Jesus Is Born. Shepherd Guides. Jesus Is Born 143

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1 Shepherd Guides Jesus Is Born Shepherd Guides, Jesus Is Born Rotation Leader Guide. Spark Sunday School 2009 Jesus Is Born 143

3 SHEPHERD GUIDE Jesus Is Born (Matthew 1:18-25; 2:1-12 Luke 1:26-58; 2:1-20) Lower Elementary Welcome to stories of angels, Advent, and Christmas. As the caring leader of your small group of kids, you are an important part of their Spark experience. You also support the other Rotation leaders by being a consistent and friendly presence with your group. Use these Small Group Builders, Conversation Sparks, and Transition Tips to generate conversation and build relationships with your kids. Have fun as you grow in faith together! Small Group Builders Try these tips to build relationships, trust, and friendship with your small group of kids when you have a few minutes at the beginning of Sunday school or between activities. My Cousin Was... Mary and her cousin, Elizabeth, were sharing an experience together. Do you have a cousin? Take time to move around the group sharing about your cousins. What do you do together? Do you live far apart? God Is With Us There are tons of ways that we see, hear, and feel God with us. First share one way we can see that God is with us. Then share one way we can hear that God is with us. Finally, share a way we feel that God is with us. Throne Thoughts Joseph was related to King David, who held the throne many years before Jesus was born. Think about being a king or queen. Start your sharing time with these words, If I were the queen (or king) I would... Have some fun with your job as king or queen. Conversation Sparks Spark some faith-filled conversation during time you wait for activities to start or between activities. Use these questions with the kids in your group whenever you have a minute or two. Why was Mary afraid when the angel talked to her? What do you think it means to be a servant of the Lord? Why is Jesus holy? Why did Mary name the baby Jesus? What was Joseph s dream? How do you think Mary felt when Joseph told her about his dream? Shepherd Guides, Jesus Is Born Rotation Leader Guide. Spark Sunday School 2009 Jesus Is Born 145

4 Transition Tips As your group moves from one place to another, keep things fun and story-focused! Try these tips as you transition. Tiptoe Time A baby is soon to be born. Tiptoe quietly to your next place without making a sound. Don t wake up the baby. Hammer Hop Joseph was a carpenter who used a hammer. You will have to hop quickly to avoid the hammer. Ouch! You were too slow! Following Footprints When Jesus grew up, he would follow the footprints of God, his father. Follow the exact footprints of the person at the beginning of your line. Messenger Moment Angels were messengers for God. While you walk, whisper a message down your line. Shhh! The message is only for your group. 146 Shepherd Guides Shepherd Guides, Jesus Is Born Rotation Leader Guide. Spark Sunday School 2009

5 SHEPHERD GUIDE Jesus Is Born (Matthew 1:18-25; 2:1-12 Luke 1:26-58; 2:1-20) Upper Elementary Welcome to stories of angels, Advent, and Christmas. As the caring leader of your small group of kids, you are an important part of their Spark experience. You also support the other Rotation leaders by being a consistent and friendly presence with your group. Use these Small Group Builders, Conversation Sparks, and Transition Tips to generate conversation and build relationships with your kids. Have fun as you grow in faith together! Small Group Builders Try these tips to build relationships, trust, and friendship with your small group of kids when you have a few minutes at the beginning of Sunday school or between activities. Dream Time Joseph heard from God in a dream. Talk about things you dream about. Share your funniest dream or your scariest dream. Keep It Quiet Mary was pregnant before she married Joseph. Joseph decided to keep this quiet. Sometimes things happen with friends and family that are best to keep quiet about. Share how it feels when you need to keep a secret. Do you feel differently after the secret is out? Family Tree Stories were told for many years about the Messiah who would come to earth. Jesus family connections were very important to fulfilling the prophecies about his birth. Who is in your family tree? Tell your friends all the people who are in your family. Conversation Sparks Spark some faith-filled conversation during time you wait for activities to start or between activities. Use these questions with the kids in your group whenever you have a minute or two. Who was a relative of David? Why was this important? What questions would you like to ask about this story? Why did Joseph get married to Mary, even after he knew he wasn t the father of the baby? What does it mean when Mary says, let it be with me according to your word? Talk about what a blended family is and decide if Jesus family was blended. Why or why not? Why does this scripture story talk about Elizabeth and her pregnancy? Shepherd Guides, Jesus Is Born Rotation Leader Guide. Spark Sunday School 2009 Jesus Is Born 147

