Christmas-Celebrating Jesus, God's greatest gift
December 2020 • Week 2
Today's Bible story: Joyful, Joyful (Gabriel Appears to Mary) • Luke 1:26-56
Monthly memory verse: Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11 (NIrV)
Memory Verse for 2's - Pre-K: Today your Savior was born in David's town. He is Christ, the Lord. Luke 2:11 (ICB)
Life Application: Christmas-Celebrating Jesus, God's greatest gift
Bottom Line: You can have joy because God has a plan for you.
Suggested songs: The Friendly Beasts, Carol Medley, Happy Birthday Jesus and The Camel Song
Praise & Pray: Sing along with the provided worship videos and pray. Access songs here
What you might pray: "Dear God, thank you for your plan to send your Son to save us. Thank you that you have a plan for my life. In Jesus' name we pray, amen."
Read God's Word together: Luke 1:26-56 (Need a kid-friendly Bible? Check out our suggestions.)
Family Devotional & Discussion
What you do: Watch the complementary video together as a family and discuss today's question.
What you discuss: What makes you joyful? What makes you sad? It's normal to feel both ways. Today, we heard a story where Mary, the mother of Jesus, felt two ways, too-except she felt scared at first then joyful. Mary was probably overwhelmed when she got the news that she would become pregnant with God's Son, soon she became so joyful that her joy could not be contained. Her joy came from knowing that even though her life would be different than what she expected, God was with her and He had a perfect plan for her life. God was using her to bring the Savior into the world to save us from our sins. Your plans for Christmas might look a little different this year due to COVID-19. You might not get everything you want. You might not get to see all your family and friends like normal. No matter what happens, we can find joy in celebrating Jesus, God's greatest gift to us. So, what are your plans for Christmas?
Bible Story Review
What you need: Bible (Luke 1:26-56)
What you do: Read Luke 1:26-5 together. Review the Bible story with the kids using the questions below.
- Who was Mary engaged to be married to? (Joseph)
- Mary was visited by an angel whose name was what? (Gabriel)
- How did Mary feel when she first saw the angel? (frightened, scared)
- What did the angel tell Mary? (That she would become pregnant and have a Son)
- Which relative of Mary's is also going to have a baby even though she was old? (Elizabeth)
- What does it mean to you to know that God sent Jesus for you? How does it make you feel?
Pray and bless your family
What you need: Paper, pencil
What you do: Ask for prayer requests.
- Pass out paper and a pencil to each child or family member.
- Invite the family members or children to write one word on their paper that describes how they feel when they think about the fact that God has a plan for their life.
- Invite the family / kids to interject the words they wrote as you close with the following prayer.
What you might pray: "Lord, we are so grateful that You have a plan for our lives. When we think of Your plan, we feel (pause to let kids read the words they wrote on their slips of paper). Remind us that You are working for Your good plan in our lives, even on our hardest days. Remind us that You are always with us, no matter what. Thank You for giving us a way to find joy even when things don't go our way. We love You. Pray for prayer requests. In Jesus' name, amen. [Bottom Line] You can have joy because God has a plan for you."
Additional Activities
What you need: Printed 'Angel' Activity Page (DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE), scissors, glue, twine, yarn / ribbon / twine
What you do: Give each child / family member a printed 'Angel' activity page, scissors, and glue.
- Note, it is best to NOT cut all the pieces out at the same time so kids don't mix up the strips.
- First cut out the head and glue it into a circle.
- Second, cut out the angel wing strips. Make the angel wings by placing some glue on the on one edge of a 6 inch strip and gluing the other end down on top of it to form a teardrop shape as shown in the picture. Do this for the second wing. Set them aside.
- Third, to make the angel's body cut out the top and bottom of the body. Next, place glue onto both ends of the 7 inch strip (top of the body strip) and glue them down onto each end of the 3 1/2 inch strip (bottom of the body strip), forming a bell shape as shown in the picture.
- Fourth, glue the head on top of the body.
- Fifth, glue each wing to the side of the angel. You can have the wings face out, down, or up!
- Finally, cut a piece of yarn, ribbon, or twine and tie it through the head of the angel to form a loop for hanging.
What you say: "Mary was an ordinary girl from an ordinary town. She grew up learning the Jewish scriptures and was engaged to a carpenter named Joseph. She probably had a plan or an idea of how her life would go, but one day, all of that changed. Gabriel, an angel sent from God, appeared to Mary with a VERY special message. God had a big plan for Mary. What was that plan? Mary would have a baby. But not just any baby. Gabriel told her she would have a son named Jesus. He would be great, the Son of the Most-High God.
"The angel also told Mary that her cousin, Elizabeth, would have a baby even though she was old. All these things seemed impossible to Mary, but still she said, 'I am the Lord's servant. May it be so.' Mary visited Elizabeth and stayed with her for many weeks. Mary was full of joy because God had chosen her to be a part of His BIG plan!
"If you had been Mary, how would you have felt if an ANGEL suddenly appeared to you with a special message? Show me the face you might make if an angel appeared right in front of you! I would probably be frightened at first. (Show frightened face.) But then, I would have LOTS of questions. And Mary DID ask questions, but then she said something amazing. You can read it in Luke 1:38. Mary said, 'I serve the Lord. May it happen just as you have said.'
"Mary knew that God's plans were bigger and better than any plan she may have come up with on her own. And she was right! God made you and me for a purpose. Just like God had a plan for Mary, God has a plan for you! [Bottom Line] You can have joy because God has a plan for you." [Make it Personal - Tell the kids about a time when God showed you His plan for your life. Maybe you moved to a new city or chose a different college or career because God led you there. Talk about how you found joy by following God's plan for you.]
What you need: Bible, computer to watch and follow along with the actions of Luke 2:11 Memory Verse Song (click here for song)
What you do: Open the Bible to Luke 2:10 - 11. Ask a family member to read the scripture.
- Practice the scripture memory verse a few times together.
- Watch, sing, and do the actions together to the song for Luke 2:10 - 11
What you say: "Do you know that the best gift you can ever receive is Jesus? When God gave us Jesus it was the best gift ever. That's what our memory verse reminds us! God had a plan to send Jesus to rescue you for a long, long time. It's part of His good plan for your life! And even if life looks differently than you though it would, remember Jesus. Remember that God loves you so much it was His good plan to send Jesus to rescue you so you could have a relationship with Him. Jesus is the gift that can bring you the greatest joy, no matter what happens. And you can trust that the rest of God's plan for your life is a good one, too. [Bottom Line] You can have joy because God has a plan for you."