Birthday Party For Jesus

Neighborhood children were invited to this event held during the Christmas season.  After a presentation about the birth and work of Jesus, the children then went to activity rooms for games and crafts on the theme, and ended with snacks.

year 2010

In 2010, the theme was “wise men following the star.”  Someone dressed as one of the Christmas Wise Men talks to the children about the first Christmas, and then leads them to the altar where they deposit canned goods or other gifts to be given to the needy.

Script for the Wise Man, used December 18, 2010: (more scripts follow)

Boys and girls, I’m here to tell you a wonderful story.  Do you like stories?  Well this story is a true story, not a fairy tale.  It’s about the very first Christmas.

I used to belong to a group of men who spent their time studying the stars.  And one night a bright star appeared that we had never seen before.  We knew that this must mean that something special had happened, so we looked in some very old books about stars and guess what we found out.  One of the books said that a star appearing like this meant that a baby had been born who would be the king of the Jews.  Just think, a special star for a baby king.  We had been studying stars for a long time and this had never happened before!  We were so excited that some of us decided to try to find this baby king.  If we could just see Him!  When you visit a king you usually bring him gifts.  We could do that!

Well you wouldn’t believe the adventure we had!  We traveled for several weeks and came to a city called Jerusalem.  That is where King Herod lived.  We started asking people about where we could find the baby king, but would you believe it, no one seemed to know anything about him.  Pretty soon King Herod heard that we were in town and for some reason he got pretty upset about there being a baby king.  So he got all of the Bible experts together and asked them if they could find out anything about it. Sure enough, it said right there in the Bible that the king would be born in Bethlehem.  But I guess Herod didn’t want anyone to know about it so he secretly invited us to his palace.  He asked when we had first seen the star and then told us to look for the baby king in Bethlehem.  He said that after we found the baby we should come back and tell him so he could worship the baby too.  Do you think he wanted to bring him presents too?  We couldn’t figure out why he wanted to keep such a wonderful thing a secret.

The night we left the palace, we looked up and there was the star so we followed it again and were sure that it would not be long before we would find the baby king.  The star seemed to stop and shine right over a small house.  Could this be the place?  It didn’t look like a special place for a king – just a simple house.  Do you think a baby king could be in a place like that?  There was only one way to find out.  We knocked on the door and a man named Joseph answered.  We told him who we were and about the star.  Then we asked him about the baby.  He smiled and, would you believe it, he said, “You’re at the right place.  Come on in if you want to see the baby.”

I wish you could have been there.  The star had led us to the baby king.  We were so happy to have been able to find Him.  We couldn’t wait to give Him the presents be brought. As soon as we saw the baby king we all fell to our knees and worshiped Him.  This was no ordinary baby.  God’s angel had told Joseph that this baby was called Immanuel, which means “God with us.” God’s angel had told Mary that that her child would be called “The Son of God.”

We were planning to go back to Jerusalem to tell King Herod that we had found the baby king but, would you believe it , I had a dream the night before  that warned us not to go back to Herod and tell him where the baby was.  Maybe Herod didn’t want to worship the baby after all.  So we went home a different way.

Well, now you know my special story.  I love to tell people about the star and the baby king.  And today you are all here to celebrate His birthday.  Can anyone here tell me what his name is?

(At this point the wise man leads the children into the church and they sit before the altar.)

When the Baby Jesus grew up he spent His life showing love to people and helping them. His enemies nailed him to the cross. but that had a good result for us. all of us have done bad things, so it is right that we should be punished for them. But God loves us so much, that while Jesus was on the cross, God put the punishment for all the bad things we have done onto Jesus. The punishment is complete. God will not punish us. We can be a part of God’s family, and live with God forever.

Although Jesus died, he did not stay dead. After three days he rose from the dead. A few days later his body went up into the clouds.  Even though we can’t see Jesus today, like I did back in Bethlehem, He promised to be with us.  And we know that even today He loves us and wants to help us. It’s something like the air around us. Can you see it?  But it’s still there.  So Jesus is right here with us today. He is always with us.

Did you bring a present for His birthday party?  There is a way to give that present to Him today.  Do you know how to do it? Jesus said that if you give a present to someone who is poor and doesn’t have enough to eat or doesn’t have clothes or blankets, it’s the same as giving it to Him.  Let us lay our gifts to Jesus at the altar.

(At this point, the children came forward and put their food at the altar. They then went on to the game and craft rooms)

script © by Sue Found, October 26, 2008, additions about the meaning of the cross in 2010.

