Week 1 | the song of the speechless
zechariah

additional wondering questions

• I wonder how Zechariah was feeling as we went into the temple to burn incense – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
• I wonder why Zechariah felt afraid when he saw the angel Gabriel.
• I wonder why Zechariah struggled to believe God’s promise.
• I wonder what Zechariah thought about and experienced during his nine months of silence.
• I wonder what it was like for Elizabeth and her husband, after their long sorrow, to know the joy of a baby in their arms.
• I wonder what it had been like for Elizabeth to be childless all these years, even though she wanted children.
• I wonder what it felt like for Elizabeth to have her reproach taken away.
• I wonder if Zechariah could have helped singing, or if it flowed out of him like water out of an open dam.
• I wonder which of God’s promises you have struggled to believe.
• I wonder which of God’s promises you have seen fulfilled/kept in your life.
• I wonder how you have seen Jesus be the “yes” and “amen” to all God’s promises in your life.
• I wonder how you have seen and felt the tender mercies of Zechariah’s God in your own life.
• I wonder where, in your life, you are still waiting for the sunrise to visit you from on high.

Sermon & child-friendly retelling

Here is a church service centered around Zechariah’s song.
A child-friendly retelling of Zechariah’s story starts at 27:39.*
The sermon starts at 39:07.
*The version of Zechariah’s song used in the story is taken from the song “Zechariah” by Rain for Roots, below.

Zechariah | Rain for roots song

Check out this fun song that tells Zechariah’s story!

Zechariah’s Song | ordinary time song

Here’s a modern setting of Zechariah’s song!

Week 2 | the song of the Thankful
Mary

Stoy telling activities

• Use dolls, puppets, or figurines (or make your own -see the instructions below!) to act out the stories of Mary, the angel, and Elizabeth. The NIrV is a great version to read with kids.
• Use art supplies to illustrate the different portions of Mary’s song!

Sermon & child-friendly retelling

Here is a church service centered around Mary’s song.
A child-friendly retelling of Mary’s story starts at 26:53.
The sermon starts at 37:23.

Magnificat | Rain for roots song

Here is a simple version of the Magnificat that’s wonderful to sing with children.

other songs based on this story

There are many many songs based on the story of the Angels coming to tell the Shepherds God’s good news. Here are just a few:

• Angels From the Realms of Glory
• Angels We Have Heard on High
• Go, Tell it on the Mountain
• Handel’s Messiah, 14a-17
• Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
• How Great Our Joy!
• Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
• It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
• O Come, All Ye Faithful
• O Little Town of Bethlehem
• Shepherds and Angels (Josh Lin)
• Shepherds, Angels, and Kings (arr. Russell Mauldin)
• Silent Night
• The Birthday of a King
• The First Noel
• Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne
• What Child Is This?
• While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks (Andrew Peterson)

Sermon

Here is a church service centered around the Shepherds’ and Angels’ song.
The sermon starts at 30:30.

Shepherd dad | slugs and bugs song

Here’s a fun song for kids that tells an imaginative perspective of the Shepherds’ and Angels’ story. The chorus is simple and easy to sing along.

Stoy telling activities

Use these four steps to walk through and process Simeon’s story:

• Let’s Listen!
  Read Luke 2:22-35
• Let’s Imagine!
  Imagine you were Mary or Joseph taking your baby son to the temple. What would it have been like to meet Simeon and Anna and hear their words? Imagine you were Simeon or Anna, seeing baby Jesus after so many years of waiting! What do you think that waiting felt like? Can you imagine what it would have been like to see your hope fulfilled?!
• Let’s Talk!
  Discuss together: What is God saying in this story? What are the main things that happen?
  What is God saying to you through this story? How is the Holy Spirit speaking in your heart?
  What would you like to tell God now that you’ve heard and thought about this story?
• Let’s Create!
  Take some time to create something in response to the story.
  You could use art materials to create a picture.
  You could retell the story using dolls, or build the temple using Legos.
  You could write a response, a prayer, a poem, or a story of your own.

Sermon & child-friendly retelling

Here is a church service centered around Simeon’s song.
A child-friendly retelling of Simeon and Anna’s stories starts at 27:20.
The sermon starts at 36:03.

Simeon’s Song | Porter’s Gate song

Here is a modern version of Simeon’s song, with a repeated refrain.