INT RODUCTION

One of the greatest joys of Christmas each year is how it draws our hearts and minds to the
reality that the Gospel is a story of family: God, our Father, sent His perfect Son, Jesus, in or-
der to rescue His sons and daughters and bring them home forever. That’s why, in the midst
of all the decorations and presents and food and nostalgia and favorite music, our favorite
parts of Christmas are always the special moments shared with family. It’s like we’re not
really “getting” Christmas — the ultimate story of being part of God’s Family — unless we’re
enjoying its wonder in the presence of our earthly family.

The team at Moments with Jesus wanted to give you a gift this Christmas: a way to cel-
ebrate Jesus’ birth each and every day of this Advent. Starting on this year’s first Sunday
(November 28th), we’ve got a little imaginative “glimpse” for your family to read, ponder
and discuss around the dinner table. Then, each weekday, there are scripture and thoughts
and questions that we hope will help prepare your heart and mind for the glory of Christ-
mas itself.

Thank you for being part of Moments with Jesus and, more importantly, part of the glorious
Family of God because of the birth of the Christ-child.

Your friends,

Eugene, Bill, Kevin & Kristin

 WE E K ON E

— Sunday, November 28

Seven Hundred Years before Christmas

Imagine a man taking a walk through a beautiful garden, in the early morning, looking at all
the flowers and trees and bushes and tall wildgrasses. This man, Isaiah, is praying: talking
with God. He has been asking God if there’s anything more He’d like him to share with his
people, Israel; if He’d like him to say something new, something different.

Suddenly, Isaiah is seeing a distant vision…

He is seeing a Baby Boy, all wrapped up in rough cloths…

He is seeing that Boy grow up to be a Mighty Man…

He is seeing that that Mighty Man is actually God Himself: that, someday, God will walk
these hills, smell these smells: live among us!

Later that day, Isaiah will write this: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the
government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end…

— Monday, November 29

Jesus came to bring the New Covenant

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with
the people of Israel and with the people of Judah… This is the covenant I will make
with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in
their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my peo-
ple. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares
the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Jeremiah 31:31, 33-34, NIV

PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that you chose to come and make a new agreement with us;
that we are your children; that you’ve made us new and have forgotten all about
our sins. We love you!
— Tuesday, November 30

Jesus was born to be “God with us”

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give
birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (which means God with us.)

Isaiah 7:14, NIV

PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that you chose to become a person and to have a mother, just
like us. We’re so thankful that you came to this world to always be with us!

— Wednesday, December 1

Jesus was prophesied to be born in the City of David

But you, Bethlehem, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will
come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from
ancient times.

Micah 5:2, NIV

PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that you humbled yourself and “showed up” in the least-seem-
ing place. We want to follow you with the same sort of humble spirit!

— Thursday, December 2

Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit and came to set us free
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to pro-
claim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the
year of the Lord’s favor…

Isaiah 61:1-2a, NIV

PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that you came with the power of the Holy Spirit; that you came
to set us free and to show us the love and favor of God. We want to be set free by
your powerful love!
— Friday, December 3

Jesus was born to give His life for us

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by
God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was
crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by
his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to
our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:4-6, NIV

PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that your birth at Christmas would eventually lead to your Cross:
that you came to this world to save us and to give us your life. We are so thankful
for our salvation and our freedom from sin!

— Saturday, December 4

Jesus was born for us, died for us & rose for us
I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, be-
cause you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful
one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your
presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 16:8-11, NIV

PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that you were born at Christmas, died for us on the Cross, and
came back to life so that we’re never ever alone. Our hearts are glad, our tongues
rejoice, because we know you’re alive!
 WE E K T WO

— Sunday, December 5

Nine months before Christmas

Imagine a young woman sweeping the floor of her family’s home. She crisscrosses the
room, back and forth, back and forth, sweeping up little rows of dust and dirt toward the far
wall. As she sweeps her way across the room, she is thinking her thoughts. She hums a little
tune under her breath, enjoying its melody. The sunlight coming in through the half-closed
shutters is pleasant and warm. When she’s finished sweeping, perhaps she’ll go for a walk in
the hills.

