Some
really great books begin with "Once upon a time..." These stories
usually have an amazing hero who saves people who are in very grave danger.
This Christmas, gather your family around to hear the very best story ever told.
You will learn of a hero who is truly our Savior, sent to save us! Follow this
story that starts with "In the beginning..." and ends "happily
ever after."
We have prepared a special Advent Pop-up Card this year in conjunction with our Advent Booklet. These are available through Children's Ministry. Or you can download them and print your own.
Genesis is the very first book in the Bible, and it introduces God's amazing story. We learn how He made everything, including the earth, sky, animals and even people! We also learn about the very first time that someone did something wrong (sinned). In Genesis 3:15, God tells us that He has a plan for saving us from our sins. He is talking about His son, our Savior!
Dig Deeper
Read Romans 16:20 and 1 John 3:8. How do these verses help us understand God's plan? During this advent season, we will be discussing four different important concepts of the Christian faith. This first week is the concept of creation. This is the truth that God is the creator of all and that the fall of man, when sin entered the world, also brought about the "fall" of creation. Until that point, God, man, animals and plants lived in perfect harmony.
WEEK 2 The BIGAnnouncement
Luke 1:26-38
In this part of the Big Story, an angel tells Mary that she is going to have a very special baby, named Jesus, which means "the Lord saves." Sometimes at Christmas time we have to wait for a lot of things; for friends to visit, for grandparents to arrive, for the cookies to be done and for presents to be opened! Imagine how excited Mary must have been to wait for the birth of her special baby, our Savior!
Dig Deeper
Read Matthew 1:20-21. In these verses, Joseph is visited by an angel. How is this visit different from Mary's visit? How is it the same? This week, we will be learning about the annunciation, Gabriel's announcement to Mary that she will give birth to Jesus, the Savior of the world.
WEEK 3 The BIG Arrival
John 1:1-3; 14-18
Did you know that Jesus has been a part of our Big Story since the very beginning? He was with God when He made everything, and He was with God when people first sinned, because He is God! The very first time anyone really got to see God was when Jesus was born. That little baby in the manger is our Savior!
Dig Deeper
Read Genesis 1:26 and John 10:30. How do these verses help us understand who Jesus is? We learn about incarnation this week. This is the truth that God Himself took on human form. Jesus is both God and man.
WEEK 4 The BIG Party
Revelation 21:1-7
Many of our favorite stories end with "...and they lived happily ever after." In Revelation, the very last book in the Bible, we see there will be a very happy ending for those that love Jesus. In verse 5, Jesus tells us He is making "everything new!" He describes a place where there is no crying or pain; He is talking about Heaven! It is a place that we can all go to someday, if we place our trust in Jesus, our Savior. Now that is a happy ending!
Dig Deeper
Read John 3:16. What does this promise mean to you? After God's great judgment, there will be a new earth where God's perfect order is restored. This is the concept of re-creation. The truth is that God, man, animals and plants will again live in perfect harmony. Those that have not placed their trust in Jesus will not be a part of this new earth.
Some
really great books begin with "Once upon a time..." These stories
usually have an amazing hero who saves people who are in very grave danger.
This Christmas, gather your family around to hear the very best story ever told.
You will learn of a hero who is truly our Savior, sent to save us! Follow this
story that starts with "In the beginning..." and ends "happily
ever after."
