The gift of worship
key words
biblical reference
Matthew 2:1-12
lesson objective
To help the students desire and search for ways to worship Jesus
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
Can children worship God? Yes, of course they can! Many times we think that they are unable to concentrate in an attitude of worship. However, even with their dynamism and excess of energy, children have the ability to learn to worship God. To worship does not only mean to sing with our eyes closed and our hands raised. To worship is an attitude of the heart, which is born of the love we feel for God.
Use this lesson to teach our children the example of the wise men from the East who traveled many kilometers to offer not only material gifts, but also their worship and devotion to the King of kings. Help them understand that true worship comes from the heart. Tell them that God is pleased when we humble ourselves before him. Contrary to what happens during Christmas, when everyone expects to receive something, children will learn that God wants us to give Jesus our sincere gift of worship.
biblical commentary
Read Matthew 2:1-12. A bright star in the sky was what caught the attention of wise men from the east. It was not an ordinary star; they had never seen it appear before, and it seemed to indicate something important. But what was it? It was the fulfillment of God’s plan for humanity! God had fulfilled his Word and the Messiah was about to be born.
The Bible does not tell us how many men came to visit Jesus or what their names were. Tradition tells us that there were three, because of the number of gifts they offered to the Lord. We also know that they came to Jerusalem from the east and went to look for King Herod to ask him, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2).
Herod immediately summoned the priests and scribes of the people to investigate where the Christ was to be born. After some deliberations and calculations, they informed him that it would be in Bethlehem of Judea, as the prophet Micah wrote. Herod secretly called the sages to inquire about the time of the appearance of the star, and sent them to Bethlehem to look for the baby. He told them that when they found him, they must let him know so that he too could go to worship him.
When the wise men met Jesus, they bowed down to worship him and offered him symbolic presents: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Then, they had a revelation in a dream. God told them in the revelation not to return to see Herod again. The magi went to their land by another path. God knew that Herod’s plans were sinister.
These men give us an example, not only of obedience to leave their land and undertake a journey to seek Jesus, but of surrender and worship before the Savior of the world. But not all people respond as the wise men did. Some react to the announcement of Jesus as Herod did, with hatred and hostility. Herod thought of Jesus as a king who would compete with him for power. That’s why he said that he wanted to go worship him; but the truth was different - he wanted to kill him.
Others respond to Jesus with indifference. This was the typical response of many scribes and Pharisees who ignored Jesus during his years of ministry. But the wise men responded to Jesus with true worship. That’s how we all want to be. Let’s ask the Lord to help us to be “true worshipers” of Christ Jesus.
introduce the lesson
Important gifts
Today is the day to open the last of the four gifts. Review briefly what they learned from the previous three lessons and open the fourth box to discover the card that says “worship.” Mention to the children that in this session they will study about another gift they can give to Jesus.
It will be necessary to prepare the crafts and materials that the children will take home. Today they can take home there candy jars with the Sweet Verses. Ask them to stick the last candy verse on the jar. Tell them to keep remembering and memorizing the Bible verses. Suggest that they repeat the passages to their parents, grandparents and friends.
teach the lesson
Prepare some visual material to illustrate the content of the lesson. Use figures for flannel board or other illustrations to capture the students’ attention.
The Wise Men’s gifts
A long time ago, in a very distant place, lived wise men called magi. They were scholars of the stars. One night, they observed something different in the sky, a very big and bright star had appeared. “This star means that a special baby has been born,” said one wise man. “This baby is a very important King; let’s worship him!”
The wise men climbed onto their camels and set out on the long journey. “We must get to Jerusalem,” said one of them. “The people there will tell us where to find the new King.” When they reached the city, they went to the royal palace to speak with King Herod, who ruled Jerusalem. “Where is the new-born King of the Jews? We have seen his star and we have come to worship him,” said the wise men.
King Herod became very nervous when he heard this, and gathered the chief priests and other educated men and asked them, “Where is the new King to be born?” “In Bethlehem of Judea, the city of David,” they replied. The prophet Micah had written about it. Long before the birth of Jesus, God had chosen faithful men to announce to the people that he would send his Son into the world as a special King.
The wise men took their camels and began the journey to Bethlehem. The bright star they had seen guided them as they advanced. After a while, the star stopped over the stable where the baby Jesus was. The wise men were very happy! When they entered the house, they saw Jesus with his mother Mary and they knelt down to worship him. “This is the new King,” they excitedly proclaimed. The wise men gave Jesus three special gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Soon, they had to return to their land. The trip would be very long, but that was not so important. They were very happy because they had met Jesus, the Son of God, the expected Savior. And they were happy that they were able to bring their gifts of worship to the baby of Bethlehem, to the King of kings.
connect the lesson
Let’s decorate the tree
You’ll need green construction paper or thick green paper, strips of brown paper for the trunk, scissors, glue, colors. Ask a volunteer to distribute Student Activity Sheet #261-A, #261-B and #261-C. Help the children understand and follow the instructions to make the Christmas decorations. Take this time to review with them what they learned throughout these four lessons about the Christmas story.
Encourage the students to take home their activities to share the lesson with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
Sweet verses
You will need: Student Activity Sheet #214-C and #214-D, a (candy) jar, scissors, construction paper larger than the jar, and colored pencils or crayons. Throughout the year, you will find additional cut-out sections, such as the memory verse for each unit, in candy or candy forms with the verses written on each one. When a child has memorized the memory verse, allow him/ her to cut out the candy from that unit and stick it inside or around the jar. At the end of the year, they will be able to take the jar with “sweets” to their homes. That way they can repeat to their families the verses they learned.
Option 2. Organize a special participation of students who have learned all the memory verse, and give them simple prizes to encourage them to continue studying and learning the Word of God.
Option 3. If there are children who remember all the Bible verses of the year, it would be exciting if they could have a special time to recite the verses in front of the congregation. For this, ask the pastor to give you the opportunity to introduce your group and the children who learned all the verses. You can give certificates of recognition to the children who participate.
wrap-up
Pray
Pray for each of the children and remind them of the importance of always seeking God. Thank God for this year of study, and also for the beautiful gift of Salvation that he has given us through Jesus.
Encourage
Encourage the children to move forward in their Christian life by trusting Jesus as their personal Savior. Ask them what gifts they will give to Jesus this Christmas. Begin by telling the children what your special gift or gifts will be for Jesus, e.g.
Time: teaching the group, preparation time, attendance at the services, etc.
Personal and public prayer
Consecration: all of your life
Offerings: money, talents
Worship: songs of praise, telling the Good News, testifying to others about Jesus.
Invite
Either this session or the next, have a ceremony of advancement in which the older children move on to the next group.
* 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.™