John Baptizes Jesus

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following

Matthew 3; Mark 1:1-11; Luke 3:1-22

When John the baptizer grew up, he left the city and lived in the desert. He is described as wearing camel hair clothes and eating bugs. Many people though he was crazy, yet he attracted attention from large crowds of people. John preached a gospel message of repentance, preparing the way for the coming Messiah. For those who believed his message, John baptized them in the Jordan River. One day, while preaching and baptizing, Jesus came. Jesus requested that he should be baptized by John. At first John refused, saying that he should be baptized by Jesus, not the other way around. Jesus told John it was ok to do this because it would fulfill prophecy. So, John baptized Jesus in the Jordan. When Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended on Jesus in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven said, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” After his baptism, the Spirit took Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

Object Lesson:

The Meaning of Baptism

Supplies Needed:
• 3 small bowls
• 1 large bowl
• Dirt
• Towel
• Soap
Directions:
1. Before class prepare your bowls by putting a small amount of dirt in each of the small bowls. Mix the dirt with a little bit of water to make mud. Fill the large bowl half way with water. Place the soap and towel beside the water bowl.
2. Ask for three volunteers. Have each volunteer stand in front of one of the bowls of mud. Explain to the children that John the baptizer was asking people to repent of their sins. Each of the bowls of mud represents sin.  These sins can be anything from cheating on a test at school, lying to your mom and dad, or stealing a toy from a friend. (Point to a bowl as you list an example sin.)
3. Explain that when we sin, it makes us dirty, as if we were covered in mud. One at a time, take the volunteer’s hands and cover them in mud). God is perfect, holy, and clean, and he can only have things that are holy and clean around him.  When we sin and cover ourselves in this mud, we have separated ourselves from God.
4. Stand by the bowl of water. Explain that when we confess our sins to God, he forgives our sin and makes us clean. When we are baptized in water we are telling God and everyone else that we are sorry for the sin we have done and we want to be clean. (As you explain this, take each child’s hand and clean them with soap and water.)

Memory Verse:

John 1:29b

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!”

Jesus Connection:

Psalm 57: 16-17 tells us that God does not delight in our sacrifices only, but rather an obedient heart. He wants us to repent of our disobedient ways and promise to follow him obediently. So that we would know what that looks like, Jesus himself was baptized. God was pleased with Jesus when he was baptized (Luke 3:22). God is also please with us when we demonstrate our obedience to him through baptism.

Songs

Down by the Riverside

Gonna lay down my burden,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside.
Gonna lay down my burden,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside.

I ain't gonna study war no more,
study war no more,
ain't gonna study war no more.
I ain't gonna study war no more,
study war no more,
ain't gonna study oh war no more.

Games/Activities

Memory Verse Bean Bag Toss

Supplies Needed:
• Small pieces of paper
• Marker
• Bean bags
Directions:
1. Before class, write out the bible verse of small pieces of paper; one word per card. On the back of each card write a number corresponding to the place that word is in the verse. For example, on the back of the word ‘Look’, write the number 1, and so on. You can make two sets of cards if you want to make this a competitive game.
2. Place all the cards words down, numbers up on the floor.
3. One at a time, have a child toss a bean bag onto the papers on the floor. When the bag lands on a card, the child picks up the card and passes the bag to the next child. Repeat this process until all the papers have been picked up.
4. Have the children work together to put the cards in the right order. When the order is achieved, turn the papers over to reveal today’s bible verse.

Crafts

Baptize Jesus

Supplies Needed:
• Small plastic cups
• Blue sharpies (or masking tape and regular blue markers)
• Popsicle sticks
• Scissors
• Glue
• Jesus doll template
• Crayons or colored pencils
Directions:
1. Before class, prep the plastic cups by cutting a slit in the bottom of each one, big enough for a popsicle stick to easily fit in.
2. Give each child a cup and a blue sharpie. (If you do not have sharpies, prep the cups by wrapping them in masking tape and then give the children regular blue markers.)
3. Give each child a Jesus doll template to color and cut out.
4. Fold the template on the dotted line and glue a stick in the middle. Make sure the stick is in the bottom half of the folded paper.
5. Put the stick inside the cup and through the slit. Move Jesus in and out of the cup by controlling the stick that comes out of the bottom of the cup.

