Christmas Party Lesson 3 December 15/16 1

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2 Large Group Series at a Glance for Elevate About this Series: Christmas today seems the same every year. We plan when to buy gifts, when to cook the meal, and when to visit grandma and grandpas, all centered around December 25 th. The first Christmas, however, no one had time to buy gifts, bake a pie, or even decorate a tree. It was totally unexpected. An unexpected trip, an unexpected baby, an unexpected place. In this series, we ll discover the fun and wonder of following God, even when he does things we don t expect. Key Verse: Luke 2:11- Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. Weekly Overview: Lesson: Topic: Big Idea: Lesson 1: December 1/2 An unexpected place Luke 2:4; John 1:46, 7:52; Micah 5:2. Every part of my story is part of God s plan. Lesson 2: December 8/9 An unexpected invitation Luke 2:8-20; Matthew 2:1-12 God loves every person. : An unexpected time Isaiah 11, Micah 5:2 I can trust God s plan, even when I have to wait. Lesson 4: Christmas Week! Luke 2, John Jesus gave his life to save mine. 2

3 Series at a Glance for Elevate (continued) Lesson 1: An unexpected place Sometimes, it s hard to know why God does something. Why did God put me in this family? Why did God make me good at some things, but make other things so difficult? This week, we ll look at a part of Jesus life that could have been embarrassing and discover why every part of your story is part of God s plan. Lesson 2: An unexpected invitation If you were sure they would show up, who would you invite to your Christmas celebration? Your friends and family? An athlete, tv star, or musician you like? Someone important or powerful? For the first Christmas, God invited some people that no one expected. We ll find out why, this week in Elevate! : An unexpected time It can be hard to wait. We wait for a lot around Christmas time, but it was probably even harder to wait for the first Christmas. The nation of Israel had been expecting God to send someone important for hundreds of years, and they were still waiting. This week, we ll discover that we can trust God s plan, even when it means we will have to wait. Lesson 4: An unexpected Savior From the beginning to the end of Jesus story, he did a lot of unexpected things. He welcomed unexpected people, did amazing miracles, and showed that he was really God s son. The most unexpected thing Jesus did, though, was also the most important. This week, we ll hear how Jesus gave his life to save yours, and the life of every person on earth. 3

4 Lesson Outline for Elevate Lesson Segment : An Unexpected Time Total Running Time Opening Song and Welcome (1:00) Team Time (14:00) 0:00 15:00 Media Part 1 (Video) (6:00) Group Time (15:00) Media Part 2 (Video) (9:00) 15:00 45:00 Application (6:00) Worship (8:00) Wrap Up (1:00) 45:00-60:00 Video Cue Slide Cue Audio Cue Tech Notes 4

5 Opening Song and Welcome 1:00 (Roll when directed) Elevate Opener Welcome to Elevate! I m looking for someone to play rock, paper, scissors with. Come up on stage if you think you can beat me! Know This: As the Large Group Leader, you are responsible for setting the tone. High energy, enthusiasm, and interaction with kids will increase your ability to connect with kids, and they will respond to you with the desired outcome. (Auto advance) Elevate Slide and Underscore Welcome to Elevate! My name is and I get to lead us through the hour. In a minute, we are going to play a game together, watch some videos, talk in groups, sing a few songs together, and finish with a party! I am so glad each of you are here today. Team Time 14:00 Series Title Slide: We re almost ready to celebrate Christmas, and we ve been getting ready for weeks. We re looking forward to an awesome Christmas party next week. These palm trees, beach balls, and beach party decorations aren t what you d usually expect, but the day Jesus was born was unexpected, too! He arrived at a time when no one was expecting, no one was looking for it, and no one was paying attention to where it would happen. Before we dive into the details about how unexpected Christmas was, let s play a game with your group! Game Title Slide: 4 Corners: Christmas Edition (and clear audio) 5

