Shepherds and Angels

Passage

Familiarize yourself with this passage

Luke 2:8-20
One night, a group of shepherds were outside the town of Bethlehem, in fields, watching their sheep.  It was a quiet night.  The sky was dark and full of stars.  All of the sudden there was a big, bright angel in the sky in front of them!  “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.’”  The shepherds were amazed.  Then the angel left, just as quickly as he came.  As soon as the one angel left, a whole group of angels appeared.  They started singing praises to God.
The shepherds ran to town to find the baby the angel had told them about.  The angel said they would find the baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger.  After they found the baby, the shepherds ran around town telling everyone the good news that the Savior had been born.  When they finished spreading the news they returned to the baby, Jesus, and worshiped him.

Object Lesson

Supplies Needed:
• A birth announcement
When a new baby is born today, many parents like to send out a birth announcement card. (Show birth announcement.)  It tells when the baby was born, and all about the baby and is something special people can keep reminding them of the new bundle of joy.  God is Jesus’ father. He wanted the whole world to know that His One and Only Son had been born in Bethlehem.  So, God sent out a wonderful birth announcement of His own.  But rather than a paper announcement, God sent angels!

Memory Verse

Luke 2:10-11
“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

Jesus Connection

The Savior is finally here! The most anticipated arrival in all history has finally happened. Jesus, God’s Son, has come from heaven to earth to save His people. Jesus’ arrival is a great reason to sing praises to God, both at His birth and today. It is also a great reason to tell everyone we can find about His birth. We no longer have to wait. Our Savior is here!

Songs

Angels We Have Heard On High

1. Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.
Chorus
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
2. Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heav’nly song?
Chorus
3. Come to Bethlehem and see
Christ Whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
Chorus
4. See Him in a manger laid,
Whom the choirs of angels praise;
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
While our hearts in love we raise.

Go Tell It On The Mountain

While shepherds kept their watching
Over silent flocks by night,
Behold throughout the heavens,
There shone a holy light:
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

The shepherds feared and trembled
When lo above the earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed our Saviour’s birth:
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

Down in a lowly manger
Our humble Christ was born
And God send us salvation,
That blessed Christmas morn:
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born.

Game/Activity

Find The Angels

Variation #1

Supplies Needed:
• A bunch of small pictures of angels (can all be the same picture) cut down to wallet picture size
Direction:
1. Before the kids arrive to class, hide all your angels around the class. The more kids you typically have, the more angels you should hide.
2. When you give the signal, have the kids find as many angels as they can as fast as they can. The kid with the most angels wins.

Variation #2

Supplies Needed:
• A bunch of small picture of angels in two different colors cut down to wallet picture size (make sure you have equal numbers of both colors of angels)
Direction:
1. Before the kids arrive to class, hide all your angels around the class. The more kids you typically have, the more angels you should hide.  Make sure you know how many angels you have hidden for each team.
2. Divide the kids into two teams.
3. When you give the signal, have the kids find as many angels as fast as they can. The team to find all their angels first wins.

Craft

Angel Tree Toppers

Supplies needed:
• Colored card stock paper
• 30-cm dinner plate for template
• Sequins
• Cotton balls
• Pipe cleaners for wings and halo
• Stapler, if necessary
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Glue with cotton swabs
Directions:
1. Us the 30-cm plate to draw out a semicircle on the card stock.  Cut out with scissors. Glue the sequin as a trim around the curved edge of the semicircle, about 1 cm from the edge using cotton swabs.  Let dry.
2. While glue is drying, form wings out of pipe cleaners.  Also form a small halo.  Glue the halo to the cotton ball with a small amount of glue.
3. Roll the semicircle to form a cone shape.  Glue the edges in place and let dry.  You may want to staple the join as well, to make the cone more secure.
4. Put a dab of clue on the cotton ball and attach it to the top of the cone.  Use clue to attach the wings to the back of the cone.  Allow the glue to dry completely.  You may also staple the wings in place for added security.

Coloring Page

Jesus Is Born!

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

Luke 2:1-7
One day, the king of Rome wanted to count all the people in his kingdom.  So, he ordered everyone to return to his family’s home town to be counted.  For Mary and Joseph, they had to go to the town of Bethlehem.  This was a long journey, and Mary was very pregnant, so she rode on a donkey.  She was going to give birth to baby Jesus any day.
When Mary and Joseph got to Bethlehem, they tried to find a place to stay.  There were a lot of people in Bethlehem, though.  They went door to door, but all the inns were full.  Finally, one nice man told them that his in was also full, but if they really needed a place to stay, they could stay in his stable. That is what Mary and Joseph did.  And just in time, too!  Very soon, baby Jesus was born, in that stable.  Mary wrapped him in clean clothes and put in a manger.  (A manger is a box filled with hay that animals would eat out of.)  Soon they had their very first visitors; the shepherds.  Mary was amazed at all the wonderful things that God had done for her.  She made a special place in her heart for all these very special memories.

