Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: You.
[00:00:14] Speaker B: Welcome to the Kids Advance podcast.
[00:00:18] Speaker A: And heaven nature sing and heaven nature sing and nature see.
[00:00:31] Speaker C: Welcome to the village, kids. In five six advent podcast. We are so excited that you have chosen to join us this season as we explore the God of Amazing gifts. This is based off of a book by Lizzie Lafferton that is published by the Good Book Company. We are taking this material and we're digesting it together in our podcast. If you've signed up for our Village Kids advent kit, you should have a journal that is a reflection journal for each of your kids to be able to go through this and really interact with the material, helping them. Process it for their stories, knowing that the Christmas story and the God of Amazing Gifts are not just things that are out there, but they are things that are intimately entwined in our story for today. And so as we talk and we start with the God of Amazing gifts, we're going to be looking at God who is the gift giver and how it is that he meets us in all of these things that he gives to us. So as we enter this Christmas season with all of the things that are going on around us, we are so excited to provide you with this space to be able to focus on Him and marvel at the amazing gifts that he has given us. So today, I have with me my first set of very special guests that are going to help us kind of process this information. Will you go ahead and introduce your first name and your grade?
[00:01:45] Speaker B: My name is Brielle, and I'm in fourth grade.
[00:01:48] Speaker D: Hi, my name is Owen, and I go in kindergarten.
[00:01:52] Speaker C: And Owen, what is your favorite part of kindergarten?
[00:01:54] Speaker D: I eat snacks.
[00:01:56] Speaker C: Yep, snacks. It's always my favorite part of every grade. And Brielle, what's your favorite part so far of fourth grade?
[00:02:02] Speaker B: Doing long division and math.
[00:02:04] Speaker C: The amount of people that say math on this podcast just blows me away. I love it. And long division and math. Yep. Long division and math. Here's a secret. Those are the same thing. All right. And so as we're getting started, we have this sibling pair. They're going to lead us through the journey on our first day. I have a couple questions for them. Our theme for today is the best gift ever and what we most want. But I have questions for you. So, Brielle, tell me, what are you looking forward to most about Christmas this year?
[00:02:34] Speaker B: Opening up gifts and probably, like, eating Christmas breakfast.
For Christmas breakfast, my mom makes reindeer pancakes and your stockings.
[00:02:46] Speaker C: Oh, and you tell us your answer. What are you looking forward to most about Christmas this year?
[00:02:50] Speaker D: Open up presents. Opening up stockings. And when we celebrate Jesus and when my mom makes reindeer pancakes.
[00:03:02] Speaker C: All the things. Right. All the things. And so you sound like someone who likes to open up gifts. Is that right? Yep. All right, I get it. That's what we're talking about, the god of amazing gifts right now. And so, Brielle, tell me, what is a gift that you have received that's just, like, one of your favorite things?
[00:03:17] Speaker B: Probably like, a Lego friends.
[00:03:20] Speaker C: Okay. Like a Lego friends.
[00:03:22] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:03:23] Speaker C: Owen, I need to hear your answer. What is something that you've received that you were like, oh, my goodness, this is so exciting.
[00:03:29] Speaker D: Super Legos and adorables.
[00:03:32] Speaker C: Well, see, you knew your answers right away. Those are some good things. Yes.
[00:03:35] Speaker D: I thought they're calendars.
[00:03:37] Speaker C: Yes. Calendars. Yeah.
You like calendars? Yes. All right. That's the thing. He is shaking his head with great gusto that that is what he likes. So, Owen, you can go first on this one. What is something that you have given to someone else that you were super excited to give to them?
[00:03:55] Speaker D: Some superiors I already have, but new superiors that I have is not because that's what I usually need.
[00:04:04] Speaker C: That's what you wanted to give to other people? Our superhero legos. Or is it Legos or just, like, little action figures?
[00:04:10] Speaker D: They're like real Legos.
[00:04:12] Speaker C: Okay, got it. All right. And Brielle, what is something that you have given to someone that was pretty fun for you to give to them?
[00:04:18] Speaker B: Probably, like, my sister Lego and my brother's superheroes, and my dad an office figure.
[00:04:28] Speaker C: Oh, that's a fun idea. So kind of what I'm hearing you say is, like, you like to look at what they like, right? And you're like, OOH, I love to just kind of target the things that they're interested in and get them something that they're going to enjoy.
[00:04:38] Speaker D: Tomorrow's a calendar day, and tomorrow is.
[00:04:41] Speaker C: A calendar day, and I'm not yet totally understanding what that means, but we're going to figure it out as we talk here. I'm excited because you're excited about calendar days, and so I'm going to pray for us as we begin, and we're going to switch to talking about a couple of things of the content. But before we do that, I want to know if you could give the world one gift, what would you give to them? Owen, go first. What would you give to the whole world? Every person in the whole world gets this one gift from Owen. What would you give them?
[00:05:07] Speaker D: Super elves.
