Session 2 God Dwells With Us John 1:1-14 Worship Theme: Jesus lives in us. Weaving Faith Into Life: Children will worship Jesus because he is the light of their lives and of the world. Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Praise God! (up to 25 minutes) Sing Joy to the World! (track 3) O Come, All Ye Faithful (track 5) Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus (track 26) King Jesus Is All (track 14) Into My Heart (track 13) KidsOwn Worship Kit: Songs From FaithWeaver; Lesson Videos DVD: John 1 CD player, TV, DVD player Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Learn the Point! (up to 25 minutes) * Light of the World Make lanterns, and talk about lights. Flashlight Walk Walk using a flashlight as a guide. Shine Like Stars Shine Jesus light by playing a hugging game. 1 glass jar per child, several glue sticks, several sheets of colored tissue paper, string of Christmas lights Flashlight 20 KidsOwn Worship Winter Quarter
Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Learn the Point! (up to 25 minutes) * True Blue Light Watch a science experiment during which light appears, and draw word pictures. Praise Jesus Use their word pictures to praise Jesus. * Exploring Light Explore what light does for us, and talk about what Jesus does for us. KidsOwn Worship Kit: Luminol Glow Crystals 2 T. bleach, water, 2 glass containers, plastic spoon, towels, paper, pencils, markers Word pictures from the previous activity 1 short string of Christmas lights per 5 or 6 children, roll of masking tape Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Pray! (up to 10 minutes) The Offering Talk about the joy Jesus brings, and give their offerings. Light Prayer Talk about how Jesus is like Christmas lights in all parts of our lives. Thanks for Your Care Close in prayer and singing. Scissors, offering bowls, bells from Advent Symbols handout, tape, markers Christmas lights KidsOwn Worship Kit: Songs From FaithWeaver: O Come, All Ye Faithful (track 5) CD player * Starred activities can be used successfully with preschool and elementary children together. Customize your session to fit your needs. You can separate preschoolers and elementary children for Section 2. Or, if you keep the children all together for the entire worship session, we suggest you choose from the starred activities. Session 2 KidsOwn Worship 21
Bible Background for Leaders God Dwells With Us John 1:1-14 Like Mark s introduction, which we looked at last week, the first sentence of the book of John recalls Genesis 1:1. In this first section of his Gospel, John outlines the topic he explores throughout the entire book: The Word Jesus was human, was divine, and came to provide salvation for all who believe. It s interesting to note that in the Greek the emphasis in the first sentence isn t on the subject, the Word. Instead it s on the beginning. John wanted to make it clear that Jesus himself was present in the beginning, before the creation of the world. The fact that John says Jesus was with God makes it clear that he is distinct from the Father, but John then says that Jesus was God, also making it clear that he is fully divine. The Word is a title given to Jesus in the Bible only by John. John saw Jesus as the ultimate revelation of God the Word of God in human form. Jesus spoke words that were the Word of God, but more than that, his whole life embodied revelation from God. In emphasizing that Jesus is God, John points out in verse 3 that Jesus was active in Creation. Thus, we have a picture of the Trinity at work in Creation: The Father spoke, and through the acting of the Word, his words were carried out as the Spirit moved upon the waters. Though Jesus, the Godman, was physically born at a point in time, the Word exists eternally as God. John leaves no doubt in his readers minds that Jesus is fully divine. You can sense John s incredulity as you read John 1:9-11. It seems impossible that light from God, embodied in the One who had himself created the world, could have come to earth and not be recognized for who he was. And it s even more difficult to believe that this ultimately powerful God didn t just wipe out all those who rejected him! Instead, he offered the right to become children of God (verse 3) just for receiving and believing in him. What an amazing and merciful God! In verse 14, John points out what may be the hardest idea of all for his readers to accept. The Word, God himself, didn t come to earth just to teach people or to live among people, but he came as flesh a human being with all the struggles and temptations we face. However, in becoming flesh, the Word did not cease to be God. Jesus was fully God and fully human. For the benefit of doubters, John says, in essence, We know it s true because we ve seen him. Jesus revealed the glory of God himself to people on earth. God s done it all for us. All we need to do is believe. Devotion for Leaders Fully God and fully man, Jesus lived with people on this earth 2,000 years ago. He died, he rose again, and he lives with us today. That s reason to celebrate! Weaving Faith Into Your Life: Our God is not far from our concerns and our daily lives. No! Our God, Jesus Christ, lives within us. He s our constant companion our brother, our hope, our friend. Are you living with the full awareness of Jesus presence in your life? Thank Jesus for being your friend, and strive to be more aware of his companionship and counsel. 22 KidsOwn Worship Winter Quarter
