‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only born Son of God.’ John 3:16-21
Spend time in nature
This Sabbath the outside activity is going to look like a trust activity. When putting Jesus at the center of our worship we can learn a lot from the shepherds who was at the baby Jesus’ birth. They were in the field, watching their flock by night. Legend has it these shepherds were in the field hoping for and praying for the Messiah to come. As their hearts were longing for the coming Christ, an angel of the Lord came to them with news their hope had come, their prayers had been answered. Today’s activity is a practice for our listening skills. For the shepherds to recognize the Messiah would be found wrapped in lambs skin they had to have listened to prophets who had been a sleep for over hundreds of years (1Samual 2:34, 2Kings 19:29 & 20:8, Isaiah 7:11,14). Our ears won’t have to travel back in time, we’ll just need a blindfold and some space. For the activity one person will be blindfolded, then one or two people will lead them about twenty feet away from your starting point. Next everyone will return to the starting point, but on the way back those who can see can only speak to the blindfolded person. Once the group returns to the starting point take turns being blindly led and safely guided back to the starting point. As a family discuss what listening techniques you used. Did you just listen to the voice or did you try to hear what their feet were doing? Or did you try to listen passed them to the sounds around you that were familiar to those you heard being led away from the starting point? Did you notice changes in tone? God has a single message to us, “His love is going to safe us; our love for God and others will seal us for when destruction comes.” He has many ways of communicating this message to us. He has the bible, nature, our parents, church leaders, angels, if we allow it, He will surround us with this message, we only need to pay attention and “listen” to what he is sharing with us.
Tip
To listen is not equivalent to hearing. To hear someone you have to focus on the speaker (keep your mind from wondering), give them “nonverbal” cues to show you are listening (eye contact), and encourage the speaker with questions. We can also hear by watching a persons body language or listening to the tone of their voice.
Do something creative
For the creative time, think of a simple task that can very easily be made impossible. Our task will be to open and eat an unwrapped Hershey’s kiss. Such an easy task, but it is made impossible with a single rule. No one will be able to use their hands, to unwrap the chocolate morsels. After some time of trying to unwrap the pieces of goodness, we’ll talk about we should not put limits on God. God not only has every appendage at His disposal. God has the ability to create everything from nothing, He is the Alpha and the Omega. God could raise stones to sing out loud and worship him. He has no limits. Matthew 19:26 If the stars will kneel before Him so will I.
What you will need:
- Bag of Hershey’s kisses
Family worship idea
For family worship string white lights on the ceiling of your worship room. Everyone will sit on the floor in a circle wrapped in their favorite cozy blanket. If you feel reading by candle light will help set the tone, have a candle for each person. Read Isaiah 7:14-16, Micah 5:2, Jeremiah 31:31, Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:46-55, Luke 1:67-79, Luke 2: 1-20, Matthew 2:1-12, Luke 1:67-79 and Daniel 7: 13-14. When you’re all done talk about what Luke 1:76-79 means, how has Jesus prepared the way for the Lord? How has Jesus guided your feet into the way of peace and out of darkness? From the time Christ was born to a moment on the cross, God the father had a constant connection with Him. He saw the baby grow, witnessed His first steps, heard His first words. This was His only born Son. At Christ’s Baptism, what did the Father mean when He said He was proud of His Son? Will, we ever know the strength it must have taken to lower our child that low? To put them in such danger? I hope not.
Personal thoughts
When thinking about the birth of Christ there are so many things to revel in. What did the angels think when they saw their king as a humble infant? How many people went to see the Messiah after they heard the excitement from the shepherds? What thoughts of love must the tiny baby Jesus had when gazing up at His earthly parents? I hope I am like the shepherds. I hope that one day I am in the field where the harvest is plenty and the labors are few. I hope I am keeping watch over my flock. I hope I am watching with anticipation for the Messiah when I am surrounded by darkness. I don’t know when the savior of the world will return to earth but I hope the whole field is harvested. In the bible growers were meant to leave some corners of their fields unharvested, and anything they didn’t harvest passing through the field the fist time was to be left. This grain was meant for those who had nothing. The owner of the field would do this in obedience because he only had what God had given him. Where the harvest is full, God owns the whole entire field. Everything belongs to Him. There is room in God’s storehouse not only for the corners of the field that are meant for the humble and hungry. There is room for the laborers to bring in every dropped grain. The harvest will be so great, there will be grains as uncountable as the stars in the heavens. Once the darnel weeds are cast out all the wheat will be gathered into the barn. What a celebration that will be.
Hiding His word in you ❤
‘But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared, not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the mikveh of rebirth and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus the Messiah our Savior; that being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. ‘
Titus 3:4-7
Sabbath Catalyst 