Christmas Light a Small Youth Group Lesson for Teenagers

7/30/2019 Christmas Light a Small Youth Group Lesson for Teenagers

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Christmas LightCopyright 2008 by Paul Kelly. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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A Bible Study for Students on

John 1:1-14

A Small Youth Group Bible Study

Paul Kelly


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Copyright 2008 by Paul Kelly. All rights reserved.

Upon purchase, permission is granted for the reproduction and use of this Bible

study within the church or organization for which it is purchased.

All rights reserved. No copy of this Bible study or any part of it may be shared

with, given to, sold to, or obtained by any church, institution, group, or individual

other than for its intended use within the church or organization for which it was

purchased. Unauthorized distribution of this Bible study is expressly forbidden.

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version

(NIV). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by

permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

To obtain additional copies of this Bible study, please visit

www.smallyouthgroup.com.

Contact information for Small Youth Group

Call: 205.267.8378

Email:[email protected]

Mail: P.O. Box 54976, Hurst, Texas 76054

Small Youth Group provides encouragement, training, and resources for youth

leaders in small churches. For more information, visit our website at

www.smallyouthgroup.com.


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Small Youth Group Bible Study

Youth Ministry in a small church is different than youth ministry in a large church. While

large churches have some decided advantages, advantages also exist for youth ministry in a

small church. Among those are:

Small churches are primarily relational, rather than driven by program. Small churches give students opportunities to be involved in the total life of the

church, not just the youth ministry.

Small churches give students the opportunity to know the entire youth groupwell. Older students can feel like older brothers and sisters and younger students

like younger brothers and sisters.

Most Bible study materials are developed for larger youth ministries. While they are

adaptable to the small church setting, this Bible study has been developed especially for

the small church. How is this Bible study different?

This Bible study is created so that it can be taught with two or three students.While you may have many more students than that, this Bible study is designed

for the unique situation small church youth leaders often find themselves in: only

two or three students show up on a given Sunday.

This Bible study is created to involve students in leadership. Each lesson has aStudent Leader step that is designed for an older student in your group to lead.

Many small youth groups have all grades from 6th to 12th meeting in one class.

Allowing older students to teach part of the lesson equips them for ministry and

helps them to exercise a leadership role in the youth group. It gives them a senseof status in the youth group. If you have high school graduates that still attend

your youth class, the Student Leader activity can be led by one of them.

This Bible study assumes your Bible study is the primary time you have withyour students. Larger churches may have youth meetings two or three times a

week. That is overwhelming for many small churches. So, this Bible study is

designed with the primary tasks of youth discipleship built into it. Various

studies will help students understand the Bible, apply the Bible to their lives,

develop skills they need for walking closely with Christ, and grow more

passionate in their relationship with Christ.

This Bible study assumes that you are probably a volunteer leader with notheological training and limited preparation time. We have attempted to provideyou with solid Bible content in a way that you can use quickly. You may choose

to supplement your study with the use of Bible commentaries, dictionaries, or

online resources, but we have attempted to put the most important material at

your fingertips.


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This Bible study assumes that you are a fellow learner with your students. Whileyou are the leader for your students, the Bible will come alive for them most

readily as you allow the Holy Spirit to permeate your life with the truths of each

passage of Scripture.

Small church youth ministry at its best involves students in fun times, invests in thepersonal spiritual growth of students, and encourages them to put their faith into action

through ministry. Small Youth Group Bible Study seeks to create a fun experience for

students that deepens their faith and challenges them to get involved in ministry. In the

Small Youth Group Bible Study volumes (coming soon), you will find suggestions to add

a fun activity and a ministry project to your study.


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Christmas is full of excitement for most of us. Many teenagers start clicking through the

Internet months before the holiday arrives, hoping to find the newest version video gamemachine wrapped under the tree on Christmas morning. While Christians opine the

commercialism surrounding Christmas, that doesnt stop us from hitting the malls and

discount stores to grab up things for our Christmas list.

Yes, we tend to go overboard with the expense of Christmas. Yes, we can miss the point

in all the decorations and cooking and travel. But, Christmas really is a time of

celebration! A time of sparkling lights! Personally, I think parents should punt idea of

spending hundreds of dollars for a new X-box machinebut lets celebrate! Jesus Christ

is God who made his home here with us. He became one of us to buy our redemption.