Why We Worship for Leaders The first chapter of John says that the Creator of the universe, the one who spoke the world into existence, came to the world to live with us for a while. It says that Jesus, the light of the world, came into our darkened, sin-filled world to illuminate the way back to a relationship with God. All that is required of us is belief; God asks that we believe and trust in his Son. For that, we are given the opportunity to become the children of God. As children of God, we are assured that God comes to live within us. What a wondrous opportunity! Let s worship God. Easy Prep for Leaders Let s Praise God Set up a TV and DVD player. Set the Lesson Videos DVD to the segment titled John 1. Watch the segment at least once before the children arrive. True Blue Light Mix 2 tablespoons bleach with 1/3 cup of water in a clear glass container. Gather a plastic spoon, a glass jar filled with water, and towels. The Offering Cut the bells from the Advent Symbols photocopied for the first session. Save the rest of the page for other lessons. Preschool Activities Refer to the preschool pages for preparations. Let s Praise God! Play Songs From FaithWeaver as children arrive. Ask some children to stand at the door and welcome everyone who comes into the room. Ask them to smile, shake hands, and say welcome! Hello, everyone! Welcome to children s church. Christmas is a time of joy. Listen to what the Bible says about joy: Sing praise to the Lord, because he has done great things. Let all the world know what he has done. Shout and sing for joy, you people of Jerusalem, because the Holy One of Israel does great things before your eyes (Isaiah 12:5-6, New Century Version). God has done great things before our very eyes. At Christmas we feel joy because the God of the universe came to the world to live with us. God himself was right here on earth. He walked and he talked; he was right here where everyone could see him. That s why Christmas is such a big deal. Let s shout and sing for joy ourselves. Let s sing Joy to the World! Sing Joy to the World! Lyrics are in the back of this book. Track 3 Session 2 KidsOwn Worship 23
Today we re worshipping Jesus because he lives with us and in us. We can invite Jesus to be with us every time we re together. Let s say this welcoming prayer together: Jesus, we are glad you are here! Have the children repeat the prayer with you. We re glad all of you are here today, too, to worship God with us. This next song invites us all to worship God. It s an old, old song. Before we sing, let s make sure we understand all the words. The first verse of this song invites all of God s faithful to come and adore Christ. It tells us to be joyful and triumphant and to come and see Jesus, who was born the king of the angels. In the next verse, we praise Jesus. First we greet Jesus, and then we sing about how Jesus is worthy of all glory. This verse calls Jesus the Word of the Father ; that means Jesus comes from God. And the verse ends by saying that Jesus appeared in the flesh. That means Jesus is God and that he came to the world to live as a man. That s why we are to come and adore him. Let s sing the song together. Sing O Come, All Ye Faithful. Lyrics are in the back of this book. Track 5 That last song included several names for Jesus: Word of the Father and King of angels. Each name helps us know more about who Jesus is. That s how names work for all of us. We can be called by our given name, or we can be called by a nickname that describes us. Jesus is called by many names and they all describe who Jesus is or what he does. He is even called a rock because he is strong and never changes. Think about a big boulder, the biggest rock you can think of. If you had to hide from a stampede of elephants, would you rather hide in the bushes or behind a rock that was twice as big as the elephants? If you were trying to survive a flash flood, would you rather climb to the top of a sandbar or to the top of a tall, solid rock? Why do you think the Bible compares Jesus to a rock? (Because he s strong; Jesus protects us; Jesus never changes.) Jesus is strong. He protects us and is always the same, loving God. But there s one other reason that the Bible compares Jesus to a rock. When Jesus came to earth as a baby, he came in order to save us from our sins. Jesus is called the Rock of salvation because his salvation lasts forever it s sure and dependable. That s reason to praise God. Listen to what the Bible says about the Rock of salvation. Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation (Psalm 95:1). 24 KidsOwn Worship Winter Quarter
