Read Luke 2:1-21 with your family and think about how amazing it is that God came to earth as a little baby living with poor and needy people in the Middle East.
About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books. These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David's hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David's family.
Mary was engaged to Joseph and traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, 6and while they were there, she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.

That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord's glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. But the angel said, "Don't be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David's hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay."
Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said:
   "Praise God in heaven!
   Peace on earth to everyone
   who pleases God."
After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about." They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay.
When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. Everyone listened and was surprised. But Mary kept thinking about all this and wondering what it meant.

As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.
Eight days later Jesus' parents did for him what the Law of Moses commands. And they named him Jesus, just as the angel had told Mary when he promised she would have a baby.


Think about all the poor and needy people living right where Jesus did 2000 years ago.


With your family, say a prayer for them to be taken care of just like Jesus was.


And have such a happy Christmas!  Celebrate all we're learned and done this month and know that God is so proud of you for caring for people in need all over the world!


Color this color sheet and have a very merry Christmas!
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Wow! Tomorrow is Christmas.  We've been reading a lot of good Bible verses about how God loves the world and learning a lot about how some people around the world need our help.

What's your favorite Bible verse we read?  What's one thing you remember learning?  What was your favorite color sheet?  What is one thing you want to pray for the world this Christmas?

Read these verses with your family:
John 1.1-14
In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God and was truly God. From the very beginning the Word was with God. And with this Word, God created all things. Nothing was made without the Word.
Everything that was created received its life from him, and his life gave light to everyone. The light keeps shining in the dark, and darkness has never put it out. 
God sent a man named John, who came to tell about the light and to lead all people to have faith.
John wasn't that light.  He came only to tell about the light.
The true light that shines on everyone was coming into the world.
The Word was in the world, but no one knew him, though God had made the world with his Word.
He came into his own world, but his own nation did not welcome him.
Yet some people accepted him and put their faith in him. So he gave them the right to be the children of God.
They were not God's children by nature or because of any human desires. God himself was the one who made them his children.
The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.



Ask your parents what these verses mean.  How do they make you feel?  What do they tell us about God?  Jesus came to live with us on earth and to show us God's kindness and truth!  Tomorrow we celebrate that God came and was a baby on earth and we celebrate his kindness.  How do you want to celebrate that kindness in a way that shows how God loves you - but also loves everyone all over the world and came for them too?! 


Say a prayer about what you hope for people all over the world as we celebrate Jesus' birthday tomorrow.


Then color this sheet and think about the Jesus who came to be with us because he loves the whole wide world so very much!
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A lot of the chocolate we love to eat comes from a very small country in African called Cote D'Ivoire (or the Ivory Coast).  In this country, a lot of kids without parents to protect them are forced to work on farms and often get hurt while doing that.  All over Africa, a lot of kids don't have parents and sometimes people from Cote D'Ivoire steal kids like that from other countries and make them farm chocolate.  It's very sad.  But, we know that God  takes care of kids without parents.  God also wants us to help take care of kids without parents.  So, talk to you parents or whatever grownups help to keep you safe about how you can help keeps kids safe by buying the rights kinds of chocolate - chocolate other little kids haven't had to work for.

Read this verse with your family:
James 1.27
Religion that pleases God the Father must be pure and spotless. You must help needy orphans and widows and not let this world make you evil.

Ask your parents what these verses mean.  How do they make you feel?  What do they tell us about God?  How do you think God might want us to behave?  

Then pray this prayer:
Dear Jesus, I am so glad you take care of kids without parents.  I know some kids without parents, especially in Africa, are hurting this year and need people who will take good care of them.  Please send people to take good care of them and please help people here in my country and my town to do what we can to help.  Jesus, help us to think before we buy chocolate and find out if it might be chocolate that has hurt some kids around the world.  Amen.



Then color this color sheet and pray for all the kids in Africa without parents.  When you color in the heart, that heart is where Cote D'Ivoire is.  Color it and say a special prayer for all the kids who have to work on chocolate farms.
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A lot of the people who pull chocolate off of trees so we can eat it are children who have been taken away from their parents - or children who don't have parents at all - orphans.  God wants us to take care of orphans.  Talk to your parents about how we can take care of orphans when we buy chocolate.


Read this verse with your family:
Isaiah 1:17
Learn to live right.  See that justice is done.  Defend widows and orphans and help those in need.


Ask your parents what these verses mean.  How do they make you feel?  What do they tell us about God?  How do you think God might want us to behave?  This verse talks about learning to live right.  Maybe you and your family may not know a lot about how to live right in a world with slavery.  Maybe we don't know how to buy chocolate in a way that is "right."  But maybe we can learn how?  Just like the verse says.  Talk with your family about learning to do right when it comes to chocolate.


Then pray this prayer:
Dear Jesus,  Thank you for delicious treats and all kinds of good food.  It makes us sad that sometimes our food is grown by people who are not take care of or treated rightly.  We sometimes don't know what to do about this.  Please help us to live right and to defend widows and orphans and those in need.  Thank you for loving people like that and calling us to love them too!  And thanks for coming to live with us!  Amen.

Then color this mug of hot chocolate.  Think about how tasty hot chocolate is and also pray for the people growing the chocolate we like to drink.
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Read this verse with your family:
The LORD God has told us
   what is right
   and what he demands:
   "See that justice is done,
   let mercy be your first concern,
   and humbly obey your God."


