God Makes a Promise 1 Preparing for Worship The birth of Jesus fulfilled the prophecy and promise declared in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 9, God spoke through the prophet in order to announce the coming of One who would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Before the coming of Jesus, the Jewish people had been anticipating the fulfillment of God s promise. Our Bible story begins when the angel, Gabriel, announces God s plan for Mary to give birth to Jesus. Most of us would have found ourselves in a state of disbelief, questioning how God would produce such a miracle. However, Mary understood that God was fulfilling a promise He had made. She realized a virgin birth was not possible by ordinary means, but she still responded with a statement of faith, May it be as you have said. As you prepare to lead your children in worship, consider the promise of God to send His Son. Thank God for His love for you. BIBLE STORY Luke 1:26-38 God s Promise to Mary UNIT BIBLE VERSE God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. JOHN 3:16 BIBLE TRUTH Jesus is God s Son. (Luke 1:35) WORSHIP GOAL To help children know God promised to send His Son, Jesus. DJF, Unit 1 ACTIVE WORSHIP music & movement BIBLE TIME WORSHIP CONNECTING WORSHIP TO LIFE CHECK TO USE Activities Worship Through Music Worship Through Movement Bible Verse Slap-Clap-Stomp J-E-S-U-S Bible Truth Scramble God s Promise to Mary, a Dramatization A Special Baby Repeat After Me An Angel s Message God s Promise Father, May I? Curriculum Resources Great Big Praise 1 songbook, CD, or cassette Worship Time Connections, Sheet 1 O ther Materials Paper plates, marker Picture of Jesus, construction paper, marker, picture of a baby Female teenager in biblical dress, teenage or adult male dressed as an angel, fabric, needle, thread, rocking chair Baby dolls and blankets (one each per child), large blanket, crayons or markers Chairs (one per child, one for leader) Empty cardboard roll from paper towels, markers, glitter, stickers, construction paper, crayons or markers Magazine pictures of babies, fabric squares, scissors, white construction paper, crayons, glue Paper, pen or pencil, basket, masking tape WORSHIP WITH YOUR KIDS With amazing faith children at this age believe what you have promised will eventually come true.to break a promise is utterly devastating to children.they count on you to keep your promises.when we worship, we celebrate the promises God has made, kept, and will keep.the Christmas story provides the perfect framework to celebrate God s ultimate promise to send a Savior, Jesus. In our Bible story, Mary experienced God s faithfulness to keep His promise. Use the lesson activities to help the children worship God and celebrate His faithfulness to keep His promises. TIPS & TOOLS Teaching tips for a lesson activity. General teacher training helps. 1
Children like familiar routines. Establish a specific location for worship activities. Use the same location each week so it becomes familiar to children. Active Worship music & movement Worship Through Music Music is a great way to bring children together. Use the Great Big Praise 1 songbook, CD, or cassette to sing the following songs: Happy Hallelujah Christmas Song, No. 90 Christmas Tells of Jesus, No. 92 Great Big Praise 1 songbook, CD, or cassette CD or cassette player Worship Through Movement Bible Verse Slap-Clap-Stomp Before worship, learn the following actions to the Unit Bible verse. During worship, ask, Who is Jesus? (God s Son) Who is Mary? (Jesus mother) Say, Today we re going to learn about an angel named Gabriel who visited Mary to tell her something special about God s Son. Teach children to recite the unit Bible verse to the following knee-slapping, hand-clapping, foot-stomping rhythm. God (slap) so (clap) loved (slap) the (clap) world (slap) that (stomp) he (stomp) Gave (slap) his (clap) one (slap) and (clap) on- (slap) -ly (slap) Son (stomp). John (clap) three (slap), six (stomp) -teen (stomp) For an extra challenge, repeat the song, dropping a letter from J-E-S-U-S and inserting a clap with each repetition. 1st repeat: *-E-S-U-S 2nd repeat: *-*-S-U-S 3rd repeat: *-*-*-U-S 4th repeat: *-*-*-*-S 5th repeat: *-*-*-*-* Preschoolers favorite task is learning the alphabet.this song gives them a chance to practice their pre-reading skills by spelling out Jesus name. Although most preschoolers and kindergarteners haven t learned to read, printing the words beneath the pictures and symbols is one way children can learn to recognize whole words, such as Jesus, is, and Son. Using similar activities regularly can help children learn to recognize words by sight. J-E-S-U-S! Before worship, make several sets of paper plates that spell out J-E-S-U-S. Write only one letter on each plate. During worship, divide children into groups of five. Give each group one set of paper plates. Say, Christmas is a special time when we celebrate Jesus birthday. We ll learn more about that during Bible story time today. For now, let s sing a song about Jesus. Instruct children to stand in line with their plates spelling out J-E-S-U-S. Have them hold up