FAITH CHALLENGE

“This is My Dear Son”: Jesus’ Birth to Baptism

Jan 5 – Feb 2, 2003

Week 5 Celebration

Scripture:            Matthew 1-3

Memory Verse:            “All of you are God’s children because of your faith in Christ Jesus.  And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes” Galatians 3: 26-27 CEV

 

1 John 3:1 (from The Message): “What marvelous love the Father has extended to us!  Just look at it—we’re called children of God!  That’s who we really are!”

Concepts:

·       Just as God redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt, so God in Christ redeems us from sin. 

Objectives:

  1. Review the connection of the Exodus story to the events of the birth story in Matthew
  2. Sing “We Three Kings” with illustrations and movement
  3. Discuss: If I can’t see it is it real?
  4. Create an “official seal” identifying each youth as a child of God

Gathering Time

1.     The Coach leads the opening routine: snack, fellowship, prayer wall activity, and prayer chain.  Nametags are available. 

 

Workshop Lesson Procedure:

Introductions (Coach):

1.     Refer to the timeline and review the lessons in this unit: Birth Narrative in Matthew, gifts of the wise men, John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism. Introduce the Guide who leads the Workshop Lesson.

Application:  (Guide takes over from here)

 

1.  Review of Birth Narrative

 

Conduct a quick review of the birth narrative by making a statement from the Exodus column and asking the kids to identify the corresponding event from Matthew.

 

In Exodus

In Matthew

Joseph takes the Hebrew people to Egypt to escape famine

Joseph takes Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod

Pharaoh thinks the Hebrews are a threat

Herod thinks Jesus is a threat

Pharaoh orders the firstborn of the Hebrews killed

Herod orders male children of Bethlehem killed

Moses’ mother saves him from Pharaoh

Jesus’ father saves him from Herod

God comes to Moses and asks him to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt

God comes to Joseph in a dream and tells him it is safe to leave Egypt

God promises to be with Moses

Another name for Jesus is Emmanuel which means “God with us”

 

2. We Three Kings sing along

This activity should be lots of fun and time for laughter.

1.     Divide the class into 8 groups. Six of the groups will be assigned a verse or the chorus of “We Three Kings of Orient Are”. The other two groups will be assigned the memory verses.

Each group will provide illustrations for their assignment in one of two ways:

1.     On poster board, illustrate their assigned passage using pictures to create a rebus story for as many of the words as possible. OR

2.     Create your own sign language with hand and body movement to communicate your assigned passage.

P.S. It will be more fun if the group doing the chorus agreed to use sign and body language. The others may choose what they like.

2.     Give 10 minutes for the youth to decide how they want to make their presentation and prepare their illustrations.

3.     Sing “We Three Kings”. Hand out copies of the song and words. Ask each group in turn to come forward to present their illustration to go with the sing-along. Use a slow pace to make sure we can appreciate the artwork or body language. If doing the rebus, someone should lead the class while pointing to the pictures.  When singing the chorus, pick up the pace and use the chorus group movements each time.

Optional: Hand out rhythm instruments to the class (or a few) to accompany the song.

4.     Recite the memory verses together with the group illustrations. If using body language, you might teach the movements to the verses:

 “All of you are God’s children because of your faith in Christ Jesus.  And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes” Galatians 3: 26-27 CEV

 “What marvelous love the Father has extended to us!  Just look at it—we’re called children of God!  That’s who we really are!”  1 John 3:1 (from The Message)

 

3.  If I can’t see it, does it mean it isn’t there?

1.     Ask for a volunteer to come forward and “read” from the paper you provide. There are no “visible” words on it so the youth will be puzzled by your request. Ask for someone else to try.

2.     Discuss:

·       If you can’t see anything, does that mean it isn’t there? (No. Give examples of wind (can’t see it, but can feel it), radio waves (can’t see them or explain it, but we know it works) Ask for several examples.

·       If we can’t see God, does that mean there isn’t a God? What evidence is there of God? (Creation, beauty, love, kind acts, Holy Spirit guiding us, Jesus in the flesh)

·       When you are baptized you are identified as a child of God. Can you see that mark or seal on you? How do you know it exists if you can’t see it? (The Bible, John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism)

·       How should people who are baptized act? (turn away from sin and turn to God; change the way they were living so that their lives show that they have turned away from sin.)

3.     Demonstrate: Let’s see if there is really something on this page. Dip the page in an iodine solution to reveal the words: “I am a child of God.”

 

4. Journals

1.     Hand out the journals. Ask the youth to create their own official seal that says they are a child of God. They may choose to incorporate the following in their seal:

·       Name

·       symbols for wind, fire, and spirit

·       Kirk of Kildaire

·       John the Baptist, dove, cross

·       Symbols of helping, friendship, love, kindness, etc

2.     Then, complete the following statement in your journal:

“Because I am a child of God I ……..” (What is your response, what do you do as a result of being a child of God)

3.     Share some of the “seals” and responses as time permits.

 

Wrap-up:

1.     Ask students to tidy up.

2.     Bring closure to the activity. Remind the class that today they learned:

·       how the birth story from Matthew has similarities to Old Testament stories

·       Even though we can’t “see”, we know Jesus is “God with us”.

·       Each one of us is a child of God.

Closing (Coach):

1.     The Coach conducts the closing prayer.  A simple prayer such as: God, thank you for coming to earth as Jesus to be with us. Even when we can’t see you, we know you are there. Each one of us is a child of God.  Help us to remember this in all we do.  Amen

2.     Close/lock the door and turn off the lights.

Guide preparation in advance:

1.     Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located.

2.     Preparation instructions for this lesson plan:

·       Prepare copies of “We Three Kings” song sheet for each member of the class.

·       Provide 4-5 sheets of poster for rebus verse illustrations. You may wish to cut the poster board into strips, one for each line of verse, so that several youth may draw. 

·       Prepare an 8X11 sheet of paper with the words “I am a child of God” written in lemon juice

·       Prepare a bath of iodine solution in a flat tray or large bowl. Make a few practice sheets of writing and dipping to see how it works and the writing that works best. Go to the following web site for instructions on this experiment and why it works: http://www.pfizerfunzone.com/funzone/discovery/experiments/index.html

·       Obtain journals and colored pencils.

Supply List

·       Lemon juice, paper, iodine bath (2 droppers of iodine to 2 cups of water), q-tips and fine paintbrush to write with the lemon juice

·       Journals, markers, pencils, plain and colored

·       Poster board

·       Song sheets and postings of the memory verses.

Reference

·       Instructions for the lemon juice/iodine experiment: http://www.pfizerfunzone.com/funzone/discovery/experiments/index.html