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Miracles of Jesus

Kids at home 13th December

Over the next few weeks we are going to be learning more about Jesus and talking about some of the amazing miracles that He did!

Jesus performed many miracles while He was on the earth to help people know that He was the Son of God and to help them to put their faith and trust in Him. Through every miracle, people came to know Jesus and became friends with Him! Jesus also performed miracles because He loved people and wanted to help those who were sick or in need.

We are now going to spend the next few weeks thinking about another amazing miracle, and that is the miracle of the very first Christmas and Jesus’ birth! We are going to look at some different people who were all part of this very special story!

Today we are going to be looking at the story of the shepherds! Shepherds had the important job of looking after people’s sheep, a bit like farmers today but people didn’t think they were very important, or very clever, or very special. But God did and He wanted to let them know something very important and very special. He wanted them to be some of the first people to know the good news! Let’s find out exactly what happened! 

Let’s start with some worship! Feel free to sing and dance or just watch and listen, Jesus doesn’t mind how we worship, He just loves it when we spend time with Him and sing His praises!

Great Big God – Vineyard Kids

This is Amazing Grace – Bethel Kids

Joy to the World – Bethel Kids

O Come O Come Emmanuel – Bethel Kids

Story time

The story of Christmas (Jesus and the shepherds) – Saddleback Kids!

Note to families: 

Luke 2:8-20 or page 184 in the Jesus Storybook bible if you prefer to read this with your little one(s).

Some things to talk to your family about…

  • Can you remember who we talked about last week? She had a very important part to play in this story? Can you remember what happened?
  • Who came to tell the shepherds the special news?
  • What was the special news?
  • How do you think the shepherds felt when they heard the good news?
  • What did the shepherds do after they heard the good news?
  • Can you think of anyone that isn’t friends with Jesus yet? Do you think you could tell them about them Jesus and the wonderful Christmas story? 

Some important points to remember…

  • God sent the angels to tell the shepherds that Jesus had been born because He thought that they were so special, they should be some of the first to know this very good news!
  • The shepherds were in the fields where it was really dark, they were huddled around their fire trying to keep warm, and then the angels appeared in the sky! They started to talk to the shepherds!  
  • The angels said to the shepherds ‘Don’t be afraid!’. The shepherds must have got a bit of a shock and then started to feel a bit scared, they’d never seen anything like this!
  • The angels told them not to be afraid because they had very special and important news, a baby had been born that would be a gift for the whole world! They told the shepherds where Jesus had been born and said God had invited them to go and see Him! What a special invite! 
  • The angels also told the shepherds that Jesus was born so that they would tell people about Him and people could know the joy and peace that comes when you know Jesus!
  • The amazing news is that we’re invited to know Jesus too!  This good news is for everyone! God invites us to be His friends. The shepherds went to see Jesus and they were so glad. It was so exciting! They knew this baby would be light of the world!
  • We can be friends with Jesus and know His joy and His peace for the rest of our lives, and just like the shepherds, we can help bring this joy and peace into the world too. We’ve been invited and we can invite others to know Him too! 

Memory Verse

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” Luke 2:10

The angel said that Jesus would bring joy for all people! As Jesus grew, more and more people came to know the joy that He came to bring! Remember, Joy is different to happiness as it means that even when things seem a bit difficult, or we feel a bit sad, we can still experience joy from being close to Jesus and nothing can take that joy away! We will always have Him by our side so even when something sad happens, we can still experience His joy and know that He is with us through everything! Can you think of anyone you know who might need some joy? 

Prayer time

Why don’t you thank God for all the times you have been joyful in the last few weeks and for all the things that bring you joy? You could also ask Him to help you experience joy when things feel a bit tricky or hard? If there is anything that feels a bit difficult at the moment, why don’t you talk to your family and God about it together now? If there was anyone that you thought of who might need to know the joy of Jesus, why don’t you pray that they will come to know Him and experience His joy?

Dear God, 

Thank you for the joy that Jesus’ birth brought the world and for sending Him to us to chase away the darkness and light up the whole world! Please would you help me to experience joy in all situations because I know that Jesus is with me, and would you help me to share that joy with others so that they can know this too. Would you please help me to spread the good news of Jesus just like the shepherds did?

Amen.

Craft time

Shepherds!

Remember, God thought the shepherds were very special people and He thinks you are very special too! He loves you so much!

Why don’t you have a go at making a shepherd today? If you want to, you could even make some sheep too!

Materials needed:

  • Card/Paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue/tape
  • Coloured pencils/felt tips
  • Cardboard tube
  • Material/cloth

Optional:

  • Stickers/gems
  • Paint
  • Elastic bands
  • Cotton wool (for sheep)
  • Googly eyes

Note to families:

The Bible App for kids is another good resource to use at home with your children if you’d like. You’ll find animated bible stories, as well as different activities related to each story that the children may be able to complete or themselves or that you can complete all together as a family.