Because God is always the same, he is the Rock of ages. Because God loves us and saves us, he is the Rock of salvation. Let s sing about how we can trust in Jesus. Sing Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus. Lyrics are in the back of this book. Track 26 Now is our chance to fulfill the second part of the verse I read earlier. It s time for us to shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. The Bible also calls Jesus our Lord and our king. Let s sing King Jesus Is All. Sing King Jesus Is All. Lyrics are in the back of this book. Track 14 Of all the things we know about Jesus, one of the most important things we know is that when Jesus lived here on earth, he was God in a man s body. Jesus was completely God and completely human at the same time. It s hard for us to understand, but that s what the Bible tells us. We think of Jesus as God s Son, but he is really God. Jesus is really God. And we need him. Let s watch a video that explains who Jesus is. Show John 1 on the Lesson Videos DVD. It s a reflective reading of John 1. Why do you think Jesus is called the Word? (Because you can hear him speak; because he helps us understand God.) Why does it matter that Jesus became human and lived among us? (Because he can understand us better; because it shows he loves us; so he could die for us.) If Jesus doesn t physically live on earth anymore, does he still dwell among us? Explain. (No, he lives in heaven; yes, he lives in our hearts.) Jesus became human to live among us. And he still lives among us, even though we can t see him. He can live in our hearts! None of us can be completely happy and satisfied in life unless God lives in our hearts. Let s ask Jesus to make his home in our hearts. Sing Into My Heart. Lyrics are in the back of this book. Track 13 Jesus, today we have gathered to worship you, to love you, and to praise you. Thank you for coming to our world as a man. Thank you for saving us. And thank you for promising to live in our hearts and be our Rock of salvation. We love you. Now help us to learn more about you so we can praise you even more. In Jesus name, amen. Session 2 KidsOwn Worship 25
Let s Learn the Point! Preschool Activities, pages 27-28 At this time, have the preschool leader invite the preschoolers to go to their own room for this section of activities. Tear out the Preschool Activities page, and give it to the preschool leader. Have the preschool leader bring the preschoolers back to participate in Let s Pray! with the older children. If you prefer to keep all the children together, do the starred (*) activities. They will work well with both elementary and preschool children. Elementary Activities * True Blue Light Set the container of bleach solution you prepared earlier, the jar of water, and the package of Luminol Glow Crystals beside you on a table. You ll also need a plastic spoon and towels. Sometimes the Bible uses word pictures to help us understand what Jesus is like. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the light of the world. It says that Jesus is the true light who came to the world to shine on everyone. Let s experience this Bible word picture. Listen to this story from the Bible and watch what happens. Read aloud the following narrative and follow the directions. The narrative is a paraphrase of verses from John 1; John 3; and Romans 1. 26 KidsOwn Worship Winter Quarter We can t see God. But since the beginning of the world, God has made certain things about himself clear to those who look for him. When we look at the world God created, we can see God s eternal power, and we can see qualities of God in all he created. But even though all of this evidence about God s goodness exists, people still choose to do wrong instead of following God. They prefer to live in the darkness of their sins instead of living in the light of God s glory. Let s pretend that we live in the darkness. Turn off the lights, and make the room as dark as possible. What s it like to live in the darkness of sin? (It s hard to do anything; I m afraid I m going to trip on something; I can t see anyone.) Why do you think people who sin like to live in darkness? (It covers up their sins; they can hide better in the darkness.) When we sin we like to cover it up so people can t see what we ve done. People can live their whole lives in the darkness. They don t recognize God for who he is, and they don t serve him or honor him. When people live like this, even their minds become darkened. Close your eyes and imagine what it s like to ignore God for so long that even your mind is in the dark. (Pause.) (continued on page 29)
Preschool Activities God Dwells With Us Session 2 Worship Theme: Jesus lives in us. Easy Prep for Leaders John 1:1-14 Light of the World You ll need a glass jar for each child. Pint-size Mason jars work well. If you can t find someone in your church to donate them, check the section of your grocery store where freezer bags and canning supplies are stocked. You ll also need glue sticks, colored tissue paper, and Christmas lights. Using Theo Consider using Theophilus the FaithRetriever puppet today in these ways: Have Theo lead the preschoolers from the main worship area to the preschool room. Have the children hug Theo during the Shine Like Stars activity. See the KidsOwn Worship Kit for a puppet skit created to tie in to this week s worship session. * Light of the World The Bible tells us that Jesus is the light of the world. Let s make a lantern craft that will remind us of Jesus. Give each child a glass jar. Have the children rub glue all over the sides of the jars. Then have the children tear small pieces of tissue paper and stick the paper pieces to the sides of the jars. When every surface of the jars is covered with colorful tissue paper, have the children bring their jars and join you on the floor near an electrical outlet. Look at all the wonderful jars! You ve all made beautiful lanterns. Let s talk about light. What