An Angel Appears to Joseph Isaiah 7:13-14; Matthew 1:18-25

Session2 An Angel Appears to Joseph Isaiah 7:13-14; Matthew 1:18-25

Worship Theme: God’s plans are perfect.

Weaving Faith Into Life: Children will trust God in difficult situations.

Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies

Sing KidsOwn Worship Kit: • “The Plans I Have for You” (Jeremiah 29:11) Songs From FaithWeaver, Let’s Praise (track 22) KidsOwnWorship DVD: “It’s Almost • “Silent Night” (track 3) Here!” (1) God! • “You Gave” (John 14:19b) (track 10) Classroom Supplies: (up to 25 minutes) • “O Come, O Come, Immanuel” (track 4) CD player, TV, DVD player, paper, marker, • “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” (track 1) 2 unsharpened pencils, tape, ribbon • “O Come, All Ye Faithful” (track 2)

Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies

* Picture Perfect Classroom Supplies: Look at a picture that is less than perfect. Photocopies of “What’s Wrong?” (p. 30), crayons Let’s Learn Strange and Wonderful Classroom Supplies: Try to fit in something small, and talk about 1 old sock per child, crown the Point! kings. (up to 25 minutes) God’s Perfect Plan Help tell about God’s perfect plan for sending Jesus.

18 FaithWeaver • Winter Quarter Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies

* “The Big Picture” KidsOwn Worship Kit: Watch a video segment about seeing KidsOwn Worship DVD: “The Big Picture” (2) a small part of the big picture. Classroom Supplies: TV, DVD player Let’s Learn * Design a Superhero Classroom Supplies: the Point! Create a superhero to see that God makes Bibles, paper, pencils (up to 25 minutes) perfect plans.

This Is the Plan? Classroom Supplies: Follow directions to complete a drawing while Paper, pencils, chalkboard, chalk listening to how Joseph obeyed God.

Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies

The Offering Classroom Supplies: Offer their gifts to God and pray silently. Offering bowls

Tell All About It! KidsOwn Worship Kit: Sing to praise God for his perfect plans. Songs From FaithWeaver: Let’s Pray! “Go and Make Disciples” (up to 10 minutes) (Matthew 28:19) (track 6) Classroom Supplies CD player

Closing Prayer End the worship session with prayer.

* Starred activities can be used successfully with preschool and elementary children together. Customize your session to fit your needs. You can separate preschoolers and elementary children for Let’s Learn the Point! Or, if you keep the children all together for the entire worship session, we suggest you choose from the starred activities.

Session 2 • KidsOwn Worship 19 Bible Background for Leaders An Angel Appears to Joseph Isaiah 7:13-14; Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew begins his careful and precise Gospel with Joseph chose the most compassionate route for ending the genealogy of Jesus, which shows Jesus’ descent from the marriage, but before he could take action, God sent a Abraham, through David and Solomon, all the way to messenger to him. The angel addressed Joseph as “son of Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father. David” (Matthew 1:20), a reminder that the Messiah was to After carefully delineating Jesus’ lineage, Matthew come through David, just as Matthew had pointed out in his begins a careful accounting of the events surrounding Jesus’ genealogy. The angel’s announcement harmonizes with the birth. Matthew was the only Gospel writer to record the one given to Mary in Luke 1:35: The child would be special angel’s appearance to Joseph upon his discovery of Mary’s indeed! The name Jesus sounds very much like the Hebrew pregnancy and the visit of the Magi after Jesus was born. phrase meaning “he will save.” A Jewish pledge of marriage was a much more serious Matthew points out that the manner of Jesus’ conception commitment than an engagement is today. It actually “took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the involved vows before witnesses, much as a wedding prophet” (Matthew 1:22). Matthew’s Gospel, written primarily ceremony does today. When the bride and groom pledged to Jews, was intended to show that Jesus was indeed the themselves to be married, they were considered husband Messiah promised by the prophets. No doubt Matthew felt and wife. The difference between a modern marriage and that describing the miraculous virgin birth could help to an ancient Hebrew one is that in the latter a period of time convince skeptics that Jesus was the Messiah promised in elapsed between the ceremony and the wife’s transition into Isaiah 7:14. her husband’s home. Once the allotted time had elapsed, Joseph’s dilemma was gone. He could complete his there was no further ceremony, except for a feast celebrating marriage to Mary, and he didn’t hesitate to do so. And when the move to one household. It was during this interval Mary’s son was born, they named him Jesus, for he would between the exchange of vows and the consummation that save us from our sins. Mary became pregnant. Since there had been no sexual relationship between Mary and Joseph, he knew that the child she carried was not his. Devotion for Leaders Joseph faced a dilemma. No doubt he had looked forward Jesus encouraged his followers to trust God because to life with Mary. But because he was a righteous Jew, it was he knew God would take care of them—just as he took unthinkable for him to complete a marriage to someone care of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. Thank Jesus for using who had been unfaithful to him. He demonstrated his deep his life to encourage us to trust God. love for Mary by his intention to end the marriage quietly. He could have charged her with adultery, making a public Weaving Faith Into Your Life: God’s purposes for us example of her and allowing the law to deal with her. Jewish are beautiful. Maybe something in his plans doesn’t law would have required that she be stoned to death (see make sense to you right now. Ask for help, and God Deuteronomy 22:23-24). will show you in time just how perfect his plans are for you. Don’t be afraid; he will never let you down. You can always count on God.

