This morning we spent some time reading Luke 2 and talking about the events therein. My girls know the story inside out and outside in. I love it! We talked about some of the prophecies of the Old Testament pointing to His birth and how that very familiar story was not the first time He was mentioned in the Bible. I have a small nativity scene set up on our entertainment cabinet (buffet, center, piece of furniture ... I'm never sure what to call it) that the girls are always playing with. Everyday it has changed in some subtle way. The shepherd has his face in Joseph's arm pit (I don't know, I really don't know!), the baby Jesus is facing Mary, He's turned away from Mary, the cow is in front, the cow is in back. At any rate, I love to hear them tell the story over and over.
After our lesson the girls went to painting for the silhouette nativity scenes. You can find instructions and a template HERE at That Artist Woman.
Kennedy's Silhouette
Aubrey's Silhoutte
Last year's and this year's silhouettes, Kennedy's on top, Aubrey's on bottom
One thing the girls look forward to more than anything each Christmas is reading through and opening the boxes of What God Wants For Christmas. The past few years we have read a different part of the story for 7 days leading up to the surprise of what God wants for Christmas. The girls have done it enough to know now what is coming next so this year we changed things up a bit. We had a scavenger hunt. I used the clues from HERE for our search. They LOVED it!
Clue #1 -- We were looking for the angel Gabriel. Where would you receive a message?
The mailbox of course! Inside was box 1 and the next clue.
Searching Adam (the one who fills the parenting role) for box 2 (Mary) and the next clue.
Searching for box 3, Joseph, in what we use to plan our course ...
So glad the rest of the clues are inside because it was SO cold outside! Now onto box 4 - baby Jesus had to rest his sweet, tiny head in a manger, but where do we rest?
Thank you baby Raigan for taking such good care of baby Jesus and the next clue! Box 5 was housing a shepherd somewhere that provides light ....
Found it! Box #6 was a gift among gifts ....
Aubrey spied this one before we made it outside so I had to hide it a little better before they got to it.
There it is! One of the wise men! And for the last clue we were to find what God most wants for Christmas!
Why, us of course! Box number 7 was hidden in front of our big bathroom mirror!
After finding all the boxes we read the story to go along with each box and set up the nativity scene.
"What God wants is you - the one He created!
'Me?' you ask. Why is this so?
'I cannot wrap me and put on a bow!'
No you cannot; but what you can give
Are the choices you make in the life that you live.
God wants you to know Him and love Him within,
And this is called worship, an offering to Him.
To do this, trust Jesus, who died in your place
When you didn't deserve Him - that is called grace.
Pray now and offer your life and your heart.
Say, 'Jesus, I need you. I'd like a new start.
Forgive me today for the sins I've committed
So one day in Heaven I'll be permitted.'
When you pray this decision, the heavens rejoice
That you have made worship of God your life's choice.
God wants you to know Him, so choose every day,
To love God and thank God and give Him all praise!"
Taken from What GOD Wants for Christmas by Amy L Bradford page 22-23
1 comment:
Love this one! We do "What God Wants for Christmas" too...love it! The paintings are great...I'm impressed!
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