1 st -3 rd Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 16, Session 1: Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph

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1 TEACHER BIBLE STUDY People had been waiting a long time for Jesus. God hinted at His coming in the garden of Eden when He promised a seed to conquer the serpent. (Genesis 3:15) The prophets told of His coming hundreds of years before His birth. God was working out His plan to reconcile people to Himself. In the Bible, God often used angels to communicate His message to people. Angels spoke to Abraham in Genesis 18. The Angel of the Lord spoke to Balaam in Numbers 22. Now Mary and Joseph, the earthly parents of Jesus, each received a special visit from an angel to announce the birth of God s promised Messiah. The angel Gabriel s announcement to Mary surprised her. God chose Mary to be the mother of His child. The angel s message revealed much about this promised child. First, He would be great in both being and nature. He would be the Son of the Most High. Jesus is the Son of God, and the Lord God promised to give Him the throne of His father David. These words fulfilled the prophecy given to David in 2 Samuel 7: Jesus would reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom would have no end. The good news that Jesus was coming into the world was good news because of why He was coming. An angel revealed Jesus purpose to Joseph in Matthew 1:21, He will save His people from their sins. The gospel is the good news of what God has done for us through Christ. The announcement of Jesus birth is not the beginning of the gospel; God had been planning for this moment since before the beginning of time. (See Ephesians 1:3-10.) Help the kids you teach understand that God s plan has always been to save sinners and bring them back to Himself. Jesus, whose name means Yahweh saves, is the center of that plan. LESSON OVERVIEW/SCHEDULE Session Title: Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph Bible Passage: Luke 1:26-56; Matthew 1:18-24 Big Picture Question: What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. Key Passage: Luke 2:30-32 Unit Christ Connection: The Savior God had promised was born. Transition Time Welcome time Activity sheet/table Centers Session starter (10 minutes) 1

2 Lesson Countdown Introduce the session (1 minute) Timeline Map (1 minute) Big picture question (1 minute) Sing (5 minutes) Key passage (4 minutes) Tell the Bible story (10 minutes) Discussion starter video (3 minutes) The Gospel: God s Plan for Me (optional) Prayer (5 minutes) Table Time Timeline map (1 minute) Bible story review (10 minutes) Large Group Review / Activities Key passage activity (5 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Prayer (5 minutes) THE BIBLE STORY/OVERVIEW Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph Luke 1:26-56; Matthew 1:18-24 One day God sent an angel named Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth. The angel went to visit a young virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to Joseph, a descendant of King David. The angel said to Mary, Rejoice! You have found favor with God. He is with you. Mary was very afraid and puzzled. Why would God find favor with her? She had done nothing special. The angel told Mary to not be afraid. He told Mary that she was going to have a very special and unique baby, and they would call the baby Jesus, which means the Lord saves. The angel explained that the baby would be great He would be God s Son! He would even be a king the King God had promised would come. Mary asked the angel, How can that happen? I am not married yet. The angel replied, The Holy Spirit will come, and a miracle will happen. The baby will be God s Son. The angel Gabriel told Mary, Nothing will be impossible with God! He told Mary that her relative Elizabeth was pregnant, even though she was old and did not have any children. 2

3 Mary replied, I belong to God. May everything happen just as you said. Then the angel left her. Mary hurried to her relative Elizabeth s house. When she arrived, the baby inside Elizabeth leaped for joy! The Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth and she said, What an honor, Mary! Your baby will be blessed too! Mary was so happy. She praised God with a song about how great God is. Mary knew every family in the future would say she was blessed because God was going to do great things for her through Jesus. God was keeping His promise to bless the whole world through Jesus. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months. Then she went home. Now Joseph found out Mary was going to have a baby, but Joseph knew it was not his baby Mary and Joseph were not married yet! Joseph decided to break his engagement with Mary so she would not be publicly disgraced. Soon after Joseph thought these things, an angel appeared to him in a dream. Joseph! the angel said. Don t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the baby she is carrying was put there by the Holy Spirit. Mary is going to have a son; name Him Jesus because He is going to save His people from their sins! This happened just like the prophet said it would: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated God with us. When Joseph woke up, he did exactly as the angel commanded. He married Mary, and when she had a son, Joseph named Him Jesus. Christ Connection: Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14). The baby Jesus fulfilled Isaiah s prophecy, as well as other prophecies of the coming Savior throughout the Old Testament. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled God s plan of redemption that God planned from the beginning of the world. TRANSITION TIME Session Title: Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph Bible Passage: Luke 1:26-56; Matthew 1:18-24 Big Picture Question: What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. Key Passage: Luke 2:30-32 Unit Christ Connection: The Savior God had promised was born. Welcome time Tip: As kids arrive this is a great time to collect the offering, fill out attendance sheets, and help new kids connect to your group. 3

