December 2020
Preparedness is a familiar and important concept for parents. Often it’s associated with physical safety: child-proofing a home, keeping emergency phone numbers handy, and planning ahead in case of natural disasters. Preparation also plays a role in joyful occasions—from faith passages to developmental milestones. Throughout the years, parents make countless decisions and plans, offering guidance and support as their kids prepare to head out on their own someday. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, a season known as Advent, followers of Jesus have the opportunity to prepare our hearts for his birth. That can be challenging,
with all the hustle and bustle of the typical December. Advent also is a time to prepare for Jesus’ second coming, something we may not think about very often amid packed daily schedules. Throughout Scripture—often in stories called parables—Jesus instructs us to stay alert and watchful. The day of his return, which is unknown to all but God, will appear like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2). So, we are to remain awake, tell others about Jesus’ good news of salvation, and be ready to share our beliefs. To help your children be spiritually prepared, put Jesus and faith in him at the center of your home—and your Christmas celebrations. Read on for more seasonal ideas for getting ready to welcome our Savior and King!
Christmas Reminds Us to Be Prepared
POWERSOURCE ASK JESUS: 1. To help your family members
prepare their hearts for the upcoming Christmas celebration.
2. To make you alert to ways you can share your faith during the holiday season.
3. To keep you ready and watchful for Jesus’ second coming.
Kumulani Keiki News For more info call Rondilyn Franz @ 808-669-6657 or email: [email protected]
! The$Preschool$at$Kapalua$
TEACHABLE MOMENTS
Our Guiding Star
Hide a swaddled doll in a darkened room. Then lead family members through the room with flashlights (or phone lights) to search for the baby. Play several rounds, giving each person a turn to hide the baby and lead the search.
Read aloud Matthew 2:1-12. Say: A bright star led some followers to find baby Jesus, who was born to be the light of the world. It must have been so exciting to follow the star to Bethlehem to find baby Jesus!
Ask: In our game, how did you feel when you were following the light? How would the game have been different without flashlights?
Say: I’m glad we were prepared with these lights so we could find the baby. Let’s remember to follow the light of Jesus every day as we get ready for Christmas! Close in prayer, thanking Jesus for always guiding us with his light.
Jesus Is Coming!
The people of Jesus’ day expected him to be an earthly king who would overthrow the Romans and restore the kingdom of Israel. From our standpoint in history, we know that the baby Jesus grew up to become the Suffering Servant (see Isaiah 53), a sinless sacrifice who died in our place. One day, Jesus will return bodily to rule as King over all heaven and earth. But as Immanuel, or “God with us,” Jesus also remains always present with us, no matter what we’re facing. Remind children of that precious promise as Christmas approaches—and every day after!
“I have seen your salvation, which you have
prepared for all people.” —Luke 2:30-31
Guest Prep Brainstorm things your family does to get ready for guests. Discuss what you’d do differently if Jesus came to stay at your house. Read aloud Mark 1:3-4. Say: “John the Baptist told many people that Jesus was coming. We, too, can let others know what Christmas is about—our Savior’s birth.” Pray, asking God to bless your family’s plans for his Son’s arrival.
Holding onto Hope At breakfast, discuss each day’s Christmas-related plans. Talk about how anticipating this special time is like or unlike what Mary and Joseph hoped for as they waited for Jesus.
Preparing a Place Have children design place cards and decorate paper plates for a meal. Afterward, read Luke 14:12-24 and talk about how God loves each of us and invites us to a heavenly feast. Say: “While we’re preparing our hearts for Jesus, God is preparing a place for us in heaven.” Close in prayer, thanking God for each family member by name.
Waiting for the Promise Discuss why waiting is tough—and how it feels when a long wait is finally over. Read aloud Jeremiah 33:14-16. Say: “This prophet told people that the Messiah, Jesus, was coming. More than 500 years
later, God’s promise was fulfilled.” Brainstorm promises you could make that might be worthwhile in 500 years. Say: “Knowing that God always keeps his promises helps us trust him while we’re waiting.”
“Spread” the News Set out sugar cookies, frosting, blunt knives, and sprinkles. While kids decorate cookies, discuss ways we can “spread” the good news about Jesus’ birth and add “sprinkles” of joy to people’s lives. Nativity Copycats Encourage kids to follow the examples of people in the Bible: loving Jesus as Mary and Joseph did, praising Jesus as the angels did, telling others about Jesus as the shepherds did, and giving Jesus gifts as the wise men did. Christmas Concert Let younger children ring bells, play music boxes, and dance to Christmas carols. Say: “Knowing that Jesus is coming makes us happy!” The Big Picture On a long piece of paper, outline a Christmas design. Each day in December, spend a few minutes coloring in the details together. As the mural comes into focus, discuss how to stay focused on Jesus. Display the completed mural in a window.
