During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
Suggestions for pretty objects include: small flowers, glitter or other sparkly material, small shiny rocks, stickers, or small pieces of candy or other sweets. If you have access to more than 1 of these materials, you may choose to have more than 1 type of object for your children to choose from. It is important to have 2 objects available for each child.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby inside her jumped. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:41
Before Jesus was born, His presence was already made known to others. Mary, Elizabeth, and even Jesus’ unborn cousin anticipated His arrival. Imagine seeing Mary and knowing, without a word being said, that she was pregnant with Jesus! How exciting it must have been to participate in this incredible moment!
As you prepare yourself and your children for Christmas, take a moment to think about Mary, her cousin, and all of the other people who waited with excitement for Jesus to be born. The greatest gift the world has ever received came to us after many generations of waiting. But for those who were there in the months that led to His birth, the wait must have been both long and thrilling. May the story of the anticipation surrounding the birth of Jesus help to ignite in you a sense of awe and excitement this Christmas season!
Encourage families to speak with their children about exciting things they wait for. What does it feel like to wait? What does it feel like when the exciting thing happens?
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Place the pretty objects or sweets at the front of your teaching space. Greet the children with enthusiasm as they come to class. Tell them you have something very exciting to share with them today!
I am so excited for our lesson today! I just cannot wait to share something with you! Before we get to our main lesson, let’s talk about the objects that are in front of you.
That is great! What if I told you that you have a very important choice to make? You can either receive 1 gift now or you can wait until the end of class and receive 2 gifts. I must tell you that I have enough here for each of you to have 2 gifts. Think about this choice for a moment.
Pause for a few seconds. Then, allow 2–3 children to respond to each of the following questions.
I will not tell you which choice to make because you must each make your own choice. Since this should be your decision, please close your eyes and keep them closed so that you cannot see any of the other children.
Take note of the children with their hands raised. They will come up to the front of the space to choose an object in a moment.
You may open your eyes. Those of you who chose to receive 1 gift now, please come receive your gifts. The rest of you will come to receive 2 gifts at the end of the class.
Make sure each of the children who come to the front of the class choose 1 object now before continuing the lesson. If it is a sweet or candy, allow those children who chose to take a piece now to eat their treats.
It is very exciting to receive a gift. Some of us get so excited that we do not want to wait. Today we will learn about people who were waiting for the best gift ever!
Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is when we remember that Jesus came to us as a human baby. Just like all babies, Jesus was born to a mother. However, the story of the events that led to His birth is very exciting and special. That is because Jesus is the Son of God.
If you are using the images from The Action Bible, show them as you tell the story.
The true story from the Bible begins long before Jesus was born. God promised His people many times that He would send a gift to the world. This gift would be a Saviour who would restore our relationship with God. No one knew when to expect the Saviour until an angel spoke to the girl who would become the Saviour’s mother. Angels are messengers from God. An angel came to speak with Mary. Mary was frightened when she first saw the angel.
If possible, show The Action Bible images as you tell the story.
Read these verses directly from your Bible.
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary. God is very pleased with you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must call him Jesus.“
Luke 1:30–31
The angel explained that Jesus would be the Son of God. Mary became pregnant, just as the angel said she would. She received an amazing gift! She became Jesus’ mother! But Mary had to wait for Jesus to be born.
Mary was very excited! She went to visit her pregnant cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth knew that Mary was expecting a special baby. This is how she knew:
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby inside her jumped. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:41
Wow! Even before Elizabeth’s son was born, he was excited to be where Jesus was. This shows us how very special Jesus is. Elizabeth was very excited about Mary’s good news! Listen to what she said:
In a loud voice she called out, “God has blessed you more than other women. And blessed is the child you will have! But why is God so kind to me? Why has the mother of my Lord come to me?”
Luke 1:42–43
Elizabeth was excited that Mary had come to visit her. It was a gift for Mary and Jesus to visit her! Mary was very excited for the gift of Jesus too! Listen to what she said:
Mary said, “My soul gives glory to the Lord. My spirit delights in God my Savior. He has taken note of me even though I am not considered important. From now on all people will call me blessed.”
Luke 1:46–48
Mary was filled with joy knowing that God had chosen her to be the mother of His Son on earth. It was a gift for her to be chosen as Jesus’ mother.
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
Jesus is a gift to the world! God promised Abraham many years before this that a Saviour would come from Abraham’s family. Joseph, who was about to become Mary’s husband, was part of Abraham’s family! God’s people had been waiting for many years for the Saviour to come. Mary knew all these promises and was excited that God had chosen her to give birth to Jesus! As we now know, Jesus came so that our sins could be forgiven.
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for 3 months before going home. When she returned home, Joseph was visited by an angel in a dream. The angel told him that Mary had become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and that she was carrying the Messiah, Jesus!
When Joseph woke from his dream, he knew the angel’s message was the truth. He and Mary became husband and wife. The couple traveled together to Bethlehem, arriving just in time for Jesus to be born. Finally, the wait for the Saviour was over!
When Jesus was born there was great excitement at God’s gift! Angels, shepherds, wise men, and ordinary people all rejoiced that God’s great gift, the One they had been waiting for, had finally come!
It can be difficult to wait for exciting things to happen. For Mary, Elizabeth, and Joseph, and everyone who had been waiting for the gift God had promised, the long wait was worth it!
Have the children stand up and raise their hands. Ask them to walk around the teaching space and give a high 5 to another child. This child will be her partner to answer the following questions.
Christmas is coming! Think about what you learned today as you answer these questions.
Give the pairs 1 minute to answer each of the following questions. Walk around the teaching space and listen to the children’s discussions.
Think about how exciting it is for us to be able to celebrate the birth of Jesus! Jesus is a gift from God to the whole world!
At the beginning of class, some of you chose to wait until the end of class so that you could receive 2 gifts instead of 1. Those of you who chose to wait, please come to receive your gifts.
Now that we have all received these gifts, let’s sing a Christmas song about the greatest gift ever given—Jesus!
Sing a Christmas or worship song celebrating Jesus’ birth. After each child has received the objects, finish the song you are singing.
Optional: If you are using Student Pages, give the children scissors and tape or glue. Help the children to cut out and fold their flowers. Ask the children to give their flowers as a Christmas gift to someone they care about.
End class by saying this blessing, based on Luke 1:46–48, over the children.
Blessing: May you give glory to God as you celebrate the birth of His Son. May you come to realize the gift and blessing that Jesus was, is, and always will be.
Lead the students in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