their letter as the word is spelled in the song. Sing to the tune of B-I-N-G-O. God promised to send His Son, and Jesus was His name-o. J-E-S-U-S! J-E-S-U-S! J-E-S-U-S! And Jesus is His name-o. paper plates marker picture of Jesus construction paper marker picture of a baby Bible Truth Scramble Before worship, assemble the following: a picture of Jesus, a piece of construction paper showing the equal sign (=), a piece of construction paper showing an arrow pointing upward ( ), and a picture of a baby. Beneath the picture of Jesus, write Jesus. Beneath the equal sign, write is. Beneath the arrow, write God s. Beneath the picture of the baby, write Son. During worship, mix up the pictures and symbols so they are out of order, and lay them out in front of the children. Say, The pictures and symbols tell us a very special message, but they are out of order! Can you help me put these pictures in the right order? Guide the children to rearrange the pictures to say, Jesus is God s Son. 2
Bible Time Worship God s Promise to Mary, a Dramatization Before worship, arrange for two adults to perform the following sketch. Actors needed: Mary (female teenager) and Gabriel (teenage or adult male) Props: Rocking chair, sewing items (fabric, needle, thread) Scene opens with Mary seated in rocking chair humming softly as she sews. female teenager in biblical dress teenage or adult male dressed as an angel sewing items: fabric, needle, thread rocking chair GABRIEL (quietly approaches Mary and speaks softly): Greetings, Mary. God loves you very much. MARY (frightened, she drops her sewing and then drops to her knees from the rocking chair): Who...who...? GABRIEL (taking Mary by the hands and helping her to her feet): Do not be afraid, Mary. God is pleased with you. God wants me to tell you some good news. MARY (sitting back in her chair but continuing to stare at the angel with wide eyes): I don t understand. GABRIEL (speaking gently): Soon something special will happen to you. You are going to have a Baby! You must name him Jesus. He is God s Son. He will be a great king, like King David of long, long ago. Jesus will always be the King, and He will help many people because He is God s Son. MARY (still confused): How can this happen? GABRIEL: Mary, your baby will be born through God s power. God can do things nobody else can do. You will have God s Son. MARY (smiling): I love God. I will be happy to have this special Baby. Gabriel leaves. Mary puts her hands in her lap and bows her head. She sits quietly for a few moments, then she gets up and leaves the room.* *Permission to copy this page is granted for local church use by WordAction Publishing Company. Establish a worship atmosphere and specific location for the Bible story time. After the actors leave, allow time for children to discuss what they have heard and to ask questions. Have prayer to thank God for His love and for sending His Son, Jesus. A Special Baby Before worship, gather baby dolls and blankets, one each per child. During worship, give one doll and blanket to each child. Show children how to wrap the dolls and hold them gently. Say, God sent a messenger to Mary to deliver a promise from God. Then ask, Who told Mary she was going baby dolls and baby blankets, one each per child large blanket Worship Time Connections, Sheet 1 crayons to have a special Baby? (Gabriel, an angel) What did the angel tell Mary to name the Baby? (Jesus) Why was Jesus such a special Baby? (He is God s Son.) What did Mary say to the angel? (I love God. I will be happy to have this special Baby.) Spread a blanket on the floor, and have children gently lay their baby dolls on the blanket. Then have them go to the worktable and color the scene on Worship Time Connections, Sheet 1. Repeat After Me Retell the story using actions. Say one line at a time with the indicated action, and have children repeat the words and action after you. Start with children seated in chairs arranged in a circle. Begin rocking in your chair. LEADER (rocking): Mary was sitting at home one day. CHILDREN: Repeat action and words. chairs (one per child and one for leader) LEADER (stand and make overhead circle with arms): When an angel came to visit with this to say. 3
CHILDREN: Repeat action and words. LEADER (cross arms over chest): Mary, God loves you. CHILDREN: Repeat action and words. LEADER (make action of rocking a baby in your arms): You re going to have His Son. CHILDREN: Repeat action and words. LEADER: Jesus is His name. (Make American Sign Language [ASL] sign for Jesus: Touch middle finger of right hand to center of left palm, then touch middle finger of left hand to center of right palm.) CHILDREN: Repeat action and words. DJF, Unit 1 Connecting Worship to Everyday Life If time allows, let children decorate their own message tubes. An Angel s Message Before worship, use markers, glitter, and stickers to decorate an empty cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels. During worship, gather children in a circle on the floor. Put the decorated cardboard tube close to a child s ear and whisper, Jesus is God s Son. Move around the circle whispering the message to each child. Then say, An angel empty cardboard roll from paper towels decorating items, such as markers, glitter, and stickers construction paper crayons or markers named Gabriel brought a special message to Mary. He told her God loved her and was pleased with her. God loves you. What are some things you can do to please God? Allow time for children to discuss behaviors that please God. Provide paper, and have children draw and color pictures showing something they can do to please God. (Examples: pray, listen to Bible stories, or help someone) God s Promise Before worship, cut out magazine pictures of babies. Also, cut out small squares of fabric from any fabric scraps. During worship, give each child a piece of white construction paper and crayons. Say, Gabriel was an angel sent by God to tell Mary about His sending His Son, Jesus. Jesus was a special Baby. For this project, I want you to color all magazine pictures of babies fabric squares scissors white construction paper crayons glue over this piece of paper. Allow time for children to scribble color the paper. Let children select a magazine picture of a baby to glue in the center of the paper. Provide a piece of fabric for them to glue in place to cover the baby. Say, God kept His promise to send Jesus. We ll learn about that in next week s Bible story. Pleasing to God: pray, listen to Bible stories, help someone, share toys, tell the truth, obey your parents. Not pleasing to God: taking a toy away from someone, pushing in line, not obeying your parents, telling a lie. Prayer Close the session with prayer.thank God for keeping His promise by sending His Son, Jesus. Copyright MMIV by WordAction Publishing Father, May I? Before worship, write on pieces of paper things children can do to please God and things they do that do not please God. (See the accompanying WORSHIP TIP for paper pen or pencil basket masking tape ideas.) Mix together all the papers, and place them in a basket. Use masking tape to mark a starting line and a finish line at opposite ends of an open play area. During worship, have children line up along a starting line. Draw one piece of paper from the basket. Have children say in unison, Father, may I..., then read whatever is on the slip of paper. Let children decide if the action is pleasing to God. If so, all the children take one giant step toward the finish line. If they decide the action is not pleasing to God, they must stay where they are. The children may want to play the game more than once, using different types of steps. 4
A Special Child Is Born 2 Preparing for Worship Jesus was born under humble circumstances. He was wrapped in strips of cloth and placed in a manger because there was no room for Him in the inn. Amazingly, people today still have trouble finding room in their lives for Jesus. With gifts to buy, parties to plan, cookies to bake, and vacations to take, the craziness of life takes first place. The door is shut, sending Jesus to the stable next door. If the world truly believed Jesus is God s Son, how would they treat Him? Furthermore, as Christians, do we allow Him to have control of our lives? It is important to revisit the questions that arise in Luke 2:1-7 and critically consider whether we treat Jesus as a stranger looking for a room or the Son of God. BIBLE STORY Luke 2:1-7 Jesus Is Born UNIT BIBLE VERSE God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. JOHN 3:16 BIBLE TRUTH Jesus is God s Son. (Luke 1:35) WORSHIP GOAL To help children know God sent His Son, Jesus. DJF, Unit 1 ACTIVE WORSHIP music & movement BIBLE TIME WORSHIP CONNECTING WORSHIP TO LIFE CHECK TO USE Activities Worship Through Music Worship Through Movement Pass n Say God Sent His Son Happy Birthday March A Special Stable Act It Out Review A Donkey s Tale A Birth Announcement Shout It Out! Joy to the World! Curriculum Resources Great Big Praise 1 songbook, CD, or cassette Worship Time Connections, Sheet 2 Monologue script O ther Materials A baby toy, CD or cassette player, Christian CD or cassette of Christmas music Cupcakes, frosting, craft sticks, sprinkles Rhythm instruments Stuffed animals (one per child), toy donkey or horse, baby doll wrapped in a blanket, box Table, blanket, biblical dress-up clothing, variety of stuffed animals, baby doll wrapped in a blanket, box Donkey puppet; optional: sock, felt, scissors, needle and thread, glue Construction paper, decorating items: markers, glitter, ribbon, lace, glue, scissors, and stickers 16-ounce Styrofoam cups, scissors, markers Crepe paper streamers, scissors, cassette or CD with Joy to the World, cassette or CD player WORSHIP WITH YOUR KIDS As each day brings us closer to Christmas, the excitement of the season builds within young children.you may begin to notice this excitement being expressed in unusual behaviors. Use today s worship activities to help the children focus their energy and remember that we celebrate Christmas because God sent His Son, Jesus. It is this act of love that gives us reason to rejoice. TIPS & TOOLS Teaching tips for a lesson activity. General teacher training helps. 5
