Wednesday December 03rd
Hello and welcome to Bay Family Adventures, as we countdown until Christmas Day, we will be spending time thinking about the Christmas story and drawing near to God together. Each week we will look at a different theme and this week we will be thinking about hope.
Let’s start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Lord Jesus, we open our minds to learn new things, so that we know more about You. We open our hearts to be filled with Your love, so that we become more like You. And we open our hands to receive all we need to live our lives for You.
Father God, as we draw near to You, please draw near to us too. Teach us to pray. Speak, Lord, we’re listening.
God please help us remember our memory verse for this week:
Psalm 27:14 (NCV)
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord
Today we are reading about a very special moment when God sent an angel to Mary to tell her that she would give birth to Jesus — the one who brings hope to the whole world.
Luke 1:30–33 (NCV)
The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has shown you His grace. Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of King David, His ancestor. He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will never end.”
Mary must have felt surprised, maybe even scared — but she trusted God. Because through her, God’s great plan of hope was beginning!
The Angel tells Mary not to be scared, but God has shown His grace – this thing they’ve been waiting and hoping for was finally going to happen! And the most amazing thing is that God wanted her to be a part of it!
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question which is: What’s something you’ve been really excited to be a part of? Was it being part of a football team, a special group at school, a play or musical show? Pause the player here.
And now let’s ask God to help us.
Father God, thank You for sending Jesus to bring hope to the world. Help us to trust You, just like Mary did, even when we don’t understand everything You’re doing.
Thank you God, that just like Mary, you want us to be involved in helping to bring your hope to the world. Help us not to be scared, but give us the confidence for the things you ask us to do.
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
Luke 1:30–33 (NCV)
The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has shown you His grace. Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of King David, His ancestor. He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will never end.”
What word or phrase stood out from today’s bible verses? Pause the player here.
And now let’s say yes to God. LLord Jesus, we say yes to You — the Son of the Most High, whose kingdom will never end. Thank You that You are our hope. We say Yes to sharing your hope with the world.
After enjoying this time together, lets’ say our memory verse one more time:
Psalm 27:14 (NCV)
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Let’s point to our mouths.
Lord, please give us the right words and be encouraged to say them.
Amen.