A Tradition of Truth and Joy

With the start of December comes the joyful anticipation of long-awaited Christmas traditions. At SBS, our lower school students are getting ready for one of the most cherished Christmas traditions in our community. On December 18, our kindergarten through fourth grade students will recite Luke 2:1-20 at this year’s Christmas Chapel.

This decades-long tradition of reciting Luke 2 brings the Christmas story to life in a powerful way. “Luke's gospel gives a beautiful account of Jesus's birth,” said Lower School Bible Teacher Dianna Bolling.

Students spend months preparing for the presentation of the Christmas story. “Each Bible teacher takes time to teach the passage through sign language while explaining what the passage means in modern-day English. As we approach the big day, we practice in group rehearsals, where we nail down inflection, pace, articulation, expression and dynamics,” said Mrs. Bolling.

Each grade learns a specific set of verses, and when their voices come together, they share nearly the entire story of Luke 2. Our lower school Bible teachers pray that as students memorize these verses each year, they will hide God’s truth in their hearts and grow in their love for Him.

“What is hidden cannot be taken away. We are blessed with freedom, but many believers around the world endure persecution and are denied access to God's word. The world may someday take away our access to the Word of God, but no one can ever take away what we have hidden in our hearts! We hope our students will take this tradition with them into adulthood and share it with their future families,” said Mrs. Bolling.

And indeed, many of our students take this tradition with them into adulthood. Over the decades, it has become a familiar marker in the SBS experience. Many who learned Luke 2 in lower school can still recall the passage long after they have moved on to middle school, upper school and beyond. This tradition reaches far beyond one morning in December. It’s something our students share across grade levels and generations, a reminder of how Scripture hidden in our hearts stays with us.

This program leaves a lasting impression on both the students who share Luke 2 and the parents who watch and listen. It remains one of the sweetest moments of the season at SBS, pointing our community to the truth and hope of Jesus’ birth.