VOLUME 131, NUMBER 50 DISTRIBUTE DECEMBER 12, 2020

Chloe and Baby Jesus

©2020Pacific Press® Publishing Association. Please contact your ABC for pricing in Canada. 2051151038

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This beautiful magazine will introduce your kids to Jesus with true stories featuring kids their age, Bible characters, animals, and more!

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Ending Soon

Mommy was up to something. Chloe watched as Mommy took

a big cardboard box out of the closet. Then Mommy went out to the garage and brought in another big box.

“What are you doing?” Chloe asked.

“I’m going to decorate the house for Christmas while your brother is taking his nap,” Mommy replied. “Would you like to help me?”

Chloe clapped her hands and jumped up and down. “Yes, yes, yes!” she said. “I love Christmas.”

Chloe hummed the tune of “Away in the Manger” as she and Mommy unpacked the boxes. There were red candles, white snowflakes, tiny reindeer, and so much more. They hung a green wreath on the front door. They set sparkly angels on the windowsill. Then they put five smiling snowmen on a bookshelf.

Chloe smiled as she looked at all the pretty decorations. “Hudson will be so surprised when he wakes up from his nap and sees what we did.”

“We are not fin shed yet,” Mommy said as she held out a small box. “Of all our decorations, this one is the most important.”

Chloe carefully opened the box. Inside she found two decorations that looked like dolls, but she knew they were not toys. They were Joseph and Mary. Wrapped in tissue paper, she also found a little baby in a manger. “It’s Baby Jesus,” Chloe said.

Mommy nodded. “He is the reason we celebrate Christmas. God sent His Son, Jesus, to be with us and

to save us. That is how much God loves us.”Chloe held Baby Jesus, gently touching His face

and hands with her fi ger. Then she set Joseph and Mary on a shelf in the living room with the Baby Jesus between them.

That night Chloe felt too excited to sleep. She kept thinking about Christmas and Baby Jesus. She got out of bed and tiptoed to Hudson’s crib. Her baby brother was sleeping. She reached out and touched his little hand with her fi ger. Babies are so special, she thought to herself. And Baby Jesus is the most special of all.

For a long time, Chloe stood gazing at her baby brother. When she was fi ally ready to go back to bed, she whispered, “Thank You, God, for Baby Jesus.” OLF

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Chloe and Baby JesusJill Nogales

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Activity

Lesson 3 for December 2020Memory Verse: “I love you, Lord ” (Psalm 18:1, NIV).References: Luke 2:1–20; Matthew 2:1–12; Th Desire of Ages, pp. 43–49, 59–67.The Message: We love Jesus.

Baby Jesus Is BornS ee Joseph and Mary. They have traveled a

long way. They want to rest.“I’m sorry,” says the man, “all of my rooms

are full.”“But we have come a long way,”

Joseph says. “And my wife will soon have a baby.”

“Well, you could stay in the stable,” answers the kind man. “I have some animals there, but it’s warm and dry.”

See the animals. See the manger. The hay in the

manger is soft. t will make a nice bed for a baby.

The stable will be a good place to stay for a while.

After a while, Baby Jesus was born.“Let’s put our baby on the soft

hay in the manger,” says Joseph. “You should rest a while.”

Mother Mary looks at her new baby boy. She touches His curly, dark hair and His tiny ears. (Touch your child’s hair and an ear.) She loves Him so much!

“Come,” says Joseph. “Come and rest now.”Some shepherds watch their sheep on a

nearby hillside. They have heard that Jesus will come to Earth. When will He come? they won-der. Will He come soon? God’s Word says He will.

The shepherds see a bright, shining star. Where did that star come from? they

wonder.Suddenly, an angel appears.“Do not be afraid,” says the angel. “I bring

you good news. Jesus the Savior has been born. You will fi d Him in the city. Look for a baby lying in a manger.”

Many more angels come. So many angels!

VOLUME 131, NUMBER 50 DISTRIBUTE DECEMBER 12, 2020

(ISSN 0030-6894)Managing Editor: Anita Seymour

Art Direction & Illustration: Kim Justinen, GoodSaltDesign & Layout: Steve LantoCirculation: (800) 545-2449

Published weekly by Pacific Press® Publishing Association, a Seventh-day Adventist publisher, 1350 North Kings Road, Nampa, ID 83687-3193, USA. Single subscription rate in the United States and its possessions: $31.04 for one year. All other countries: $39.04. All prices at US exchange. Periodicals postage paid at Nampa, Idaho. For a change of address, please send both old and new addresses.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Our Little Friend ®, PO Box 5353, Nampa, ID 83653-5353.Bible credits: Scriptures credited to TLB are from The Living Bible, copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ICB are from the International Children’s Bible ®, copyright © 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.Letters and author queries: anita.seymour@pacificpress.com or Our Little Friend ® Editor, PO Box 5353, Nampa, ID 83653-5353. Web pages: www .ourlittlefriend.com; www.adventistbookcenter.com. Credits: Baby Steps (p. 5) is written by Eric Stoffle. The Sabbath School lesson material, including art, on pages 4–6 (except for Baby Steps) is provided by the General Conference Sabbath School Department. Art credits: Pages 1, 2, 5, 7, 8 © Kim Justinen and Justinen Creative Group. Page 3 © Mary Bausman. Copyright © 2020 by Pacific Press® Publishing Association. Printed in the USA.

