‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ Childrens Lesson

BIG IDEA: GOD USES ORDINARY PEOPLE

AIM: The aim of the ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ Childrens Lesson is to help children to see that God uses ordinary people just like you and me so that they can remember and believe God can also use them.

SONG IDEAS:

1. ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ by All Star Kids Club
2. ‘Born is the King’ by Hillsong Worship
3. ‘No Ordinary Baby’ by Essential Resources

GAME IDEAS:

1. Christmas Charades. (regular/widescreen) Write down a number of Christmas items. Split your group into teams. Teams must choose one person to get the name of the first item on the list. That person must do actions to the rest of their team – without speaking – to communicate the item’s name to the group. Once a team member guesses the item, that person can run and get the next item’s name and must start the process again. The team to get the names of all the items first is the winning team.
2. Chocolate Winter Game. (regular/widescreen) Grab a large chocolate bar, some winter gloves, hat and scarf, knife and fork and a dice. The children sit in a circle and must take turns to roll the dice. When the dice falls on a 6 that child must put the gloves, scarf and hat on. Then they use a knife and fork to cut into the chocolate bar. They can eat the part that they cut off. Meanwhile the dice is passed along. As soon as another player rolls a 6 they must grab the items off the child in the middle and start cutting chocolate themselves. The game continues until there is no chocolate left. For large groups split up into smaller circles (You will need enough item per circle).
3. Who Am I? (regular/widescreen) You will need post it notes and markers. Write down Christmas characters on each of the post it notes. Players are given a post it note on their forehead (they are not allowed to see what it says). They must try to guess the character on their forehead by asking a number of questions. The player to guess their character first is the winner.

BIG VERSE: A child will be born to us. God will give a son to us. He will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6.

(regular/widescreen)

Download Bible cards.

INTRO QUESTION: What ordinary things do you do each day?

 

SET the Scene:

Read Luke 2:1-7. 

You could use Sensory Story or Skit to communicate the story.

VIDEO IDEAS:

1. ‘The Story of Christmas (Jesus is Born)’ by Saddleback Kids

REVIEW QUESTIONS:

1. Who ordered a decree? (verse 1 – Caesar Augustus)
2. What was to be taken? (verse 1 – A census of the entire Roman world)
3. Who was the governor of Syria? (verse 2 – Quirinius)
4. Where did people go to register? (verse 3 – their own towns)
5. Where did Joseph go? (verse 4 – Bethlehem)
6. Why did he go there? (verse 4 – he belonged to the line of David)
7. Who went with Joseph? (verse 5 – Mary as she was pledged to marry him and pregnant`)
8. What happened while they were there? (verse 6-7 – Mary had her baby and wrapped him in cloths and lay him in a manger)
9. Why was the baby placed in a manger? (verse 7 – no room in the inn)

 

SPOT the Simple Meaning:

1) GOD USES THE ORDINARY THINGS

You will need lots of ordinary household objects. Explain to the children that they are not extraordinary, but we use them every day. What do we use them for? [Get the kids to shout their answers] 

Say: Bethlehem was a small town. Do any of you come from a town? [Get feedback] What kind of town is it? [Get feedback]

Bethlehem was a small town but years before Jesus was born God told the Prophet Micah that a ruler would come from Bethlehem.

Micah 5:2–5 says,

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past … And he will stand to lead his flock with the LORD’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored around the world. And he will be the source of peace…

Three of the gospels tell us that Bethlehem was only a small humble town (Matthew 2:1–12, Luke 2:4–20, and John 7:42). It didn’t seem important to other people. Nobody bragged about living in Bethlehem.  Yet Bethlehem was once where the boy David had been anointed as king by the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 16:1-13). Now a new king would be born in Bethlehem – the King of all kings – Jesus.

God chose the small humble town of Bethlehem for Jesus to be born. It was an ordinary place that nobody would have expected a king to be born. Yet God uses the ordinary things.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 says,

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. And he chose what the world thinks is not important. He chose what the world hates and thinks is nothing. He chose these to destroy what the world thinks is important. God did this so that no man can brag before him.

