SCRIPTURE
Genesis 12:1-3
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 22:15-18
And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
SONG
Good King Wenceslas
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath’ring winter fuel“Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know’st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?”
“Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes’ fountain.”“Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither.”
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind’s wild lament
And the bitter weather“Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer.”
“Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly.”In his master’s steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing
ACTIVITY
God blessed all the families of the earth through Abraham by sending Jesus to Earth. We can bless others in Jesus’ name, too. Talk about how you can bless others in the next coming days. Make a plan to do one of the following:
- buy items to go into blessing bags that you can hand out to the homeless you meet. Include things like bottled water, non-perishable ready-to-eat snacks, toothbrush and toothpaste, soap, etc. Type up an encouraging note that you can put into each bag, and include any information about your church’s outreach ministries that might be useful to them (like food pantries, clothes closets, etc).
- help out a family you know that’s in need, either financially or emotionally (even if it’s just providing a meal, or sending encouraging cards)
- volunteer at a shelter or soup kitchen
- bake Christmas goodies for a neighbor (or more than one neighbor, if you want), attaching a Christmas card about Christ’s love (Yesterday’s Tired Mom Hack #2 should provide for the baked goodies for this option!)
Or something else that you can think of that would be a blessing to those around you. Make the list together of the steps you need to do to accomplish the task, and have the kids join in the responsibilities.
