Newsletter 27
Newsletter 27 from Maurice Sweetsur.
Contents.
Teaching tip 15. Telling the C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S. story.
O.L. 54. - The Christmas tree.
Craft - Making a 'fun' Christmas card.
Elimination quiz 2 - Christmas.
Fundamental Beliefs 7. The work of Jesus Christ. 2. Jesus took us to the cross with Himself.
A Birthday Celebration.
"There is only one way to bring up a child in the way he should go, and that is to travel that way yourself." Abraham Lincoln.
Welcome to my latest Newsletter. By now many of us will be starting to think about our Christmas lessons, so I have given this Newsletter a Christmas theme in the hope that it will give you a few ideas. You could also check out Object Lessons 8 (Receiving Jesus) and 25 (The Light of the world) in Newsletters 3 and 10 respectively, as well as my puppet skit "What is Christmas all about?" in Newsletter 6.
I apologise for the delay in getting all my past Newsletters onto the web site
( http://user.pa.net/~mycala/msmain.html ) Presently Newsletters 1 to 7 are available for viewing. It is hoped that the remainder will be online shortly.
Maurice Sweetsur.
Teaching tip 15. Telling the C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S. story.
Write out on separate pieces of cardboard the nine letters that make up the word 'CHRISTMAS'. Take each letter in turn to illustrate the Christmas story. As you talk about each letter, get a volunteer to come and hold it up before the class - at the conclusion the complete word will thus be shown.
There are a number of variations that could be used, but here are some ideas.
C = Christ. God's gift to us.
H = Heaven. Jesus came down from Heaven to be born at Bethlehem.
R = Redeemer. You will probably have to explain this. To redeem something means to buy it back. God
created us, but then he had to buy us back with the blood of Jesus. The famous story about the boy who
made, lost and then had to buy back a toy boat is helpful in explaining this.*
I = Israel. Jesus was born in Israel. (An alternative could be Isaiah, who foretold of His coming).
S = Star. God sent a bright star to guide the wise men. (An alternative could be Stable).
T = The wise men. The Bible doesn't say how many there were, but they brought Three gifts.
M = Manger, in which Jesus was placed. (An alternative could be Mary).
A = Angels, who announced Jesus' birth.
S = Shepherds, the first to hear the 'Good News. (An alternative could be Saviour).
* A boy once made a toy boat. He was very proud of his boat because he hadn't bought it, he had made it himself. One day whilst sailing his boat on the lake, the wind suddenly strengthened and blew the toy boat out of sight towards the other side of the lake. The boy immediately ran around to the far side of the lake to look for his boat. He searched and searched, but couldn't find it anywhere, the boat was lost. The boy was bitterly disappointed because this wasn't any ordinary boat, this was his special boat that he had made with his own hands.
Sometime later the boy was walking past a shop. He happened to look in the window, and there up for sale was his boat. He knew it was his because he had made it himself and knew exactly what it looked like. Immediately the boy rushed into the shop and paid the asking price for his boat. On leaving the shop, the boy looked admiringly at his boat and said "Now you are mine twice over. I made you, and now I have bought you back again. I have redeemed you."
That is a picture of what God has done for us. He made us and therefore owns us, but because of our sin we became lost and separated from Him. But in His love, God sent Jesus to buy us back, to redeem us. And the price Jesus paid? - His own blood that He shed on the cross. So although at Christmas we remember the coming of Jesus to earth, we must also think of Easter and remember the purpose of His coming, to redeem us to God.
O.L. 54. - The Christmas tree.
If you have a decorated Christmas tree in your classroom, you can use it as an object lesson to teach some important Christian truths. If not, a picture of a Christmas tree would suffice.
The tree. This reminds us of our sin. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, and Jesus died on a tree to take away our sins.
The point. This points heavenwards, reminding us that Jesus came from heaven to be our Saviour.
Evergreen. The Christmas tree is an evergreen pine tree, reminding us that Jesus is still alive.
