YEA Lesson Library
Christmas Lights or Christ’s Light?
About This Lesson
This lesson walks through a way for a student to tell his friends why he doesn’t celebrate Christmas.
Scriptures
1 Samuel 2:30
Proverbs 3:9
Proverbs 14:31
Matthew 5:14-16
Acts 13:47
1 Corinthians 6:20
1 Peter 3:15
Revelation 22:18-21
Words to Know
UN-BIRTHDAY- a day that isn't your birthday, as celebrated in Alice in Wonderland
MUSE - to stop and think about a subject
TRESSES- hair
PAGAN- having to do with people who worshiped other gods
ANCIENT - from a long time ago
ASSEMBLE- gather together
The Lesson
It can be very hard growing up in God's church. Your beliefs are so different from what your friends at school believe. They have gotten used to you keeping the Sabbath, but they are completely confused about why you don't keep Christmas. What can you say that will help them understand?
Carrie had this conversation with herself, in front of the bathroom mirror. She could see her eyes looking back at her, pleading with herself to come up with an answer. What could she say to her friends? They certainly didn't understand why she wouldn’t want to celebrate Christmas - all the presents, the beautiful lights, the parties, the time off from school. Suddenly, she had an idea. She thought about the list of things that are attractive to her friends about Christmas. Christ wasn't top on their list. That's what she could use! Jesus Christ — the Reason for the Season. Supposedly.
As Carrie brushed her teeth, she thought about celebrating Jesus' birth. Suppose Jesus was one of her friends, living right down the street. Imagine her friends all getting together to plan a surprise birthday party. They'd have streamers, balloons, a cake, and music (Christmas music, Carrie grinned to herself, without the Christmas). They'd send out invitations. People would bring presents to give to Jesus. They'd get dressed up in their best party clothes. Then they'd all march over to His house, ring the doorbell, and get ready to yell surprise!
Oh, Jesus would be surprised all right! Especially if they did it on Christmas! Imagine having a big party for Jesus on His un-birthday. Christmas wasn't when He was born! The crazy thing about that, Carrie mused, was that almost everyone KNOWS that now. According to Carrie's mom, 40 years ago there weren't a lot of people who knew that. But it's different now. You can tell someone you don't celebrate Jesus' birthday on Christmas, and you may not get any more argument.
Carrie ran the brush through her hair and started braiding the long tresses to keep them out of her eyes. So, she thought, you surprise Jesus with a birthday party on a day that isn't His birthday. What would be His response? Surprise, for one. And kindness, because He's so Wonderful. But wouldn't He also tell all these people who are His friends that it doesn't really honor His birthday, or Him, to celebrate it on the wrong day? Would He tell them that the day reminds Him of ancient pagan festivals - especially since it's not really His birthday?
Imagine again the next year: Carrie and all of her friends get together. They talk about how much fun they had planning Jesus' surprise party. They decide to do it again — on the wrong day. They send out invitations. They make food. They bring presents. They dress up in party clothes. They all assemble outside His door to yell surprise. He opens the door. Everyone yells surprise! How many times could Carrie and her friends do this before Jesus would have enough? Yes, Jesus loves us. Yes, Jesus died for those who admit they are sinners and confess He is their Savior. But, what kind of friend honors Jesus with a celebration that isn't honoring to Him? They know better. People know Christmas isn’t when Jesus was born. But, they do it anyway, for whatever reason. Carrie could well imagine that Jesus would look at their hearts and accept whatever honor was truly intended for Him. But the relationship would suffer.
Carrie thought about hurting her relationship with Jesus. She grabbed a wash cloth to wash her face. Was celebrating Christmas worth missing out on a closer friendship with her best Friend? Carrie knew that her friends would tell her that Jesus really doesn't care what day they celebrate His birth, as long as they do it. Perhaps. But Carrie wondered if that was the real reason her friends celebrated Christmas. Was He really the "Reason for the Season"? Or were they afraid they wouldn't get the presents? Were they unwilling to give up big family get-togethers? Christmas parties? Brightly-colored lights? Whatever was their favorite part of the holiday?
Suddenly Carrie heard a loud knocking at the door to the bathroom. "Hey, are you planning to put down roots in there today?" her brother Matt called.
"Sorry," Carrie said, with a bright smile to Matt. "I've got to get to school. I have so much to tell my friends.
"So what else is new?" Carrie heard Matt mutter as he closed the bathroom door. But she just smiled. She offered God a quick prayer of thanksgiving for giving her a way to talk to her friends about not celebrating Christmas.
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Please give me the words to be a light to the people around me. I want them to know the truth, but I don't always have the words. Please help me say the things that will bring glory and honor to you always.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday: 1 Peter 3:15
Monday: Proverbs 3:9
Tuesday: Proverbs 14:31
Wednesday: 1 Corinthians 6:20
Thursday: Acts 13:47
Friday: Matthew 5:14-16
Saturday: Revelation 22:18-21
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Give three reasons why he/she should not celebrate Christmas.
2. Tel the manner in which they should talk about their beliefs to others (1 Peter 3:15).
3. Cite, and give Scriptural support for, what honors God.
4. Contrast the paganism of Christmas with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Topics & Themes
Belief/Believe
Christmas
Holidays, Christmas
Honor God
Pagan Traditions
Relationship with God
Sabbath
Sharing the Gospel
Truth
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA Students' and Teacher's books, attendance and memory verse charts, star stickers, songbook, CD and player, dry erase board and markers, 1 × 17 sheets of drawing paper, markers/colored pencils, pencils, erasers, cupcakes
Preparation
Students this age are really struggling with peer pressure and wanting to belong. It is extremely important to give them the tools to defend why they do what they do. This is part of the process of making the parents' religion the heartfelt belief of
the child.
As the Sabbath School teacher or parent, you can provide a safe forum for them to express their desire to belong, and the inner conflict they feel when a sincere desire to worship God in the way He chooses clashes with society's demands. Recognizing the clash is important. Talk about how the trappings of Christmas are enticing. Then, follow that recognition with the reason why we do what we do 1( Peter 3:15).
As you lay out, together, the reasons why we do not celebrate Christmas, you are evangelizing the student, but also giving them the tools to evangelize those around them.
How to Teach This Lesson
Happy Birthday! Choose one of the students in your class - one that is very particular that things are done correctly, not the one who goes with the flow. When all the students are assembled for class, begin by saying: We're celebrating someone special’s birthday today. Then sing "Happy Birthday" to the student you choose. (Make sure it really isn't his/her birthday.) As you're singing, pull out cupcakes and begin handing them out. You're
counting on the fact that this student will say, "But it's not my birthday." If they don't say anything, ask the student what's wrong. That should prompt him/her to say it's not his/her birthday. Respond by starting to take back the cupcakes. Play it up. Hopefully the students will respond by wanting the cupcakes anyway.
Discussion: Ask that student: How did you feel when you realized we were singing "Happy Birthday" to you? Ask: How would any of you feel if someone genuinely felt it was your birthday and went to all of the effort to bake cupcakes and bring them so you could all celebrate together? Why did you feel the way you did? Ask questions to dig deeper into their answers.
Eating the cupcakes anyway: Ask: How many of you didn't want to give the cupcakes back? How many of you wanted to eat the cupcakes despite the fact it isn't(child's name) birthday? Why?
Tie to Christmas: Say: People are really starting to learn that Christmas isn't Jesus' birthday. That fact isn't as shocking to them as it was 40 years ago. But they will still give many reasons why they celebrate Christ’s birthday on December 25th. What are some of those reasons? List their reasons on the board. Ask: Are these good reasons for celebrating Christmas even when it's not Jesus’ birthday? Is this the way God wants to be honored? Do you think some people just want to do the celebration anyway as you wanted to eat the cupcakes? Celebrating Christmas can be an honest attempt by some people to honor God. To others, it is a good excuse for a family tradition or a big party. And most kids are just interested in the presents.
Honoring God: Using the activity in the Students' book, talk about what the Bible says will honor God. Turn to each Scripture listed and read what is said: Proverbs 3:9; Proverbs 14:31; 1 Corinthians 6:20. Then answer the Review Questions with the students.
Review Questions
Why shouldn't we celebrate Christmas?
2. How do we tell others that Christmas isn't Jesus’ birthday?
3. What do these Scriptures tell us honors God?
4. What are some of the Scriptures you found about honoring other people?
5. What does God promise to do when you honor Him?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Christmas Lights or Christ's Light?
Christmas lights are pretty, but they don't point people to Jesus. Give students an 11 × 17 sheet of paper. Have them draw Christmas lights across the top, leaving enough room in the lights to write a word or phrase. In each light on the string, write one thing that is pagan or that doesn't have anything to do with the birth of Jesus. Have students draw candles along the bottom. In the candle flames at the bottom of the page, write the reasons we should honor God in everything we do.
