Key Concept. We can learn [point to head] about God [point up].

In the Beginning... Jumping into God s Story UNIT 2: LESSON 6: Jesus Grows Up Key Concept We can learn about God. KEY CONCEPT MOTIONS: We can learn [point to head] about God [point up]. Bible Summary Luke 2:40-52 When Jesus was 12, He traveled with His parents to Jerusalem for the Passover. On the return trip, parents thought He was with friends, but discovered at the end of the day He was missing. They returned to Jerusalem and searched three days before they found Him in the temple, talking with the teachers, who were amazed at His understanding. Bible Verse And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:52 Objectives KNOW WHAT: Children will hear the story of young Jesus traveling with His family and going to the temple. SO WHAT: Children will learn Jesus became wise and grew in stature from a baby to a man. NOW WHAT: Children will identify ways they can learn more about God. Spiritual Formation Study Scripture People Needed Teacher, Helper Supplies and Visuals (Labeled visuals below can be found in the Lesson 6 Visual folder on the Winter Quarter CDs.) CD player Music for singing Sound effects CD #1 The Beginner s Bible Game board (Lesson 6 SG 1 ) Penny or game token Box of crayons For each child: Person outline (Lesson 6 SG 2) 5 Stickers (Lesson 6 SG 3 Lesson 6 SG 7) Key Concept sticker (Lesson 6 SG 8) Take-home coloring sheet (Lesson 6 SG 9, Lesson 6 SG 10) Snack 1 Winter Quarter

Notes: In Advance Recruit a Helper to operate the music and sound effects CDs and to help you with crowd control. Determine which songs you will use and be prepared to lead the children in singing. Song suggestions: Upbeat song for transition from Activity Stations to the Creative Bible Teaching Jesus Is the Best, Oh Yes (Touch the Sky CD) Having a Good Time (Reach Up High CD) Gather the supplies listed above and arrange your classroom as follows: Set up a desk or table to be a news desk and place a chair behind it. Hang the KEYE News sign and Applause/On Air signs as suggested in the Unit Overview. Print the Game board and copy it on cardstock. Prepare the materials that will be given to each child. To prepare the stickers, print or copy the pages onto Avery label sheets #5294. Consider cutting the stickers apart for easier distribution. Print the lesson and practice the teaching time. Teacher s Prep READ LUKE 2:40-52. It s hard to imagine what Jesus was like as a child, because the Bible doesn t have many details. Maybe He was a boy with tons of energy. Maybe He loved swimming with His friends. We do know He was obedient to His parents. And above all, we know Jesus desired to be close to God. As He grew older, he continued to learn about God. He desired nothing more than to please His Father. He was curious with questions and eager to spend time teaching others about God. Jesus grew close to God and walked with Him every day of His life. Walking with God is what Christ desires for us as well. He wants us to understand more about Him, to be strengthened by His love, and to become His friend. Christ wants us to know our wonderful Father and grow in relationship with Him. This week, take steps to draw nearer to God. Set aside time to talk to Him in prayer. Read your Bible to discover new things. Talk to your friends about your relationship with Him and listen to what they are learning in their relationships. God is inviting you to get close to Him. Activity Stations (20 MINUTES) Choose which activity stations you will use from the list included in the Activity Stations folder. 2 Winter Quarter

Creative Bible Teaching (15 MINUTES) [Play upbeat music as children transition to the teaching area. Encourage kids to clap their hands along with you. Clap in a variety of styles, like overhead, on your knees, on your belly, etc.] Welcome, everyone! My name is, and I m so glad you re here today. Over the last few weeks we ve heard the story of Baby Jesus and how we celebrate His birth at Christmas. Now we get to learn about some of the things Jesus did when He grew older. Today, we re on the set of a very special news station, and we ve got lots of fun things planned. To help us get started, let s remember our two special rules so we can have the most fun. Rule number one: be kind. What is it? [Kids respond, Be kind! ] We can be kind by sitting down so everyone can see and by being very quiet so everyone can hear. Rule number two: be safe. What is it? [Kids respond, Be safe! ] You can be safe by keeping your hands to yourself. Good job! KEYE N E W S Lesson 6 LG I ve always thought it would be fun to be on television, and today I get to do the news for you! I m going to be Barry Byline and tell you about all sorts of exciting things that are happening. Let me start with our special news letters! K-E-Y-E News. You get to be the studio audience today, and there are a few things you should know. This sign says On air. [Pick it up.] When I point to it, we have to be very quiet so we can hear the news. This sign says Applause [pick it up], and when I hold it up high, we have to clap and give a big round of applause. Let s practice. [Set sign down.] Watch closely...[pick up Applause sign. Kids applaud. Set the sign back down and point to the On air sign.] Shhh! Time to get quiet. [Repeat several times.], I ve been working on a great story from the Bible! It s a story about Jesus, His family, and His friends. There s a lot to discover about Jesus as a boy. But before we hear more news about Jesus, I think we should stand up and sing a song together to get the wiggles out! Up on your feet, everyone. MUSIC Song suggestion: Jesus Is the Best, Oh Yes [Invite kids to sit on the count of three.] Great job, audience! Uh-oh. We only have ten seconds until we go live, on the air! Studio audience, we re almost ready to start our newscast. Everyone get settled. Five, four, three, two... 3 Winter Quarter

