A Countdown to Christmas Through the Eyes of Mary

Welcome to December 2016!! This year I'm changing things up a bit at our house and wrote these daily devotionals for our family to walk through each day in December. I figured if I was gonna write them, I might as well share them. If you missed the blog post about the heart behind this particular version of devotions, "Through the eyes of Mary," you can check it out here. You can do the devotions straight from the blog, or click here to request a printable version formatted to a daily card. (It's not pretty, but you can glue them onto something pretty.) 

Last, if you missed the start of these on December 1st (since I didn't even get it posted until the 2nd) you can still join in. They are quick and easy to do, just pick up or catch up and have some fun with your family preparing your hearts for Christmas this year with the lessons we can learn from Mary's view of Christmas!

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24 Days til Christmas (December 1st)

     A Promise is Made - Read Psalm 132:11-12

•  What promise did God make to David here? 
•  What did they call this king that they hoped would come?
•  What is true about God's promises?
•  What are some promises He's made to you?

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23 Days til Christmas (December 2nd)

     God Has a Plan - Read Luke 3:23-31

• How long before it happened, did God put this plan in place? (take a glance at Luke 3:32-38 as you discuss)
• Did you know there was a long period of waiting for the Messiah where they never heard anything from the Lord? 
• Have you ever waited a really long time for something? How hard was it to wait?

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22 Days til Christmas (December 3rd)

     God Picked Mary - Read Luke 1:26-33

• Of all the people in the family from David to Mary and Joseph, why did God select Mary?
• What do you think Mary might have done to find favor with God? 
• What can we do to find favor with God? (Discuss how it is about our heart and love for Him, not the actions that we do.)

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21 Days til Christmas (December 4th)

     How Could This Be? - Read Luke 1:34-37

• Mary didn't understand how this was even going to happen, it seemed impossible to her. Did God answer her question? (Don't be scared of the How did she get pregnant questions. You can simply focus on the fact that God explained He was going to make it happen, and the ending where it says nothing is impossible with God.)
• How does God answer us when we don't understand what's happening? (Any examples from your own life to share?)

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20 Days til Christmas (December 5th)

     Mary's Response of Obedience - Read Luke 1:38

• What do you think Mary might have been thinking about all of this? 
• What did she choose to do? 
• What are some times that you've not really wanted to obey something you were told, but chose to anyway?

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19 Days til Christmas (December 6th)

     A Confirmation - Read Luke 1:39-45

• What did God do for Mary in this part of the story? (Talk about the importance of community, especially community that understands and believes God too. God gave Mary a confirmation, through another person, that He really was going to do what He said he was going to do at a time when she could have been feeling lots of different emotions.)
• God is a loving a gracious God to do this for us. What are some ways you've seen God do that in your own life?

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18 Days til Christmas (December 7th)

     A Song of Praise - Read Luke 1:46-55

• What was Mary's reaction to Elizabeth's confirmation? 
• The Bible says this was Mary's "Song of Praise", what does her song tell you about what Mary believes? (Talk about some of the details she praises God for, and how they are an indication of what she believes about God. Maybe make up a song of praise about things your family believes about God.)

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17 Days til Christmas (December 8th)

     Leaving Home - Read Luke 2:1-5

• Mary is "obviously pregnant", which means she has a big belly and is probably very uncomfortable. It was likely a journey that could take 4-10 days of walking/riding on a donkey depending on the weather and what route they took. What do you think Mary was feeling? (What do you think got her through those feelings?)
• How do you feel about leaving your home at Christmas? (What can we do to get through those feelings?) - Note: This one is for us and our situation, feel free to talk about what it would feel like if you are not currently leaving your home. :)

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16 Days til Christmas (December 9th)

     What do you mean there are no rooms? - Read Luke 2:6-7

• Mary knew this baby was the long awaited Messiah we talked about at the beginning of December, and she would have known the prophecies about the Messiah being born in Bethlehem. She could have anticipated a trip, but what expectations do you think she might have had for giving birth to Jesus, the savior and king, in Bethlehem? 
• What are some of your expectations about what God is doing in our lives right now? (Talk about how His plan may be different than our expectation and how we can respond to that)

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15 Days til Christmas (December 10th)

     The Savior is Born - Read Luke 2:8-14

• This is what we celebrate at Christmas! The Messiah was born. The celebration started that very same night when the Angels appeared to the shepherds exclaiming God had fulfilled his promise to send a Messiah, A Savior! What things does your family do to celebrate Christmas each year? (Talk about some of your favorite Christmas activities. If they relate to Jesus's birth, talk through that and explain why you do those things as a family.)

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14 Days til Christmas (December 11th)

     Taking it to heart - Read Luke 2:15-20

• Verse 18 says "All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished". Why were they astonished? (Everything happened just as the angels told them it would.)
• Verse 19 says "but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often." Why do you think Mary's response was different? (Talk about how she already knew Jesus was the Messiah and how she must have remembered it often as a reminder that God did what He said he was going to do.)
• What are some times we have seen God do what He said he was going to do? And how have we used those as reminders during more difficult times?

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13 Days til Christmas (December 12th)

     Right where you need to be - Read Luke 2:25-32

• Who was Simeon and why was he at the Temple the same day as Mary and Joseph? (Talk about listening to God and doing what He says. It's when we are obedient, even in the little things that God puts us right where we need to be.)

