Description

Lesson Overview

Big Idea: God gave his Son to save us!

Key Verse: Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”

Lesson: God’s Great Gift!

Activity: God’s Gift Activity Page

Review Game: Open the Gift!

Lesson Excerpt: Have you ever wrapped a present? What do you use to wrap a present? We’re going to unwrap some presents today while we learn about the greatest gift ever given! The Bible says, (read or quote John 3:16). God loves us so much that he gave his own Son for us. We’re going to unwrap these gifts to learn about how it happened.

Do: Have a child open the gift with Mary and the angel inside and use the characters to act out the scene as you read Luke 1:26-35 from the Bible.

Say: Thousands of years before this happened, God had promised to give the world a great hero called a Savior (someone who saves) to rescue people from the worst problem ever. The angel announced to Mary that the time had finally come! God’s great rescuer was coming to the world as a baby boy. But he wouldn’t be an ordinary baby, he would be the Son of God! God would make this baby grow in Mary’s womb without a human father. Only God could do that and he did it to save people from sin. What’s the Big Idea? God gave his Son to save us! Let’s find out what happened next!

Do: Have a child open the gift with Joseph inside and use him and the angel to act out the scene as you read Matthew 1:18-21 from the Bible.

Say: Mary became pregnant with God’s Son just like the angel promised, but her fiancé was upset when he found out Mary was pregnant. He thought Mary had cheated on him and was having a different man’s baby. God sent an angel to tell Joseph that Mary hadn’t been unfaithful. This baby was the Son of God who came to save people from sin. Sin is a terrible problem that all people need to be saved from. You sin every time you break God’s rules by lying, stealing, complaining, disobeying, or anything else God says not to do. All people are born wanting to sin by doing things our own way instead of God’s best way. The worst thing about sin is its terrible punishment. Everyone who sins deserves the punishment of dying and being far away from God forever in a horrible place. All people deserve this punishment because all people sin, but God told Joseph the baby in Mary’s womb would be the great Rescuer who would save people from this horrible problem. What’s the Big Idea? God gave his Son to save us!

Do: Have a child open the gift with baby Jesus inside and use him and the other characters to act out the scene as you read Luke 2:4-7 from the Bible.