By Paul Duncan, pastor Mambrino Baptist Church
The following is a set of quick readings and visuals to help your family understand and celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. This post is set up for three devotions. Click here for a set up for Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning.
December 23
Reader 1: Tonight we remember that God’s timing is perfect- Galatians 3:4
ALL: Jesus is coming!
Place a watch in the center of the table
Reader 2: God promised Adam and Eve that the seed of the woman would crush the Serpent’s head- Genesis 3:15
ALL: Jesus is coming!
Place a hammer in the center of the table
Reader 3: The prophet Micah said the Ruler of Israel would come from Bethlehem- Micah 5:2
ALL: Jesus is coming!
Place a dress-up crown into the center of the table or you could have a child make one out of paper in preparation for this night.
Reader 4: The prophet Isaiah said that the people who lived in deep darkness would see a great light- Isaiah 9:2
ALL: Jesus is coming!
Place a battery-operated candle or flashlight in the center of the table
Sing: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, hymn 76 in the Baptist Hymnal or you can find a good version on Youtube.
December 24- Christmas Eve
Reader 1: Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and Joseph took Mary to be his wife- Matthew 1:18, 24
All: Jesus is coming!
Place a wedding ring in the center of the table (a piece of costume jewelry works well)
R2: You shall call his name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins- Matthew 1:21
ALL: Jesus is coming!
Place a cross in the center of the table
Reader 3: Zechariah the priest said that God will raise up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David- Luke 1:69
ALL: Jesus is coming!
Place a horn in the center of the table
Reader 4: So Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem- Luke 2:4
ALL: Jesus is coming!
Place a nativity scene in the center of the table but hold out baby Jesus, the angel, the shepherds, and the wise men
Dad or Grandad: Pray for your family asking that God would help everyone to understand the great blessing of Christmas.
Sing: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus, hymn 77 in the Baptist Hymnal or you can find a good version on Youtube.
*Leave all the items on the table because you will add to them Christmas morning
Christmas Morning Celebration
December 25- Christmas Morning
Reader 1: While Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem the time came for Mary to give birth and Jesus was born- Luke 2:6-7
ALL: Jesus is here!
Place baby Jesus in the nativity
Reader 2: An angel appeared to shepherds and said, “I bring you good news of great joy because Christ the Lord has been born in the city of David- Luke 2:10-11
ALL: Jesus is here!
Place the shepherds at the nativity
Reader 3: Then an army of angels appeared and said, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth”- Luke 2:12
ALL: Jesus is here!
Place the angel at the nativity
Reader 4: When the wise men saw the child they worshipped him and gave him gifts- Matthew 2:11
ALL: Jesus is here!
Place the wise men at the nativity
Dad or Grandfather: The two most important times of the year are Christmas and Easter. At Christmas we celebrate the fact that Jesus, the Son of God, has come. At Easter we celebrate the fact that Jesus, our Savior, died on the cross for our sins and three days later rose again. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” The greatest gift we could ever receive is the gift of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Today we celebrate the fact that our Savior Jesus Christ has come, he has rescued us, and one day soon He’s coming again.
Sing: Joy the World! The Lord has Come, hymn 87 in the Baptist Hymnal or you can find a good version on Youtube
Pray: have one of the children pray and thank God for sending Jesus
Note to parents or grandparents
I change the actual scripts before printing and put in the names of the people who will be reading, this way it is much less confusing. If kids are constantly asking, “What number am I?” it can be a distraction. If you have children who aren’t reading yet you can work with them to memorize their parts or simply include them in the statements that everyone will make.
I want to leave it up to you to decide who puts the items in the center of the table or in the center of the room if you have more people than places at the table. The person reading can place the item, or an adult can place all the items at the appropriate time. Use your better judgment concerning the ability of the children to do this without getting distracted or fighting over who gets to hold the item.
I plan to do the Christmas Eve celebration just before bed (after pajamas are on and teeth have been brushed) and then do the Christmas morning celebration first thing in the morning (if you have an early riser who likes to eat and might get fussy go ahead and give him/her a snack).
Items you will need for the Christmas Eve celebration
- Watch or clock
- Hammer
- Dress up or paper crown
- Battery operated candle or flashlight
- Wedding ring
- Cross
- Horn
- Nativity scene minus Jesus, angel, shepherds, and wise men
Items you will need for the Christmas morning celebration
- Jesus for nativity scene
- Shepherds for nativity scene
- Angel for nativity scene
- Wise men for nativity scene
By and For the gospel 