God promises to send his Son
key words
son of god, world, live, birth
Biblical reference Luke 1:26-35, 38
lesson objective
To help children learn that God loves us, and promised to send his son.
memory verse
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
The birth of Jesus is one of the most important stories ever told. God’s promise to send his Son is a message of love and hope for all mankind. Luke reminds us in this passage that God offers salvation to mankind through the birth of the promised Messiah, Jesus. This is God’s plan of salvation.
God loves us so much that he sent his Son Jesus into this world under unique circumstances. Help the children recognize the true meaning of Christmas. They see the secular and materialistic aspects of this time of year. Pray for these lessons and for your children. Let them imprint on your minds the idea that God loves you so much that he sent his Son Jesus; he is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies that God would send a Savior.
Many cultures are secular and materialistic in many respects. It is sad to see that Christmas is one of the most materialistic times of the year. Ask them, “What gift do you want for Christmas?” or “What did they give you for Christmas?” Advertisers bombard people from the start.
Some children may feel sad because their parents cannot buy gifts for them, or because they do not get as much as they want.
Children need a new perspective on this. Help them know that the best gifts are not the ones they buy. The best gifts can only be given away. The best gift your parents or anyone else can give them is love, not a toy. As a result of this lesson, children will also learn to love God, their parents, and others.
Talk to them about the true meaning of Christmas. Highlight God’s love for them through Jesus Christ, his Son.
Remember that preschoolers love the Nativity, they love colorful lights, decorations, excitement, and of course, gifts.
Observe the children during this time. Do they celebrate the birth of Jesus as the best of all gifts? Do they include Jesus when they talk about the excitement of Christmas?
Remember, the degree of attention of the children in the class is shortened the closer that Christmas comes. Every time they see something about Christmas, they must remember that we celebrate Christmas because of the birth of Jesus, the Son of God.
introduce the lesson
Angels’ robes
Get towels, sheets or white cloth that is not very expensive. You can even ask the children’s mothers or other family members to bring a white sheet or tablecloth that no longer suits them. Another option is to make tunics with crepe paper. Dress the children as angels, like the one who brought the good news to Mary. After the children remove their costumes, say: The angel Gabriel gave Mary very good news. We celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas and we thank God for sending his promised Son.
teach the lesson
Prior to the session study Luke 1:26-35, 38 to be ready to teach the lesson. The following activities will help prepare children to experience & review the Bible story.
Declare the good news!
Gather the children in the area designated for the Bible story. Sit with them in a circle and say, “I am going to tell a very special message to each one of you.” Walk around the circle, and say to each child in his or her ear, and in a very low voice: “Christmas is a special time. Thank you, God, for your Son Jesus.”
After finishing, repeat together: Christmas is a special time. Thank you, God, for your Son Jesus. Today’s Bible story is about how the angel Gabriel brought a very special message to Mary.
God promises his Son
One day Mary was at home doing her work. Through the window she could see the wind swinging the trees. She paused for a moment and heard something like the sound of the wind because it reminded her of a song. She began to sing songs of praise to God in a low voice. She was very grateful to God for her home in Nazareth. She also thanked him for Joseph, with whom she was getting married very soon. She was happy and loved God very much.
Mary was so focused that she did not realize she was not alone.
“I greet you, the Lord is with you!” said the visitor.
Mary turned to look, and what a surprise it was for her to realize that there was an angel before her, with a big smile.
“I cannot believe what I see!” whispered Mary.
“Do not be afraid,” said the angel. “My name is Gabriel. God sent me to give you good news.”
“What is it?” said Mary, troubled and looking at the angel, wondering what God’s message would be to her.
“God is pleased that you love him so,” Gabriel said. “He will give you a baby that will come out of your womb, and you must name him Jesus.”
“But how can that happen?” asked Mary.
“God will send the Holy Spirit to give you his own Son. When your child is born, he will be called Jesus, the Son of God.”
Mary was very surprised. However, she replied firmly to the angel, “I love God and will do whatever he wants me to do. I trust that he will fulfill all that he has promised to do.”
When the angel departed, Mary praised God for the privilege of being chosen to be the mother of the Messiah.
connect the lesson
Mary and the angel
Be sure Student Activity Sheet #49-A and #49-B are aligned and printed or attached back to back. Provide enough copies and rounded-point scissors for all the children in your group. Then, help the children fold them back through the middle. This way the fold will be in the middle of the page. Help the children carefully make the cuts on the dotted lines around the pictures of the angel and Mary. Be ready to assist children who are struggling with this activity. Tell them to be careful not to cut the picture on the left (solid) line, so you can open the picture as if it were a window and look at the interior pictures.
Briefly review today’s Bible story as your children work. Tell them: “In today’s Bible story, we learned about the good news the angel gave to Mary.” Ask: “Who is Mary?” (The mother of Jesus.) “What was the good news?” (That she would have the promised Son of God, Jesus.) Encourage children to use their pictures to tell others today’s Bible story.
practice the memory verse
Cut out several large circles and decorate them representing spheres or holiday decorations. Write in the memory verse, divided into short sentences. Attach the spheres in front of the room and read along with your children. Then, mix up the spheres and give the children turns to reorder the text so they can continue to review it. (Be sure to help those who do not read well yet.) Repeat the exercise several times.
wrap-up
Pray
Pray, saying: Thank you, God, for your love. Thank you for sending us your Son Jesus, Amen.
Encourage
Encourage a conversation with the children so that they can express their favorite activities together with their families during Christmas. Sit with them and join hands to pray. Encourage them to express their prayer requests and to pray for their families.
Invite
Make sure everyone takes their belongings home. Thank the children for having attended, and invite them to come back for the next session.
* 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.™