The Christmas Story Series

THE CHRISTMAS STORY

INTRODUCTION:

-People have all kinds of ideas about Christmas.

-Some of them are right on, and some are way off.

-Today we’ve invited the kids to be part of the service.

-We’ve got the families together and we’re just going to have a good time and retell the simple story of Christ’s birth.

-Nothing fancy, nothing too complicated, just the GOOD NEWS of a loving God, who sent his only Son, to be the Savior of the world.

-I’m going to need your help this morning.

-We’re going to do some audience participation and there are no Grinches allowed at Adventure Christian Church.

-We’re doing this for the kids, and so I know you will all go along!

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-This section over here is going to be the “Mary section.”

-When I say Mary you hold a baby in your arms. (Practice)

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-This section over here is going to be the “Joseph” section.

-Joseph had to decide whether to marry Mary…

-So when I say Joseph you “put a ring on it”

-(if you liked it, you should of put a ring on it) (Practice)

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-You guys are the angel section…maybe I picked the wrong section to be the angels. (look pretty rough)

-Whenever I say angels you make the halo. (Practice)

-And the angels have lines “don’t be afraid!”

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-And lastly, you all are the Shepherds section

-Whenever I say “Shepherds” you’re on the lookout.

-Shepherds are always watching their flocks by night. (and day)

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-ok, now with Mary, Joseph, Angels, & the Shepherds we are ready for the Christmas story.

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Mary - Luke 1:26-37

…God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.

-Joseph and Mary were engaged & planning on getting married.

-You kids in the room may not realize it, but in the old days the parents decided who their kids would marry.

-That could be kinda gross right?

-But God decided that this couple was perfect for his plans

-So here’s what happened:

28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. And the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary,” ….“for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” 34 “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”

-I want the Mary section to remember that part. Say it with me.

Joseph-Matthew 18:1-25

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

-Joseph is never quoted as saying anything in the Bible.

-But the Bible tells us that he was a good man.

-The only conclusion he could reach was that Mary had been with another guy…that’s how she was pregnant.

-How did he know that? Because they were behaving themselves!

-And so he was thinking about not putting a ring on that finger.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22

-I love that part. Jesus is on the way, and he is the one you’ve been waiting for. He will save people from their sins.

-He is the one who can forgive us. The only one!

-Our good deeds don’t cancel out our bad ones. Telling it to a priest or pastor doesn’t make them go away.

-Jesus is the one and only son of God and the only one who can save us from our sins. This fulfilled what the prophet Isaiah wrote: