YEA Lesson Library

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Retell what happened with the golden calf in Exodus 32.

2. State that God gave us special days to worship Him.

3. State God is truth.

4. Show similarities between Exodus 32 and the celebration of Christmas.

Topics & Themes

Christmas
Golden Calf
Holidays, Christmas
Honor God
Pagan Traditions
Worship God

Materials Needed

Bible, YEA Students' and Teacher's books, attendance and memory verse charts, stars, songbook, CD and player, pictures of Christmas things, construction paper cut into 2 x 6 inch pieces (one for each student), markers or crayons, glitter, stickers or stamps and stamp pads, clear contact paper, hole punch, 8 inch ribbons for each bookmark, puppet

Preparation

While not every celebration of Christmas focuses on the individual instead of the purported reason for the season, it is still a fact that Christmas is not the birth date for our Savior. To say that is not true. God does not lie. Jesus says He is the Way and the Truth and the Life. So even if the celebration of Christmas were centered on Christ, its foundation is still in pagan rituals. God may be pleased with some people who celebrate Christmas. But it is a poor choice to celebrate Christmas when God ordained and designed holy days for man which point to Christ.

Since children this age see things so very black and white, they will be ready to condemn any celebration of Christmas and the people who celebrate on Christmas. There's a fine line between showing the error in Christmas and passing judgment on people who observe this day. If it comes up, emphasize that each person’s words and deeds will be judged before God. It is enough to take care of our own mistakes without worrying about those of others, and trying to do God's job.

How to Teach This Lesson

After opening the class with prayer, begin with the lesson.

Teacher: Do any of you recognize these things?(Hold up pictures of a decorated Christmas tree, a candy cane, a stocking, and /or assorted Christmas things.) What are they?

Puppet: That's an evergreen tree. That's a piece of candy. That's your dirty laundry. Why did you bring a picture of your socks to church? Are we supposed to talk about socks during church?

Teacher: It's nearly Christmas time and we need to talk about why we choose not to celebrate it.

Puppet: Oh, now I get it. Those are Christmas things. I like the pretty evergreen trees and the Christmas lights and all the sounds and smells.

Teacher: You're right. Christmas looks and sounds and tastes wonderful. But it's not a good choice for people who love God. You see Jesus wasn’t born on Christmas.

Puppet: So? Aren’t all the carols about Jesus?

Teacher: Yes, the carols do talk about Jesus. But Christmas reminds me of the story of the Israelites making the golden calf.

Puppet: (ask incredulously) Did the Israelites celebrate Christmas with a golden calf?

Teacher: No, but the Israelites made the golden calf while Moses was on Mt. Sinai with God. Then they said the calf was God. And then they had a party and used the golden calf to worship God.

Puppet: Uh-oh. That’s bad!

Teacher: Uh-oh is right. The golden calf wasn’t God. And saying that Jesus was born on Christmas doesn’t make it true either. Christmas actually started out as a pagan celebration.

Puppet: You mean it wasn’t even about God to start with?

Teacher: That’s right. Christmas is a holiday that was created by people. It is not a day that God asked us to celebrate. But some people put God’s name on it, kind of like they put God’s name on the golden calf. And it’s just not true. Jesus was not born on Christmas. I don’t want to worship God with something that is simply not true

Puppet: There’s a better way to worship God, isn’t there?

Teacher: Yes, there is. Children can you think of when we should worship and honor God? (Wait for answers and help, if needed, to say all of the holy days, including the Sabbath.) Worshiping Him on the days He told us to is a much better choice.

Puppet: I think so, too.

Not to Teacher: As you teach this lesson, be aware of the needs of your class. Add dialogue to address their questions or comments, as needed.

Review Questions

1. What did the Israelites want to do when Moses was gone up on the mountain with God for so long?

2. How did they get the golden calf?

3. What was their behavior like?

4. What can we learn from what the Israelites did?

5. What is wrong with celebrating Christmas?

6. How should you treat people who do celebrate Christmas?

Teacher-Directed Activity

Mark the Date
Make bookmarks (to keep or give away). Start with colored construction paper cut in 2 x 6-inch pieces. Decorate with this week’s memory verse or another related slogan such as “Celebrate God’s Holy Days” or “God’s Days Are Best.” You may have to help write it for the younger ones. Once words are written on one side, decorate with glitter, stickers, stamps, etc. Cover with clear contact paper. Punch a hole in the center of the top edge and thread an 8-inch piece of ribbon through the hole and tie.

REACH Activity

1. Do a sword drill with the daily devotionals. Depending on how many children you are involved, you can either have them compete against each other to see who can get to the scripture first or you can have a child time himself (or herself) and try to better his time each successive scripture.

