B-15 Light at Last (Matthew 1; Luke 1:1–2:38)

 Theme: Lesser Light to the Greater Light

Supplies:

• totally dark room (may need to take kids into a closet)

• small flashlight

Directions:

Turn off all the lights or go into a very dark room. While sitting in the dark, say:

• When it is very dark, your pupils dilate, allowing even a small amount of light to reach the back of your eyes.
• But if you walk outside right after being in a very dark room, the sunlight feels too bright. It can overwhelm your eyes, and you may need to close them or squint until they adjust.

Shine a flashlight and say:

• However, if the light increases gradually, your eyes adjust little by little. Then when you go outside, the bright light doesn’t bother you as much.
• This is similar to what happened before Jesus came. For about 400 years, God had not sent a prophet to Israel. It was a time of spiritual darkness.
• Then God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus Christ.
• The people were not ready to receive the full light Jesus brought. So John the Baptist was like a small light shining first, helping people prepare their hearts.

Turn the room light on and say: 

• When Jesus came, He was the true Light.
• Sadly, as we will learn over the next few weeks and months, some people rejected the light that John the Baptist brought. When he shone the light of truth on their lives, they chose to close their eyes rather than accept it.
• Because they rejected John’s light, they were also prepared to reject the light of Jesus Christ.
• When someone closes their eyes, they cannot see—even if they are standing in bright daylight. In the same way, when people refuse to listen to God’s message, they cannot see the truth, even when the Light is right in front of them.

Discussion questions:

1. Why do you think God sent John the Baptist before Jesus Christ instead of sending Jesus without any warning?
2. What are some ways people in John’s time might have “closed their eyes” to the light he brought?
3. What are some ways we today can keep our eyes open to Jesus’ light instead of ignoring it?

 

B-14 400 Years of Silence

Main point: God used the 400 years of silence to prepare the world for the rapid spread of the gospel message.


Materials needed:

• Greek alphabet printed onto cardstock
• White Paper
• Pens
• Yellow or gold cardstock (available at Walmart)
• Gem stickers (available at Walmart or Dollar Tree)
• Legos
• Set up three different stations for the three different nations that impacted God's people during the 400 years of silence.

Station 1: The Greeks
Script: Language: Alexander the Great spread the Greek language. This was widely spoken throughout the world, even though Latin was the language of Rome. This made the spread of the gospel much easier. The Old Testament was translated into Greek during this time. The New Testament was written in Greek instead of Hebrew. 

Main point: Many people in the Roman Empire spoke Greek, making spreading the gospel very easy.
Activity: Write the Greek alphabet

Station 2: The Jews
Script: The Maccabees fought for freedom, and for a brief period of time, Israel was ruled by a "Priest/King." Infighting led the priests to appeal to Rome to settle who would reign. Rome was happy to help settle the dispute, as it meant they would now be in control of Jerusalem. As Rome's power increased, the Jews soon grew to resent Rome. Herod eventually usurped the throne entirely and the Jews became completely under Rome's control. 

Main point: The Jews asked for Rome to "rule over them" just like they chose Barabbas over Jesus.
Activity: Make a paper crown

Station 3: The Romans
Script: Rome rose to power and soon controlled the territory previously controlled by Greece. The Romans built incredible roads, making it easy for later Apostles like Paul to travel and spread the Word. Roman soldiers also helped keep crime down so that it was safe to spread the gospel. 

Main point: God allowed Rome to control much of the world so that the gospel could spread rapidly.
Activity: Make a Roman Road out of Legos.

B-13 Messages From Heaven - 3 (Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi)

 Theme: Put God First (Haggai and Malachi)

Key idea: The people were busy building their own houses, but neglected God’s temple.

Materials

• Large, clear cup
• Rocks
• Sand
• Water

Instructions

1. Ask a volunteer to fill the cup with sand first, then try to fit the rocks.
2. It won’t work well.
3. Dump it out.
4. Now put rocks first, then sand, then water.

Discussion

• The rocks represent obeying God by paying our tithes and offerings.
• The sand represents all the other things we want to buy in life.
• If we put God first, God promises that everything else will fit.
• Haggai told the people to “consider your ways” and put God’s house first. Malachi told the people to "bring all the tithes into the storehouse." 
• Both prophets assured the people that if they put God first, God would supply everything they needed.

B-12 Messages From Heaven—2 (Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk)

----Option 1----

Theme: God gives time for repentance but will punish those who refuse to repent. 

Nahum 1:3: "The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet."

Resources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLCDJ0m_qrk; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUU8qY950wE; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhOyKdeRPXA

Materials Needed: 

• 10% povidone-iodine (available at Walmart or a local drug store)
• 500 mg vitamin C tablets
• cornstarch
• warm water
• boiling water
• 3% hydrogen peroxide
• 2 clear cups + 1 clear mixing cup

Instructions: 

Solution A (Clear solution)

1. Add 128 mL warm water to a cup
2. Crush and dissolve 1 vitamin C tablet (500 mg)
3. Add 12 mL povidone-iodine
4. → This should turn clear/light brown

Solution B (Cloudy solution)

1. In another cup, add 40 mL of boiling water
2. Stir in ~200 mg cornstarch
3. Let cool (important!)
4. Add 100 mL of hydrogen peroxide

The Reaction

1. Pour Solution A and Solution B together
2. Stir gently
3. Wait…
4. It should suddenly turn very dark blue/black

Discussion: 

• When the mixtures were combined, what did it look like was happening at first? (Nothing)
• Was the reaction actually stopped, or just delayed?
• Could you stop it once it started turning dark?
• What was actually happening?
• Vitamin C “holds back” the reaction at first
• Once it runs out, the reaction suddenly happens
• Starch + iodine = dark blue color

Main point:

• God is patient and slow to act in judgment, because He loves people and wants them to repent.
• But when people continually refuse Him, His judgment will finally come—and it cannot be stopped.
• Just like this reaction, the delay doesn’t mean that nothing is happening.

