Week 4

Did you know Santa’s second most famous story involved him smacking a guy? Or did it? Watch below to see how Santa used his hands for good!

Family and Children’s Questions: 

Visuals: If possible have a pair of boxing gloves and some pencils or ink pens. As a response to the lessons, have the kids write and draw either thank you cards for someone who has shown them Jesus or a Christmas card to someone who they want to share Jesus with.

  • Have you ever written a letter to Santa before or had a parent write one for you? What is it you say when you write to Santa?
  • Often, we write or make our ‘wish lists’ to Santa. But what if Santa were to write a letter to you? But instead of asking you for something, what if he wrote on that letter what he wanted you to have instead? What do you think would be on Santa’s wish list for you?
  • So far we have looked at 3 stories of Santa before he got to the North Pole. Do you remember what his name was before he got to the North Pole? What has been your favorite story so far?

At this point, you can recap the stories with the kids. Here are the basics of the 3 previous stories.

  • Secret Santa: Visual was a bag of coins. He threw 3 bags of coins in the window of children in need to keep them from starving. The takeaway was that we too can give life changing gifts.
  • Sprinting Santa: Visual was a pair of running shoes (or a superhero figure). We talked about how Santa’s superhero power was his faith. We also discussed how we need to put our faith into action by putting on our running shoes and sprinting to those who are in need.
  • Serving Santa: Visual was bread or seeds. We talked about how Santa’s region was in great need, as they were in a famine and had no grain. Santa pleaded with the sailors who came to port to leave some seed behind for them and they did, but God miraculously provided so that no seed was gone from the sailors either. The takeaway was that God calls us to take a step of faith so that other people can have what they need.

In this week’s stocking, we have a couple of things that are going to show up in the story this week. (Have the kids open the stocking that includes ink pens and boxing gloves).

But this story we will hear today about Nick is a bit crazy. One of the old rumors has St. Nick using his fists, but the true story has him using his hands for good. Let’s watch the video and see what happens.

Play Week 4 Video:

  • Have you ever been so mad at someone that you wanted to hit them, or maybe you have? Did anything good come out of using your anger in that way?
  • In the same way, the legend was that Santa got angry with someone who was teaching things about God that weren’t true. But what we found out was that Santa didn’t use his fists for harm, but that he used his hands for good. How did Santa use his hands to bring about good?
  • In the book of Matthew, Jesus teaches us that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who hurt us. (Matthew 5:43-44) How is it that we can love our enemies when we are at school or in our neighborhoods?
  • The story about Santa ended with him talking about writing letters to the men so that they would ‘believe in the one true God.’ That is what Nick, or Santa, would have wanted for us as well. Let’s read these Bible verses about Jesus.

Read John 1:1-3, preferably from a simplified translation like the NIRV:

In the beginning, the Word was already there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were made through him. Nothing that has been made was made without him.

  • Here, the Bible is calling Jesus, “The Word.” What it is saying is that all of the stories from before in the Bible are finding their purpose in Jesus. It says that Jesus was with God and was the one who made everything in the beginning. But then at Christmas, we find out that Jesus became a little baby. Does it seem strange to you that God became a baby? Why do you thing God who made everything and could do anything he wanted would become a baby?

Read John 1:4-5, NIRV:

Life was in him, and that life was the light for all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness. But the darkness has not overcome the light.

  • It says that Jesus was the light for all people. In other places in the Bible it says that Jesus is the light of the world. What does it mean when we talk about the world being a dark place? How can we help people see that Jesus is the light?

Read John 1:14, NIRV:

The Word became a human being. He made his home with us.

  • Another way to say this is that Jesus “moved into the neighborhood” (from the Message). What would it be like having Jesus as your neighbor? What does that say for how much God loves us that he moved from heaven to here for us?
  • In the story we watched about Santa, we learned that he wants us to know the one true God, Jesus. In the Bible we read that God wanted us to know him so much that he became a human, starting with a little baby. During SKINNYSANTA, we have talked about how we can help other people know the one true God by sharing skinny (sharing the story of St. Nick and how he points us to Jesus), going skinny (going skinny on gifts for each other so you can help a child in need), and living skinny (on an ongoing basis so you can permanently help a child in need). What have you been doing to take the SKINNYSANTA challenge? What do you want to do on an ongoing basis to help children in need?

