Christmas Library 2022: Give Your Child A Bible For Christmas and Tell Your Children The True Christmas Story

"Christmas Bible Child". Original Art by James R. Stewart Jr., 2022. 

A Little Girl's Bible gifted 65 Christmases ago.
Found in a thrift store in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 

For over six years, I have shared a post about giving a Bible and Bible study books to children for Christmas.

Your child, grandchild, pupil, sibling, or friend is never too young for their first Bible, or Bible story book, and having a copy that comes from someone they love will have a special meaning. In my quest for Bible media, I do come across used Bibles and other media from many Christmas long past. The 1955 Christmas Bible pictured above is a favorite and I am reposting it again as part of the 2020 Christmas Library.

For Christmas Eve, and an especially cold one for many people, begin with the True Christmas Story of Jesus and his birth. Don't stop there and tell your young ones the whole story of who Jesus is. 

Christmas Library 2022: The ToyMaker's Space, A Creative Idea For Ministry

Image by James R. Stewart  Jr., c. 2013

 

When I was a working on my MLIS degree, I was enrolled in a Learning and Makerspace class. During this course I developed a marketing plan for what I hope to one day be a fun ministerial collaborative project for crafters and toymakers. The "Toy Maker's Space" is a concept for a Christmas season based makerspace, with missionary potential.  This makerspace would be set up annually in libraries, churches and other community locations for groups of people to create toys, gifts, food packages, cards, ornaments and so much more for the less fortunate.

A Makerspace is simply a collaborative space for making and creating things, from works of art, to digital technology.

Below is my original proposal for The ToyMaker's Space.m, c. 2013. Im

Image by James R. Stewart Jr.

The makerspace is said to promote “playfulness” and I have a long history of creating playful tools, toys and games therefore, I plan to develop a “Toy Maker’s Space”.  This would be a center where families, groups, congregations and classes could come together to create toys, ornaments, gifts,  puppets, board games, electronic toys, dolls, educational toys, instructional technology, educational projects and even assistive devices for children (and adults) of all ages.  

This makerspace would start off as an annual event during the Christmas holiday season, starting after Thanksgiving, which is a time when people want to make personalized gifts for family and friends.  In addition, church groups, charities and missions could use the space to create custom items for care packages.  With the missionary potential of this makerspace as well as the fun family nature,likely partners for supplies and funding could be The Salvation Army, Greensboro Urban Ministries, Hobby Lobby, Toys & Company, Melissa & Doug, Lifeway Bookstores,Lowe Hardware Stores, Habitat For Humanity, various local churches, radio & television stations, Samaritan’s Purse, and other missionary groups.   ----- Introduction to "The Toy Maker's Space: A Proposal"

Image by James R. Stewart Jr. 

It my hope to see more makerspace ministries in the church in the future, as well as learning about "toymakers for The King".

Christmas Library 2022 - Glory To God In The Highest - Luke 2: 8-15

Luke 2:8-15

King James Version

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

Christmas Library 2022: Good News For Mary

Reading from Luke 1:26-38

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Text 

Christmas Library 2022 : Visiting A Historic Church Community at Christmas Time

Ideas For Things To Do: Visiting a Historic Church, Museum or Exhibit for Christmas.

Historic Old Salem, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

I live in the state of North Carolina, and whenever possible I visit historic Old Salem, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, one of the oldest Moravian communities in North America. There I learn about the legendary Moravian Candle Feasts, smell the beeswax candles, sample apple cider & spice cookies baked in 200 year old oven, and see old time Christmas carolers. Perhaps near you is a historic church, a religious community, a sacred bell tower, some place that has an extra special meaning at Christmas time.

Even within your congregation, there may be stories of Christmas services in older sanctuaries and powerful sermons from former pastors.

Taking your loved one(s) to a historic place, especially one where worship and praising the Lord took place for generations, can be very joyous at Christmas time.