4 Arriving Activity: Celebration Invitation blank postcards or heavyweight paper markers Provide each child with a blank postcard, or make your own using heavyweight paper. Draw a line if the card doesn t have one down the middle of one side of the card. Then invite the kids to write the message Come celebrate Jesus birth with us on [Add the day and date.]! to the left of the line. Explain that kids should color and decorate the front of the cards with a Christmas theme. Encourage each kid to give or mail the card to a friend, or invite a leader to mail the cards to kids on the roll who haven t attended recently. Say In today s Bible story, two people were invited to be part of Jesus birth. Activities/Table Centers (5 minutes) Table centers (Miscellaneous Activities) Good News activity sheet / Bible Story Coloring Sheet, 1 per kid pencils, markers or crayons Guide boys and girls to complete the activity page. Say Everybody likes good news. You will learn lots of good news today. If time remains, allow kids to complete the coloring page provided with this session. Session Starter (10 minutes) Option 1: Message Me Back Invite the kids to form groups of two. Each group needs to send one person to a leader. The leader will quietly give instructions about a shape the kid will draw with her finger on her partner s back. Her partner must try to be the first to guess the shape. After one round, invite the kids to swap roles so everyone gets to draw and guess. Provide simple shapes for younger kids like squares, triangles, circles, and so forth. For older kids, try things like houses, trees, flowers, and so forth. Give it a Christmas feel by adding candy canes, snowmen, and Christmas stockings. Play as time allows. Say Each of you had to guess a message being drawn on your back. God had a message for two people in today s Bible story, but He used another way of delivering it. Option 2: World Cookie plain sugar cookies or vanilla wafers blue cake icing green sprinkles paper towels, 2 sheets per kid Allergy Alert plastic knives, 1 per kid Offer a plain sugar cookie to each kid and a paper towel to lay it on. You may also substitute with a vanilla wafer. Encourage each kid to cover the cookie with blue icing and then use the green sprinkles to create his own small globe. Explain that the blue icing is the ocean while the green sprinkles form land. Invite the kids to eat the cookies when finished as a special snack. 4

5 Say God sent a message to two people that would change the whole world, and it all had to do with a little baby. Transition to large group LESSON Session Title: Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph Bible Passage: Luke 1:26-56; Matthew 1:18-24 Big Picture Question: What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. Key Passage: Luke 2:30-32 Unit Christ Connection: The Savior God had promised was born. Suggested Theme Decorating Ideas: Use any traditional Christmas decorations that are appropriate for your church environment. Since you may have to stop in the middle of another unit to celebrate Christmas, feel free to give the decorations you already have a Christmas feel. Countdown countdown video (on provided DVD with lesson videos and worship) Show the countdown video as you clean-up table centers, set up classroom chairs for the lesson and set it to end as large group time begins. Introduce the session (1 minute) Christmas card [Large group leader enters with a Christmas card. Read the card.] Leader How many of you get cards like this every year? What holiday is coming up when you get these cards? That s right! It s Christmas. People have been sending these cards for more than 100 years. That s a long time, but the message of Christmas is far more than 100 years old. It s more than 2,000 years old! What do we celebrate at Christmas? We celebrate the birth of Jesus! Guess what? The Old Testament says that God planned to send Jesus long before the world was even made. When it was finally time, He chose two people to have special roles in Jesus birth. Timeline Map (1 minute) Timeline Map (small group visual pack copies provided for Table Time Review) Leader We are going to jump ahead a little on our timeline map to see when the events of Christmas actually happened. Christmas may just be a few feet away on our map, but from 5