Object Lesson

Supplies Needed:
• Baby doll
• Baby blanket
• A small box
Use the baby doll as a prop while you are telling your story. As you talk about Jesus’ birth, bring out the doll and show it to the children. Talk about how small and fragile babies are. Show them how to properly hold a baby. Tell the children about how Mary wrapped Jesus in clothes, and demonstrate this by wrapping the doll in a baby blanket. Then tell the children that Mary placed Jesus in a manger, and demonstrate by placing the doll in a small box. If time permits, you may allow the children to hold, wrap and place the doll in the box.

Memory Verse

Luke 2: 6-7
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.  She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Jesus Connection

After many, many generations of anticipation, the promised Savior has arrived. God has finally sent his one and only Son to save the world (John 3:16). His name was Jesus, Emmanuel, which means God with us. It happened just as the prophets from long ago had foretold; “the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

Songs

Away in a Manger

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.

The stars in the sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.

I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle til morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.

Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And take us to heaven, to live with Thee there.

Joy to the World

Joy to the world! The Lord is come
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

Game/Activity

Pictionary

• Now that your kids have heard the entire Christmas story, let’s test their memory with a game of Pictionary.  Have the kids take turns drawing and guessing the different objects from the word list below. Include the Christmas words if you are using this lesson during the Christmas holiday.  
Word List:
• Angel
• Zechariah
• Elizabeth
• Mary
• Joseph
• Baby Jesus
• Manger
• Shepherds
• Wise men
• Choir of angels
• King Herod
• Stable
• Sheep
• Donkey
• Star
•
• Christmas tree
• Snow
• Santa
• Reindeer
• Sleigh
• Chestnuts
• Presents
• Elf
• North Pole
• Snowman
• Christmas cookies
• Wreath
• Mistletoe
• Stockings
• Fireplace

Dress the Baby

Supplies Needed:
• baby doll
• set of baby clothes
o diaper
o onesie/shirt
o pants
o socks
Directions:
1. Time each child as they try to dress a baby doll as quickly as they can. The child with the fastest time wins
2. If you have a larger group, you can bring a second set of supplies and have two children race at the same time.

Craft

Tea Light Candle Holder

The Bible says that Jesus is the light of the world.  When he was born, his light brightened a dark world.  Make a candle holder with the kids to remind them that Jesus is the light of the world.
Supplies Needed:
• 2 clear plastic cups for each child
• Tissue/crêpe paper, a variety of colors
• Glue
• Q-tips (cotton swabs)
• 1 tea light candle for each child
• Scissors
Directions:
1. Prepare for the craft by putting a small amount of glue in the bottom of several cups.  The kids will share these cup its of glue as they are working on their crafts.
2. Give each child 2 clear plastic cups, 1 tea light candle, and one q-tip.
3. Place the various colors of tissue paper in a central location for all the kids to reach.  Allow the kids to choose whatever colors they want and either tear off or cut off small pieces.
4. Have the kids apply glue to the outside of one cup using their q-tip.  After the glue has been applied, have the kids cover their cup with their pieces of tissue paper.
5. When the outside of the cup is completely covered in paper, place the now colorful cup inside the clear cup.  The glue that was on the colorful cup should help hold the two cups together.  If they need extra help sticking together, you can apply a small amount of glue to the top inside of the clear cup.
6. Finally, have the kids place their tea light candle inside their cup.  They can light their candles with the help of an adult.  The finished product should act like stained glass the candle light shines through.

Manger Craft

Supplies Needed:
• Manger template (printed on brown paper)
• Scissors
• White glue
• Hot glue
• Craft sticks (popsicle sticks); 4 per child
• Yellow crepe/tissue paper cut into approximately 1 inch squares
• Old fashioned clothes pins
• Small pieces of material
• Brown markers or crayons if you print the template on white paper
Directions:
1. Have each child draw a face (and maybe some hair) on the head of their old fashioned clothes pin. Wrap the pin in a small piece of material, leaving the head showing, and glue the material in place. Set aside
2. Cut out the template on the solid lines. Color it brown first if it has been printed on white paper.
3. Fold the template on the dotted lines.
4. Hot glue a craft stick to each of the small tabs on the sides of the templates. Also hot glue the sticks together at the point they cross each other.
5. Smear white glue on the inside of the template (manger). Crumple the yellow crepe paper and stick to glue in the manger to make hay.
6. Place the wrapped pin inside the manger.

Coloring  Page: