📖 Bible Passage:
A Christmas Family Devotion: Our Forever Home
Based on John 14:1-3
John 14:1-3
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
🎯 Main Idea:
Jesus left His home in heaven to make His home with us, so He could return to heaven and prepare a forever home for us to be with Him.
At Christmas, we celebrate that Jesus came to earth, leaving the glory of heaven, to live among us. But this is just the beginning of the story. He came to make God known to us and to die in our place so that we could be made friends of God and one day live with Him forever in heaven. Jesus spoke the words we read to His disciples right before He was handed over to die on the cross for our sins.
He told His disciples that He would return to heaven after coming back to life, and once there, build them a place to live for all eternity. The amazing thing about Jesus’ promise of a heavenly home for His disciples is that He prepares a place for all those who follow Him, including you and me! Just like we build gingerbread homes, Jesus is preparing an even better home for us—a perfect place where we’ll be with Him always.
🏠 Gingerbread House Activity
🧰 Supplies Needed (for each gingerbread house):
- Graham crackers (or gingerbread cookies)
- Royal icing or store-bought white frosting (as “glue”)
- Small candy decorations (gumdrops, peppermints, sprinkles, etc.)
- Plastic knives or piping bags for frosting
- Paper plates or small cardboard bases
- Optional: mini marshmallows, shredded coconut (for snow), cereal squares (for shingles)
🧰 Instead of gathering the supplies listed above you can buy a Gingerbread House Kit for each person.
🛠️ Instructions:
- Prepare the base: Give each family member a paper plate or cardboard base.
- Construct the house:
- Use graham crackers or gingerbread cookies to form walls and a roof.
- Use royal icing to glue pieces together. Hold pieces in place for a few seconds until stable.
- Decorate:
- Add candies, cereal, marshmallows, and frosting to make the house festive.
- Be creative—no two houses need to be alike!
As you build, talk about what makes a house feel like “home.” Is it the walls? The decorations? Or the people inside?
🗣️ Discussion Questions:
- What do you think heaven is like?
- Why do you think Jesus came from His home in heaven to live with us on earth?
- How does it feel to know Jesus is preparing a home for us in heaven?
- What makes your house feel like a home? How can we make room for Jesus in our home this Christmas?
- What does it mean to be with Jesus forever? How does that change how we live now?
🙏 Prayer:
“Jesus, thank You for coming from heaven to be with us. Thank You for preparing a forever home where we can live with You. Help us remember that the best gift isn’t found under the tree but in You. Help our family to make You the center of our home and hearts this Christmas. Amen.”
🌟 Optional Add-On:
Have everyone write a small card or note and place it inside or near their gingerbread house with a sentence like:
- “My home belongs to Jesus.”
- “Thank You, Jesus, for making a place for me.”
- “I want to be with Jesus forever.”
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