6 where we left off, it s actually hundreds of years away. From the beginning of our timeline, God used judges, kings, priests, prophets, and others to give the people hope. A Savior was coming. Big picture question (1 minute) Big Picture Question: What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? - 11x17 poster provided Leader We can learn all about the times before, during, and after Jesus birth in God s Word. We call it the Bible. Who has a Bible today? When you have your Bible, you have God s actual words. How awesome is that? Let s take our first look at the big picture question. What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? Sing (5 minutes) Worship Song: Shout for Joy (on provided DVD) Leader God promised to send a Messiah all throughout the Old Testament, but God s people were mistreated and ruled by other countries for many years because of the their sin. Jesus was about to give the people hope in a very dark time. They were about to have a reason to shout for joy. That s the title of our theme song. Let s hear it and join in as we learn the words. Sing together Shout for Joy. Key passage (4 minutes) Key Passage Poster: Luke 2:30-32 (provided) Worship Song: Glory to Your People (on provided DVD) Leader A man named Simeon knew the birth of Jesus was coming soon. God promised Simeon that he would see the promised Messiah. Our key passage for the next few weeks is what Simeon said after he saw Baby Jesus. Show the slide or poster of the unit s key passage, Luke 2: Lead the boys and girls to read the verses together. Sing together Glory to Your People. Tell the Bible Story (10 minutes) Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph video (on provided DVD) Bibles, 1 per kid Bible Story Picture Slide or Poster Leader Open your Bibles to Luke 1. Part of our story is found in Luke 1 and the other part in Matthew 1. As you watch and listen to the Bible story, see if you discover the answer to the big picture question, What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? Show the Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph video, or tell the Bible story in your own words using the script provided. For a shorter version of the story, read only the bolded text. Leader God was about to send the promised Savior, or Messiah, to the world, and He was going to use two everyday people to do it. The angel Gabriel told Mary she was going to be Jesus mother. An angel told Joseph in a dream that he should be Mary s husband, so he would be Jesus dad on earth. I bet everyone can answer the big picture question now. What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents 6

7 of Jesus. Mary s cousin Elizabeth and the baby inside her belly both realized how special Jesus was. The baby jumped for joy inside Elizabeth, and Elizabeth told Mary how blessed she was to be Jesus mother. Prophets like Isaiah had promised in the Old Testament what was about to happen. God was about to send His Son, and Mary and Joseph would be His earthly parents. Ask the following review questions: What did the angel tell Mary she would have? (a baby boy, Luke 1:31) What family member told Mary how blessed she was to be Jesus mother? (Elizabeth, Luke 1:41-42) What did the angel tell Joseph in a dream? (to marry Mary, Matthew 1:20) What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. What name did Isaiah give Jesus in the Old Testament? (Immanuel; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23) Discussion starter video (3 minutes) Unit 16, Session 1 - Discussion Starter Video (on provided DVD) Big Picture Question: What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? - 11x17 poster provided Leader Mary was surprised to be chosen as Jesus mother. She didn t think of herself as anyone special. Have you ever felt like you weren t good enough to do something? Show the Unit 16 Session 1 video. Leader Mary was probably like most other young girls. Do you know what made her special? God chose her to be part of His plan. What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. Do you think God can use you as part of His plan? Of course! God used all kinds of people in the Bible who wondered if they were the right choice. Moses, Gideon, and Jeremiah are just a few of them. God gives us gifts and talents to do His will after we repent and trust in Jesus. Jesus did something we couldn t do. He followed God s plan to save the world. Jesus took our punishment for sin so we wouldn t have to be punished. The Gospel: God s Plan for Me (optional) Use Scripture and the guide provided with this session to explain to boys and girls how to become a Christian. Assign individuals to meet with kids who have more questions. If this is not possible, encourage boys and girls to ask their parents, small group leaders, or other Christian adults any questions they may have about becoming a Christian. Prayer (5 minutes) Big Picture Question: What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? - 11x17 poster provided Show the big picture question slide or poster. Leader Let s take a moment to remember the answer to today s big picture question. What 7

