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Feb. 10, 2019 Jesus Is God’s Son

Luke 3: 1-22 Baptism of Jesus

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and

Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

John 17:3

DATE PONDER POINT

THE BIG GOD STORY REMEMBER VERSE

Welcome and Worship (15 minutes)

Begins class creating an inviting atmosphere for kids to feel welcome and engage kids in worship through singing and communion.

The Big God Story (18 minutes)

Creates space for children to hear God’s word and prepare respond to the Holy Spirit in small groups

Small Groups (20 minutes)

Kids will build relationships with each other and their leaders, and respond to what they learned in the Big God Story as well as how to apply it to their lives

Bless & Dismiss (4 minutes)

Bless kids to send them out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others.

• The large group room will be divided into three sections. Please help kids find which section they should sit in according to their grade: 1st-2nd, 3rd-4th & 5th-6th.

• Toward the end of small group time, A/V Tech will play the 2 minute warning sound followed by a song. During or immediately following the song please regroup in the large group meeting space (not before).

• 5th & 6th graders can go directly to Snack Shack after small group time, rather than regrouping in the large group space.

Host Administrative To Do’s: • Make sure no group is too large • Make sure each group has enough supplies • Close curtains and divider wall for small groups

at 9:00 and 10:15 (and re-open after 9:00) • Cue the tech when to play the 2 minute warning

with song. • Call names for dismissal after blessing

SCHEDULE Large Group

Small Group

2 Min Warn.

Regroup/Dismiss 5th-6th

1st Service (9:00) 9:00 9:33 9:53 10:00

2nd Service (10:15) 10:15 10:48 11:08 11:15

3rd Service (11:30) 11:30 12:03 12:23 12:30

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GOAL: Worship & welcome is all about engaging kids and helping them enter into worship, letting

them know that class has begun preparing their minds for what they are going to hear.

WELCOME (Host):

Stage Lights On VIDEO LOOPS: Welcome Loop, 5 Min Countdown, Welcome Image

We are so glad you are here today. Welcome the kids in your own words then say the following

to the kids: Let’s all stand and hear God’s word and sing our praise to Him…

OPENING WORSHIP SONG (Worship Leader):

Turn out main overhead lights REMEMBER VERSE VIDEO

WORSHIP VIDEO 1: Undefeated

WORSHIP VIDEO 2: Because of Your Love

(Direct kids to get with their groups and circle up with their small group leader before sitting down)

SMALL GROUP CONNECT IMAGE

CONNECT QUESTIONS (Host): 4 MINUTE COUNTDOWN VIDEO

• Describe yourself in one word.

• What do you miss about being little?

• If you were going to live out in the desert for a month, what three items would you bring?

TIMELINE VIDEO

(Storyteller)

The Big God Story: Point out that what kids are about to hear is true and is recorded in the

Bible. Open your Bible to the passage and leave it open and visible throughout The Big God

Story. Invite kids to open their Bibles and follow along as you storytell. Children respond to what

the Holy Spirit is teaching them as they reflect on the day’s portion of The Big God Story.

The Prayer of Release: This allows children and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet

their hearts and minds. Before you pray, you might ask the kids to hold out their hands, palms

up, in a spirit of releasing their worries and distractions in order to better receive what the Holy

Spirit might have for them today. Then encourage the kids to quiet their voices, take a seat, and

pray with you.

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The Big God Story:

*Time capsule with– jar of honey, paper with “Messiah,” and scroll with “Isaiah.”

Storyteller Script

Today we’re going to look at the middle of The Big God Story during the time God’s people had hoped and waited for—the time when Jesus, God’s Son, came to earth and started His ministry. Before we do, let’s pray. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds.

This is my time capsule. Take out time capsule. It’s like the ones you made today, but it has a twist. Imagine with me that people throughout The Big God Story—people such as prophets and others—filled it with clues about things they were excited about. You see, throughout The Big God Story, God prepared His people’s hearts to receive His Son, Jesus. So, this time capsule is full of some of the cool clues God gave people about Jesus coming to earth.

Let’s look at the first clue. Pull out the jar of honey. Tech: Cue Locust image. Hmm … a locust and a jar of honey. Does anyone know what person in the Bible ate locusts and honey in the wild? Yes, John the Baptist! Hundreds of years before John the Baptist’s birth, the prophet Isaiah gave a clue that John the Baptist would be born. He said that there would be, “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3; Luke 3:4–6). That voice was John the Baptist. God used John the Baptist to prepare people’s hearts to receive their long-awaited Messiah, Jesus, God’s Son. Invite children to say, “Jesus is God’s Son” with you.

John the Baptist knew that in order for people to receive the Messiah, they needed to repent. Who knows what the word repent means? Invite answers. Right! It means to turn away from sin. Once someone decided to repent, John baptized him. Getting baptized is a way to show others that you’ve turned away from sin and decided to follow Jesus. Invite children to say, “Jesus is God’s Son” with you.

Okay, let’s look at our second clue. Take out the sheet with the word “Messiah.” Tech: Cue Messiah image. For hundreds of years God had promised that the Messiah would come to earth. Invite children to open to Luke 3:15 and follow along as you read. “The people were waiting. They were expecting something. They were all wondering in their hearts if John might be the Christ. “

So, whenever someone asked John the Baptist if he was the long-awaited Messiah, John told them (have children follow along in Luke 3:16), “I baptize you with water. But One who is more powerful than I am will come I’m not good enough to untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” So repent! And be baptized! Who was the real Messiah? Encourage kids to respond. Jesus. Invite children to say, “Jesus is God’s Son” with you.

Meanwhile Jesus was living in Galilee. While John the Baptist was baptizing people in the Jordan River (Tech: Cue Jordan River image), Jesus traveled all of the way from Galilee to the river. Tech: Cue Map of Galilee and Surrounding Areas image. One day, while John was baptizing people, Jesus asked John to baptize Him! John tried to refuse! John told Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matthew 3:14). You see, John had been preaching about repentance—turning away from sins. And Jesus is sinless! He is the perfect

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Son of God, so why would Jesus want be baptized?

Maybe our next clue can help us with this question. Pull out scroll with “Isaiah” on it. Many people think Jesus wanted to be baptized because of another prophecy that came from the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah announced that Jesus would be “numbered with the [sinners]” (Isaiah 53:12). That means He would be seen with them, He would be their friend, and He would, one day, take on their sin as His own.

Okay, let’s think about this for a moment. Think about the president of our country or the most famous celebrity in the world. Does this person just go around hanging out with normal people—let alone poor or outcast people? Does he or she even call common people “friends”? Probably not, right? So if these human beings don’t “identify” with common people, it’s amazing that Jesus, the Son of the God of the whole universe, did! It’s amazing that He humbled himself and was baptized along with sinners!

Even though John didn’t want to baptize Jesus because He was sinless, he obeyed Jesus’ request and baptized Him. Tech: Cue John Baptizing Jesus image. When John baptized Jesus, something amazing happened! Encourage children to open to Luke 3:21–22a and follow along as you read. “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened. The Holy Spirit came down on him in the form of a dove” (Luke 3:21–22a). Tech: Cue Dove Descending image. We don’t know for sure what that looked like—if the Holy Spirit actually looked or acted like a dove, but, either way, it’s amazing!

As the Holy Spirit descended like a dove, another amazing thing happened! God’s voice came from heaven, saying (Tech: Cue Luke 3:22 audio clip): “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Wow! Invite children to say, “Jesus is God’s Son” with you. Think about this: After four hundred years of silence, God spoke out loud from heaven! Amazing! Through this an-nouncement, God told everyone who Jesus is: His Son, whom He loves deeply. Invite children to say, “Jesus is God’s Son” with you.

Through this part of The Big God Story, God showed Jesus and the rest of the world that Jesus is God’s Son. Invite children to say, “Jesus is God’s Son” with you. God prepared His people to receive Jesus. And God spoke from heaven to declare that Jesus is God’s Son. Invite children to say, “Jesus is God’s Son” with you.

You know what’s amazing about Jesus being God’s Son? God loves us deeply and sent Jesus so that we could become God’s children too! Through Jesus, we can know how much God loves us because He sent Jesus to die for us on the cross (Romans 5:8). Through Jesus, we belong to God, and He loves us! Share a personal story of a time you knew you were deeply loved by God, your Father.

Tell the kids we are going to close the Big God Story by worshipping him. Ask the kids to wait until they are asked to come forward to take communion.

WORSHIP VIDEO 3: Great are You Lord

After a time of worshipping have kids come and take communion if they have been baptized, and bring their offering.

Fade out song slowly at Worship Leader’s prompting.

(As the song comes to a close Worship Leader tells groups to head to their small group space. Say

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something like, “Let’s continue responding to what God is teaching us as we dismiss to our small groups. Please follow your small group leader at this time.”)

IMAGE: It’s time for small groups

Turn main overhead lights on

Dismiss for small groups—refer to map for small group locations

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the end of small groups...

Tech cue: 2 minute warning with exit song, using ceiling speakers, at the host’s prompting

Turn speakers back to wall speakers for blessing, closing song and dismissal.

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GOAL: Kids build relationships with each other and their leader as they respond to what they heard

in the Big God Story.

SNOWFLAKE MEMORY BIBLE VERSE GAME SUPPLIES • Snowflakes with Bible verse words on them • Painters Tape • Memory Verse • Large blank snowflake • Sticker with memory verse • Crayons/Markers • String • Scissors

ENGAGE Jesus is God’s Son. Because of Him, we can be called God’s children too. It’s a pretty amazing thought: The God of the universe loves us as His children and calls us His own. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that we’re truly God’s beloved children. But the Bible says that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).

For us to truly know God we need to hide His Word in our hearts. (Psalm 119:11) So today we are going to work on our memory verse. We have these snowflakes that contain words of our memory verse on them. We are going to play a game and see how long it takes us to put these snowflakes in order for our verse.

Practice the verse a few times. Tape the snowflakes on the wall or board in random order. In class call on one child at a time to come up to the wall and work on putting the words in order. Give each child ten seconds and then call on another child. When the verse is correctly put in order, mix the snowflakes up again and start all over until each child has had a turn. See if the children can beat their previous times each time you play. Kids can make their own snowflake with the memory verse to take home with them to help them remember! Kids can color their snowflake and put the memory verse sticker on it and cut it out , place a string for hanging if they want to take one home!

BLESSINGS Close your small group time reading a final scripture and blessing your kids using the Blessing Card from your supply bin in your cart.

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GOAL: Bless kids to send them out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others.

CLOSING REMARKS/ANNOUNCEMENTS (Host):

Wall Speakers On

TRANSITION ACTIVITIES (HOST):

The videos listed below are 12-13 minutes long. Please play as listed below and feel free to stop the video whenever it’s time to start the next service.

After 9:00 service play - Transition Compilation 10

After 10:15 service play - Transition Compilation 9

DISMISSAL (STORYTELLER):

Call names of kids as parent come to pick up and welcome kids who are being dropped off.

Encourage parents to enter the room and encourage kids and parents to exit out the middle door

(103)

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My husband and I stood in front of our congregation to state our desire to lead our children toward Christ. Our pastor prayed that our daughters would grow up in a home where they would never doubt who they were or whose they were.

When I became a mother and looked into the eyes of my daughters, I realized I would do anything to keep them safe. For me, this meant placing them in the arms of God. I grew up in a secular home, and although I can see God’s hand in my life, sometimes I wish I had known as a child that I was loved by Jesus. Because of this, my spirit is burdened for my girls. I pray every day that God would give me the wisdom to help them find their identity in Christ. Through motherhood, I came to a deeper realization of just how much God loves me and, in turn, just how much He loves my children. God was willing to give Jesus, His only Son—His beloved—for me and for my girls. What amazing love! It’s this love I want my girls to know firsthand. This love that tells them they belong. This love that tells them they are special, redeemed, cared about, and important.

I know Christ loves my girls. I pray that in this world of uncertainty and doubt, He would solidify in their hearts the knowledge of whom they belong to, how much we love them, and the fact that Jesus loves them even more.

Patty Santos Yorba Linda Friends Church

Jesus is God’s beloved. In the account of Jesus’ baptism, the Father demonstrates His love for His Son in a variety of ways. He prepares the people for His Son’s arrival by sending John the Baptist to announce the Messiah’s coming. He opens up heaven and speaks audibly, saying Jesus is His beloved Son.

God also gives the Gospel readers evidence of Jesus’ credentials by including genealogies in Luke and in Matthew. Together these genealogies demonstrate that Jesus is entitled to the throne both by blood and by legal title. Matthew’s genealogy demonstrates Jesus’ legal title to the throne of David through Joseph.

Luke’s genealogy shows His tie to the royal bloodline of David through Mary. During Jesus’ time, women normally didn’t inherit anything, so it was rare to offer a woman’s genealogy. But here, it was necessary. When the Jews were deported to Babylon some 600 years before Jesus’ birth, Judah had a wicked king named Jeconiah of whom God had said, “None of his offspring will

prosper, none will sit on the throne of David” (Jeremiah 22:30). Because of this blood curse, God’s ancient promise to David seemed to be in jeopardy.

Through the two separate genealogies, God showed that His promise was never in jeopardy. Mary’s genealogy bypasses the blood curse by following David’s line through Nathan. Joseph’s genealogy still follows the legal line through Solomon, but Joseph wasn’t Jesus’ biological father. He was his legal, adopted father. Jesus is entitled to the throne legally and by blood.

Through these genealogies, Jesus’ baptism, and many other signs, God the Father demonstrated that Jesus is His beloved Son. We too are God’s beloved. God has gone to incredible lengths to declare that love to us—even to the point of sacrificing His beloved Son on the cross.

Jesus is the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8:29b). This means we are Jesus’ siblings.

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We are co-heirs with Him. What belongs to Jesus belongs to us! Jesus is God’s beloved Son, and we are God’s beloved children through Jesus.

Ponder this truth through these words in Ephesians (2:4–8): Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ … God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms … in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Praise God who saves us through His Son. Who loves us enough to declare we belong to Him. Who raises us up and calls us beloved.