FAITH QUEST

 

Wise Men

 

November 16– December14

 

CREATION STATION

 

Scripture:  Matthew 2:1-22

  

Key Scripture Verses:  Matthew 2:1 Some wise men came from the east to Jerusalem and said, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews?  We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”   (Contemporary English Version)

 

Memory Verse:

  

 “Those who walked in the dark have seen a bright light.  And it shines upon everyone who lives in the land of darkest shadows.”  Isaiah 9:2 CEV

 

Concepts:

  

·       God leads us to Jesus.

·       As followers of Jesus, we worship him as our Lord.

·       Jesus is the light of the world.

                           

Objectives:

 

1. Learn that after Jesus’ birth, wise men, who were not Jewish, traveled from far away to see the Messiah (King of the Jews).

 

2. Understand that God created a special sign, a brilliant star, to lead the wise men to where the child was.

 

3. Know that the gifts they gave to Jesus were appropriate only for royalty.

 

4.  Children will create two star ornaments, one to keep and one to give away. 

Procedure:

 

Welcome and Introductions:

 

1.  Welcome the children and introduce yourself.  Wear your nametag. Make sure that everyone is in the right classroom!  Children will either already have name tags on, or will get a nametag from their shepherd. Make sure that you know everyone’s name and greet the students individually. Remember you are interacting with a different group of students each week that may not know you.

 

2. Start the “lesson time” with prayer. Ask for volunteers, but plan on praying yourself. A short prayer thanking God for sending Jesus like a guiding star to light the way would be appropriate.

 

Bible Story:

 

1.  The Bible story this Christmas is from Matthew.  Last year we made a banner showing the story from Luke (it might be nice to hang the banner in the room and point to it, it is currently hanging in the Great Hall).  Matthew is the first book in the New Testament (hold up the Bible).  This story describes something that happened after the shepherds had left and probably even after Mary and Joseph, with their son Jesus, had left the stable and moved into a home.

 

2.  When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Herod was king in that land.  Herod learned that some wise men traveled from far away, following a very bright, moving star.  These men knew a lot about the night sky and they had seen a bright moving star that was new to them.  They knew that Numbers 24:17 in the Old Testament of the Bible said, “someday a king of Israel will appear like a star.”  So, they were looking to find a child who was “born king of the Jews.”  These wise men were not Jewish, but they knew that the Jewish people were waiting for a Messiah.

 

3.  When King Herod learned of this journey, he asked the priests and teachers to tell him what they knew about a Messiah. They told him that Micah 5:2 in the Old Testament says that a ruler will be born in Bethlehem.  Herod didn’t like the idea of anyone but himself being king.  He sent for the wise men and told them that if the star should lead them to the child, they should come tell him where the child is.

 

4.  The wise men listened to the king and then continued following the star as it went ahead of them.  It stopped over a place where the child was and they were thrilled and excited.  When they went in and saw the child with Mary, they knelt down and worshiped him.  They took out gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh and gave them to Jesus.  These gifts were much too special for a carpenter’s child, but they were good enough for a king.

 

5.  The wise men did not go back to Herod and tell him where the child was.  Because they were warned in a dream not to do that, they traveled home by another road.

 

6.  Today, you will be creating Christmas star ornaments to represent the star that led the wise men to Jesus and the guiding light that Jesus is to many lives.  Everyone will make two, one to give to someone you know and one to become a gift for people you don’t know.  Ornaments will be donated to the Total Life Center and the Carying Place.  Any additional ones will be given to Habitat for Humanity.

 

Application:

 

1.  Create!  READ the Bible story (1-6 above) with expression.  Explain to the children that our tradition of giving gifts at Christmas comes from the wise men’s gift giving.

 

2.  Show them a sample of what they will be creating.

 

3.  Steps:  Pass out scissors and four rough-cut foam star shapes.  Have them carefully cut the shapes along the penciled lines (if time allows, the stars can be decorated with gold markers, gel pens, glitter or sequins).  Fit two halves together through the centers to create a three-dimensional star.  Stitch through the top split points of each star with thread, cut and tie a loop.

 

4.  Clean up!  Involve everyone in cleaning up so that you will have time to share together in the closing. You may want to have a prearranged signal for clean up and tell them at the beginning of art project what that will be - perhaps giving them a 5 minute warning and then the final clean up notice to allow those who need a bit more warning that they need to complete whatever they are working on.

 

5.  Turn out lights and lock the classroom door when leaving.

 

Reflection Time:

 

1.  Ask the shepherds to pass out Journals and pencils/markers.  The children should spend a few minutes reflecting upon the morning's lesson – What were the wise men looking for?  How did they think they would find the way?  What did they call the child? (king of the Jews)  How can Jesus show us the way?  If we let Jesus rule our lives, does he become our Lord and King?

 

2.  At 10:40 ask the kids to close their journals and prepare for the closing prayer.

 

Closing: 

 

1.  Encourage the children to think about what we learn about letting Jesus rule our lives.

 

2.  Tell them that their Pennies will be given to Joy Gift Christmas Offering.

                                               

3.  Say the Key Memory Verse together (see above). You may want to have this verse printed on a banner and hung in the room, write it on the white board in the room, or have it on slips of paper that each child can take home.

 

4.  Pray! Ask the children if they have any prayer requests. Thank God for sending signs like the star to lead the wise men to Jesus.  And for having the wise men believe their dream, so that Herod was not told where Jesus was.  Thank God for this wonderful season where we can show our love of Jesus by giving gifts to others.

 

Teacher preparation in advance:

 

1. Read the scripture passage and attend the Faith Quest Leaders Workshop.

2.  Practice reading the Bible story (above) with expression.

3.  Prepare an opening prayer in case nobody volunteers to pray.

4.  Check the art room to see what supplies exist.  Experiment with what the children will be doing.

5.  Prepare all the materials you will need for the creation process.  Trace the pattern onto foam sheets (18 star shapes for 9 ornaments will fit on a 12” x 18” sheet).  Rough cut the star shapes and precisely cut the slots.  Have the materials ready to go.  There will be limited time for the creation process, so do everything you can to conserve time.

6.  Decide how you want to close the lesson. Prepare a prayer or use one of the group suggestions.

 

Materials:

 

Sample

12” x 18” white foam sheets, “FLEX-FOAM”

Yellow highlighters

Scissors

Needles threaded with thin, strong cord (dental floss is good)

Quick drying glue and decorative glitter and sequins, gel pens if desired

 

References:

 

Sample, foam and highlighters will be provided.