Angels announce the good news
key words
bible reference
Luke 2:8-14
lesson objective
To help the children thank God for the birth of Jesus.
memory verse
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16a, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
In this Bible passage, Luke describes the angelic celebration that joyfully announced the birth of Jesus. As we have observed in these lessons, the angels constantly participated in announcing the birth of Jesus.
First, the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary to tell her that she had been chosen to be the mother of the promised Messiah. Later, an angel appeared to a small group of shepherds excluded from society, accompanied only by their flocks. When the angel gave the good news, a crowd of angels praising God appeared. That night, the shepherds heard through angelic songs the Good News of the birth of the Savior of the world.
The news that was brought many years ago still fills our hearts with joy as we celebrate the birth of Christ on that first Christmas. Share that joy with your children, singing praises to God, giving thanks for the beautiful gift of salvation through his Son, Jesus. As you prepare this lesson, give thanks to God for the best Christmas gift: Jesus Christ.
adaptation
The two previous lessons dealt with God’s plan to send his Son to save the world from their sins. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem fulfilled that promise. This lesson celebrates just that!
Children love celebrations. So use this lesson to help them understand that the news of Jesus’ birth has brought us joy and peace.
Preschoolers easily connect angels to God. This lesson will help them understand that the angels were the messengers that God used to bring the news of Jesus’ birth. Through the different activities, help them focus their attention on the birth of Jesus, celebrated by the angels and all those who love him today.
introduce the lesson
Angels
For this activity, you will need white cardboard, markers or colored pencils, glue, duct tape and colored paper.
Use the markers to draw the outline of an angel on the cardboard. Allow the children to fill up the figure by gluing small pieces of colored paper to it. While they are doing this, tell them: “A long time ago, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the angels celebrated and sang in heaven. We are going to place this beautiful angel in our classroom to remember the birth of Jesus.”
teach the lesson
What are angels like?
Provide white paper and colored pencils for the children to draw a picture of how they imagine angels to be. Allow enough time for them to do so, and then allow each one to show what they did.
Before this session study Luke 2:8-14 and be ready to tell the story. Tell the group that in the Bible story today, they will talk about a group of angels who cheerfully celebrated the birth of Jesus.
Ask the children to hold the drawings they made, and raise them when you mention the word “angel” during the story.
The Angel’s celebration
It was a dark night in Bethlehem and the stars shone in the sky.
A group of shepherds cared for their flocks of sheep in the field.
The night was very calm and the sheep slept peacefully. The work of the shepherds was to protect them so that the wild animals would not attack them. That’s why they had to be awake all night.
The shepherds did not know it, but that would be a very special night. It was the night when Jesus would be born!
Suddenly, a bright light illuminated the darkness of the night. It was an angel!
The shepherds were scared and did not know what to do. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I have good news for you.”
The shepherds could not believe what they were seeing. They looked at each other while the angel remained in front of them.
“The savior has just been born in Bethlehem. His name is Jesus. He is the Messiah, the Son of God,” the angel said. “You will recognize him because he is in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes.”
Suddenly, a multitude of angels appeared in the sky and sang: “Glory to God in heaven and peace on earth for all men with a good heart!”
When the angels left, the shepherds said excitedly, “We are running to Bethlehem to see that which God has announced to us!”
connect the lesson
Heaven’s angels
Give each child Student Activity Sheet #103. Allow time for the children to write their name and trace the word of faith. Help them cut out the angel figure by following the outline and make the cuts marked with dotted lines. Make sure they write their name on the back of the figure.
Tell the children the instructions to put together the angel.
Ask them to mention what they remember of the Bible story.
Encourage the children to take home their activities and share the lesson with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
Make simple halos for your children. Use thin wire lined with a gold ribbon or other materials you have available.
Ask them to put on the halos. Then tell them: “As we walk around the room, we will all say the Bible memory verse together.” Repeat the exercise a couple of times. Emphasize that just as the angels celebrated the birth of Jesus, we can too.
wrap-up
Pray
Sing a Christmas song and ask the children to express their prayer requests. Ask if some volunteers wish to pray aloud. Conclude by praying for each member of your group.
Encourage
Thanks the group for their participation in the class, and encourage them to share what they learned with their family and friends. Make sure they organize the materials they used in the meeting area and take home any of their items.
Invite
Tell the group that in the next session they will study what the shepherds did after they saw the angels.
* 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.™