Get Ready for Christmas Leader Guide: Lesson 4

Transcription

1 Get Ready for Christmas Leader Guide: Lesson 4 December 23rd Elementary Jesus Has Visitors Series Verse But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord, Luke 2:10-11 NIV The Point of the Lesson: Each student will learn that the shepherds and the wise men sought to find Jesus. They were actively seeking to find Him. And they did find Him! The shepherds found Him right away, but the wise men found Him a few years later. Students will learn that if they want to find Jesus, they also need to actively seek after Him by doing things like going to church, reading the Bible and praying to Him. The Power of God s Word: Seek the Lord while you can find Him. Call on Him now while He is near. The Prayer of Each Child: Dear God, Thank You that the shepherds and the wise men taught us how important it is to seek You. They didn t just sit around and wish to find Jesus, but were actively seeking Him. Help me to be like them and seek to know You better each day of my life. Help me to make time to read the Bible and pray to You and also to make going to church a priority in my life. Thank You so much that You love me and want to know me personally. I m so glad that You promise that if I seek after You, I will find You. In Jesus Name, Amen. The Lesson in a Word: Seek 1

2 Prepare: (Before service) Object Lesson: Map Game Materials: None Student Handouts: Enteraction Guide for the week Student Handout one for early elementary & one for older elementary Activity Sheets 1 st & 2 nd Grade Game: Small Baby Jesus doll or figure could even be laminated picture if needed Introduction: Big Room come in at 11:05 Countdown Welcome from MC: Hello everybody! Are you guys awake today or are you all worn out from all the Christmas fun? Raise your hands if you are feeling tired. Now, let me hear you shout if you are not tired! Alright, great! I hope you are awake because today we are going to have a great time together! Mingle Question Would you rather go on a scavenger hunt or follow a treasure map? Worship Songs for the week Prayer Announcements: Upcoming Events, Birthday, Visitors Send Kindergarten back to class Object Lesson: Object Lesson: (Holding Map) Check this out. I have this super cool map, and I have been looking at it all morning trying to figure out how to get to my friend s house. But it s pretty hard to read. I have to know which way is North and that is tricky to me. But I really want to go to my friend s house because he is so much fun and he really likes me. Whenever I hang out with him, I feel better. So I am not going to give up, but I am going to keep seeking to find his house. Hey, that reminds me of our story today. There were a couple groups of people trying to find Jesus, but not using a map; they had a star to follow! 2

3 Video Lesson: (15 Minutes) This process includes the minute teaching video, practice point and memory verse. On the DVD Menu Screen, choose Lesson 4 and then select Lesson 4 on the sub-menu to play all of the following pieces to the Lesson. Lesson in a Word: Seek Memory Verse: Seek the Lord while you can find Him. Call on Him now while he is near. What Should I See? Did you know after Jesus was born He had visitors? That s right, visitors. Some of the visitors came quickly; other visitors came a few years later. The first visitors to arrive were shepherds. They came almost immediately. The Bible says that they saw Jesus lying in the manger in the stable. You see, some shepherds were watching over their sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared to them with a bright light. The shepherds were terrified of the angel. They didn t know why he was there. But the angel said, Don t be afraid! I bring you good news that will bring joy for all people. The shepherds must have wondered what the good news was. Then the angel said, Today in Bethlehem, a Savior has been born to you, He is Christ the Lord. The angel told them where to go and where to find Jesus. The shepherds left their field and went to seek Jesus. In a town many miles away from where Jesus was born there was another group of men who were studying the stars. They watched the stars every night. One night they saw a bright new star up in the sky. They knew that the star meant a new King had come. He would be a very special King, and He would rule over all the people. The wise men wanted to seek and find Jesus and worship Him, so they packed their bags for the long trip and started out to follow the star. The star stopped over the place where the now young child, Jesus, was. Inside the house, the wise men found Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. They were so happy to find the child they had been seeking. They brought Jesus presents of gold, sweet perfume, and special spices. (Source: Luke 2:8-20 and Matthew 2:1-11) What s The Key? The key to this lesson today is to seek. It s kind of a funny word really, seek. Today we may say the word look or explore. The key is that you are not just sitting around. The shepherds and the wise men didn t just sit around after they were given a sign. They got up and started to seek. We should seek Jesus just like the shepherd and wise men. In other words, we need to look for Jesus every day so we can build a relationship with Him. Seek Jesus, that s the key. What s That To Me? Many people refuse to look for Jesus. They don t read His Word, they don t go to church, and they don t pray and talk to Him. They don t seek Him. You see, in order to find something you must look or seek for it. The same is true with Jesus. If you need to talk to 3

4 God, you need to seek Him in prayer. If you want to find out how to live a life that is pleasing to God you need to seek His Word, the Bible. Seeking is active. How Should I Be? Just like the shepherds and the wise men, you have a choice. You can look and seek for Jesus or you can do nothing. If you choose to seek Jesus in all that you do, it takes some work. The shepherds had a long walk to the stable, and they had to leave their field and sheep to seek Jesus. The wise men had a longer journey. They had to pack for their trip, and I m sure encountered difficulty on their journey, yet they still went to seek Jesus. The same is true for us. Seeking doesn t come easy, but there is one thing for sure. If you seek Jesus, you will find Him, that s a promise. Just ask the shepherds and the wise men! This week, try seeking Jesus by writing out a list of three things you want to find out about Him and then start seeking start by asking your parents, friends at church, God and even looking in the Bible for the answers. Practice Point: Looking, seeking, reading God s Word Jesus comes first, not second or third. Live It & Review If time: This 5-minute video shows either Craig or Ande sharing personal stories of how they have lived out the lesson in their own lives. On the DVD Menu Screen, choose Lesson 3 and then select Live-It on the sub-menu screen. This week s question: What does Christmas mean to you? Review: Lesson in a Word: Seek Practice Point: Looking, seeking, reading God s Word Jesus comes first, not second or third. Memory Verse: Seek the Lord while you can find Him. Call on Him now while he is near. Trophy Dismiss all kids 4

5 Before Big Room Check In Time: Get Ready for Christmas Lesson 4 Individual Classrooms 3 rd & 4th Have Christmas music playing Check In Kids Activity Sheets Start talking about getting ready for Christmas review last weeks message on Hope Prayer After Big Room Lesson 1. Total Recall Question 1: Who were the first visitors to come see Jesus? (Shepherds) Question 2: True or False: The shepherds were very afraid when the angel appeared to them. (True) Question 3: What was the good news the angel told the shepherds? (A Savior has been born, it is Jesus Christ) Question 4: What group of people came a few years later to visit Jesus? (The Wise Men) Question 5: What did the wise men follow to get to where Jesus and his family were? (A bright star) Question 6: True or false, The Wismen brought three gifts to Jesus. (True) Question 7: Where is our Bible verse found this week? Isaiah 55:6 Question 8: The lesson in a word is. (Seek) 2. Memory Madness Lesson in a Word: Seek Practice Point: Looking, seeking, reading God s Word Jesus comes first, not second or third. Memory Verse: Seek the Lord while you can find Him. Call on Him now while he is near. 5

6 3. Weekly Handout At this point, work on the weekly handouts with the kids. Things to Do Here: Question 1: What does it mean to seek? Question 2: Who should seek God? Question 3: List three ways you can seek God this week. **Allow the students a chance to fill in the information on the tear off flap portion of the Student Handout and turn them in to leaders. This provides them with a chance to share prayer requests, questions or comments with you! You may even want to have a special box or mailbox where they can drop those prayer requests in for you to read later. Be sure that someone on the Children s Ministry Staff at the church follows up on these prayer needs and that the kids are prayed for during the week. Things to Do at Home: Lastly, kids are dismissed to go and play games as they wait for their parents to pick them up. They take the student handout home and finish the last 3 questions during the week. You may want to offer an incentive of some type to students who return with their handout the following week to encourage them to finish it at home. Question 1: Find and read the following verses: Luke 2:8-20 and Matthew 2:1-11. Then check the box, when you are done. Question 2: Seeking God means being active. Try doing one thing each day of the week to spend time with God. Write down what you did. Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Question 3: What did you learn about God this week by spending time with Him? *** If they bring it back completed, they can get entered into the drawing! 4. Checkout Time Don t forget to send home the student weekly handout as well as the parent handout. 6

7 Before Big Room Get Ready for Christmas Lesson 4 Individual Classrooms 1 st & 2 nd Check In Time: Have Christmas music playing Check In Kids Activity Sheets Start talking about getting ready for Christmas review last weeks message on Hope Prayer After Big Room Lesson 1. Total Recall Question 1: Who were the first visitors to come see Jesus? (Shepherds) Question 2: True or False: The shepherds were very afraid when the angel appeared to them. (True) Question 3: What was the good news the angel told the shepherds? (A Savior has been born, it is Jesus Christ) Question 4: What group of people came a few years later to visit Jesus? (The Wise Men) Question 5: What did the wise men follow to get to where Jesus and his family were? (A bright star) Question 6: True or false, The Wismen brought three gifts to Jesus. (True) Question 7: Where is our Bible verse found this week? Isaiah 55:6 Question 8: The lesson in a word is. (Seek) 2. Memory Madness Lesson in a Word: Seek Practice Point: Looking, seeking, reading God s Word Jesus comes first, not second or third. Memory Verse: Seek the Lord while you can find Him. Call on Him now while he is near. 7

8 3. Group Activity (5 minutes) Here s a chance to get the kids up and moving around a bit with a little game that can be played in the classroom. Looking for Baby Jesus Game Directions: Leader hides Baby Jesus doll somewhere in the room before the game begins. All students find a partner. One of the partners is the camel and the other one is the wise man or lady. The child that is the camel must close his/her eyes and listen to the directions from the "wise man" in order to know where to look to find Baby Jesus. Once Baby Jesus is found, hide Him again if there is time. Lesson Tie In: Did you all enjoy seeking for Jesus in our game today? The wise men had to look for Jesus for a few years and follow the star in the sky to find Him, but they didn t give up. It takes effort to seek for something, doesn t it? God wants us to seek Him every day by reading the Bible and praying. 4. Weekly Handout At this point, work on the weekly handouts with the kids. Things to Do Here: Question 1: What does it mean to seek? Question 2: Who should seek God? Question 3: List three ways you can seek God this week. **Allow the students a chance to fill in the information on the tear off flap portion of the Student Handout and turn them in to leaders. This provides them with a chance to share prayer requests, questions or comments with you! You may even want to have a special box or mailbox where they can drop those prayer requests in for you to read later. Be sure that someone on the Children s Ministry Staff at the church follows up on these prayer needs and that the kids are prayed for during the week. *** If they bring it back completed, they can get entered into the drawing! 5. Prayer Time (5 minutes) Allow the students a chance to fill in the information on the tear off flap portion of the Student Handout and turn them in to leaders. This provides them with a chance to share prayer requests, questions or comments with you! You may even want to have a special box or mailbox where they can drop those prayer requests in for you to read later. Be sure that someone on the Children s Ministry Staff at the church follows up on these prayer needs and that the kids are prayed for during the week. 6. Checkout Time Don t forget to send home the student weekly handout as well as the parent handout. 8