The Gift of the Wisemen

December 24, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Not only did the star lead the Magi far from home but the star didn’t stop where they expected it to stop.

They watched the star trailing across the territory of Israel as it was moved toward Jerusalem. (Bethlehem is, of course, near Jerusalem. Today, it is considered a suburb of Jerusalem.) The Magi assumed as the star approached Jerusalem that the birth of such an important personage would have to have taken place in the palace. So they went to the palace of Herod. But Herod knew nothing about the blessed event. They arrived on the doorstep and asked, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship Him.

Herod was dumbfounded! Royalty knew nothing about this great event. There were no flags flying, no music, no celebration, no festivity. Herod in perplexity and despair recalled his own wise men and inquired of them where the Christ child would be born. They searched their sacred writings and informed Herod, ‘in Bethlehem of Judea’. For thus, it is written in the prophets: ‘Thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, are not thou great among the tribes of Judea? For unto you who will be born a son, the Savior of the world.’

Then they come to the house where the child Jesus is and the wise men see the Messiah. Some scholars say it could have been a year after the birth of Christ. We read in scripture that, “they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts…” of precious gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Medieval theologians suggested that gold is a gift for royalty, frankincense a gift for deity, and myrrh a gift for death. They postulated that these were gifts for a King, a King who was God, and a God who would die. The reality is that they were probably the most costly things that they could get from their country. They brought that which cost them something. You remember David once said, I will never offer to God that which costs me nothing. So they offered the most costly things they could. But the greatest gift they gave was not the gold, frankincense or myrrh. The greatest gift that they gave the Christ child was the gift of true worship. That’s the greatest gift anyone can give Him.

It was there in that house that they yielded their lives to one who was greater than they were. They adored the child and gave the gifts that they had carried all the way from their homes in the east. When they returned home they were empty-handed but were full hearted because of the worship from the heart. The treasures they gave the child were worth little compared to the value and fulfillment they had in their hearts in worship. They had worshipped the King of the Jews.

The heart that can worship the Lord gives our entire lives a sense of fulfillment and meaning. Worship makes us whole because it meets the need of our inner being, our soul, our very core. God is worshipped, adored, and given honor. He is the one who created us and to respond to God in love makes life large and whole. Without worship of God we put ourselves in the center of our lives and we end up giving greater emphasis to ourselves.

Worship is a way to maintain perspective in the midst of life’s pressing demands. Most of us live our lives according to the “priority of the urgent”. We run from urgent demand to urgent demand. The problem is that we neglect that which is important. When the magi came face to face with the Christ child, the only thing that became urgent was ‘to worship him.’ They did not look to themselves.

They did not lift themselves up, but lowered themselves, bowing down in worship. If we take time to see the baby at all this Christmas, worship will not only be appropriate, it will be a necessity. Worship is a natural and appropriate response to the goodness and greatness of God. To worship means to pay tribute to, to honor, to revere God. When one comprehends God, truly sees him, it is the only appropriate response.

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Teaching Illustrations

Twas the Night Before Christmas

December 24, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
(or A Visit from St. Nicholas)
by Clement Clarke Moore

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.
And Mama in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the roof there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
tore open the shutter, and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
gave the lustre of midday to objects below,
when, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles, his coursers they came,
and he whistled and shouted and called them by name:

“Now Dasher! Now Dancer!
Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid!
On, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch!
To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away!
Dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky
so up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
with the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head and was turning around,
down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes–how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
and the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

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Humor

A Final Visit From Saint Nicholas

December 24, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

‘Twas the night before Christmas and one thing was clear–
that old Yuletide spirit no longer was here
inflation was rising; the crime rate was tripling;
the fuel bills were up, and our mortgage was crippling;

I opened a coke as I watched TV,
where Donny sang “O Holy Night” to Marie;
the kids were in bed, getting sleep like they should;
or else they were quiet, which was almost as good.

While Ma with her ball-point was making a fuss
’bout folks we’d send cards to who’d sent none to us;
“Those ingrates,” she thundered, and pounded her fist;
“Next year you can bet they’ll be crossed off our list!”

When out in the yard came a deafening blare;
’twas our burgler alarm, and I hollered, “Who’s there?”
I turned on the searchlight, which lit up the night,
and, armed with my handgun, beheld a strange sight.

Some red-suited clown with a white beard immense
was caught in our eight foot electrified fence;
he called out, “I’m Santa! I bring you no malice!”
Said I, “if you’re Santa, I’m Telly Savalas!”

But, lo, as his presence grew clear to me,
I saw in the glare that it just might be he!
called off our doberman clawing his sleigh
and, frisking him twice, said, “I think he’s ok.”

I led him inside where he slumped in a chair,
and he poured out the following tale of dispair;
“On Christmas eves past I was jolly and chuckling,
but now ‘neath the pressures, I fear I am buckling.”