The Angel. Reminds us that it was an Angel that told Mary (and then Joseph) about the birth of God's son. It was also an Angel that brought the first Christmas message to some Shepherds, "Fear not, for I bring good tidings of great joy, for unto you is born a Saviour, Christ the Lord." (Luke 2.10,11).
The star. Reminds us that God sent a special star to guide the wise men to the baby Jesus.
The lights. Jesus came to give light to those in darkness, and guide us on our way to heaven.
The decorations. Remind us of the beauty of everlasting life obtained through faith in Jesus.
Depository for gifts. (Usually underneath the tree). Reminds us of the first and best Christmas gift - Jesus Christ, God's gift to the world. We are also reminded that for any gift to benefit us, we need to receive it. If we don't personally receive Jesus into our lives then, as far as we are concerned, He might as well never have come to earth.
Craft - Making a 'fun' Christmas card.
Get your children to make 'fun' Christmas (or Easter) cards. These are quite easy to make, and all they will need is a sheet of A4 paper, a pair of scissors and some crayons.
I will first describe the finished card, and then tell you how to lead your children in making them. Written on the front are the words "Guess What?" in large coloured letters. On the back are the words "To _______ " and "From ________" , again in large coloured letters, but leaving enough space for the children to write a personal message if they wish to do so. When the card is opened, it shows the face of an animal or bird with a large mouth or beak at the centre. As you partially open and close the card, the mouth or beak will close and open in three dimensions, displaying your Christmas message in the centre of the mouth, e.g. "Christmas is Christ" or "Happy Christmas"
Note. When the card is fully closed, the mouth will be fully open. When the card is fully open, the mouth will be fully closed.
Instructions. I get my children to follow me step by step as I make a sample card. Most of the older ones manage this fairly well, though some younger children may need personal help.
Take your blank paper and fold it lengthwise. About 3 ins. from the top of the folded paper make a single straight cut about 2 ins. long (cutting from the folded edge). This will be the basis for the animal's mouth. From this cut, fold the paper upwards, making a good crease as you do so. In a similar way, fold the paper downwards from the cut. Experience will show you how far up and down to fold the paper, as this will determine the size of the animal's mouth. You should now have a 'V' shape.
Next, unfold the mouth and open up the paper back to it's original A4 size. Fold the paper down from top to bottom and then from side to side. You will now have your basic card shape. Write "Guess What" on the front, and "To ______" and "From ______" on the back. These will eventually be coloured in, but I usually leave this part until the end when I am also colouring in the animal's face.
Next, the 'tricky' part. This sounds a little complicated, but it is really quite easy to do with a little practice. Open up the card to display the animal's mouth. Place your middle finger inside the upper mouth and hold it there. Place your thumb and first finger on each side of the upper mouth and squeeze the card, which will obviously begin to close. Just before the card is completely closed, remove your thumb and fingers and complete the closing by pressing firmly on both the front and back of the card. When you now open and close the card, the upper mouth should automatically close and open. Repeat the whole procedure for the lower mouth.
Next, partially open the mouth and mark the centre with a pencil dot. This will enable you to centre the Christmas message, which is only revealed as the mouth is opening. Fully open up your card back to the A4 size and write your message, centred around the pencil dot.
Finally complete the drawing and colouring of the animal's or bird's face, centred around the mouth. This is where the children can use their own imagination. I was once given a beautiful card made like this, but showing an Angel (complete with wings and halo!) instead of an animal or bird.
Elimination quiz 2 - Christmas.
Here is my second Elimination quiz. Remember, ask for the 'best' or 'most correct' answers.