kinds of lights do you know about? Let s see how many different kinds of lights we can think of. Help the children think of different kinds of lights, such as the sun, headlights on cars, and Christmas lights. As the children mention each kind of light, ask them why we have that kind of light for example, sunshine helps flowers grow, car headlights help us see the road, and Christmas lights help us celebrate. Jesus is the light of the world. What does Jesus do for us? Jesus, the light of the world, brings good things to us. He helps us, he answers our prayers, he cares for us, he provides for us, and he lives inside us. Let s see what happens when we put light inside our lanterns. Gently stuff a string of Christmas lights in one child s lantern. Plug in the Christmas lights, and look at the beautiful glow. Take time to put the string of lights into each child s lantern. Admire each lantern. When Jesus, the light of the world, lives in us, we shine with his love. Preschool Leader Tip If you ll be working on a concrete or tile floor, you may want to spread out a blanket and have children do this craft sitting on the blanket. A cushioned floor will lessen the chance of broken glass. Have children set aside their lanterns. At the end of the session remind children to take home their lanterns. Tell children they can put Christmas lights or candles inside the lanterns and use them as Christmas decorations. Session 2 KidsOwn Worship 27
Preschool Activities Flashlight Walk The Bible tells us that Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus wants us to follow his light. Let s practice following Jesus light. Darken the room just enough to be able to see a flashlight beam shine on the floor. I ll shine the flashlight so it makes a spot on the floor. When you see the spot, hurry to stand as close to it as you can. Jesus, the light of the world, wants us to follow him and his light. What kinds of things does Jesus lead us to do? The kinds of things Jesus wants us to do are good things, kind things, and loving things. Jesus wants us to follow him and obey him. We can follow the Light of the world every day by doing kind things for others. Let s practice doing that now. Shine the flashlight on the floor in different places, and have the children hurry to stand as close to the light beam as they can. Play the game for several minutes. Then have the children sit with you on the floor. Shine Like Stars The Bible tells us that Jesus, the light of the world, lives inside us. Why do you think Jesus lives inside us? Let s pretend that there s a light inside us. Put your hand on your tummy. It s a bright, warm light. How does it feel to have a light inside you? When Jesus lives inside us, we can be happy and full of joy. When we have Jesus light inside us, we can shine his light to other people and help them be happy, too. We call that loving other people with Jesus love. Let s pretend that the light inside us is leaking out of our fingers and toes. It s helping us to shine with good, loving deeds. What could your loving fingers do to shine Jesus love? Who could your loving toes take you to so you could shine Jesus love? Let s play a game about shining Jesus love to other people. Everybody stand up. Hold your hands out and flutter your fingers to show that Jesus love is shining in you so much that it s leaking out your fingertips. Walk around the room and flutter your fingers until I tell you to stop. Then find someone close by and shine Jesus love to them by giving them a big hug. Ready? Here we go. Play the game for several minutes, letting each child shine Jesus love to several other children. When Jesus lives inside us, we feel so good that we want to shine his light to other people. It s a wonderful, joyful feeling to have Jesus inside us. 28 KidsOwn Worship Winter Quarter
(continued from page 26) But God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. We call God s Son Jesus, the Christ, the Savior of the world. Eternal life is in Jesus, and this life gives light to all people in the world. Put all of the Luminol Glow Crystals into the container of plain water, and stir gently. Spoon the bleach water into the Luminol solution one spoonful at a time. The chemical reaction will produce a luminescent blue light. Have the children quietly watch the blue glow. The light of Jesus shines through the darkness; the darkness will never be able to overpower the true light of Jesus. The light of Jesus shines out for all people to see. Not everyone recognizes that the light is God and that the light can save him or her from the darkness. But those who do recognize the light can welcome Jesus into their lives. Jesus invites these people to become God s children, who live in the light and serve God. What did you think and feel when you saw the blue light glowing in the darkness? (I thought it was amazing; I was surprised to see something light up like that.) What do you think we re saying about Jesus when we call him the light? (Jesus can forgive us from our sins; he can light up the darkness in our lives; he guides us.) What s good about living in the light? (We don t have to hide; we won t trip and fall as easily.) This word picture explains to us why Jesus came and what Jesus is like. Let s write our own word pictures about Jesus. For this activity, you can work by yourself or you can find a