christmas 1. LEADER PREPARATION

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1 christmas Week 3: Jesus This includes: 1. Leader Preparation 2. Lesson Guide 1. LEADER PREPARATION LESSON OVERVIEW Without Jesus, there is no Christmas. It s his birth story, and we celebrate this holiday every year not to get presents or to sing special songs but to remember how God came to earth in the form of a baby. Everything we hold true and live for is centered on Jesus. This lesson will help your students answer the question of why God sent Jesus to earth. LESSON OBJECTIVES 1. WHAT: Jesus birth is part of a bigger story the story of God s love for humanity and work to restore the relationship destroyed by sin. 2. WHY: Christmas is more than a birthday party; it s a reminder of how our world changed radically because of one baby s birth. 3. HOW: This lesson will challenge students to recognize and value Christmas for all of its power and purpose the birth of Jesus, the promised Savior. PRIMARY SCRIPTURES Matthew 1:21; Mark 10:42-45; Luke 2:13-14 SECONDARY SCRIPTURE Isaiah 9:6-7 TEACHING PREP The short overview below is designed to help you prepare for your lesson. While you may not want to convey this information word-for-word with your teenagers, you ll definitely want to refer to it as you lead. Read Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 1:21; Mark 10:42-45; and Luke 2: We ordinarily include just one verse or passage as the Primary Scripture, but for this lesson, it s important to highlight several key, central reasons why Jesus came to this earth on that first Christmas. Jesus came to give us peace, to give us a heart to serve, and to give us the gift of salvation.

2 Peace: Isaiah foretold of the coming of the Messiah and gave a brief but powerful picture of what Jesus would accomplish. Later the angels proclaimed to the shepherds a similar message about Jesus and the peace he would bring. What is hard to comprehend is that Jesus birth didn t bring peace to any systems of government but rather chaos but when Jesus encountered others, even as a baby, peace was given to individuals or groups as they began to follow and worship him. Heart to Serve: From his humble beginnings in the manger to his death on a criminal s cross, Jesus always chose the path of the servant. He would not be worshipped like a royal king on earth, but he would be worshipped because he served. He modeled for us what it means to have a heart of service toward others. Gift of Salvation: Jesus was born to die and come back to life. As we celebrate Christmas, we must also remember Easter. Jesus came to save. His teachings and his death would lead to our salvation. This plan was in place from the beginning. Even the angel s words to Joseph in Matthew 1 declare that Jesus would save people from their sin. The challenge is to remember in the midst of all the chaos of the Christmas celebration that it is really ALL about Jesus and what he came to accomplish through his birth and ultimately his life, death, and resurrection on earth. THE BEFORE & AFTER [optional] Text Message Questions We ve provided a couple of different text message questions to send out to your students prior to your meeting. Feel free to use one or both of the questions below. As with the rest of the curriculum, edit these questions to fit the needs of your ministry. Who throws the best birthday party? Tonight we ll talk about one birthday party that you don t want to miss! Why Christmas? Why did Jesus come to this earth? Find out tonight why we celebrate Christmas!

3 Parent We ve provided you with an below that you can send to your parents following the lesson. Our hope is to encourage parents to continue the conversation at home. Feel free to edit and customize the to fit your ministry needs. Dear parents, There a catchy phrase many people say each year at Christmas that goes like this: Jesus is the reason for the season. Unfortunately, in the midst of the chaos of Christmas we sometimes miss this truth. Christmas is about Jesus. This week, our students looked at why Jesus came to earth and why we celebrate his birth part of our series examining important characters from the Christmas story. We looked at three key reasons Jesus came to earth. First, he came to give us peace. If you look closely at those who met Jesus as a baby, you see peace within their lives. Second, he came to give us a heart to serve. Right from the beginning we see that Jesus confirmed what he told his disciples that he came to serve not to be served and that we should lead that kind of life, too. Finally, we saw how Jesus came to give the gift of salvation, to save us from our sins, and to rescue us from our broken thinking and living. I d encourage you to talk with your teenager this week about the birth of Jesus. You might want to use these questions during your conversation: What do you think about Jesus coming to earth as a baby? Why do you think he came? How did Jesus bring peace? How did he set the standard on what it means to serve? How did he offer the gift of salvation? In the midst of the busyness of the holiday, how can we do a better job this Christmas remembering why Jesus came to earth? Have a blessed week!