Craft ideas: 
Make stars by wrapping wire or pipe cleaner around a form.  Make a star mobile.  Make a star by gluing toothpicks together.  Put a star sticker on piece of dark blue poster board for a tree ornament.

Game ideas:
Pin the star on the manger. Toss bean-bag stars.

Snack ideas:
Star shaped cookies and juice or milk.  Coffee for Moms

Implementation ideas:
When we did this in December 2010 at our church, we had youth who took the role of shepherds. They guided the children to the games and snacks while the wise men went back to the entrance to begin with a new group of children. We had the wise men shine a laser light onto the ceiling as the children followed them around the corridors and to the church altar. To help keep the children’s attention, whenever the wise man says the word “star,” each child makes a hand motion to represent a star (for example, extending the arm and then opening the five fingers). When the wise man says the words “baby king,” each child folds arms and makes a rocking motion.

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Script used December 17, 2011, from viewpoint of the angels

Birthday Party for Jesus.       Script for December 17, 2011.

[Registrars form groups of ten children and bring them through the double doors where the “convener” will make sure their ID color matches their shepherds’.]

Convener: I’m so glad that all of you have come to Jesus’ birthday party.  I see that all of you have presents for Jesus.  Today we’re going to learn more about Jesus’ birth and His life.  How many of you know what an angel is?  We don’t know exactly what they look like, but when artists draw pictures of them they usually have white robes, and we do know from the Bible that God uses them to deliver important messages to people.  So it makes sense that when it was the right time for Jesus to be born God used angels to tell people about it.  Today you are going to take a trip through time to see just where the angles were sent and who they talked to.  Just follow these shepherds and they will take you back to the time of Jesus’ birth. [Shepherds lead children to room 104]

Angel 1:  God sent an angel named Gabriel to bring an important message to someone.  See this young girl?  She is engaged to be married to Joseph.  Do you know what her name is?  [Mary] Mary is someone who loves and trusts in God.  She knows that God has promised to send a Savior into the world.  Listen: I have an important massage from God for her.  “Hello Mary. {Mary gasps in fright}.  Don’t be afraid, Mary.  God is going to give you a baby.  This baby will be the Son of God.  He will be the Savior of the world.”
Mary: How can this be?
Angel 1: God will take care of it.  You will have a baby boy, and you will name him Jesus.  The name Jesus means “God is the Savior”.
Mary: I will be glad to be used by God and do whatever He wants.
Angel 1: Now I need to find Joseph and explain this to him.  There he is.  Shhh, he’s sleeping.  I don’t need to wake him up.  I can just talk to him in a dream.  “Joseph, God wants you to know that He is going to give Mary a baby.  You will name Him Jesus because He is the promised savior that you have been expecting.  You will be His earthly father.” When it time for Jesus to be born they had to take a trip to Bethlehem.  Now the shepherds will take you there to see what happened next. [children are led to room 105]

Angel 2:  Today many people around the world celebrate Christmas, Jesus’ birthday.  But at that time, nobody knew about his birth except Mary and Joseph.  So God sent an angel to tell the Good News of Jesus’ birth.  And where do you think that He sent him?  Do you think He sent him to the important people in the middle of the city? No, He sent them to a field just outside Bethlehem where some poor shepherds were watching their sheep. Here we are, lets watch. [show video clip] The shepherds were so excited that they went out and told everyone they saw about what the angels had told them and about finding the baby Jesus. They were the first people to tell others about the good news of Jesus’ birth.  When you follow your shepherds to the next room you will learn more about what Jesus did when he became a man. [children are led to room 106]

Teacher 1: [explains earthly life of Jesus] Jesus didn’t stay a baby — he grew up, just like you. [show picture of young Jesus]. When he was 30 years old, he started walking from place to place, helping people and telling them about God. If they were sick, he would help them get better [show picture of a healing]. If they were sad because of the bad things they had done, he wold say “I forgive your sins.”  One time a lot of people were really hungry, Jesus made lots of bread and fish appear, so they had enough to eat. Jesus did this to show everyone that he was not just an ordinary man – he was also God. He faced the same problems in life that we do — but he never did anything wrong. I like the time when he was on a boat, and a big storm came up – are you afraid of storms? This is a really scary storm, but you’ll be happy when you see what Jesus does. [show video clip of the stilling of the storm]. Jesus could tell the wind to stop – that also shows that he is God. One of the neatest things about Jesus is how much he loves little children.