partner. Distribute paper, pencils, and markers. To write a word picture, first think about a quality Jesus has that s important to you. Maybe an important quality to you is Jesus power. Take a moment to think of a quality Jesus has that you d like to write about. Give the children time to find a partner if they want one and then think of qualities Jesus has. Next think of an object that represents the quality Jesus has. If the quality you ve thought of is Jesus power, think of an object that has power, such as the space shuttle when it s blasting off. Give the children a minute to think of items that represent the qualities Jesus has. Now draw a picture or write a story that explains how Jesus is like the object you thought of. Give the children three or four minutes to draw a picture or write a story. Session 2 KidsOwn Worship 29
Praise Jesus When we recognize how great Jesus is, it s natural to want to praise him. Now let s use our word pictures to praise Jesus. Have each child or pair hold up a picture or tell a story. After each child or pair shares, have the rest of the group respond by cheering, Joy to the world! Jesus has come! Jesus is the best thing that s ever happened in our world. God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to us. And this wonderful Jesus who is powerful, loving, wise, and caring lives in us. * Exploring Light Let s explore this word picture from the Bible a little more. Have kids form groups of five or six, and give each group a short string of Christmas lights. Have each group try to name one place where lights show the way for each bulb in its string of lights. For example, a group could name airport runways, dark theaters, exit signs, headlights on cars, nightlights, streetlights, and campfires. Then have kids discuss these questions in their small groups. What would life be like without lights? (We d get lost; we d hurt ourselves; life would be sad and boring.) Jesus is the light of the world. What do you think that means? (Jesus helps us see the right way to go; he makes it so we don t have to hide.) In what ways is Jesus like a light? (Jesus guides us; he forgives us from our sins so we don t have to hide anymore.) What would life be like without the Light of the world? (Sad and painful; we d do wrong things a lot more.) After giving groups a few minutes to discuss, have volunteers share their insights with the entire group. Then have the children use tape to hang their Christmas lights at the front of the room. Let s Pray! The Offering Today we talked about joy. In our worship service today, we sang a song that said, Joy to the World! Why are we joyful at Christmas? (Because we celebrate Jesus; Jesus came to save us and bring light.) We re joyful because of Jesus birth. Christmas is about God loving us so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, to the earth to love us and help us and save us from our own sins. Advent is about getting ready for Jesus. 30 KidsOwn Worship Winter Quarter
Distribute the paper bells you cut from the Advent Symbols handout. Have kids decorate their bells by drawing or writing something that makes them joyful at Christmastime. Let s hang our bells on the wall. One at a time, come up and I ll help you tape your bell to the wall and you can put your offering in the bowl. This wall of bells will be our reminder that we can celebrate Jesus birth. Light Prayer Plug in the Christmas lights. Our Scripture today described Jesus as a light. He is the Light of the world! He is the one we celebrate when we celebrate Christmas. Jesus is with us all the time whether we realize it or not. He is like these Christmas lights. We might not notice them right now because we have plenty of light in the room. But when we turn off the other lights (turn off the lights, or have volunteers cover the windows), these beautiful lights grab our attention. Sometimes in our lives, we don t notice that Jesus is with us. But he always is. No matter where we are, Jesus is with us because Jesus lives in us. Let s honor Jesus presence here with us today as we pray to him. Think of one place where you ll be this week. We re going to take turns mentioning these places as a way of saying a prayer. Each time someone mentions a place, we ll all respond by saying, Thank you, Jesus, for being with us at [name the location]. Have each child mention a place where he or she will be this week. After each child shares, have the rest of the group respond by saying, Thank you, Jesus, for being with us at [name the location]. Session 2 KidsOwn Worship 31
Thanks for Your Care Pray this prayer together, facing the Christmas lights. Say one line at a time, and have the group repeat your words. Jesus, we know you are taking care of us Because you are here with us. We know you are loving us Because you are here with us. You are the one we celebrate at Christmas. You are the one true God. We know you are like these lights, lighting up our lives, Because you are here with us. Thank you, Jesus, for being here with us. Close by joyfully singing O Come, All Ye Faithful. Lyrics are in the back of this book. Track 5 32 KidsOwn Worship Winter Quarter
Advent Symbols and Jesus Puppet Permission to photocopy this handout from KidsOwn Worship Leader Guide, Winter, granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc. group.com Session 2 KidsOwn Worship 33