December
December 7 Women’s Advent, 7pm in the barn December 12 An Evening in December: Ballet & Nativity 6pm in the barn December 24 Christmas Eve Services in the barn… 5 and 7pm
Happy Birthday
Jesus!
MAHALO NUI LOA! To all who packed shoeboxes for children in need around the world! We packed over 200 boxes, Lives will be changed because of you! Pray for the children who will receive these special gifts this Christmas!
Sunday School Teaching Teams:
9m-Kindergarten in DaBEACH Paloma, Monica, Ilana, Cassidy, Kyli, Imani, Ellen, Emily, Sandy and Wyatt
Basic Truth: Christmas Cookies – Jesus is God’s
Son!
1st-5th Grade at the Oasis Claire, Valerie, Lacie, Teresa & Lynn
Life App: CHRISTMAS: Celebrating Jesus, God’s
greatest gift!
Parent Cue discussion starter pages are to assist parents in helping
their children apply what we are learning In Sunday School to their
daily lives! Go to kumulanichapel.org, children/parents page.
Advent 2020G
ather aroun
d every day this m
onth
to read the story of h
ow G
od sent joy to th
e world
with
the gift of H
is Son, Jesus. W
hile you’re at it,
spread some joy of your ow
n as a fam
ily!
A youn
g couple, Mary an
dJoseph
, get engaged.
Kick off
the month w
ithhot chocolate for everyone.
Take turns talking about yourfavorite C
hristmases of the past.
On
e day, God sen
ds the an
gel,G
abriel, to Mary. G
abriel has
some very special n
ews!
Ask everyone to choose som
eone, and w
rite a personalizedC
hristmas card to them
. Put each cardin an envelope, address and stam
pthem
, and mail them
.
Mary is greatly troubled
wh
en sh
e hears th
e angel’s greetin
g.
Decorate your bedroom
doors w
ith wrapping paper, and put up a
sign with a C
hristmas greeting.
Gabriel respon
dsto M
ary, saying:
“Don’t be afraid.
God is very h
appy with
you!”
Take a car ride or walk on foot
to see Christm
as lights anddecorations in your
neighborhood or comm
unity.
Gabriel tells M
aryth
e special new
s:Sh
e will h
ave a baby boy, and
the baby w
ill be nam
ed Jesus.
Clean out the toy bins,
closets, and drawers.
Donate item
s to a local shelteror thrift store.
Gabriel sh
ares with
Mary
more details of G
od’s plan:
“Jesus will be great an
dw
ill be called God’s very ow
n son
!”
Have a fam
ily picnicin front of the C
hristmas tree.
Mary doesn’t un
derstand
how
she can
have a baby
with
out being m
arried, but the an
gel, G
abriel, assures her of a great truth
:N
othin
g is impossible w
ith G
od.
Read a C
hristmas book
or google a story online.R
ead it aloud together.
“I serve God w
ith m
y life and w
ant
all that you h
ave said to happen
,”M
ary tells the an
gel, and h
e leaves.
Hide candy canes around your house.
Have a fam
ily candy cane hunt, and see w
ho can collect the most.
Mary visits h
er cousin, Elizabeth
,an
d is so overwh
elmed w
ith G
od’sgoodn
ess, she sin
gs a song of praise.
Have a gift w
rapping competition.
Who can w
rap the fastest?
Caesar A
ugustus wan
ts to know
how
many people are in
his em
pire,so h
e tells all the people to go
back to their h
ometow
nto be registered an
d counted.
Google search C
hristmas traditions
around the world, and ask your fam
ily tovote on a new
tradition to adopt.
Joseph brin
gs Mary, w
ho is
pregnan
t, to his h
ometow
n
of Beth
lehem
to be counted.
Gather your extra tow
els and blankets, and w
ash and dry them.
Then, as a fam
ily, go together to donate them
to an animal shelter.
Wh
ile Joseph an
d Mary are
in B
ethleh
em, th
e time com
esfor th
e baby to be born.
Eat dinner together by
candlelight or Christm
as lights.
Mary gives birth
to Jesus, wraps
Him
in sw
addling cloth
s, and lays
Him
in a m
anger because th
ere isn
o room for th
em anyw
here else.
