TOPIC
Talk about Jesus, our brother, the guide and model God’s sent to be the Light of the World
OBJECTIVE
At the end of this lesson, children will demonstrate an understanding of what it was like when Jesus was born and Jesus’ family
OPENING:
Opening prayer and short round kids tell about their week
LAUNCH LESSON:
Today we are going to learn a little more about when Jesus was born. But first, we want to talk about when you were born.”
- Give each child a “Jesus and Me” paper and a pencil.
- Go over the parts of the “Me” side with the children, writing their answers on the whiteboard
- Have the children fill out the “Me” side only. They will do the “Jesus” side later
EXPLORE LESSON:
Talk about the story or play the video “The birth of Christ”. There will be another video with Jesus’ Birth, so we suggest stopping around 5m37s. Or play in silent and narrated with the story listed below but without any “wrong” replacements.
If applicable, ask a teenager (or volunteer) to read this story after watching the movie. However, replace some parts with something wrong. Ask children to point out if the sentence you just read is true or false. For example, replace “young” with “old and mature” in the sentence below. There are other suggested words highlighted in the text that can be replaced.
Mary was a very kind young Jewish lady who believed very much in God. She was part of a very devoted Jewish family and was raised in the Temple.
Joseph was an honest and kind man. He was a carpenter and they both lived in Nazareth. Joseph was much older than Mary, in fact, he was a widower and had children from a previous marriage.
One day, more than 2020 years ago, an angel named Gabriel appeared to Mary and said:
"Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High." |
Mary was a little shocked about the news, but she believed in God and said, “I am the Lord’s servant; let it be as you say.”
Christ Jesus’ birth
When Mary was almost at the end of her pregnancy, she and her husband had to travel to the city of Bethlehem to register for a census ordered by the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus. Both Nazareth and Bethlehem are in the country now called Israel. It is about 65 miles (105 km) from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and the trip probably took them several days.
If there is a teenager volunteering, ask him or her to use Google Maps and show the journey from Bethlehem to Nazareth.
Look, there weren’t cars, restaurants, and such at that time. This trip was very much uphill and downhill; it was not simple. When Joseph and Mary got to Bethlehem, they had no place to stay because the inn was already full. They ended up spending the night in a stable, a place where animals were kept. There was probably fresh hay on the floor that they used for beds.
That night, Jesus was born. There was no crib, so they laid baby Jesus in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. The manger probably had fresh hay in it and made a nice bed for the baby.
The news spread that the Saviour was now born. The little boy was visited by shepherds and wise men.
ASSESSMENT:
Questions:
- Was Jesus born on Christmas day?
- We celebrate Jesus’ birth on Christmas, but no one really knows what day Jesus was born or even exactly what year.
- Who were Mary and Joseph?
- Complete the activity Jesus and Me on the whiteboard and discuss the differences
- Does being born in a luxurious hospital mean you are better than the ones born in a simple place?
- Would you think the birth of Jesus is also a lesson on humility?
- Did anyone from Jesus’ family visit him when he was born?
ACTIVITY
Start the nativity scene activity, this will be continued in the next class. Suggestions:
CONCLUSION:
Today we discussed ” Jesus’ birth” and learned that ” Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in a stable. Jesus is our wisest brother, the Light of the World, the promised Messiah written in the Scriptures and his birth was announced by an angel called Gabriel “
Next time we will learn there were three wise men and shepherds who came to visit Jesus and continue our Nativity Scene
Closing prayer
Younger kids video