Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Cleaning Up for Christmas

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Light ALL FOUR candles!

Pray this prayer. Have your child repeat phrase by phrase.

Dear Jesus, we know you love us.
Help us listen to what you say.

Tell us what to do
and help us do good.

Read this Bible thought from Malachi 3:2-3. Have your child repeat phrase by phrase.
When God comes he makes us do good.

Talk with your child about getting ready for Christmas... If you are going to someone else's house for Christmas, talk about what you have to do when special guests come to your house at another time. Or adjust as needed if you already celebrated Christmas (make past tense).
Who is coming for Christmas? Are we all ready? What did we do already? What do we still have to do? What still needs to be cleaned up?
If there is some picking up you can do right now that won't take but a minute or two, go ahead and do it, making it part of this activity.

We have to clean up our house, don't we? If we don't, what would happen?
Have fun talking about two foot high stacks of dishes, piles of papers and toys everywhere, no place to sit or walk, dirt everywhere. Maybe even read the book "The Man Who Didn't Wash his Dishes" if you have it...

Then say...
I don't always like to clean things up. Sometimes it's hard work and takes a long time.
Talk honestly with your child about other things you'd rather do.

But God helps me to do what is good! He sends Jesus to put love in my heart and he helps me do what is good to do. Sometimes I still need to ask God to help me, and I hope you will ask God to help you too!

When we invite God to be in our life, he helps us do good things.

Talk about some of the good things you believe God calls you to do and about how your child might help in some small way.

Pray this prayer. Have your child repeat phrase by phrase.
Dear Jesus,
we know you love us.
Help us listen to what you say.
Tell us what to do
and help us do good.
Add your own thoughts and prayers.

Read this Bible thought from Malachi 3:2-3.
Have your child repeat phrase by phrase.
When God comes
he makes us do good.

Put out the candles.

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