The Source of our Joy

PRINTER FRIENDLY AVAILABLE HERE

In today's devotion we use the first and third verses of Away in a Manger. You can download the melody here. I tend to avoid the second verse because I don't believe Jesus never cried as a child!

Light ALL FOUR candles!

Pray this prayer. Have your child repeat phrase by phrase.
Dear Jesus,
thank you for coming to earth.
Thank you for giving us
just what what we need.

Read this Bible thought from Second Corinthians 8:9.
Have your child repeat phrase by phrase.
In heaven, Jesus was rich.
But then he came to be with us.
Someday he will make us rich too
in heaven.

Lets sing a song.
Sing with your child or teach this verse.
Away in a manger,
no crib for a bed,
the little Lord Jesus,
lay down his sweet head,
the stars in the sky,
looked down where he lay,
the little Lord Jesus,
asleep on the hay.

Have a conversation with your child about hay and mangers and where Jesus was born.
What is "hay"?
Hay is like really long grass. People feed it to animals.
Why do you think baby Jesus was sleeping on hay?
Do you sleep on hay?
It wouldn't be really bad... at least it would be kind of soft!

When Jesus came to earth, the Bible says he didn't have a lot of things.
In fact, the Bible says Jesus was poor. He had just enough to live.
When Jesus came to earth, he came to a family that didn't even have a house to sleep in. It wasn't cold where Jesus was born, so it wasn't freezing, but, still, it wasn't a rich kind of place.

Do you know what a manger is? A manger is a place where people put hay to feed animals. When Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph didn't have a nice bed to put him in, so when they wanted to lay him down, the softest thing they could find was the hay in the place where the animals eat.

When Jesus was born, he was more poor than rich. His family didn't have money to have a place to stay. But that was okay. He had enough! Jesus wanted to come to us and be poor so we know that he loves us even when we aren't rich... he wants us to have enough, he wants us to be warm enough and to be snug when we sleep, but we don't need to be really rich.

If you have been poor, talk about needing help and about how it's good to know you weren't alone. If you have been more rich than poor, talk about how we can get used to having too many things and not want to share.

I think Jesus always wants us to remember that even when other people have more than we do, it's okay. Jesus loves us always and won't ever stop. Someday, he'll bring us to be with him in heaven. Then he will be rich!.

Teach your child the third verse of Away in a Manger and sing it together.
Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask you to stay
Close by me forever,
and love me, I pray;
Bless all the dear children
in your tender care,
And bring us to heaven
to live with you there.

Pray this prayer. Have your child repeat phrase by phrase.
Dear Jesus,
thank you for coming to earth.
Thank you for giving us
just what what we need.
Add your own thoughts and prayers, perhaps to help us be happy with what we have.

Read this Bible thought from Second Corinthians 8:9.
Have your child repeat phrase by phrase.
In heaven, Jesus was rich.
But then he came to be with us.
Someday he will make us rich too
in heaven.

Put out the candles.