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 Hark!
The Herald Angels Sing
by Charles Wesley
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th'angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
______
Christ, by highest Heav'n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th'incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
______
Hail the heav'nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
______
Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman's conqu'ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.
______
Adam's likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.
Read "The
Gospel in Charles Wesley's Christmas
Carol." This carol includes
references to Messianic prophecies pointing
to the birth of the Messiah, as well as
themes of what Christ did for us.
Scripture verses are given for words of the
song, making for a meaningful study for your
family.
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He's Got It Cold
Erik, our 6-year-old son, is three years
older than his little sister Christy.
During our Minnesota winters we have many
chances to talk about very cold temperatures. One day Erik was in deep though about
something when he asked, "Mom, when I was
born, Christy was three below zero, right?"
How could I argue with that! Submitted by Laura R., Minnesota. Send your humorous anecdote to publisher@teachinghome.com. For it was the Father's (God)
good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell
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engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you
in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you
before Him holy and blameless and beyond
reproach. (Colossians 1:19-22) God loves you. For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish,
but have eternal life. (John 3:16) Man was separated from God
by sin. For all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God.
(Romans 3:23) For the wages of sin is death.
(Romans 6:23) The death of Jesus Christ
in our place is God's only provision for
man's sin. He (Jesus Christ) was
delivered over to death for our sins and was
raised to life for our justification.
(Romans 4:25) We must personally receive
Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. But as many as received Him,
to them He gave the right to become children
of God, even to those who believe in His name.
(John 1:12) For by grace you have been
saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a
result of works, that no one should boast.
(Ephesians 2:8, 9) Immerse your family in God's truth through
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In This Issue
Christmas Bible Study:
Devotionals and Activities
• Be Devoted to the
Lord
• Read the Story
• Study the Story
• Dramatize the Story
• Apply the Story of God's
Love
• Sing about the
Story
Greetings,
In this issue we present suggestions for
focusing on the wonder of God's love for us
and His provision for our salvation through
the birth, death, and resurrection of His
Son. Since "Jesus is the reason for the
season," we should not become so busy that we
do not have time for Him. May the Lord bless you and your family for
His glory.
Cordially,
The Pat Welch Family, Publishers
Pat, Sue, Heather, Holly, and Brian
The Teaching
Home is a home-school, family-run
business operated in our home since 1980.
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Be Devoted to the Lord
We show our devotion to the Lord by
spending time with Him, listening to His Word
and talking to Him in prayer. Family Bible time, or devotions, should be
a Christian family's first priority each
day—not as a long or complicated duty,
but as the privilege it is. • Establish
the Habit
Firmly establishing a habit of meeting
together will greatly facilitate this time
together with the Lord. Set aside a
time each day, perhaps while everyone is
still at the breakfast or dinner table or
before going to bed at night.
• Read
God's Word
Let God talk to you by reading His
Word. You can read through the Bible
each year in just 15-20 minutes a day (See
schedules).
• Study
God's Word
Take a few minutes to discuss what you've
read. Recall facts, test comprehension
with questions, expand understanding by
having your children paraphrasing what was
read.
• Apply
God's Word
Determine to do something about what you have
read, such as share the truth with someone or
change something in your life.
• Memorize
God's Word
Memorizing and reviewing Bible verses
together implants God's Word in your hearts
for life!
• Pray
When you talk to the the Lord, thank the Lord
for what He has done for you (come to earth
to die for our sins); ask for forgiveness;
and bring petitions for the needs of
ourselves and others.
• Sing
Sing praises to the Lord through hymns and
spiritual songs. Suggestions for following this model at
Christmas time are included in the rest of
this newsletter.
Read the Story
One of the most meaningful family
traditions you can pass on to your children
is reading the story of Christ's birth
together.
Read and Discuss the Bible Story
• Read
and discuss Matthew 1:18-2:23 and Luke
1:5-2:38.
• And/or
listen to the Bible reading on an audio tape,
CD, free
online), or watch a video with
word-for-word Scripture (Matthew:
Visual Bible). • Add
explanations for your younger children as you
read.
Compare Accounts
• Notice
the different details given in the Matthew
and Luke accounts. • Read
the accounts of Jesus' birth from "A
Harmony of the Story of Jesus" which
brings together all the relevant verses from
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John rearranged by
subject and approximate chronological order. • Read
about the incarnation of Jesus in John
1:1-18. How does this account differ
in viewpoint, etc.?
Study the Story
Further study brings many rich truths to
bear on the simple story of Christ's birth. • Recall
facts, test comprehension with questions,
expand understanding by having your children
paraphrase what was read. • Explain
and discuss the names given to the promised
Messiah in Isaiah 9:6 and the character
quality each reveals. • Find
and study the prophecies in the Old Testament
predicting the coming of the Messiah and
their fulfillment in the New Testament such
as His virgin birth, Bethlehem to be the
place of His birth, and His suffering. Many
are listed online here.
