Sharing the Christmas Story: From reading the living the Gospel

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Young kids have a hard time differentiating between what is real and what is pretend. So it’s important that you explain that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus really lived. In this year's BRF Advent book Sally Welch explores two questions: What is the Christmas story really about, and how do we share it? Lastly, the simplest way to share the true meaning of Christmas is to sit down and read the Christmas story with your children. When Jesus was still a little baby, they brought him to the temple where two special people met him. A man named Simeon had been told by God that he wouldn’t die until he had seen Jesus the Messiah.

Record and analyze—Once they are able to recite the story from memory, make an audio recording and carefully scrutinize the content with them. Did they leave out any details? Are they clearly communicating the main point of the story (that God has come to be with humanity)? Recite and review—Once they have the story and details in place, have them recite it and review their progress. Make note of what the children missed in their retelling. Did they leave out essential points or significant details? Here are the main points they should include: If you’d like to share the story of Jesus with your children this Christmas as well, I hope this blog post helps you share it on a level they can understand. Encourage children by reminding them that forgetting to include parts of the story is to be expected the first few times they tell the story. All the guest rooms and inns were full. Mary and Joseph needed a place to stay because Mary was about to have her baby.Santa Claus however is made up and pretend. I do like to tell my kids the story of St. Nicholas and explain that he really lived. But that is another Christmas story!

Being semi-illiterate and among the unreached tribes in Kenya, sharing the message of the birth of Jesus is sometimes challenging. That is why we select portions of scripture carefully.

Other stories

You don’t have to do all seven of these ideas to share the biblical Christmas story for kids, but adding just one or two more ways to your plans can make a huge impact on your child. As you experience the Christmas story together, you may be surprised at how your experience may change as you see the story through the eyes of your child. The story of Jesus’ birth doesn’t have to just be retold during December. The events of Jesus’s birth as the Son of God should be a part of every new day as you teach your children to love Jesus. But the angel said, “Do not be afraid.I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.Today in the town of David a Saviorhas been born to you; he is the Messiah,the Lord. As you share the true spirit of Christmas, baby Jesus born in an animal barn, the nativity story of Christmas can bring that long time ago Christmas eve to your own home and family. The good news of the greatest gift of all can be shared through scripture books, a family tradition of reading your favorite Christmas story book, filling your guest rooms with family, and sharing family devotions and scripture reading together. You may even work on memorizing the biblical story with your kids. Act Out the Christmas Bible Story So everyone had to go to the town that their family first came from. That meant Joseph and Mary had to travel 70 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

Depending on the age of your children, you can read or narrate the Christmas Bible story as they act it out or they can tell the story as they act it out. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.” Practice, practice, practice (again)—Spend sufficient time practicing the story. Once they’ve sufficiently memorized the story, have them work on the delivery, focusing on the variation in tone and inflection. Pace the story—Dialogue slows a story while action speeds it up. Have them use pauses to underline main points. Show them how to maintain variety in pacing.You can follow a simple salt-dough recipe using just table salt, flour and water to create a dough and use a star-shaped cookie cutter to make some festive decorations, add a hole into the top and then bake to harden the dough before decorating with paints, glitter and any other items on hand ready to hang on the tree. If you have not watched The Chosen, you have missed out on an amazing account of Jesus’ life. There are several episodes and sections of the Christmas story from different groups of people. Retell the Christmas Story for Kids with a Nativity Set Another way to experience the story of Jesus’ birth is to watch a movie about it. Of course, anytime you watch a movie, that picture gets in your head and can become reality – especially for children. So it’s important to prepare your children by reading the Bible story first, comparing the movie to the biblical account, and helping your child understand reality compared to artists’ license. Children can follow the star just like the wise men in this fun way to build up anticipation for Christmas Day.

Storytelling is a useful method for anyone who wants to engage and communicate God’s Word. But it can be an especially powerful tool for children and teens who are learning how to share their faith with their peers. The story of Jesus’s birth is an ideal place to start, since it is likely to have a special resonance with children. The more invested they are in the story, the easier it will be for them to learn to tell the story on their own. Every Christmas season, Joseph leads these businesses in sharing the Christmas story, reaching out to even the most remote of groups in the process. O ne of the communities is the Digo tribe, who are among the Miji Kenda, living in the South coast of Kenya, where our partner, Freedom Water Solutions, provides clean and safe water. We asked Joseph to share with us about this experience, its challenges and its rewards. Here is what he had to say: While fictional Christmas stories seem to multiply each year, the biblical account of Jesus Christ’s birth is unchanged since it was recorded in the Bible,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “Yet almost half of Americans do not think they could share the Christmas story somewhat accurately from memory. Of all the Christmas programs churches offer in December, possibly the most important is simply reading the biblical account of the Christmas story itself.” Your son will be king of Jacob’s people forever, and his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33 NLT) Practice, practice, practice—Have children spread their practice over several days so that they don’t become overwhelmed. But remind them that it will take effort. The best storytellers hone their craft through practice.Through each week of Advent, a different aspect of the Christmas story is examined: light, promise, mystery, love, peace and hope. Within each week, the days are focused on the ways in which the Christmas story is shared: prophecies, journeys, new life, signs, poems, stories and conversations. Each day offers a Bible passage, followed by a reflection and prayer activity. Suggestions for group study and group study questions are also included. Another special person at the temple was a woman named Anna. She had dedicated her life to God, and when she saw Jesus, she gave thanks to God. Whether you want to read directly from a Bible or borrow a nativity picture book in your local library you can take some time to go through the Christmas story together and open up a discussion about why we celebrate Christmas Day. Mary was frightened by the angel and didn’t understand what was going on. So the angel told her more.