Suddenly, the room’s light seems to dim…

It’s stronger than if a cloud was passing overhead…

As she turns to see why everything is dimming, her eyes are brilliantly lit with the light of a
glowing figure who has just appeared in the room.

Mary lowers her eyes in fear…

— Monday, December 6

Mary was chosen to be the mother of the Christ-King

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a Galilean town, Nazareth by name, to a
young woman who was engaged to a man called Joseph. The girl’s name was Mary.
The angel entered her room and said, “Greetings to you, Mary. O favoured one!—the
Lord be with you!”

Mary was deeply perturbed at these words and wondered what such a greeting could
possibly mean. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; God loves you
dearly. You are going to be the mother of a son, and you will call him Jesus. He will be
great and will be known as the Son of the most high. The Lord God will give him the
throne of his forefather, David, and he will be king over the people of Jacob for ever.
His reign shall never end.”

Luke 1:26-33, PHILLIPS

QUESTION
What does it mean that Jesus’ “reign” will never end?
— Tuesday, December 7

Born of the Spirit, Jesus is the Son of God

Then Mary spoke to the angel, “How can this be,” she said, “I am not married!”

But the angel made this reply to her—“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power
of the most high will overshadow you. Your child will therefore be called holy—the Son
of God. Your cousin Elisabeth has also conceived a son, old as she is. Indeed, this is the
sixth month for her, a woman who was called barren. For no promise of God can fail
to be fulfilled.”

“I belong to the Lord, body and soul,” replied Mary, “let it happen as you say.” And
at this the angel left her.

Luke 1:34-38, PHILLIPS

QUESTION
What would you say or do if God asked something unexpected of you?

— Wednesday, December 8

Jesus is the arrival of the greatest of God’s Promises

With little delay Mary got ready and hurried off to the hillside town in Judea where
Zacharias and Elisabeth lived. She went into their house and greeted her cousin.
When Elisabeth heard her greeting, the unborn child stirred inside her and she herself
was filled with the Holy Spirit, and cried out, “Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is your child! What an honour it is to have the mother of my Lord come to see
me! Why, as soon as your greeting reached my ears, the child within me jumped for joy!
Oh, how happy is the woman who believes in God, for he does make his promises to her
come true.”

Luke 1:39-45, PHILLIPS

QUESTION
Have you ever felt like God made a promise to you?
— Thursday, December 9

Jesus means “Savior” and He is Immanuel: “God with us”

When Mary was engaged to Joseph, just before their marriage, she was discovered to
be pregnant—by the Holy Spirit. Whereupon Joseph, her future husband, who was a
good man and did not want to see her disgraced, planned to break off the engagement
quietly. But while he was turning the matter over in his mind an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take
Mary as your wife! What she has conceived is conceived through the Holy Spirit, and
she will give birth to a son, whom you will call Jesus (‘the Saviour’) for it is he who
will save his people from their sins.”

All this happened to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet—‘Behold, a
virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.’
(“Immanuel” means “God with us.”)

When Joseph woke up he did what the angel had told him.

Matthew 1:18b-24a, PHILLIPS

QUESTION: What does it mean that we can also call Jesus the name Immanuel:
“God with us”?

— Friday, December 10

Jesus shows us the heart of God for mankind

Mary said, “My heart is overflowing with praise of my Lord, my soul is full of joy in
God my Saviour. For he has deigned to notice me, his humble servant and, after this,
all the people who ever shall be will call me the happiest of women! The one who can do
all things has done great things for me—oh, holy is his Name! Truly, his mercy rests on
those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has
swept away the high and mighty. He has set kings down from their thrones and lifted
up the humble. He has satisfied the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away
with empty hands. Yes, he has helped Israel, his child: he has remembered the mercy
that he promised to our forefathers, to Abraham and his sons for evermore!”