Coloring Page

Jesus' Temptation

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following:

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13

As soon as Jesus had been baptized, the Spirit took Jesus into the desert, where he fasted and prayed for 40 day in preparation for his earthly ministry. One day, when Jesus was very tired and hungry, Satan came to Jesus to tempt him. Satan tempted him physically, spiritually and authoritatively. Each time he was tempted by Satan, Jesus withstood the temptation by quoting the Word of God. Jesus never sinned when he was tempted. When Satan saw that he would not be able to get Jesus to sin he left. After Satan left, angels came to attend Jesus.

Object lesson:

Balls of Temptation

Supplies Needed:
• Soft, squishy balls
• Large sheet or blanket
• Papers that say “The Word of God”
• tape
Directions:
1. On sheets of paper, write the words “The Word of God”. Tape the papers to a large bed sheet or blanket.
2. Ask for a volunteer who will walk across the room. Have him/her stand along one wall, and have all the other children stand along the opposite wall. These children have to keep one hand on the wall and hold a soft ball in their other hand.
3. When you say go, the volunteer child will walk along the wall while the other children try to hit him/her with soft balls. (Depending on time you may want to repeat this with each child taking turns being the volunteer.)
4. Explain to the children that the soft balls represent sin. It is often hard to avoid the sin that Satan throws at us.
5. Tell the children that it is your turn to be the volunteer. Ask them who thinks they can hit you will the balls. Pick up the prepped blanket and say go as you walk along the wall as you protect yourself with the blanket.
6. Explain to the children that when we use the Word of God, which is the Bible, we have protection against the sin that Satan throws at us, just as Jesus did in today’s story.

Temptation Delight

Supplies Needed:
• A specially prepared bowl of temptation
Directions:
1. Make a ‘tempting LOOKING dessert’. On the bottom of a pretty bowl put something like spinach or beets. Cover this with delicious looking cool whip, sprinkles, candies, etc.
2. Let the children see this during class and even share a little portion with those who want to try it.
3. Explain to them that sometimes things that look good, do not always end up being good. Talk about how Satan makes things look tempting, but things are not always what they appear to be.

Memory Verse:

Psalm 119:11
“I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Jesus Connection:

Romans 5:12 tells us that sin entered the world through the sin of just one man, Adam. Because of his sin, the entire would is now trapped under the bondage of sin. In the verses that follow in this passage in Romans we see that we also have life through one, sinless man, Jesus. Just because Jesus never sinned does not mean he does not understand what we go through as we struggle to overcome sin. Hebrews 4:15 says “ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet he did not sin.” We know that Jesus cares for us as we struggle with sin, because he himself has been through these same temptations. He will make a way for us to get through these times of temptation. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Songs

The Temptation Song

(To the tune of BINGO)
When I’m tempted to do wrong
I turn and run away,
Say “NO!” and run away,
Say “NO!” and run away,
Say “NO!” and run away,
From sin I run away.

Games/Activities

Hot Potato

Supplies Needed:
• A soft ball
• Music that has a pause button
Directions:
1. Have the children sit in a circle.  Hand the soft ball to one person. Tell them that the ball represents sin, and the object of the game is to get rid of the sin as fast as they can.
2. When you start the music, have the children start passing the ball. When you stop the music, whoever has the ball is removed from the circle.
3. Repeat step 2 until there is only one person remaining, who wins the game.

Temptation Relay

Supplies Needed:
• Two equal stacks of cards
• 4 pieces of paper
Directions:
1. On small cards write down some things that people may be tempted to do that are bad (take money from mom’s purse, watch a bad TV show, cheat on a test…) and some things that are good to do (help a sibling with home work, bring a sick person a meal, shovel snow for the neighbor…) Make two sets of these cards.
2. On the top of two pieces of paper write the word ‘temptation’, and on the top of the other two pieces of paper write the words ‘good things’.
3. Divide your supplies evenly for two teams. Divide your children into two teams as well.
4. One at a time have the children run up to the table where there is a pile of cards for their team and two pieces of paper. Instruct the children to pick up one card and place it on the proper paper if it is a temptation they should avoid or something good they should do. The team that places all their cards onto the correct papers first wins.