[SFX 42: News intro music... This is KEYE News where we ve got our eye on the news!] [Walk over and sit behind news desk.] It s time for our breaking news story about Jesus and His family. First, let s hear about Jesus after He was born at Christmas. As all babies do, Jesus began to grow bigger and he learned more and more. Today we are going to learn about when He was 12 years old. The news in the Bible said one day Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were invited to a big celebration dinner called a feast. All their family and friends were invited, too. But the feast was in the town of Jerusalem. Say that with me: Jerusalem. Jerusalem was far away, so they had to go on a trip. Let s pretend to pack our clothes so we can go on a trip. Ready, studio audience? Pick up your clothes. [Demonstrate.] Swhooop. Now, put the clothes into your suitcase. [Demonstrate.] Kerplop! Let s do that one more time. Gather up that toothbrush and toothpaste and your favorite teddy bear. Swhooop. Now put them in your suitcase. Kerplop! Shut the lid. Plump! That s it. We re ready to travel to Jerusalem. The Bible says that Jerusalem was a long, long way away from where Mary, Joseph, and Jesus lived. Back then, they didn t have cars, so they walked everywhere they went. It probably took them about three whole days to travel that far. Hey, studio audience, let s pretend to walk to Jerusalem like Mary, Joseph, and Jesus did. [Pat hands on knees.] [SFX 43: Footsteps on gravel.] We re going, we re going, we re going to Jerusalem. We re going, we re going, we re going to Jerusalem. And stop. Mary, Joseph, Jesus and all their friends and family sat down together at the feast. There was lots of food to eat at the feast. Studio audience, what kind of food do you think they ate at the feast? [Allow kids to give answers.] Let s pretend to scoop up some ice cream. [Scooping motion.] Scoop, scoop, scoop up the ice cream. Now, let s put it in our mouth. [Pretend to take a bite.] Chomp, chomp, chomp the ice cream. Now let s take a big bite of an apple. [Demonstrate.] Chomp! Chomp! Finally, let s take a big drink of juice to wash down the ice cream and apples. [Demonstrate.] Gulp, gulp, gulp down your juice. Jesus was having a good time with His friends. The news I learned from the Bible says when the feast was over, Mary and Joseph started for home. Studio audience, let s pretend to walk back home with Mary and Joseph. [Pat hands on knees.] [SFX 44: Footsteps on gravel.] We re going, we re going, we re going back home. We re going, we re going, we re going back 4 Winter Quarter

home. And stop. Now when they were part-way back home, Jesus wasn t with Mary and Joseph. He stayed in Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph didn t know Jesus wasn t with them. They were traveling with a big group of friends and family. They thought Jesus was right there with them, but He wasn t. When they couldn t find Jesus, Mary and Joseph went all the way back to Jerusalem to look for Him. Mary and Joseph looked and looked for Jesus. They looked high! Studio audience, let s look high. [Look up high.] They looked low. Let s look low. [Look low.] They looked up. Let s look up. [Look up.] They looked down. Let s look down. [Look down.] They looked all around. Let s look all around. [Spin in a circle looking.] Do you know where Jesus was found? [Kids respond.] Jesus wasn t really lost. The good news is they found Jesus in the church. Back then, people called the church a temple. Jesus had gone to the temple where He listened to the teachers tell stories about God. Jesus spent time asking questions, because He wanted to learn all He could. And here s some more good news from this story. All the people who heard Jesus talk were amazed at how much He knew. Jesus wanted to learn about God. And we can learn about God, too! Studio audience, let s say that together. Ready? We can learn [point to head] about God [point up]. Let s say that together on the count of three. One, two three. We can learn [point to head] about God [point up]. Now in our low voices. We can learn [point to head] about God [point up]. Now in our quiet voices. We can learn [point to head] about God [point up]. Great job! Okay, everyone. It s time for a commercial break! [SFX 45: News out music.] That was so much fun being the studio audience. Up on your feet! Let s sing! MUSIC Song suggestion: Having a Good Time [Invite kids to sit on the count of three.] Great job! We ve had a lot of fun learning news from the Bible about Jesus. Our special words for today are we can learn [point to head] about God [point up]. Let s say our special words one more time. Ready? We can learn [point to head] about God [point up]. Let s play a game! I will describe some ways we can spend time learning more about God. When you think you know the answer, I want you to raise your hand. When everybody has their hand high in the air, we ll all shout out the answer together! Ready? 5 Winter Quarter

