Preschool. November 2, :45am

Transcription

1 Preschool November 2, :45am

2 Leader BIBLE STUDY Use Week of: November 2, 2014 Shortly after Mary left Elizabeth and returned home, the time came for Elizabeth to give birth to her baby. For the duration of Elizabeth s pregnancy, her husband, Zechariah, had been mute. His inability to speak was punishment for his doubting the angel who foretold John s birth. (See Luke 1:20.) Elizabeth gave birth to a son, and her friends and family rejoiced with her just as the angel Gabriel had said. (See Luke 1:14.) Everyone had assumed the baby would be named after his father, but Zechariah was clear: HIS NAME IS JOHN. 4 In Luke 1:66, the people wondered, What then will this child become? Zechariah s subsequent prophecy may have answered their question: And child you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give His people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins (Luke 1:76-77). John would grow up to be an evangelist. He would be spiritually strong. John s ministry would be brief, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, he would lead thousands to repentance. He would humbly prepare the way of the Lord with this aim: He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30). John would gain thousands of followers and then joyfully hand them over to Jesus as the groom s friend who rejoices at the groom s voice. John s joy would be complete. (See John 3:29.) Then John would go to prison and ultimately be beheaded by King Herod. But Jesus Himself would say, Among those born of women no one is greater than John (Luke 7:28). As you teach kids the story of John s birth, talk about how John s birth was prophesied by Isaiah. (Isaiah 40:3) Help kids identify who Zechariah was talking about in the first part of his prophecy (Jesus, Luke 1:68-75) and the second part of his prophecy (John, Luke 1:76-79). John was born to prepare the way for Jesus. Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 23 Session 4 1

3 Preschool Bible study OVERVIEW Session Title: John Was Born Bible Passage: Luke 1:57-80 Big Picture Question: Why was John the Baptist special? John the Baptist told people about Jesus. Key Passage: Luke 1:76 Unit Christ Connection: As prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1, John the Baptist prepared the people for the coming Messiah. Small Group Opening Large Group Bible Study U N I T 23 4 Small Group Activities Snack and Transition 2

4 The BIBLE STORY John Was Born Luke 1:57-80 It was time for Elizabeth to have her baby! Elizabeth gave birth to a baby boy. Her neighbors and family celebrated with her. This baby boy was a good gift from God. Soon it was time for Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah, to name the baby. What would they call him? Sometimes babies are named after their daddies. Maybe they would call the baby Zechariah. No, his name was not Zechariah. His name will be John, Elizabeth said. Everyone was confused. Babies were usually named after someone in their families. But no one in Elizabeth s family was named John, and no one in Zechariah s family was named John. The people asked Zechariah, What do you think? What is your baby s name? Zechariah couldn t talk. He hadn t been able to talk since an angel told him Elizabeth was going to have a baby. So Zechariah wrote on a writing tablet: HIS NAME IS JOHN. All of a sudden, Zechariah could talk again! Zechariah began to praise God. Everyone who heard Zechariah talk was afraid. They started to tell everyone who lived nearby about what happened. The people who heard about the baby knew John would do special things. We know that God is with him, they said. Then God s Spirit was with Zechariah. God gave Zechariah words, and this is what Zechariah said: I will praise God! He has come and made the way for His people to be saved. God is sending a Savior from David s family, just like He promised through the prophets long ago. God will save us from our enemies. He was good to our families, and He always keeps His promises. God has allowed us to serve Him without being afraid. Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 23 Session 4 3

5 And you, child my son will be a prophet for God. You will go ahead of the Savior and get the people ready. You will tell the people about forgiveness and how to be saved from sin. God is good and loving, and He will send light to people who live in dark places. He will give us peace. John grew up and loved God, and God loved him. He lived outside the city in the wilderness until the day he went to the people in Israel to get them ready for a very special visitor: Jesus. Christ Connection: Long ago, God s prophets said, One day Jesus will come. Finally a prophet named John said, Jesus is almost here! John the Baptist told people to get ready for Jesus. He said Jesus was coming to be King over the whole world. 4