6 Transition Tips As your group moves from one place to another, keep things fun and story-focused! Try these tips as you transition. Here Am I Hop When God calls, people often answers Here am I. Mary answered God that way. As your group moves to the next place, your guide will call you each by name. You will hop up and down and answer, Here am I! Life Line Put your hands on the shoulders of the person in front of you. In your line, move to the next place while celebrating life. Sing Jesus Loves Me as you follow the life line. A little bunny hop is okay in your life line. Impossible Imagination It seemed impossible that Mary was pregnant. God does impossible things. Try an impossible move while you move in the direction of your next activity. Pronouncing Prophets The prophets who told about the coming of Jesus were important. What would you like to tell people about the future? As you go to your next center, proclaim loudly an event in the future. I wonder if you re right! I Believe Mary and Joseph both easily believed the messages God sent to them. As you walk along, finish the sentence, I believe... Tell everyone you meet what you believe. 148 Shepherd Guides Shepherd Guides, Jesus Is Born Rotation Leader Guide. Spark Sunday School 2009

7 SHEPHERD GUIDE Jesus Is Born (Matthew 1:18-25; 2:1-12 Luke 1:26-58; 2:1-20) All Kids Welcome to stories of angels, Advent, and Christmas. As the caring leader of your small group of kids, you are an important part of their Spark experience. You also support the other Rotation leaders by being a consistent and friendly presence with your group. Use these Small Group Builders, Conversation Sparks, and Transition Tips to generate conversation and build relationships with your kids. Have fun as you grow in faith together! Small Group Builders Try these tips to build relationships, trust, and friendship with your small group of kids when you have a few minutes at the beginning of Sunday school or between activities. Holy Happenings Much of the scripture talks about holy events like the birth of Jesus. Work together as a group to make a list of 10 things that are holy. This will be hard work, so look around you and put those brains to work! Prayer Partners Mary and Elizabeth were cousins and both would soon have babies. They were prayer partners, praying that each would have a healthy baby. Choose partners in your group. Talk in partners about prayers you need and pray with your partner. Favorite One Mary was favored by God. In your small groups, talk about how it feels to be a favorite. How does it feel when someone else is favored? How is being favored different than being the favorite? Conversation Sparks Spark some faith-filled conversation during time you wait for activities to start or between activities. Use these questions with the kids in your group whenever you have a minute or two. What does it mean that Jesus would be called the Son of the Most High? Why is this important to remember? Can you think of some present-day situations where someone was publically disgraced? What does Emmanuel mean? Why do you think Jesus is sometimes called Emmanuel? What does this mean: nothing will be impossible with God? Why were Mary and Joseph very special? How were Mary and Joseph trusting of God? Shepherd Guides, Jesus Is Born Rotation Leader Guide. Spark Sunday School 2009 Jesus Is Born 149

8 Transition Tips As your group moves from one place to another, keep things fun and story-focused! Try these tips as you transition. Angel Action Angels are messengers for God. Wonder together how they move from place to place. Be creative as you move ahead like angels. Be graceful and sure as you do your angel action. Applauding Advent It s the time of Advent. Step out and applaud for advent. Be sure everyone hears that clapping. Amazing Jesus Amazingly, Jesus, God s Son, is one of us! Put a look of amazement on your face as you think about Jesus and transition to the next activity. Plan Your Move The birth of Jesus was part of God s plan. Can you plan your moves together as you go ahead to your next activity? Plan carefully! 150 Shepherd Guides Shepherd Guides, Jesus Is Born Rotation Leader Guide. Spark Sunday School 2009

The Lord s Prayer. Shepherd Guides. The Lord s Prayer 151

The Lord s Prayer. Shepherd Guides. The Lord s Prayer 151 Shepherd Guides The Lord s Prayer The Lord s Prayer 151 SHEPHERD GUIDE The Lord s Prayer (Matthew 6:5-15)w Lower Elementary Welcome to the story of The Lord s Prayer! As the caring leader of your small