Children like familiar routines. Establish a specific location for worship activities. Use the same location each week so it becomes familiar to children. Active Worship music & movement Worship Through Music Music is a great way to bring children together. Use the Great Big Praise 1 songbook, CD, or cassette to sing the following songs: Away in a Manger, No. 88 Baby Jesus, No. 89 Review: Happy Hallelujah Christmas Song, No. 90 Christmas Tells of Jesus, No. 92 Great Big Praise 1 songbook, CD, or cassette CD or cassette player Avoid requiring Bible memorization of children this age.they are not developmentally ready for it. However, repetition of verses will help children remember and say parts of the verses you introduce in class. Worship Through Movement Pass n Say Have the children sit in a circle on the floor and start passing a baby toy as you play music. When you stop the music, help the child holding the toy say the unit Bible verse: God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only son (John 3:16). Try to stop the music so each child has a chance to say the verse. a baby toy (rattle, stuffed animal, pacifier) CD or cassette player Christian CD or cassette of Christmas music If the motions to the song seem too difficult for your group, simplify it by having the children do only one or two of the motions, instead of all three. Try these simple homemade rhythm instruments: Drum: Turn an ice-cream bucket or large bowl upside down, and use wooden spoons for drum sticks. Bells: String two-inch bells on a ribbon, and shake them. Cymbals: Make two holes through the center of two aluminum pie pans.tie ribbon through the holes for handles. God Sent His Son Before worship, practice the actions and words to the following song. Bake cupcakes, one per child, but do not frost them. During worship, teach the following song and actions to the children. Actions: God: Point to the sky. cupcakes, one per child frosting craft sticks sprinkles Son: Cradle your arms as if holding a baby, and rock your arms back and forth. Jesus: Touch the middle finger of your right hand to the center of your left palm, then touch the middle finger of your left hand to center of your right palm. Words: Sing to the tune of God Is So Good. God sent His Son, God sent His Son, God sent His Son, Jesus is God s Son. Say, Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus birthday. Have you ever had cake on your birthday? We re going to have cake to celebrate Jesus birthday. Let children use craft sticks to frost the cupcakes, then let them add sprinkles before eating. Happy Birthday March During worship, say, Last week we learned that God rhythm instruments promised to send His Son, Jesus. Today, we re going to learn about when Jesus was born. That s what Christmas is all about! It s Jesus birthday! Let s celebrate with a praise march. Provide rhythm instruments, and have children march around the room singing Happy birthday, dear Jesus. Use the words and tune from the traditional Happy Birthday song. (Note: See the accompanying WORSHIP TIP for rhythm instruments you can make.) 6
Bible Time Worship A Special Stable Before worship, collect stuffed animals, one per child. Try to locate animals that one might see on a farm. Place in a box the following items: a toy horse, and a baby doll wrapped in a blanket. Set aside out of children s sight. During worship, give each child one of the stuffed animals. Have children sit in a circle and say the name of the stuffed animals, one per child toy donkey or horse baby doll wrapped in a blanket box Worship Time Connections, Sheet 2 animals they are holding. Ask each child to tell one thing about his or her animal. Say, Some animals, such as cows, horses, and pigs, live in stables. A long time ago, something very special happened in a stable. Let s find out about it in today s Bible story. As you tell the following story, reveal each item from your prepared box at the time it is mentioned in the story. Establish a worship atmosphere and specific location for the Bible story time. Jesus Is Born Mary was going to have a special Baby. Mary was going to have God s Son. God told Mary and Joseph the Baby s name would be Jesus. One day, before Jesus was born, the king called for a census, a counting of all the people. Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem to be counted in the census. (Show children the toy horse or donkey. Move it in front of you as if it is walking.) CLOP! CLOP! CLOP! A donkey carried Mary to Bethlehem. Joseph walked beside them. It took three days for them to get there! When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, Mary said to Joseph, Jesus is ready to be born. Joseph knew he must find a place for Mary to lie down, but the only place he could find was a stable with animals. That night, something special happened. Jesus was born. (Show children the baby doll wrapped in a blanket. Cradle it in your arms.) Mary wrapped Baby Jesus in soft cloths. She saw a manger that usually held hay or other food for the animals. It was just the right size for Baby Jesus. Mary carefully laid Jesus, God s Son, in the manger to sleep. After the story, give children Worship Time Connections, Sheet 2, and have them