Ask your parents what these verses mean.  How do they make you feel?  What do they tell us about God?  How do you think God might want us to behave?  What do you think this verse means for us at Christmas?


Then say this prayer:

Dear Jesus, thanks for teaching us what is right.  Help us to learn more about what's right.  Help us to do things that are just and merciful and to obey you, especially on Christmas!  We can't wait to celebrate you in four days!  Amen.




Then color this color sheet and think about what justice, mercy and humility mean.  Ask you parents if you are unsure.

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God takes care of people who are weak and needy.  One really cool thing about following Jesus is that he wants us to do the things he does with him.  Today we're reading a prayer for God to protect weak and needy people.  As we pray it, we should also think about how we can 

Read these verse with your family:
Psalm 74.19-21
Do not hand over the soul of your dove to wild animals. Do not forget the life of your oppressed people forever.
Consider your promise, because every dark corner of the land is filled with violence.
Do not let oppressed people come back in disgrace. Let weak and needy people praise your name.


Ask your parents what these verses mean.  How do they make you feel?  What do they tell us about God?  How do you think God might want us to behave so that we can help protect people who are weak or poor?  What do you think theses mean for us at Christmas?

Then pray this prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for protecting people.  Please do something to help people who are slaves this Christmas.  Please help the weak and needy so they can be joyful and celebrate your birth this Christmas.  And please help us to help them in any way we can.  Amen.

Then color this color sheet and pray for God to protect weak and needy people around the world this Christmas.
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Read these verse with your family:
Isaiah 11:1-4
Like a branch that sprouts from a stump, someone from David's family will someday be king.
The Spirit of the LORD will be with him to give him understanding, wisdom, and insight.
He will be powerful, and he will know and honor the LORD.
His greatest joy will be to obey the LORD.
This king won't judge by appearances or listen to rumors.
The poor and the needy will be treated with fairness and with justice.



Ask your parents what these verses mean.  How do they make you feel?  What do they tell us about God?  What do you think they mean for people who are forced to work without pay?  What do you think they mean for us at Christmas?


Then say this prayer:
Dear Jesus, you are wise and powerful and good and fair!  Thank you for being just.  Help me to have joy in obeying you.  Help me to treat poor and needy people with fairness and justice and to love them like you do.  Amen.


Then color this color sheet and think about the hope that the branch that Isaiah was talking about means...especially for poor and needy people.
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Jesus told us that when we do things for people who are in need, it is like we did those things for Him!  Have you ever met someone in need or helped someone in need?  Imagine that person were Jesus himself!  Jesus told us to treat these people as though they were Jesus!  So, this Christmas, let's find some people in need and care for them as if they were Jesus.  Talk to your parents about how we can shop in a way that helps people in need.


Read these verses with your family:
Matthew 25.31-40
When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all of his angels, he will sit on his royal throne.  The people of all nations will be brought before him, and he will separate them, as shepherds separate their sheep from their goats He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, "My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me."
Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, "When did we give you something to eat or drink? When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear or visit you while you were sick or in jail?"
The king will answer, "Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me."



Ask your parents what these verses mean.  How do they make you feel?  What do they tell us about God?  What do they tell us about how God wants us to treat others?  Especially people in need?  Think of a time you helped someone in need.  Tell your family that story.  Talk about how we can celebrate Christmas differently because of these verses.

Then say this prayer:
Dear Jesus, please help me to see you in all the people who have needs and to care for them.  Help me put you and other people before myself.  This Christmas, show me ways to care for those in need.  Amen.


Then color this color sheet and think about what it means to be a "sheep" in the story you just read.
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We've been learning a lot about people who are mistreated around the world.  The Bible tells us that God brings justice to those that are mistreated and strength to those who are weak.  We should be joyful and celebrate this!  


Read these verses with your family:
Psalm 103.5-6
Each day that we live, the Lord provides for our needs and gives us the strength of a young eagle.
For all who are mistreated, the Lord brings justice.


Ask your parents what these verses mean.  How do they make you feel?  What do they tell us about God?  What do you think the strength of a young eagle is like?  What do you think justice would be like for people who are slaves?  How do you think we can help bring justice for them?



Then pray this prayer:
Dear Jesus,
You are so amazing and kind.  Thank you for always taking care of all my needs.  Thank you for making me strong when I am weak.  Thank you for taking care of people who are mistreated.  Help me to share the things you give me with others and to do my very best to take care of mistreated people and to not mistreat people.  Amen.


Then color this color sheet as a prayer for mistreated people around the world to have the strength of an eagle.

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God says that he will set prisoners free and they will get to go home to be with their families.  Some kids around the world have to work away from their families.  A lot of those kids work on Chocolate farms.  At Christmas, we eat a lot of chocolate.  You can make sure the chocolate you eat is not farmed by kids who are away from their parents.  Talk to you parents about what chocolate you will be eating this Christmas.  Maybe if everyone only eats chocolate that is farmed by people who let kids stay home with their families, then all kids will get to go home?!

Read these verses with your family:
Isaiah 48:8-9
This is what the LORD says:  I will answer your prayers because I have set a time when I will help by coming to save you. I have chosen you to take my promise of hope to other nations.  You will rebuild the country from its ruins, then people will come and settle there.
You will set prisoners free from dark dungeons to see the light of day. On their way home, they will find plenty to eat, even on barren hills.

Ask your parents what these verses mean.  How do they make you feel?  What do they tell us about God?  How can we help prisoners be set free and return home?

Then say a prayer for all the children who have to be away from th
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