. Jesus loves you, too, and you can pray to him when you need help. Some people did not like it that Jesus would forgive sins and say that he is God. They argued with him, and they tried to think of ways to hurt him. Your shepherd will take you to the next room, where you will see the most difficult time of Jesus’ life. [[The children are led to room 107]

Teacher 2: Jesus lived a perfect life; He never did anything wrong. But some people did not like him. Now Jesus comes to the most difficult time in his life. He knows it is time for him to suffer and died for our sins. So he prays for help to make it through all the pain that is coming. [show video clip of Christ at Gethsemane, which includes the angels strengthening him, and the mob coming to arrest him]. The men led Jesus away and took him to be judged. [show picture of trial]. Some of the people are angry, and they yell that Jesus should be nailed to a cross. [show picture of Jesus on cross]. This is sad, but it is all part of God’s plan. When Jesus was on the cross, he was getting the punishment that you and I should get for al the bad things we have done. It’s just like a boy who is always losing his temper and hitting people.  His mom kept telling him, “You are not supposed to hit people.” Then one day when he was on the playground, a girl took the swing seat that he wanted, so he hit her. She started to cry. He said he was sorry, but when his mom found out, she said, “Now you have to be punished.  You have to go inside and take a time out. You cannot stay outside and play.”  Just then his big brother spoke up, “Mom, I will take the punishment. I will stay inside for my brother.” We have done a lot of bad things, but Jesus took our punishment in our place, and now there is no punishment left. That means we can be in God’s family forever. When Jesus was done taking all the punishment, he said “It is finished,” and then he let himself die. His friends took his body to a safe place [show picture of burial], and then put a big stone in front of the door so nobody could disturb the body. It’s always a sad time when someone dies But something wonderful happened. Follow your shepherd to the next room, and you will see that the next angel had some very GOOD NEWS for us. [Then children are led to room 110]

Angel 3: Three days after Jesus died God sent an angel to roll away the big stone that was in front of the place where Jesus’ body had been put.  But Jesus was not inside.  [If there are no actors, say: “When Jesus’ friends came to the grave the angel told them that Jesus is alive,” as we will see on this video.” Then go to video.] [If there are actors to play the roles of two women, proceed as follows:]
Angel 3 speaking: Jesus friends did not know that the body was gone. When they came to the grave on Sunday morning, they were worried about something:
Woman 1 [walking toward grave]: How are we going to roll that big stone away
Woman 2 [astonished]: Look – somebody already rolled the stone away!
Woman 1: Let’s look inside.
Woman 2: There’s nobody in there  — what happened to Jesus?
Angel: Are you looking for someone?
Woman 1: we’re looking for Jesus.
Woman 2: Did you take him?
Angel: Jesus is not dead. He is alive. He rose from the dead.
Woman 1: That’s wonderful.
Woman 2: Let’s go and tell the others.  [the women run off]
Angel [to the children]: Let’s look at this video of that wonderful day.

Angel: I’m here today at Jesus’ birthday party to tell you the good news that Jesus is still alive.  Even though we can’t actually see Him like people long ago did, He promised to live in those who have faith in Him.  He gives them strength to face their problems, and to do the right thing.  He helps them want to love others, and help others.  There is just one more angel who is going to tell us about the last time Jesus’ friends saw Him on earth.  Follow the shepherds. [Then children are led to room 111]

Angel 4: After Jesus came alive again He spent some time teaching His friends, but then it was time for Him to go up from the earth, so he could be with everyone.

His friends were sad when they saw Him disappear into the clouds, so God sent two angels to comfort them.  They said that Jesus would come back to earth again someday. Now we know that someday He will come again, but right now we can’t see Him.  He can see us, though, and he is near us, and he can help us. God used angels to tell so many people the Good News about Jesus. Did you know that there are lots of people around us in our city who don’t know about Jesus and His love? God sent his angels to tell the GOOD NEWS about Jesus. Who can God send today? Can he send you?  Now, if we can’t see Jesus, how can we give Him these birthday gifts?  Jesus said that if we give gifts to those who don’t have what they need that it’s the same as giving a gift to Him.  We will give this food to people who are hungry so it’s the same as giving it to Jesus.  We can show our love for Jesus by loving others. [Children lay gifts at the cross]. Please follow your shepherd to the gym for the games. [children are led to gym for games]

The game was using clues to find easels on which were each of the places the angels visited, and what the said. The craft was coffee filter angels. The snack was angel-food cupcake

Nativity Story theme

BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS FOR 2012  ———– SCRIPT  VERSION  OF NOV 11, 2012

ROOM 1. Soon it will be Christmas. At Christmas we think about a wonderful thing that happened many years ago. A little baby was born. His parents were far from home,  and the only place they could put the baby down to sleep was in some hay. Nearby, some shepherds were out in the darkness taking care of their sheep. Suddenly the shepherds got a big surprise. Let’s watch to see what happened [show film clip].