Luke 1:46-55, PHILLIPS

QUESTION: Are you feeling the joy of Christmas in your heart, like Mary did? Why—
or why not?
— Saturday, December 11

To see Jesus is to see the face of God

Zacharias…filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking like a prophet, said, “Blessings
on the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has turned his face towards his people and
has set them free! And he has raised up for us a standard of salvation in his servant
David’s house! Long, long ago, through the words of his holy prophets, he promised to
do this for us, so that we should be safe from our enemies and secure from all who hate
us. So does he continue the mercy he showed to our forefathers. So does he remember the
holy agreement he made with them and the oath which he swore to our father Abra-
ham, to make us this gift: that we should be saved from the hands of our enemies, and
in his presence should serve him unafraid in holiness and righteousness all our lives.”

Luke 1:67-75, PHILLIPS

QUESTION
Why does it matter so much that Jesus was like “God turning his face towards his
people”? What do you think that means?
 W E E K THRE E

— Sunday, December 12

Many months before Christmas

Imagine a man passing through the doorway of a glorious kingly tent, drawing aside the
silky cloth; walking out into the night. In the light of the moon, dunes of sand stretch off into
the invisible distance; the silence of the desert surrounds him like an ocean around an is-
land. The man takes a deep breath in of the warm night air. He stretches his back. He and
his friends have been sitting inside the tent for a long time, talking.

Suddenly, something catches his eye…

He begins looking intently out toward the western sky…

Far off, and pulsing with the grandeur of a diamond centerstone in a royal crown, is a new
star that this astrologer, this sky-searcher, has never seen!

He runs inside the tent to bring the others back outside…

— Monday, December 13

The “Jesus star” was prophesied more than 1,000 years before Christmas
The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly, the
prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a
scepter will rise out of Israel.

Numbers 24:15-17a, NIV

PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that you are the bright star of Heaven in the sky of our hearts. We
want to shine for others with your love and joy!
— Tuesday, December 14

Jesus will be the great light of the Galilee

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he
humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor
Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—The people walking
in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light
has dawned.

Isaiah 9:1-2, NIV

PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that everywhere you go there’s always light. Please shine on us—
and through us—as we carry your name to all the nations!

— Wednesday, December 15

Jesus will be the Light of the World

This is what God the Lord says—the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it: “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will
take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the
people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from
prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord; that
is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the for-
mer things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I
announce them to you.”

Isaiah 42:5-9, NIV

PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that the Creator of all creation, the Breather of life, is also the
One who came to set us free. We want to see those “new things” you have for us
each day!
— Thursday, December 16

Jesus Himself will be the center of all worship

“Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the
covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

Malachi 3:1b, NIV

PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that you are the messenger of the New Covenant; that you are
the perfect answer to our heart’s desire. We want to know you better this Christ-
mas!

— Friday, December 17

Jesus will be the Way, the Truth, the Life

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then
will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth
in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and
reeds and papyrus will grow. And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of
Holiness…

Isaiah 35:5-8a, NIV

PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that you came to heal the blind and deaf, those who couldn’t
walk or speak, and that you fill our hearts with heavenly joy. We want to learn to
walk your Way!
— Saturday, December 18

Jesus is the hope of all nations

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of
the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules
over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to
the dust will kneel before him—those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will
serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his
righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!

Psalm 22:27-31, NIV

PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that your heart is for all people, everywhere, and that you’re us-
ing us to reach people in your name. We want everyone to know: You have done
it! It is finished!
 W E E K F OUR

— Sunday, December 19

Days before Christmas

Imagine a young nervous husband and a very, very pregnant young wife trying to get that
wife onto the back of a skittish donkey. The donkey’s back is fully laden with different sorts
of bags, blankets, cooking utensils; his every movement threatens to upset all this cou-
ple’s earthly goods. The husband lifts his wife, while she tries to balance herself atop their
things—atop the donkey: it would be funny if she didn’t look so uncomfortable!

Finally, they have her reasonably comfortably seated there…

They look back at her family’s home one last time…

They say a prayer together; the husband takes the donkey’s bridle in-hand; then they turn
for their journey toward the south…

“Here we go,” says Joseph, smiling back at Mary. “Unto Bethlehem.”