20 FaithWeaver • Winter Quarter Why We Worship for Leaders What a strange way for the Savior of the world to come—as the child of a lower- class, teenage, unwed mother! This arrival is not exactly what we would’ve expected, and it certainly was not what the Jews expected. But it was God’s perfect plan. God knew exactly how to make Jesus approachable by all. God’s plans are always perfect. As you lead the children in worship today, help them see that, even though things may look strange, God’s plans are always perfect. What a wonderful God! Easy Prep for Leaders Let’s Praise God! Extra Impact • Make a “scroll” by writing Isaiah 7:14b and 9:6b (“The virgin will give To make your scroll more birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel…And he will be called fun, attach the ends of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”) paper to cinnamon sticks or small candy canes instead of on a piece of paper. Attach the paper to two unsharpened pencils, roll unsharpened pencils. both ends to the center, and tie the scrollWEB with a ribbon. • Also, set up a TV and DVD player, and cue the KidsOwn Worship DVD to “It’s Almost Here!” (1). Watch the segment at least once before the worship session so you’ll be familiar with it. “The Big Picture”—You’ll be showing the KidsOwn Worship DVD segment “The Big Picture” (2). Watch it at least once before the worship session so you’ll be familiar with it. Preschool Activities—Refer to the preschool pages for preparations. Web Help—Get bonus leader tips and ideas at kidsownworship.com. Let’s Praise God!

Play Songs From FaithWeaver, Winter 2010-2011 as children arrive. When everyone has arrived, show the “It’s Almost Here!” segment on the KidsOwnWorship DVD (1). Have each person find a partner. Have children tell their partners what they thought about the family in the video and their Christmas activities. Then have partners share what their Christmas plans are.

Welcome! I’m so glad you planned to come and be with us today. We’re going to talk about God’s wonderful, perfect plans! Let’s start our time together by singing about his plans. Sing “The Plans I Have for You” (Jeremiah 29:11). Track 22 Lyrics are in the back of this book.

This is such an exciting time of year! Earlier you told a partner what your Christmas plans are. I’d like each set of partners to get with another set to form groups of four. Then each person should tell what plans his or her partner has for Christmas. Allow time for children to share. You all have some great plans. God has great plans, too. His plans for how Jesus would be born on earth seem very strange, but they were perfect. Session 2 • KidsOwn Worship 21 • Can you think of a time your plans for Christmas were not perfect—when things went wrong? (Answers will vary.) • Do you think God’s plans ever go wrong? Why or why not? (Gods plans don’t go wrong because God knows everything; sometimes people mess up God’s plans.) At this time of year, we celebrate God’s plan to send Jesus to us. Even though our plans for celebrating are usually lots of fun, this time of year is a special and holy time. Let’s sing some songs that remind us that God’s plans were not only perfect but also special and holy. Sing “Silent Night.” Track 3 Lyrics are in the back of this book.

• Who is the holy infant this song mentions? (Jesus; the Messiah.) • What is the special night this song is about? (The night Jesus was born.) God had a special plan for that special night when Jesus was born. Part of that plan was for Jesus to give us a way to be closer to God. Get with the partner you talked with at the beginning of our time today. Tell your partner about the best gift you ever received. Talk about why it was the best. Allow kids a few minutes to talk. Then ask them to share what their partners told them.

Jesus, the best gift we could ever receive, was what God planned for us. Let’s sing about the gift Jesus gave us. Sing “You Gave” (John 14:19b). Track 10 Lyrics are in the back of this book.

God didn’t keep his wonderful plans secret. He told people long before Jesus was born that he planned to send a Savior, a rescuer, called Immanuel. Let’s sing about Immanuel, our Savior. Sing “O Come, O Come, Immanuel.” Track 4 Lyrics are in the back of this book. People waited for God’s plans to happen for a very long time— hundreds and hundreds of years. Jesus was going to be the answer to everything people needed. God’s plan was perfect because Jesus was the perfect answer to all the people’s needs. Let’s sing about all the wonderful things Jesus would do. Sing “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.” Track 1 Lyrics are in the back of this book.