Crafts

Pocket Heart

Supplies Needed:
• Thick, red or pink paper
• Scissors
• Ribbon or sting
• A selection of Bible verses.
• Hole punch
Directions:
1. Have the children cut out two, identical hearts.
2. Using a hole punch, punch holes on the ‘v’ edges of the heart.
3. Weave ribbon in and out of the holes to create an envelope, leaving the top of the heart open.
4. Write today’s Bible verse on the outside of the heart. (Psalm 119:11)
5. Have the children look up and write down several Bible verses about overcoming sin and temptation. ( I Cor. 10:13, Heb. 2:18, James 1: 2-3, James 1:12; I Peter 2:9, Rev. 3:10…) When they are done, they can put their verses inside their hearts.

Coloring Page

Jesus Calls the Disciples

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passages:

Matthew 4:18-22; 9:9; 10:1-4; Mark 1:16; Luke 5

One day, after Jesus returned from his time in the desert, he was walking along the sea of Galilee. While walking he came across some brothers, Simon (who he would later call Peter) and his brother Andrew who were in their fishing boats mending their nests. He cried out to them “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men!” Simon and Andrew left everything in their boat and followed Jesus. Soon after Jesus saw another set of brothers, James and John. They were also in their fishing boats with their father. Jesus made them the same offer. The brothers left everything they were doing with their father and followed after Jesus. Jesus called a total of 12 men to be his disciples: Simon, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddaeus, Simon and Judas. To these men Jesus gave power against unclean spirits and to heal illnesses and disease.

Object Lesson

Directions:
1. Select 2 or 3 children to be your special helpers for the day. Have these children help you pass out craft supplies, help clean up messes, or even be leaders for the games.
2. At the end of class ask the helpers how it made them feel to be selected as special helpers for the day. Tell them that the men Jesus chose to be his disciples must have felt just as special, because many of them left their jobs and homes to follow Jesus!

Memory Verse

Matthew 4:19
And he said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”

Jesus Connection

Just as Jesus called these 12 men to be his disciples, he also calls each of us to follow him. He wants us to be like Christ and to teach others to be like him as well (Matthew 28:19-20)

Songs

Fishers of Men

I will make you fishers of men,
Fishers of men, fishers of men.
I will make you fishers of men,
If you follow Me.

If you follow Me,
If you follow Me,
I will make you fishers of men,
If you follow Me.

Hear Christ calling "Come unto Me
Come unto Me, Come unto Me."
Hear Christ calling "Come unto Me
I will give you rest."

"I will give you rest.
I will give you rest.
Hear Christ calling "Come unto Me
I will give you rest."

Games/Activities

Red Rover, Red Rover

Directions:
1. Create two teams of equal size. Line up the teams opposite each other, no more than 30 feet apart. Have each line of children form a chain by holding hands with the person next to them.
2. The first team agrees to call one player from the opposite team, and chants, “Red rover, red rover, sent (child’s name) right over!”
3. The person called runs to the other line and attempts to break the chain.
4. If the person called fails to break the chain, he/she joins that team.
5. If the person is successful in breaking the chain, he/she may bring back to his/her team one of the two children whose link was broken.
6. Teams take turns calling out red rover and challenging a child from the opposite team until one team has only one child left, or the teacher calls an end to the game.

Crafts

Fishing Poles

Supplies Needed:
• Sticks or thin dowel rod poles
• String
• Foam sheets
• Sharpies
• Scissors
• Hole punch
Directions:
1. Allow the children to choose one color foam. Using a sharpie, draw an outline of a fish on the foam. Cut out the fish with scissors.
2. Use a sharpie to write today’s bible verse on the fish.
3. Punch a hole in the mouth side of the fish and tie one end of a string in the hole.
4. Tie the other end of the string to one end of the stick/pole. You now have a fishing pole!

