Christmas Family Home Evening Idea: Our Gift to Jesus

Here is a little Family Home Evening idea that could be really fun and meaningful!

1-  Set out your nativity and explain that the wisemen brought 3 gifts to the baby Jesus.  Ask your family if they know what those 3 gifts were.  Tell them that they are somewhere in Matthew 1-3.

2-  Find some pictures of these 3 gifts.  Display those pictures and explain that these weren’t just random gifts.  Their gifts showed that they knew who this baby was and they were giving him gifts that proved that.

3-  Show the GOLD.  This is a gift that you give to your king, and your ruler.  So they were showing that they knew that this baby was THE King, the Lord, their ruler.

4-  Show the FRANKINCENSE.  Incense was used in the tabernacle as the Priests would pray.  It was symbolic because as they burned the incense the smoke would rise upward and sumbolize thier prayers reaching heaven.  So incense is a gift you would give to a God and the wisemen were showing that this baby was a God.

5-  Then show the MYRRH.  Myrrh is something traditionally used to embalm someone’s body when they die.  So the wisemen were recognizing the signifigance of this baby’s future Atonement and sacrifiice.

6-  Review with your family what the wise men were showing with their gifts (that this baby was their KING and a GOD and that his DEATH was of great significance) = this baby really was the Messiah they were all waiting for.

7-  Tell your family that they are now going to have a chance to bring a gift to the baby Jesus.  Give everyone an empty sack and tell them that they have 10 minutes to go and find something that shows the significance of Jesus in their lives and who he is to them.  Tell them to put that thing in their sack so no one else can know.

8-  After everyone returns, go around and take turns adding your item to the nativity and explaining why you chose that.

9-  Keep your items with your nativity throughout the rest of Christmas.  Make sure and take a picture of your nativity with everyone’s items.