Let’s talk about what the first part of the song said Jesus would do.

22 FaithWeaver • Winter Quarter Have the children think about what the song said Jesus came to do: setting people free from fears, release them from sins, give rest, be strength and consolation, and be the hope of the world.

These are things God had promised long ago that Jesus would do. God’s perfect plan was to send Jesus. Let’s sing about adoring Jesus. Sing “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” Track 2 Lyrics are in the back of this book.

Show kids the scroll you made before class, and read the text on it. • Who is being described here? (The Savior, Jesus.) A scroll is what the Old Testament looked like at the time Jesus was born. These verses are about God’s perfect plans to meet our needs by sending Jesus. Find a new partner, and tell about a time Jesus helped you by being a counselor, by being mighty in your life, or by being a prince of peace to you. Give the children a moment to share with their partners.

Let’s thank Jesus for how he’s helped us. I’ll begin our prayer, and then we’ll take turns calling out ways Jesus has helped us. Dear Jesus, thank you for coming to us as part of God’s perfect plan. We thank you for all the things you do for us. Have the children call out how Jesus has helped them. For all these things, we thank you, Jesus! In your name, amen. Let’s Learn the Point!

Preschool Activities, pages 25-26 At this time, have the preschool leader invite the preschoolers to go to their own room for this section of activities. Tear out the Preschool Activities page, and give it to the preschool leader. Have the preschool leader bring the preschoolers back to participate in Let’s Pray! with the older children. If you prefer to keep all the children together, do the starred (*) activities. They will work well with both elementary and preschool children.

Elementary Activities * “The Big Picture” Show the KidsOwn Worship DVD track titled “The Big Picture” (2). In this interactive video, the children will be asked to identify various items by looking at a small part of the item. The video will help children understand that we only see a small part of God’s plan while God sees the big picture. After the video,

Session 2 • KidsOwn Worship 23 • What made it hard to identify the items in the pictures? (Things look different when I can only see a part; it wasn’t hard—I guessed what some things were.) The difference between seeing the little picture and the big picture is a little bit similar to the difference between us and God. We can only see the little picture. Ask for a volunteer to tell you what’s happening in Sydney, Australia, at that moment. Ask who can tell you what your pastor is thinking at that moment.

None of us can answer those questions for sure because we only see the little picture. We only know what’s happening around us right now. God knows what’s happening in every corner of the universe. He knows what each person is thinking. God knows the big picture. • If you knew as much as God knows, do you think it’d be easier or harder to make plans? Explain. (It would be easier to make plans because I’d know what might go wrong; I could see how my plans related to everyone else’s plans.) • How do you think God’s knowledge affects the kinds of plans he makes? (God know everything so he makes good plans; God can make everything work right.) God’s plans are perfect because God sees everything and knows everything. Let’s learn more about God’s plan to send Jesus to the world.

* Design a Superhero Have kids form seven groups. Give each group paper and pencils or markers. Explain that each group will be creating a new, perfect superhero. Tell children they should name their superhero, draw a picture of him or her, and list every quality that their perfect superhero would need to have. Give the children several minutes to create a superhero. Then have each group show the rest of the group its superhero.

• How did you decide what qualities to give your superhero? (We thought about what someone would need to be perfect; we tried to think of qualities other superheroes don’t have.) • Why does a superhero need super powers? (Because regular people can’t do what superheroes do; if the superhero didn’t have super powers, he’d be a regular hero.) • Was it easy or hard to plan your superhero? Explain. (It was easy because we know what superheroes do; it was hard because there are already so many different superheroes.) God had a plan to send a Savior to the world. The Savior that God sent would save the world from the sins everyone committed. God needed to send a perfect, wonderful Savior. (continued on page 27) 24 FaithWeaver • Winter Quarter Preschool Activities An Angel Appears to Joseph Session2 Isaiah 7:13-14; Matthew 1:18-25 Worship Theme: Using Theo

God’s plans are perfect. Consider using Theophilus the FaithRetriever puppet today in these ways: Easy Prep for Leaders • Have Theo lead the preschoolers from the main worship area to the Picture Perfect—Photocopy “What’s Wrong?” (p. 30). You’ll need one preschool room. copy for each group of four children. • Have Theo tell the special messages to the groups in the “God’s Perfect Plan” activity. • See the KidsOwn Worship Kit for a puppet skit written for today’s worship session.

