Christmas Pack #9 - Make Room at the Inn
Getting Ready for God
Index for this Section- Author
- Introduction
- Session One: Standing Up For God
- Session Two: Standing Together For God
- Session Three: Walking Together With God
- Session Four: Rejoicing in God's Word of Truth
Getting Ready for God
Advent: A Time of Preparation
A Four Session Resource Activity Guide
for Leaders of Young Children
Ages 4-7
by Mary Jane Pierce
Author
Mary Jane Pierce is a United Methodist education specialist for children.
Introduction
Advent offers us a time to study and to learn the ways of God. This resource is an Advent Bible study focusing on God's truth and our response to this truth.
GOALS
The children will:
- be introduced to the season of Advent as a time of study;
- explore new ways of living out God's truth;
- experience ways of sharing God's truth with others.
PREPARATION NOW
Before the unit starts, look over the following list and order or secure what will he needed:
- For additional resources and suggestions review the other activity guides in this series for the other age groups.
- Select some projects from an Alternative Celebrations Catalogue as you plan the unit. If not already available in the church library, order copy.
- Select and practice appropriate songs, such as "The King of Glory" (Willard F. Jabusch/Israeli folk song) and "I Am a Promise" (William J. & Gloria Gaither). [Due to copyright restrictions, these songs are not included here.]
- Review carefully the session outlines and determine the appropriate materials that can be gathered ahead of time.
DESIGNING THE SESSIONS
These activities may enrich on-going group experiences such as weekday classes,
Sunday sessions, music and art groups, week night or after school events.
The unit is organized into four sessions for use during Advent. In situations
where the full session is not devoted to this study, activities can be selected
to fit into, or be added to, those other ongoing group experiences.
Session One: Standing Up For God
Materials needed: Bible, construction paper, magic markers or crayons, envelopes, optional songs.
OPENING: 10 minutes
Begin the session by playing either "Simon Says" or "Follow the Leader." Center conversation around, "Who do we follow at home and at school?"STORY: 15 minutes
Tell the story of "The Good Samaritan" (Luke 10:25-37). Ask the children, "What other stories do you remember about Jesus?" Talk about how Jesus acted toward other people. Read the scripture Luke 21:36a; 28. Talk about, "What does standing up for God mean?"
ACTIVITIES TO CHOOSE AND DO: 30 Minutes
A. Sing a song, such as "The King of Glory." Then with the children write new verses telling about how Jesus acts toward other people. Sing the song with the new verses. Stand and march while singing together.
B. Use open-ended stories and have children act out endings to the stories.
Story One: Bettina is walking to school. She stops to pick some flowers, and lays her books on the ground. Robert runs by, and jumps on her books leaving muddy foot prints on the pages. What happens next?
Story Two: Alex comes to sit by you at lunch. All he has to eat is a piece of cornbread and a glass of milk. You have a peanut butter sandwich, potato chips, carrots, and your favorite candy bar. What happens?
Story Three: John has no friends. He is fat, dirty, and smells bad. The whole class is playing ball, and John asks to play. What happens?
C. Think together of people who need to know about God's love. Using construction paper and markers, make cards to send to them. Print the verse from Psalm 25:4-5 on the card.
CLOSING: 5 Minutes
Read Psalms 25:4-5, and end with a prayer. Ask children to try to notice
people who are doing what Jesus would do during the week.
Session Two: Standing Together For God
Materials Needed: Bible, seeds, soil, water, towels, construction paper, magic markers or crayons, milk, honey, straws, cups, optional songs.
OPENING: 10 minutes
Have activities about water. Plant seeds. Have water and towels for washing hands. Talk about the many uses we have for water.
STORY: 15 Minutes
The scripture for this session is Luke 3:2b-3. We will be talking about John
the Baptist, so you may want to refer also to Matthew 3:1-6 and Mark 1:1-8.
Tell the children about John the Baptist. Use the story included here or
tell your own based on the scripture.
Talk about "baptism." What does it mean? What do you think John wanted
people to stop doing? Emphasize that baptism is a promise that God is with
us. When we are baptized, we stand with others who know this promise.
ACTIVITIES TO CHOOSE AND DO: 30 Minutes
A. Sing "I am a Promise" or another appropriate song. Make name tags using construction paper and markers. Print on these: "I am a Promise." Have the children make one for themselves and one for someone else. Talk with the pastor about letting them pin the tags on another person during worship. Use this explanation: "When we are baptized, we know that we are a promise. God is with us. We stand with other people and we promise to be faithful to God."
B. Make pictures of people being baptized. This can be a picture of a baptism in church, or one of John the Baptist. Display these on a bulletin board.
C. Make a snack of milk and honey. This is a treat in many cultures. In Africa, the drink is made in a large trough made from a hollowed log. All the people drink from the trough with long reed straws. Mix one cup honey with one-half gallon of cold milk. Pour into cups and drink with straws.
CLOSING: 10 Minutes
Read together Psalm 126:2-3. Sing "I Am a Promise," "The King of Glory" or another song.
JOHN THE BAPTIST (story)
"Repent of your sins," John shouted to the people. "Tell the things
you have done wrong, and ask God to forgive you!" The people of Judea stopped
and listened to John. Many, many people came to hear John.
When they heard what he was saying, they asked God to forgive them for what
they had done wrong. And John baptized them in the River Jordan.
