Simeon and Anna see the Son of God
key words
biblical reference
Luke 2:21-38
lesson objective
To teach the children that they should thank God for sending his Son, Jesus.
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 purpose of Joseph and Mary in traveling to Jerusalem was the presentation of Jesus in the temple. According to Jewish custom, this had to be done 40 days after birth. They were poor. For that reason they brought a humble offering of two turtle doves or pigeons to sacrifice in the temple of Jerusalem. It was part of the religious customs to consecrate the firstborn son to the service of God. Simeon was faithful in serving God. The Lord had promised him that he would not die until he saw the Messiah with his own eyes. And, through the Holy Spirit, the Lord gave him a special sign so that he could recognize Christ.
Anna was a prophetess who lived in the temple and worshiped God day and night with fasting and prayer. Imagine the joy of Simeon and Anna when they saw Jesus. They were very happy and thanked God for having revealed to them the Messiah in this way.
Do you feel that same joy that they felt when they saw Jesus, the Messiah? Do you give thanks to God for revealing Jesus in a personal way? Your grateful heart and your spirit of praise will encourage children to be grateful to God.
Encourage the spiritual development of your children by encouraging them to grow in wisdom and obedience as Jesus did. Help them understand that they too can follow this example of making the right decisions.
The example of Simeon and Anna will be of great use to you to teach preschoolers the joy and gratitude that one must have in their heart to know Jesus as their personal savior.
Children are very excited about the celebration of Christmas. Approach this lesson with joy, since it is the culmination of the unit that tells us the story of the birth of Christ.
Simeon and Anna thanked God for the opportunity to see the Messiah in the temple.
Reflect on the dynamics of your class. Do you sense thankfulness and praise in your children? Do they thank God for Jesus?
Through learning these four stories, children should be able to tell a large part of the Christmas story. Listen as they tell this story to you.
introduce the lesson
Who were Simeon and Anna?
During the week, write the letters that form the names of Simeon and Anna on cards (use one card per letter). Mix them and place them on a table in the room. Ask several volunteers to try to combine the letters to form the names. Give time for everyone to try. When the names are ready, stick them in a visible place in the room.
Gather your children and tell them: These are the names of two biblical characters who loved God and rejoiced at the birth of Jesus. In today’s story, we will learn more about them.
teach the lesson
Simeon and Anna thank God
Be sure to print back to back Student Activity Sheet #52-A and #52-B according to the instructions in SAS #52-A, so that the figure of Simon and Anna and the parents of Jesus are immediately above the 1 John 4:9 verse (in SAS #52-B). Give the activity to the children, and help them fold it in half.
Say: “Simeon and Anna thanked God for His Son Jesus. How do you think they felt when they saw him?” (Let the children respond.)
Help them cut along 3 sides of the pictures along the hyphened lines, as shown in the example in Student Activity Sheet #52-A, and make folds to open the doors. Tell them: “You too can thank God.”
Invite them to draw in the blank space Student Activity Sheet #52-B a way in which they can thank the Lord. Then, tell today’s Bible story.
Encourage the children to take home their activity sheets and share the Christmas story with their family and friends.
Simeon and Anna are thankful
“Joseph,” said Mary, “today is the day when we must take Jesus to the temple of Jerusalem.” “Yes,” answered Joseph, “today we will take him to thank God for his birth.”
So, they packed their bags to make the trip to Jerusalem where the temple was. People went there to worship God, just as we go to church now.
When Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus arrived at the temple, they met an old man who loved God very much. His name was Simeon. Many years before, God had promised him that he would meet his Son. And now, seeing Jesus, God confirmed to him through the Holy Spirit that this baby was the Messiah he had long waited for. Simeon became very happy. He took the child in his arms and thanked God, saying, “Thank you, God, for your Son Jesus. Now I have seen him who will bring us salvation.”
Mary and Joseph listened to the words Simeon said.
A woman named Anna lived in the temple and loved God very much. When she saw Jesus, she also thanked God, saying, “Thank you, God, for Jesus!”
Simeon and Anna were very happy to see the baby Jesus. And they thanked God for having the privilege of knowing the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
Christmas cards
Prepare your material in advance. You will need white cards or sheets of paper, figures, cutouts of Christmas motifs, glue, scissors with rounded tips, colored strips, glitter, markers and something for coloring. Give your children the cut out sheets or cards the size of a letter sheet. Ask them to make a Christmas card for their parents, grandparents or whomever they want. They can use all the materials they need to customize the cards. When they are finished, give them time to write down the memory verse and a message. Put the cards in the envelopes and have the children take them home to give away.
connect the lesson
Reflect on the dynamics of your class. Do you sense thankfulness and praise in your children? Do they thank God for Jesus?
Through learning these four stories, children should be able to tell a large part of the Christmas story. Listen as they tell this story to you.
practice the memory verse
This is the last lesson of the unit and it is very likely that most of your children have learned the text from memory. If possible, talk with your pastor so that your children can recite the text and mention the teachings of this unit to the congregation during worship.
wrap-up
Pray
Pray, giving thanks to God for the gift of Jesus as Savior and King. Also thank him for the year of work in the class, and intercede for the requests that have been mentioned.
Encourage
Because this is the last lesson of this cycle of lessons, be sure to recognize your children for their effort throughout the year of work. Remind them that all the teachings learned are biblical truths that God wants them to apply to their daily lives.
Invite
If you wish, you can organize a Christmas party as a culmination of the year. Do not stop praying for your children and seeking their spiritual growth. Say something interesting about the next session to encourage the children to attend.
* 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.™