Coloring Page

Boy Jesus

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following:

Luke 2:41-52

Every year Mary and Joseph made a trip to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. When Jesus was 12 years old, it was no exception. After the celebrations were over, Mary and Joseph left Jerusalem to return to their home in Nazareth. They were traveling with family and friends, and they assumed that Jesus was there with the family. The group traveled for an entire day before Mary and Joseph started to look for Jesus. When they realized that he was not with their group, they returned to Jerusalem and began searching for Jesus. After 3 days they found the young boy in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening and asking questions. When questioned about his behavior, Jesus told his parents that he had to be in the Father’s house. Jesus obediently returned to Nazareth with his parents where he grew in favor with both God and man.

Object Lesson

Supplies Needed:
• A ‘Where’s Waldo’ type collage of Bible times looking characters
• A legend with several of the collage characters (Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Zechariah, Elizabeth…)
Directions:
1. Display the collage for all to see. Pass around the legend for everyone to take a close look at so they know who they will be looking for.
2. Explain to the children that Jesus and his family were traveling with many people. Mary and Joseph did not know that Jesus was not with them. Tell the children that they will help look for Jesus, as well as some of his family members who may have been traveling with them.
3. Ask the children how they think Mary and Joseph must have felt when they were not able to find Jesus right away. How would they feel if they got separated from their mom and dad? Where is a safe place they can go if they get separated from their mom and dad?

Memory Verse

Luke 2:52
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, in favor with God and man.

Jesus Connection

In this story we can clearly see that Jesus is aware that he is both fully God and fully man. He was able to discuss the scriptures with the teachers (who were amazed at his understanding), and yet He was still obedient to his earthly parents and submitted himself to their parental authority. We can learn from Jesus’ example by spending time in the Bible and learning from our pastors and teachers, while also being obedient to our parents. God looks favorably on this kind of behavior and so do the people around us. (Luke 2:52)

Songs

O-B-E-Y (from the Donut Man)

O-B-E-Y obey your mom and dad
O-B-E-Y makes them very glad
Listen to the words they say
Obey your parents every day
O-B-E-Y obey your mom and dad

Games/Activities

Hide and Seek

*Use this game if you have the space available, or if you can be in a contained, outside environment.
Directions:
1. Choose one person to be it.
2. The person who is it has to close their eyes and count to 20.
3. All other students must hide themselves while the it person is counting.
4. The person who is it must search out all the other students until they are all found.

Find Jesus

Supplies Needed:
• A small toy that can represent Jesus (LEGO, Little People, Action Figure…)
Directions:
1. Before the children arrive, hide the small toy someplace in the room (so that the kids who arrive early cannot find it!)
2. Explain to the children that Jesus is someplace in the room and they must find him. (Also tell them what kind of toy it is that is representing Jesus.)
3. Allow the children to work together, or to race against each other in order to find Jesus.

Crafts

Scrolls

Supplies Needed:
• White paper, cut in half the long way
• Popsicle sticks
• Glue
• Colors
• Rubber bands
• The memory verse
Directions:
1. Explain to the children that people in Jesus time read their bible from scrolls. Today you will be making scrolls.
2. Give each child a half sheet of white paper that has been cut in half the long way.
3. Using colors, allow each child to write the memory verse on the paper, and draw any addition decorations they choose.
4. If the children are older, you can give them the suggestion to tear the edges of the paper and crumble it up to give it a more old look.
5. Give each child two popsicle sticks to glue to the short sides of their paper.
6. Roll up the scroll from both ends at the same time, until the popsicle sticks meet in the center.
7. Hold the scroll together using a rubber band.

Coloring Page

Sermon on the Mount: Salt and Light

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following:

Matthew 5:13-16

Jesus continues his teaching of the Sermon on the Mount by making two comparisons. First he says that we are like salt. Salt is used to flavor and preserve food. If salt loses its taste, then it is no longer good for anything. As Christians, we are to function the same way in the world, but if we do not continue to function in this manner, we are good for nothing. In the second comparison, Jesus says we are like light. When we light a candle, we do not put a bowl on top of it. This hides, or even puts out the light. Instead, we put it on a table or a shelf where everybody can see it. Just as you cannot hide a city on a hill, you want to place the light where it is seen by all. As Christians, we are to function the same way in the world as light does in a house. When we are light salt and light in the world, it brings glory to God.