Perhaps you think God cannot use you for great things because you don’t come from greatness. Just remember Bethlehem, the little town that God chose to show the whole world who Jesus is.

 

2) GOD USES ORDINARY PEOPLE

Share a story about how God has used you recently. It doesn’t need to be a big event or anything impressive; it can be something small that brought a smile to someone’s face or a tear to their eye. What is important is that it was something you felt God equipped and empowered you to do it.

Say: There didn’t seem to be anything special about Mary and Joseph. They were simply a young couple that loved and obeyed God. They weren’t famous. They didn’t have lots of followers. Mary and Joseph were ordinary people. Why? Because God loves to use ordinary people for His purposes and to do big things.

God doesn’t care if you get good grades at school; He can still use you. He isn’t interested in how popular or good looking you are; He can still use you. All He needs is someone willing to do His will. Mary and Joseph were willing. Joseph stuck with Mary. He could have left her. Yet Joseph wanted to be part of God’s big plan. So Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem together.

God could have chosen to use anyone to be the parents of Jesus. He could have chosen superstars or kings and queens. Yet He chose a couple that nobody knew about until now. God wanted to show His great power and to show how amazing His son is.

Have you allowed God to use you? Have you said ‘yes’ to doing what He asks you to do? You can start today – He wants to use ordinary people like you and me, as part of His great plan.

 

SEARCH the Scriptures:

Christmas Crackers. (regular/widescreen) You will need some Christmas crackers. If you don’t have any, or they don’t make them in your country, consider making your own – they are so much fun! You can make them using the link here. Fold up the names of each of the Ordinary People God Used below and pop each one inside separate Christmas crackers – through the hole in the side. Split the group into two teams. A member from each team plays against the opposing team. They must pull their crackers and whoever grabs the name afterwards is the winner. The winner gets a point for their team. Team points are added up to determine the team that has won.

If you have a large group, make duplicates of the names or choose a smaller number of players and ask others to watch.

Ordinary People God Used:

Servant Girl (with Naaman) – 2 Kings 5

Esther (an orphan) – Esther 1-4

Andrew – John 1:40-41 – Andrew was used by God to tell his brother, Peter, about Jesus.[Lk 16:27-28].

Philip – John 1:43-51 – Philip was used by God to bring Nathaniel to Jesus.

Samaritan Woman – John 4:4-42 – told her neighbourhood about Jesus.

Cornelius – Acts 10:23-24

Ananias – Acts 22:12-13

Peter and John – Acts 4:13-14 

Elisha – 1 Kings 19:19-21

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Why is it a good thing that God uses ordinary people?
2. Who do you know that God uses?
3. How does He use them?
4. Do you want to be used by God? Why?Why not?

 

SENSE How You Feel:

1. Sensory: You could place a toy town such as Happyland on your sensory table. Encourage children to play with the town as they think about the town of Bethlehem.
2. Build: Create a nativity scene with Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus.
3. Mould: Using Playdough or clay mould a stable or cave scene with the baby Jesus inside.
4. Make the Nativity Scene using the My Nativity Scene PDF 1 and PDF 2.
5. Fill in/Color the 5-7s and 8-11s activity booklets.
6. Check out more in the Pinterest board.

SEEK God:

You will need some paper or post it notes and markers.

Say: What ordinary, maybe even sometimes boring things, do you have in your life that God could use? Think about your moments in school doing the same lessons each day or the ordinary everyday family times you have. God can use us when we have the right attitude and when we are willing for Him to do something new in and through us.

Ask God to come and use that ordinary time for Him. Ask Him what He is asking you to do, think or say in those ordinary times.

[Invite the children to write or draw an ordinary time in their day that they want God to use. Finish by thanking God that He loves using the ordinary things in life and ask Him to help each child to give their ordinary every day times to Him.]