re using the tech-savvy options, be sure you’ve accessed all the links and have them ready to go before you start.
- Relax and enjoy this time with your family!
- If you have young children, try using a kid-friendly Bible translation, like NIRV.
Worship God with Prayer
Use this prayer or however Holy Spirit leads you.
Father God, we don’t want the Christmas story to be so familiar to us that it doesn’t grab our hearts and our attention. We don’t want to be so distracted or stressed with Christmas decorating and shopping and celebrating with family and friends that we miss connecting with Jesus. Help us to be more than a spectator– we want to be part of Your story. So, as we hear Your Word today, we ask that You speak to us by the power of your Holy Spirit; show us how we can worship Jesus today and throughout this Christmas season. We give You all the thanks and praise. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Worship God with Song
Tech Savvy: Access one or more of the following (Christmas) worship videos. These are FREE on YouTube.com. You can watch them on your phone, tablet, computer, or smart TV; the videos include lyrics.
Casting Crowns O Come All Ye Faithful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FArWwaBcFAk
Chris Tomlin Hark the Herald Angels Sing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19w0IHPL4X0
Old School: Just sing these familiar Christmas carols – you know them! In case you forgot all the words, we’ve included lyrics on a separate page.
Worship God with Scripture
Tech Savvy: Watch the following scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPhqMJpQsYQ
If you’ve never seen it, this is one of the most beloved Christmas television specials of all time. In it, Charlie Brown wrestles with the true meaning of Christmas, in the middle of a world that seems overwhelmed with presents, parties and “stuff.”
Old School: Read or take turns reading Luke 2:8-14
Interactive suggestion – If you have a nativity scene, read the entire passage Luke 2:1-20. Add the characters mentioned in the passage to the scene as they are mentioned in Scripture. If not, use the enclosed characters, especially if you have young children. Feel free to have your kids color them and then help to cut them out.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
Talk About It
It seems so simple. Today, many people celebrate Christmas for a lot of reasons - and some have nothing to do with the birth of Christ.
Family traditions, vacation time, gift-giving, Santa Claus, parties, and so on. Commercialism and materialism are a part of the fabric of Christmas in our society. It’s easy to forget that “Jesus is the reason for the season.” As a family, do we have any of these traditions? If so, is there anything we can do to make them more Christ-centered?
Family traditions can be a very wonderful thing, so long as they don’t distract us from the real reason we celebrate Christmas! Are there any of our family traditions that ARE centered around Jesus’ birth? How can we share some of these traditions with friends and family who don’t know Jesus?
Close In Prayer
Suggestion – ask the youngest member of your family to lead the prayer!
Final Song
Tech Savvy: David Archuleta Joy to the World https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryv41dMqS24
Old School: Sing Joy to the World; lyrics on a separate page.