Splinks for the week of December 22-28, 2019
Promises, Promises
We’ve all made promises we haven’t kept, but today we can celebrate because God always keeps His promises. The people waited a long time for Jesus’ birth, but God kept His word. At just the right time, Jesus left Heaven and came to this earth to be born as promised. Jesus is the Savior God promised to save the world from our sin.
Read these verses with your family and identify promises God made in His Word (prophecies) that came true when Jesus was born.
Matthew 1:1-18 (Abraham’s descendants are listed all the way to Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus)
Isaiah 7:14
Luke 1:26-31
Micah 5:2
Luke 2:4
The Best Gift
Items Needed: A small gift (you may want to put a bag of treats that can be shared or a gift card to a favorite donut shop in the last box so everyone can share in the gift); several boxes (larger than the gift); wrapping paper; music (to play while passing the gift)
Wrap the gift several times (at least five or six times), each time putting it in a larger box and wrapping it. Play a game to find out who will be the final “owner” of the gift. (This could even be adapted by using gift bags.)
To play, sit in a circle and pass around the gift as the music plays. When the music stops, the one holding the gift can unwrap the package—until he or she comes to another wrapped package. The last one to reveal the contents of the wrapped box will get to keep/share it.
God promised hundreds of years before Jesus was born that He would send His Son to die for our sins (Genesis 3:15). If God says that He will do something, we can count on Him to keep His word. Jesus is God’s best gift to the world!
Party Time
Host a birthday party for Jesus. Involve the whole family—plan games, make a birthday cake or cupcakes with candles, sing “Happy Birthday” and celebrate Jesus’ birth into the world.
Party game ideas:
A simple game I love to play at Christmas is hide and seek. Ask for two volunteers—a hider and a seeker. Send the seeker out of the room. The hider will then hide a piece of the nativity set (make sure everyone see where she hides it). Bring the finder back in and sing songs to help him find the hidden piece (sing louder the closer he gets to it; sing quieter when he is far from it). When the object is found, pick a new hider and seeker and continue playing.
Play Christmas stocking relay. Hang two Christmas stockings on one side of the room and put a bowl of small wrapped candies on the opposite side. Divide into two teams and line up behind a designated spot. Give the first person on each team a spoon. At the signal to go, see which team can empty their bowl and fill their stocking with candy. Divide candy between team members and enjoy.