In the Beginning . . .

Growing into a Life of Faith

UNIT 1: LESSON 1:

Good News of Great Joy

The Angels Promise to Mary

Key Concept
Gods Son, Jesus, is born.

KEY CONCEPT MOTIONS:

Bible Summary
Luke 1:26-38, 2:1-7 An angel told Mary she would have a baby: Gods Son, Jesus. Joseph and Mary had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census. When they arrived, there was no place for them to spend the night, so they stayed in a stable. While they were there, Jesus was born. Mary wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a manger.

Every time you say the key concept during the lesson, use these motions: Gods Son [point up], Jesus, is born [cradle arms and rock back and forth].

Objectives
KNOW WHAT:

Supplies
(Labeled visuals below can be found in the Lesson 1 Visual folder on the Winter Quarter CDs.) CD player Music for singing Sound Effects CD (optional) Christmas tree with picture ornaments (see Unit Overview for instructions) The Beginners Bible Large Christmas gift bag (for pretend halos) Crayons For each child: 1 Instrument (maracas, jingle bells, drums, etc.) (optional) 1 Halo 1 White paper bag with angel wings outline (Lesson 1 SG 8) 3 Star stickers Key Concept sticker (Lesson 1 SG 9) Two-sided take-home coloring sheet (Lesson 1 SG 10, Lesson 1 SG 11) Snack

Children will hear the Christmas story, including the angels visit to Mary and the birth of Jesus.
SO WHAT:

Children will learn that God sent His Son, Jesus, as a baby to show His love.
NOW WHAT:

Children will participate in various activities that reinforce what the angels did in the Christmas story.

Spiritual Formation
Celebration

People Needed
Teacher, Helper

Bible Verse
. . . God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world. 1 John 4:9

Winter Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 1

UNIT 1:

Good News of Great Joy Notes:

In Advance
Recruit a Helper to operate the music CDs and the sound effects CD. Determine which songs you will use and be prepared to lead the children in singing. Song suggestions: Upbeat song, that kids can clap along to, for transition from Activity Stations to the Creative Bible Teaching (consider using the same song for all 15 lessons or using a different song for each unit) Who Was There (Jump for Joy CD) Jump for Joy (Jump for Joy CD) Its Christmastime (Jump for Joy CD) He is Born (Jump for Joy CD) Determine whether or not you will use the sound effects CD. If you prefer not to use the sound effects, or to use only a few of them, look at each sound effect listed in the lesson and determine if you will play the sound effect from the CD, encourage the kids to make the sound effect along with you, or omit the sound effect, and then modify the lesson accordingly. Gather the supplies listed above and arrange your classroom as follows: Designate one area or corner of the room as your teaching area. Set up props that will be used during the lesson and consider covering them with a sheet or a large piece of fabric to keep them from curious kids during Activity Stations. Also consider placing a line of tape on the floor to help keep kids out of the teaching area. For the lessons in Unit 1, the Bible story will be told through picture ornaments on a Christmas tree. See the Unit 1 Overview for specific instructions on creating the tree and ornaments. The pictures on the ornaments should face away from the kids at the beginning of each lesson. Make sure the ornaments are arranged to match the order of the story. Prepare the materials that will be given to each of the children. To prepare the stickers, print or copy the pages onto Avery label sheets #5294. Consider cutting the stickers apart for easier distribution. The halos can be created by cutting lengths of gold or silver wire garland. Twist the ends together to form a circlet. Place the completed halos in the gift bag and set it near the Christmas tree. To prepare the angel puppets, print the angel wings outline and copy it on cardstock. You may choose to cut out around the wings outline, but this is not necessary. Glue the wings sheet to the back of a white paper lunch bag to form the base for an angel puppet. Print out the lesson and practice the teaching time.

Lesson 1 SG 8

2007 Willow Creek Community Church Permission granted to reproduce this page for use in this lesson.

Winter Quarter / Lesson 1 SG 8

Glue or tape paper bag here.

Winter Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 1

UNIT 1:

Good News of Great Joy

Teachers Prep
READ LUKE 1:26-38 and 2:1-20. When you were a child, did the month of December seem three times longer than any other month of the year? For children, the closer Christmas gets, the slower time seems to pass. Underneath the decorations and the hoopla, kids often recognize there is something special about Christmas that makes it different from other holidays. Do you remember being amazed at the truth of Gods grace when you first saw Christmas as a personal expression of love from God to you? When we think of Christmas this way, we celebrate the season as God intended. Read Luke 2:1-20 and Matthew 1:18-25. Do you feel a childlike anticipation as you wait for Christmas to arrive? Does your soul take delight in the story that is two thousand years old, and yet new each time it is heard? This year, allow yourself to be inspired anew by the Christmas message.

Activity Stations
(20 MINUTES)

Choose which activity stations you will use from the list included in the Activity Stations folder.