----Option 2----

Theme: God sees when unfair things happen. He wants us to be fair and just (Micah 6:8) but when humans fail, he promises to make it right someday.

Materials: ball, bucket

Instructions:

1. Tell the kids you have a challenge: the child who can throw the ball into the bucket three times in a row will win a prize.
2. Line the kids up. Place the bucket next to the first child.
3. Have the first child throw the ball into the bucket. Give them a small prize (a piece of gum or a nickel).
4. Have the first child move out of the way. Important: The next child cannot move closer to the bucket.
5. Continue down the line. Kids farther back cannot get closer to the bucket, and they do not receive a prize—even if they could have made the shot.

Debrief:

• Was this game fair? Why or why not?
• For those who weren't allowed to get closer to the bucket and thus weren't able to get a prize, how did this make you feel?
• How do you think people feel when others are treated unfairly in real life?
• In Micah’s day, the Israelites had become very unfair. The rich took advantage of the poor.
• How did God want the Israelites to treat each other? Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
• What was God going to have to do because the Israelites were not being fair? Micah 6:13: “Therefore I will also make you sick by striking you, by making you desolate because of your sins.”

B-11 Messages From Heaven - 1 (Amos, Obadiah, Jonah)

Theme: When Obadiah was alive, the nation of Edom lived in rocky cliffs and believed no one could defeat them.

Show the following video: Edomite Dwellings 

Main point: Pride makes us think we are safe and better than others.

Supplies: Something elevated that volunteers can stand on (chair, stools, etc); Paper signs that say the following: tall cliffs, wise men, strong armies, riches

Activity: 

1. Ask for several volunteers to stand on the chair (or slightly elevated place).
2. Tell the group the student represents the nation of Edom living high in the mountains.
3. Ask the class: 
1. “If you lived way up high like this, would you feel safe?”
2. “Would you think anyone could defeat you?”
4. Give the volunteer the paper signs one at a time and have the class read them as you hand them to the volunteers. 
5. Ask: “Did all these things protect the Edomites?"
6. Have the volunteers step down.
7. Why did God have to destroy the Edomites? Obadiah 10
8. What did Edom do to his brother, Jacob? Obadiah 11-14

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do people sometimes feel proud or better than others?
2. What happens when someone laughs when others get hurt or fail?
3. Why does God want us to help people instead of watching them struggle?
4. What does true strength look like?

Take away point: “God is not impressed by how high we stand, but by how willing we are to help others.”

B-10 Patriots and Prophets

Theme: The Holy Spirit

Main point: The Holy Spirit changed ordinary men into the Patriots and Prophets we studied in our lesson this week. He can do the same for you.

Object lesson (view how to do the object lesson here)

Materials:

• Balloon
• Small-mouthed bottle (cleaned glass beverage bottle will work well)
• Small funnel
• Baking soda (2 tablespoons)
• Vinegar (4 ounces)

Directions:

• Using the funnel, add the baking soda to the balloon
• Pour the vinegar into the bottle.
• Carefully fit the balloon over the bottle opening (be careful not to drop the baking soda into the vinegar yet).
• Once the balloon is fitted snugly on the nozzle, hold up the balloon and allow the baking soda to fall into the vinegar.

While the balloon fills up, ask:

1. What made the balloon fill up?
2. Could the balloon fill itself?
3. Hosea mourned as he saw that Israel kept turning away from God. Could rules alone change their hearts?
4. In our object lesson, the reaction happened inside the bottle. Where does the Holy Spirit work first — outside behavior or inside the heart?
5. What happens when we try to obey God without asking Him to change our hearts first?
6. Joel talks about God pouring out His Spirit. Does God only want to give us a little bit of His Holy Spirit?
7. Joel also says God will restore what was lost. How does the Holy Spirit help restore broken things?

Appeal:

• Let's ask Jesus to send us the Holy Spirit today, to be in our class, to change our hearts, and to restore anything that is broken in our lives.

B-9 Revival and Reformation

 Theme: Treat others fairly (Nehemiah 5)

Supplies:

• fake dollar bills, Bible with bookmark in Nehemiah 5.

Directions:

Say. "I'm going to give each of you some money. Please hold it quietly in your hand."

• Give 1-2 children five $1 bills.
• Give 2-3 children one $1 bill.

Say: "After returning from captivity. There were Israelites who had enough money. There were other Israelites who didn't have very much money. The Israelites who had enough money wanted more. They charged very high prices for food. And when someone needed money for taxes, they loaned money at very high interest rates. Soon, those who started with only a little money had none, and those who started with a lot of money had even more! (Take money  from the children who have only one and give it to the children who already have $5.) 

Ask: 

• "Was this fair? What did Nehemiah think about this?" (Have a child read Nehemiah 5:6.)
• "What did God think of this arrangement?" (Have a child read Nehemiah 5:9.)
• "What did the selfish people promise?" (Have a child read Nehemiah 5:12.)
• "Did they keep their promise?" (Have a child read Nehemiah 5:13.)

Have those who are "rich" give back what was taken from those who were "poor."

Discussion questions:

1. How did you feel when the money was taken away from those who had less?
2. Why do you think God was angry about this?
3. How do you think the poor people felt when their money was taken? How do you think they felt when it was given back?
4. How does God want us to treat people who may not have as much as we do?