"John looks different from the rest of us," people said. He was dressed
in a coat made from camel's hair. He had a leather belt around his waist. And
he ate locusts and wild honey.
John baptized many people, so everyone called him "John the Baptist." He
even baptized Jesus.
Session Three: Walking Together With God
Materials Needed: Bible, paper plates, rice, have-need checklist; glue, crayons or markers. Optional: Mary Lu Walker's Songs for Young Children.
OPENING: 15 Minutes
Draw a line down the center of a paper plate. Let the children draw on one/half the plate what they had to eat for supper or dinner. On the other half, have them glue a few grains of rice. Talk about how more than half the children in the world have only rice to eat.
STORY: 10 Minutes
Our scripture is Luke 3:10-12. We are again talking about John the Baptist, and his ministry. Review the information from last session. Then read Luke 3:10-12 to the children. Ask them what they think this means for us to do. How can we share with others? Who are some people we can share with in our community?ACTIVITIES TO CHOOSE AND DO: 30 Minutes
A) Do the Have-Need Checklist included here. Talk about ways we can share with others the things we may have, but don't need. Suggest a "toy exchange." This means bringing toys from home that the children no longer use or have outgrown. As a group, select a church, or a hospital, or a community center, or a day care center that could use the toys.
B) Use the song "Alexander" from Mary Lu Walker's Songs for Young Children. Talk about the differences in what Alexander had and what we have. Ask children to draw pictures of Alexander and what he had, and of themselves and what they have. Suggest the toy exchange (see "A" above)
HAVE-NEED CHECKLIST
(Adapted from "Life Style Change for Children," page 41)
Directions:
- Draw a circle around each thing below that you really need.
- Draw a line under all of the things listed below that you actually have.
- Put a check in front of the things you believe a child in a poor country
does not have.
- being a part of the church
- pets
- the Bible
- a family to belong to
- T.V.
- candy
- hair dryer
- stereo
- three meals a day
- bath every day
- Christmas presents
- dishwasher
- God's love
- bicycle
- meat to eat every day
- a nice house
- doctor or dentist
- new clothes
- more than 10 toys
- water
What two things could you easily give up?
What two things would be hardest for you to give up?
Session Four: Rejoicing in God's Word of Truth
Materials needed: Bible, masking tape, paper, glue, old magazines and books, pencils, word search puzzle, wrapping paper.
OPENING: 15 Minutes
As the children bring in toys for the "toy exchange" let them wrap these in paper for giving and write greetings to the children in the center or hospital or church that they will be giving these to. If you are going to take these to the place as a group, talk about when you will go. Make plans for the trip.
STORY: 10 Minutes
Our scripture for this session is centered on Mary and Elizabeth, and is
found in Luke 1:39-55. Read the story from the Bible, or tell this in
your own
words. You may want to use the poem included here to summarize the feelings
in this passage.
Talk about Mary's eagerness to share her good news with Elizabeth. Share
with the children the fact that Mary had pleased God. Not everyone in the
Bible
pleased God. Ask the children if they can tell of others who did not do as
God would have wished them to. Review the stories of people such as Adam
and Eve, Jonah, Peter and his denial of Jesus, Paul before he was converted.
ACTIVITIES TO CHOOSE AND DO: 30 Minutes
A. Write Haiku poems. Haiku is a type of Japanese poetry consisting of three lines. The first line has five syllables; the second seven syllables; and the third has five syllables. An example is:
"Jesus Teaches Us
Be Good and Kind to Others
We Follow Jesus."
The children can write about Mary and Elizabeth, about Jesus and what he taught us about God, and about working together in the church.
B. Work the Word Search included here. Talk with the children about following God's truth. It isn't always easy to find the way we know we should go, just as it isn't always easy to find the words in a puzzle.
Have a straight line taped on the floor. Get the children to walk the line without stepping off the tape.
Do a trust walk. Pair off the children. One person is blindfolded. The other leads the blindfolded person around the room.
Talk about how we depend on others sometimes to show us the way. Relate this to following what Mary showed us about God.
C. Make a "Filled with Joy" collage. In Mary's song she talks about the goodness of God. Let the children find pictures that show God's goodness. Paste these on paper around the words, "Filled with Joy."
D. Take a field trip. Deliver the toys the children brought. Make arrangements prior to the session. Arrange for the children to talk with someone at the place you take the toys.
CLOSING: 5 Minutes
Use a lively song such as "The King of Glory." Sing, play instruments, dance to the music. Have a "rejoicing" prayer for the goodness of God.
WORD SEARCH PUZZLE
Find the words hidden in the puzzle. They may go up or down, left or right, and diagonal.
J K O R V M Z H R
E L B I B S E O W
S L A C D I Q N D
U A I E O T L E O
S S L Z G P M Y I
W D O G A A T M D
C N V L R B F P E
M E E Y D E E N L
H I L V W A N T U
P R O M I S E O H
A F D R X T U M W
Words to find: Rice; Bible; Jesus; Mary; Elizabeth; Want; Need; Friends;
Love; John; Baptism; Promise; God; Honey.
MARY AND ELIZABETH (Poem)
Mary and Elizabeth, Best of Friends
Each with a joy to share
Loving each other
They talked with each other
About God's goodness and love.
You and I can be best of friends
Listening to God's good words
We can love one another,
We can talk with each other
And walk in God's truth and love.
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