“You’ll note I’ve arrived with no reindeer this year,
and without them, my sleigh is much harder to steer;
although I would like to continue to use them,
the wildlife officials believe I abuse them.”

“To add to my problem, Ralph Nader dropped by
and told me my sleigh was unsafe in the sky;
I now must wear seatbelts, despite my objections,
and bring in the sleigh twice a year for inspections.”

“Last April my workers came forth with demands,
and I soon had a general strike on my hands;
I couldn’t afford to pay unionized elves,
so the missus and I did the work ourselves.”

“And then, later on, came additional trouble–
an avalanche left my fine workshop in rubble;
my Allstate insurance was worthless, because
they had shrewdly slipped in a ‘no avalanche’ clause.”

“And after that came an I.R.S audit;
the government claimed I was out to defraud it;
they finally nailed me for 65 grand,
which I paid through the sale of my house and my land.”

“And yet I persist, though it gives me a scare
flying blind through the blanket of smog in the air;
not to mention the hunters who fill me with dread,
taking shots at my sleigh as I pass overhead.”

“My torn-up red suit, and these bruises and swellings,
I got fighting muggers in multiple dwellings.
And if you should ask why I’m glowing tonight,
it’s from flying too close to a nuclear site.”

He rose from his chair and he heaved a great sigh,
and I couldn’t help notice a tear in his eye;
“I’ve tried,” he declared, “to reverse each defeat,
but I fear that today I’ve become obsolete.”

He slumped out the door and returned to his sleigh,
and these last words he spoke as he went on his way;
“no longer can I do the job that’s required;
if anyone asks, just say, ‘Santa’s retired!'”.

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Devotional

They Followed the Star

December 23, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

God set in the sky a marvelous star. Astronomers have discussed for many centuries what the star must have been. Some have suggested that it was a conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn. Others have said that it is a reference to an evanescent star found in Chinese literature. Others believe it might have been a comet, or a supernova.

But whatever it was, it was something new. It was something unusual. It was something surprising. It was something different. It was something unique that prompted the attention of the wisemen. They were compelled by a sense of needing to understand. But their journey was more than the satisfaction of curiosity, the seeking of knowledge. Scripture says that when they were asked about their journey, they said they were in search of a King of the Jews so that they might worship him.

The star led them a long way from home. For these ancients it was not an endearing thing to leave home, family and friends and go beyond the borders of one’s own country into a different territory altogether. Yet, this star drove them across their borders. Every step took them farther and farther away from the security of home and everything that was dear to them. Their adventure was to find this person born to transform humankind and change the course of human history.

The road may have been difficult, but the end was certain. You see, God doesn’t call a person on an adventure in vain. These Magi discovered a little baby, and in discovering the baby, they discovered Christmas – not in a palace, in a synagogue, not in a mansion. Though Christ had been born in a cattle shed, the wisemen knew Jesus for what He was. They understood this child was special. This discovery was one to which they were prepared to respond.

The journey that God has for each of us may be different, but the goal is the same: That we might find a King to rule our lives and to worship Him. Our journey might take us far from that which is comfortable or familiar. But when we find him we will be transformed and our lives will be changed. Will you respond?

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Game Ideas

Christmas Stocking Scavenger Hunt

December 23, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Three pairs each of two different colors of Christmas stockings or clean socks. As a backup you can cut stocking outlines from colored paper.

Game Preparation
1. Number the stockings from 1 to 6 for each color.
2. Hide the stockings around the room
3. Inside stockings 2-5, (or on the back if you use paper ones) place a note giving a hint to the location of the next stocking (i.e. “Stocking #2 is under something large” or “Stocking #4 might be enjoying a good book.”).
4. Divide players into two teams. Hand both teams cards hinting at the location of the first stocking. The first team to find all six stockings wins.
5. Vary the difficulty by varying the number of stockings they need to find.

See Conducting Scavenger Hunts for help, Hints, Safety Considerations, Rules, and other useful information to make your scavenger hunt a wild success!

Icebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

This 170 page resource not only provides 52 of the world’s most popular group icebreaker activities and games, but also includes lesson ideas and discussion questions to smoothly transition into conversations about the issues common to most groups.

Click here to find out how to get your hands on this incredible resource!

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Creative Scavenger Hunts: Once Lost, Now Found

is a 160 page e-book that explains everything you need to know to easily plan your very own scavenger hunt: Item Lists, Rules, Riddles, Safety Tips, Guidelines, Scoring, Tips for Facilitators and MORE! There are more than 50 complete ideas (scavenger hunts, photo hunts, video hunts, amazing race, etc.) to use at home, around the neighborhood, at the mall, in the park, on the beach, at church, and around town!