[after the film, you could use this sequence, providing answers if they do not:]

Do you know the name of that little baby?
Why did the shepherds have to be outside so late at night?
Why did they have to be near the sheep?
Who came to talk to the shepherds?
Why did the angel call the baby Jesus a Savior?   Why do we need a Savior?
Where did the angel tell the shepherds to go to look for the baby?
After they saw the baby did the shepherds go right back to their sheep?  Where did they go?

Today we want to tell you about this little baby who came to be your savior. Now your shepherd will guide you to the next room, where you will see what Jesus did after he grew up.
[children go to the next room]

ROOM 2.
In the last room you saw the shepherds bowing down to worship a baby. Can you tell me the name of that baby?  [they will say Jesus]. Who came to worship Jesus [shepherds]

After Jesus grew up, he said “I am the Good Shepherd.” That means that he takes care of us just a like a shepherd takes care of sheep. Jesus loves children. [show picture of Jesus and children]

Sometimes there is a sheep who thinks, “I’m not going to follow my shepherd. I want to go my own way. I don’t need to obey my shepherd.” But then maybe that sheep will get lost. Maybe he will fall into a deep hole, and will start to cry, “baa — help me get out.” Do you think the shepherd will say “no way — I’m not going to help you.” Will the shepherd just forget about those naughty sheep? [they will say no]. You are right — the shepherd cares about the lost sheep, and he will try to pull him out of the hole. It is dangerous — the shepherd might get hurt, or the shepherd might even die. Is the shepherd willing to give up his life to help his sheep? [they will say yes].

It’s the same with Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep.” When Jesus died for us on the cross, he was paying for all the naughty things that we have done. [show picture of Jesus on the cross]. Jesus died for us because he loves us. Here is a film about Jesus, our Good Shepherd:

[show film clip at this YouTube site, starting at minute 1, and stop before the yelling at the end]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiQf59px-Ng&NR=1&feature=endscreen

Jesus died for us, but he did not stay dead. Do you know what happened after three days? [they will say that he rose from the dead] Jesus is alive now, and he is our shepherd now.

A shepherd leads the sheep and keeps them out of danger. That’s why a shepherd has this long pole, called a staff. If the sheep is going the wrong way, the shepherd can pull him back with the staff. That is the same way that Jesus takes care of us. In the Bible, He tells us the right way to go, what to do, and what not to do.

When we don’t acts like Jesus wants us to — perhaps we disobey our parents, or take someone else’s toy, then we can say:  “Jesus, I know that you love me. Please forgive me.”  Will He?

This candy cane is in the shape of a shepherd’s staff. The colors remind us of Jesus. The white color reminds us that Jesus is good. Red is the color of blood. The red color reminds us that Jesus was willing to die on the cross for us to forgive our sins.

And notice that when you turn the candy cane upside down, what letter does it make?  {they will say J} J is for Jesus. When you see that J, remember that Jesus loves you, and that Jesus is your shepherd right now, and you are like his little sheep.

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus, who grew up to be our Good Shepherd who loves us and cares for us.  How can we show our love for Him?  How can we give Him a birthday gift?  Jesus said that if we help someone in need it’s the same as showing love to Him. Many people in Loveland do not have enough food.  You brought along some food, and so now your shepherd will take you to the next room where you will give the food you brought to be your Birthday Present for Jesus.  [children go to next room[

IN THE ROOM WITH THE CROSS

Hi everyone. Now we will put the food you brought here at the bottom of the cross.  That will be your Birthday Present to Jesus, because later we will give this food to someone who needs it, and in that way we are showing our love to Jesus.  Let me say a prayer: “Dear Jesus, thank you for being my Good Shepherd. Thank you for loving me and taking care of me. Here is the food to help others, and that is my Birthday Present to you.  Amen.”

[After all have placed their food]:  Now you shepherd will take you to the next room for games.

THEME CHRISTMAS STORY BOOK
In 2013, each activity room had a grandfather figure sitting in a rocking chair. A fireplace you-tube video was projected behind him. The children gathered around on a rug while he read the story.  Then the shepherds led the students to another room, where a presenter explained about placing their non-perishable goods at the foot of the cross.