There is a time to fast; I think Christmas is the time to feast. There is a time to conserve; I

think Christmas is a time for generosity. There is a time to be diligent about work; I think

Christmas is a time to take a few holidays.

This study is designed to be a celebration of the coming of Jesus Christ. It should be full

of anticipation and excitement. By all means, bring gifts. Share food. Make it a

celebration.

Biblical Background

The Gospel of John

John, one of the sons of Zebedee, wrote the Gospel of John. He was a close friend of

Jesus, one of his Twelve Disciples, and a member of his inner circle. In his gospel

account, John only identified himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved perhaps because

of his hesitancy to place any emphasis on his own role in the story. Most scholars

believe John wrote the gospel from Ephesus, an important port city in Asia Minor.

According to Church tradition, John went to Ephesus after the destruction of the Temple

in Jerusalem accompanied by Mary, the mother of Jesus. He led the church in Ephesus

until he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos. Most scholars believe that the Gospel of John

was writ ten after the sack of Jerusalem around 70 A.D. and before Johns exile. It was

probably written between 85 and 90 A.D.

John addressed Old Testament prophesy and included references to Jewish tradition.

However, John primarily wrote to people who came from Greek culture. Many Greeks

and Hellenistic Jews (Jews who spoke Greek and assimilated into Greek culture) began to

embrace Christ. John wrote to encourage their faith and to lead others to faith in Christ.

To that end, John offered seven miracles that Christ did that proved he was God in flesh:


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turning water into wine, healing the officials son, healing a man at the pool of Bethesda,

feeding the 5,000, walking on water, healing a man born blind, and raising Lazarus from

the dead. John also included several sermons of Jesus that were not included in the other

gospels. In most of these messages, Jesus addressed his own natureGod the Son, God

in flesh.

John used simple language and simple images to present Christ to his readers. Young and

inexperienced readers can understand the stories John told. But the truths presented by

John are mysteries that have led scholars to years of study and thought. John presented

his readers with a clear choice. Each of us must choose either faith or unbelief, either

spiritual life or eternal deatheither light or darkness.

Application to Students

Most students love Christmas. It is a break from school, a chance to see family they may

not see at other times of the year, and a chance to be showered with gifts. Many familieshave traditions that teenagers love being a part of. Favorite foods are a part of the fun for

them as well.

In all the celebration, however, students may lose the relevance of the coming of Christ. A

big news story this year involved an atheist being granted permission to place a treatise

denouncing all religion next to a nativity scene in the state capitol of Washington.

Reporting on a survey, one news anchor announced that even professed atheists had

railed against the posted sign, saying that they loved Christmas. They loved the

festivities, but they missed the point.

This year, as you teach your students about Christmas, help them to reclaim the

mystery, the wonder, the amazing impossibility of God becoming flesh. Help them to

celebrate Christ . . . in the traditions, the gifts, and the food.


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John 1:1-14

The Point:God came into the world in flesh in the person of Jesus toreconcile the world to God.Teaching Goal:Students will celebrate Christ as the true light of theworld.

Leader Bible Study

Matthew and Luke both begin their gospel story with the human

family lineage of Jesus. They emphasize the miraculous birth of Christ.

Mark began his gospel with John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ.

John, however, reaches back to the beginning of history. Jesus did not

begin at birth. Jesus is from the beginning. This may be a strange place

to begin at Christmas, but this is one of the clearest teachings of the

true meaning of Christmas: God became flesh and was the light of the

world.

Gods Eternal Son

John 1:1-3

The startling beginning of Johns gospel account parallels the beginning

of GenesisIn the beginning . . . John probably intended the

parallel. His gospel reaches back to creation and places Jesus Christ as

already present with God.

The Wordis a fascinating way for John to describe Jesus. Gods Word

had great meaning for Jews. It was the agent by which God spoke the

world into existence. In fact, the Old Testament spoke of the Wordof

God in almost personal terms. For example, Psalm 107:20 says of

God, He sent forth his word and healed them. (See also Is. 55:10-

11.) John presented Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of the Jewish

understanding of the Wordof God.

