Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 98
This psalm is the teaching focal point. God Himself and the birth of Jesus Christ is the ultimate focus!
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JESUS IS REVEALED!
Time of Praise and Thanksgiving: Read Luke 2:1-20 together.
Points to talk about:
• God is in control of world events and uses them for His purposes.
This includes fulfilling prophecies from the Old Testament.
• God uses our lives for his purposes even when it looks different
than what we want.
Ask your children what Jesus means to them during this season of life. How has God watched over them? How has He taken care of them in good and difficult times?
Lead the children to praise and thank Him for Who He Is.
An example of their praise might be, “Father, I praise you for sending Jesus to us!”
or “God, thank you that I can trust you even when I’m afraid, sad, or things don’t make sense!”
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Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Psalm 98:1-3
Time of Prayer: Read Psalm 98:1-3 (above).
Points for consideration from Psalm 98 and Luke 2:
• If God tells us He will do something, nothing is impossible for
Him!
• How can you treasure in your heart the things God has done?
Pray together using these points as a place to begin. Encourage them to pray from their hearts rather than what they think might please you.
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JESUS' MESSAGE BRINGS CHALLENGES!
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
Psalm 98:4-6
Time of Praise and Thanksgiving: Read Luke 4:1-21 together.
Points for consideration:
- The Enemy of God will work to stop God’s plan that many will know Him (2 Corinthians 4:4). He even tried to get Jesus to stray from what God wanted.
Turn to Isaiah 61 and read verses 1 and 2. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy as well!
Isaiah 61 verse 3 tells us those who love God will receive comfort, joy, and praise.
Lead the children to praise and thank Him for His faithfulness to His Word.
An example of their praise might be, “Jesus, I praise you for doing what you promised!”
or “Thank you Jesus for being the one who was obedient to the Father even when it was hard!”
Time of Prayer:
Read John 14:15-21, then Luke 11:13, and 2 Timothy 1:7.
Talk about how these verses work together in the life of someone who loves Jesus and belongs to Him.
Points for consideration:
God’s enemy will work against us being obedient, too. What could
this look like?
How and why should we praise God when things are difficult?
The Bible teaches that God has placed His power in us by giving us
His Holy Spirit. His power enables us to know God’s deep love for us and to give us what we need to live a life that pleases Him. What parts of my life need me to rely on God instead of my own strength?
Do you believe what you have read in the Bible? Why or why not?
Pray together. Pray that they would rely on God to know and follow His Ways. Pray for others in your family to stray strong in God and to do the same.
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JESUS' MESSAGE IS FOR EVERYONE!
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 98:7-9
Parents: Please note the following discusses God’s coming judgment. While this puts the Christmas story in its proper perspective, you alone must decide if your children are ready to hear the full reason why the Good News is truly the Good News.
Read Revelation 20:11-15. Then read Matthew 28:16-20 and Revelation 7:9-10 together. Discuss these verses.
Points for consideration:
• Do you believe that this New Testament prophecy of God will also
be fulfilled?
• God tells us that we all have sinned and deserve death, but God’s
gift is eternal life for those who believe in Jesus (Romans 3:23,
6:23). Does this include you? Why or why not?
• Now read Luke 2:8-14. God is worthy of our praise!
Lead the children to thank Him for revealing this “Good News of Great Joy”. They may say, “Thank you, Jesus, for what you accomplished on the cross!” or perhaps “Father, I praise you for the gift of Jesus!” Ask your children to pray as God leads them.
Time of Prayer: Read John 3:16-17 and 2 Peter 3:9 together.
Points for consideration:
• What do these tell us about God’s heart toward people? Does your
heart match his?
• Just as Jesus traveled to share the message and sent out others to
do the same, we also must go in obedience. The message hasn’t changed nor has God’s command to go.
Pray together. Ask God to help you be obedient to share His Good News and to go where He leads you- across the street, throughout our country, or even to distant places on the earth!
(Copyright Mark Taft.)
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