[00:05:08] Speaker C: I had a feeling. Right. That would just make everyone feel so empowered. All right, Brielle, what would you give what one thing would you give to the whole world?
[00:05:17] Speaker B: Well, it depends because if it's a boy, then maybe, like, Legos. And if it's, like, a girl, maybe, like, American Girl stuff or like Barbies.
[00:05:27] Speaker C: So you kind of tailor it to whatever you think that they would really enjoy playing with. Yeah, I think that's a great idea.
Dear Heavenly Father, I just thank you so much for this day. We just praise you because you are the God of amazing gifts. And as we enter into this Advent season, I pray that you would just be helping us to discern and understand who you are. God, would you fill us with your love this Advent as we think about your goodness and your generosity? Praise in your precious name. Amen.
[00:05:54] Speaker D: Amen.
[00:05:55] Speaker C: I want you guys to get ready to say the first thing that comes to your mind, okay?
What is the best Christmas present that you can ever imagine receiving this Christmas?
[00:06:06] Speaker B: Legos.
[00:06:07] Speaker D: And adorables.
[00:06:10] Speaker C: What was the second thing?
[00:06:11] Speaker D: Adorables.
[00:06:12] Speaker C: I don't even know. I'll figure that out.
[00:06:14] Speaker B: I want to receive a record player and a Taylor Swift record and a Taylor Swift ticket to see her.
[00:06:23] Speaker C: Yeah, well, don't we all? Little Swifty. Okay. And so I want you to picture yourself hiding in a cave in a dry desert. You're on the run from someone who wants to hurt you.
What would be at the top of your gift list if you needed something? You're in a cave, you're in a desert. Would it still be superheroes and adorables that you want, or would it be something else that you were like, no, I think I might need this.
[00:06:48] Speaker D: A Power Ranger sword.
[00:06:50] Speaker C: A Power Ranger sword.
[00:06:52] Speaker D: And I already have that.
[00:06:54] Speaker C: Well, then you're good to go. So make sure when you go to the cave in the desert that you bring your Power Rangers sword, and I'm.
[00:06:59] Speaker D: Going to bring my.
[00:07:02] Speaker C: A. Good. That's a good combo, probably, right? Like the best of both worlds to protect yourself. All right, Brielle, how about you? What would you take to this desert?
[00:07:10] Speaker B: If someone's trying to hurt me or kill me, I would probably want, like, a pocket knife or just, like, something to hurt it.
[00:07:18] Speaker C: So we open the Bible today, and we'll find ourselves hearing from someone who knew exactly what that was like.
Brielle's going to read for us Psalm 63. I want our listeners to be listening for what King David thought is the best possible gift in this situation.
[00:07:34] Speaker B: A Psalms of David when he was in the desert of Judah. You, God, are my God. Eternally I seek you. I thirst for you. My whole beginning longs for you in a dry branch land where there is no water. Psalm 63, verse one.
[00:07:56] Speaker C: All right, so do we know what the word parched means? It's kind of like an old word we don't use very often anymore. That's like to be very thirsty. All right, so if you were in a desert, Owen, what would you be thirsty for? Remember, a desert is a dry place. It's like so dry.
[00:08:13] Speaker D: Fanta.
[00:08:14] Speaker C: Fanta.
I have to agree that fanta is something that is I find it very refreshing also. Orange fanta. Is that get that I just want to make sure we're on the same page. Orange fanta. Okay, brielle, what about you? What would you be thirsty for in the desert?
[00:08:32] Speaker B: Probably like ice cold water.
[00:08:34] Speaker C: Yes. Right. And what does David show us about his attitude to God? By saying that he thirsts for God? Here he is in the desert and he is thirsting for God. What do we see about David's attitude, Brielle?
[00:08:48] Speaker B: He didn't care that he was hungry. He didn't care that he was thirsty. He just prayed god. And of course he was hungry and thirsty, but he believed in God and he's like, you know what? I'm not going to drink or eat because I praise God.
[00:09:05] Speaker C: Yep. Like, right now, I feel like I need water, but what I really need is the Lord to be able to meet me here. All right, Brielle, go ahead and read the next verse. So David was probably also hungry, but he goes on to write this in verse five.
[00:09:17] Speaker B: David was probably also hungry, but he goes on to write, I will be satisfied as with the richest of foods, with singing, let my mouth will praise you. Verse five.
[00:09:32] Speaker C: All right, so what is he going to be satisfied? Is it the food that's going to bring him satisfaction? What does he compare this food to?
[00:09:39] Speaker B: To his singing of his lips.
[00:09:41] Speaker C: Right. It's like his worship. Right. He's like, somehow when I'm at this dry and desolate place and I am hungry right. But it's going to be like, I'm so satisfied when I'm praising you and I'm worshiping you. And so what do you think David means when he says he's going to be satisfied by God and instead of by food? Brielle, what do you think he's like?
[00:10:01] Speaker B: If he's satisfied, he's satisfied.
He wants to eat really bad, but he's not going to.
