Kindergarten-2nd

December 8-9, 2012

Luke 2:1-20 (p. 1195 in the Adventure Bible for Early Readers)

Shepherds Visit

Kids imagine how they would have reacted if they were the shepherds.

Hang out with kids (10 minutes)

Large Group (30 minutes)

Small Group (20 minutes)

Video and Song Review (10 minutes)

Engage kids in a specific activity from the moment they walk in the door. Help them find something to color, build, or pretend. This will help each kid feel valued and included...especially if they are a little nervous.

As kids check out, tell parents that they have a special postcard to mail or give away. Remind kids to tell their parents all about it.

The shepherds reacted to one unique instance surrounding Jesus’ birth: the angels’ appearance. Today, kids will react to that and several other instances surrounding Jesus’ birth.

                                                                                                               

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Goal: To help kids relate to the shepherds’ reaction to the story. Why? Personalizing the story makes it more real for kids—it also keeps them engaged.

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CONNECT 1. Was anything confusing? (may

have to tell kids that we don’t know exactly why or how certain events occurred, but that they were acts of God at the special birth of Jesus)

2. What was your favorite part of today’s story?

REVIEW 3. Who announced Jesus birth?

(angels) 4. Who did the angels appear to?

(some shepherds) 5. When the shepherds heard from

the angels, what did they do? (1. They said, “Let’s go!” 2. They ran to worship Jesus 3. They told everybody about the king)

RELATE 6. If you were the shepherds, what

would you have done? Why?

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We saw a video about some crazy things that happened when Jesus the king was born. Here’s a picture with some images to remind you about what happened. Look over it for a minute. Which part surprised you the most? Think of it in your head. (Remind the kids of the events. Here’s what they are in order, starting with the angel and continuing clockwise: 1. An angel announced he was coming, 2. John the Baptist jumped in his mom’s belly, 3. a star appeared, 4. angels appeared to shepherds, 5. wise men began following the star, 6. God kept Jesus safe, 7. Joseph had dreams). Okay, raise your hand if you know which part surprised you the most. (Once all hands are raised, continue): Great, I’m going to give you a piece of paper. I want you to draw your favorite part! (continued on the next page!)

QUESTIONS ACTIVITY

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Tip: Use coloring time to dialogue with kids about their reactions to today’s story. Try to build discussion among kids too.

                                                                                                               

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If you want to draw the others to help you remember them, go for it. (The paper has empty boxes for each event. Read the labels aloud so kids who struggle to read know what the labels say.) WHEN KIDS FINISH, ASK THEM TO SHARE. Then tell them: Your challenge is to tell ONE person at home about the miracle God did this week. Just like the shepherds. *Pray with the kids and thank God for sending his son in such an amazing way! **If you have extra ask kids to describe the most surprising thing they’ve ever seen, share how they reacted, and consider how that compares to shepherds’ reaction in this story.

QUESTIONS ACTIVITY

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Go over the crazy events surrounding Jesus’ birth (on the video), but really focus on imagining what it would have been like to be a shepherd and experience the angels’ appearance. Kids will react to other events in small group.  

Really play up all the events that point to the uniqueness of Jesus’ birth. Be dramatic!  

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*Christmas carols play as kids enter the room. WELCOME (Wear the crown as they enter.) Hi kids, it’s wonderful to see you all today! We’ve been talking about the AMAZING gift God sent. Does anybody remember who that is? (Point to your crown.) Yes, Jesus! And when Jesus was born, there was NO question he was the promised king. REVIEW Remember, this king was a BIG deal. He would bring God’s family peace (make a peace sign—motion for kids to follow). He would be strong (pump muscles) enough to rescue them and would love (hug yourself) them forever. It was going to be GREAT! Say “Woohoo!” (Give a fist pump as kids follow your lead.) “Woohoo!” And how many years did God’s family have to wait for the king? (Let kids respond.) Yes, HUNDREDS…and hundreds…and hundreds of years. And when the king was born, why was his birth surprising? (Let kids respond.) Yep, he was born outside, with animals, and he didn’t even have a bed to sleep in. Let’s sing a song to remind us of the story. Music Video: Baby Love JESUS IS KING Remember, when baby Jesus was born, there were some shepherds in fields nearby, taking care of sheep. And does anybody remember who appeared in the sky to announce Jesus’ birth? (Let kids respond. Then show pic of angel appearing.) Yes, an angel told them where Jesus was born. Then a whole sky FULL of angels appeared. They said (speak straight into mic): “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor

                                                                                                               

