Note to the Teacher

The theme for Christmas Eve is joy! Encourage youth to attend a Christmas Eve service with their families and celebrate the joy of the birth of the Christ Child. If you have a special meeting near Christmas Eve, this lesson will help youth remember the birth of the Christ Child. The icebreaker will help students think about what brings them joy in life and share that joy with someone else. The discussion will allow students to see how the joy of the birth of the Christ child affects their lives. The activity will allow students to be present with one another, sharing in the joy of being together.

1. Icebreaker: What Brings You Joy? (10 minutes)

Optional: If doing the photo-a-day activity with the countdown, chains share some of the photos that people have taken.

Option 1: High-Tech

Create a slideshow with the following questions, one question per slide.

What food brings you joy?
What animal brings you joy?
What candy brings you joy?
What person brings you joy?
What holiday brings you joy?
What activity brings you joy?
What brings you the most joy in life?

This is a game that is similar to “Musical Chairs.” Play some music. When the music stops, everyone needs to find a partner. Once they find their partners, put one of the questions on the screen. Have them share their answers quickly, and then start the music again. In each round, students find another partner, preferably someone different from the person from the previous round. Play until all the questions have been asked.

Option 2: Low-Tech

Write the following questions on paper, one question per paper. Then tape the papers to a wall in the front of the room.

What food brings you joy?
What animal brings you joy?
What candy brings you joy?
What person brings you joy?
What holiday brings you joy?
What activity brings you joy?
What brings you the most joy in life?

Say “mingle, mingle, mingle,” while the students walk around. When you stop saying “mingle,” the students find a partner. Once they find their partner, flip over a sheet of paper and share the first question. Have them share their answers quickly, and then start the music again. In each round, students find another partner, preferably someone different from the person from the previous round. Play until all the questions have been asked.

2. Read Scripture (5 minutes)

The scripture today is the heart of the Christmas story. We feel comfort in the familiar story of shepherds, angels, Mary, and Joseph. May we find joy in the comfort that we feel in this story of God’s love coming into the world.

Read Luke 2:1-20.

3. Discussion (15 minutes)

What joy do you feel when you hear the story of the birth of the Christ child?

What does the Christmas story mean to you?

How do you celebrate the joy of Christmas at home?

How do you allow yourself to celebrate the real reason for the season in the midst of a secular world?

How do you think everyone felt on that first Christmas? What do you think brought them joy?

4. Activity and Discussion (20 minutes)

Create a birthday party for Jesus! Celebrate the season that is about God’s love being born into the world. Allow this to be a time where you give thanks for all that God has given you as individuals and as a group. It doesn’t need to be structured but a time for youth to be present and celebrate with one another.

If you have time and the budget, you can either:

Have a wrapped gift for each student that symbolizes God’s love, the Christ child, born into the world
Have students buy and wrap a gift to exchange with other students.

Close in your typical manner. Consider taking the students' joys and concerns and asking for a volunteer to close in prayer.

Total time: 50 minutes