When you were a little kid, did you ever secretly peek into the presents wrapped up and under the tree? Or go snoopy through closets to try to find gifts yet to be wrapped? As kids, Christmas was so exciting! We could hardly contain ourselves. We were dying to know more about the great gifts that were waiting for us!
āDid you ever peek at your presents as a kid?ā is an innocent enough question, right? But itās also a natural conversation starter that can provide an opening for talking about Christmas, God, Jesus, our Redeemer and the marvelous gift of grace Christians celebrate this time of year.
So coach your students this Christmas Season on how to ask a few simple questions about this special holiday that can become a springboard to a deeper conversation about Jesus and why He came to earth to be born as baby all those years ago in Bethlehem. Encourage them to find out how their friendsā families ādo Christmas.ā Then after their friends share their Christmas traditions (or lack thereof), what better opening for jumping in and moving the conversation toward Jesus?
Try This! āÆ
Pick a few spiritual conversation-starting questions and have your students role play how to turn a conversation about Christmas toward the gospel.
Look over the following six questions and pick a few to spend some time role playing during youth group where one student plays the role of non-believer, while the other practices how to transition from these kinds of questions to a conversation about the gospel. For help with this, check out this video. Then after theyāve practiced some, challenge your students to advance the gospel and launch into some God talk during Christmas Season with a friend who doesnāt know Jesus.
6 Questions for Turning a Conversation Toward Jesus
- What does your family usually do on Christmas? Why do you do that?
- Do you ever go to church on Christmas? Why or why not?
- Do you believe in God? What do you think Heās like?
- Are your beliefs about God the same as your parentsā beliefs?
- Do you think Jesus was Godās Son like the Bible says? Share what you believe. For help preparing your students for this question check out the Youth Group 2 Go lesson Jesus, Who Is He Really?
- Jesusā gift of salvation is sometimes called the āgospel,ā which means āgood news.ā Do you know why itās called that? (Encourage your students to use the YouTube video āThe Silhouette Gospelā to explain the gospel to their friends and why itās good news that Jesus has made it possible for us to have a restored relationship with God.)
The REAL Backstory Behind the Presents
Many teens have never heard the REAL backstory behind all the presents and parties. Any of these questions offers an opening for your students to explain that Christmas is about celebrating the greatest gift of allāJesusā free gift of salvation through the message of the gospel. And thatās something worth celebrating. Jesusā birth as baby in a manager opened the way for us to have a relationship with the God of the universe!
Jesusā put it this way when describing why He came to earth, died and rose again: āI came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed ofā (John 10:10, The Message). Pretty amazing!! Thatās good news everyone should have the opportunity to hear about.
Just like the Christmas excitement percolating up inside us as Christmas approaches, the good news of Godās love and forgiveness should be spilling out in our lives and our words. Do what you can to help your students (and your adult leaders) reach their friends this Christmas Season!
