3rd–5th

December 1-2, 2012

Luke 2 (Pg.1124-1126); Matthew 1 (Pg.1052-1053)

Jesus is born

Immanuel is here!

Play games and hang out (10 minutes) Large group (30 minutes) Small group (20 minutes) Video/song review (10 minutes)

When you move from one activity to the next, set kids up for success—tell them what you expect from a good audience in Large Group, and how to participate well in Small Group.

Kids are taking an ornament home today. Remind them to tell their families about its significance.

Today’s all about how God shows up where we least expect it! The Christmas story really highlights that truth.

                                                                                                               

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Goal: To reinforce the idea that God shows up where we least expect it—and then help kids apply and share that truth. Why? It’s a lofty concept, but it brings great peace when we imagine how God could show up in our own lives.

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CONNECT 1. Tell us about a time YOU found

God where you least expected it. (spend time on this one)

REVIEW 2. What are some examples from

today’s story about how God showed up in a way nobody expected?

a. A king showed up as a baby

b. Jesus slept in a dish c. Angels appeared to

shepherds d. God showed up as a

human 3. Have kids look up Isaiah 61:1-3

(Pg. 817) and follow along as one kid reads it aloud. Identify ways God shows up in broken situations. *(see below for verses and specific examples)

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE:

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SAY: To remember that Christmas shows us how God shows up where we least expect it, we’re going to make some ornaments today. Check these out (hold up a Christmas tree ornament)—plain black Christmas trees, right? But WAIT—if you take a scratching tool, some pretty cool colors show up. You guys can be creative and create an ornament. When you hang it on your tree or show your family today, tell them what it represents: God shows up where we least expect it. DO: Give each kid an ornament, scratching tool, and ribbon. Let them choose the ribbon color they want and assemble it themselves. Kids can keep the ornaments, but collect the scratching tools. There are not enough for kids to take them home (and there’s really no need for them to have one).

QUESTIONS ACTIVITY

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Tip: Try to facilitate discussion during small group—and don’t cut it short. The ornament activity can be done quickly—or even at home if kids are opening up.

                                                                                                               

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RELATE 4. Where’s one place you’d like to

see God this week? 5. Why do you think it is important

to celebrate Jesus’ birth? (Guide kids toward saying that Jesus is Immanuel—God with us! And remember, God is STILL with us)

*Isaiah 61:1-3 (Pg. 817): The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

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QUESTIONS ACTIVITY

                                                                                                               

Normally, you don’t have to say the script word for word. There are 4 important lines in here, bolded and italicized. Please make sure to say them!  

We’re using props and a “power-o-meter” screen to help communicate today’s truth. Use your voice and gestures too—feel to YELL and of course, whisper.  

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*First slide plays Christmas music as kids enter to set a festive tone. WELCOME As you guys know, it’s Christmas! And to get into the Christmas spirit, we’re going to play a little game called “Christmas Guess-It”! I’m going to show you a little tiny piece of a picture. You tell me what the bigger picture is. And JUMP up as soon as you know it. Ready? (Show first image—let kids respond. You can have all kids yell it out or choose one kid to answer—use the system that would work best in your environment. Do the first three. Answers: Santa, Rudolph, Christmas tree) Alright, you guys did great! Now go ahead and sit down. We all know that there are lots of fun things that happen around Christmas, right? Like writing letters to Santa, watching Rudolph and other Christmas movies, and decorating the Christmas tree. But does anybody remember WHY we celebrate Christmas? (Let kids respond.) Yep, it’s JESUS’ birthday! REVIEW AND WORSHIP And remember why people were excited about Jesus’ birthday LONG before he was born?! (Let kids respond.) Yes, Jesus was a catalyst who would change everything. Remember what he changed? (Change slide.) …The WORLD, US, and OTHERS. Basically, Jesus changed EVERYTHING. And remember, Jesus the King was going to be sent as a baby! Before we talk about what happened when Jesus was born, let’s worship together and thank God for sending Jesus to change the world. Worship song: Can You Hear the Sound

                                                                                                               

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A KING SHOWS UP AS A BABY (Change slide) So let’s pretend this is a power-o-meter. Over here, at 300, is the MOST powerful person in the world and the bottom is the LEAST powerful person in the world. Where would you guys say a KING should go? (Hold up the crown; let kids respond.) Yeah, probably near 300, right? A king can tell people what to do, he makes the laws. He’s in charge. …Pretty powerful. (Set to your far left—on the 300 side.) How about a BABY? Where would a baby go? (Hold the baby; let kids respond) Yeah, a baby would go over here, right? (Point to 0.) I mean, babies can’t feed themselves, they can’t get dressed, they can’t even hold their own heads up! (Set baby to your left, near 0.) Yet when God was ready to send Jesus the king, he sent an angel to tell Mary that she was going to have a son—a baby! The KING (point left) was going to be a BABY (point right). IMPORTANT: Nobody expected the king to show up like a baby! GOD SHOWS UP AS A HUMAN Then, when God was ready to send baby Jesus, an angel came to a woman named Mary and told her she was going to have a baby! And that baby was going to be God’s son. It was a true miracle. At first, Mary’s fiancé, Joseph, didn’t believe a miracle had happened. So he planned to leave her. But an angel appeared to HIM and told Joseph that Mary was really pregnant with the king. So Joseph married Mary. And they had baby Jesus. The Bible says: SLIDE: All of this took place to bring about what the Lord had said would happen. He had said through the prophet, “The virgin is going to have a baby. She will give birth to a son. And he will be called Immanuel.” The name Immanuel means “God with us.” Matthew 1:22-23 God gave us Immanuel as another name for Jesus. He gave us lots of names for Jesus: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty GOD, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. But “Immanuel” reminds us that when Jesus was born, GOD was with US. (Change back to power-o-meter) Now, where do you think GOD would go on the power-o-meter? (Let kids respond.) Yeah, WAY higher than this meter even goes! But he showed up as a HUMAN. Where do you think humans compare to God on this power-o-meter? (Let kids respond.) Yes, LOW. Like negatives! IMPORTANT: Nobody expected God’s Son Jesus to come to us as a human! BABY JESUS SLEEPS IN AN ANIMAL DISH Well, right before Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph traveled to a town called Bethlehem. When they got there, they couldn’t even find a place to stay! So does anybody know where they ended up? (Let kids respond.) …Yep, outside with the ANIMALS…stinky, dirty, loud animals.

                                                                                                               

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And as you might guess, there were no cradles or beds outside. But there was a manger, which is a dish that animals eat out of (hold up manger with hay). And there was probably some hay in it, which is at least softer than laying baby Jesus on the ground. So here’s what Mary did: SLIDE: While Joseph and Mary were there, the time came for the child to be born. She gave birth to her first baby. It was a boy. She wrapped him in large strips of cloth. Then she placed him in a manger. There was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2: 6-7 IMPORTANT: (change slide to power-o-meter slide; then lay the baby in the manger, over at the “0” side) Nobody expected this baby, God’s son, to sleep in an animal dish! ANGELS TELL SHEPHERDS THE NEWS And once Immanuel was born, God sent some angels to announce it. Does anybody remember who they told? (Let kids respond.) Yes, shepherds (hold up the stuffed sheep). Shepherds were not very important in those days. Most people didn’t like them very much. They lived outside most of the time, taking care of sheep. In fact, they were probably right above babies in our power-o-meter (refer to power-o-meter and set sheep only slightly closer than the baby in the manger). But guess what? When Immanuel was born, God sent angels (point high on the power-o-meter and hold up the angel wings—set down on “300” side) to tell shepherds (point low on the power-o-meter and hold up the stuffed sheep—set down on “0” side). Nobody expected that. IMPORTANT: But is anybody ELSE getting the idea that God shows up where we least expect it?? GOD STILL SURPRISES US The Christmas story is about the birth of a king. But it’s also about God showing up where we least expect it…like with us humans. And God STILL shows up in the most unexpected places. God is amazing and powerful but he loves to join us when we’re sad or afraid or unhappy and help people who are weak and struggling. Think about a time YOU’VE seen God when you didn’t expect it. Maybe you were having a really bad day and somebody smiled at you and it made you feel a little bit better. Maybe you were really scared—terrified—and God helped you feel peaceful and calm. Maybe your brother or sister was REALLY mean to you, but then they came and said sorry. (If you have time, ask a couple of kids to share or share your own example. If time is up, that’s okay--they’ll talk about this in small group.) As you think about times you’ve seen God show up, let’s stand up and sing one more song to thank God for sending Jesus and showing up. Ready?

                                                                                                               

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Worship Song: The Greatest Gift PRAY Can somebody come up and thank God for coming to be with us?                                                                                      

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Blank paper for coloring 1 ornament and ribbon per kid: OT: IN-57/6898 Enough scratch-off tools (included in OT ornament kit) for each kid to have one, but they will return it at the end of the hour

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1. Adventure Bible (mark Luke 2, Pg.1124-1126); Matthew 1, Pg.1052-1053)

2. Crown 3. Baby doll wrapped in white blanket 4. Rectangular crate or wooden box (to

function as a manger)

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5. Straw/hay 6. Stuffed sheep 7. Toy angel wings

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1. Christmas Intro Slide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AzA-MwsSmM (play at least first 2:33 seconds—can loop it at that point or let it keep going) 2. Slides from this week’s Christmas Guess It power point (in curriculum folder) 3. Slide with three pictures: world, mirror, and others (all 3 jpegs in curriculum folder) 4. Song: Can You Hear the Sound 5. Image: power-o-meter (jpeg in curriculum folder)

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6. Slide with Matt 1:22-23 (see script for exact wording) 7. Repeat Image: power-o-meter (same jpeg) 8. Slide: Luke 2:6-7 (see script for exact wording) 9. Repeat Image: power-o-meter (same jpeg) 10. Song: The Greatest Gift

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None

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Tell me how God showed up when people least expected it. What does Immanuel mean?

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The Christmas story shows us some amazing ways that God showed up where people least expected it. Check some of them out in Matthew 1 and Luke 2, and ask your kid to give you some examples. The great news is, God still shows up where we least expect it. As a family, talk about how you’d like God to show up for you this Christmas. Then ask him to!