December 16 - Birth of the Messiah
Gather
Sing Away in a Manger
Do you think the baby
Jesus really didn’t cry? Talk about what it must have been like for Mary and
Joseph and Jesus on that incredible night
Away in a manger
No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Lay down His sweet head
The stars in the sky
Look down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay
The cattle are lowing
The poor Baby wakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes
I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side
‘Til morning is nigh
Be near me, Lord Jesus
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me, I pray
Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And take us to Heaven
To live with Thee there
Engage
Luke 2:1-20
We
expect babies to be born in a hospital or a nice quiet room at home, not in a
local hotel come campsite.
The
Roman Emperor wanted a list of all the people who lived in the different
countries so that he could work out how much tax he would get from them.
Everyone had to go back to their town where their family came from and so
Joseph left the village of Nazareth and travelled to Bethlehem, ancestral home
of David the king. It was there that the baby was born. Not surprisingly the
town was full of visitors and most of the accommodation was fully booked but
the travellers were able to stay in one of the animal shelters. There the baby
was born, and because they were travelling there was no cot prepared for the
tiny mite, he slept in an empty animal’s feeding trough.
It
all seems pretty rough and ready to us some two thousand years later, but the
historians Luke, and Matthew are pretty matter of fact about it, with no grumpy
innkeepers and not a donkey in sight. I imagine local people helped where they
could, but they had no idea just who this new baby was.
Respond
Write a list of babies and children that you know
Sing Away in a Manger, this time as a prayer for all the people on your list
Send
Have a go at making your own
Recipe:
- 2 mugs of plain flour 1 mug of table salt
- Approximately 1 mug of warm water (about 250 ml)
- Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl
- Make a dip in the centre of the mix and pour in about half of the water
- Now use a knife to mix it all together
- Add a little more water by spoon until you the dough is soft enough to knead but not too wet
- Knead the dough onto a smooth surface
- Dust with cornflour if needed. Knead for ten
minutes (to remove air bubbles) - When you are not using it, keep it wrapped up.
When you have made your creation, bake it in the oven at 130 ˚C until it is dried out. When cooled, you can then paint with any good paint and varnish it, if you wish.