CHRISTMAS IDEA-RAMA

We had our small group Christmas Party last night. We played way too many games and had too much fun and ran out of time to do our "bible study portion" which we planned to spend 20 minutes on.  I'm lame, but it was fun.  In case you want some last minute ideas.  Here you go:

We had dinner together and played:

• a christmas pictionary game
• a snowflake building contest
• a christmas coloring sheet contest
• a team build your own gingerbread house contest with graham crackers/frosting
• and some christmas mad libs .  

If you click the links I gave you or just google any of that stuff, you'll get some fun ideas and explanations of how it works.

After all of that, we read Luke 2:1-20 as small groups and then I asked just one question.  But I had 5 planned.  Tonight at our dinner table and today in my one-on-one with Tyler before school over breakfast, I used some of these study questions... which have proved to be fun discussion starters on Christmas. So feel free to rip them if you can use them with your own youth group or even family.  2 just for for fun and three a little more serious.

• Assuming God could not use an angel to tell Mary she is pregnant with God's son, come up with another crazy way for her to find out.
•  If you could be a superhero angel, what would your wings be made of and what would your super power be?   Oh… and what would be your first pronouncement to the people of the earth? 
• This story says that the shepherds were amazed. What has been the most amazing thing you’ve experienced in your faith to date?
• What do you think Mary treasured and pondered in her heart?  What do you think she was feeling and doing and trying to soak in at this point?  What do you feel this time of year?
• Think about the phrase, “peace on earth to those on whom God’s favor rests”.  What do you think it means?  What does it say about peace and what determines whom God favors?  How do you know?