1. In what town was Jesus born? A. Bethlehem. B. Nazareth.
2. What country is Bethlehem in? A. Egypt. B. Israel.
3. What was the name of Jesus' mother? A. Elizabeth. B. Mary.
4. Who was the father of Jesus? A. Joseph. B. God.
5. What was the name of Mary's husband? A. John. B. Joseph.
6. In what type of building was Jesus born? A. An inn. B. A stable.
7. What was Jesus placed in after he was born? A. A bed. B. A manger.
8. What is a Manger? A. A cattle's eating or drinking trough. B. A place for storing straw.
9. Who first announced the birth of Jesus? A. Angels. B. The King.
10. To whom did the Angels announce the birth of Jesus to? A. The wise men. B. Some shepherds.
11. How many wise men were there? A. Three. B. We don't know.
12. How did the wise men find out where Jesus was? A. They followed a star. B. The shepherds told them.
13. How many gifts did the wise men bring? A. Three. B. Five.
14. About how long ago was Jesus born? A. 2,000 years. B. 10,000 years.
15. Why was Jesus born? A. To teach us about God. B. To die for our sins.
16. Is Jesus alive today? A. Yes. B. No.
Fundamental Beliefs 7. The work of Jesus Christ. 2. Jesus took us to the cross with Himself.
In Newsletter 26 we saw how Jesus dealt with our sins by dying on the cross in our place. We will now see how Jesus dealt with our sinful natures - they were crucified along with Christ!
Sinning doesn't make us sinners, rather we sin because we are sinners. We were all born with a warped, twisted, self-centred nature that causes us to sin. But God placed us in Christ, and when Christ was crucified so were we - so were our old sinful natures. When Christ rose from the dead, so did we, but not with the old sinful nature - that is dead - but rather with a new Christ-centred nature.
With the crucifixion the emphasis was on us in Christ, but with the resurrection the emphasis is now on Christ in us. With the resurrection something new is involved We were baptised into Christ's death (Romans 6.3), but we do not enter into His resurrection in quite the same way. Rather His resurrection enters into us, imparting new life.
This divine transfer is somewhat like the grafting into a poor tree bearing bad fruit of a branch from a good tree bearing good fruit - so that the poor tree will now bear good fruit. In other words we can take a little of the nature of one tree and transfer it to the other. That is an illustration of what God has done to us. He has taken the life of His Son and, so to speak, has grafted it into us. As the Living Bible puts it, "God took the sinless Christ and poured our sins into Him. Then in exchange, He poured God's goodness into us." (2 Corinthians 5.21).
But what is this new life that God imparts to us like? 2 Corinthians 5.17 say, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." After we have let God deal with our old sinful natures and been 'born again', we are not better people than we were, we are different people. We are new creations, not the old ones patched up or cleaned up.
Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, our new natures enable us to resist temptation and live our lives in ways that are pleasing and honouring to God. We can now agree with Paul and say, "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives within me." (Galations 3.20).
Thus, the death and resurrection of Christ have dealt with our two great problems - our standing and our conduct before God. In the next Newsletter we will look at some of the other benefits that Jesus procured for us.
You are cordially invited to
A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!
Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ
Date: Traditionally, December 25, but He's always around, so the date is flexible...
Time: Whenever you're ready.
Place: In your heart...He'll meet you there. (You'll hear Him knock.)
Attire: Come as you are...grubbies are just fine. [We all came that way!] He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something about new, white robes and crowns...
Tickets: Admission is free. He's already paid for everyone. He says you wouldn't be able to afford it anyway. It cost Him everything He had.
Refreshments: New wine, bread, and a cool drink He calls "Living Water," followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!
Gift Suggestions: Your life. He's one of those people who already has everything. (He's very generous in return though. Just wait until you see what He has for you!)
Entertainment: Unconditional Love, Priceless Grace, Wild Abandon, Real Life, Communion with God, Forgiveness, Healing, Fascinating Mystery, Childlike Joy, Uncommon Passion, and much more! (All "G" rated, so bring your family and friends.)
R.S.V.P.--He needs to know ahead of time so He can reserve a spot for you at the table. He'll enter your name in the "Lamb's Book of Life."
