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Large Group! About this Series: What is the greatest gift you ve ever received? A game? A pet? Maybe a visit from someone you love to see? Did you know that you can give a gift this Christmas that could change someone s life? One of the most incredible gifts we can give someone is an invitation. When you invite someone to be your friend, to spend time with you, you show that they matter to you, and they matter to God. God sent Jesus to give us all an invitation, a chance to be part of God s family. That s what the first Christmas is all about. Memory Verse: John 13:34- I give you a new command. Love one another. You must love one another, just as I have loved you. Weekly Overview: Lesson: Topic: Big Idea: Lesson 1: Nov. 25/26 The Great Party Luke 14:15-23 Everyone is invited to know God. Lesson 2: Dec. 2/3 The Wise Men Matthew 2:1-12 God invites everyone on earth. Lesson 3: Dec. 9/10 The Shepherds Luke 2:8-20 God invites people who don t expect it. Lesson 4: Dec. 16/17 Simeon and Anna Luke 2:22-40 I can keep on inviting. : Dec. 23/24* The Baby Luke 2; John 18-20. Jesus came to show me God s love. 2
Lesson 1: The Great Party! Series at a Glance for Elevate (continued) One of the most powerful gifts we can give is an invitation. That s because telling someone You re invited also tells them You matter. Jesus believed that every person mattered. When he was asked about heaven, Jesus compared it to a party where everyone is invited. Imagine what a difference you could make this week by inviting someone to be your friend, to talk about how much God loves them, or to come with you to a huge Christmas party in Elevate and learn about God s love. Lesson 2: The Wise Men We have a lot in common with the people we love. We see them each day, and we like the same things they do. We might not know it, but we have things in common with people we ve never met! God didn t just invite people from the town of Bethlehem to see Jesus. With a star, He invited people from around the world, and they came. This week, we ll connect with people around the world, and see how big this Christmas party really is! Lesson 3: The Shepherds An invitation can mean the world to someone, especially someone who isn t expecting it. On the first Christmas, God invited a group of humble, average shepherds to meet his son. After meeting Jesus, the shepherds told everyone they could, Great news! Jesus, the savior is here! They knew that everyone was invited to experience God s love. Who do you know that isn t expecting an invitation this Christmas? This could be your chance to show them God s love, and maybe even change their life. Lesson 4: Simeon and Anna Not all of our invitations will go as planned. Some people may say No. Some may not want to be invited. No matter what happens, though, we can trust that God is doing something good. That s what Simeon and Anna did. God told them years before the first Christmas that Jesus was coming. They waited, and trusted that God s promise was true. Every day, they watched for Jesus, and when he arrived, they were ready. Who can we be ready to show God s love to this Christmas? : The Baby Finally, everyone s here, and we re ready for the party! This week, take some time to remember why Christmas is a celebration: It s the day Jesus came as a baby to show everyone that they were loved by God and invited to be a part of his family. Join us in Elevate as we celebrate Christmas! 3
Lesson Outline for Elevate Lesson Segment : The Baby Total Running Time Opening Video (2:00) Welcome and Christmas Story Reading (5:00) Media: Part 1 (4:00) Application 1 (3:00) Media: Part 2 (8:00) Application 2 (6:00) Worship (8:00) 0:00 36:00! (24:00) 36:00-60:00 Video Cue Slide Cue Audio Cue Tech Notes 4
Opening Video 2:00 (Roll when directed) Elevate Opener (Auto advance) Elevate Slide and Underscore Welcome everyone! I am so glad you could be here for this Christmas party! We are here to celebrate the best time of the year. We re just about ready to begin the party, but I d like to start it in a special way. Series Title Slide: Welcome and Story Reading 5:00 On the very first Christmas, no one had lights, presents, or candy canes. There wasn t much of a celebration, but what happened that night is something worth celebrating, even two thousand years later. That night, Jesus, God s Son, was born as a baby. Some families start Christmas morning by reading the Christmas story, right out of the Bible. If your family doesn t, that s alright, but it can be a great tradition to start. That s how I want to start our Christmas party. Get comfy and listen close, because this story is what our Christmas party is all about. Do This: Read Luke 2:1-20 from the NIRV Bible. No matter who you are, or where you are from, that child, Jesus, came for you. He grew up, lived a perfect life, and showed us God s love. That s a great start to our Christmas party, but there s so much more for us to do! We have awesome videos, some fun games, and some treats ahead. I m going to go get more decorations! Media: Part 1 4:00 While I m picking up more tinsel, let s find out what Christmas is like at the Light Force base. 5
