2.2. Jesus Is Immanuel. December 5, Bible Passage: Isaiah 7:14; 9:1 7; Luke 1:1 4, (Mary) Schedule EXPLORE DISCOVER RESPOND BLESS

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1 December 5, 2018 Bible Passage: Isaiah 7:14; 9:1 7; Luke 1:1 4, (Mary) Jesus Is Immanuel REMEMBER VERSE For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 Schedule EXPLORE DISCOVER RESPOND BLESS 1

2 Leader Prep Each week you ll find a list of resources along with encouraging articles that help you prepare your heart to present the lesson. Further Resources A Small Group Enhancement is available for this lesson. A Storytelling video is available for this lesson. Download the following resources to help you plan and lead TruStory lessons: Customizable copy of Lesson Scope and Sequence TruStory How It Works document HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 2 is provided for this lesson. The weekly for the next lesson to be sent home for preteaching by parents is found in BLESS. If you have questions about Tru curriculum or are looking for great training, blogs, and other support resources, visit truministry.com. Inspire Shares personal stories from fellow ministry leaders about how God has worked in their lives On Christmas morning my family sleeps in, eats a few cinnamon rolls, then congregates in the living room. Before we open the gifts piled under the tree, we read the Scripture account of Christ s birth. As we read this passage from Luke, I experience peace and gratitude in the midst of the flurry of Christmas morning. Every Christmas I love to experience the joy of being together with my family and my faith community, talking about God s faithfulness, feeling gratitude for each other, and experiencing Him together in a way different from any other time of the year. Even so, for all of the wonderful friendship and love I receive from my family and my faith community, I sometimes get the sense that we can unwittingly become isolated. Without meaning to, we can become selfcentered; we can begin to exist for our own sake instead of for the sake of the gospel. Christmas is about the fact that God came to be with us. This is the saving promise from the Old Testament, the perfect answer to the problem of sin the hope of the world. This is good news that causes (as we hear in the song O Holy Night ) a thrill of hope for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. This Christmas, may we celebrate together the fact that God came to be with us, and may we look for opportunities to share this amazing hope with those around us. Tori Funkhouser ROCKHARBOR Church 2

3 Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson's Bible passage When Isaiah prophesied about Christ s birth in Isaiah 7, he was speaking to a very worried King Ahaz. Isaiah found Ahaz by the upper pool, fretting over his nation s water supply. As Ahaz complained to Isaiah that he was about to be attacked, Isaiah announced that God would give a sign to the nation of Judah. He said, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel [God with us] (Isaiah 7:14). Through this sign God was telling Ahaz to trust Him and that Ahaz s nation would survive because the promised Messiah would, indeed, come from the seed of David. Even so, Ahaz did not trust God and sought the support of the Assyrian empire, and Judah was overtaken. This was horrible. Unthinkable. God s people must have wondered from where the Messiah would come. Would He even come at all? As we know, God still had a plan to bring the Messiah. This plan began in the middle of the night, in a small town, with a virgin maiden. That night God came to be with us. God fulfilled His saving promises of old, and this culminated in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, heir to King David s throne (Matthew 1:17). Why Was the Virgin Birth Necessary? First, for the sacrifice of Jesus to be effectual and sufficient to pay for our sins, the sacrifice of Himself had to be both God and man. He had to be God for the magnitude of the sacrifice to cover the sins of all mankind, and He had to be human for His sacrifice to apply to us. Next, Jesus had to be our sinless sacrifice. For Him to be sinless, He had to be free from a fallen nature. Following Adam and Eve this fallen nature is passed on from generation to generation. Because of His supernatural conception, Jesus did not fall under this curse. Finally, the virgin birth was required to bypass the blood curse God placed on Jeconiah (also called Jehoiachin) (Jeremiah 22) and thus upon the rest of the royal line of David. Mary s genealogy (Matthew 1) bypasses the blood curse by following David s line through Nathan, David s son who wasn t part of the royal line and therefore wasn t under the curse. Joseph s genealogy (Luke 3) follows the legal line through King Solomon, but Joseph wasn t Jesus biological father. He was Jesus legal, adopted father. Therefore, Jesus is entitled to the throne both legally and by blood. (For further explanation about the blood curse, see the EQUIP section in Winter Lesson 3.) Explaining Virgin Birth to Kids Some kids will be familiar with the meaning of the word virgin, while others may not be. Be sensitive to the different knowledge and maturity levels of the kids. We suggest not planning to explain the meaning of this word, but being prepared with an age-appropriate answer in case anyone asks. An example of an age-appropriate answer may be: This word tells us the baby would have no human father, but the Holy Spirit alone would place this baby in Mary to be the mother. Joseph would be the baby s adopted father. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God's Word God came to be with us. How God did this is a pretty big question. How does an infinite God dwell in a finite body? How does light and life come to dwell in a world of death and darkness? Why did He do this? Take a few moments just to imagine it. How much does God love you? Enough to come and restore you. 3

4 Enough to be with you, even now. Enough to stay with you no matter what. What love. What deep, eternal, undeniable, incomprehensible, perfect love! As you prepare for this lesson, pray that God would allow your children to truly experience the joy of the good news of Christ s arrival, news that had been prophesied for hundreds of years. Lead them into celebration, together as a faith community, because God has come to be with us. He is Immanuel. EXPLORE// 10 min. Small Group Leaders SMALL GROUP S E C T I O N Children engage in fun, creative activities designed to pique their curiosity about the day s portion of The Big God Story. This lesson focuses on the prophecy about Jesus Christ in Isaiah 7:14 as well as the angel Gabriel s announcement to Mary in Luke 1: Today kids will play some guessing games to consider what it's like to not know an answer right away. Option 1: What Could It Be? (for younger kids) My Guesses template (see Resources) Shoe boxes (5) Noise-making objects (5, e.g., small rocks, bells, maracas, doll that cries) Tape Pencils or pens Optional: scissors, labels, permanent marker SET UP Place one kind of noise-making object in each shoe box and tape it shut. If one of the objects needs to be activated by touch, cut a small hole, large enough for a child s hand, in the back of the box so children can reach inside. You may also want to attach a label to the top of the box instructing children to reach into the hole. Scatter the boxes around the room. Print one copy of the My Guesses template for each child. As the children arrive, give each one a copy of the My Guesses template and a pencil or pen. Encourage them to investigate the boxes around the room. Let them know they shouldn t open the boxes. They may only pick them up, lightly shake them, or reach inside the box where indicated, using their ears to guess what might be inside. Then they can write down their guesses. After the children make guesses for all the boxes, invite them to sit in a circle and watch as you open each box to reveal what s inside. For each box, discuss: Did you guess correctly? What did you think it might have been? Were you surprised to see what was inside, or did you expect this all along? 4

5 Option 2: Guess the Drawing (for older kids) Christmas Picture cards (see Resources) Scissors Markers Paper SET UP Print and cut out the Christmas Picture cards. Optional: Cut blank paper into half-sheets or quarter-sheets to save paper. Select one child and hand him a Christmas Picture card. Have him take a look at the card without showing it to anyone. Then select a second child and hand her a blank paper and a marker. Have the first child whisper what is on his Christmas Picture card to the second child and ask her to draw the same image on her blank paper. As she draws, have the rest of the group see if they can guess what she s drawing. Repeat until all the cards have been used. After you finish, ask: What was it like trying to draw something you hadn t seen before? What was it like trying to guess what the picture was when you had no idea what it could be? DISCOVER// 30 min. Host/Worship Leader/Storyteller LARGE GROUP S E C T I O N Children participate in discovering God s Word through Bible Verse memorization, interactive storytelling techniques, and worship as response. Traditions and Remember Verse Mementos for your church Traditions (rocks, marbles, gum balls, etc.) Remember Verse image (see Resources) Remember Verse animation (see Resources) Give the children mementos (such as rocks, marbles, or blocks) for accomplishments such as memorizing the Remember Verse or bringing their Bibles. Have them put the objects into a clear container or add them to a structure, and celebrate when it s complete. This week s Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that s highlighted in today s portion of The Big God Story. 5

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 Connect Encourage the members of your community to get to know one another through engaging questions, energizing games, and creative activities. Question What do you look forward to most at Christmas? Why? Activity: Christmas Scramble Connect Activity image (see Resources) Connect Question image (see Resources) Gift bows (1 per child, various colors, adhesive) Ask children to stand in a circle with their backs facing into the circle so they can t see one another. Give each child a gift bow and have him stick it to his shirt. Then tell the children that on the count of three, they should find a new friend with the same color bow. As the kids meet and introduce themselves, ask them to tell one another what they look forward to most about Christmas. The Big God Story Bible Passage: Isaiah 7:14; 9:1 7; Luke 1:1 4, Storytelling Technique: Revealing a Gift Jesus Is Immanuel Timeline image (see Resources) Timeline animation video (see Resources) Images: Israelites in Wilderness, Israelites as Nation with King, Isaiah (see Resources) Optional: Storytelling video (see Resources) Bibles Puzzles (2, large-piece) Baby doll Cardboard gift box (big enough to hold baby doll) Christmas wrapping paper Scissors Tape Permanent marker PREPARE AHEAD Place the baby doll inside of the cardboard gift box and wrap it with Christmas wrapping paper. On the 6

7 wrapping paper, write Luke 1: Then wrap the box again. Now write Isaiah 7:14 on the wrapping paper. Finally, wrap the box one last time and place it in the storytelling area. SET UP Put the two large-piece puzzles in the storytelling area, but take away the boxes so the kids won t see the finished pictures. Ask for six to eight child volunteers to come up front. Make two teams of volunteers, and assign each team to one of the large-piece puzzles. On your signal, have them race to see which team can put together its puzzle faster. After the race, ask the kids: Before you finished the puzzle, did you know what it would look like? Did you know what the finished picture would be? As you put the puzzle together, did you need more pieces before you could figure out the picture? Interact with their responses. Then thank them for volunteering and ask them to return to their seats. Sometimes The Big God Story feels like a giant puzzle. When you work on a puzzle, you can t see the whole picture until you ve put together all of the pieces. During the past few weeks we ve heard about many pieces of The Big God Story, including how God created the world and formed a covenant with Abraham and God s people, the Israelites. Today we re going to fast-forward through The Big God Story a bit to fill in the most important piece of The Big God Story the piece when Jesus, God s Son, came to be with us. First, let s pray and ask God to teach us. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. Last week we heard about the Israelites in the wilderness and how God claimed them as His people. Tech: Cue Israelites in Wilderness image. The Israelites stayed in the wilderness for 40 years. Then God brought them into their new land and eventually gave them a king. Tech: Cue Israelites as Nation with King image. Later, the Israelites broke into two separate kingdoms called Israel and Judah. God then sent a prophet named Isaiah to Judah. Tech: Cue Isaiah image. Who knows what a prophet is? Allow responses. A prophet is a person who shares God s message. The message Isaiah would share was very important. It would reveal more about God s plans for His people and the amazing gift He planned to give them. Invite a child to come to the front, take the wrapped box, and carefully unwrap the first layer to reveal Isaiah 7:14. Ask her to read the reference aloud and, if comfortable, also read the verse aloud from a Bible. Otherwise, read the verse for the kids, and encourage them to follow along in their Bibles. God said through Isaiah that a virgin would give birth to a son and call him Immanuel. What does this mean? Allow responses. Then read the verse again. Immanuel means God with us. God revealed more about His plans many years later when He sent an angel to speak to a young woman in a small country town called Nazareth. Do you know what her name was? Allow responses. That s right! It was Mary. Imagine Mary, a young girl maybe 15 years old, at her house one night when all of a sudden an angel appeared! He said, Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you (Luke 1:28). Mary was overwhelmed, but the angel told her to not be afraid. Then the angel revealed to Mary the meaning of the prophecy from Isaiah long ago. Read the prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 again. What does this mean? Who would be Immanuel? Pause for responses. Then invite a second child to carefully unwrap the next layer of wrapping paper from the box to reveal Luke 1:31 32, and read the reference aloud. The angel said to Mary, You will give birth to a son and [he] will be called the Son of the Most High. Wow! So Mary was the young woman in Isaiah s prophecy! And this baby wouldn t be just any baby. This 7

8 baby would be God s Son! As you probably know, Mary believed the angel. She knew how good this news was, and she was overwhelmed with joy because God had chosen her. In her excitement, Mary said, My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors (Luke 1:46 47, 54 55). Then Mary told her cousin Elizabeth the good news, and they celebrated together. Invite one last child to come unwrap the gift with the baby doll inside. Jesus, God s Son, was Immanuel God with us the One whom the Israelites had heard about for hundreds of years. He came to be with us! That s the best gift anyone s ever received! Share an age-appropriate story of how God s Son coming to earth to be with you has changed your life. Because God came to be with us, to be one of us, and to die for us, we all have the opportunity to be forgiven of our sins and become a part of His family and to join together as a faith community. That s amazing! Worship Response This time allows kids to respond to God through worship. Make plans for your worship time, but prepare yourself and your team to hold them loosely if the Holy Spirit leads the group in a different direction. Worship music (suggestion: Glorious [Great and Mighty], TruWorship Sincerely Yours) Worship response stations: Prayer Wall, Prayer Journals Since the beginning of The Big God Story, God had a plan to bring His Son into the world to bring us back to Him. God told His people He would bring them a Savior. When the angel told Mary that she would give birth to God s Son, she felt afraid but also excited. She was so excited that she praised and celebrated God. Then she sang a song of worship. The Bible calls this Mary s song. Read Mary s song from Luke 1: Today we heard how God s prophecies came true God came to be with us through His Son, Jesus. Jesus is Immanuel. That s something to be thankful for! Let s celebrate together as a faith community that God has come to us and has invited us into this family! Tech: Cue music. Invite the kids to sing along and worship God together as a faith community. Invite them to visit whichever worship response stations they d like. SMALL GROUP S E C T I O N RESPOND// 15 min. Small Group Leaders Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond 8

9 through creative activities and games. Reflect: Jesus Is Immanuel Encourage the kids to open their Bibles and read the suggested passages. Questions for Younger Kids What is a prophet? What does a prophet do? How does it make you feel to know God came to be with you? Read Luke 1:28 33 or ask a few volunteers to read it while the kids follow along. How would you respond if an angel visited you with a message this big? How do you want to celebrate God coming to be with us? Questions for Older Kids Ask a volunteer to read Isaiah 6:8 aloud while the kids follow along. What do you think it would have been like to be a prophet? Why do you think Isaiah was so eager to be a prophet? Would you have been as eager as Isaiah? Why or why not? Read Luke 1:29 aloud or ask a volunteer to read it while the kids follow along. How do you think you would have felt if you d been in Mary s position? Ask the kids to listen carefully as you read Luke 1:46 55 while they follow along. After you finish, read the passage one more time. Does anything stand out to you in Mary s song? Can you relate to her words? How does it make you feel to know God kept His promise to send His Son to be with us? Why do you think it matters that God brought Jesus into the world just like He said He would? Name Jumble Children will explore various names of Jesus in this searching game. Foam letters (4 boxes) Resealable bags (4, gallon-size) Permanent marker SET UP Number the bags one through four, writing a number on each bag with permanent marker. Each bag will be filled with foam letters spelling out one of the names of God from the Remember Verse. Sort through the letters to find those needed for each name and place them in the corresponding bag number. Bag one: Wonderful 9

10 Counselor. Bag two: Mighty God. Bag three: Everlasting Father. Bag four: Prince of Peace. Hide each bag in a different location around the room. Put kids into four groups and choose a leader from each group. Then review the Remember Verse together. Encourage the kids to repeat it a few times. These aren t simply names for Jesus they re descriptions that teach us about Him. We learn that He is our Counselor, the One who guides us through life. We re reminded that He is mighty. No problem is too great for Him. He s also the Everlasting Father. We are His kids His family! He will never leave us. He is the Prince of Peace. He teaches us how to have peace with ourselves, in our communities, and in our world. We have hidden four bags around the room. Each bag is filled with letters that spell out one of the names of Jesus. Assign a bag number to each team. The leader of your group will search the room to find the bag. Cheer your leaders on while they search! Once your leader finds your bag and brings it to your group, work together to figure out the name all the letters spell out. As a team, put the letters in the correct order and then call out the name loudly when you are done arranging the letters. Blessing Cards Children will have the opportunity to bless others in their community this season by making cards. Card stock (1 sheet per child) Markers, crayons, or colored pencils Misc. craft supplies (stickers, glitter, ribbon, etc.) PREPARE AHEAD Get in touch with a local shelter, orphanage, nursing home, or missionary group. Ask if the kids may make cards for people in these organizations. Also ask the parents of your kids if they d be willing to personally deliver their cards. Have the kids decorate and write cards to the people at the organizations you chose. Encourage them to create pictures and write words that bless these people with the truth that God came to earth and made the way to be in relationship with Him. BLESS// 5 min. Small Group Leaders Children receive a blessing from their leaders and sometimes one another. A blessing may be prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. 10

11 HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 3 (see Resources) Remember Verse cards (see Resources) Bible As you bless your kids, tell them they have the opportunity to also be a blessing to others. Encourage them to freely share the joy and love they have received from God. As children prepare to receive a blessing, invite them to be still for a moment and remember that God came to be with us. He is always present and active in our lives. Encourage the kids to stand with their palms open, silently asking God to make His presence known to them. After a few moments, pray a blessing over them. Open a Bible and read the Remember Verse, Isaiah 9:6: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. May you go out this week with peace. May you know that Jesus is Immanuel God with us. Send home Remember Verse cards and the HomeFront Weekly with your kids. 11

2.3. God Is Hope. December 12, Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 7; Matthew 1; Isaiah 7:1 14 (Joseph) Schedule EXPLORE DISCOVER RESPOND BLESS

2.3. God Is Hope. December 12, Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 7; Matthew 1; Isaiah 7:1 14 (Joseph) Schedule EXPLORE DISCOVER RESPOND BLESS December 12, 2018 Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 7; Matthew 1; Isaiah 7:1 14 (Joseph) God Is Hope REMEMBER VERSE For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And