However, John wrote, at least in part, to a audience with Greek

background. Wordhad significance in Greek thinking as well. In Stoicthought, the Wordwas the reason that permeated the universe and

determined how everything was held together.

In startling terms, John identified the Word, Jesus, as God. Through

the ages, some have wanted to identify Jesus as having the spark of

the divine in much the same way each person is created as a child of


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God. That is clearly NOT what John is saying. He certainly could have

made that point, but the Greek language John uses is clear. John was

identifying Jesus, who he called the Word, as being in nature God. In

saying this, John challenged Jewish thought and introduced one of the

deepest mysteries of the Christian faith.

Consider: Teenagers are developing the ability to do critical thinking.

How can you help the students in your class wrestle with the idea of

the nature of Christ (fully human and fully God) and, at the same time,

affirm this as a deep mystery of the universe?

John presents Jesus as active with God in creation. Jesus was the very

agent of creation: Through him all things were made.

God Gives LightJohn 1:4-9

When John said that in Christ was life, he was affirming not only that

Jesus possessed life but that he brought true life into the world. John

then offered an image for Christ that would have been meaningful to

both Jew and Greek: light. In the beginning, God created light. The

Word of God is described as light. Light was an indication of scriptural

truth for the Jew. For the Greek, however, light was also meaningful.

Light was a picture of wisdom or of morality.

Christmas is about light. The Old Testament prophets envisioned thecoming of the Messiah as light entering into darkness. (For example,

see Isaiah 9:2.) John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus, took on the role

of the forerunner of the coming Messiah. He testified that Jesus was

the light.

Light and darkness are not equal opposites. Greek philosophy

accepted a dualism that saw light and darkness as opposing forces that

were constantly at battle. A little light dispels the darkness. Darkness

does not overcome light. Darkness can only exist in the absence of

light. John presents the world as dark, lacking truth and wisdom. Into adark and pain-ridden world, the light of Christ came.

Pray: If your students are dwelling in darkness, their greatest need is

light. Pray that Christ would illumine the lives of your students this

Christmas season.


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God Came Near

John 1:10-14

Since the fall of humanity in Adam, people have been blinded to God.

When Jesus came the people he created world did their Creator.

Consider: While Christ is not with us in flesh, he is at work in our

world by his Spirit. How well do we recognize him today? Why are

people still blind to Christ?

When John said that Christ came to his own, he is probably referring

to his chosen people, the Jews. God had spoken clearly to them over

the course of centuries. He had given them the law, which should have

helped them to see his character. He had given them the prophets who

spoke of Gods heart. As strange as it seems, when God took on

human flesh and came to the people he had related to for so long, theyrejected him.

Despite the failure of the people of God to recognize him in the person

of Jesus Christ, everyone who welcomed himJew, Greek, man,

woman, slave, or freewas give the right to become Gods children.

By right, John meant that they had a claim as heirs to the Father.

Children born of natural descent refers to natural birth and probably

indicates the Jews who were born as people of God. Human birth,

however, would not be enough to secure a person a claim as Gods

heir; those who would be his children were those born of God.

It may seem more natural to talk about the message of salvation at

Easter than at Christmas, but Christmas was always about Gods work

to save people from their sins. God took on human flesh. This was a

shock to Greeks who believed that all flesh was evil. He lived (the

phrase literally means that he pitched his tent) with us. God was

present with the Jews in the tabernacle (the tent of meeting) in the Old

Testament (Ex. 33:7). In Jesus his presence was clearer. Jesus revealed

to us the full glory of God. God is radiant with glory. When Moses

spoke with God, his face shown so brightly that the Hebrews could

not bear to look at him. Jesus was the full revelation of the glory of

God.

That is Christmas. When people were lost in darkness, confused by

the law, deaf to the call of God, Jesus came as God in flesh. He

revealed God to us. And though we rejected him and put him to death,

by his death he made a way for us to become children of God.


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Consider: Your students are probably celebrating at Christmas, but are

they celebrating the stuff they will receive under the tree? Or are they

celebrating Christ?


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John 1:1-14

The Point:God came into the world in flesh in the person of Jesus toreconcile the world to God.

Teaching Goal:Students will celebrate Christ as the true light of theworld.

