Wise Men Visited Jesus

Transcription

1 December 29th/30th Christmas #3 - Elementary SGL Wise Men Visited Jesus Bible Passage: Isaiah 9; Luke 2 Story Point: Jesus was born to bring peace between God and people. Key Passage: In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9 Big Picture Question: Why was Jesus born? Jesus was born to rescue us from sin. INTRODUCE THE STORY TEACH THE STORY EXPERIENCE THE STORY (10-15 Minutes) (25-30 Minutes) (25-30 Minutes)

2 The BIBLE Story Wise men visited Jesus Matthew 2:1-21 Long ago, God promised to send a king to save His people from their enemies. The people waited a long time for their king, and the time had finally come! God s Son, Jesus, was born in Bethlehem. At this time, Herod was the king over the land of Judea. Was Herod the king God promised? No! Herod was a bad king. Some wise men saw a star in the sky. It was a sign that Jesus had been born, so the wise men went to find Jesus. They came to King Herod. Where is the king of the Jews? they asked. We saw a star in the east. We want to worship the new king. King Herod was very angry. A new king? Herod was king! He asked the priests and scribes, Where is this king supposed to be born? In Bethlehem, just as the prophet said, his priests and scribes replied. Herod spoke to the wise men in secret. Go find this child. When you find Him, come tell me where He is so I can worship Him as king, too. But Herod was lying. Herod didn t want to worship the new king; he wanted to kill Him! The wise men followed the star to Jesus. They went into the house where Jesus was with His mother, Mary. The wise men fell to their knees and worshiped Jesus. Then they gave Jesus gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When it was time for the wise men to go home, God warned them in a dream not to tell Herod where Jesus was. So they took a different way home. After the wise men were gone, an angel appeared to Mary s husband, Joseph, in a dream. The angel said, Take Jesus and Mary to Egypt and stay there. King Herod is looking for Jesus and wants to kill him! So in the middle of the night, Joseph got up and took Mary and Jesus to Egypt where they would be safe. A while later, after Herod had died, an angel spoke to Joseph again in a dream. ÒTake Jesus and Mary to the land of Israel, because King Herod is dead now.ó Joseph did what the angel said. He got up and took Mary and Jesus to Israel. Christ Connection: The wise men came to worship Jesus as King. God promised to send a King who would be King forever. Jesus is the King who will always be King. Jesus is the true King, and He deserves all our worship. 2

3 INTRODUCE the Story WELCOME TIME: YOUNGER As kids arrive, ask them where they would go if they could travel anywhere in the world. How would the kids get there? What would they do when they arrived? How long would they stay? OLDER SAY The men that we will hear about today were looking and hoping for God to do great things. Is there something that you are looking forward to or hoping for God to do in this coming year? SAY Today we re going to learn about a group of wise men who traveled a very long way for a very important reason. They traveled from the east to Bethlehem so they could worship Jesus as King. ACTIVITY PAGE (5 minutes): YOUNGER Invite kids to complete the Bringing Gifts activity page. (Answer key: WORSHIPED) SAY The wise men took a long difficult journey to bring gifts to Jesus and worship Him as King. They had noticed a bright star in the sky and knew that it was God s sign that a special King was born. We ll learn more about the wise men s journey to Jesus in just a moment. OLDER Invite kids to complete the Mosaic Puzzle on the activity page. SAY Today we will hear a story about wise men who looked for Jesus because of a special sign that they saw. Instruct the kids to color in the comic strip and fill in the speech bubble of the angel with the words that they think the angel might have said to announce Jesus birth. SESSION STARTER (if time allows): All Kids: Where s the Star? Direct one kid (the wise man ) to sit in a chair facing away from the rest of the group. Instruct the other kids to be seated, all facing the back of the wise man s chair. Silently hand a construction paper star to a kid to hide behind her back. (All the kids should put their hands behind their backs to confuse the wise man.) Lead the group to chant, Wise man, wise man, where s the star? We ve been looking from afar. The wise man turns around and takes one guess as to who has the star. If he guesses correctly, he takes another turn as wise man. If he guesses incorrectly, the kid who had the star is the new wise man. SAY In today s Bible story, the wise men followed a special star that appeared in the sky. Where do you think the star led them? 3