Object Lessons:

Object lesson #1: Salt

Supplies Needed:
• Salt
Directions:
1. Invite the children to taste some salt. Ask them what salt is used for.
2. Explain that salt is very useful for flavoring and preserving food. If salt does not taste salty any more, then we can no longer use it in food. All we can do with it is throw it away.

Object Lesson #2: Light

Supplies Needed:
• A small candle (tea light)
• A cup or a bowl (big enough to put the candle under)
• A lighter/matches
Directions:
1. Light the candle and set it in front of the children. Explain to the children that we light candles to people can see. It would be pointless to light a candle and then hide it. (Take the bowl/cup and cover the candle.) We can no longer see the light. In fact, if the bowl is left on the candle long enough, the fire will go out. (Pick up the bowl and reveal no more flame.) God wants to use us like the candle. He wants to put us in places around the world where we can let our lights shine brightly for Him. This kind of living makes Him happy.

Memory Verse:

Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Jesus Connection:

In this passage, Jesus tells us that we are all lights in the world. What does our light reveal? Our light reveals the purest, brightest light of them all, Jesus himself. In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” Jesus declares that he is lighting the way to God. If we walk in his light, then we have his light in us. With his light in us, we can show the world the glory of God so that it is clear and easy to see.

Songs

This Little Light of Mine

This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.
This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.
This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shin, let it shine.

All around the neighborhood, I’m going to let it shine.
All around the neighborhood, I’m going to let it shine.
All around the neighborhood, I’m going to let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shin, let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m going to let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m going to let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m going to let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shin, let it shine.

Don’t let Satan [blow] it out! I’m going to let it shine.
Don’t let Satan [blow] it out! I’m going to let it shine.
Don’t let Satan [blow] it out! I’m going to let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shin, let it shine.

Games/Activities

Cup Stacking

Supplies Needed:
• Plastic cups (10 per child)
• Blind folds
Directions:
1. Give each child 10 plastic cups. Keep them stacked together. When you say ‘go’, all the children race to stack their cups in the shape of a pyramid (4 on bottom, the three, and then two, then one on top). Restack cups together and repeat the race as many times as you wish.
2. Have the children stack their cups in front of them. Blindfold each child and repeat the cup stacking race. Repeat the blindfolded race as many times as you wish.
3. Ask the children which race was more difficult. Explain that when we have the light of Jesus in our lives, he helps us see the path in front of us that God wants us to walk in.

Crafts

Lantern

Supplies Needed:
• Small glass jars (pint sized)
• Crepe paper in various colors
• Glue sticks
• Tea light candles
• A lighter
Directions:
1. Give each child a glass jar and a glue stick.
2. Cut out and glue colored crepe paper to the outside of the glass jar. (I had small 1 inch squares already cut from various colors.)
3. Place a tea light candle in the bottom of the jar and light it. Enjoy the colorful glow.

Coloring Page

Jesus and the Woman at the Well

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following:

John 4:1-43

Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Galilee from Judah. Most Jews would take the long way, to avoid Samaria because they did not like the Samaritan people, but Jesus wanted to go straight through this land. They stopped at a well on the outskirts of a little village. Jesus was hungry, so the disciples all went into the village to buy some food. While Jesus was waiting for them to return, a woman from the village came to get water. Jesus asked her for some water to drink. This request surprised the woman, because not only was she a woman (men and women did not speak very often in public), but she was also a Samaritan and Jesus was a Jew.  Jesus began to speak to the woman about living water. The woman wanted this living water of which Jesus spoke. Jesus told her to go back to the village and get her husband. When the woman admitted that she had no husband, Jesus commended her for her honesty, saying in fact that she was also currently living in sin with a man.  At this the woman realized that Jesus was a prophet and asked questions about the proper place to worship. She revealed that she knew the Messiah was coming and would explain these things to them. Jesus then told her that he was that man they were waiting for. At this the woman left Jesus and ran back to the village to tell everyone what had happened. They all came out to see the man she had told them about.
As the woman was leaving, the disciples came back with food. Jesus told them that he had food they did not know about, that his food was to do the will of God. As the villagers were coming out to see him, Jesus told his disciples to look up, for the fields are ready for harvest. Many people believed in Jesus that day because of the testimony of the woman. Jesus stayed with them for two more days. Many more believed in him during that time. After this, Jesus left for Galilee.

