WELCOME TO WEEK 1

God has a plan for each one of us. He sees each one of us and has something special for each of us to do. It may seem like a really big job, or it may seem as if it is not an important job at all. When God calls you to action, what will your response be? Will you be afraid or will you say “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be as you have said”.

Luke 1:26-38; Matthew 1:18-24

BIBLE STORY

Create an obstacle course through your living room or open space.  Use the following template to create several candy kisses and landmines using green and red construction paper, respectively. Create a start and ending point then place cut out kisses and landmines throughout the obstacle course. Have one person blindfold while the other person leads them through the obstacle course. The leader will need to give verbal directions about where to go throughout the obstacle course. If they step on a landmine, the leader will need to take them back to the start of the obstacle course. If they step on a Kiss, they may collect the kisses to turn in at the end of the course. They may exchange each Kiss cut-out for a candy kiss or other treat.

That was fun! You had to put your trust in someone else to help you make it to the end of the course. Sometimes they led you the right way and sometimes they failed. It’s good to know that God will never fail and He knows exactly where to lead us. God has a plan and we can trust that He will lead us in the right directions. This week we will look at Mary and Joseph. They were living normal, typical lives when the angel appeared to each of them. God had a plan for all of humanity that would be fulfilled through Mary and Joseph. Let’s see how they trusted God’s plan.

Materials: Printed Kiss and landmine template, construction paper, scissors, candy kisses or other small treat.

Read or listen to the scripture story in Psalm 139

Who did the angel Gabriel go to see in Nazareth? (Mary)

Who was Mary pledged to be married to? (Joseph)

How did the angel describe Mary? (You who are highly favored)

What was the good news he told Mary? (She would conceive and give birth to a son and name him Jesus)

What will the Lord God give him? (He will reign over the Jacob’s descendants forever)

How did the angel say it would happen? (The Holy Spirit will come on you and the power of the Holy High will overshadow you)

What was Mary’s response? (I am the Lord’s servant, May your word to me be fulfilled) 

BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY

God had a plan for Mary and Joseph’s life, and God has a plan for your life too. We may not always see how everything will work together, but God can see everything. When we choose to follow the little steps and directions God gives us, we will later see how those little things fit together in God’s big plan.  

Activity

Put a puzzle together without using the box. Give the students a few pieces at a time or one at a time if using a small puzzle. We don’t always know the future or what is ahead, but God can see it all. He knows what is next and what we need. God has a plan, we can be glad that God is in control.

Materials: Simple puzzle

Alternate

Using bricks or large blocks, build a tower or structure. Begin by making a plan of what you want to construct with your bricks. Allow your child to create the structure as they want, not giving much guidance. If their structure falls over, discuss what changes they need to make; such as a wider base. Many people’s lives are a lot like this structure. It falls over because it doesn’t have a strong foundation. Although the plans that we make may sometimes fail, God’s plans never fail. He knows exactly what He has created you for and has a plan for your life. We can allow God to be our foundation and follow His plan.

Materials: building blocks

Independent activity:

God has a plan for each of our lives. He knows the beginning and the end. We are a part of God’s plan for spreading the gospel of God’s love for us. We may not know the beginning from the end but we can trust God is in control. Complete this activity sheet. Place the story pictures of Humpty Dumpty in order from what happens at the beginning to the end.

Materials: printed activity sheet, pencil, crayon, scissors, glue, construction paper

ARTS & CAFTS

CRAFT 1

Handprint Angel. Trace handprints on a white sheet of paper then cut them out, leaving the fingers together. Cut out the angel’s body using yellow paper, making a rounded triangular shape. Cut out a round face and hair. Glue all the pieces together and decorate with crayons or with glitter. See the following example.

Materials: white, yellow and other optional colors construction paper, gold glitter, glue, writing utensil

Craft 2

Coloring page

Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons

FOLLOW-UP

What was the angels name in the story?

How did Mary react to the news the angel gave her?

How did Mary show that she had faith in God’s plan?

How does God speak to us today?

How can we show that we have faith in God’s plans for us?

In what ways do you obey God?

We can follow God’s plan for us in the simple ways we live each day. The kindness we show to our friends and family, obeying our parents and thinking of others are all ways we can follow God’s plans for us.  

Practical Application at Home

We plan for things in our lives so that we are prepared in different situations. We make a plan before we go on a trip by determining what type of clothes to take or any extra things we might need while we are there. We make a plan to have a birthday party by thinking of who we will invite and what activities we will have. Listen to the list of plans I will make and then tell me what I am planning to do.

-a change of clothes, swim shoes, a beach towel, a swim cap (go swimming)

-measuring cups, flour, sugar, eggs, a mixing bowl, a recipe (bake)

-pop popcorn, blanket, movie, a snack (watch a movie)

-hiking shoes, bottle of water, a map, comfortable clothes (go hiking)

-buy food, decorate, get a cake, send out invitations (Have a party)

-get coloring pencils, a paper, a pencil (draw a picture)

-small bag, get a pillow, pack pj’s, pack a blanket (have a sleepover)

-warm milk, cocoa powder, a mug, get marshmallows (make hot chocolate)

God has a plan for us. He knows what the future will be and what is in store for each of us. He wants to lead us in the right direction. We just need to listen and obey what He asks of us. We can celebrate that God has a plan because His plan is far better than any plan we could even imagine!

Additional Resources

Outings to Reinforce Lesson

Go to a park and spend time in worship and prayer. Ask God to show you ways to trust him and listen to his voice.