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For 27 Years The Teaching Home Has Been Providing Families
Information, Inspiration, and Encouragement from a Distinctively Christian Perspective.
Cindy Short and Sue Welch, Co-Editors
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Behold
the Great Creator Makes
by Thomas Pestel
Behold the great
Creator makes
Himself a house of
clay, A robe of virgin flesh He
takes
Which He will wear
for ay.
Hark, hark, the wise
eternal Word,
Like a weak infant
cries! In form of servant is the
Lord,
And God in cradles
lies. This wonder struck the
world amazed,
It shook the starry
frame; Squadrons of spirits stood
and gazed,
Then down in troops
they came. Glad shepherds ran to
view this sight;
A choir of angels
sings, And eastern sages with
delight
Adore this King of
kings. Join then, all hearts
that are not stone,
And all our voices
prove, To celebrate this holy One
The God of peace and
love.
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The Teaching Home
Back Issues
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Always-Relevant
Teaching Home Back IssuesFifty-one back issues are offered online
or by mail order. The information, inspiration, and
encouragement packed into
each back issue never goes out of date. They
are always
relevant, applicable to your needs today. Order securely online. In each issue an average of 58 home
schoolers contribute
practical how-to articles, encouraging
letters, and ready-to-use
teaching tips. "The Teaching Home has been a part of my
continuing education since I started home
schooling, and I have kept every issue. "I often go back to old issues to find
creative, helpful hints or inspiration."
Meredith C., Florida
The Third Form of Water To help our young children begin to
understand weather patterns, we discussed the
three states of water.
We established that when water get very
cold it turns into ice.
Then I asked, "What do you get if you heat
it up?"
"Hot water," Jemima replied eagerly.
"Yes, and what does that make?" I prodded.
She added earnestly, "A cup of coffee." Submitted by Sue R., Australia. Send your humorous
anecdote to
publisher@teachinghome.com.
Because we have been separated from God by
sin, Jesus Christ died in our place, then
rose to life again. If we trust Him as our
Savior and Lord, He will forgive our sin and
give us eternal life. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
(John 3:16)
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Copyright 2007 The Teaching Home
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Christmas Bible Study:
Devotionals and Activities
• Be Devoted to the
Lord
• Read the Story
• Study the Story
• Dramatize the Story
• Apply the Story of
God's Love
• Sing about the Story
Greetings,
In this issue we present suggestions for
focusing on the wonder of God's love for us
and His provision for our salvation through
the birth, death, and resurrection of His
Son. Since "Jesus is the reason for the
season," we should not become so busy that we
do not have time for Him.
Cordially,
The Pat Welch Family, Publishers
Pat, Sue, Heather, Holly, and Brian
The Teaching
Home is a home-school, family-run
business operated in our home since 1980.
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Be Devoted to the Lord
We show our devotion to the Lord by
spending time with Him, listening to His Word
and talking to Him in prayer. Family Bible time, or devotions, should be
a Christian family's first priority each
day—not as a long or complicated duty,
but as the privilege it is. • Establish
the Habit
Firmly establishing a habit of meeting
together will greatly facilitate this time
together with the Lord. Set aside a
time each day, perhaps while everyone is
still at the breakfast or dinner table or
before going to bed at night.
• Read
God's Word
Let God talk to you by reading His
Word. You can read through the Bible
each year in just 15-20 minutes a day (See
schedules).
• Study
God's Word
Take a few minutes to discuss what you've
read. Recall facts, test comprehension
with questions, expand understanding by
having your children paraphrasing what was
read.
• Apply
God's Word
Determine to do something about what you have
read, such as share the truth with someone or
change something in your life.
• Memorize
God's Word
Memorizing and reviewing Bible verses
together implants God's Word in your hearts
for life!
• Pray
When you talk to the the Lord, thank the Lord
for what He has done for you (come to earth
to die for our sins); ask for forgiveness;
and bring petitions for the needs of
ourselves and others.
• Sing
Sing praises to the Lord through hymns and
spiritual songs. Suggestions for following this model at
Christmas time are included in the rest of
this newsletter.
Read the Story One of the most meaningful family
traditions you can pass on to your children
is reading the story of Christ's birth
together.
Read and Discuss the Bible Story
• Read
and discuss Matthew 1:18-2:23 and Luke
1:5-2:38.
• And/or
listen to the Bible reading on an audio tape
or CD (the KJV
audio free online) or watch a video with
word-for-word Scripture (Matthew:
Visual Bible). • Add
explanations for your younger children as you
read.
Compare Accounts
• Notice
the different details given in the Matthew
and Luke accounts. • Read
the accounts of Jesus' birth from "A
Harmony of the Story of Jesus" which
brings together all the relevant verses from
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John rearranged by
subject and approximate chronological order
or another Harmony
of the Gospels. • Read
about the incarnation of Jesus in John
1:1-18. How does this account differ
in viewpoint, etc.?
Study the Story
Further study brings many rich truths to
bear on the simple story of Christ's birth. • Recall
facts, test comprehension with questions,
expand understanding by having your children
paraphrase what was read. • Explain
and discuss the names given to the promised
Messiah in Isaiah 9:6 and the character
quality each reveals. • Find
and study the prophecies in the Old Testament
predicting the coming of the Messiah and
their fulfillment in the New Testament such
as His virgin birth, Bethlehem to be the
place of His birth, and His suffering.Many
are listed online here
and here.