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Parents: Ensure that this Bible story becomes part of your child’s spiritual heritage by reinforcing it at home all week. The Baby Steps story and the “Do and Say” activities will help you.

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The angels praise God, “Glory to God in the highest. And on Earth, peace to everyone.”

“We must go,” the shepherds say to one another. “We must go to the city and look for this baby.”

“Thank You, God,” the shepherds pray. “Thank You for sending Your Son to this earth. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. We will tell everyone we meet about Him.”

We can thank God too. (Pray a simple prayer, such as the following.) Thank You, God, for sending Jesus to love us, to save us, and to care for us. We love Him, and we love You too. OLF

Pastor John made me a rocking horse.

I ride it every day.I pretend my favorite Bible stories.With horses or donkeys, of course.Today I am pretending to be Mary.Today I am riding to Bethlehem.Guess what my favorite Bible story

is today.

This Baby Steps story teaches your child we love Jesus by reading Bible stories.

Rocking Horse Ride

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Do and SayStudy these suggestions for something to do each day besides reading the lesson story. Select those that are appropriate for your child’s developmental stage, and repeat them o� en. The Baby Steps story complements the third suggestion.

• Review the memory verse. Sing the memory verse song if you can.

• Read the Bible story interactively with your child.• Read the Baby Steps story together, and then

ride on a rocking horse. Talk about Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.

• Take a “donkey ride” to bed or nap time on the back of an adult (older children only). Talk about Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.

• Wrap a baby doll in strips of cloth. Sing “Baby Jesus.” Thank God for Jesus.

• Make a card and decorate it. On the inside, write “I love Baby Jesus.” Give the card to a friend.

Lesson 11 for December 12–18, 2020Memory Verse: “Every perfect gift s from God” (James 1:17, ICB).References: Luke 2:8–14; The Desire of Ages, pp. 47–49.The Message: Jesus is God’s precious Gift o us.

The First Christmas Song

What do you do when something really wonderful happens? Do you want to tell someone else? Do you ever feel like singing?

The night Jesus was born was a very special night for all the angels in heaven. They

watched excitedly as Jesus was born in a stable,

and as His mother, Mary, tenderly wrapped Him and laid Him in the manger. They couldn’t keep quiet a minute longer. God had just given the world the precious gift f His Son. It was wonderful news!

But no one else on Earth knew about the marvelous thing that had just happened. No one was there to welcome Jesus, the newborn King. The angels wanted to share their happiness with someone, but whom would they tell?

That night shepherds watched over their sheep on a hillside near the city. Perhaps the shepherds were talking with each other about the promise God had given them so long ago. They knew that God had promised to send a Savior, and like many people in Israel, they prayed that He would come soon.

Suddenly, the shepherds saw a bright light. They had probably never seen anything shining so brightly at night, and it frightened them. Then they heard a voice as they looked up. The

bright light was an angel!“Do not be afraid,” said the angel.

“I bring you good news of great joy. Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. You will fi d Him wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the sky was bright with hundreds of glorious angels. They sang a song unlike any the shep-herds had ever heard. The shepherds watched and listened in amazement.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth, peace to all people.”

The angels were so happy to share the news of Jesus’ birth! Their beautiful song fl wed from hearts brimming over with joy. It was a song of praise for the precious gift f Jesus.

That was the very fi st Christmas song. Today we still sing songs about Jesus’ birth. Let’s thank God for the precious gift f His Son, Jesus. OLF

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Parents: Daily lesson activities can be found in the Kindergarten Bible Study Guide (quarterly). The page 7 story will help you help your child apply the lesson story to his or her life.

A Special Gift rom GrandmaRob Robinson

D ing-dong! Ding-dong! Mommy peeked through the window to see a delivery

woman standing on the porch.“Hello,” Mommy said as she opened the

door. “May I help you?”“Yes,” the delivery woman replied. “I have

a package to deliver to Tiff ny McPhearson. Am I at the correct address?”

When Tiff ny heard her name, she came running down the hall. “I’m Tiff ny! I live here!”

“Yes.” Mommy smiled. “Tiff ny lives here. I wonder what she is getting.”

“I don’t know what she is getting,” the de-livery woman told her, “because it’s all sealed up in this brown box. But I think it must be something very special because it says ‘Fragile’ on the top of the box.”

The delivery woman held the box down low for Tiff ny to see the big red word stamped on the top of the box.

Tiff ny scrunched up her nose as she looked at the top of the box. “What does fragile mean?” she asked.

“Fragile means we must be very careful with the box,” the delivery woman explained. “It often means that what is inside the box can be broken if not carried very carefully.”

Tiff ny’s eyes opened wide. “Ohh,” she said. “I think Mommy better carry the box then.”

