God’s Son Brings Peace

Bible Passage: Luke 2:1–20 (Birth of Jesus)

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© 2014 David C Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children’s ministry leaders. All rights reserved.

REMEMBER VERSEThe Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

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Tru Mission StatementTru helps kids and their families connect to God, find their place in His big story,

and respond to Him through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Lesson Path: Seeing the Mission Statement in a Tru Lesson

Connecting leaders to God ... Inspire, Equip, and Support

Connects kids and their families to God … HomeFront WeeklyAnticipate

… His big story … Celebrate

… And invites them to respond to Him … Respond

… Through the power of the Holy Spirit. Bless

Navigating Lesson 2.3Below you will find additional information to enhance lesson sections as needed.

AnticipateCelebrate Storytelling Video

A storytelling video is available for this lesson. Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users may find this resource in the Resource Files.

Respond Small Group Enhancement“Would You Rather?” activities are available for this lesson. Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users may find them in the Resource Files.Peace PuzzleAnother way to do this activity would be to have the entire group work together to create a poster on a sheet of poster board, with each child contributing an image or word representing peace.

Bless

ANTICIPATE | CELEBRATE | RESPOND | BLESS

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ANTICIPATE | CELEBRATE | RESPOND | BLESS

Anticipate// 5–10 min.

Taking a CensusCaesar Augustus, the ruler of Rome at the time of Jesus’ birth, ordered all people to return to their hometowns for a census—an official count of everybody in the country. Get your kids thinking about what a census is by asking them to participate in one.

SUPPLIES• poster board (10–15 sheets)• markers• tape or easels (10–15)• optional: butcher paper (cut into 10–15 pieces, each piece

approx. 3’ wide)

SET UPAt the top of each poster board (or piece of butcher paper), write a census-type yes or no question. Some examples:

• Are you a boy?• Are you a girl?• Do you have a sister?• Do you have a brother?• Do you have a pet?• Do you like chocolate ice cream?• Can you do a cartwheel?

Display the questions around the room by taping them to walls, setting them on easels, or placing them on tables. By each question, place a few markers.

ENGAGEAs the children arrive, let them know they’re going to take part in a census. Invite them to read the questions and make a mark under each question if their answer is yes. If their answer is no, have them do nothing.

For younger kids, read the questions out loud or pair them up with older kids who can help them read the questions.

At the end, count up how many kids have a pet, can do a cartwheel, etc.

Partner Church Comments “The kids loved going around the room and answering the questions. Leaders stood at the door and told them they were ordered by the king to answer the questions. Great connect to the story.” Maple Valley Presbyterian Church

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Celebrate//20–35 min.

LARGE GROuP

S E C T I O N

Welcome & Traditions//

• Take five minutes to open your CELEBRATE time by engaging in Welcome and Traditions.• Group Tradition (optional): Secret Handshake: Invite kids to form a circle around the room. Have one leader

and one child stand in the middle of the circle and make up a secret handshake. Once they’ve decided on a handshake, invite each child to try it with the person next to him. Then invite the kids to mill around the room and try to shake as many hands as possible before storytelling begins.

Remember Verse//

• This week’s Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that’s highlighted in today’s portion of The Big God Story.

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Connect// Invite the children to ask one another the following question or one of your own. Encourage them to ask someone they may not know. After a minute or two, ask several children to tell the group their friends’ answers. (For Connect Question and Connect Activity slides, see Resource Files.)

QuestionIf you had to sleep on straw among lots of animals, what three items would you bring?

Activity: Creative TravelersInvite kids to “travel” throughout the room in creative ways—crawling like a caterpillar, skipping, hopping on one foot, etc. When a child meets up with another child, they can share their answers to the question. Then they can continue traveling until they meet someone else.

The Big God Story//

SUPPLIES• Bibles (1 per leader and 1 per child)• Timeline slide and animation (see Resource Files)• slides: Census, Caesar, Shepherd, Luke 2:14 (see Resource Files)

Worship Response//

SUPPLIES• slide: Luke 2:14 (see Resource Files)• optional music: “Silent Night”

Ponder Point: God’s Son Brings Peace

Find more details for each section in the How It Works document in the Supporting Lesson Resources section of the My Lessons page at tru.davidccook.com.