[00:10:09] Speaker C: Yep. Because what is satisfying him instead of God? Right. And so you see here that he's like, oh, my goodness. There's something tangible about what the Lord is giving to me and what he's meeting me with in this very dry and desolate place. Now, let's think about why David can say this about God, because he also wrote in verses two to three the following.
[00:10:29] Speaker B: I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory because your love is better than life. My lips will glorify you.
[00:10:41] Speaker C: All right, so do we know what the sanctuary is? It's like the temple, right. And it says he's, like, praising God for who he is. So David has seen God's power in his character. And what does this lead him to say about God's love?
[00:10:53] Speaker D: He's in better life.
[00:10:55] Speaker C: It's better than life. Right. And so that's kind of like a big statement, right? Like, if you're like, your love is better than life, you're like, whoa. It's basically like he's saying, it's better than Legos. It's better than superheroes. It's better than better than adorables. You read my mind. That was next on my list. He's like, in fact, it's better than all of those things. Right. He's like and it's even better than my very own life. And so how might David finish this sentence? Owen? I know that knowing the perfect, powerful, loving God is better than the calendar.
[00:11:30] Speaker D: Yes. Calendars, calendars, calendars.
[00:11:33] Speaker C: Right. I think that that's so true. And so even when life was dangerous and difficult, david's heart and his mind were full of God and his mouth was full of praise. That's because David knew he already had the most amazing gift of all, god himself, knowing God is the best gift ever, and he was with him. And so I want you guys to be thinking about this.
David was most excited about God himself because he had seen God's power and glory and love. When do you feel most excited about God, Owen?
[00:12:05] Speaker D: When he gives out presents.
[00:12:07] Speaker C: True. And when do you feel least excited about God?
[00:12:13] Speaker D: For his birthday.
[00:12:14] Speaker C: Okay. And what do you think makes the difference between how you feel about Him loving Him. Okay. And brielle. How about you? When do you feel most excited about God?
[00:12:25] Speaker B: How he made us and what he made and everything what he done for us.
[00:12:31] Speaker C: It's like when you reflect on who he is right. And what he's done and how he even created you and loves you.
[00:12:36] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:12:36] Speaker C: And when do you feel least excited about God, Brielle?
[00:12:40] Speaker B: If he didn't really create us, I.
[00:12:42] Speaker C: Would be mad, because if he didn't.
[00:12:44] Speaker B: Create any of us, then we wouldn't really be alive.
[00:12:47] Speaker C: Okay. And is there something about Him or something about, you know, normally that you feel least excited about Him, like, maybe that you have to obey Him when you don't want to. When do you feel least excited about God?
[00:12:58] Speaker B: Priyal when something happened and it didn't really play in the way you wanted it to go.
[00:13:05] Speaker C: Yeah. Like he has a different plan. Right. And you're like, that's not my favorite. And what do you think makes a difference between when you feel most excited about God and when you feel least excited about God?
[00:13:15] Speaker B: Probably my least is if he didn't care about us.
[00:13:19] Speaker C: Okay. So it sounds like one of the things that you feel you're like, oh, my goodness. When it really feels nice right. Then I feel excited about that. And when it feels hard, sometimes it's harder to be excited about what you're doing. Right. And so we see in David's heart and we see the way that he was handling God's gift, is that he accepted whatever it was that he gave to him. And instead of complaining about it, instead of finding rest or joy in this world right. He was like, no, I'm going to find rest and joy in worshiping you and in making much of you. And so today we have just gotten to explore what this best gift is, and we see that it is the gift of God's love for us and just the gift of himself. And it satisfied King David when he was in a hard spot, and he found such respite in that. And so today, I was hoping that you guys could close us in prayer, that these truths would just continue to settle into our hearts as we go through our Advent podcast. So, Brielle, will you close us in prayer? Do you want to pray, too, Owen? Okay, so, Brielle, why don't you start, and then, Owen, you can go after her, okay.
[00:14:21] Speaker B: Dear Heavenly Father, I hope we all have a great Christmas and Christmas Eve, and I hope that we all learn more about God in this Advent calendar. And in your name, we pray. Amen.
[00:14:36] Speaker C: Amen.
[00:14:37] Speaker D: Dear Heaven Father, thank you that God made all the people, and I hope we have a great time at Christmas and celebrating God's birthday.
And I hope everyone have a great day. Amen.
[00:14:55] Speaker C: Amen. Can you close our podcast today by wishing all of our listeners that are listening to you a Merry Christmas? Together.
[00:15:03] Speaker D: Merry Christmas. All right.
[00:15:05] Speaker C: Merry Christmas, everyone. We're so excited to be here with you, and we look forward to being back with you again tomorrow.
[00:16:15] Speaker A: Jesus that Jesus is true it's Jesus that God special gift to us is baby Jesus or brand new toy god give anything special baby boy that's all that so why is it? Do you know that so that's all why is it? But do you know that so why is it? Do you know that's all that so why is it? But did you know it Jesus? That Jesus is true it Jesus that Jesus is true it.