Mommy carried the box over to the couch and sat down. Tiff ny crawled up on the couch next to her.

“Who is it from?” Tiff ny asked.“It’s from your grandma,” Mommy said as she

read the shipping label.“It’s from Grandma! It’s from Grandma!”

Tiff ny squealed. “Let’s open it up and see what she sent me!”

“Let’s see what it says here,” Mommy said as she read more of the shipping label. “It also says ‘Do not open until Christmas.’ ”

Tiff ny’s smile immediately turned to a frown. “I don’t know if I can wait until then,” Tiff ny said with a sigh.

“I know it’s hard to wait,” Mommy said. “Let’s put it underneath the Christmas tree right in the front here.”

Together Mommy and Tiff ny carefully placed the box underneath the Christmas tree—right in the front. Tiff ny ran her hands over the top and sides of the box to make sure that it was going to be OK sitting underneath the Christmas tree. After Tiff ny made sure the box was safe, she looked up at her mommy.

“I know another special Christmas present that I have, and I don’t have to wait until Christmas to open it up!” Tiff ny shared with her mommy.

Mommy raised her eyebrows as she looked at the gifts hat were underneath the tree. “Oh really?” she responded. “And what gift s that?”

“It’s Jesus!” Tiff ny answered. “He was God’s special Christmas Gift o me!”

“You are right!” Mommy exclaimed. “He is the best Christmas Gift f all.” OLF

Kindergarten Lesson Message: Jesus is God’s precious Gift o us.

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I t’s time to go shopping, Brandon,” Nana called. “Get your coat on. Be sure to bring your shoebox.”

“Yeah!” Five-year-old Brandon cheered as he grabbed his jacket, slipped on his shoes, picked up a shoebox, and stood waiting at the door. Brandon and his grandparents, Nana and Pop, were going shopping to fill shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.*

“Can I buy anything I want?” he asked.“As long as it is on this list and fits inside your

shoebox,” Nana explained. “Do you remember why we are buying these gifts ”

“They are for a little boy or girl my age who won’t get anything for Christmas,” Brandon answered.

“That is right,” Pop said. “It is like giving a Christmas gift o Jesus. And the people at Samari-tan’s Purse will put a gospel booklet inside, telling about Jesus.”

“And we aren’t going to buy anything for our-selves today, just for others,” Nana added.

“I know,” Brandon said, nodding. At the store, Brandon jumped out of the car

and grabbed Nana’s hand. “Can I push the cart?” Brandon asked.

“Sure,” Pop agreed.Brandon set his shoebox inside the cart and

began pushing the cart down the fi st aisle. Cray-ons and coloring books, small metal cars, slime putty, a tiny basketball, a miniature checkers game, a kazoo, and a yo-yo all dazzled Brandon’s eyes as he scampered up and down the aisles, leaving Pop to push the cart. Brandon lifted each item off he shelf and placed it in the cart.

“I don’t think all these will fit,” Nana said, sur-veying the mounting pile.

“Let me try,” Brandon replied. He stopped and rearranged the items, stuffing them into the box. Finally, every item had its place with a little room to spare.

“Can I get one or two more things?” Brandon begged, eyeing a package of funny balloons.

“OK,” Nana replied. “Can I get one for me?” Brandon asked, while

his blue eyes begged. “Please!” Nana was quiet for a minute. “Do you re-

member what we said about giving this as a gift o Jesus?” Brandon nodded solemnly. “And that we weren’t going to buy anything for ourselves?”

“But I want some balloons,” Brandon whined.“I’m sorry, Brandon. Maybe we will get bal-

loons another time,” Nana replied. “Th s is a Jesus only shopping day.”

Brandon puckered up his lips and followed as Pop pushed the cart to the checkout. He quietly put each item on the counter and then folded his arms, waiting while the items were rung up. “I wanted some balloons,” he mumbled.

Back at his grandparents’ house, Brandon helped wrap the shoebox and tape the tag on top of the box, but he still pouted.

“You know, Brandon, the Bible says that God loves a cheerful giver,” Nana said.

When Brandon’s mom picked him up from his grandparents’ house, he still was a little sad about not getting balloons for himself. Sometimes it is hard to give to others and not think of ourselves.

The next year, when Brandon was six, he and his grandparents went shopping to fill several shoe-boxes. “It’s a Jesus only shopping day,” Brandon said as he happily dashed from aisle to aisle. OLF

* Since 1993, more than 178 million boys and girls in 160 countries have received shoebox gifts rom Samaritan’s Purse through Operation Christmas Child. They use the shoebox gifts s a tool to show God’s love to boys and girls and their parents. Check them out at www.samaritanspurse.org.

The Jesus Shopping Day

Lucida J. Rollings

8 *OLF201212*OLF201212

©2020Pacific Press® Publishing Association. Please contact your ABC for pricing in Canada. 2051151038

For eBooks, go to Adventist-eBooks.com!

This beautiful magazine will introduce your kids to Jesus with true stories featuring kids their age, Bible characters, animals, and more!

Ask your Sabbath School teacher for your Our Little Friend magazine.

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Ending Soon