Creative Bible Teaching

(15 MINUTES)

[Play upbeat music as children transition to the teaching area. Encourage kids to clap their hands along with you. Clap in a variety of styles like overhead, on your knees, on your belly, etc.]
TEACHER:

Hi, everyone! My name is__________, and Im so glad youre here today! We are going to have a lot of fun! We will sing songs, play games, and meet some special friends! I am so happy to see you all here, because today we will be celebrating a special day. There is a special holiday coming up. I want you to yell the name of the holiday when I say the word merry. Ready? Merry [Kids respond, Christmas!] Thats right, Merry Christmas! There are so many things that are great about Christmas. But my favorite thing is to hear the Christmas story from the Bible! It is a really great story. If you know any of the people in the Christmas Bible story, or some of the animals in the Christmas Bible story, put your arm in the air and wave to me like this. [Demonstrate and then calls on kids for their answers.] Lets all stand up and sing a song about the Christmas story in the Bible.

Winter Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 1

UNIT 1:

Good News of Great Joy

MUSIC

Song suggestion: Who Was There

TEACHER:

Good singing, friends. I love this story sooo much. Lets tell the Christmas story right now. Ive got my Bible. [Show The Beginners Bible.] Each ornament on our tree shows a part of the Christmas story. And the best part is, today we are going to learn that Gods Son [point up], Jesus, is born [cradle arms and rock back and forth]. Say that with me. Gods Son [point up], Jesus, is born [cradle arms and rock back and forth]. Now say it in your quietest voices. Gods Son [point up], Jesus, is born [cradle arms and rock back and forth]. Click on your listening ears, friends. Click! Click! [Tug on each earlobe.] Now lets put on our special eyes. Shookum! Shookum! [Hold hands to eyes, one at a time, shaping glasses.] [Start the Bible story whispering and gradually work up to regular volume.] The Bible says there was a woman named Mary, who lived in a town called Nazareth. [Flip over the first ornament with the picture of Mary.] This is a picture of Mary. One night, God sent a special angel to visit Mary. [Flip over the ornament with the picture of an angel.]
[SFX 1: Harp music . . . Angel: Dont be afraid. You are going to have a baby. Gods Son. The babys name will be Jesus. . . . Harp music.]

TEACHER:

[Point to Mary picture.] When Mary first saw the angel, she was afraid. Can you show me your afraid faces? [Model for kids.] Then the angel told her, Dont be afraid. The angel said Mary was going to have a baby, Gods Son. And what was the babys name going to be? [Jesus.] Thats right. The babys name would be Jesus. Well, Mary was very excited. But there is more to the Christmas story. [Flip over the ornament with the picture of Joseph.] There was a man named Joseph. He loved Mary very much. [Point to Mary.] And Mary loved Joseph, too. Give yourselves a great big hug. [Model for kids.] So Mary told Joseph that an angel visited her, and that she was going to have a baby, Gods Son. Soon after Mary told Joseph about the baby, Mary and Joseph went on a trip to Bethlehem. See, all the people in the town needed to be counted, so Mary and Joseph had to go to the town of Bethlehem to be counted. [Flip over the ornament with the picture of a donkey.]
[SFX 2: Donkey hee-hawing.]

TEACHER:

Mary got on a donkey, and then Joseph and Mary went far, far away to the town of Bethlehem. [Invite children to pat their hands on their knees.] They kept going and going. The road was dirty. The road was dusty, and Mary was getting very tired. Finally, Joseph

Winter Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 1

UNIT 1:

Good News of Great Joy

and Mary arrived in Bethlehem. The town of Bethlehem had a lot of people. Listen to all the people!
[SFX 3: Crowd noises.]

TEACHER:

Everyone had come to be counted, just like Mary and Joseph. There were so many people that Mary and Joseph had a hard time finding a place to sleep. There was no room anywhere, because there were too many people. The only place they could find to sleep was in a stable. A stable is just like a barn. The stable was filled with many animals. [Flip over the ornament with the picture of a cow.] There were cows.
[SFX 4: Cow mooing.]

TEACHER:

What sound does a cow make? [Allow kids time to respond. Flip over ornament with the picture of a sheep.] There were sheep.
[SFX 5: Sheep baaaing.]

TEACHER:

What sound do sheep make? [Allow kids time to respond. Flip over ornament with a picture of a donkey.] There were donkeys.
[SFX 6: Donkey hee-hawing.]

TEACHER:

What sound does a donkey make? [Allow kids time to respond.] There were animals everywhere! [Whisper.] But Mary and Joseph rested there in the dirty, smelly stable. Then something very special happened. Jesus was born.
[SFX 7: Lullaby music.]

[Flip over the ornament with the picture of Baby Jesus in a manger.]
TEACHER:

Baby Jesus was born. [Pretend to rock Baby Jesus.] He was wrapped in cloths and placed in a manger. Gods Son, Jesus was born. God loved us so much, He gave us Baby Jesus. Pretend to rock Baby Jesus. [Rock arms back and forth.] Baby Jesus is a special baby. God loves us so much, He gave us Baby Jesus. Lets stand and sing.
MUSIC

Song suggestion: Jump for Joy [Invite children to sit down on the count of three.]

