Children’s Worship 12.13.20

Dear Parents,

 

Thanks for joining us again as we do Children’s Worship from home!  

 

Note: Please let us know about how your family is enjoying Children’s Worship! Take some pictures of your family participating in Children’s Worship or share a story. You can post to the Gold Avenue Church Facebook page or send by email at goldavechurch@gmail.com

 

Perfect Promise

Based on: Isaiah 7:14; 9:2-7; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-56 Isaiah 9:6

 

Activity One:  Read the intro. Watch the video.

Activity Two: Discuss the story using provided questions as prompts.

Worship: Singing 

Activity Three:  Respond to the story by doing the activity. 

Activity Four:  Bless your children 

 

EQUIP:  

(It’s not an activity, but just a little background on the story for you, the parent, to read.) 

 

Think about it! At the beginning of time, God knew what would happen in the Garden of Eden. He knew that eventually He would send His Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. God set into motion a redemptive plan that not only includes the people in Bible times but also includes us today.

Sometimes we are anxious to know what God’s plan for us is, but even in the midst of our worry, we can remember that God’s promises are always good and He always keeps them. He truly is our “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

With the announcement of the birth of Jesus, Matthew breaks the silence of the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament closed with God’s chosen nation looking for their long-promised King, their Messiah. Over and over again, Matthew’s Gospel shows that Jesus was that King. He is the One the world had been waiting for since the beginning. Jesus came to be the King, the Savior who brings forgiveness of sin.

 

Activity 1:  STORY

 

Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds.

 

Introduction to read to the children: 

 

As you read the introduction to the children, have them say, “That’s a promise!” after each paragraph as you pause. You may need to lead them in saying this.

 

We’ve talked about some things that happened in the Old Testament. Now as we start talking about Jesus’ birth at Christmas, let’s review Genesis, the start of the Old Testament. After Adam and Eve sinned, God told them a Savior would come and overcome Satan, God’s enemy. Lead students in saying: “That’s a promise!”

 

Now let’s move on through history, into the years of the kings of Israel like David. In the Old Testament book of Isaiah, in Isaiah 7:14, God said, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”  Here is another promise God made. God promised a child would come who would be like no other baby ever born! And He would be called Immanuel, which means “God is with us”! Lead students in saying “That’s a promise!”

 

Over 400 years later, a couple was going to be married in Nazareth, a town in Israel. The man’s name was Joseph and the woman’s name was Mary. Mary was completely surprised one day by a visit from the angel Gabriel! The angel told her that she was going to be the mother of a baby like no other baby who had ever been born! Lead students in saying “That’s a promise!”

 

When Joseph found out that Mary was going to have baby, he was very upset! So God sent an angel to give HIM an important message. Listen to Matthew 1:21. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” This baby’s birth would fulfill the promise God had made in Isaiah! Lead students in saying “That’s a promise!”

 

Lots of people make promises. “I promise I will take you to the park later.” “I promise to be your best friend.” Sometimes people keep their promises and sometimes people break them. We know that no matter what, God will always keep His promises to us. He sent Jesus to be our Savior so that we could be a part of God’s family, and . . .  “That’s a promise!”

 

Watch the video:

 

Activity 2:  DISCUSSION

 

During today’s part of The Big God Story, God’s promises to His people begin to come true by sending His angel to Mary and Joseph to announce the coming of Jesus, who was going to be the Savior of the world..

 

Wonder Questions:

  • What promise did God make to Mary? (To give her a son.) 
  • What did God promise about Jesus? (He is God’s Son. He is the promised Savior.) 
  • Why is God’s promise important?

 

After discussing the Wonder Questions, you’ll have the opportunity to pray with and for each of the children. 

 

The first chapter of Matthew announced that God’s promise to send Jesus was coming true! The Old Testament told this promise over and over again. But now the promised King, God’s own Son, was going to be born. This Christmas, celebrate the birth of the King, the Savior who made it possible for our sins to be forgiven. Let’s take a minute to pray and thank God for keeping his promises and what that means for our lives.

 

Encourage children to respond with their own words. Then, transition into a time of prayer for personal requests.

 

Worship Songs:  

 

Activity 3:

RESPONSE ACTIVITY #1:   Make an angel craft, click on the picture below to go to the instructions

Response Activity #2    Print and Color

Activity 4: CLOSING BLESSING 

 

Read the following verse from John 3:16:

 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

 

Sometimes we might think that the promises that we read about in the Bible are just for the people who lived a long time ago. But God’s promise to send a Savior was not just for the people in the Bible. It was also for each of us today. We are the “whoever” in that verse! God wants us to be a part of His family, and sending Jesus was part of His plan.

 

Children, may you always know that God’s promises are for you.  May you always trust that you are part of God’s family.