| LESSON OBJECTIVE |
This lesson will teach the children the importance of
living a righteous life and how we must always allow God to lead us
through the difficult times we will encounter.
|
AS
KIDS ARRIVE ( 15 minutes ) |
Have the
memory verse written on the board. As the children arrive, give
them paper and markers. Have each child select one of the five characteristics;
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness or patience, and draw
a picture of someone showing this quality. You may want t offer
suggestions, for example a mom putting a bandage on a small child
to show compassion, or a boy petting a small dog to show gentleness.
|
| OPENING PRAYER AND PRAISES
( 5 minutes ) Further info? Click
Here |
| |
| MEMORY WORK ( 6 minutes
) |
"Therefore, as God's
chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12
Tape the pictures drawn during the
"As Kids Arrive" activity on the wall in the correct order.
Then see how well the kids can say the entire verse using the pictures
as a guide.
|
| SCRIPTURE READING AND DISCUSSION
( 15 minutes ) |
| Introduction:
Before Jesus was born, there was a righteous man who was a descendent
of King David. His name was Joseph. He was engaged to Mary, a young
woman who was also a virgin. In those ancient times when someone
was engaged, it was almost like they were married, except they did
not live in the same house. The engagement was a serious commitment
compared to today's practices. In fact, the only way to break if
off was to get a divorce. Joseph loved Mary very much, but when
he found out she was already pregnant, he was very disappointed.
But being a reasonable and decent person, he decided not to get
mad, or let anyone know what was going on. If he told anyone, Mary
would be in real big trouble. So instead, Joseph quietly planned
a divorce. Let's see what happened next.
Matthew 1:18-24
Have the kids find the this story in their Bibles. Ask for volunteers
to read the passage, or if you prefer you can read it to the children.
Discussion Questions:
1.What happened after Joseph decided to divorce Mary? (An angel
of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.)
2. Why did the angel visit Joseph? (To tell him not to be afraid,
and it was OK to keep Mary as his wife.)
3. Why was a virgin chosen by God to be the mother of His Son?
(To fulfill what the Lord had said through
the prophet, that a virgin would give birth to Jesus.)
4. What did Joseph do after he woke up from his dream? (He took
Mary home as his wife.)
5. Why did God choose Joseph to be Mary's husband? (Because he
was a righteous man and a
descendent of King David.)
6. If we are troubled or worried about something, like Joseph was
about Mary, what will happen if our heart
is right with God? (God will help us understand His plan for us,
like he sent an angel to Joseph to
assure him everything would be all right.)
|
| CLASS EXERCISES (20 minutes)
|
Genealogy Wheel
(Craft) Click Here
Before beginning this craft, have he children look up Matthew 1:1-16
and see how many of the names they recognize. Explain that this is
the genealogy of Jesus, as recorded in the Bible. This passage names
38 great grandfathers to Jesus. It is hard for us to know the name
of our great, great grandfather, let alone great to the 38th time.
The genealogy shows that Jesus came from a long line of royal families
and kings.
|
| ALTERNATE CLASS EXERCISE (15
minutes) |
So Don't Worry (Activity)
Click Here
|
| APPLICATION ( 2 minutes) |
The Bible does not tell us too much about Joseph. Besides
being a descendant of King David, and a caring and considerate husband
to Mary, little more is said of his personality. One thing we know
for sure from our Bible passage today is that Joseph was a righteous
man. Proverbs 20:7 says "The righteous man leads a blameless
life, blessed are his children after him." Because of Joseph,
and his willingness to be a faithful husband to Mary, all of us who
are God's children have been truly blessed. Sometimes in our life
we are faced with difficult times or worries. But if we have faith,
and trust in the Lord, He will always help us through the difficulties.
He may send us a friend, a parent, a kind word, or perhaps even an
angel. Next time you are faced with a difficult situation, stop and
pray. Allow God to show you the way.
|
| NEXT WEEK |
Have everyone stand up. The ask these questions. Who
has walked a mile? If you have never walked a mile, sit down. Now
for those still standing, who has walked five miles? If you have never
walked five miles, sit down. Do the same for 10, 15 miles etc. until
all the kids have sat down. Next week we will learn of a young married
couple that walked over 50 miles, just to be counted and pay taxes.
|
| CLOSING PRAYER ( 2 minutes)
Further info? Click
Here |
| |
| TAKE HOME PAGE |
| Give one copy to each child at the end of the class
to take home. Click here for NIV
or KJV |