REACH Activity
Back to the Bible: Honoring God
So many people who celebrate Christmas honestly do so because they want to honor God. They don’t think it matters that it’s not really Jesus’ birthday. We don’t know exactly when His birthday is, so (they think) one day is as good as another. The problem is that God tells His people repeatedly not to look at how other people are worshipping their gods and then worship the One True God in that way. Christmas has its roots, not in Christ’s birth, but in pagan worship.
Look up these scriptures and see how seriously God warned His people not to adopt pagan practices to worship Him. Deuteronomy 7:1-5; Exodus 34:11-17; Exodus 23:23-24. If you notice, God does not say that you can try living with pagan practices. He says to completely get rid of them. Don’t even mess with any of it - because they will pull you away! (Exodus 23:33; Numbers 33:55; Deuteronomy 7:16; Judges 2:3)
Read these scriptures carefully. Pagan practices pull you away from God. That’s what happened to Solomon (1 Kings 11:4). It can happen to you too. Why would you want to mess with pagan practices when God tells you how to honor Him?!
Write about this in your Bible notebook.
Journal Jot: The Reason Why
Do you know why your family and your church family does not celebrate Christmas - even though you absolutely believe that Jesus was born in Bethlehem? If you do, write about it in your Bible notebook. Make sure you use scripture references to explain why it’s important to stay away from this celebration. If you don’t know, ask your parents to explain it to you. Then write this information down, with scriptures, so that you’ll remember the next time someone asks you why you wouldn’t want to get lots of presents.
Word Study: apología
Apología is the Greek word for “reason” in 1 Peter 3:15. It means “properly, a well-reasoned reply; a thought-out response to adequately address the issue(s) that is raised.” (Source: https://biblehub.com/greek/627.htm)
This Greek word looks like our English word “apology.” That’s because one of the meanings of apology is “a reasoned argument or writing in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine.”
Write down the Greek word, its definition, and its scripture reference in your Bible notebook. Then write down the English word “apology” and all three of its meanings in your Bible notebook. Try to use the word “apology” this week - using this definition of “a reasoned argument.”
Just Toolin’ Around: Concordance Work
The closer you get to God, the more you want to do what pleases Him. God says, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Using a concordance, find five scriptures which state commandments of God. Write these in your Bible notebook.
Then look up “light” in the concordance. Find five verses which talk about God being light in the world. Write these in your Bible notebook.
Did you Know? Christmas Celebrations
If you look up “Christmas celebration origins” on the internet, you can find this: “The celebration of Christmas started in Rome about 336 (but it did not become a major Christian festival until the 9th century). Many Christmas traditions, such as decorating trees, started in Germany and later spread to other parts of the world, notably England and the United States.” (Source: https://www.britannica.com/facts/Christmas)
Stretch It Out: Role Play
With a partner, take turns explaining why you don’t celebrate Christmas. Be gentle, but correct, in your explanation. If you’re unsure how to do this, ask your mom or dad to model it for you first. It’s always a good idea to practice so that you will be ready with an answer if someone asks you why you don’t celebrate Christmas. You may wish to write out all of your apologia ahead of time.
Music Notes: Shine, Jesus, Shine
This hymn is found on page 154 of the CEM Hymnal.
Graham Kendrick, the son of a Baptist pastor, wrote the words and music to this hymn in 1993. Living in England, he began writing hymns and gospel music in the early 1970s and has since done 30 albums and over 400 songs. The verses for “Shine, Jesus, Shine” were written after Graham Kendrick had been thinking about the holiness of God, that God desires for us to dwell continually in His presence, but “that we cannot stand in God’s presence without ‘clean hands and a pure heart.’” Once the three verses were written, he felt the hymn was incomplete somehow, so he put it on the shelf for several months. Graham Kendrick writes, “Several months later I was asked to submit new songs for a conference song book, and as I reviewed this three-verse song, I realized that it needed a chorus. I remember standing in my music room with guitar slung round my neck trying different approaches. The line ‘Shine, Jesus, Shine’ came to mind, and within about half an hour I had finished the chorus, all but some ‘polishing.’ Though I felt an excitement in my spirit at the time, I had no inkling at all that it would become so widely used. There were other songs I rated more highly at the time that most people have never heard of!” (Source: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-shine-jesus-shine)
Sing this hymn. Think of ways that you can let the light of Jesus shine through you. Write about this in your Bible notebook.
Questions?
Remember to write down any questions that you think of as you are reading your lesson, daily devotionals, or doing the REACH activities. Plan to ask your parents or your pastor these questions.
Song
"This Little Light of Mine" is on page 49 of Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Ask for a volunteer to lead in prayer asking God's help in being lights for Christ in a world that is enamored of Christmas lights.
Printable Pages