2. Sing: From Kids Classics Collection: “Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart” on pg. 75, “I Am A C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N” on pg. 52, and “The B-I-B-L-E” on pg. 18.
From The Group Songbook: “”Thy Word” on pg. 30, “Create in Me a Clean Heart” on pg. 36, “Open Our Eyes” on pg. 50.
From the CEM Hymnal: “Give Of Your Best to the Master” on pg. 147, “I Love to Tell the Story” on pg. 80, “Let Others See Jesus in You” on pg. 178, “Yield Not to Temptation” on pg. 149.

3. Choose one of the songs from the list. Write a paragraph in your Bible notebook about why it would be a good song to sing to refute the celebration of Christmas.

4. Choose one of the verses from your daily devotions. Write the scripture in your Bible notebook. Then explain how the verse you chose relates to not celebrating Christmas.

5. Good and Bad. Divide a piece of paper into two columns. Title one column “The Things People Like About Christmas;” title the other column “Things that are not good about Christmas.” Using the YEA lesson, make a list of all the things most people like about Christmas on the first side. Then make a list on the other side of what is wrong about celebrating Christmas.

6. Presents. Everyone likes presents. But why do people give each other presents at Christmastime? Normally when it’s someone’s birthday, you give presents to them. So why don’t people just give gifts to God on Christmas? Do you think most people would like Christmas more or less if there weren’t Christmas gifts to buy for everyone?

7. Timing, logically speaking. When would a shepherd have his flock out in the fields? During which seasons? Could he have his sheep out in the fields during the wintertime? Bethlehem does get some snow, but during the wintertime, the bigger problem is rain. It’s not easy dealing with sheep who are soaked with water. The other problem with being out in the fields in the wintertime is that there’s nothing to eat. The grass grows very slowly in the wintertime, if it grows at all. Usually, the sheep would be home under cover or in a sheepfold during the wintertime. We know that the shepherds were in the fields when Jesus was born, so here’s another reason it wasn’t December.

8. Essay. In your Bible notebook, write your answer to the question: “Why should I not celebrate Christmas?” Share with your family.

9. Role Play. Ask your parents and family members to help you practice what to say if someone asks you why you don’t celebrate Christmas. Sometimes just thinking through what you might say can help you be prepared.

10. What Are Your Reasons? More and more people realize that Jesus was not born on Christmas. But they don’t care or they don’t think it really matters when his birthday is celebrated. Ask some of your friends (who do celebrate Christmas) why they celebrate the day. Write down their answers.

11. Graphing It. Take your answers from REACH #10. Make a graph (pie chart, pictograph, bar graph, line graph) to depict the reasons why people celebrate Christmas. You may be surprised at the results.

12. Outlawed!! In 1659, the Massachusetts Bay Colony enacted a law called “Penalty for Keeping Christmas.” The notion was that such “festivals as were superstitiously kept in other countries” were a “great dishonor of God and offence of others.” Anyone found celebrating Christmas by failing to work, “feasting, or any other way… shall pay for every such offence five shillings.” What do you think about this? Do you think this law should have been enacted in other U.S. states? Why or why not?

13. Jesus’ Birthday. Some people say that, since we don’t know when Jesus was born, it doesn’t matter when we celebrate His birthday. It’s more important that we celebrate it sometime. What do you think? If God had wanted us to celebrate Jesus’ birth, do you think God would have told us when to do that? How do you feel about this argument?

14. Tradition. Traditions are very important to most people. Christmas traditions are especially important because people have linked family reunions, family meals, special outings, and church traditions to their celebration of Christmas. Human beings like being together; we like doing things together; we like doing the same kinds of things year after year because it helps us to remember all of the good times and the people we love. What are some traditions in your family? For years, my family had a cookout over an open fire the night before we left for the Feast of Tabernacles. Write down some of your favorite family traditions. Then think about how hard it would be to not be a part of your family’s traditions; they’re all still doing those traditions, but you can’t or won’t. That’s one of the hardest parts of not celebrating Christmas; it causes distance between family members who used to be so close. Talk about this with your mom and dad. Then write about it in your Bible notebook.

15. Prayer. Our desire is to please God in all that we do. We know that Christmas doesn’t honor Him; it’s not about Jesus’ birth; it’s rooted in paganism. Still, we know that traditions and celebrations are enticing. We want to belong. Write out a prayer asking God to give you the strength to persevere in doing what pleases Him.

Song

"Thy Word Have I Hid In My Heart" is on page 75 of Kids Classics Collection.

Closing Prayer

Lead the students in prayer thanking God for giving them His holy days to celebrate. Ask for guidance in being gentle, but firm light to the world as we choose not to celebrate Christmas.