4 christmas Week 3: Jesus 2. LEsson guide GETTING THINGS STARTED [optional] Before your group meets, wrap an empty box in Christmas wrapping paper or borrow a wrapped gift from under your Christmas tree! Welcome your students and invite them into your meeting area. Open in prayer, display the wrapped box, and then What items are on your Christmas gift wish list this year? How many of them do you truly expect to receive? Do you think it s weird that Christmas is the day we celebrate Jesus birth, yet we exchange gifts with other people? Why or why not? If you wanted to give Jesus a gift this Christmas, what gift could you give him? What gifts do you think Jesus wants to give you this Christmas? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: It s so easy in the midst of the celebration of Christmas to miss what it s really about: Jesus. Why did he come to earth? Why did he come as a baby? What gifts did he bring with him? Today we ll talk about why we celebrate Christmas and exactly why Jesus came to earth. If you came up with an opening activity, movie clip, or game that worked well with your group, and you d like to share it with other youth workers, please us at ideas@simplyyouthministry.com. TEACHING GUIDE The goal of the Teaching Points is to help students capture the essence of each lesson with more discussion and less lecture-style teaching. The main points we have chosen here are (1) Jesus came to give us peace, (2) Jesus came to give us a heart to serve, and (3) Jesus came to give us the gift of salvation. Remember: All throughout these lessons, it s up to you to choose (1) how many questions you use, and (2) the wording of the main points keep ours, or change the wording to make it clearer for your audience.

5 Read Matthew 1:21; Mark 10:42-45; and Luke 2:13-14 together as a group. Consider dividing verses among your students so everyone has a chance to read. SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Let s spend a few minutes talking about why Jesus came to earth, based on what we read in these passages. 1. Jesus came to give us peace How do you define the word peace? How do you know if people are or aren t experiencing peace in their lives? What do we learn about Jesus birth from the angels in Luke 2:13-14? According to the angels, on whom does God s favor rest? Why is that meaningful? How does Jesus bring peace? What is the peace that Jesus brings? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Jesus birth caused chaos to the masses, but those who saw him or got near to him experienced peace. Even in the midst of the craziness of our world, we can experience God s peace. That doesn t mean we ll have lives without any problems or challenges, but it does mean that when we go through difficult times, God will be with us, comfort us, strengthen us, protect us, and guide us. 2. Jesus came to give us a heart to serve Do most people prefer serving or being served? Why? What do you learn about God s heart in Mark 10:42-45? Why does God value service so much? In what way did Jesus birth foretell his death? How did his humble beginnings point to his humble death on a cross? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Jesus came to serve. He left heaven and became a humble man who would serve and die for us. When we serve others, we are accomplishing one of Jesus purposes: to give us an attitude focused on serving other people. Serving others helps us become open to God s work to break the chains of selfishness in our lives.

6 3. Jesus came to give us the gift of salvation What is the significance of what the angel said to Joseph in Matthew 1:21? What would Jesus save the people from? And how would he do that? Why does God offer salvation as a gift, instead of forcing everyone to follow Jesus? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Jesus ultimately came to save us. He would save us by serving us and giving his life on the cross, and in his saving us, we would receive the most ultimate peace. When we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate Jesus and the peace he brought, the way he served, and the way he saves. ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION [optional] Read Isaiah 9:6-7. What does this prophecy from Isaiah written hundreds of years before the events of that first Christmas tell us about the birth of Jesus? What words does Isaiah use to describe Jesus? How can you see those words fulfilled in Jesus life? APPLICATION If you were going to send the Savior of the world, would you have chosen to do it like God did? Why or why not? What is the significance of the way God sent Jesus? During the Christmas season, why is it easy to forget the way and the reason Jesus came to earth? Ask students to form groups of two or three for these questions. What are some ways you are experiencing Jesus peace in your life? In what areas of your life would you like to begin experiencing his peace?

7 In the midst of all the holiday stuff, how can you best remember the reason Jesus came to earth? In the midst of this holiday season, how can we encourage each other to celebrate and share Jesus mission to give us peace, to serve, and to save? SUMMARY End your lesson here. Provide your teenagers with a quick summary or take-home challenge based on (1) the content of this lesson, (2) the dialogue that took place during the lesson, (3) your understanding of the issues and struggles your teenagers are facing, and (4) the big picture of your youth ministry and what your leadership team wants accomplished with the teaching and discussion time. FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE] Encourage and/or challenge your teenagers to memorize the verse below. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).