Contents.
Teaching tip 15. Telling the C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S. story.
O.L. 54. - The Christmas tree.
Craft - Making a 'fun' Christmas card.
Elimination quiz 2 - Christmas.
Fundamental Beliefs 7. The work of Jesus Christ. 2. Jesus took us to the cross with Himself.
A Birthday Celebration.
"There is only one way to bring up a child in the way he should go, and that is to travel that way yourself." Abraham Lincoln.
Welcome to my latest Newsletter. By now many of us will be starting to think about our Christmas lessons, so I have given this Newsletter a Christmas theme in the hope that it will give you a few ideas. You could also check out Object Lessons 8 (Receiving Jesus) and 25 (The Light of the world) in Newsletters 3 and 10 respectively, as well as my puppet skit "What is Christmas all about?" in Newsletter 6.
I apologise for the delay in getting all my past Newsletters onto the web site
( http://user.pa.net/~mycala/msmain.html ) Presently Newsletters 1 to 7 are available for viewing. It is hoped that the remainder will be online shortly.
Maurice Sweetsur.
Teaching tip 15. Telling the C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S. story.
Write out on separate pieces of cardboard the nine letters that make up the word 'CHRISTMAS'. Take each letter in turn to illustrate the Christmas story. As you talk about each letter, get a volunteer to come and hold it up before the class - at the conclusion the complete word will thus be shown.
There are a number of variations that could be used, but here are some ideas.
C = Christ. God's gift to us.
H = Heaven. Jesus came down from Heaven to be born at Bethlehem.
R = Redeemer. You will probably have to explain this. To redeem something means to buy it back. God
created us, but then he had to buy us back with the blood of Jesus. The famous story about the boy who
made, lost and then had to buy back a toy boat is helpful in explaining this.*
I = Israel. Jesus was born in Israel. (An alternative could be Isaiah, who foretold of His coming).
S = Star. God sent a bright star to guide the wise men. (An alternative could be Stable).
T = The wise men. The Bible doesn't say how many there were, but they brought Three gifts.
M = Manger, in which Jesus was placed. (An alternative could be Mary).
A = Angels, who announced Jesus' birth.
S = Shepherds, the first to hear the 'Good News. (An alternative could be Saviour).
* A boy once made a toy boat. He was very proud of his boat because he hadn't bought it, he had made it himself. One day whilst sailing his boat on the lake, the wind suddenly strengthened and blew the toy boat out of sight towards the other side of the lake. The boy immediately ran around to the far side of the lake to look for his boat. He searched and searched, but couldn't find it anywhere, the boat was lost. The boy was bitterly disappointed because this wasn't any ordinary boat, this was his special boat that he had made with his own hands.
Sometime later the boy was walking past a shop. He happened to look in the window, and there up for sale was his boat. He knew it was his because he had made it himself and knew exactly what it looked like. Immediately the boy rushed into the shop and paid the asking price for his boat. On leaving the shop, the boy looked admiringly at his boat and said "Now you are mine twice over. I made you, and now I have bought you back again. I have redeemed you."
That is a picture of what God has done for us. He made us and therefore owns us, but because of our sin we became lost and separated from Him. But in His love, God sent Jesus to buy us back, to redeem us. And the price Jesus paid? - His own blood that He shed on the cross. So although at Christmas we remember the coming of Jesus to earth, we must also think of Easter and remember the purpose of His coming, to redeem us to God.
O.L. 54. - The Christmas tree.
If you have a decorated Christmas tree in your classroom, you can use it as an object lesson to teach some important Christian truths. If not, a picture of a Christmas tree would suffice.
The tree. This reminds us of our sin. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, and Jesus died on a tree to take away our sins.
The point. This points heavenwards, reminding us that Jesus came from heaven to be our Saviour.
Evergreen. The Christmas tree is an evergreen pine tree, reminding us that Jesus is still alive.
