After the shepherds received the good news of Jesus’ Birth (Luke 2:8-20), a young lamb gets lost on the way to see the newborn King.  As he searches for the Baby, he shares the wonderful news of Jesus’ Advent and why it is so important for all to find Him. Will he find his Shepherd and get to see the Baby Jesus? 

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The Why 

Hi, I’m Katie Reid, a Christian mom who struggles, as I think we all do, to resist the pull of materialism and worldly focus that vie for our children’s attention at Christmas.  A myriad of traditions, old and new, clamor so loudly they threaten to drown out the silent, majestic Beauty and Message of the Incarnation: that God, in the form of a Baby with a mission to save the world, is WITH US.    

My breaking point came seven years ago when my then eight-year-old son, a spiritually sensitive young believer, was obsessed to buy an Elf on the Shelf and participate in the nightly shenanigans his friends reported each day at school.  To add another secular character–without a spiritual focus on the true meaning of Christmas–frankly rubbed me the wrong way. 

Yet, my son was so excited to see what all the fun was about.  And my husband was adamant that we weren’t going to spend money to start a tradition that would take our kids’ hearts away from the Good News of Jesus’ Birth. Throughout that December, as I daily dealt with my son’s renewed request for the mischievous elf and his subsequent daily disappointment, I prayed about our situation and thought hard about what made that Elf so fun and attractive to my son’s heart. 

It boiled down to a game of Hide-and-Seek, the fun of finding the elf somewhere in the home and interacting with the family to piece together a story of what he’d done overnight.  We came to the point of almost giving in: was there really any harm? 

The Reason for the Season 

Then, after asking for God’s help, I had an inspiration. If I was going to do an activity with my children on each day of December, I wanted to invest that time into something more meaningful. I chose a plush lamb ornament from off of our Christmas tree to hide and began writing a rhyming story about a little lamb in the flock of shepherds who received the good news of Jesus’ Birth from the Angels (Luke 2:8-20). He gets lost on the way to see the newborn King.  As he searches for the Baby, he shares the wonderful news of Jesus’ coming and why it is so important for all to find Him.

In sing-song rhyme and from a child-like perspective, Little Lost Lamb tells how God announced the arrival of Jesus to the shepherds, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, and the Wise Men, highlighting prophecies in the Old Testament, the appearance of the Bethlehem Star, and God’s Sovereignty through human events. The story emphasizes God’s plan and provision for salvation both in the Christmas story and everyday life. Each daily reading includes the biblical reference it’s based on.

Too Fun Not to Share 

For the past seven years, our family has enjoyed this tradition, refining it along the way. As well, Christian parents at church and in my Bible Study have been excited about the spiritual emphasis Little Lost Lamb provides.  It is my hope that Little Lost Lamb will bless your family with a fun way to count down the days till Christmas and engage in meaningful conversations about the True Reason we celebrate.

Instructions

We offer a cute and cuddly homemade plush lamb for parents or older kids to hide each night (or there is a cardstock lamb to hide included with each book). Starting on the night before December 1, hide your Little Lost Lamb far from your favorite Nativity set or Christmas tree. Each night, place him somewhere new, slowly moving him closer to the Baby Jesus. Younger kids seek him out each morning (ours find Little Lost Lamb each morning at breakfast). The joy of finding Little Lost Lamb each day of December is enhanced by the Devotional reading (by a parent or older child), Scriptures, and family discussion that always follow. And, of course, on Christmas morning let your children find Little Lost Lamb worshipping Baby Jesus at your family Nativity set.

I’ve been humbled that God would use my words to bring Him Glory and to grow families’ faith at Christmas.  Thank you for helping us continue to spread the Good News first heard by the Shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14)

Blessing to your family, at New Years, Christmas, and always!! 

Katie Reid