Winter Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 1

UNIT 1:

Good News of Great Joy

TEACHER:

I love Christmas. Who was born on Christmas? [Jesus.]And today we learned that Gods Son [point up], Jesus, is born [cradle arms and rock back and forth]. Say that with me, friends. Gods Son [point up], Jesus, is born [cradle arms and rock back and forth]. Gods Son [point up], Jesus, is born [cradle arms and rock back and forth]. That makes me want to celebrate and be happy! Lets sing a song with instruments and make music for Jesus! [If instruments are available, Helper and Teacher pass them out.]
MUSIC

Song suggestion: Its Christmastime [Invite children to sit down and collect instruments.]
TEACHER:

Today we learned that Gods Son [point up], Jesus, is born [cradle arms and rock back and forth]. Lets say that again. Gods Son [point up], Jesus, is born [cradle arms and rock back and forth]. Now, lets open our special Christmas package.
[SFX 8: Harp music.]

TEACHER:

Wow! There are some pretend halos in here. [Pass out a halo to each child.] Lets pretend to be the angel in the story. The angel talked to Mary and said, Dont be afraid. [Shake finger back and forth.] Say that with me. Dont be afraid. [Shake finger back and forth.] You will have a baby. Say that with me. You will have a baby. Lets pretend to be the angel and say, The babys name is Jesus. [Rock baby.] The babys name is Jesus. Lets pretend again. The angel talked to Mary and said, Dont be afraid. Say that with me. Dont be afraid. You will have a baby. Say that with me. You will have a baby. Lets pretend to be the angel and say, The babys name is Jesus. [Rock baby.] The babys name is Jesus. Angels sang songs, too. Lets sing some songs like the angels. [Helper passes out instruments along with Teacher.]
MUSIC

Song suggestion: He is Born [Collect instruments and invite children to sit down.]

Winter Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 1

UNIT 1:

Good News of Great Joy

Life Application Activity

(10 MINUTES) TEACHER:

Today we learned the true Bible Christmas story. What did the angel say to Mary? [Dont be afraid. You are going to have a baby. The babys name is Jesus.] Who was in the Christmas story? [Angels, Mary, Joseph, animals, Jesus, shepherds.] What did we learn today? Gods Son [point up], Jesus, is born [cradle arms and rock back and forth]. Lets make an angel puppet to remember what the angel said to Mary. [Helper gives each child a white paper bag with angel wings.]
TEACHER:

Watch carefully as I make my puppet. You are going to make your own angel in just a minute. [Model for the children how to make the angel puppet by making your own. Helper places the crayons in the middle of the group.]
TEACHER:

Everybody put your bag on the floor with the folded part on the bottom looking at you. Color the face on the puppet. [Helper and Teacher go around to all the kids and help them draw two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.]
TEACHER:

Now color some hair on the top of the angels head. I am going to give everybody three stickers to place on their angel. Decorate the body of your angel with crayons and star stickers. [Pass out the stickers and allow kids to complete their angels. When all the kids are finished, the Helper collects the crayons.]
TEACHER:

Wow! Everybodys angel looks great! They are beautiful. Lets all put our puppets on our hands. Repeat after me what the angel said to Mary. Dont be afraid. [Repeat with kids.] Youre going to have a baby. [Repeat with kids.] His name will be Jesus. [Repeat with kids.] To help us remember the true Christmas story, Im going to read it to us from the Bible. [Read the story of the angel visiting Mary from The Beginners Bible.]
TEACHER:

Today we learned the Christmas story. God loves us so much, He gave us Baby Jesus. We learned Gods Son [point up], Jesus, is born [cradle arms and rock back and forth]. Lets pray to God and thank Him for Baby Jesus. [Lead the children in the following finger play.]

Winter Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 1

UNIT 1:

Good News of Great Joy

Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Give a little clap. [Clap hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Open them. [Open hands.] Close them. [Close hands.] Fold them in your lap. [Fold hands in lap.] [Invite the children to repeat after you as you pray.] Dear God, Thank You for the Christmas story. Thank You for Baby Jesus. Thank You for our snack. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Snack and Coloring Activity

(15 MINUTES)

This is the time for you and the children to build community. A great way to let the kids know you care about them as individuals is to ask them questions about themselves.
Lesson 1 SG 9

Gods Son, Jesus, is born.

GIVE each child a snack to eat. GIVE each child a Key Concept sticker to put on their shirt while they are eating their snack. GIVE each child a coloring sheet to color while they are waiting to be picked up. ASK each child a question or two: Do you think Baby Jesus liked all the animals in the stable? Which animal is your favorite?

The Angels Visit to Mary (Luke 1:26-38)

Lesson 1 SG 10

Winter Quarter

2007 Willow Creek Community Church / Sunday School Teachers Guidebook / Lesson 1