6 Small Group Opening Session Title: John Was Born Bible Passage: Luke 1:57-80 Big Picture Question: Why was John the Baptist special? John the Baptist told people about Jesus. Key Passage: Luke 1:76 Unit Christ Connection: As prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1, John the Baptist prepared the people for the coming Messiah. Ready or Not song LOW PREP What Does Not Belong? activity page, 1 per kid crayons Welcome and Session Starter Play the unit song in the background. Activity Page: What Does Not Belong? Assist the children in crossing out the images that do not have to do with Zechariah, Elizabeth, the baby John, or Bible times. Point to Zechariah, Elizabeth, and John. Ask the children to repeat their names after you. Remind them that Zechariah was the priest who did not believe his wife could have a baby because she was so old, so God made him unable to speak until the baby was born. Elizabeth was Mary s relative. Mary went to visit Elizabeth when an angel told Mary that Elizabeth would have a baby too. John the Baptist was the baby who would grow up to tell the people Jesus is the Savior. Say In our Bible story today, Baby John was finally born to his mother, Elizabeth, and his father, Zechariah. He would grow up to be called John the Baptist and tell people about Jesus. Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 23 Session 4 5

7 baby dolls baby toys and blankets Play with baby dolls Invite the children to play with baby dolls, baby blankets, and baby toys. Consider providing blankets for kids to practice swaddling. Say A long time before Jesus was born, prophets told God s people that Jesus would come. The prophets also said another man would come first to say, Jesus is almost here! That man was John the Baptist! In our Bible story today, we ll hear about the exciting things that happened when John was born. Transition to Bible study Invite preschoolers who played out being mommies and daddies with baby dolls to bring their baby dolls to Bible study, as long as the baby dolls do not become a distraction. 6

8 Large Group Bible Study Session Title: John Was Born Bible Passage: Luke 1:57-80 Big Picture Question: Why was John the Baptist special? John the Baptist told people about Jesus. Key Passage: Luke 1:76 Unit Christ Connection: As prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1, John the Baptist prepared the people for the coming Messiah. Large Group Bible Study Bible Key Passage Poster You Will Be Called song Introduce the Bible story Review the key passage using the motions you ve used the last two weeks. Sing the key passage song if you have time. Ask: Who is this Bible verse about? (John) Ask the children if they have baby brothers or sisters or if they know someone who has had a baby. What did the parents do to get ready for the baby? What items did they buy? What does a baby need right after he or she is born? Say Remember the story of Zechariah, John s father? Zechariah was a priest who loved God, but God took away his voice when he didn t believe that his wife would have a baby. How about his wife, Elizabeth? What do you remember learning about her last week? [Choose two kids to respond.] God gave us the Bible so we can know about Him. Every story in the Bible is true. [Open your Bible and point to Luke 1.] Our Bible story today comes from the Book of Luke. Today we are going to learn more about Zechariah and Elizabeth, and the day their baby, John, was born. Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 23 Session 4 7

9 John Was Born picture Bible Story Picture Poster Timeline Map Big Picture Question Poster Tell the Bible story Open your Bible to Luke 1 and tell the Bible story in your own words. Say Can you imagine how excited Zechariah and Elizabeth were? The angel had told them they would have a baby boy, and he was finally born just as the angel had said! John was a special baby. Talk about the Bible story Point to the pictures of previous Bible stories to review briefly. Ask the following questions: 1. What did Zechariah and Elizabeth name their baby? (John) 2. How did Zechariah tell everyone that was the baby s name? (He wrote on a writing tablet.) 3. What happened after Zechariah wrote John s name on the tablet? (He could talk again!) 4. What are some of the things Zechariah said when God s Spirit was with him? (Answers will vary.) 5. What did Zechariah say John would do? (John would tell the people about forgiveness and how to be saved from sin.) 6. Who can forgive and save people from their sin? (Jesus) 7. Why was John the Baptist special? John the Baptist told people about Jesus. Say Long ago, God s prophets said, One day Jesus will come. Finally a prophet named John said, Jesus is almost here! John the Baptist told people to get ready for Jesus. He said Jesus was coming to be King over the whole world. Transition to small groups 8