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The Big God StoryBible Passage: Luke 2:1–20Storytelling Technique: Moving around the Room, Verbal Interaction, and Images

ENGAGETake a moment to think of the most peaceful place you can imagine. If you want, you can close your eyes. Maybe you’re on a beach, or maybe you’re in your backyard. Maybe you can feel a breeze blowing and watch white, fluffy clouds move through a blue sky. Spend a few moments in that peaceful place. After a few moments, invite a few kids to share what they pictured.

Today, in The Big God Story, we’ll hear about how God’s Son brings peace. Sometimes that peace doesn’t look exactly like we might think, but it’s always better than we can imagine. Before we go any further, let’s ask God to speak to us and teach us today. Lead kids in Prayer of Release.

What did we hear about last week? Invite responses. Right, we talked about how God announced that He was sending the gift of His Son, Jesus. This week we’ll hear about His birth! Encourage kids to open their Bibles to Luke 2 and follow along as you read verse 1. Tech: Cue Census slide.

Who was Caesar Augustus? Invite responses. Tech: Cue Caesar slide. He was the ruler of the Roman Empire, which was the government that the Israelites lived under. Caesar Augustus wanted to count all of the people in his empire so he could tax them. Tax is money that people pay to the government.

So a young couple, Joseph and Mary, packed their bags and traveled to Bethlehem, Joseph’s hometown. It took three days to travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem. Mary was about to have a baby, but not just any baby: God had entrusted her with His Son, Jesus, who would bring peace.

Let’s imagine what this journey may have felt like for Mary and Joseph. I’d like everyone to stand up, pretend to pack your bags, and then travel clockwise around the room while I slowly count to the three. Show the kids the direction in which they should travel, and when you reach “three,” invite the kids to sit down in their new locations.

After spending three days on a hot, dusty road, Mary and Joseph were probably really tired when they finally got to Bethlehem. Turn to your neighbor and say, “I’m really tired.” Invite kids to interact. They needed to find a place to stay, but there were no rooms available anywhere in town. So many people had come for the census that every room in town had been taken. Stand and ask a few others, “Do you have a room available?” Invite kids to interact for a few moments and then sit down.

Invite a volunteer to read Luke 2:6 aloud while everyone follows along. Not only could Joseph and Mary not find a room, but also Mary was about to have her baby—God’s Son, Jesus, the One who would bring peace. So she and Joseph stayed where the animals were kept. On my signal, I’d like you to make some animal sounds. Ready? Go! Invite kids to make animal sounds. Great job! So there, among the animals, Jesus was born. Mary wrapped Him in some cloth and put Him in a manger, or a box used to hold food for animals.

After Jesus was born, God sent an angel to tell some shepherds. Imagine that you’re a shepherd watching your flock of sheep. Tech: Cue Shepherd slide. It’s nighttime, so you’re probably pretty tired. If you’d like, go ahead and lie down. Invite kids to lie down. Suddenly, an angel appears! How would you react? Encourage kids to sit up and share responses.

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The shepherds were really scared. Invite kids to follow along as you read Luke 2:10–12. Before they could say or do anything, many more angels appeared, and they burst into song, singing (Tech: Cue Luke 2:14 slide), “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). Wow! God’s Son had come to bring peace.

After the angels left, the shepherds went to Bethlehem to see Jesus. Invite everyone to stand again and travel in the opposite direction—counterclockwise—until you say stop. Then invite them to sit again in the new place. They started telling others about the good news: Jesus, God’s Son, had come to bring peace. Turn to your neighbor and say, “Did you hear about Jesus?” Invite kids to interact. Then invite a volunteer to read verse 20 while everyone follows along.

Let’s think again about what the angel said to the shepherds (Tech: Cue Luke 2:14 slide): “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). The words “on whom his favor rests” mean those who have chosen to trust Jesus. So, if you think about it, the angels were singing about how amazing it is that God’s Son brings peace to those who believe. What kind of peace do you think God’s Son brings to those who trust Him? Invite responses. Great thoughts. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again, He healed the broken relationship between God and people—He brought peace between God and people. It’s a peace greater than anything else.

When we choose to trust in Jesus, we can have the peace that the angels sang about. How do you need to know God’s peace? Who may need to hear that Jesus brings peace? How might God choose to use you to share the news of the peace He brings? Invite kids to consider these questions silently. Share a story with your kids about how you have seen God’s Son bring peace.

Worship ResponseENGAGEWhen the angels appeared in the sky, they sang a beautiful song. Tech: Cue Luke 2:14 slide. Close your eyes and listen as I read this song a few times: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

After the kids have heard the verse a few times, invite them to think about what they just heard. Did any words or phrases stand out to them? Encourage them to respond to God by standing up and declaring those things. The children can also stand up and praise God for what they know to be true about Him.

As this response time comes to a close, lead the children in singing a traditional Christmas song such as “Silent Night.”

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400 YEARS OF WAITING

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Respond// 15–20 min.

Reflect: God’s Son Brings PeaceThe angels celebrated the birth of Jesus and how He would bring peace. We can experience God’s peace too when we trust in Jesus. And we can also look forward to experiencing God’s kingdom of peace that will come at the end of time. Encourage the kids to open their Bibles and read the suggested passages.

Questions for Younger Kids• Why did Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem? Luke 2:1• Why did God send His Son? John 3:16• How did the shepherds respond to the angel’s good

news? Luke 2:15• How can we have peace? Romans 5:1

Questions for Older Kids• Why did God send His Son? John 3:16• What was the good news that the angel shared with the

shepherds? Luke 2:11–12, 14• How did the shepherds respond to the angel’s good

news? Luke 2:15–17• How can we have peace? Romans 5:1• How can we respond to the good news that God’s Son

brings peace?

Create: Peace PuzzleSUPPLIES• blank, large-piece puzzle (with at least 1 piece for each child)• markers• cardboard or poster board (big enough to fit the completed

puzzle)• glue• optional: Puzzle Pieces sheet (see Resource Files); scissors

(1 pair per child); examples of how to write the word “peace” in other languages: pax (Latin), paz (Spanish), paix (French), emirembe (Uganda), fred (Danish), etc.

SET UPBreak apart the puzzle pieces and set them out along with the markers. Optional: If not using a blank puzzle, print a copy of the Puzzle Pieces sheet for each child. For younger kids, cut out the pieces.

ENGAGEWhen God made the world, He declared His work “good.” Everything fit together perfectly like a puzzle. Sort of like puzzle pieces, we’re designed to be connected to God and one another. But when sin entered the world, it broke the perfect relationship between God and man—like a puzzle being torn apart. God sent His Son to put the pieces back together and heal our relationship with God. And through Jesus, we can have peace with one another.

Today we’re going to put together a puzzle that represents the peace and relationship we now can have with God and one another.

Ask children to think about how God gives them peace in their own lives. Then encourage the kids to take one or two puzzle pieces and on them write words or draw images that represent God’s peace. They might also write “peace” in different languages. Once the kids are done, assemble the puzzle, and then glue it to the cardboard.

Optional: If you’re using the Puzzle Pieces sheet, encourage kids to write and draw their thoughts in the pieces, cut them out, and use them to form several small puzzles on the cardboard. For younger kids, let them decorate one or two puzzle pieces and glue them together on the cardboard in any way they want to form a collage.

Display the finished puzzles during the next REMEMBER & CELEBRATE weekend.

Partner Church Comments “Rather than putting the puzzle together, we encouraged them to take their puzzle piece home. Some kids just had a color on each side. When asked by one parent what the colors stood for, one child shared it was where he truly felt at peace (a vacation spot and at home). The parent was grateful and impressed to hear a second grader thinking that way.” First Baptist Church Loganville

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Today, encourage the kids to find a posture of peace as you read the blessing over them. They may wish to sit, kneel, or lie on the ground. They can choose to extend their hands or clasp them against their hearts. Invite them to remain in this posture as you bless them.

Open a Bible and read Numbers 6:24–26:

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

May you experience God’s peace in your life. May you be encouraged to share the good news of His peace with others.

Finally, bless each child individually by moving around the circle and lightly place your hand on each one’s head or shoulder as you say, (Child’s name), may you be blessed with the peace that Jesus brings.

Bless// 5 min.

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Be sure to send home the HomeFront Weekly for next week’s lesson! This preteaching tool for parents encourages families to spend time in God’s Word together before children arrive at church.

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