We started our session by making sheep cup cakes with mini marshmallows, linking food to the nativity story – the shepherds were looking after their sheep
We continued with the Christmas story and lighting the advent candles, even though we were rather early with these.
We pulled Christmas crackers that contained story lines so that we could share the next part of Mary & Joseph’s journey in a festive way.
We watched a power point and retold the journey Mary and Joseph took to Bethlehem. We went on to the angels visiting the shepherds and then the shepherds finding the baby in a manger, just as the angel had said.
We explored the reasons why the long-awaited messiah had be born in a cattle stall and the reasons why God choose the shepherds as the first people to hear the good news
We watched a Friends and Heroes video featuring a song “He Chose the Shepherds”
We discussed how this Messiah may not have been what the Jews were hoping for and expecting; they wanted a powerful ruler to overthrow the romans and rescue them. Instead, Jesus came as a vulnerable baby to the powerless and lowly, to show Gods love to everyone from the richest to the poorest.
We watched the video “An Unexpected Christmas” performed by children from St Paul’s Auckland New Zealand, which we all enjoyed.
We thought about the things that Jesus would grow up and do as God’s son on earth
He showed God’s character and heart by healing the sick and loving the people that no one else wanted to love; he saw, noticed and cared about the poor and rejected. He then later died so that we can all be forgiven for the times we mess up and so that we can be close to God again. Jesus had come to bring us back to God and his love.
We watched a video of the song “Mary did you know” this time sung by One Voice Children’s Choir.
We finally prayed using jelly babies symbolising God’s love to help us think of others, their needs and ourselves.
We ended the session with a game of Christmas Pictionary and then a great Christmas Song from Duggie Dug Dug
We have a Christmas family service in Wroxham Church Hall on Sunday 19th at 4pm, all are welcome.
Happy Christmas to all our readers!
Do come and see what JAM is all about in the new Year – next session January 9th 10:15-11:45