Light Force: Part 1 (4:00) (Auto advance) Series Title Slide: Application 1 3:00 Do This: Come on stage with snacks and a plate. Arrange them on the table. We re just about set up for the party, but there s a problem. You see, all of us have done things that we know are wrong. We call those things sin. Sometimes, we don t think sin is that big a deal. We say things like It wasn t that bad, or I didn t get caught, so it s ok. The problem is, every time we sin, it separates us from God. That s a big problem, because we were made to be close to God, to have a great friendship with him. Prism, from the Light Force, didn t even want to be close to the Syndicate, and for a good reason. They do wrong things and hurt people. Because of those wrong things, the Syndicate is separated from the Light Force. That s kind of how sin works. Another example is our parents. When we do things that our parents say are wrong it hurts their feelings, and may make it feel like we are separated from them. They might send you to your room, or even ground you. It works the same way when we do things that God says are wrong. We can t be close to him, can t be his friends, because of the wrong choices we ve made. We ve all made those sinful choices, and that hurts us. It means we can t live the way God made us to. It means we deserve a punishment. It means we are separated from God, the one who gives us this world, and everything we need. What happens when you separate lights from their power source? Do This: Pull apart the large plug in the center of the stage. When the leader pulls the plug, black out all the lights, aside from the projectors and a dim stage light. Shut-down sfx They go dark. That s how being apart from God hurts us, too. We were made to live with God and for God, and sin stops us from doing that. It changes our lives in a bad 6
way. Now, you might be thinking, This is a party! Why are we talking about the wrong stuff I ve done? You re right. This is a Christmas party, but the reason we are celebrating is much bigger than just gifts, food, and lights. The reason why we re celebrating starts with the sad story of sin. That s what the Light Force is dealing with, too, but the good news is, there s a lot more to the story. Media: Part 2 8:00 The Light Force s story will show us how they solve their problem, but might show us something about how God helps our sin problem, too. Light Force: Part 2 (8:00) (Auto advance) Series Title Slide: Wow! What an incredible story. Application 2 6:00 Leave the lights dark, but bring a dim stage light up. Do This: Come on stage with tinsel, candy canes, and other party items if you have them. As you talk through the first paragraph, decorate the stage. I brought all these decorations, but without much light, this party doesn t feel right. Fixing these lights is easy, because I can reach this plug, but we talked about a bigger problem earlier, the problem of sin. Fixing our sin is something none of us can do. Think about it. If you do something wrong, and it hurts your parents, can you just forgive yourself for it? No, that would be silly. Your parents have to forgive you, because you hurt them. Our sin hurts God too, so we need his forgiveness. We can t fix the problem of sin on our own, and when we keep on doing wrong things, we can t live the way God made us to. The Light Force team learned that no matter who you are, God cares about you and loves you. That s why they shared that love with Harbinger, even though he wasn t a nice guy. God loves everyone, even people that have done wrong things. That s great 7
news, because every one of us needs to be friends with God. It s part of how we were made. Without Him, our life just isn t right. It s like we re a Christmas light bulb that doesn t shine. We can keep on trying to succeed, we can have fun, and we can do good things, but without being friends with God, we can t be completely who we are meant to be. Something will always be missing. So, God did something about it, because he loves us. Since we couldn t return to God on our own, God s son, Jesus, chose to come to us. He left the perfect world of heaven, and came down to live in the world that we had damaged and broken through sin. He was born just like all of us were, helpless and small. He grew up, and knew what sadness felt like, knew how it felt to lose someone you loved, and knew how it felt to have a friend betray you. He has felt the same joy, loneliness, pain, and hope that we have, but the whole time, he is still God s son! He came to take our punishment on the cross, and give us a chance to be forgiven for all of our sins, a chance to live the way we were made to live, a life knowing God. When we choose to follow Jesus, something inside of us changes. Do This: Plug in the large cable in the middle of the stage. When they plug in the cable, turn all the lights on at once, so the room is brilliantly lit up. Power-up sfx To do what they were made to do, these lights need electricity. To be who we were made to be, we need to follow and trust Jesus with our whole life. Jesus wants to be your leader and savior. He saves us from being separated from God by sin, and gives us the chance to follow him. All you have to do is written in this verse. This is written by one of the first followers of Jesus, a guy named Paul. Romans 10:9- Say with your mouth- Jesus is Lord. Believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. Then you will be saved. Do This: Read the verse from the screen. Saying Jesus is Lord means admitting that he is in charge. It means doing your best to follow him and do the things he says are right. It doesn t mean you ll never sin again, but deciding to follow Jesus means you ll ask God to show you when you do something wrong, and trying to choose the right thing next time. This is a huge choice, and it s a decision only you can make. I can t make it for you, your parents can t make it for you, and your friends can t make it for you. It s your choice, and it s the most important 8