Doctrine for Children Don't be afraid of the word "doctrine";
it simply means "teaching." Children can
understand important foundational truths from
Scripture, such as: • The
Virgin Birth: Jesus had no human father, only
a mother. (Matthew 1:18-20; Luke 1:34-35;
Isaiah 7:14)
• The
Incarnation: Jesus is both fully God and
fully man. (John 1:1-3, 14; 14:6-11;
Colossians 1:12-18, 2:6-9, Isaiah 43:11,
45:21-22)
Why Jesus CameLook up some of the following Scriptures,
and discuss the reasons that Jesus came. 1. To Redeem Man • To
seek and save the lost as a shepherd. (Luke
19:10; Matthew 18:11; John 10:1-30; Isaiah
53.6; I Peter 5:2-4; 2:25; Matthew 9:36;
Hebrews 13:20)
• To
give His life as a ransom. (Matthew 20:28;
Romans 6) • To
save sinners by bearing our sins and paying
our penalty. (Romans 6:23; Isaiah 53:5; I
Timothy 1:15; I Peter 2:24; Hebrews 9:28) • To
put away sin. (Hebrews 9:26; I John 3:5; John
1:29; Leviticus 16:20-22; Isaiah 53:6; II
Corinthians 5:21) • To
give eternal life to those dead in sin.
(Ephesians 2:1-6) • To
give re-birth and adoption as God's children
to all who receive Him in faith. (Galatians
4:1-7; John 1:12) • To
conquer death through His death and
resurrection. (I Corinthians 15:20-22;
Revelations 21:4; II Timothy 1:10; Hebrews
2:14-15) • To
remove enmity and establish fellowship and
friendship with man. (I John 1; Romans 8:7;
John 15;3-15)
2. To Reveal the Character of God • To
reveal the Father and to demonstrate the
great love of God for all men. (Romans 5:8;
II Timothy 2:4; Matthew 11:27; John 14:9) • To
provide a pattern of holy living. (I Peter
2:21; Matthew 11:29) • To
demonstrate patience, humility, and
obedience. (Philippians 2:5-8; I Peter
2:21-23; Hebrews 5:8; John 6:38)
3. To Fulfill Prophecy and the Law • To
fulfill prophecy. (Matthew 5:17; Romans
15:8) • To
fulfill and abolish the law. (Ephesians
2:13-15; Matthew 5:17-18) • To
be a faithful high priest and the mediator
between God and man. (I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews
2:17) • To
remove the veil and open the Holy Place to
us. (Hebrews 6:19-20; 9; 10:19-22)
Dramatize the Story
Your younger children may comprehend and
remember the story of Christ's birth better
through any of the following activities. Make a Nativity Set • Make
a playdough, dough art, or clay nativity set.
You could shape the figures like the "Little
People" toys. • See
instructions for a nativity scene on pages
38-39 of Morton Salt's "Dough
It Yourself" Handbook (complete and free
online). • Stuffable
Nativity sets are great for very young
children to play with. Make and Use PuppetsTell the story of Jesus' birth using felt,
puppets, or unbreakable nativity figures. • Easy-to-Make
Bible Story Puppets by Valerie Bendt.
Patterns and
directions for making 40 inexpensive and
durable felt hand puppets ($8). • Sock
puppet instructions here
and here.
• Finger
puppet patterns
and instructions. • Easy
and inexpensive puppet
stage ideas.
Act Out the StoryHelp your children act out the story. • They
can play multiple parts and use stuffed
animals as props. • Costumes
can be as simple as a scarf or bathrobe.
Apply the Story of God's Love
The story of the life of Christ reveals a
loving God who is seeking a personal
relationship with you. Through faith in
Jesus Christ, His substitutionary death for
you, and His resurrection, you can have
forgiveness of sins, peace with God, and
eternal life.
God's LoveExplain and discuss the following verses.
"Herein is love, not that we loved God,
but that he loved us,
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for
our sins."
(1 John 4:10)
"For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only
begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not
perish,
but have eternal
life."
(John 3:16)
"The Lord is patient toward you,
not wishing for any
to perish
but for all to come to repentance."
(II Peter 3:9)
God's Gift
Compare receiving a gift to how a person
receives God's forgiveness and eternal life
by accepting it as an undeserved gift by
faith.
"But as many as received Him,
to them He gave the
right to become children of God,
even to those who believe in His name."
(John 1:12)
"For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of
God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord."
(Romans 6:23)
"For by grace you have been saved through
faith;
and that not of
yourselves,
it is the gift of God; not as a result of
works,
that no one should
boast."
(Ephesians 2:8, 9)
Our Response
Ask each of your children who understands
if he has accepted this gift. • Ask
the Lord to help you lead your child to Him
in saving faith if he has not been saved. • Memorize
some of the Scripture passages above or
others that speak of God's love to us. • Pray
and thank the Lord for His love and gift of
salvation.
Sing about the Story
Music adds so much to our celebrations.
It is also a way to teach and remind our
family of spiritual truths. "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within
you,
with all wisdom
teaching and admonishing one
another
with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with
thankfulness in your hearts to God."
(Colossians 3:16)
• Sing
Together
Gather your family together to sing Christmas
carols during your family devotional time or
as an activity at some other time. See words and music for 385 Christmas
hymns and songs at Cyber
Hymnal (choose "Christmas" in the list of
topics). Also look for the theme of Christ's
coming in other hymns not usually considered
Christmas carols (e.g., "One Day," "Tell Me
the Story of Jesus," "That Beautiful Name,"
and "Ivory Palaces."
• Learn
the Story Behind the Music
Learn the history of our Christmas music (see
the link above for Christmas hymns). • Read
Song Lyrics as Poems
Some of these songs are quite profound in
their doctrinal teachings and can be read as
poems. In fact, we can sometimes appreciate
the words better by concentrating on them
without the music before we sing them. • Listen
to Handel's "Messiah"
Handel's Oratorio "Messiah" speaks of
Christ's life, death, and resurrection:Words
and the Scriptures to which they refer
and Libretto
of Handel's "Messiah."; Open
Score; Free
MP3 Downloads; "For
unto Us a Child Is Born".
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