Grab som
e stuffed anim
alsand tow
els or small blankets.
Search how to sw
addle a baby.E
ncourage everyone to try swaddling.
Have a contest to see w
hose is best!
At n
ight in
a nearby fi
eld,sh
epherds are w
atchin
g their fl
ocks.
Bundle up and go outside
after nightfall. Look at the stars—those are the sam
e stars the shepherdssaw
in the sky the night Jesus was born.
Th
e sky lights up
—G
od has sen
t an an
gel to the
sheph
erds to tell them
the good n
ews of Jesus’ birth
.
Ask everyone to sign a fam
ily“T
hank You” card to your mail carrier.
Feel free to add a bottle of water and
a $10 gift card for lunch!
Wh
en th
e sheph
erdssee th
e angel, th
ey’re afraid!
Get those phones ready
and have a silly,C
hristmas-them
ed photoshoot.
Th
e angel tries to calm
the sh
epherds, sayin
g:“D
on’t be afraid. I bring
won
derful new
s that w
illbrin
g joy to all of the w
orld!”
Create a playlist using everyone’sfavorite C
hristmas song. T
hen,crank up the volum
e, press play,and have a fam
ily dance party!
“A Savior, th
e Rescuer
you have been
waitin
g for,is born
today!” the an
gel proclaims
to the sh
epherds.
Grab blankets and popcorn,
and have a Christm
as movie
marathon together.
Th
e angel explain
s the sh
epherds
will fi
nd th
e Savior, a baby,w
rapped in sw
addling cloth
san
d lying in
a man
ger.
The big day is alm
ost here! To prepare,turn up the C
hristmas m
usic, assign chores,and clean the house
from top to bottom
.
More an
gels come to celebrate
the good n
ews—
they arrive
at the sh
epherd’s fi
eldan
d begin praisin
g God!
Declare today is R
ed and Green D
ay!Tell everyone to dress in all red
and green—even if it doesn’t m
atch!
Th
e sheph
erds leave their fl
ocks and
hurry to fi
nd M
ary, Joseph, an
dth
e baby, wh
o is lying in
a man
ger.
Break out the cookie cutters, and bake
Christm
as cookies together.
After th
ey see the baby, th
e sh
epherds excitedly go an
d tell th
e good new
sto everyon
e they see!
Call or FaceT
ime a fam
ily mem
ber, andsing them
a Christm
as carol.
Th
e sheph
erds returnto th
eir flocks, praisin
g God
for all they h
ave seen an
d heard.
Enjoy a fam
ily board game night
in front of the Christm
as tree.
Mary n
ames th
e baby Jesus,just as th
e angel told h
er to do.
Choose a scene from
the Christm
as story, assign roles,and act it out.
God h
as sent Jesus to rescue us
because God loves us so very m
uch!
Read the story of Jesus’ birth
from Luke 1:26–2:21. R
emem
ber the greatest gift of all—
the hope w
e have in our Savior, Jesus!
©2020 PAREN
T CUE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. TH
EPARENTCUE.O
RG
HO
PE CA
ND
LER
EA
DIsaiah 9:6-7
As G
od’s people were about to
head into
exile, G
od delivered
hope through a promise. Som
eday, this w
ill all be over—a K
ing would
come w
ho would m
ake all things new
. C
hristmas
celebrates the
hope that God sent Jesus to fulfill
that promise and rescue creation
once and
for all.
Know
ing that
God has kept H
is promises in the
past gives us hope that God w
ill continue keeping H
is promises in
the future.
ASK
• What is som
ething you hope for? • H
ow can you stay hop
eful even w
hen you don’t g
et what you
want?
• When have you seen G
od take care of our fam
ily?
DO
Light the Hope candle.
JOY
CA
ND
LER
EA
DLuke 1:26-38, 46-47
The angel
Gabriel
appeared to
Mary to announce that she w
ould be Jesus’ m
other. This must have
come as quite a surprise. A
fter all, M
ary wasn’t m
arried yet, and she had a different plan for her life. G
abriel reminded her that nothing
is impossible w
ith God. She could
have been
overwhelm
ed by
this startling new
s, but she chose to respond w
ith a song of joy. Nothing
takes G
od by
surprise. W
e can
trust that God has an ultim
ate plan for our lives. D
iscover the joy that com
es from believing in Jesus and
God’s plan for us.
ASK
• Who are w
e planning on seeing this C
hristmas?
• How
do you feel when your plans
don’t happen like you want?