6 This game tests your knowledge of Christmas Trivia and teamwork. A question will appear on screen with four possible answers. And around the room are 4 letters. As a group, you will need to determine the correct answer, and head to the corner of the correct answer. The group with the most correct answers will get a box of candy canes to share during group time. Head to your grade flag to meet your leader and the rest of your group! Do This: Help kids find their groups, if necessary. Know This: After every question, direct kids to the corners. Provide the answer. Have leaders keep track of how many correct answers they have. There will be 10 questions. Are all groups ready? Here is our first question. Christmas background music! Question Slide: 1) What is the most popular ornament placed on top of the Christmas Tree? A) Star, B) Angel, C) Bow, D) Snowflake What is the most popular ornament placed on top of a Christmas Tree? Decide as a group your answer, and head to that corner! Answer Slide: B) Angel If you answered Angel, you are correct. Next Question! Question Slide: 2) Which was the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday? A) Alaska, B) Rhode Island, C) Alabama, D) Hawaii Which was the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday? Decide as a group your answer, and head to that corner! Answer Slide: C) Alabama If you answered Alabama, you are correct. Next Question! Question Slide: 3) Which is the last state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday? A) Maryland, B) Oklahoma, C) Minnesota, D) Colorado Which is the last state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday? Decide as a group your answer, and head to that corner! 6

7 Answer Slide: B) Oklahoma If you answered Oklahoma, you are correct. Next Question! Question Slide: 4) How many points does a traditional snowflake have? A) 8, B) 2, C) 5, D) 6 How many points does a traditional snowflake have? Decide as a group your answer, and head to that corner! Answer Slide: D) Six If you answered Six, you are correct. Next Question! Question Slide: 6) What year was The Grinch Who Stole Christmas written? A) 2000, B) 2014, C) 1957, D) 1723 What year was The Grinch Who Stole Christmas written? Decide as a group your answer, and head to that corner. Answer Slide: C) 1957 If you answered 1957 you are correct! That story is 61 years old. Next Question! Question Slide: 8) Which country sells the most Christmas trees every year? A) Mexico, B) France, C) United States, D) Canada Which country sells the most Christmas trees every year? Decide as a group your answer, and head to that corner. Answer Slide: D) Canada If you answered Canada, you are correct. Next question! Question Slide: 9) On the tenth day of Christmas, what does my true love give to me? A) Lords a-leaping, B) Turtle Doves, C) Ladies Dancing, D) Golden Rings On the tenth day of Christmas, what does my true love give to me? Decide as a group your answer, and head to that corner! 7

8 Answer Slide: A) Lords a-leaping If you answered Lords a-leaping, you are correct! We re down to our last question. Question Slide: 10) What song does Lucy ask Schroeder to play on his piano in A Charlie Brown Christmas? A) We wish you a Merry Christmas, B) Jingle Bells, C) Silent Night, D) White Christmas What song does Lucy ask Schroeder to play on his piano in A Charlie Brown Christmas? Decide as a group your answer, and head to that corner! Answer Slide: B) Jingle Bells If you answered Jingle Bells, you are correct! Way to go everyone! Who had the most correct answers? Way to go, during group time, see me for your candy canes. Let s continue having fun as we answer our Question of the Day! Question of the Day Video (Auto Advance) QOTD Slide: What is something you had to wait a long time for, but was totally worth it?? What is something you have had to wait a long time for, but was totally worth it? Turn to someone next to you, find out their answer, then tell them yours! Do This: Emcee as the kids are sharing their answers. Encourage them to share with the people around them, and encourage any kid whose story you hear. Feel free to share your answer as well! Know This: Allow kids time to interact with one another. Feel free to ask a few of them what their answer is, but you don t have to make them share with the whole group. Make sure this time only takes a minute or two. We typically don t like to wait long for something we want. If we want popcorn, we can put it in a microwave for three minutes, and then enjoy it. If we want an answer to a question we may have, we can simply google it for the answer in just a few seconds. Media: Part 1 5:00 8