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rests.” Now this wasn’t the only thing that happened to show that Jesus was born. We’re going to watch a video. As you watch, see if you can figure out ONE of the other crazy things that happened when the king was born. Video: God’s Story / Christmas (approx. 4 minutes) What are some of the crazy things that happened when Jesus was born? (Show slide with images to remind kids: 1. An angel announced he was coming, 2. John the Baptist jumped in his mom’s belly, 3. angels appeared to shepherds, 4. a star appeared, 5. wise men began following the star, 6. God kept Jesus safe, 7. Joseph had dreams. After each one, say “WOW” and have kids repeat it back.) SHEPHERDS REACT (Now you can take off the crown.) Well, let’s imagine how the shepherds felt when they first heard the news. You guys are shepherds now. (Show slide of shepherds.) You’re just relaxing in a field taking care of some sheep. Go ahead and relax (Let kids stretch out.) Now close your eyes. (Give kids a second. Whisper): You’ve been waiting…and waiting…and waiting for a king who would come and rescue you from ALL the wrong things in the world. You want him to come so badly. One regular old night, you’re out in the grass. Touch the carpet beneath you; pretend it’s blades of grass (give kids a minute). You’re bored, maybe almost asleep, when all of a sudden…(get louder and speak more quickly with excitement): an ANGEL appears and tells you the KING has been born. The angel tells you EXACTLY where to find him! It’s not where you expected to find him—sleeping in an animal’s feeding dish!—but he’s here! Now open your eyes. (Let kids open their eyes and change slide to bright lights:) A sky FULL of angels appears—and these angels are SINGING praises to God! They’re saying, “Glory to God in the Highest!” Now, if you guys were the shepherds, what would you do? (Take 3-5 responses from kids following NORP. Call them up one by one to share their response.) Well, the shepherds did three things. We’re going to act them out. Ready? I need you guys to stand up. Here’s what the shepherds did first Luke 2:15:

(Show SLIDE): When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

(Change slide to shepherds rejoicing.) They were so excited and said, “Let’s go find Jesus!” You guys say to each other, “Let’s go find Jesus!” Ready? (Model for kids and let them respond.) Let’s do it one more time. You can even jump for joy this time. “Let’s go find Jesus!” (Model and let kids respond.) Wow, you guys are good shepherds. Okay, let’s check out the

                                                                                                               

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second thing they did. It’s in Luke 2:16:

(Show SLIDE): They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.

(Change slide to baby Jesus.) One version of the Bible says they RAN. We’re going to put those together. When I say, “Jesus is here!” I want you guys to jump for joy and say, “Let’s go find Jesus!” Then start running in place. Ready? “Jesus is here!” (Model and let kids respond.) Great job! They RAN to the manger to worship Jesus.

Now, the third thing is in Luke 2:17:

(Show SLIDE): After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.

They told EVERYONE that Jesus the king had been born! Turn and tell a friend, “Jesus is born!” (Let kids respond). Well done. Now give your friend a high five. (Let kids respond.) Telling everybody about Jesus was a good move because Jesus LOVES it when we tell others about him. In fact, now we’re going to sing a new song to remind us to tell everybody about Jesus. You guys ready to learn a new song? Let’s do it! Music Video: Come With Me PRAY Can somebody come pray and ask God to help us tell everybody about Jesus, just like shepherds?      

                                                                                                               

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Coloring pages: Joseph Dreams Per small group: 1 screenshot from God’s Story: Christmas printed in color on white cardstock (image in curriculum folder) Per kid: 1 piece of paper with empty boxes for each image from God’s Story printed (template in

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curriculum folder) Bible (mark p. 1195 in the Adventure Bible for Early Readers) Plenty of crayons / markers

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Crown Bible (mark p. 1195 in the Adventure Bible for Early Readers)

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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. Music Video: Baby Love (PATH: GenLogin>B-Kinder>xmas_musicvideos(2)) 3. Image from JSB: pg. 189 (angel appears to shepherds) 4. Video: God’s Story / Christmas 5. SLIDE WITH IMAGES FROM GOD’S STORY: a. An angel announced he was coming, b. John the Baptist jumped in his mom’s belly, c. angels appeared to

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shepherds, d. a star appeared, e. wise men began following the star, f. God kept Jesus safe, g. Joseph had dreams 6. Image from JSB: pg. 187 (shepherds relaxing) 7. Bright lights loop (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2FtYdfw3Og) 8. Slide: Luke 2:15 (Exact wording in script) 9. Image from “Waiting for the King” (shepherds rejoicing; remove text that begins, “We told shepherds in the fields…”) 10. Slide: Luke 2:16 (Exact wording in script) 11. Image from “Waiting for the King” (aerial view of Jesus) 12. Slide: Luke 2:17 (exact wording in script) 13. Music Video: Come With Me

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Tell me about the shepherds. What happened when Jesus was born?

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Today, we watched a video about some crazy events surrounding Jesus’ birth—some of the ways we know he is king. One of those events was when a sky full of angels appeared to some nearby shepherds and announced Jesus’ arrival. We talked about what we would have done if we were shepherds…and which event surprised us the most! Ask your kids about it. You can also read about it in Luke 1-2 and Matthew 2.