Preparation:

Step 1: On separate pieces of card stock write: Albuquerque, Boston,

Cincinnati, Dallas. Bring a timer and a blindfold.

Step 4: copies of the worksheet, pencils

Step 5: Bring strands of cheap Christmas lights and tape or something

to hang the lights with. Bring Christmas music and a music

player. Bring food and drink. Bring a small gift for each student

like a candy cane.

Lesson Plan

1. Traveling at Christmas (10 minutes)In a sentence: Students arrange cities into various orders which

becomes harder for one who is blindfolded.

Ask students how many of them are traveling for Christmas. Then say:

I am planning a trip to visit my loved ones. I have an aunt inAlbuquerque, NM; a brother in Boston, MA; a cousin in Cleveland,

OH; my dad in Dallas, TX. Tell them you need some help planning the

trip to see all your loved ones.

Enlist a volunteer. Show them the cards on which you have written the

cities to which you will travel. Explain that you will tell the volunteer

how to arrange the cities. Allow the rest of the class to help them.

Once they have the order right, they will tell you your trip itinerary

including the people you will visit. (For example, if you said, Plan the

trip from east to west, they would put them in order and say: First

you will see your brother in Boston, then your cousin in Cleveland,

then your friend in Fayetteville, then Eddie in El Paso, then your dad

in Denver, and finally your aunt in Albuquerque.) Tell them you will

time them to see how quickly they can arrange your trip.

Mix the cards up and allow other volunteers to arrange your trip. Give

them a different way to order the cards (Possibilities: west to eastA,


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D, C, B; north to southC, B, D, A; alphabetically by cityA, B, C,

D; alphabetically by stateM, A, C, D; number of letters in the

nameB and D, C, A; proximity to your location.) Keep track of the

time it takes each student to complete the task.

Finally, ask for one more volunteer. Tell her you want her to arrangeyour trip by the closest blood relation to you (the closest to you

genetically; B, D, A, C). However, put a blindfold on her before she

begins. Allow other students to help her as she attempts to complete

the task. When she finishes, compare her time with the others. Say:

Why did it take you longer to accomplish the task than it took other

students? (She couldnt see.) Explain that she was in the dark and light

obviously makes a big difference in being able to see what you are

doing. Ask: How is Christmas like turning on the lights? (Jesus is the

light of the world; he gives us light to live.)

2. Light to the World (10 minutes)In a sentence: Students will imagine what it was like for the disciples to

see the glory of Jesus revealed.

Ask students to open their Bibles to John 1. Tell them that this may

seem like a funny passage to study at Christmas because John doesnt

talk about mangers, angels, wise men, or a star in the sky. Explain:

Johns description of Christmas is a little bit different, but he gives us

a clear picture of the first Christmas light.

Ask them to read along with you as you read verses 1-3. Explain that

John used Word as a name for Jesus here. Ask them: Why do you

think he chose that word? (Word meant a lot to the Jews. By Gods

word, he spoke the world into existence. The Old Testament said that

Gods word will accomplish the purpose for which he spoke it. For

the Greeks word was used to describe the wisdom of the world that

explained everything from the existence of the world to their moral

behavior. Pretty good description of who Jesus was.)

Read John 1:4-9 and ask students to count how many times the word

light is used. Ask: Why do you think John used light to describe Jesus?

(Light was used in the Greek world to indicate wisdom. For Jews, the

word of God had been described as light. See Psalm 119.) Explain that

at the time Jesus came, the Jewish people were occupied by Rome.

The religious leaders focused on the tiniest implication of the law; the

result was that religion made people feel worthless, not loved by God.


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It was truly a time of darkness. Explain that Jesus brought something

fresh: forgiveness of sins, the love of God, and freedom that comesfrom within.

Ask a volunteer to read John 1:10-14. Explain that John the Baptist

was like a herald sent to announce the coming of the kingdom of God.Ask students to define glory. (Students may struggle to define it. Help

them to see that Gods glory is his goodness, his worth, and his

holiness.) Ask students what it meant for Jesus to have the glory of

God. (This statement equated him with God. He had the glory of God

because he was God.) Help students to see that the coming of Christ

was like a radiant light. The coming of Christ changed everything.

