Tuesday December 23rd
Hello and welcome to Bay Family Adventures!
As we countdown until Christmas Day, we’re spending time thinking about the Christmas story and drawing near to God together. Each week we look at a different theme — and this week we’re thinking about LOVE, and how God showed His love by sending Jesus to be with us.
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:
1 John 4:11
Dear friends, if God loved us that much we also should love each other.
Today we’re reading what happened after the angels went back to heaven and the shepherds hurried to find Jesus.
Luke 2:15–20 (NCV)
When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem. Let’s see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about.”
So they went quickly and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in a manger.
When they had seen Him, they told what the angels had said about this child.
Everyone was amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
But Mary treasured these things and continued to think about them in her heart.
Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking Him for everything they had seen and heard. It had been just as the angel had told them.
This moment in the Christmas story is full of noise, excitement, and amazement. The shepherds rush through the night to find Jesus. They share everything the angels told them. People are amazed at their story. There’s joy, celebration, praising, thanking — it’s loud and wonderful.
But right in the middle of all the noise is Mary… quiet, thoughtful, still.
She listens.
She watches.
She treasures.
She holds these moments deep in her heart.
Sometimes love looks loud — like the shepherds praising God.
And sometimes love looks quiet — like Mary thinking deeply about what God is doing.
God’s love invites us to do both:
To celebrate loudly
And to treasure deeply
This passage shows us that love is not just something we feel on the outside — it’s something God grows inside our hearts, something we carry with us for a lifetime.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question:
What is something that means a lot to you? It could be a person, or something you own.
And now let’s ask God to help us.
Father God, thank You for the love You showed by sending Jesus. Help us treasure Your love in our hearts, just like Mary did.
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that stands out to us.
Luke 2:15–20 (NCV)
When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem. Let’s see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about.”
So they went quickly and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in a manger.
When they had seen Him, they told what the angels had said about this child.
Everyone was amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
But Mary treasured these things and continued to think about them in her heart.
Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking Him for everything they had seen and heard. It had been just as the angel had told them.
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verse?
And now let’s say yes to God.
Lord Jesus, we say yes to holding Your love close to our hearts, we say yes to celebrating your love with joy, we say yes to all you have for us.
After enjoying this time together, lets’ say our memory verse one more time:
1 John 4:11
Dear friends, if God loved us that much we also should love each other.
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.