Mary and the Angel. Teacher Enrichment. Prepare the Way Lesson 1. Bible Verse

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1 2 nd /3 rd Grade Dec 2 Mary and the Angel Bible Verse The angel told her, Don t be afraid Mary. You have found favor with God. You will become pregnant, give birth to a son, and name him Jesus. (Luke 1:30-31) Teacher Enrichment This is the first lesson in the Prepare the Way series. Occurring during the season of Advent, this series prepares children s hearts for Christmas by teaching the story of Jesus birth. Each week will examine how different Biblical characters prepared the way for Jesus to enter the world and how their experiences reflect the four aspects of Advent: Joy, Hope, Peace and Love. Mary was a young, unmarried woman from the small town of Nazareth when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and told her she would be the mother of God s son, Jesus. Surely she must have been surprised, confused and maybe even scared. God was asking Mary to take on a huge responsibility, as well as face scrutiny and possible shame from her family and community. Yet Mary joyfully complied and began to prepare for Jesus birth. God asks each of us to serve Him, sometimes in ways that seem risky or surprising. One way to prepare our hearts for Jesus birth at Christmas is to consider how we can joyfully respond to God s call in our lives. In this lesson children will be introduced to Mary and how she became the mother of Jesus. They will learn that God wants all of us to joyfully serve Him. Children will also become familiar with Advent and the Advent wreath. As you approach the Advent season, consider using an Advent devotional to guide your preparation for Christmas. The United Methodist Church family devotional can be found here:

2 Before Class Begins Place the Sign In sheet and a pen where parents can see it upon arrival. Place the Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards and pens where students can see them upon arrival. Check that you have supplies for this lesson: Arrival Activity, Mary activity sheet 1 per child Advent Wreath template 1 per child Colored paper Place an arrival activity at each place on the table. Welcome SUPPLIES: Sign In sheet, Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards, Attendance chart, stickers, pens, Mary activity sheet, pencils, markers Greet each child individually as they arrive. Introduce yourself by name. Help children find or add their name on the attendance chart. Provide each child with a sticker to place in today s column on the attendance chart. Encourage children to complete a Joy or Concern card if they have a particular joy or concern they would like to express. Collect completed Joy & Concern cards. Encourage children to complete a Time or Talent offering card if they gave their time to God or used their talents to serve God or others during the previous week. Children should keep their own completed Time and Talent cards. If children bring monetary offering, they should keep it with them. Direct children to complete Mary activity sheet. Encourage conversation among the children and with you! Get to know the children in your classroom by asking about their week including school, activities and families. Introduce new children to each other and encourage friendships. Children s Worship SUPPLIES: Sign In sheet, Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards

3 The Children s Worship Leader will direct your class to come to Ruth Hall at 9:20 or 11:05. Bring the Sign In sheet and completed Joy & Concern cards to Ruth Hall. Hand the Joy & Concern cards to the Children s Worship leader as you arrive. Have children bring their completed Time & Talent cards and any monetary offering. If additional children arrive while in Ruth Hall, have parents complete the Sign In sheet and remind parents that pickup is in Room 105. Encourage children to participate in Children s Worship and provide re-direction if necessary. Assist the Children s Worship leader as needed. At the conclusion of Children s Worship, have children line up and return to Room 105. The Lesson SUPPLIES: Advent Wreath templates, colored paper, glue Gather all the children in a circle on the carpet. As you are able, sit on the floor with them or use a chair as part of the circle. ASK: Today we learned about a woman named Mary. God sent an angel to visit Mary. What did the angel ask Mary to do? (Be Jesus mother) ASK: What was Mary s answer? (Yes!) ASK: Do you think you would have agreed to do what the angel said? Turn to a partner and tell how you would have responded. (Yes, I d do what God wanted me to do; No, I might have said, Let me think this over first. ; I would have said, No way! ; I would have been nervous, but said yes.) Have 2 or 3 children share their answer with the large group. SAY: I m sure Mary felt nervous and scared and worried about being Jesus mother, but she chose to serve God. Sometimes God asks us to do things that may seem scary at first. But just like Mary did, we can choose to say yes to God.

4 ASK: How might God use you at school? (To be friendly to someone who needs encouragement; Invite someone to church or Sunday school; stand up to a bully; Help someone with homework) ASK: How might God use you at home? (Be nice to my sibling; Help my parents with chores; Cheer a family member when they are having a bad day; Visit a grandparent; Help an older neighbor with a chore) SAY: Some of those things might seem scary at first maybe the chore seems too hard (raking a whole yard of leaves!) or you don t know how a person will respond when you try to be friends with them or they might say no if you invite them to church. But saying yes to what God wants should always bring us joy! SAY: Today we are going to make an Advent wreath. We learned about the Advent wreath in Children s Worship. Advent is the time we spend preparing for Christmas and an Advent wreath helps us mark the weeks of preparation. The first candle in the wreath represents Joy. Mary was joyful that she could serve God. We can be joyful when we are able to serve God! Give each child an Advent Wreath template. Show children the sample craft. Provide colored paper for the group. Direct children to tear the paper as they wish and glue it to fill in the template. Three candles should be purple and one pink. The wreath portion should be green and the flames yellow, red and/or orange. Closing Lead the children in a closing prayer. You may say your own prayer, ask one of the children to say a prayer or use the one below. God, Help us learn about Jesus birth as we prepare our hearts for Christmas. Show us ways we can serve you joyfully! Amen If time remains before parents arrive, encourage children to return to their Mary activity sheet if they did not complete it. Also encourage conversation between

5 children and with you. This is another opportunity to build relationships with the children in your classroom.

6 Advent Wreath