3. Darkness v. Light (10 minutes, Student Leadership)In a sentence: Students discuss what is dark in their world and howJesus can bring light to that area.

Distribute the worksheet. Ask students to brainstorm what is dark

about their world. (Ideas might include suicide, violence, war, sexual

permissiveness and perversion, selfishness, greed.) As students suggest

ideas, ask them to list them on the worksheet. Ask them (as a group or

in smaller groups of two or three) to write a statement opposite the

statement they have about darkness that describes how Jesus brings

light. (Next to suicide, they might write Jesus brings hope. Next to

violence, they might write, Jesus brings peace and love. Next to war,they might write, Jesus gives wisdom and peace.)

After you have discussed each of the ways Jesus brings light in

darkness, ask: Since Jesus came to earth and does all of these things,

why is there still darkness? As you discuss this, help students to see

that the world is still fallen and still consumed by sin. However, when

people turn to Jesus in faith, it is like the turn on a light. Explain: That

is what we celebrate at Christmas: Jesus Christ brings light into the

darkness for everyone who places his or her faith in him.

4. Celebrating Light (20 minutes)In a sentence: Students will consider the disciples walk down the

mountain as they walk outside.

Bring out the Christmas lights and tell students: Lets celebrate the

light. Ask students to hang the Christmas lights around the room.


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Suggest that they try to come up with a way to hang the lights that is acelebration of the light of Jesus. Encourage them to be creative.

Create a party atmosphere as they work. Bring out food and drinks.

Give each student a small gift, like a candy cane. Play some Christmas

music.

After they finish hanging the lights and everyone has gotten food and

drink, ask them to pray a one sentence prayer: God, this week I amgoing to celebrate Christmas by . . .


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Christmas LightStudent Leadership

This sheet is for the use of a student leader for developing part of the lesson.

Personal Bible Study

Read John 1:1-14 two or three times.

Light and darkness are not equal opposites. Greek philosophy saw light and darkness as

equal opposing forces that were constantly at battle. A little light dispels the darkness.

Darkness does not overcome light. Darkness can only exist in the absence of light. John

presents the world as dark, lacking truth and wisdom. Into a dark and pain-ridden world,

the light of Christ came.

The greatest need of people dwelling in darkness is light. Pray that Christ would illumine

the lives of students this Christmas season.

Teach

Prepare to lead this learning activity when the lead teacher tells you to. Pray that God

will use you to make a difference with the students in your group.

Darkness v. Light (10 minutes, Student Leadership)

Distribute the worksheet. Ask students to brainstorm what is dark about their world.

(Ideas might include suicide, violence, war, sexual permissiveness and perversion,

selfishness, greed.) As students come up with ideas, ask them to list them on the

worksheet. Then, ask them (as a group in or smaller groups of two or three) to write a

statement opposite the statement they have about darkness that describes how Jesus

brings light. (Next to suicide, they might write Jesus brings hope. Next to violence, they

might write, Jesus brings peace and love. Next to war, they might write, Jesus gives

wisdom and peace.)

After you have discussed each of the ways Jesus brings light in darkness, ask: Since Jesuscame to earth and does all of these things, why is there still darkness? As you discuss

this, help students to see that the world is still fallen and still consumed by sin. However,

when people turn to Jesus in faith, it is like the turn on a light. Explain: That is what we

celebrate at Christmas: Jesus Christ brings light into the darkness for everyone who

places his or her faith in him.


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ChristmasLightA STUDY OF JOHN 1:1-14

Mmoy Vs

In him was lif, and that lif was th liht of mn. John 1:4

LIgHT v. DArkNeSSList ways is your world is dark. Then write how the light of Jesus addresses each area of darkness.

How s you wold dk? How does Jesus del wth ou dkness?

Daily Bibl radin fo This W:

Mondy: John 1:1-14

Tuesdy: Mtthew 1:18-25

Wednesdy: Mtthew 2:1-12

Thusdy: Mtthew 2:13-18

Fdy: Luke 1:26-38

Study: Luke 1:46-56

Sundy: Luke 2:1-20

CHriSTMaS LigHT

C h 2008 b P l K ll all h d U d b

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Christmas Light a Small Youth Group Lesson for Teenagers