• How
can we rem
ember to have
joy, even when our plans change?
DO
Light the Hope and Joy candles.
LOV
E CA
ND
LE R
EA
DLuke 2:1-7
From a hum
an perspective, this whole
situation must have seem
ed crazy to M
ary and Joseph. Not only w
as Mary
expecting the baby who w
ould save the w
orld, but now she and Joseph had
to travel to Bethlehem for the census.
When they arrive, there’s no room
for them
to stay except for the place they keep the anim
als. As hectic as this
might have seem
ed, this is exactly how
God w
anted Jesus to enter the world.
Right from the start, G
od wanted to
have a relationship with us. Even w
hen w
e messed that up w
ith our sin, God
continued to love and make a w
ay to rescue us. Jesus is proof that G
od loves us unconditionally.
ASK
• What are w
e giving others this C
hristmas?
• How
does it make you feel
knowing G
od loves you so much?
• How
can we show
God’s love to
others?
DO
Light the Hope, Joy, and
Love candles.
PEAC
E CA
ND
LER
EA
DLuke 2:8-20
After
Jesus w
as born,
the first
people to
find out
are som
e unassum
ing shepherds
in a
field m
inding their own business. The
angel announced Jesus’ birth along w
ith an angel choir that proclaimed
God’s peace for everyone on earth.
They rushed to see the baby for them
selves. They were so excited
that they spent the rest of the night telling everyone they could about Jesus. W
e hope that this Christm
as you w
ould come to know
God’s
love and believe that Jesus truly is the Savior of the w
orld.
ASK
• What does it m
ean to have peace?
• Why is hard to find peace
sometim
es?• H
ow can w
e have peace knowing
God loves us and sent us Jesus?
DO
Light the Hope, Joy, Love, and
Peace candles.
CH
RIST C
AN
DLE
RE
AD
John 1:1-5, 14
The “Word” John is talking about
is Jesus. Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God. H
e has been with G
od from
the beginning, giving life and breath to all things. C
hristmas is
the celebration that Jesus became
like us. He lived and died and rose
again, so that we could have life
that lasts forever with G
od. This C
hristmas
let’s celebrate
that Jesus cam
e to rescue us and God
is always w
ith us.
ASK
• What’s your favorite thing
about Christm
as? Why?
• How
can we focus on Jesus
this Christm
as?• H
ow can w
e stay focused on Jesus throughout the w
hole year?
DO
Light all five candles with the
Christ candle last.
PR
AY
“Dear
God,
thank You
for rem
inding us during this time
of year
that You
keep Your
promises—
every single
time!
Thank You for the promise of
Jesus. Thank You for the hope that
we
have in
Him
. Please
help us to remem
ber what You
did for Your people—and for
us—w
hen You sent Jesus to be our Savior. W
e love You, and w
e pray these things in Jesus’ nam
e, amen.”
PR
AY
“Dear
God,
thank You
for sending Jesus to be our Savior. W
e can see how M
ary trusted Your plan, and You filled her heart w
ith joy. Thank You for rem
inding us
that You
have a
good plan
for our
lives, too. H
elp us to find our joy in You,
because Your
plans are
ALW
AYS good. We love You,
and w
e pray
these things
in Jesus’ nam
e, amen.”
PR
AY
“Dear G
od, thank You for showing
Your love by sending Jesus. You kept
Your prom
ise to
send a
Savior, and You sent Him
at just the right tim
e. Help us to alw
ays rem
ember how
much You love
us—so m
uch that You sent Your ow
n Son to rescue us. And help
us remem
ber the true meaning
of Christm
as as we celebrate w
ith our fam
ily and friends. We love
You, and we pray these things in
Jesus’ name, am
en.”
PR
AY
“Dear G
od, thank You for this rem
inder that
Your peace
is for
everyone. You
love and
care about
each and
every one of us. You love us so m
uch that You sent Jesus to be our Savior!
Thank You
for the
peace that comes w
hen we put
our faith in You. Please help us to trust You and live Your w
ay every day. W
e love You, and w
e pray these things in Jesus’ nam
e, amen.”
PR
AY
“Dear
God,
thank You
for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending Jesus to be a light in this w
orld that can seem
so dark. This Christm
as, keep
us focused
on Jesus,
the true
reason for
why
we
celebrate. A
s w
e rem
ember
how m
uch You love us, help us know
how w
e can show Your
love to others this Christm
as. W
e love You. We pray this in
Jesus’ name, am
en.”
CH
RISTMA
S CO
UN
TDO
WN