‘Love All’ Childrens Lesson on Shepherds Visit Jesus

BIG IDEA: I CAN LOVE EVERYONE

AIM: The ‘Love All’ Childrens Lesson on Shepherds Visit Jesus challenges children to think about how Jesus loves them and how they can love others also.

SONG IDEAS:

1. ‘Joy to the World’ by Bethel Kids
2. ‘O Holy Night’ by Bethel Kids
3. ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’ by Bethel Kids
4. ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ by Bethel Kids

GAME IDEAS:

1. Sheep Relay. Children run to the end of the room where there is a sheep outfit. They dress in the costume and then take it off before running back to the team. The team to have the whole team try on the costume first is the winning team.

2. Fetch Santa’s Beard Race. Each player is given cotton wool and vaseline on their nose. They must take the cotton wool to their team player at the other end of the room and then stick it to their face to create Santa’s beard.

3. Sheep Face. Children compete to decorate their teamate’s face with cotton wool and vaseline. The team with the best looking sheep wins.

4. Racing Sheep. Have a drawn body of a sheep at one side of the room for each team. Teams should then send one of their players through an obstacle course with some cotton wool before sticking it on the sheep. Then the next player can begin the course. The team with the best looking sheep at the end is the winning team.

SET the Scene:

Read Luke 2:8-20.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Who were the shepherds?
2. Why did the angels visit the shepherds?
3. What was the Good news that they gave?

VIDEO IDEAS:

1. ‘Angels Visit Shepherds’ from the movie ‘The Very First Noel
2. ‘Angels Visit Shepherds’ by Encore
3. ‘Angels and Shepherds’ by LifeTV
4. ‘Christmas Story – The Shepherds’ 
5. ‘Jelly Telly Christmas’ by Jelly Telly

 

SPOT the Simple Meaning:

1) LOVE ALL

Display some of the things that you love – or the things you love to do – as physical objects or as images on a screen. Then show images of people that you love. Explain that more than anything, you love the people in your life. But even more than that, you love Jesus!

Say: When the angels came to tell people the good news that Jesus had been born they didn’t go to the political leader or king. They didn’t go to the religious leaders or rich people. They went to ordinary shepherds out in the fields watching their sheep. Why? To show us that Jesus was sent for everyone because God loves everyone! EVERYONE! Not just some people, not just the rich, good looking or popular people (although He loves them too!) He came for and He loves for everyone. That includes you!

However you feel today, know that God loves you and He cares about how you feel and everything that you go through. He came to this world as a man (1 John 1:1-5 visual) and was rejected by men (1 John 1:9-14) all because He loves each and every one of us – and that includes you! He came so that we might know God and know that He cares for each one of us.

The thing about God’s great love is that it causes us to want to love others – just like God has loved us first. So, the question is, who and how is God calling you to love?

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Do you find loving others easy?
2. Who do you struggle to love?
3. Do you think God loves everyone? Why?
4. How did Jesus show love?
5. How can/do you show love?

 

SEARCH the Scriptures:

Can your kids work out the people that Jesus showed love towards? Put pictures around the room or have their names up on posters. Children must answer the question by running and grabbing the correct poster and bringing it back to the leader.

1. Who did Jesus stop the people from stoning? (The Guilty Woman)
2. Which twelve men were Jesus’ friends? (The Disciples)
3. Whose servant did Jesus heal? (The Centurions)
4. Which small man did Jesus visit for his dinner? (Zacchaeus)
5. What ten men did Jesus heal? (Ten Lepers)
6. Who did Jesus raise from the dead? (Lazarus)
7. Who did Jesus welcome into Paradise with him? (The thief on the cross)
8. Who did Jesus lift from the sea when the man was sinking? (Peter)
9. Who did Jesus help to feed? (Five Thousand men and their families)
10. Who did Jesus help to walk at the pool? (Lame man at the pool of Bethsaida)

 

SENSE How You Feel:

Ask the children to consider the following question as they do one of the activities below:

How would it feel to know God brought the Good News of Jesus to you first?

1. Create a sheep craft of your choice.
2. Create the shepherd paper craft by DLTK
3. Re-enact the shepherds hearing from the angels – ask the children to show their emotions as they re-enact the scene.
4. Ask the children to sit on a seat and act as one of the angels or shepherds.  Have the other children ask them questions and see how they react.

 

SEEK God:

Say: Who is God calling you to show more love to this year? Write the name of someone or a group of people on a piece of paper and ask God to help you show more love to those people.

[Also offer anyone the opportunity to come to know or follow Jesus.]