Object Lesson

Supplies Needed:
• A glass of water
Directions:
1. Before you share the story, hold up the glass of water. Ask the children:
a. What is this?
b. When do you like to drink water?
c. After you drink, are you ever thirsty again?
i. Why?
2. Explain to the children that science says we are thirsty again because water escapes our body in many ways and has to be replenished if we are to live. In this story Jesus defies logical science and says that he can give us water that will make us never thirst again!

Memory Verse

John 4:42
They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Jesus Connection

From the time of Adam and Eve, when God pronounce the curse over mankind, to the time of Noah, to the time when Jesus was born, people had been waiting for the arrival of their Messiah. The woman in this story revealed that people knew he was coming (vs.25). Jesus not only confirmed that they should be waiting, but also revealed to her that he was the one they had been waiting for. The long awaited Messiah had finally arrived!
God loves the whole world. We saw that in the story of Nicodemus. (John 3:16) While most Jews found it difficult to interact with Samaritans and with women, Jesus casts aside social barriers and accepts the Samaritan woman as she was; a sinner who needs the love of God. God extends this same love to us today. He still reaches past social barriers with the love of Christ. Jesus is ‘not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.’ (2 Peter 3:9)

Songs

Deep and Wide

Deep and wide,
Deep and wide,
There’s a fountain flowing
Deep and wide.
Deep and wide,
Deep and wide,
There’s a fountain flowing
Deep and wide.

Wide and deep,
Wide and deep,
There’s a fountain flowing
Wide and deep.
Wide and deep,
Wide and deep,
There’s a fountain flowing
Wide and deep.

Games/Activities

River Tag:

Directions:
1. Explain that Jesus is the living water.
2. This is a game of tag. Choose one child to be it. All other children can run around the playing area as if they are swimming. (You may want to clear away any obstacles that can be tripped over or cause injury.)
3. If someone is tagged by the person who is it, they must sit down.
4. To get a sitting person back in the game, someone must swim in a circle around them.
5. The game is over when everyone has been tagged or when the teacher says stop.
6. Repeat this game as many times as you wish, giving a different child the chance to be it.

Drops of God’s Word

Supplies Needed:
• Rain drops templates
• Marker
• Bible verse
• Paper clips
• Magnet
• Plastic cup
• String
• Hole punch
Directions:
1. Prep this game before class. Print and cut out the rain drops templates (on blue paper if available). On one side of the raid drop write a word from the bible verse. On the reverse side write the number corresponding with that word’s location in the verse. Attach a paper clip to each rain drop.  Punch two holes in the top of the plastic cup. Tie a sting in the holes so that the cup can be raised and lowered like a bucket. Attach a magnet to the bottom of the cup.
2. In a contained area, scatter the rain drops. One at a time, have the children ‘scoop’ up the water drops. Encourage the children to work together to put the rain drops in order to reveal the bible verse for the day.

Crafts

3D Well

Supplies Needed:
• Well templates
• Scissors
• Colors
• Glue
• Tape
Directions:
1. Give each child a well template page to color.
2. Cut out the template along the solid lines.
3. Fold along the dotted lines, gluing/taping the tabs in place.

