Jesus Calling: The Story of Christmas

In a culture filled with Christmas movies, shelves overflowing with toys, the latest gadgets and Christmas décor it can be difficult to keep the focus on the real meaning of the Christmas season. Even with great messages at church on Sundays, our televisions and devices are often filled with advertisements telling us what we need for the holiday season. Whether you have children, grandchildren or mentor children, it can be difficult reminding little ones what the real meaning of Christmas is all about in light of these competing messages. Jesus Calling^®: The Story of Christmas is a great way for parents, grandparents, teachers and children’s pastors to help share with children about the real meaning of Christmas.

Jesus Calling^®: The Story of Christmas uniquely teaches the Christmas story to your children by starting at creation and sharing that Jesus has always been present and that God has always had a plan for Christmas. Bible verses and Jesus Calling devotions are on every spread of this beautifully illustrated book.In Jesus Calling^®: The Story of Christmas, children will discover that God always had a plan for Christmas.

The Christmas story began long, long ago. Before the angel Gabriel told Mary she would have God’s Son. Before the shepherds saw the angels and before the wise men saw the star. Even before the sun and the moon shone for the first time, before the first cows ever moooed and the first monkeys ever climbed! Before Adam and Even took their first walk in the Garden of Eden, God had a plan for Christmas. From the beginning of time, God had a plan to save his children. That plan was Jesus!

 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰ He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 1 Peter 1:18-21

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Risen Reflections

Create your own Christmas traditions. Whether it is an advent calendar,  story book like Jesus Calling^®: The Story of Christmasor reading through the story in the Bible and using a Nativity scene, think of a way that your family can reflect on the meaning of Christmas together. Try to set aside time and possibly make it one of your annual traditions. It might change as the group gets older or dynamics change, but the important thing is developing the foundation of focusing on the meaning of Christmas. Ask the family to brainstorm ideas too. They might have some fun ideas or activities that they want to be a part of the traditions you establish.

Invite someone to church with you. Christmas and Easter are two of the holidays where people are more open to visiting church that might not otherwise the rest of the year. Pray and ask God to show you someone in your life that you can invite to church or a Christmas outreach event. Pray that the Holy Spirit would give you the boldness to invite the person and that God would soften their heart to be open to coming with you. Sometimes it can help ease a person’s outlook if you share with them what to expect. It might be something like, “We are going to have dessert, sing Christmas carols and our pastor is going to share a message of what the true meaning of Christmas is and how much God loves us.” It is better to be upfront than for someone to feel like they have been tricked into coming to church. After church, invite the person out for coffee or over to your home for a meal. Ask them what they thought or what they took from the message. Try hard not to react or be defensive. Instead, listen to what they are saying. Ask God to give you insight.

Give a gift with meaning. Books can be a great gift for your child’s teacher, Sunday School teacher or children’s pastor. It can even be fun to give a book to a loved one from a child with a gift certificate for a reading session with the little one. Write a message inside the book to the person letting them know how much their service has impacted your child and family. Take time to pray for them before you give them the gift and for their ministry.

We were given a copy of Jesus Calling: The Story of Christmas from Frontgate Media. All of our thoughts and opinions are our own.