9 However, I have been told the best things are worth waiting for. I wonder if The Source will need to wait for something they want today? Let s check it out! The Source: Part 1 (5:00) (Auto advance) Series Title Slide: Waiting can be difficult, especially when we cannot see what s going to happen. I wonder what will happen next? We will find out in a few minutes, after we spend some time in our groups. Move over to your grade s flag, and talk about what you would do! Group Time 15:00 15:00 Group Time Countdown (Auto advance) Series Title Slide: Do This: Make sure each kid finds their group. Help group leaders if there is a need. Encourage kids as they work to answer the question. Know This: This is a time for kids to see how they can use the Bible to investigate and better understand life. This time is designed for kids to interact and deepen their understanding. They won t get all the answers, but allow them to question and discover as much as possible. Be ready to support group leaders in any way needed. Do This: Give the groups a warning about one minute before this time is up. Media: Part 2 9:00 Alright, everyone, let s quiet down and see what The Source team will do next. The Source: Part 2 (9:00) (Auto advance) Series Title Slide: 9

10 How cool is that? God told people that Jesus was going to be born hundreds of years before it happened! That is so cool. I bet it was hard to wait for though, knowing God had a plan even when they could not see all of it happen. Application 6:00 What Rue said was super important. Big Idea Slide: I can trust God s plan, even when I have to wait. Waiting can be so difficult, but Rue gave us a great example of why waiting can be important, too. To show you what I mean, let s try an activity. I m going to show you a picture, and your job is to tell me everything that is going on in it. Sound easy? Here we go! Activity Picture Only show the picture for about two seconds. Show it, count to two, and go to the next slide. Series Title Slide: Got it? What was happening in that picture? Oh, was that too fast? When we go super quickly, it s hard to notice what s going on around us. Sometimes, God might make us wait, just to get us to slow down, and notice what He s doing around us. When we trust God, we have to move at His speed, and follow His plan, even when it means waiting, but there are three steps every one of us can take to make the most of waiting. 1. Slow down I know, I ve already said this one, but the first step is to just slow down. Take a deep breath, and choose to wait, instead of getting upset or angry. Then, you ll have time to do step two. 10

11 1. Slow down 2. Talk to God and others God promised that Jesus would come, but it took lifetimes for Jesus to actually come to earth. God has a plan, and we cannot see it. When we are frustrated with God s timing, or confused as to why things are not happening the way we want them to, the best thing we can do is talk about it to Him, and to the leaders He s put in our lives. Take time to talk to God, and ask Him to lead you. Having close friends, adults who care about you, and leaders here at church are great to tell when you are having a difficult time trusting God s plan. That is why we have church every weekend. If you need someone to talk to, we would really like to pray with you, and check in with you every time you come here. Finally, there s one more great step you can take to wait well. 1. Slow down 2. Talk to God and others 3. Say Thank you. Find something you re thankful for and say thank you to God for it. If someone gave you a gift, did something nice for you, or just did something you re thankful for, take the time to tell them you are thankful. Try these steps the next time you have to wait, whether it s for a minute or a year. Slow down, pray for a moment, and find something to be thankful for! You might just find that waiting can be awesome. Worship Slide Worship 8:00 I do have to say, I m glad the waiting for Christmas is almost over! We are so excited to celebrate with you, and we are planning a huge party for you. Invite your friends to come with you to church, and party with us. We will keep this week s party going by singing a couple of songs together. Let s all stand and sing! Song #1: Who I Wanna Be 11

12 (Auto-Advance) Worship Slide Can you imagine what that first Christmas night was like? Our next song gives us a glimpse of what the shepherds saw! Song #2: Oh What a Glorious Night (Auto advance) Series Title Slide: Wrap-Up 2:00 Next week, we will be celebrating Christmas together here in Elevate. We are throwing a huge party, and if you haven t already invited someone, we want you to use this tool and invite your friends who have never been to Elevate to come with you to the Christmas party at any of our services next week! Alright, let s finish by talking to God! You can talk to Him anytime and anywhere. Here, we usually close our eyes and put our hands in our laps, to help us focus on what we re saying to God. Let s do that now. God, thank you for loving me. Thank you for loving every person. Give us the courage to invite our friends to Elevate this Christmas. Amen. I ve had a lot of fun hanging out with you all today, I hope to see you next week at our! Elevate Slide Start hangtime music videos 12