Belong

December 5 11

Welcome Give each adult a blank nametag as they arrive & ask them to write their favorite Christmas hymn or song. Over dinner encourage each guest to share what makes the song they picked so special to them. Opening Prayer Ask for God to help us remember that the TRUE MEANING of Christmas is not the getting/giving of gifts but in the fact that 2000 years ago the world received the greatest gift of all timethe Incarnation of Gods Son in the birth of baby Jesus.

Become
Family Time Get the younger folks to talk about the best Christmas gift they ever received. Ask the kids, Whats the one gift you are most hopeful to receive this Christmas? That should prime them to talk about how challenging it can be to exercise patience in the days/weeks leading up to Christmas morning. But then ask them if Christmas would be as exciting if you received your gifts weeks in advance. The point: exercising patience when we dont have what we want (or need) helps us to have a greater appreciation for them once we receive them! Kids Time Before HG, find a translation of this weeks Core Competency Bible passage (Proverbs 14:29) that the kids in your group can memorize with a little effort. Then have a piece of paper on hand for each word in the verse. Then have the children write one word from the verse on each piece of paper. First, shuffle the pieces of paper together and have them take turns putting the pieces in order. Time them to see who can do it the fastest. Once everyone has had a turn, arrange all the pieces of paper in order. Help them to memorize the passage by removing one sheet each time they recite it. Celebrate their success! If there is anytime left over, have the kids draw their favorite scene from the Christmas story as told to us in the Bible. Adult Time More than likely, none of us ever exercised violence against Christians as Paul shares of his own life. Yet, to the extent that you feel comfortable, talk about how your pre-conversion life mirrors Pauls personal reflections of himself as a chief among sinners and in desperate need of Gods mercy. Follow that up by sharing one or more ways God demonstrated his patience and mercy toward you (even before you became a Christian). Certainly none of us had a conversion experience as dramatic as was the Apostle Pauls. Nonetheless, every confession of faith in Christ (conversion) is, in fact, a miracle of God and worth celebrating. Share an element or two that made the moment you came to Christ so special. Given all that God has done for us (most notably, saving us through his only begotten Son) why do so many of us struggle with patience in Gods timing and in his ways? Prayer Time Lord, give us the wisdom for when to say no to seasonal activities that might crowd out our focus on the birth of Jesus during this Christmas season. Lord, would you give us an opportunity to be a blessing to someone in our neighborhood who may be sad or lonely during this time of the year.

Beyond
Community Calendar Invite your family, neighbors or co-workers to the PBC Christmas Eve services on December 24. Theres the 3:00pm Family Friendly Service & the 6:00pm Classic Candlelight Service. Church Calendar If you havent already, its not too late to plan a HG extending compassion outing at Mission Arlington or one of many other local area agencies seeking to bless and encourage the less fortunate during the Christmas season!

PantegoBibleChurch