Awaken the Child Within

Scripture:      Luke 2:1-20

Introduction

We are in a beautiful season of the year. The beautifully decorated Christmas trees, the colorful lights fixed to roofs, the excitement and expectation on the faces of children is all around us. As we prepare our hearts for the gift wrapping, cards to be written and meals to be cooked, may our hearts be reminded of the wonderous miracle in the birth of Jesus Christ!

Decorations

Supplies:

• Table covers (red, white, or black)
• 8–10-inch Vases
• Pinecones
• Fairy lights

Place red, gold, or black table covers on your tables. For center pieces, use 2-3 cylinder vases and fill them with fairy lights, pinecones. Add any other decoration to compliment the vases.

Craft

Supplies:

• 16 oz Mason Jars/ one per person
• Red, green ribbon
• fairy lights
• pine berry arrangements

For this idea, you will give each woman a mason jar, a pack of fairy lights and a choice of ribbon. Place the lights inside the mason jar, you can either put the lid back on or keep it off. Tie the ribbon around the lip of the jar. You can add small pinecones or small twigs for decoration.

Links to Supplies

Vases: https://www.dollartree.com/clear-glass-cylinder-vases-105 in/385411?Ntt=cylinder%20vases

Fairy Lights: Search on Amazon.com “fairly lights.”

Pine berry arrangements: https://www.amazon.com/Lyrow-Christmas-Artificial-Branches-Arrangement

Gift Wrapping

Nothing awakens the child within like presents. Have the women wrap Christmas gifts for the corps children, nursing home residents, or shut ins. They could also wrap small gifts that will be given to families who receive Christmas food boxes.

As the women wrap, have them share childhood memories of their favorite Christmas, or the best gift they ever received.

Refreshments – Cookies, Cocoa, Coffee, and Conversation

• Cookie Exchange: Nothing awakens the child within like delicious Christmas treats. Have women bring their favorite cookies to share with the rest of the group. Make this a cookie exchange, and invite the women to bring the recipes Have coffee and hot chocolate with marshmallows and peppermint.
• Mug Stories: Have the women bring in their favorite mug (holiday mug) and as the they enjoys cookies, cocoa or coffee, guide the conversation by having women share why the mug they brought is their favorite.

Anticipation and Excitement

As a little girl, I remember laying down under the Christmas tree and looking up at the colorful and blinking lights. I would hold my little sister’s hand. We could barely contain our excitement and anticipation for the gifts that Santa would bring. At least, that is what we were taught growing up. Do you remember how in your childhood everything was so simple and extraordinary?

When I became a mother to my three children, I experienced Christmas through my children and the excitement and anticipation tripled! Watching them open presents with no expectations and with a sense of gratefulness in their purest form is priceless. But such innocence and gratefulness slowly goes away as we grow up. Our own expectations and desires begin to take away from allowing ourselves to be amazed. And the same happens in our spiritual walk. We set our own expectations of what God should be and do for us, that we do not allow Him to surprise us anymore. We are set on our own ways and traditions that we miss those moments where God is moving and doing something new.

We need to be like the shepherds that first heard about the Messiah being born. They were chosen to be the first to receive the greatest news the world has ever heard. They had no expectation or predisposition in their heart. They were humble people that simply believed what was being said to them by the angel. They allowed themselves to be amazed—like a child on Christmas day. In Luke 2:15 we read how they believed and immediately acted on their faith and went to meet Jesus. But they did not stop there, they continued to share the good news of the birth Messiah with everyone they encountered.

How are you meeting the Messiah this Christmas season? Is your heart open like the shepherd or a child on Christmas day? Or do you already have your own expectations of what Christmas should look like? I challenge you to allow yourself to be amazed, surprised and even transformed by the good news of Jesus Christ!

The lights of Christmas remind us of the light the shepherds saw when they encountered the angel of the Lord. The angel brought them the wonderous news of the miracle and gift of the Messiah being born. Every time we look at the lights this Christmas, be reminded that He is the light of the world. Therefore, let His light shine bright in your heart, home, family, congregation, and community!

John 8:12 says “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much that you sent your one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to live and die for us. Thank you for the gift of salvation given to us over two thousand years ago. We praise you for giving us the opportunity to get to know you and we open our hearts to you this holiday season. We want to be like children once again and allow ourselves to be amazed by you. Let your will be done in our lives now and forever more. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!