decision of your life. God wants to be your friend, to lead you every day, and to have you live with him forever. Series Title Slide: Some of you may have made that choice already. That is awesome! You ve made this super important decision, and you re following Jesus. You can be sharing this awesome news of Christmas with others, and becoming more like Jesus every day! Some of you may not feel ready to make that choice. You ve got questions, or aren t sure about following Jesus with your whole life. That s ok, but remember, this is the most important decision you ll ever make. It s something to think about, and any of the adults in here would love to listen to you, and talk about questions you may have. For some of you, though, this is your day. This could be the day you choose to follow Jesus with your whole life, and decide to be God s friend. All you have to do, like that verse said, is to say that Jesus is your Lord, believe that he came back to life, and ask him to be your leader. We can do that right here and now. God is always ready to listen to us. He can hear you talk to him whether you say the words out loud, or even if you think them. God even knows all our thoughts. In a moment, we are going to talk to God. If you want to pray this prayer along with me, you can. You ll tell God that you are sorry for sinning, ask him to forgive you, and thank him for sending Jesus to take our punishment. You ll ask Jesus to be your leader and savior, and choose to follow him with your whole life. One thing you should know is that just saying these words isn t what changes your life or what makes you God s friend. What s most important is believing that God loves you and sent Jesus to take the punishment for your sin. Again, this is your choice, so while we will all close our eyes and bow our heads to pray, you can decide whether to say this prayer to God or not. Let s all close our eyes, and bow our heads. If you want to make Jesus your leader, you can pray this with me out loud or silently. Do This: Read this prayer word for word, pausing after each line to allow kids to repeat and keep up. God, I know that I have sinned. I ve made bad choices, and I am sorry. 9
I believe that Jesus is your son. I believe that he died on the cross, took my punishment, and came back to life, so that I can be forgiven. Jesus, I ask you now to be my leader, Savior, and friend forever. I choose to follow you. Amen. Congratulations! If you just made that choice for the first time, congratulations! That is such an amazing decision! I am so excited for you. I m going to have everyone stand up. Know This: Have everyone stand up before you dismiss the ones who decided to follow Jesus. This helps those kids feel more comfortable going where you direct them. If you just decided to follow Jesus and prayed that prayer for the first time, we have a booklet we would like to give you. I d also love to talk about any questions you might have about following Jesus! The rest of us are going to warm up our caroling voices for the party. Worship 8:00 Worship Slide This is a time to celebrate! Everyone still in here, stand up, and let s sing this song about the first Christmas together, called Oh What a Glorious Night. Song 1: Oh What a Glorious Night 10
(Auto advance) Worship Slide When the shepherds met Jesus, they couldn t help but sing about how great God is. God is so great, we always have a reason to celebrate! Let s sing this Christmas carol together, Joy to the World! Song 2: Joy to the World (Auto advance) Series Title Slide: Singing and praising God shows him that we love him. Another way to worship and show God love is by praying, or talking to him. I ll pray for all of us now. God, Christmas reminds everyone that you love us. You choose to love this world, and each of us, so much. Thank you for the chance to celebrate this Christmas right here! Amen.! 24:00 Speaking of celebrating, I d love to kick off our Christmas party with a super fun game. There are buckets on each side of the room. Boys will be on this side of the room, and girls on this side. To fill your team s bucket, you must throw snowballs from your side of the room into your bucket on the other side! Remember, you have to stay on your side of the room. You have five minutes to throw as many snowballs as you can! Are you ready for a snowball fight? 5:00 Countdown and Christmas Music Do This: Turn on the snow machines, and dump all the snowballs into the middle of the room! Join in and throw snowballs with the kids! Know This: After five minutes, move on to the next part of the script. You may leave the snowballs on the ground for kids to throw during the next part of the party. Turn off the snow machines whenever you feel it is practical to do so. 11
(Auto-Advance) Elevate Christmas Snow Slide Woo hoo! It looks like the are the winners! That was fun, but there s a lot of partying left to go. We have a bunch of activities going on all around this room! There is a Christmas photo booth, a gift-stacking game, snacks, and a craft station for you to make something you can take home. Before you go to any of those stations, though, make sure you get your very own Elevate bag to hold all your stuff! You can get those at. Try to stop in at all the stations, and have a merry Christmas! Know This: Look at the activity list for details on each activity. Start Christmas hangtime music videos 12