Okay, here s the first What Is It? clue. CLUE #1 It has words inside it. You read it. There are stories about Jesus in it. [Most kids have their hands raised.] Okay, friends... what is it? [Kids respond, The Bible. ] Give yourselves a hand! [Show Applause sign.] One way we can learn about God is by reading the Bible. If you can read the Bible, or if someone can read it to you, clap your hands three times. Ready? [Clap three times.] Here s another What Is It? clue. CLUE #2 It s a building. You come here to learn about Jesus. You come here to learn with your friends in Small Group. Okay, friends...what is it? [Kids respond, Church. ] Give yourselves a hand! [Show Applause sign.] Another way we can learn about God is by going to church. If you can come to church, I want you to pat your head with your hand, like this. [Demonstrate.] Ready? Pat those heads. All right, let s do one more! CLUE #3 We do this when we want to talk to God. We can do this anytime. We can do this anywhere. [Most kids have their hands raised.] Okay, friends... what is it? [Kids respond, Praying. ] Give yourselves a hand! [Show Applause sign.] We can learn about God when we pray. Way to go! If you can learn about God by reading your Bible, coming to church, and praying, then stand up and turn around one time! [Do it along with the kids.] Stay standing, and let s do a victory dance! [SFX 46: Victory dance.] [Invite kids to sit on the count of three.] 6 Winter Quarter

Lesson 6 SG 3 Permission granted to reproduce this page for use in this lesson. Winter Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church Lesson 6 SG 4 Permission granted to reproduce this page for use in this lesson. Winter Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church Lesson 6 SG 5 Permission granted to reproduce this page for use in this lesson. Winter Quarter 2008 Willow Creek Community Church UNIT 2: Life Application Activity (10 MINUTES) [Teacher and Helper invite kids to sit down in a circle on the floor.] We are going to play a special game to remember ways we can learn about God! The first part of the game is to color this person [show person outline] to look like you. [Teacher and Helper give each child a person outline and some crayons. Encourage the children to color their pictures. Remind them of things they can add to their pictures: hair, the color of their eyes, the clothes they re wearing, etc. When they re finished, collect the crayons.] Lesson 6 SG 3 (1 of 5) Good job! Now we can use our special game board. [Show game board.] We will drop a penny onto the board and talk about the picture it lands on. After we talk about the picture, you can put a matching sticker [show stickers] on your person outline to help you remember ways you can grow to be more like Jesus. [Give each child one set of five stickers and place the game board in the middle of the circle. Ask one child to drop the penny on the board and then follow the corresponding activities and questions below.] QUESTIONS 1. CHURCH SAY, There are lots of places we can learn about God. One place is in church. ASK, What are some things we do in church to learn about God? [Listen to Bible stories, sing songs, pray, learn Bible verses.] ENCOURAGE each child to put the matching church sticker on their picture. Invite them to keep coming to church to learn about God. 2. FRIENDS Lesson 6 SG 4 (2 of 5) SAY, We can learn about God from our friends. Our friends can tell us about God, and we can tell them about God. ENCOURAGE each child to put the matching friend sticker on their picture. 3. MUSIC NOTES SAY, We can learn about God when we sing about Him. ASK, What is your favorite song? Where do you like to sing songs to God? If you could play any instrument to God, what instrument would you play? ENCOURAGE each child to put the matching music note sticker on their picture. Remind them to sing about God. 4. BIBLE Lesson 6 SG 5 (3 of 5) SAY, We can learn about God when we read the Bible. ASK, What is your favorite Bible story? Why do you like that story? We hear Bible 7 Winter Quarter

stories in church. Where else could you read the Bible and learn about God? Do you have a Bible at home? ENCOURAGE each child to put the matching Bible sticker on their picture. Invite them to read a Bible at home. 5. PRAYER SAY, We can learn about God when we pray and talk to God. ASK, What are some things you can tell God thank You for? What are some things you can tell God you love about Him? Who can you pray for? ENCOURAGE each child to put the matching prayer sticker on their picture. Remind them they can pray to God at home or anywhere. Today we learned the true story about Jesus when He was a little boy. He was talking about God to people in the temple. Who can you learn about? [Kids respond.] We can learn [point to head] about God [point up]. Let s pray to God. [Lead the children in the following finger play. Then have the children repeat after you as you pray.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Give a little clap. [Clap hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Fold them in your lap. [Fold hands in lap.] We can learn about God. Lesson 6 SG 8 We can learn about God. Dear God, Thank You for the Bible story. Please help us learn about you. Thank You for our snack. In Name, Amen. Snack and Coloring Activity (15 MINUTES) Use this time to continue building community and to learn more about your kids and their concerns. Listen closely so you are better equipped to pray for and reach out to each child. GIVE each child a snack to eat. GIVE each child a Key Concept sticker to put on their shirt while they are eating their snack. GIVE each child a coloring sheet to color while they are waiting to be picked up. ASK each child a question or two about themselves: What do you think Jesus did when He was a little boy? Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:40-52) Lesson 6 SG 9 8 Winter Quarter