| LESSON OBJECTIVE |
Topics:
Birth of Christ, Christmas,
Hope
This lesson will teach the children that although many things have
changed throughout the ages one thing has not changed during all of
this time. The good news that Jesus came into this world because God
loves us.
|
| AS
KIDS ARRIVE (15 minutes) |
Upon arrival,
give each child an index card prepared as follows:
| Name: ___________________
Boy: ______ Girl: ________
State you were
born in: _________________
Current Age: _________
|
Have each child complete the card. Then as others arrive have the
children tally up the number of classmates who are from the same
state, who are the same age, and the number of boys and girls. The
totals can be written on the board, and then each child can copy
to the back of their card. Explain that this activity is similar to a census. Discuss various uses that a census may have and that these types of stats are still collected today, every ten years in America.
|
| OPENING PRAYER AND PRAISES
(5 minutes) Further info? Click here |
| |
| MEMORY WORK (6 minutes) |
"Glory to God in
the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
Luke 2:14 NIV
Practice saying this verse out loud
several times as it may have been sang by the angels after the birth
of Jesus.
|
| SCRIPTURE READING AND DISCUSSION
(15 minutes) |
Introduction:
The virgin birth of Jesus is one of the best known stories in the
Bible. With the birth of Jesus, God became a man to walk among us
and to be our savior. Prophesies about the birth of Jesus go all
the way back to Genesis. Also, according to prophesy, Jesus would
be born in Bethlehem, a small town of the city of David (Micah 5:2).
But Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, a city over fifty miles away
from Bethlehem. And the baby might be born any minute. Then, Caesar
Augustus made a ruling. Everyone twelve years or older must go to
their city of origin to register and pay taxes. It was called a
census. Caesar needed to know how many people lived in the entire
Roman Empire, so he would know how much taxes he could collect.
Although baby Jesus might be born any moment, Joseph and Mary wanted
to obey the law. They were both descendents of David, so the decided
to walk to Bethlehem, a three-day journey.
Luke 2:1-20 (The Birth
of Jesus)
Discussion Questions:
1.Why did Joseph and Mary go from their home in Nazareth and walk
all the way to Bethlehem? (Because Caesar Augustus issued a law for everyone to go to
their home town for a census.)
2. After Jesus was born, why was He placed in a manger? See verse
7. (Because there was no more room at any of the Inns.)
3. What is a manger? (A feeding trough for animals - or have
someone look up manger in a Bible dictionary)
4. How do you think Joseph and Mary felt about spending the night
where they kept animals? (Perhaps they felt disappointed, but maybe thankful they had someplace to stay.)
5. Jesus the savior of the whole world wasn't born in a beautiful
palace like other kings? Why do you think that was? (Unlike a king who was served, Jesus was to live a humble life and serve others.)
6. What did the shepherds do after they saw Jesus for themselves? (They spread the word about Jesus and glorified God.)
|
| CLASS EXERCISE (20 minutes)
|
Jesus and Me (Activity)
Click here
|
| APPLICATION (2 minutes) |
People during the time of Jesus lived a much different
life than we do today. For example, when people in Jesus' time wanted
to travel, they would usually walk. Today we ride in a car. Hospitals
were not common in Jesus' time, so babies were usually born at home.
But one thing for sure has not changed during all of this time: the
Good News that Jesus came into this world because God loves us. When
we put Jesus first in our lives, no journey is too long, no hurdle
is too high, because our hope and assurance is in Christ Jesus, our
Lord and Savior.
|
| NEXT WEEK |
Have you ever been to a baby shower. Even if you haven't
been to one, I'm sure you know what they are. In this modern day,
baby showers are normally given before the baby is born. But in Jesus'
day, people came to give him gifts after he was born. Next week we
will see what it was like to go to a baby shower for Jesus.
Note to teacher: Next week the class will perform a skit about
the birth of Jesus including the journey to Bethlehem and visits from
shepherds and the magi. It may be helpful to give the kids a copy
of the skit found in next week's lesson plan this week to take home
and review. Click for Skit
|
| CLOSING PRAYER (2 minutes)
Further info? Click here |
| |
| TAKE HOME PAGE |
Give one copy to each child at the end of the class
to take home. Click here for NIV
or KJV
|