8 part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. Choose one kid to be Mary and another to be Joseph. Invite Mary to ask the big picture question and Joseph to give the answer. Choose another Mary and Joseph and repeat. Continue as time allows. Before transitioning to small group, make any necessary announcements. Lead the kids in prayer. Pray that God will allow the kids to see Christmas for what it really is: a celebration of Jesus and His birth. Dismiss to small groups for Table Time The Gospel: God s Plan for Me Ask kids if they have ever heard the word gospel. Clarify that the word gospel means good news. It is the message about Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation. Use the following guide to share the gospel with kids. God rules. Explain to kids that the Bible tells us God created everything, and He is in charge of everything. Invite a volunteer to read Genesis 1:1 from the Bible. Read Revelation 4:11 or Colossians 1:16-17 aloud and explain what these verses mean. We sinned. Tell kids that since the time of Adam and Eve, everyone has chosen to disobey God. (Romans 3:23) The Bible calls this sin. Because God is holy, God cannot be around sin. Sin separates us from God and deserves God s punishment of death. (Romans 6:23) God provided. Choose a child to read John 3:16 aloud. Say that God sent His Son, Jesus, the perfect solution to our sin problem, to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. It s something we, as sinners, could never earn on our own. Jesus alone saves us. Read and explain Ephesians 2:8-9. Jesus gives. Share with kids that Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. Because Jesus gave up His life for us, we can be welcomed into God s family for eternity. This is the best gift ever! Read Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; or 1 Peter 3:18. We respond. Tell kids that they can respond to Jesus. Read Romans 10:9-10,13. Review these aspects of our response: Believe in your heart that Jesus alone saves you through what He s already done on the cross. Repent, turning from self and sin to Jesus. Tell God and others that your faith is in Jesus. Offer to talk with any child who is interested in responding to Jesus. 8

9 TABLE TIME LEADER Session Title: Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph Bible Passage: Luke 1:26-56; Matthew 1:18-24 Big Picture Question: What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. Key Passage: Luke 2:30-32 Unit Christ Connection: The Savior God had promised was born. Bible story review (10 minutes) Tip: Divide children into small groups for table time. Each group should include an adult leader at the table. Bibles, 1 per kid Timeline (small group visual pack extra copies provided for Table Time Review) Big Picture Question: What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? (11x17 poster provided in classroom) blank index cards (available in your Activity Choice bin) marker Encourage the kids to find Luke 1:26-56 and Matthew 1:18-24 in their Bibles. Help them as needed. Say Does the Old Testament talk about Jesus birth? (Yes) Are Matthew and Luke in the Old Testament or New Testament? (New Testament) Both books are part of what we call the Gospels. They are the first four books of the New Testament. Does anyone know the names of those books? (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) Which of these books tell the story of Jesus birth? (Matthew, Luke) Use the small group visual pack to show kids where today s Bible story is on the timeline. Write the bolded text portions of the Bible story, a few sentences at a time, on index cards. Give each section of the story to a volunteer to read. If only a few kids volunteer, invite a leader to read any portions remaining. After volunteers read each section, ask the kids who are listening to explain what they heard. Say Joseph and Mary were just a young couple getting ready to be married. Suddenly, an angel appeared and told Mary she would have a baby. The baby would be God s Son. Joseph didn t understand at first, but then he got a visit from an angel too. Mary and Joseph were both part of God s plan. Show the big picture question slide or poster. Say What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. 9