Doctrine for Children Don't be afraid of the word "doctrine";
it simply means "teaching." Children can
understand important foundational truths from
Scripture, such as: • The
Virgin Birth: Jesus had no human father, only
a mother. (Matthew 1:18-20; Luke 1:34-35;
Isaiah 7:14)
• The
Incarnation: Jesus is both fully God and
fully man. (John 1:1-3, 14; 14:6-11;
Colossians 1:12-18, 2:6-9, Isaiah 43:11,
45:21-22)
Why Jesus CameLook up some of the following Scriptures,
and discuss the reasons that Jesus came. 1. To Redeem Man • To
seek and save the lost as a shepherd. (Luke
19:10; Matthew 18:11; John 10:1-30; Isaiah
53.6; I Peter 5:2-4; 2:25; Matthew 9:36;
Hebrews 13:20)
• To
give His life as a ransom. (Matthew 20:28;
Romans 6) • To
save sinners by bearing our sins and paying
our penalty. (Romans 6:23; Isaiah 53:5; I
Timothy 1:15; I Peter 2:24; Hebrews 9:28) • To
put away sin. (Hebrews 9:26; I John 3:5; John
1:29; Leviticus 16:20-22; Isaiah 53:6; II
Corinthians 5:21) • To
give eternal life to those dead in sin.
(Ephesians 2:1-6) • To
give re-birth and adoption as God's children
to all who receive Him in faith. (Galatians
4:1-7; John 1:12) • To
conquer death through His death and
resurrection. (I Corinthians 15:20-22;
Revelations 21:4; II Timothy 1:10; Hebrews
2:14-15) • To
remove enmity and establish fellowship and
friendship with man. (I John 1; Romans 8:7;
John 15;3-15)
2. To Reveal the Character of God • To
reveal the Father and to demonstrate the
great love of God for all men. (Romans 5:8;
II Timothy 2:4; Matthew 11:27; John 14:9) • To
provide a pattern of holy living. (I Peter
2:21; Matthew 11:29) • To
demonstrate patience, humility, and
obedience. (Philippians 2:5-8; I Peter
2:21-23; Hebrews 5:8; John 6:38)
3. To Fulfill Prophecy and the Law • To
fulfill prophecy. (Matthew 5:17; Romans
15:8) • To
fulfill and abolish the law. (Ephesians
2:13-15; Matthew 5:17-18) • To
be a faithful high priest and the mediator
between God and man. (I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews
2:17) • To
remove the veil and open the Holy Place to
us. (Hebrews 6:19-20; 9; 10:19-22)
Dramatize the Story
Your younger children may comprehend and
remember the story of Christ's birth better
through any of the following activities. Make a Nativity Set • Make
a playdough, dough art, or clay nativity set.
You could shape the figures like the "Little
People" toys. • See
instructions for a nativity scene on pages
38-39 of Morton Salt's "Dough
It Yourself" Handbook (complete and free
online). • Stuffable
Nativity sets are great for very young
children to play with. Make and Use PuppetsTell the story of Jesus' birth using felt,
puppets, or unbreakable nativity figures. • Sock
puppet instructions here
and here.
• Finger
puppet patterns
and instructions. • Easy
and inexpensive puppet
stage ideas. • Easy-to-Make
Bible Story Puppets. Patterns and
directions for making 40 inexpensive and
durable felt hand puppets.
Act Out the StoryHelp your children act out the story. • They
can play multiple parts and use stuffed
animals as props. • Costumes
can be as simple as a scarf or bathrobe.
Apply the Story of God's Love
The story of the life of Christ reveals a
loving God who is seeking a personal
relationship with you. Through faith in
Jesus Christ, His substitutionary death for
you, and His resurrection, you can have
forgiveness of sins, peace with God, and
eternal life.
God's LoveExplain and discuss the following verses.
"Herein is love, not that we loved God,
but that he loved us,
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for
our sins."
(1 John 4:10)
"For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only
begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not
perish,
but have eternal
life."
(John 3:16)
"The Lord is patient toward you,
not wishing for any
to perish
but for all to come to repentance."
(II Peter 3:9)
God's Gift
Compare receiving a gift to how a person
receives God's forgiveness and eternal life
by accepting it as an undeserved gift by
faith.
"But as many as received Him,
to them He gave the
right to become children of God,
even to those who believe in His name."
(John 1:12)
"For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of
God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord."
(Romans 6:23)
"For by grace you have been saved through
faith;
and that not of
yourselves,
it is the gift of God; not as a result of
works,
that no one should
boast."
(Ephesians 2:8, 9)
Our Response
Ask each of your children who understands
if he has accepted this gift. • Ask
the Lord to help you lead your child to Him
in saving faith if he has not been saved. • Memorize
some of the Scripture passages above or
others that speak of God's love to us. • Pray
and thank the Lord for His love and gift of
salvation.
Sing about the Story
Music adds so much to our celebrations.
It is also a way to teach and remind our
family of spiritual truths. "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within
you,
with all wisdom
teaching and admonishing one another
with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with
thankfulness in your hearts to God."
(Colossians 3:16)
• Sing
Together
Gather your family together to sing Christmas
carols during your family devotional time or
as an activity at some other time. See words and music for 385 Christmas
hymns and songs at Cyber
Hymnal (choose "Christmas" in the list of
topics). Also look for the theme of Christ's
coming in other hymns not usually considered
Christmas carols (e.g., "One Day," "Tell Me
the Story of Jesus," "That Beautiful Name,"
and "Ivory Palaces."
• Learn
the Story Behind the Music
Learn the history of our Christmas music (see
the link above for Christmas hymns). • Read
Song Lyrics as Poems
Some of these songs are quite profound in
their doctrinal teachings and can be read as
poems. In fact, we can sometimes appreciate
the words better by concentrating on them
without the music before we sing them. • Listen
to Handel's "Messiah"
Handel's Oratorio "Messiah" speaks of
Christ's life, death, and resurrection:Words
and the Scriptures to which they refer
and Libretto
of Handel's "Messiah."; Open
Score; Free
MP3 Downloads; "For
unto Us a Child Is Born".
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