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12 Days til Christmas (December 13th)

     Hard News to Hear - Read Luke 2:33-35

• What did Simeon mean when he said "A sword will pierce your very soul"? (Talk about what is to happen to Jesus on the cross, and how that might make Mary feel. You can also talk about the expectations that many had for the Messiah to be a king who lead the people physically, instead of dying on the cross)
• Why do you think Simeon would say that to Mary? (You can talk about how Jesus, as an adult tried to tell his disciples about it too, to prepare them for the hurt they were going to experience. God always prepares our hearts when he knows there are hard times coming for us. Share any stories you may have of how God has done that in your life.)

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11 Days til Christmas (December 14th)

     Visitors from the East - Read Matthew 2:1-11

• Why did these men follow the star to find Jesus? 
• What did they bring to him?
• How far would you go to bring gifts to someone? Would you go out of your way to be generous to others? 
• What's something you can do for someone this Christmas that might be unexpected, but would help them celebrate Christmas better?

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10 Days til Christmas (December 15th)

     God's Protection - Read Matthew 2:12-14

• What did God do to protect Jesus from Herod?
• What part did Mary and Joseph play in this plan? (Talk about how God works to protect us, how obedience is an important part of that plan...what if Mary and Joseph had not been obedient. Share with your children how you listen to God and do what He says so they can be safe and experience the Life that God has for them.)

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9 Days til Christmas (December 16th)

     Even the Best of Moms - Read Luke 2:41-48

• Mary was picked to be the mother of Jesus and even she wasn't perfect. We do the best job we can do to parent you, but we are not perfect either. We have made mistakes and will make more. What can we each do when mom and dad make a mistake? (Talk through what some examples may be of a parent making a mistake, maybe it's losing our temper. Walk through taking responsibility and asking for forgiveness, and how we all want to act that way towards each other, but we as parents want to set the example in that. This might be a good opportunity to ask for forgiveness if there are any current mistakes that have not been addressed. Keep it positive, but use this time to talk through how to love each other well, even through mistakes.)

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8 Days til Christmas (December 17th)

     A Mother's Heart - Read Luke 2:51-52

• This is the most information we are given about Mary as a mother from the time Jesus was a boy to the time he was a grown man. Why do you think it was important for her to "store all these things in her heart"?
• Why do you think we take so many pictures of you? (We want to remember every moment we can, just like Jesus grew up, you also grow up, and moms and dads just want to remember as many of the precious moments of your life as possible. I assure you if Mary had a camera in her pocket everywhere she went, she would have taken lots of pictures too!)

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7 Days til Christmas (December 18th)

     Every Parent's Prayer - Read Luke 2:39-40

• Do you know this is what we want for you? (Talk to your child about your hopes for their future, no matter what they do when they grow up, we hope for these things that are described of Jesus' growing up will also be true for them. I pray each of my kids grow up healthy and strong and that God fills them with wisdom and that His favor is on them.)

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6 Days til Christmas (December 19th)

     Jesus' First Miracle - Read John 2:1-11

• What made Jesus decide to do this miracle? (He was honoring his mother.)
• Ephesians 6:1-3 tells us to honor our Father and Mother. What does it look like for you to honor your father and mother? 

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5 Days til Christmas (December 20th)

     A Proud Mom - Read John 21:25

• Mary must have been very proud of all the things that Jesus did. How many miracles can you think of that Jesus performed? (If time allows, take the time to look up and read in the Bible each miracle recited...feel free to use google if you don't know the scripture reference)

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4 Days til Christmas (December 21st)

     A Different Plan for the King -Read John 19:14-24

• What did Mary and the disciples expect Jesus' Kingdom to look like? 
• What do you think they felt when Jesus was sentenced to die on the cross?

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3 Days til Christmas (December 22nd)

     Concerned For Mom - Read John 19:25-27

• Mary must have been devastated to watch Jesus be put on the cross. Do you remember what Simeon said to her when Jesus was a baby? (Luke 2:35 - "A sword will pierce your very soul" Talk through how this is what God was preparing her for because He knew all along this is what would happen.)
• How loving was Jesus to make sure his mother was taken care of even while he was dying? (God was loving in trying to prepare her heart many years before and Jesus was loving to make sure she was taken care of...this is how God and Jesus still treat us today.) 

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2 Days til Christmas (December 23rd)

     He's Alive!!! - Read Luke 24:1-9

• Does Jesus' story end with him in the tomb?
• Why does it make Christmas even more special to read all the way through to this part of his story, and not just his birth? 

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1 Day til Christmas (December 24th)

     There's Always Hope - Read Hebrews 6:18-19a

• Do you think Mary had hope when she saw Jesus raised from the dead?
• We can have hope too! Because God raised Jesus from the dead, we know that God keeps his promises and we can go to him for help when we are in trouble. 

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Merry Christmas (December 25th)

     The Greatest Gift of All - Read John 3:16

• Why do we give gifts at Christmas? (To celebrate Jesus' Birthday) 
• Did you know that his birth was actually the greatest gift of all time? 
• Do you know that the best gift you can give to God at Christmas is you? (If you choose, you can talk through the gospel with your child, and share what it means to have a relationship with Jesus that results in eternal life. There are lots of great tools online for sharing the gospel with kids, but here is one I liked. http://centrikid.com/2013/02/04/gospel-with-kids-poster/ Or if your children already have a relationship with the Lord, you can talk about what it looks like to continually give yourself to God, following him daily).

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Thanks so much for joining our family on this Countdown To Christmas Through the Eyes of Mary! We hope this brings many great Jesus focused conversations as you prepare your family to celebrate together. We wish you a Very Merry Christmas!!!