* Picture Perfect • Is your picture perfect? Why not?

Have the children form groups of four, and give each group a copy of • What would have to change to make your the “What’s Wrong?” handout. Ask children to put the picture on the picture perfect? floor and sit around it. When something is perfect, there are no mistakes in it. There is nothing wrong with I want you to look very carefully at the picture I something that is perfect. gave your group. • Can you think of anything that’s perfect? • Do you see anything wrong with what’s happening in the picture? There are many things that are almost perfect, but only God is completely perfect. Because • How many wrong things can you find in the God is perfect, his plans are perfect. God had picture? a perfect plan for sending Jesus to us. His Give the children a few minutes to look at the picture. Then plans didn’t seem perfect to some people, but give them crayons or markers to use to circle the things they find they were perfect. Let’s see why some people wrong. thought his plans were strange.

Session 2 • KidsOwn Worship 25 Preschool Activities

Strange and Wonderful • What do kings wear? Just like the picture you looked at had some Hold up the crown for the kids to see. strange things in it, some of the things in • What do kings do? God’s plan looked strange, too. Let’s see if we can understand why God’s plan really wasn’t • Where do kings live? strange. It was perfect. • Where would a king be born? You know, you all are really getting big. I have A king would live in a big, wonderful palace in a some socks here that I’d like you to put on. But I big, wonderful city with wonderful clothes and want you to fit your whole self into the sock you a beautiful crown. But Jesus didn’t have any have, not just your foot. Give each child a sock. of these things. He wasn’t born in a big city or Allow the children to try to put the socks on or to in a big palace. He didn’t have a crown, and he protest. didn’t have nice clothes. He was born in a tiny, That wasn’t an easy thing to do, was it? Now I little town, in a barn-like place. That’s a very want you to think about how big God is. (Pause.) strange way for this wonderful king to be born. But that’s how God wanted it to be. God is bigger than everything! It was hard for you to try to fit your whole self into a sock, but • How many of you have been to a palace? it was really amazing for great, big God to be • How many of you have talked with a king? born as a little, tiny baby. That is part of the plan that seemed strange to some people. A king is hard to get to see or to talk to, but part of God’s plan was that we could talk to him But God’s plan was perfect. God wants us to be all the time. Because Jesus was born the way able to understand him and love him, and God God wanted, we know he’s not too rich or too knows he’s so big that it can be hard for us to important to talk to. Isn’t God smart to plan do that. So part of God’s plan was to be born everything so perfectly? as a baby so we can understand him better. It seems strange, but it’s the perfect way for us to understand God. There was another thing that seemed strange to some people. Have you heard Jesus called Lord of lords and King of kings? This means that he’s the king of everything and everywhere. Let’s talk a little bit about kings.

God’s Perfect Plan The angel also told Joseph this. Have Group 3 say, “The baby will be the Savior.” Help the children gather in four groups of about the same size. And finally the angel told Joseph this. Have When it came time for God’s perfect plan to Group 4 say, “You should name the baby Jesus.” send Jesus, he sent an angel to a man named Joseph was very surprised by God’s plan, but Joseph. Joseph didn’t know God would let him he loved God and he trusted God. Joseph be part of God’s plan. Joseph was going to be decided he would obey God and trust that married soon to a woman named Mary. God’s plan was perfect, even though he didn’t Each group will get a chance to be the angel understand it. and tell the rest of us about part of God’s • Does this seem like a perfect plan to you? perfect plan, just as the angel told Joseph. Why or why not? Have one group at a time gather around you as you tell those God wanted Joseph to know about his perfect children what to say all together to everyone else. plan to send Jesus so he sent an angel to First, this is what the angel told Joseph. Have Joseph. And God wants us all to know about Group 1 say, “Mary is going to have a baby.” Jesus. He wants us to trust him and trust in his perfect plans for us. God’s plan to send a Savior Then the angel told this to Joseph. Have Group for everyone was a perfect plan. 2 say, “You must marry Mary.”

26 FaithWeaver • Winter Quarter (continued from page 24)

Hundreds of years before the Savior came, God had all the details worked out. And he told people in the Old Testament some of the details about his plan to send Jesus. I want each group to find some of the details of God’s plan. Pass out easy-to-understand Bibles (the New Living Translation, for example) to each group. Assign the following Scriptures to the groups. If you have more than seven groups, allow more than one group to look up a Scripture. Group 1: Isaiah 7:14 Group 2: Isaiah 9:6 Group 3: Isaiah 9:7 Group 4: Isaiah 25:8 Group 5: Isaiah 42:1 Group 6: Daniel 7:14 Group 7: Micah 5:2

Have each group look up the verse you assigned and determine what it says about God’s plan to send Jesus to the world. Give the groups a few minutes to work, and then have each small group share its ideas with the whole group.

