CHAPTER XVII
THE STAR BOX=
_Objects: A box marked with a star containing a cluster of common things_
THE STAR BOX
IF this lesson is used simply as "The Star Box" you can use it any time of the year as it is a lesson on the "Baby Days of Jesus." Secure a fair sized box, a pasteboard box will answer if a wooden box is not available. Cover it with sky blue paper to represent the night and on the front of the box place a large golden paper star. Place this on a table before the children and tell them our lesson this hour will be from the Star Box and the baby days of Jesus. Open the box and produce the following colors and objects.
1. The Bible. The coming of Jesus was foretold by the Old Testament prophets. They longed to see His day, just as we now long to see the second coming of Jesus. Here quote some of the Scriptures announcing His first coming. These Scriptures were all like guiding stars to the Old Testament people, which would some day lead them to the baby Jesus. The New Testament says He has come and we believe it, for the Wise Men said, "We have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him." If you desire you can make a scroll like the ancient scriptures and bring this out of the box; this can be used in place of the Bible book. A scroll is made like a roll of wall paper. Make it about eighteen inches long, and have on it the references in the Old Testament which declare His coming. When it is unrolled and you have finished with it, pin the object, and all other objects you produce from the box, somewhere up on the platform where all can see them, and to which you can refer if you so desire a little later in the meeting. Use glass push pins for this and all objects requiring to be pinned up before the audience.
2. Next produce from the Star Box a piece of striped goods about one foot square. This will represent the robe of the shepherds who long ago were watching their sheep, Here teach the lesson of the dignity of labor. God has given us work to do. The shepherds did theirs, and God sent them a wonderful message as they worked. They attended to their sheep. God talked to David, the Shepherd, once, and helped him to sing, and we have the book of the Psalms, the church's oldest hymn book, and many of these songs were given young David as he watched his sheep. So the shepherds just watched and worked.
3. Now produce a field of stars. Some black muslin upon which a few small stars are sewed. This represents _the night_ in which the shepherds watched their flocks. The robbers and wild beasts did their deadly work at night so the shepherds took their turn in watching by night. Here learn a lesson of faithfulness when the hour is dark. So the shepherds did not slumber and sleep by the comfortable fires, but kept both eyes and ears open for the call of the wild beast or the sudden visit of the robber, and as they watched there they heard a joyful song.
4. Here produce a piece of _white silk or cloth_ which represents the angel's song of "Peace on earth, good will toward man." The white silk is an emblem of peace. So they heard the angel's song and its good message of "peace on earth." It is a wonderful thought that God used songs to first announce the glad tidings of the coming of the Son. It is God's way yet--a message of song often finds the heart quicker than a golden word. Learn to "sing for Jesus." Perhaps God may use you, as he did the angels, to bring the message of heaven to some poor heart on earth.
5. Now produce a piece of _yellow cloth_ or felt. This stands for the yellow straw which the shepherds found in the manger when they went to Bethlehem to see the things the angels said had come to pass. Here you may produce, if you desire, a small handful of straw tied tightly together, so it will hang up all right. This straw made the bed for the humble Christ. We should not complain if we are spending our days in humble quarters. Jesus thus spent His baby days.
6. Now produce from the box a piece of violet silk or cloth. This stands for humility, which was displayed when the shepherds bent the knee before the baby Jesus and worshipped Him. They knew He was as poor as they were yet they knew God and knew Jesus was God's son, the new-born King so they bowed the knee to Him. Some kings have been born amid splendor, and placed in cradles, decked with gems, but they were not kings. We only call them so. They were princes, they did not become king till the death of the king, which in some cases was years after their birth, and sometimes they died before the king did and so they were never kings. Jesus was the only one born a King. The shepherds knew this, and that made it all the more wonderful, so like the little modest violet, they bowed their heads before the new-born King. We should bow our hearts always to Jesus; that is, we should have a _violet_ heart. We should be humble.
7. Here produce a star, sewed on a black background. This represents the star seen by the Wise Men from the east, and when they had followed it, they found it led them to the house where Mary and Joseph were dwelling with Jesus. Some people think they know too much to be a Christian. They say, "When I part with my brains, I will follow Him." And these wise men and all other wise men do part with their brains when they do _not_ follow Him for all really wise men have joined in the procession which started a long time ago across the desert to find Jesus. The greatest wisdom of the world is to follow Jesus. There are five letters to the word Jesus, five points to the star, and the star points spell "Jesus."
8. Now produce from the box three colors--yellow for gold, gray for frankincense, purple for myrrh, all fastened together as if in a cluster. The yellow for the gold they brought Him, for He had none of His own. Gray for frankincense which represented or resembled gray smoke when ascending in the sacrifice. These were gifts, the first gifts Jesus ever received. The first Christmas gifts ever presented to anyone in the world. There seems to be no record in Scripture of many gifts ever being given Jesus when He was here among men. He, who was all the time giving good gifts, received but few, if any, in return from the children of men. He never owned a home. He slept for three days in a borrowed grave. Let us learn from the Wise Men, a sweet lesson of giving gifts. It pleases Him.
9. Now produce from the box, an _empty bag._ This represents the need of the poor--the condition of many a poor soul. They have nothing of their own. In the name of Jesus we bring gifts to them. If we do it in His name it is accepted by Him as gifts to Him. Here put in the bag a few small things if you desire representing the things they need and say, "This is my Christmas present to Jesus."
10. Here produce from the box _a small heart._ This is my only Christmas present I can give directly to Jesus. My heart He asks of me. My heart I will give to Him. When we give our heart to another, we mean that we give ourselves.
_"Here, Lord, I give myself away Tis all that I can do."_
11. Now take from the box a Cross. This can be cut from pasteboard and as you hold it up, fasten the heart to it. This means you will give your heart to Him and make humble confession to the world of what you have done by taking up your cross and following after Him. Salvation is an affair of the heart. It is an affair of _the lips,_ and we must openly proclaim him our Savior, for with the lips confession is made of salvation received. Now ask the children to tell you the truth each object represents.
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