Project: Distribute paper and colored pencils to the kids. Have them draw a card to someone thanking them for how they have shown them Jesus, or have them make a Christmas card for a friend that shares the story of Christmas with them. Have them take the card home and give the card to the person they made it for.

Small Group Questions: 

  • Of all of the SKINNYSANTA stories we’ve talked about so far, which one has been your favorite?

In the three previous stories we have talked about these three action points:

  • Secret Santa: Visual was a bag of coins. He threw 3 bags of coins in the window of children in need to keep them from starving. The takeaway was that we too can give life changing gifts.
  • Sprinting Santa: Visual was a pair of running shoes (or a superhero figure). We talked about how Santa’s superhero power was his faith. We also discussed how we need to put our faith into action by putting on our running shoes and sprinting to those who are in need.
  • Serving Santa: Visual was bread or seeds. We talked about how Santa’s region was in great need, as they were in a famine and had no grain. Santa pleaded with the sailors who came to port to leave some seed behind for them and they did, but God miraculously provided so that no seed was gone from the sailors either. The takeaway was that God calls us to take a step of faith so that other people can have what they need.
  • In today’s story about Nick, Smackdown Santa, we’re going to hear about his second most famous event, which happened at a very important conference known as the Council of Nicea, back in 325 AD. A result of that Council was that many of our beliefs about Jesus and Christianity were put forth in the form of a creed, known as the Nicene Creed. Did any of you have to memorize the Nicene Creed growing up? Can any of you still recite the Nicene Creed? (You may want to have some candy or something to give as a prize to anyone who can recite it).
  • One version of this story has Santa loosing his cool and smacking someone across the face. Have you ever heard this story before? When was the last time you lost your cool and did or said something that really hurt you later?

Watch Week 4 Video

  • The debate that started this whole encounter with Santa was about the nature of Christ. The orthodox view that Jesus was uncreated—he was always with God and was always God himself—was being questioned by stating that Jesus was created by God at some point. Read the following scripture from John 1 about the nature of Jesus:

Read John 1:1-5:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

  • In Matthew and Luke’s Christmas accounts, they start with stories of the conception of Jesus and the virgin birth, but show through genealogies that Jesus is really the promise of all of the Bible. John however, goes back all the way to before the world was even created to show us that Jesus is indeed God himself. How does that belief help us to view Christmas in a different light, that this isn’t just a special baby, but that this is God himself stepping into our story?

Read the following from the intro to “The Jesus Storybook Bible” by Sally Lloyd-Jones. (This is a great resource for parents of elementary aged students; it has also been printed in a format for adults, as it is such a great way to share the story of the Bible. Feel free to encourage people to obtain this resource).

Alternative: you can also watch the video on YouTube.

“No, the Bible isn’t a list of rules, or a book of heroes.  The Bible is most of all a Story.  It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure.  It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne–everything–to rescue the one he loves.  It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

You see, the best thing about this Story is–it’s true.

There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story.  The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story.  And at the center of the Story, there is a baby.  Every Story in the Bible whispers his name.  He is like the missing piece in a puzzle–the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.”

  • Have you ever had a tendency to read the Bible as simply a book of rules or a collection of heroes and their stories? How does seeing Jesus as the center of the whole Bible change the way we should understand the Bible?

Read John 1:14, NIV:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

  • When John talks about Jesus making his dwelling among us, he is using the word that means ‘tabernacle’ or ‘temple’. Literally it can be read, “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” In the Old Testament, the Tabernacle (through David) and the Temple (after David) were places where God dwelled. What does it mean for us to know that God has gone from dwelling in a building and is choosing to dwell in a person instead?
  • The Message simply translates this as “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” What do you think it would look like for Jesus to actually move into your neighborhood? What are the areas of darkness where you think he would want to bring light?
  • Over the course of SKINNYSANTA, we have encouraged you to take 3 challenges: Share the story of Skinny Santa and use it as a way to share the story of Jesus and invite your friends to church; to Go Skinny on gifts for each other so that you can help a child in need; and to Live Skinny on an ongoing basis so that you can permanently help a child in need by mentoring a child, child sponsorship, or even through adoption or foster care. Which of these jumps out to you as something that God has in some way laid on your heart? What kind of steps can you take forward to start to make this a reality?