• What was God’s plan for the Savior? (That the Savior would bring peace; that Jesus would conquer death.) • Why do you think God gave the Savior these characteristics? (Because God loves us; because God knows what’s best for the world.) • In what ways is Jesus like a superhero? (Jesus is powerful; Jesus can do things people can’t do.) • In what ways is Jesus different from a superhero? (Superheroes are not real and Jesus is; superheroes can do some things, but Jesus can do everything.) God had a perfect plan. God took care of every detail of sending Jesus. God knew just what kind of Savior we need, and he planned to send his Son to be exactly what we need. God’s plan was so detailed that he even planned where and when Jesus would be born. God’s plans are perfect. Let’s find out more about God’s perfect plan to send Jesus.

This Is the Plan? Sometimes plans don’t make a lot of sense to the one who has to just do things and doesn’t know the whole plan. It was like that for Joseph. But even though Joseph didn’t understand God’s plan or why God had chosen him, he trusted God and obeyed him. Let’s see what that might be like. Give each child paper and a pencil, and ask the children to draw exactly what you draw on a chalkboard or white board as you tell the story.

Session 2 • KidsOwn Worship 27 Joseph was not anyone special. He was just a plain, ordinary carpenter. Draw a circle about midway and a little to the left on your chalkboard. He lived in a small town, not a big, fancy city. Draw three sides of a rectangle with the open side near the circle. He had his own plan for his life. He was going to be married. His life was going in the direction he wanted. Draw a slanted line from the bottom left corner of the rectangle to under the right corner. But God had other plans for Joseph. He sent an angel to tell him that his soon-to-be wife was already going to have a baby, and that the baby was the promised Messiah from God. Joseph’s life was now going in a totally different direction. Draw another slanted line, this time starting at the bottom right corner of the rectangle. So, even though it seemed very strange to Joseph, he obeyed God and went the way God wanted. Draw a slightly curved line from the bottom of the circle to the top right corner of the rectangle. God’s plan was to send a King to us. Begin drawing a series of up and down small slanted lines starting at the upper left corner of the rectangle. This will be the first upward slanting line. But the King needed to be someone everyone could talk to. Draw a downward slanted line. God’s plan was to send God to us… Draw an upward slanting line. …in a way that everyone could understand. Draw a downward slanting line. God knew we needed a special friend. Draw an upward slanting line. We needed a friend who understood exactly what people feel. Draw a downward slanting line, an upward slanting line, and one last downward slanting line. This line should connect to the upper right corner of the rectangle. Add eyes and a smile in the circle to make it a face.

God’s plan was to send Jesus as a baby to us. Sending Jesus was the perfect answer to everything we need. It was a perfect plan. And now you have drawn a picture by obeying even though you didn’t know what the plan was. Joseph also obeyed even though he couldn’t understand the whole plan. We need to be like Joseph and obey even when we don’t understand God’s plan for us.

28 FaithWeaver • Winter Quarter Let’s Pray! The Offering We’ve talked about God’s perfect plan for sending Jesus. Just as God had a perfect plan for Jesus, God has a perfect plan for you. Joseph had to trust in God’s plan without understanding it, and sometimes you have to do the same. As the offering bowl comes to you, put in your offering if you brought one. When you’ve passed the offering bowl on, quietly tell God that you will trust in his perfect plans for your life. Take the offering.

Tell All About It! It’s really good news that God had a perfect plan to save us from our sins. That plan was sending Jesus. When you have such good news, it’s hard not to tell everyone about it. Let’s sing about sharing this wonderful news. Sing “Go and Make Disciples” (Matthew 28:19). Track 6 Lyrics are in the back of this book.

Right now, let’s praise God for his plan to send Jesus as a baby born in a manger to bring salvation. Form groups of four. Then, in your groups, each person should praise God by thanking him for one part of his plan that you learned about today. Allow children to form groups and pray. This week, remember to praise God for his perfect plan to send Jesus.

Closing Prayer God, thank you for knowing everything and seeing everything. We know that your plans are perfect because you know exactly what we need. You love us so much that you always give us what we need. And we need Jesus! Thank you for sending him to us. You are a great and wonderful God. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Session 2 • KidsOwn Worship 29 What’s Wrong?

30 FaithWeaver • Winter Quarter Encouragement for Leaders “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with

them and with everyone else” (2 Corinthians 9:13).

Though you may not often hear words of thanks from the children in your class, these children will grow up knowing the love of God as a result of your obedience.