Nicholas of Myra was always willing to advocate for those in need. Watch how he took a step of faith to help his people, and how God came through in a big way!

Please use the discussion questions below for families/children’s ministries or small groups. Check back each week for the newest video.

Families and Children’s Ministries:

Object Lesson: Have a large stocking available a loaf of uncut bread in it. Purchase some Rhodes Bread dough. This typically comes 4 loaves to a package.

Prepare each loaf to a different stage. Help kids understand the miracle of yeast! Help kids think of some of their favorite holiday treats made from dough. Let the kids take turns feeling the dough. then begin to work through the questions below.

For those with more time use a yeast experiment found below:

http://onetimethrough.com/yummy-yeast-experiments-for-kids/

https://sciencebob.com/blow-up-a-balloon-with-yeast/

http://lemonlimeadventures.com/classic-yeast-science-experiment/

Take Home: Each child should receive a ‘skinny stocking’ to take home with them. Adults will receive one too.

Have you ever been very hungry but you couldn’t eat right away? How did you
feel? Were you Happy? Sad? Mad? Frustrated? How you think you would feel if you went a whole day without food? What about 2 days? Ask them how long they think a person can live without food? (Some scientists suggest up to 2 months according to livestrong.com) That time is cut to between 8-21 days if you do not have water.

In today’s story we learn how Nick saved a village by providing them with 2 years supply of food and how God takes care of people who give generously.

Watch the week 3 video.

1. Last week we learned Santa didn’t start off giving people toys. What did he give
   the first week’s story? (3 bags of gold) Why? (To help a family in desperate need.) What did Santa do in last week’s story to help people in need? (He rescued 3 sailors from death.) What did Santa do in this week’s story to help people in need?” (Gave his village grain.)
2. What do you think people did with the grain? (made bread and other food)
3. Have a child unpack the stocking. Have a loaf of bread dough wrapped in cellophane.
4. Ask who knows what this is? What kinds of things can be made from dough? Ask
   kids how big of a loaf of bread they think that dough could become. Ask them how many people they think they could feed with just that little bit of bread dough? Show the loaves in their various stages? Finally show them a finished loaf. Ask if they think it would feed more people now or before? In the story, Santa fed an entire village for 2 years and kept them from starving.
5. Read or listen to John 6:2-13
6. Ask them how many people could five loaves and 2 fish could feed? (FYI, the type of fish Jesus had here were similar to a sardine. How did Jesus feed so many with such a little amount? In verse 11 it says Jesus gave thanks to God and then gave the food to the entire crowd. How important is it to you to thank God for all he gives you? What things are you thankful for?
7. Where did the fish and loaves come from? (one little boy’s lunch) That day a
   lunch designed to feed one person, fed more than 5,000 because Jesus blessed the gift. Someone sacrificed their entire lunch and over 5,000 feasted. When we trust God with what we have, He can bless it and do so much more than we can imagine.
8. Both Nick and Jesus met the needs of hungry people. Part of the SKINNYSANTA
   challenge is to ‘go skinny’ on gifts for each other so that we can help out a child who is in need. How can you ‘go skinny’ on gifts for each other? How can you ask your parents or grandparents to ‘go skinny’ on gifts for you? Is there a small gift you could share with someone that Jesus could turn into a huge blessing for that person?
9. Review your giving opportunities with kids. Update them on your progress.
   Ask them if their families have decided to do anything for another family. Ask them how they feel about sharing their Christmas presents with someone else.
10. Another part of the SKINNYSANTA challenge is to Share Skinny, meaning we
    share the story of SKINNYSANTA with our friends and family. Who can you invite this week to come and hear about SKINNYSANTA at church next Sunday?

 

Small Groups: 

1. Have you ever had a time where someone “went to bat” for you in a way that was life-altering? Maybe it was a parent, coach, teacher, coworker, etc. Share how this experience shaped you.
2. Can you imagine what it is like to go through a famine where there is no food to eat and there are no stores to buy food? What emotions do you feel or what thoughts go through your mind at the very mention of the idea?
3. Watch Week 3 Video
4. In the Bible, most miracles are proceeded by some type of an act of faith. What was the step of faith that Nicholas took? What was the step of faith that he called the sailors to take?
5. Read Mark 6:30-44
6. In the passage, Jesus had just learned of the murder of John the Baptist, and the disciples had just returned from their first ministry away from Jesus and were tired. Yet it was in this moment that they were confronted with a great need. How do you feel when you are confronted with a situation like this and are tired or have just gone through a difficult moment?
7. It says that Jesus and the disciples were headed out to get some rest. In the Bible the concept of rest is very important. Yet in this instance, they were called out of their rest to serve. In our culture we have very busy schedules, and both spiritual rest and ministry service are often neglected. How can we reprioritize to make sure we are not neglecting either need?
8. Reread Mark 6:35-38. The disciples had a lot of excuses, many of which were pretty legitimate, as to why they could not feed the people in need. How do some of their excuses mirror ours today?
9. Jesus called them to take a step of faith to minister to the people that day. It was a step of faith that stretched their belief in a great way. What kind of step of faith do you have standing between you and people who are in need?
10. Review the SKINNYSANTA Challenge: Share Skinny (share the story of Skinny Santa), Go Skinny (go skinny on gifts for each other so that you can help a child in need), and Live Skinny (choose to live skinny in time/resources so that you can permanently help a child in need through mentoring, child sponsorship, foster care, or adoption). What has God been laying on your heart through this series? How can we come around you and support you?
11. These challenges have been great for now, but what do they look like in January and February? In other words, how do we make sure that this isn’t just something we do for a month and then go back to normal? How can we use this focus to be a new normal in our lives?