— Monday, December 20

Jesus was born for us, “humble and lowly”

At that time a proclamation was made by Caesar Augustus that all the inhabited
world should be registered. This was the first census, undertaken while Cyrenius was
governor of Syria and everybody went to the town of his birth to be registered. Jo-
seph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s town, Bethlehem, in
Judea, because he was a direct descendant of David, to be registered with his future
wife, Mary, now in the later stages of her pregnancy. So it happened that it was while
they were there in Bethlehem that she came to the end of her time. She gave birth to
her first child, a son. And as there was no place for them inside the inn, she wrapped
him up and laid him in a manger.

Luke 2:1-7, Phillips

QUESTION
Why do you think God would allow His Son to be born in such a small, humble
way?
— Tuesday, December 21

The birth of Jesus is “glorious news of great joy”

There were some shepherds living in the same part of the country, keeping guard
throughout the night over their flocks in the open fields. Suddenly an angel of the Lord
stood by their side, the splendour of the Lord blazed around them, and they were
terror-stricken. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen, I bring you
glorious news of great joy which is for all the people. This very day, in David’s town,
a Saviour has been born for you. He is Christ, the Lord. Let this prove it to you: you
will find a baby, wrapped up and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:8-12, PHILLIPS

QUESTION: Is anything making you feel afraid today? Do you want to spend some
time talking to God; letting Him know?

— Wednesday, December 22

The birth of Jesus was the birth of true peace

And in a flash there appeared with the angel a vast host of the armies of Heaven,
praising God, saying, “Glory to God in the highest Heaven! Peace upon earth among
men of goodwill!”

When the angels left them and went back into Heaven, the shepherds said to each oth-
er, “Now let us go straight to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made
known to us.”

So they came as fast as they could and they found Mary and Joseph—and the baby
lying in the manger. And when they had seen this sight, they told everybody what had
been said to them about the little child. And those who heard them were amazed at
what the shepherds said. But Mary treasured all these things and turned them over in
her mind. The shepherds went back to work, glorifying and praising God for every-
thing that they had heard and seen, which had happened just as they had been told.

Luke 2:13-20, Phillips

QUESTION: Have you ever told anyone about the joy of knowing Jesus?
— Thursday, December 23

Jesus is worthy of all of our worship

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in Judea, in the days when Herod was king of the
province. Not long after his birth there arrived from the east a party of astrologers
making for Jerusalem and enquiring as they went, “Where is the child born to be king
of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and we have come here to pay homage to
him.”…

And now the star, which they had seen in the east, went in front of them as they trav-
elled until at last it shone immediately above the place where the little child lay. The
sight of the star filled them with indescribable joy.

So they went into the house and saw the little child with his mother Mary. And they
fell on their knees and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and present-
ed him with gifts—gold, incense and myrrh.

Matthew 2:1-2 & 10-11, PHILLIPS

QUESTION: What about Jesus—and Christmas—is bringing you “indescribable joy”

today?

— Friday, December 24

The Night of Jesus’ Birth

Imagine lying on your back in the freshest, greenest grass. Overhead, the night sky spreads
from edge to edge of your view: millions of twinkling, sparkling stars dot the darkness of
a moonless night. You take a deep breath in, smelling all the smells of the grass and the
wildflowers and the earth and the herd of sheep asleep nearby. You are very nearly asleep
now yourself, hearing only the conversation of your friends, the fire crackling, the gust of a
breeze blowing by…

That’s when your view is suddenly lit up by a man!

But, Is he a man? you wonder to yourself.

He stands just beyond the campfire and now he’s blinding your eyes with light; he is looking
right in your direction – at you and your friends.

“Do not be afraid!” he says, in a booming, almost overwhelming voice. “Listen, I bring you
glorious news of great joy which is for all the people. This very day, in David’s town, a Sav-
ior has been born for you. He is Christ, the Lord. Let this prove it to you: you will find a baby,
wrapped up and lying in a manger.”
Your heart is racing in your chest, now. Your eyes are wide: you have never heard or seen
anything quite like this…

When suddenly, overhead, the sky – just a moment ago dark and dotted with a million stars
– is now invaded by the Army of Heaven! Shoulder to shoulder, it’s like they’re marching
from the Throneroom of Heaven – glowing with the fire of a thousand suns – and you press
into the earth, trying to avoid their advance.

