Prepare for Christmas: Why We Celebrate

The season of Advent—the four weeks leading up to Christmas—is a time to pause amidst the flurry of holiday activity and remember why we celebrate the birth of Christ.

Use this tool every week during Advent as a family—or individually— to focus your attention on what Christmas means.

First Week: A Child Will Be Born to Us

Read Isaiah 9:2–6

1. What do you think it means to “walk in darkness?”
2. What is the significance of the names given to the child who was to be born?

Song of Celebration: Away in a Manger

Second Week: The Birth of Christ

Read Matthew 1:18–25

1. How did the birth of Jesus Christ change the course of history?
2. How did the birth of Jesus Christ change your life?

Song of Celebration: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Third Week: The Shepherds and the Angels

Read Luke 2:8–20

1. How is being amazed different from being afraid (and why did that matter to the shepherds)?

2. What amazes you most about the whole Christmas story?

Song of Celebration: O Come, All Ye Faithful

Fourth Week: The Visit of the Magi Read

Read Matthew 2:1–12

1. How did Herod and the Magi’s motives differ in seeking Jesus?

2. Herod feared the authority of this new king. Are there areas where you are apprehensive about the authority of Jesus?

Song of Celebration: We Three Kings

Used with permission from NavPress. Material taken from Christ in Christmas, published 1989.