complete the Journey to Bethlehem maze. Act It Out Review Before worship, cover a table with a blanket to create a cozy stable. During worship, make available biblical dress-up clothing (robes, belts, head coverings), stuffed animals, dolls, and blankets. Let children act out the Bible story, using the covered table as the stable. Provide a box for the manger. table blanket biblical dress-up clothing variety of stuffed animals baby doll wrapped in a blanket box If children seem to have the facts correct, avoid offering narration; let children retell the story in their own words. A Donkey s Tale Before worship, locate or make a donkey puppet from an old sock, felt, and glue. (See the accompanying WOR- SHIP TIP.) During worship, use the following monologue to let the donkey puppet tell his version of the events of Jesus birth. donkey puppet (purchased or made) optional if making puppet: sock, felt, glue, scissors, needle, and thread Hi! I m Mr. Key Mr. Don Key, but you can just call me Don. I may be just a donkey, but I ve seen some pretty cool things in my time. For example, one time I shared my stable with PEOPLE! Yeah! I m not kidding! 7 Use a sock, felt, and a needle and thread to make this donkey puppet. Cut the mane, eyes, ears, and mouth out of felt. Sew or glue them in place as shown in the diagram on the next page.
DJF, Unit 1 Cut slits To make mane Glue See, there were this really nice lady and her husband! I gave her a ride on the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem with her husband. It took more than three days! When we got there I know she was tired from the journey but you should try being the DONKEY! Anyway, they put me away in a stable, and I figured I wouldn t see them again for a while. But I was wrong! I guess they couldn t find anywhere to stay, so they came back to the stable. I moved aside, and they snuggled down in the hay! It was really cozy, and I fell asleep. Well, the next morning I woke up as hungry as a...well,a horse,i guess. So I went to the manger for breakfast, and you ll never guess what was there! It was a human baby! A little Baby Boy, in fact! I heard them call Him Jesus. And they said He is God s Son. I think it s pretty neat that I was there the night Jesus was born in my stable. It s not every day that a donkey like me gets to meet God s Son! Let me tell you, that was one special Baby! Connecting Worship to Everyday Life A Birth Announcement Before worship, fold construction paper in half to make two cards. Print Jesus Is Born! on the front of each. Make one card per child. During worship, give each child one of the prepared construction paper decorating items, such as markers, glitter, ribbon, lace, glue, scissors, and stickers cards. Say, At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of a special Baby, God s Son, Jesus. We re going to make cards to share with others to tell them about Jesus. Give each child a card, and make a variety of decorating items available. Let children decorate the front and inside of their cards. Have children write their names inside the cards, as well. Encourage the children to give the card to someone to tell that person about Jesus. Make two holes in each side of the cups, and tie yarn through the holes.tie the ends of the yarn together for children to wear the megaphones. Leave enough length for children to easily slip the megaphones over their heads. 16-ounce Styrofoam cups scissors glitter glue stickers Shout It Out! Before worship, cut off the bottom of 16-ounce Styrofoam cups. Decorate one with glitter glue and stickers. During worship, hold the decorated megaphone to your mouth and whisper, Jesus is God s Son! Repeat the message several times, getting progressively louder with each repetition. Say, God loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus. It s important to share this message with others. Provide cups and markers, and let children decorate their own megaphones. Then lead them on a march around the room as they use their megaphones to announce, Jesus is God s Son. God loves me. God loves you. Also, use the megaphones to say the unit Bible verse. Prayer Encourage children to say the following prayer. Say one line at a time, and let children repeat it. Dear God, Thank You for sending Jesus. Thank You for Your Love. We love You. In Jesus name, Amen. Copyright MMIV by WordAction Publishing Joy to the World! Before worship, precut crepe paper streamers, and tie them together in threes. Prepare two sets for each child. Also, locate a cassette or CD with Joy to the World. During worship, begin playing Joy to the World. Gather children in an open area, and stop the music. Say, Christmas is a time for joy. It s a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, God s Son. The Bible says, God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son (John 3:16). Today we can celebrate Christmas because it reminds us of how much God loves us. Give each child two sets of streamers. Start the song again, and encourage children to move freely and wave the streamers while the music plays. 8 crepe paper streamers scissors cassette or CD with Joy to the World cassette or CD player