But with joy they begin to trumpet and shout for all to hear – for you to hear: “Glory to God
in the highest Heaven! Peace on earth among men of good hearts!”

And then – just like that – with the thundering sound of their worship still ringing in your
ears…

…with the grass still bending under the blowing of their trumpets…

…they’re gone.

You look around. Your friends are all pressed down into the earth, frightened and amazed
like you, but everything else is darkness again. The millions of twinkling, sparkling stars are
back to dotting the darkness of the moonless night; the only sound is the fire’s popping and
crackling.

You stand up. Your heart continues to race. You say to your friends, “Let’s get going to Beth-
lehem and see this thing that the Lord has made known to us!”

And so away you go…

…journeying off over the darkened hills…

…crossing streams and meadows and walking beneath the spreading trees…

…until, stooping your head to get in through the opening of a hillside into the stable it holds,
you lock eyes with a young mother and father, inside. Your eyes take a moment to adjust to
the dim lamplight within…

And there He is. The most powerful person in all human history – the mighty General of that
Angel Army – who is laying, swaddled, on a bed of hay.

A baby.

In a manger.

He slightly turns His head and your eyes meet for a moment. You fall to your knees and you
worship this Christ, your Lord.

The invasion has begun.

Glory to God in the highest Heaven!

QUESTIONS
How do you think you would have felt if you had been one of the shepherds?

What do you think baby Jesus would have looked like?

Have you ever seen an angel? What do you think an army of Heaven would look
like?
— Saturday, December 25

Christmas is the beginning of our salvation-story

In Jerusalem was a man by the name of Simeon. He was an upright man, devoted to
the service of God, living in expectation of the “salvation of Israel.” His heart was
open to the Holy Spirit, and it had been revealed to him that he would not die before
he saw the Lord’s Christ. He had been led by the Spirit to go into the Temple, and
when Jesus’ parents brought the child in to have done to him what the Law required,
he took him up in his arms, blessed God, and said—“At last, Lord, you can dismiss
your servant in peace, as you promised! For with my own eyes I have seen your salva-
tion which you have made ready for every people—a light to show truth to the Gentiles
and bring glory to your people Israel.”

Luke 2:25-32, PHILLIPS

QUESTION
As you think of Jesus’ birth on Christmas, what does your heart want to say to
God?
 Get your copy of Moments with Jesus
wherever books are sold!

MOMENTS WITH JESUS

ENCOUNTER BIBLE
Bill Johnson, Eugene Luning
978-0768456103
$19.99
www.momentswithjesusproject.com

Let Jesus capture your child’s imagination!

If you are looking for a resource to help introduce your child to Jesus, look no further. The Moments
with Jesus Encounter Bible was designed to help kids encounter Him for themselves!

What makes the Moments with Jesus Encounter Bible different from other children’s Bibles?

While other children’s Bibles contain informative stories from the Old and New Testaments, the
Moments with Jesus Encounter Bible puts kids in the middle of the action of twenty essential stories
from the four Gospels. Through dynamic, first-hand storytelling, kids come face to face with the Liv-
ing Word Himself, getting a clear picture of who Jesus is, what He is like, and His love for them per-
sonally.

A powerful resource for every parent, grandparent, pastor or teacher, the Moments with Jesus En-
counter Bible…

• Introduces kids to the living Jesus who knows and loves them.
• Captures children’s imagination with 20 stories from the Gospels.
• Illustrates Jesus’ nature and character as revealed in Scripture.
• Cultivates a personal connection with Jesus Himself.
• Invites kids into a thrilling, life-long adventure with God.
• Empowers children to actively engage with Scripture.
• Offers insightful discussion questions to promote parent-child dialogue.
• Is the perfect Bible for children ages 4-12.

The Moments with Jesus Encounter Bible combines masterful storytelling with captivating artwork to
create an imaginative, biblical encounter like no other. Presented in a simple, beautiful format, the
Moments with Jesus Encounter Bible will help you shepherd your kids into a thriving, dynamic rela-
tionship with Jesus.

What are you waiting for? Start your adventure today!