Here is the thoughts we gave to that presenter:

Thoughts About Gifts        The following is not any kind of script, just thoughts about the topic.

Receiving Gifts
From someone you know, who knows what you like, need, care about
From a relative or friend
For a birthday, Christmas

Giving Gifts
Who do you like giving gifts to
Do you ever give a gift when it’s not a birthday or Christmas
Would you ever give away a  favorite toy, book, DVD, CD
How does it make you feel when you give a gift

Kinds of Gifts
Time – Helping someone
Money – Coins to dollars
Something that is needed – glass of water, part of your lunch
Things ranging from candy to DVD to I-pad
Something that is one of kind, something that can’t be replaced

At Christmas God gave His only Son. (Show pictures of the baby in the manger) Have you ever thought about why?  The Bible tells us that “God loves us so much that he gave us Jesus”.  And He did that because He knew that we don’t always do the things that we should do, that we need be forgiven for the things we do wrong, and that we need His help to do the right thing.  That’s why Jesus came to live and die for us.

The Gift that God gives us at Christmas isn’t something that we will get bored with or tired of.  It isn’t something that will break or wear out.  Even though we can’t see Jesus anymore, He promised to be with us.  He hears us when we talk to Him and He talks to us through His Word, the Bible.

Have you ever been so excited about a gift that you’ve been given that you can’t wait to share it with someone else?  When we experience God’s love and the peace and joy that He gives through Jesus, it’s natural to want to share Him with others.

At Christmas when we celebrate Jesus’ birthday how do we know what kind of present to give Him.  We can’t see Him, but we know that He loves and cares for and wants to help everyone.  And we know that there are some people who don’t have enough money to buy things they need.  So if we give things to those people it’s like giving it to Jesus.

“Having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”.  The eternal life is something that we have now and forever.

In 2014, we repeated the theme from 2010 (wise men)

Script used Nov 22, 2015. One presenter, with slide show.

Welcome to Jesus’s Birthday Party! How many of you have been to a birthday party before?

Why do we have birthday parties for others?  (for children, family members, friends, because we care about and love them, want them to feel special. (Pix of family party）

Sometimes our country makes a special birthday holiday to remember a strong leader who helped to save our country. (pix of Washington and Lincoln)  We celebrate the birthdays or two famous presidents in February.

We celebrate Jesus’ birthday on the 25^th of December, Christmas day.  Jesus did many things a long time ago that help us today.  He taught people how to understand God’s love for us and how to show His love to others.  (pix of Jesus teaching)  And today we have that teaching written down in a book called the Bible.  When we understand about God’s love and show it to others we experience true joy in our lives.  (pix of children playing together)

Now Jesus knew that there would be times when failed to follow His teaching, when we would disobey, when we would hurt others by what we would say or do. (pix of fighting or bullying)  And sadly, when we think about all of the times in a persons’ life that they do things that are unloving, it’s easy to understand that we really deserve to be punished.  That’s the bad news.  (pix of child sitting chair in corner)

But do I have good news for you!  Jesus not only came to teach us the right way to live, He also came to take away the punishment that we, and everyone deserves so that we can be forgiven for all the bad things we have done.

That punishment that Jesus suffered wasn’t just a time-out or a spanking.  All of the bad things that people do are so terrible that there had to be a terrible punishment.  Jesus suffered and even died to take that punishment for us.  (pix of Jesus and cross)

And there is even more good news.  Jesus didn’t stay dead!  He came alive again. (pix of Jesus outside the tomb)  And He’s still alive today.  Even though we can’t see Him now He‘s promised to be here with us.  So now when we do something bad we can tell Him we’re sorry and know He will forgive us.   When we are truly sorry, we can depend on Him be there to change us so that we want to do the right thing and then He give us the power to  do what’s right.

Washington and Lincoln (same pix as before) helped to save our country. Jesus came to save us and everyone in the world (pixof globe with people) from the punishment we deserve, to forgive us, and to help us do the right thing. (pix of kids helping each other)

Jesus has done and can do so much for us and He loves us even more than our family and friends.  We’re so glad that you came to celebrate His birthday.  Thank you for bringing gifts for Jesus.  We can’t see Jesus to hand Him the gifts that you brought, but He said that if we give gifts to people who are in need it’s the same as giving gifts to Him. (pix of homeless child with sign that says help) So we will take the gifts and give them to people who do not have money to buy things they need. (This is where the kids bring their perishable food up and set at the foot of the cross)

We then had crafts and games, and at the end of the program sang happy birthday to Jesus and served birthday cake.

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