The Angel. Reminds us that it was an Angel that told Mary (and then Joseph) about the birth of God's son. It was also an Angel that brought the first Christmas message to some Shepherds, "Fear not, for I bring good tidings of great joy, for unto you is born a Saviour, Christ the Lord." (Luke 2.10,11).
The star. Reminds us that God sent a special star to guide the wise men to the baby Jesus.
The lights. Jesus came to give light to those in darkness, and guide us on our way to heaven.
The decorations. Remind us of the beauty of everlasting life obtained through faith in Jesus.
Depository for gifts. (Usually underneath the tree). Reminds us of the first and best Christmas gift - Jesus Christ, God's gift to the world. We are also reminded that for any gift to benefit us, we need to receive it. If we don't personally receive Jesus into our lives then, as far as we are concerned, He might as well never have come to earth.
Craft - Making a 'fun' Christmas card.
Get your children to make 'fun' Christmas (or Easter) cards. These are quite easy to make, and all they will need is a sheet of A4 paper, a pair of scissors and some crayons.
I will first describe the finished card, and then tell you how to lead your children in making them. Written on the front are the words "Guess What?" in large coloured letters. On the back are the words "To _______ " and "From ________" , again in large coloured letters, but leaving enough space for the children to write a personal message if they wish to do so. When the card is opened, it shows the face of an animal or bird with a large mouth or beak at the centre. As you partially open and close the card, the mouth or beak will close and open in three dimensions, displaying your Christmas message in the centre of the mouth, e.g. "Christmas is Christ" or "Happy Christmas"
Note. When the card is fully closed, the mouth will be fully open. When the card is fully open, the mouth will be fully closed.
Instructions. I get my children to follow me step by step as I make a sample card. Most of the older ones manage this fairly well, though some younger children may need personal help.
Take your blank paper and fold it lengthwise. About 3 ins. from the top of the folded paper make a single straight cut about 2 ins. long (cutting from the folded edge). This will be the basis for the animal's mouth. From this cut, fold the paper upwards, making a good crease as you do so. In a similar way, fold the paper downwards from the cut. Experience will show you how far up and down to fold the paper, as this will determine the size of the animal's mouth. You should now have a 'V' shape.
Next, unfold the mouth and open up the paper back to it's original A4 size. Fold the paper down from top to bottom and then from side to side. You will now have your basic card shape. Write "Guess What" on the front, and "To ______" and "From ______" on the back. These will eventually be coloured in, but I usually leave this part until the end when I am also colouring in the animal's face.
Next, the 'tricky' part. This sounds a little complicated, but it is really quite easy to do with a little practice. Open up the card to display the animal's mouth. Place your middle finger inside the upper mouth and hold it there. Place your thumb and first finger on each side of the upper mouth and squeeze the card, which will obviously begin to close. Just before the card is completely closed, remove your thumb and fingers and complete the closing by pressing firmly on both the front and back of the card. When you now open and close the card, the upper mouth should automatically close and open. Repeat the whole procedure for the lower mouth.
Next, partially open the mouth and mark the centre with a pencil dot. This will enable you to centre the Christmas message, which is only revealed as the mouth is opening. Fully open up your card back to the A4 size and write your message, centred around the pencil dot.
Finally complete the drawing and colouring of the animal's or bird's face, centred around the mouth. This is where the children can use their own imagination. I was once given a beautiful card made like this, but showing an Angel (complete with wings and halo!) instead of an animal or bird.
Elimination quiz 2 - Christmas.
Here is my second Elimination quiz. Remember, ask for the 'best' or 'most correct' answers.