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Devotional

Christ, Born in Me

December 23, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

St. Augustine said, “What difference does it make that Christ was born so long ago in Bethlehem, if he be not born in me?”

I have no doubts that the angels of God come to us with the same offer they gave to Mary. Maybe we do not have big angelic visions, and maybe our angels come to us in unexpected ways, in the nudges, whispers, and intuitions given to us; but we, like Mary, are called to say “yes” to God, called to give birth, called to be the means through which Jesus enters this world here and now. We are not here only to commemorate his birth, but to give birth to Jesus in us. We are not here to simply remember what happened in Bethlehem in ancient Israel, but to create Bethlehem in this time and place.

What happened in Bethlehem is a powerful sign and a demonstration of what can happen here, in you and in me, when the love of God brings something good to birth in us. If the Savior can be born in such unlikely circumstances long ago, then he can be born in all the convolutions and complexities of our lives. If he can be born to a virgin, then he can be born in us. All we need to do is say like Mary, “Yes, be it unto me according to your word.”

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Game Ideas

Christmas Boggle

December 23, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
1. Choose a Christmas related word or phrase such as: Christmas, Poinsettia, Candy cane, Bethlehem.
2. Timer

Game Play
Participants are to create as many little words as possible before the timer runs out using only the letters in the chosen word or phrase before the timer runs out.

Example: Christmas
Words: sit, is, his, miss, rat, tar, this, math, chair, rim, ETC

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Game Ideas

Christmas Scavenger Hunt

December 22, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
List of items

Game Play
Divide everyone into two or more groups and give them a time limit with which to find the items on the list. The first group that returns with the all the items or the most items on the list within the limited time wins.

Christmas items related to the Biblical account:
Star, Gold, Gifts, Herod, Shepherds, Manger, Frankincense, Flocks, Tax, Savior, Bethlehem, Myrrh, Peace, Angel, King, Jesus, Wisemen, Joseph, Mary, Joy, Inn, Gabriel, Immanuel, Swaddling Clothes, Christ, Nativity peices, Advent

Christmas items NOT related to Biblical account:
Christmas Card, Wrapping paper, scotch tape, paper snowflake, fake snow, scissors, bow, Gift for the needy, a bathrobe, Christmas napkins, Christmas cups, Candy Cane, St. Nick (Santa), Snowman, Candle, Plum Pudding, Poinsettia, December 25th, Reindeer, North Pole, Stocking, Holly, Mistletoe, Wreath, Rudolph, Dancer, Prancer, Dasher, Vixen, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Toy, Gingerbread Man, Sugar Plums, Nutcracker, Ornament, Elf, Bells, Sleigh, Christmas Tree

More Christmas Resources for Youth Groups
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See Conducting Scavenger Hunts for help, Hints, Safety Considerations, Rules, and other useful information to make your scavenger hunt a wild success!

Creative Scavenger Hunts: Once Lost, Now Found

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Game Ideas

Christmas Limbo

December 22, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Based on the classic beach game of “limbo”. Try using a string of twinkle lights, or a strand of sparkly garland as a replacement for your limbo stick.

Game Play
Start the garland at a height that everyone can limbo under. Then progressively lower it until you have a single winner.

Variation
You can make the game a little more challenging by adding a Santa Stomach to each student as they take their turn. For this, you need to provide a couple of oversized shirts, and some fluffy pillows to stuff them.

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Devotional

Christmas Memories

December 22, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

• A multitude of wonderful Christmas smells filling the month of December.

• Of coming together as a family and putting up the Christmas Lights and the Christmas tree.
• Of so many decorations that it took a large trunk and several large boxes to store them away each year.
• Of cleverly disguising and wrapping gifts. My family is a family of laughter and practical jokes. I remember dad, wrapping a large box of laundry detergent for my mom. She unwrapped it and was a bit upset until she found a jewelry box down in the powder.
• Of being able to open one gift on Christmas Eve and having to wait on the rest until Christmas morning.
• Of leaving cookies and milk for Santa Claus. And water outside for the reindeer.
• Of Christmas programs and Christmas pageant’s at the church.
• Of a manger scene. And an angel on top the tree.
• Of relationships. We were not wealthy, but I could have received anything for Christmas and have been content.

For me, it wasn’t the gift, but the giver that was important. And I always enjoyed giving gifts more than receiving them. My parents would apologize for not having much under the tree, but it wasn’t what was under the tree that was special to me. It was the fellowship around the tree. It was the relationships, the fellowship that I remember most.. the time together as a family.

Indeed that is the true meaning of Christmas – Relationship! Sinful man was separated from God and God came down to us to restore the relationship. But Christmas was only the beginning. It was with another tree, many years later that our Savior truly restored the relation so that we can once again fellowship together.

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