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Grateful: a 4-Week Teaching Series for Youth Ministry TOPIC: Christmas SCRIPTURE: Gospels DECORATING THEME: Christmas Presents AGE GROUP: Students (Get the Elementary version here !) Our favorite Christmas memories might involve snowball fights, presents, or time with people we love. The end of the year is a great chance for us to reflect on everything that's happened and everyone around us. When we really think about it, there's so much we can be thankful for each and every year-even if things didn't work exactly how we planned. God has given us so much, and the birth of Jesus is a great way to focus on all the gifts we've received this year. Retelling these classic Christmas stories will teach us about gratitude and thankfulness during this four-week series. As students hear about the prophecies and stories of Jesus' birth, they'll be reminded to be thankful for each other, what God has done, and God's promises, and to be thankful even when it's not easy . BIG IDEAS & BIBLE STORIES Be thankful for each other. (A psalm for giving grateful praise: Psalm 100, Ephesians 1:15-16, John 13:34) Be thankful for all God has done. (A psalm to restore us: Psalm 80:1-3, Luke 1:26-38, 46-55, Colossians 4:2) Be thankful for God's promises. (Comfort for God's people: Isaiah 40:1-8, Luke 1:39-45, 2 Corinthians 5:17) Be thankful even when it's not easy. (Joseph accepts Jesus as his son: Matthew 1:18-25, 2:9-15, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, Psalm 46:1-3) WEEKLY CURRICULUM SUMMARIES: This week, we'll learn from a psalm how to be grateful for what we've received and hear Paul's thoughts on showing gratitude for the people around us. The holidays can bring out the best and worst in our relationships, but they're also a great time to look around and really see the people we often overlook. Scripture invites us to slow down, remember what we've received, and express love for those around us. Whether it's family, friends, or a community, this season is a chance to be thankful for each other. This week, we'll discover the way Mary was grateful in response to the news of her unexpected pregnancy. When Mary found out she'd be the mother of Jesus, her life changed forever. Instead of fear, she responded with gratitude, worship, and trust in what God was doing. Her response reminds us to look back on our own year with wonder, even if it didn't all go according to plan, and be thankful for all God has done. This week, we'll learn about John the Baptist's role in fulfilling God's promises and see Mary and Elizabeth bond over their babies. God had been promising a Savior for generations, and when John the Baptist arrived, he helped prepare people's hearts for Jesus' arrival. As Mary and Elizabeth celebrated their unexpected pregnancies, they were celebrating the beginning of God's promises coming true. In a season full of preparing and celebrating, God's promises are still unfolding. What a gift to be thankful for God's promises! This week, we'll hear the birth of Jesus and how difficult his early years were while Paul reminds us to be grateful in every circumstance. Jesus was born into anything but an easy situation. His earliest days were filled with uncertainty, risk, and struggle. And yet, through it all, God's plan moved forward. Paul reminds us to hold on to gratitude, even when it's hard, because joy doesn't depend on everything going right. That's why this Christmas, we can be thankful even when it's not easy. MEMORY VERSE: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

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