1. In what town was Jesus born? A. Bethlehem. B. Nazareth.
2. What country is Bethlehem in? A. Egypt. B. Israel.
3. What was the name of Jesus' mother? A. Elizabeth. B. Mary.
4. Who was the father of Jesus? A. Joseph. B. God.
5. What was the name of Mary's husband? A. John. B. Joseph.
6. In what type of building was Jesus born? A. An inn. B. A stable.
7. What was Jesus placed in after he was born? A. A bed. B. A manger.
8. What is a Manger? A. A cattle's eating or drinking trough. B. A place for storing straw.
9. Who first announced the birth of Jesus? A. Angels. B. The King.
10. To whom did the Angels announce the birth of Jesus to? A. The wise men. B. Some shepherds.
11. How many wise men were there? A. Three. B. We don't know.
12. How did the wise men find out where Jesus was? A. They followed a star. B. The shepherds told them.
13. How many gifts did the wise men bring? A. Three. B. Five.
14. About how long ago was Jesus born? A. 2,000 years. B. 10,000 years.
15. Why was Jesus born? A. To teach us about God. B. To die for our sins.
16. Is Jesus alive today? A. Yes. B. No.
Fundamental Beliefs 7. The work of Jesus Christ. 2. Jesus took us to the cross with Himself.
In Newsletter 26 we saw how Jesus dealt with our sins by dying on the cross in our place. We will now see how Jesus dealt with our sinful natures - they were crucified along with Christ!
Sinning doesn't make us sinners, rather we sin because we are sinners. We were all born with a warped, twisted, self-centred nature that causes us to sin. But God placed us in Christ, and when Christ was crucified so were we - so were our old sinful natures. When Christ rose from the dead, so did we, but not with the old sinful nature - that is dead - but rather with a new Christ-centred nature.
With the crucifixion the emphasis was on us in Christ, but with the resurrection the emphasis is now on Christ in us. With the resurrection something new is involved We were baptised into Christ's death (Romans 6.3), but we do not enter into His resurrection in quite the same way. Rather His resurrection enters into us, imparting new life.
This divine transfer is somewhat like the grafting into a poor tree bearing bad fruit of a branch from a good tree bearing good fruit - so that the poor tree will now bear good fruit. In other words we can take a little of the nature of one tree and transfer it to the other. That is an illustration of what God has done to us. He has taken the life of His Son and, so to speak, has grafted it into us. As the Living Bible puts it, "God took the sinless Christ and poured our sins into Him. Then in exchange, He poured God's goodness into us." (2 Corinthians 5.21).
But what is this new life that God imparts to us like? 2 Corinthians 5.17 say, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." After we have let God deal with our old sinful natures and been 'born again', we are not better people than we were, we are different people. We are new creations, not the old ones patched up or cleaned up.
Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, our new natures enable us to resist temptation and live our lives in ways that are pleasing and honouring to God. We can now agree with Paul and say, "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives within me." (Galations 3.20).
Thus, the death and resurrection of Christ have dealt with our two great problems - our standing and our conduct before God. In the next Newsletter we will look at some of the other benefits that Jesus procured for us.
You are cordially invited to
A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!
Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ
Date: Traditionally, December 25, but He's always around, so the date is flexible...
Time: Whenever you're ready.
Place: In your heart...He'll meet you there. (You'll hear Him knock.)
Attire: Come as you are...grubbies are just fine. [We all came that way!] He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something about new, white robes and crowns...
Tickets: Admission is free. He's already paid for everyone. He says you wouldn't be able to afford it anyway. It cost Him everything He had.
Refreshments: New wine, bread, and a cool drink He calls "Living Water," followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!
Gift Suggestions: Your life. He's one of those people who already has everything. (He's very generous in return though. Just wait until you see what He has for you!)
Entertainment: Unconditional Love, Priceless Grace, Wild Abandon, Real Life, Communion with God, Forgiveness, Healing, Fascinating Mystery, Childlike Joy, Uncommon Passion, and much more! (All "G" rated, so bring your family and friends.)
R.S.V.P.--He needs to know ahead of time so He can reserve a spot for you at the table. He'll enter your name in the "Lamb's Book of Life."
posted by Maurice Sweetsur @ 1:10 AM
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