4 TRANSITION TO LARGE GROUP EXPERIENCE the Story DISCUSSION AND REVIEW (10 minutes): YOUNGER Review the lesson today by answering the following review questions: 1) Where did the wise men come from? (the east, Matt. 2:1) 2) What did God put in the sky to let the wise men know Jesus was born? (a star, Matt. 2:2) 3) Who told the wise men that Jesus would be in Bethlehem? (the chief priests and scribes, Matt. 2:4-5) 4) What gifts did the wise men give to Jesus? (gold, frankincense, and myrrh; Matt. 2:11) 5) Did Herod want to actually worship Jesus? (No, he wanted to destroy Him; Matt. 2:13) 6) How did God warn Mary and Joseph about Herod s plot to kill the boys in Bethlehem? (An angel told Joseph in a dream, Matt. 2:13) 7) Where did the angel tell Joseph to take Mary and Jesus? (Egypt, Matt. 2:13) 8) Why was Jesus born? Jesus was born to rescue us from sin. SAY The wise men worshiped Jesus as King by giving Him gifts. Do you know the best way people can worship Jesus as King? People can turn away from sin and trust in Jesus as Savior and King. That is the kind of worship Jesus deserves! OLDER SAY We are going to review the stories that we have read over the past few weeks about Jesus birth. Form two teams and line up kids in two lines opposite one another. Place a table with a touch bell or another noisemaker between the two teams. If you don t have a noisemaker, make a way to indicate which team wins the round. Ask a question and instruct kids to ring the bell (or make another noise) if they know the answer. The first kid to ring in may answer the question. If the player answers correctly, that team gets a point. If she answers incorrectly, the opponent has an opportunity to answer. Each correct answer is worth one point. If neither player knows the answer, provide the reference and guide them to look for the answer in the Bible. Allow each kid to participate. Then total up the points and declare a winning team. 1) Who told Mary that she would have a baby? (the angel Gabriel, Luke 1:26) 2) Where was Mary living when the angel visited her? (Nazareth, Luke 1:26) 3) Who was Mary s cousin? (Elizabeth, Luke 1:36) 4) Why did Joseph decide not to divorce Mary? (An angel told Joseph in a dream that Mary s baby was God s Son, the Messiah; Matt. 1:19-20) 5) Where did Mary and Joseph travel for the census? (Bethlehem, Luke 2:4-5) 6) Joseph was a descendant of which king? (King David, Luke 2:4) 7) Whom did the angels tell that Jesus had been born? (shepherds in the fields with their sheep, Luke 2:8-11) 8) What did the shepherds do after hearing the news 4

5 about Jesus? (They rushed to see Jesus, Luke 2:15) 9) How did the wise men know where to find Jesus? (They followed a star, Matt. 2:12) 10) What gifts did the wise men give Jesus? (gold, frankincense, and myrrh; Matt. 2:11) 11) Why did Herod want to know where Jesus was? (He wanted to kill Jesus, Matt. 2:13) 12) Why was Jesus born? Jesus was born to rescue us from sin. SO WHAT? (5 minutes): Ask some of the following questions to help kids apply what they ve heard today to their everyday lives. Encourage them to think through their next step as they learn to apply today s main point in their life. What does this story teach me about God or the gospel? What does the story teach me about myself? Are there any commands in this story to obey? How are they for God s glory and my good? Are there any promises in this story to remember? How do they help me trust and love God? How does this story help me to live on mission better? REVIEW ACTIVITY (10 minutes): Option 1: It s Good to be King Invite kids to stand in a circle, facing inward. Choose one kid to be king (or queen) for the next minute. The king will give a command that everyone must obey for 60 seconds. When 60 seconds are up, the king will choose a successor. Continue playing until each kid has a turn to be king or queen. SAY It s good to be king or queen, isn t it? A king or queen has power, and people have to do what he or she says. Our Bible story teaches us about two different kinds of kings. King Herod was not a kind king. He wanted to keep his power, and he was afraid that Jesus would take his power away from him. The wise men worshiped Jesus as King, but Jesus is a different kind of king. Jesus came to earth as a human being so He could experience everything that we face. The only difference is that Jesus never disobeyed God. Option 2: Nativity Story Cube Provide a story cube template for the kids to cut out. Each side of the box displays a picture representing one part of the story of Jesus birth. Direct kids to fold the box along the dotted lines and then tape to secure it. Instruct kids to find a partner and practice telling each other the story of Jesus birth, using the cube as a prompt. SAY The wise men worshiped Jesus as King. Many people do not yet worship Jesus as King. Think of someone whom you know who does not worship Jesus. If you have an opportunity this week, use your nativity cube to share the story of Jesus birth with that person. But Jesus died on the cross to take our punishment, and He rose again so we could have eternal life when we trust in Him. One day, Jesus will come back as the King of kings. Anyone who trusts in Jesus will live with Him and worship Him forever! 5

6 CHECKOUT PROCEDURE: As parents begin to arrive, open the door and have one leader stand just outside the classroom door with the attendance sheet. Take the parent s security sticker and call loudly for the child to come. While you wait for the child to come, tell the parents something that their child enjoyed doing or did well during the service and distribute the preschool big picture cards for families. Before you let the child leave the classroom, look to see that the parent and child security codes match and remove the sticker from the child s shirt as they leave. Note: If a parent lost their security sticker, send them to the Service Lead to receive a temporary sticker; never allow a child to go to a parent unless they have the security sticker. 6