10 Small Group Activities Session Title: John Was Born Bible Passage: Luke 1:57-80 Big Picture Question: Why was John the Baptist special? John the Baptist told people about Jesus. Key Passage: Luke 1:76 Unit Christ Connection: As prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1, John the Baptist prepared the people for the coming Messiah. Small Group Activities Remember that preschoolers learn best by repetition. Mention the big picture question and answer or the Christ connection in each activity to reinforce the Bible story. LOW PREP Fancy J, 1 per kid heavyweight paper decorating supplies Decorate a Fancy J Print the Fancy J pages onto heavyweight paper for each child. Explain that John s name and Jesus name both begin with the letter J. Allow the children to decorate their Js with stickers and crayons. Say At the time John the Baptist was born, people often named their babies after someone in their family. But God had a different plan. God told Zechariah to name the baby John, so Zechariah and Elizabeth did just that. Why was John the Baptist special? John the Baptist told people about Jesus. chenille stems plastic cups masking tape Toss Js Bend a bunch of chenille stems into Js. To make them sturdier, twist several chenille stems together. The children will toss the Js into plastic cups. Mark a line on the floor with masking tape that the children may not cross while Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 23 Session 4 9

11 tossing. Give high fives and cheer whenever a child finishes her turn. Say Zechariah knew what his baby s name would be long before his son was born. The angel Gabriel told Zechariah to name the baby John. John means the Lord is gracious. John would tell of God s greatest gift to the world: Jesus. Why was John the Baptist special? John the Baptist told people about Jesus. soft textures rough textures toy telephones PVC pipes and elbows Experiment with textures Provide a variety of textures for the children to feel. Include soft textures (like fleece and faux fur) and rough textures (like burlap and denim). Ask the children to describe the textures. Which textures would be best to wrap a new baby in? Which would be sturdy and tough for work clothes? Say When John the Baptist was a baby, he was wrapped in something soft. When he grew up, he lived in the wilderness for many years. The Bible says that John wore clothes made of a camel s hair, which were probably very rough and scratchy. Why was John the Baptist special? John the Baptist told people about Jesus. Play with telephones Use toy telephones and PVC pipes and elbows phones to practice saying the big picture question and answer. When kids are ready, one person (a child or leader) should ask the big picture question: Why was John the Baptist special? The second person (a child or leader) on the other end of the line should say the answer: John the Baptist told people about Jesus. Say John was born to be the last messenger or prophet 10

12 before Jesus. Prophets told people what God wanted them to know. John s message was very important! John would help people get ready for Jesus. Why was John the Baptist special? John the Baptist told people about Jesus. Snack and Transition Take a bathroom break and wash hands. Choose volunteers to help set up for the snack; remind kids during snack time to say please and thank you. Thank God for the snack. Journal Page crayons Transition - Journal Page When a child finishes her snack and throws away the trash, offer the journal page for drawing the face or name of someone kids can talk to about Jesus. This may also be a good time to practice worshipful prayers with the kids. Reread the phrases from Zechariah s words of praise from Luke 1: Ask the children if there s anything they d like to praise God for today. If parents are picking up their children at this time, tell them something positive about their child s day. Inform incoming leaders if there is something they need to know about a particular child. Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 23 Session 4 11

13 Journal Page November 2, 2014 Key Passage: Luke 1:76 Session 1: Genealogy of Christ Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38 Session 2: John s Birth Was Predicted Luke 1:5-25 Session 3: Mary Visited Elizabeth Luke 1:39-56 Session 4: John Was Born Luke 1:57-80 OK TO PRINT

14 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways. Luke 1:76 Unit 23 Key Passage Poster (ESV) OK TO PRINT

15 Why was John the Baptist special? Unit 23 Session 4 Big Picture Question OK TO PRINT

16 Why was John the Baptist special? John the Baptist told people about Jesus. Unit 23 Session 4 Big Picture Question OK TO PRINT

17 Unit 23 Session 4 John Was Born OK TO PRINT

18 What Does Not Belong? Instructions: The angel told Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, would have a baby named John and she did! God had a special plan for John. John would grow up to tell others about Jesus. In the picture, put an X over items that Elizabeth and Zechariah did not use for Baby John in Bible times. UNIT 23 Session 4 Preschool Activity Pages OK to print

19 John Was Born Luke 1:57-80 OK to print

20 Fancy J Instructions: Print out a J for each kid. Invite preschoolers to decorate the J with markers or stickers, cut it out, and glue it to construction paper. UNIT 23 Session 4 Fancy J OK TO PRINT