The gift of praise
key words
biblical reference
Luke 2:8-20
lesson objective
To help the students learn the importance of sharing the Good News with others
memory verse
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
It is common for our elementary students that the concept of being “witnesses for Christ” is difficult to understand. Many children of their age are shy and find it hard to tell others about their faith, especially if they live in a society where beliefs are completely opposed to what they learn in your group or in their Christian homes.
This lesson will help them learn about the joy the shepherds felt when they met Jesus, and the way they told this Good News to other people. The shepherds did not have much to offer Jesus, and perhaps the students feel the same way. Help them understand that they can give Jesus what the shepherds offered him in the manger: their praise, enthusiasm and desire to tell others the Good News of the Son of God.
biblical commentary
Read Luke 2:8-20. There are stories that we could hear again and again without getting tired, and this is the case of this biblical passage. This part of the Christmas story reveals the greatest event that happened in the history of humanity: the birth of the Savior of the world. However, it is not a simple narration about that event, but it explains the meaning of what was happening. It was not just the birth of another Jewish baby; it was the arrival of the Messiah, the anointed of God, who had been sent to bring the Good News to the poor (Luke 4:18).
The Messiah would also bring freedom to the captives and give sight to the blind. Definitely, the birth of Jesus completely changed the history of humanity, and the world would no longer be the same. However, God chose humble shepherds to give the Good News to. The Gospel of Luke is the only one that tells us about the visit that the angels made to the shepherds. These humble men were the first to know that God had fulfilled his promise, and that the chosen Messiah was now on earth to fulfill his mission.
Luke clearly explains to us that God set his eyes on those humble and despised shepherds to announce the birth of his Son. With this, he established that the Good News was for everyone, from the richest and most powerful to the poorest and smallest creature. The shepherds did not wait. Full of joy, they rushed to Bethlehem to meet the new King. Not only that, they told everyone the Good News. The shepherds’ spontaneous way of believing and responding is an example for us today. We must give all our praise to God because Jesus, his Son, came to live with us, came to die for us, and went to prepare a place for us. That’s the best gift we can give to those who do not know the Good News of Jesus Christ!
introduce the lesson
Important gifts
Open the third gift box. Like the last session, you can choose a volunteer who has shown good behavior or learning. Talk about the other two gifts you studied (obedience, Savior) and tell them that in today’s session they will learn about another very special gift (praise) that a group gave to Jesus. What does a shepherd do? In advance, invite a young man from your congregation to dress up like a shepherd from biblical times. Ask him to talk to the children about the tasks a shepherd performs, for example, caring for the sheep, defending them from wild animals, finding food and water for their flock, counting them at night, etc. Let your students ask him questions before moving on to the next activity.
teach the lesson
Find two young people to help you by acting out the next scene. If possible make copies of this section. Be sure that your guests have time to be familiar with the part that is assigned to them. They can put on robes as in the times of Jesus. Another option is to use puppets.
The gift of the shepherds
Zetro: Miriam, Miriam come fast!
Miriam: What’s the matter, Zetro? What happened? I did not expect you to get home until three days from now.
Zetro: Miriam, I have something to tell you; something wonderful has happened!
Miriam: Tell me everything!
Zetro: Last night while we were taking care of the sheep in the field, something wonderful happened.
Miriam: Hurry, tell me, what happened!
Zetro: Angels!
Miriam: Angels? Zetro, do you have a fever? (touches his forehead) Are you sick?
Zetro: No, no, no, Miriam! I’m telling you the truth. In the middle of the night, angels appeared wearing beautiful robes and we were all very scared.
Miriam: I would have been very scared too.
Zetro: Then an angel appeared before us and told us, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Miriam: And then? Tell me faster ... what excitement ... and what fright!
Zetro: Then the sky was filled with hundreds of angels who praised God and said, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Miriam: And what does that mean?
Zetro: I was going to explain that to you. When the angels left, we hurried and went to Bethlehem to see what had happened that the Lord had told us. And just as the angel told us, we found the baby in a stable! A stable! Can you believe it? Poor thing, he was lying in a manger! There were animals in the barn, as well as his parents, Mary and Joseph! The smell was not very good ... it was a stable! But the baby had very clean clothes. His face was beautiful and his cheeks were pink.
Miriam: Really? It seems impossible to believe. Are you telling me the truth?
Zetro: It was amazing for us too, but everything happened just as the angel told us. Although I still do not understand why the Messiah was born in a stable instead of in a palace with a beautiful cradle of gold and embroidered blankets.
Miriam: I do not understand that either.
Zetro: However, we feel in our hearts that this baby is the Son of God. We knelt down in front of him to worship him. Then we left in a hurry because we had to tell this Good News to everyone. What a privilege to tell others that the Savior, the promised one of God, had arrived! What a privilege it was that the angels gave that beautiful news ... to us ... humble shepherds! We went throughout the town of Bethlehem worshiping God and telling what we saw and heard.
Miriam: Zetro, I still cannot believe you. You are just a humble shepherd. Why would God give you such a great honor?
Zetro: I do not know Miriam. But I do know that I saw the promised one of God, the Messiah, my Savior, and I have to tell everyone. My voice is not as beautiful as that of the angels, but I want to use it to always worship God. I want to give the Good News to all people. That’s my gift to God!
connect the lesson
The shepherds
Distribute Student Activity Sheet #260-A, #260-B, #260-C and #260-D, plus scissors and glue. Give the students time to cut out the figures and paste them in the corresponding spaces. As they work, talk about what they imagine the shepherds felt when the angels visited them.
Encourage the children to take home their activities and share the lesson with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
Hide the cards you used the for the previous session before this session begins. Tell the children to look for them. Then ask them to arrange the verse in order and say it aloud. If you want you can make two or more sets of cards with the figure of gift boxes. This will help you divide into two or more groups.
wrap-up
Pray
Form a prayer circle and intercede for the needs of each one.
Encourage
Then encourage the children to take advantage of this Christmas season to follow the example of the shepherds. Ask them to tell others the story of Jesus’ birth. Encourage them to tell of God’s perfect plan to save mankind from their sins. Say goodbye by singing a chorus of praise.
Invite
Invite the children to next session to discover the last gift. Tell them that visitors are also welcome.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™