NT-02

"An Angel Visits Mary and Joseph”

Big Idea

When God asks, say "Yes!"

 

Schedule

1. Small Groups: Good news/bad news activity (5 min)

2. Big Group: Lesson (20 min)

3. Verse Activity: Musical chairs activity (5 min)

3. Small Groups: Index card chain activity (10-15 min)

Materials Needed

Index cards cut in half (two for each child)   Red and green markers,   Lesson Resource: Gameboard,   Lesson Resource: Game cards (cut out),   Poster Putty,   Index cards cut in fourths,   Six-sided die,   Quarter

Before Big Group

1. Explain the following, writing the big idea below on the chalk/wipe board:

    The big idea for today is "When God asks, say "Yes!" We'll find out more about what this means in big group time.

2. Explain the following:
    Sometimes people say, "I've got good news and I've got bad news." When that's the case, some people like to hear the good news first, while others want to hear the bad news first so that they can just get it out of the way. We're going to play a game where we give each other good news and bad news."
    On one of the index card halves, in green marker have the children write something that could be really good news (Example: You just won a million dollars!) On the other card, in red marker have the children write something that could be really bad news. Tell them that their bad news can't involve anyone dying or getting seriously hurt. (Example: Your bike was stolen.) When finished, have them place all the good news cards face down in one pile and the bad news cards face down in another pile.
    Shuffle the two piles. Select a child to begin by saying to the child on his/her right, "I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?" When the child indicates which one he/she wants, have the first child select the top card from the appropriate pile and read it out loud. Next, have him/her read the top card from the other pile. Repeat this process with each of the children.

After Big Group

1. Explain the following:

    Our big idea for today is "When God asks, say 'Yes!'" God sent angels to Mary and Joseph to tell them to do something. Today, he doesn't normally send angels to tell us to do something. He tells us what we should do in his message to us, the Bible. And the way we can say "Yes!" to God is to read our Bibles, find out what he wants us to do, and do it!

2. Inform the children that you'll be playing a game to learn how we can say "Yes!" to God, but first they'll each make their own game piece. Hand each child an index card fourth. Give them a couple of minutes to draw a quick picture of themselves on the card. When each child is finished, hand them a wad of poster putty. Have them insert the picture they just drew into the poster putty so their game piece now stands up. Explain the following:

    We're going to play a game where we'll read things God has asked us to do in the Bible. As we play, we'll talk about what it would mean to say "Yes!" and do that thing for God.

3. Lay the gameboard on the table. Lay the game cards in a pile face down next to the board. Have the children place all their game pieces on the start square. Play the game according to the following rules, with each child going one at a time: Have the player roll the die and move their marker that many spaces forward. Have him/her draw a game card and read it out loud. Ask him/her what it would mean to say "Yes!" to God based on what what written on the card (Example: If the card said, "Obey your parents," the child would say, "I would listen to what my parents say.) Hand him/her flip the quarter. If it lands on heads, it means that he/she said "Yes!" to God and did what God asked on that card. He/she can then move the gamepiece one space forward. If it lands on tails, it means that he/she said "No!" to God and didn't do what he asked on the card. He/she must move their gamepiece one space backward. Continue until someone reaches the finish space.

3. Hand each child a journal page. Have them fill it out, writing down the big idea "When God asks, say 'Yes!'” and how they can use it in their life (Examples: I'll say 'Yes' when God asks me to obey my parents.) Place the page in their journal binder.