10 LARGE GROUP REVIEW AND ACTIVITIES Key passage activity (5 minutes) Ornament Scatter Instructions dry erase board and markers (optional) Key Passage Poster: Luke 2:30-32 (provided) laminated ornament verse cards 2 sets/classroom Make sure the key passage, Luke 2:30-32, is visible for each child, either as the printed poster or written on a dry erase board. Read the verses together. Say Can you imagine what it would have been like to hold Baby Jesus? Simeon held baby Jesus, and Simeon understood that Jesus was the promised Savior for the entire world. We can understand that too! A phrase of the key passage has been placed on each ornament card. One set of ornaments have been created for each team. Place all of each team s ornaments in a pile on the floor. Form two teams. Tape a start line. In relay-race style, each team member will take turns running to their pile to retrieve one ornament and bring it back to the starting line. Continue the relay until the teams have retrieved all of their ornaments. The teams will need to work together to put the ornaments in order of the key passage. Guide kids to read the passage together. The first team to retrieve, and line up all of their ornaments in order and read the passage together is the winner. Say How many of you remember hearing or reading this key passage before today? It is an important message about Jesus. Try to memorize the first half of the passage this week. Activity Choice (10 minutes) Option 1: Names for Jesus masking tape Yes/No Cards buckets, (2 per classroom) small balls or beanbags (2 per classroom) Tape a start line, and place two containers several feet away. Tape a sign on one container that says Yes and a sign on the other that says No. Explain that the Bible is full of names that describe Jesus and His purpose. Many of those names come from the Book of Isaiah, written hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Form two groups, and invite each group to line up single file. Give the first kid in each line a ball or beanbag. Explain that each group will listen to a name Jesus was given in the Bible. The team must guess whether that name is found in Isaiah. Players may decide together, but the answer isn t official until the first kid in line tosses the ball/beanbag in the correct container. The 10

11 ball/beanbag goes into the Yes container if the name is in Isaiah, or the No container if it is not. The first team to get its ball/beanbag into the correct container wins. Repeat with the next kid in line tossing the ball/beanbag. Use the following names to play: Jesus (no, Matthew 1:21) Immanuel (yes, Isaiah 7:14) Son of David (no, Matthew 9:27) Bread of life (no, John 6:35) Mighty God (yes, Isaiah 9:6) Prince of peace (yes, Isaiah 9:6) Light of the world (no, John 9:5) Good Shepherd (no, John 10:11) Wonderful Counselor (yes, Isaiah 9:6) Say The message sent to Mary and Joseph was part of God s plan to save the world from even before time began. What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. Hundreds of years before God shared His plan with Mary and Joseph, He shared it with a prophet named Isaiah. Option 2: Message Holder large craft sticks, 1 per kid clothespins, 2 per kid 2-inch pieces of magnetic tape, 1 per kid red and green paint or markers glue Distribute a large wooden craft stick, two wooden clothespins, and a 2-inch piece of magnetic tape to each kid. Encourage the kids to paint or color the wood items red and green. Add other decorations if you wish. Demonstrate how to glue one clothespin on each end of the craft stick so the clips can hold a piece of paper. Place the strip of magnetic tape in the middle on the other side of the craft stick. Suggest the kids draw pictures to remind them of the true message of Christmas, and then hang them on the message holders. Say God sent an angel to Mary and Joseph to tell them God s plan for them. What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. Prayer and Clean-Up (5 minutes) Say Let s say our big picture question and answer together one more time. What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. If time remains, take prayer requests. Pray, thanking God for planning to send Jesus. Pray for each child by name, asking God to remind him what Christmas is really about Jesus. Clean-Up Room 11

12 Instructions: On the web page below, draw a picture or write about a time when you received good news. UNIT 16 Session 1 Younger Kids Activity Pages Christmas 2013 Lifeway

13 Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph Luke 1:26-56; Matthew 1: Lifeway

14 For my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. Luke 2:30-32 UNIT 16 Key Passage Poster (ESV) 2013 LifeWay OK TO PRINT Christmas

15 Family Journal Page Christmas Find some Christmas cards showing angels. Compare the angels. Read what the angel said to Zechariah. (Luke 1:13) Read what the angel Gabriel said to Mary. (Luke 1:30) Read what the angel of the Lord said to the shepherds. (Luke 2:10) Talk about why angels would say, Don t be afraid. Write your thoughts below. Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph Luke 1:26-56; Matthew 1:18-24 Preschool Key Passage: Luke 2:30,32 Big Picture Question: What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. Christ Connection: Many of God s prophets talked about Jesus before He was born. Everything they said about Jesus was true. Before He created the world, God planned to send Jesus. Jesus came to do God s plan, to rescue people from sin. Kids Key Passage: Luke 2:30-32 Big Picture Question: What part did Mary and Joseph have in God s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. Christ Connection: Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14). The baby Jesus fulfilled Isaiah s prophecy, as well as other prophecies of the coming Savior throughout the Old Testament. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled God s plan of redemption that God planned from the beginning of the world. UNIT 16 Session LifeWay OK TO PRINT