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Lesson Snapshot

BOTTOM LINE:

God wants everyone to come and meet Jesus.

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will learn that Jesus came for everyone.

KEY PASSAGE:

Luke 2:8-20, The Shepherds

MEMORY VERSE:

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:11 (NIV)

SUMMARY:

Sam was minding his business with the other sheep in the field, when an angel appeared in the sky, telling the shepherds that Jesus Christ was born. Sam just had to come with them to meet the Savior for himself.

Object Lesson

ITEM NEEDED:

Birthday Party Invitation

Of all the cards kids receive, the most exciting has to be a card with money. But if you had to pick a second favorite, it would have to be a card like this. Does anyone know what this is?

This isn’t just an invitation for a birthday party. It’s an invitation for a good time. It’s an invitation to games and good food and cake and ice cream. It’s an invitation to fun!

Invitations make us feel special. Not everyone gets invited to every party, so it means a lot when a friend picks you to come along to Chuck E. Cheese or the bowling alley or wherever you may go.

But God sent an invitation to his Son’s birthday to everyone – to kings, queens, the rich and powerful, and to you. God sent an angel to announce the birth of Jesus to shepherds, letting the whole world know that all are welcome to come to Jesus.

Christmas is an invitation to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Let’s share that good news with others, and let’s commit ourselves to following Jesus.

Trivia Game

Craft Activity

Let the kids create sheep using construction paper, glue sticks, and cotton balls (for a sheep template, search online for “free sheep template.”). Punch a hole in the sheep’s back, and he can become a Christmas ornament!

Lesson Snapshot

BOTTOM LINE:

Jesus came as a baby so we would not fear him.

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will learn what makes Jesus so special.

KEY PASSAGE:

Luke 2:1-7, The Birth of Jesus

MEMORY VERSE:

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:11 (NIV)

SUMMARY:

The stable is Clara’s home, invaded this night by all kinds of visitors. She can tell by looking into that manger that there is something special about this new arrival, Jesus.

Bible Sing Along

Bible Story

Bible Trivia

Craft Activity

Let the kids cut out a cow from brown construction paper (templates can be found by searching the internet for “free cow template”). Punch a hole in the cow’s back, and she can become a Christmas ornament!

LESSON SNAPSHOT

BOTTOM LINE:

God wants the world to know Jesus has come.

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will learn how an angel told Mary and Joseph about the baby Jesus.

KEY PASSAGE:

Luke 1:26-38 & Matthew 1:18-24, Angel Visitations

MEMORY VERSE:

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:11 (NIV)

SUMMARY:

Doug was with Mary and Joseph for the long trip from Galilee to Bethlehem. Along the way, he hears them tell the story of some very special angel visits proclaiming the birth of a Savior.

OBJECT LESSON

ITEMS NEEDED:

Christmas cards

Something is coming. You all have seen the signs. There are lights in the trees. There are decorations hanging from streetlights. The colors red and green are everywhere, and songs we only hear one time a year are playing on the radio.

You can see the change happening in every store you visit. There are trees with lights, red and green decorations, and three times as many toys as any other time of the year are on the shelf.

You can even see it in the greeting card store. Half the store is now taken up with cards created for one special day because more people send cards at Christmas than any other time of the year.

Cards like these will be hitting your mailbox soon. They serve as reminders that we have grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who love us very much. But my hope is that they also remind us that we have a Savior who loved us enough to come to Earth and save us.

God sent an angel to share the good news that Jesus was coming that very first Christmas. This year, as we send and receive Christmas cards, let’s remind ourselves, and our family, why we celebrate the season. God has sent his son to be the Savior of the world.

CRAFT ACTIVITY

Let the kids cut out a donkey from brown construction paper (templates can be found online by searching for “free donkey template.”) Punch a hole in the donkey’s back and he can become a Christmas ornament!

GAME

Psalm 138

Of David.

¹ I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
² I will bow down toward your holy temple
    and will praise your name
    for your unfailing love and your faithfulness.

Object Lesson

ITEMS NEEDED:

A bag full of jelly beans

Begin this lesson by holding up the bag of jelly beans and asking if any kids can guess how many jelly are in the bag?

There’s an actual number of jelly beans in this bag. I don’t know the number myself, but if we wanted to find that number, we could rip open the bag and count them. I doubt we could get very far. These are jelly beans, not marbles, and it wouldn’t be long before we went from counting jelly beans to enjoying them.

That’s exactly what happens when we start to count the things God has done for us. When we start to count God’s blessings, we eventually lose count. We stop thinking about numbers and we start thinking about just how loved we are. God sent his son Jesus to die for us, and God has given us countless blessings on top of that. He’s given us families, friends, the beauty of nature, awesome music, and so much more.

God loves us, and he made this amazing world filled with blessings to show us we are loved. Let’s love God back by counting our blessings and thanking him every day for all of these reminders that he loves us. God’s love, as well as a good way to work your way out of a sour mood. Next time you’re feeling down, count your blessings. See how high you can count before you break into praise for all God has done.

Memory Verse