Coloring Page

The Wise Men

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following:

Matthew 2

One day, about two years after Jesus was born, King Herod was sitting on his throne when several wise men from faraway places came to him.  They wise men asked King Herod, “Where is the one who is to be born ‘King of the Jews’?  We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” This was very upsetting to King Herod.  King Herod was a very proud man.  He thought he was the best king.  He wanted to be the only king.  So he asked his priest where the bible said the Messiah (or Savior) was to be born.  They told him, Bethlehem.  Next King Herod asked the wise men when the star first appeared that they were following.  They told him two years ago.  King Herod was making a plan to kill the baby so that he would not become king.  Then King Herod sent the wise men on their way and told them to come back when they found the baby.
When the wise men found Jesus, they bowed down and worshipped him.  They also gave him some very expensive gifts; gold, frankincense and myrrh. God was looking after Jesus.  In a dream, God warned the wise men not to go back to King Herod.  So, when the wise men left, they went home in another direction.
When Herod realized he had been tricked by the wise men, he gave orders to have all baby boys two years old and younger killed. God warned Joseph in a dream to escape to Egypt. After Herod died, God told Joseph in another dream that it was safe to return to Israel with Mary and Jesus.

Object Lesson

Gifts for a King

Supplies Needed:
• Something gold colored
• Something that smells sweet like incense (potpourri spray)
• A spice (cinnamon or nutmeg)
Directions:
1. As you are telling the story of the wise men, pull out the appropriate representation of the wise men’s gifts.
2. Explain that gold is what Mary and Joseph would have used like money. It would have helped them with their daily living expenses. It is something they needed to live.
3. Explain that frankincense is like sweet smelling incense. It is something that Mary and Joseph would have used to worship God. It was a spiritual gift.
4. Explain that myrrh is like a spice. It was very expensive and smelled very nice. It was often used to prepare a body for burial. While this gift was symbolic, it was also very practical. It was something people wanted to have. Mary and Joseph most likely sold this expensive perfume and used the money to travel to Egypt and escape Kind Herod.

Memory Verse

Matthew 2:6
"But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.”

Jesus Connection

The wise men sought out the Messiah and they found him. Deuteronomy 4:29 says that if you “seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all of your heart.” Jesus wants to be found by us. If we are seeking him with all of our heart, then he will reveal himself to us, just as he did for the wise men by placing a star in the sky to guide them.

Songs

We Three Kings of Orient Are

We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star.

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light

Games/Activities

Pin the Wise Men to the City (This is a twist on the game “Pin the Tail on the Donkey”.)  

Supplies Needed:
• A poster board size paper with a bible time city landscape on it. (This can be hand drawn or made with cut out.  Just be sure it is bigger than A-4!
• A small picture of Mary, Joseph and Jesus
• Small pictures of wise men; enough for each kid to have one
• Tape or sticky tack
• Blindfolds
Directions:
1. Hang your picture on the wall.  Stick the Mary, Joseph and Jesus picture on one of the houses.  This is where Jesus’ family lives, and the wise men must find them.
2. Give each kid a wise man cut out with tape or stick tack on the back.
3. One at a time, blind fold each kid, spin them in a few circles, and then have them walk toward the city and place their wise man on it. The kid whose wise man is the closest to Jesus’ family wins.
4. This game can be repeated as many times as you like by simply moving Jesus’ family to a new house in the city.

Crafts

Star Craft Christmas Ornament

Supplies needed:
• Print out of the Christmas Craft Star Ornament template for each child
• Scissors
• Glue
• Cotton swabs for the glue
• Decorations (crayons, markers, glitter, sequins, jewels, ribbon….)
Directions:
1. Print out the template on to very stiff paper.
2. Cut out both stars.
3. Decorate both sides of both stars.  Make sure to keep the dotted line visible.
4. Cut along the dotted line of each star.
5. Slide the two star shapes together along the dotted line cut.

Offering Box

Supplies Needed:
• One small shoe box
• Wrapping paper
• Scissors
• Tape
• Glue
• Decoration items
Directions
1. Wrap a small shoe box in wrapping paper. Make sure you wrap the box and the lid separately so that the box still opens.
2. Cut a hole in the top of the box.
3. Decorate the box however you wish!
4. Place the box in a visible place in the classroom.
5. Remind the children that the wise men gave gifts to Jesus, and we can also give to Jesus. Encourage the children to bring their offering gifts to church and put them in this box. Tell the children how this money can be used for Jesus.

Coloring Page