Sunday, Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group July 13, 2014

TEACHER STUDY Genealogy of Christ Matthew 1:1-17; :23-38 The prophecies concerning ’ birth are numerous, and many of them refer to Jesus’ lineage. prophecies tell of the promised being born from the seed of a woman (Gen. 3:15); from the seeds of (Gen. 22:18), (Gen. 21:12), and (Num. 24:17); from the tribe of (Micah 5:2); from the line of (Isa. 11:1); and from the house of (Jer. 23:5). The prophecies said He would be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14) and would be the Son of God (1 Chr. 17:13-14; Ps. 2:7). Jesus fulfilled all of these prophecies. In Bible times, took great care to accurately record family genealogies. The family a person belonged to was directly linked to property rights. Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38 both chronicle the . The account in Matthew presents Jesus as the king of the Jews—the legal heir to the throne of David. The account in Luke was written to Greek Christians and focuses on Jesus’ descent from . Jesus was born as a baby in . He had earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, but His true Father is God. Jesus is fully God and fully man. As fully God, in Him “the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9). As fully man, Jesus has a human body, human mind, and human emotions. (See :7,52; Matt. 26:38.) He is our sinless representative (2 Cor. 5:21), sympathetic high priest (Heb. 4:15), and substitute sacrifice (1 John 4:10). Use this Bible story with the kids you teach to review Jesus’ ancestors and their stories in the Old Testament. Help kids recognize that God had been working out His plan to send Jesus over hundreds of years—through Adam, , Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesse, David, , and . God sent Jesus to earth to save people from their sins.

YOUNGER KIDS BIBLE STUDY OVERVIEW Session Title: Genealogy of Christ Bible Passage: Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38 Big Picture Question: How is Jesus different from any other man? Jesus is fully God and fully man. Key Passage: :76-77 Unit Christ Connection: As prophesied in 40:3 and :1, prepared the people for the coming Messiah.

Unit 23 Session 1 – Younger Elementary Sunday, Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group July 13, 2014

Small Group Time Welcome time Bible story review (10 minutes) Activity page (5 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Session starter (10 minutes) Journal (5 minutes) Key passage activity (5 minutes) Prayer (5 minutes) THE BIBLE STORY Genealogy of Christ Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38

Jesus is the Son of God, which means that He is fully God. But when Jesus was born on earth as a little baby, He had human parents too. Their names were Mary and Joseph. Jesus is fully human, too. Jesus is both fully God and fully human; that makes Him different from any other man. Like all people on earth, Jesus’ family had a history—a family tree. Jesus had parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great- grandparents ... all the way back to Adam and in the garden of Eden. The Bible says had children. Three of their sons were named Cain, Abel, and . When Seth got older and had a family, his wife had a baby. Seth named his son (EE nahs). Enos grew up and had a family too, and his great-great-grandson was named (EE nuhk). Enoch loved God, and he was part of Jesus’ family. Then there was Noah! Noah obeyed God and built an ark to save his family from a great flood. Noah was part of Jesus’ family too. Abraham was in Jesus’ family, and so was his son Isaac. When Isaac had a family, one of his sons was named Jacob. Jacob was part of Jesus’ family. Years later, a man named (SAL mahn) was born into Jesus’ family tree. He married (RAY hab), who had hid the Israelite spies when they came to Jericho. Rahab had a baby, and his name was (BOH az). Boaz was a farmer, and he married Ruth. Boaz and Ruth had a son named (OH bed). Obed’s son was Jesse. Jesse had many sons, and the youngest was David. David was just a boy when he was chosen to be Israel’s king. King David liked to write. He wrote songs—called psalms—and some of them were about the time when Jesus would come to earth. Other people in Jesus’ family were kings too. David’s son Solomon was a king. King (jih HAHSH uh fat) was part of Jesus’ family, and so was (uh ZIGH uh), (AY haz), (HEZ ih kigh uh), and Josiah. Then came Matthan (MAT than). Matthan’s son was named Jacob, and Jacob’s son was

Unit 23 Session 1 – Younger Elementary Sunday, Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group July 13, 2014

named Joseph. Joseph is the man who took Mary to be his wife. Mary and Joseph were the earthly parents of Jesus, God’s Son—the Messiah. Christ Connection: Jesus came to earth as a baby in Bethlehem. Jesus had earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, but His true Father is God. Jesus was still God the Son when He came to earth, but He also took on the form of a man. Jesus was born to save people from their sins.

SMALL GROUP OPENING Session Title: Genealogy of Christ Bible Passage: Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38 Big Picture Question: How is Jesus different from any other man? Jesus is fully God and fully man. Key Passage: Luke 1:76-77 Unit Christ Connection: As prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1, John the Baptist prepared the people for the coming Messiah.

Welcome time: Arriving Activity: Look back • items that are important to your family Bring something that is very important to you because of its connection to your family. Consider a photo album or antique that has been passed down. If the item isn’t breakable, allow the kids to hold and touch the item. Take some time to share why it is so important to you. Say • Family is very important to all of us. That’s why your parents might still have those pictures you drew when you were in preschool. In today’s Bible story, we will learn about the most important family ever.

Activity page (5 minutes) • “Family Tree” activity page, 1 per kid • pencils Guide boys and girls to complete the activity page. Say • Can you name someone who was part of Jesus’ family? His family tree has a lot of names. Today, we will talk about some of those names.

Unit 23 Session 1 – Younger Elementary 3 Sunday, Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group July 13, 2014

Session starter (10 minutes) Option 1: First up Form two or more groups with the same number of kids. You may also choose to play as one large group. Invite the groups to see which one can line up in order the fastest based on the instructions given. Encourage the kids to line up in order of the month of their birthdays, from shortest to tallest, from the fewest brothers and sisters to the most brothers and sisters, from the biggest feet to the smallest feet, and so forth. Feel free to reverse the directions too. Play as time allows. Say • People and things are both created in a specific order. For instance, your grandparents were born before your parents. The Bible shares the order of the people born before Jesus. It gives us His family tree. We’ll see who His family members were in a moment. Option 2: Similar and different • pool noodles or paper towel rolls • tape • small round items • sharp knife Cut a pool noodle lengthwise and place the halves flat- side up as a race track. You may also choose to cut several paper towel rolls in half lengthwise and tape them together to form a track. Brace the top of the track on the edge of a table and allow it to run downhill. Give volunteers small cars, marbles, and small round candies. Allow them to race the different items. Talk about what is similar and different about the racing objects. Talk about how everyone in a family has some similarities and some differences. Jesus is different from any other man. Say •We all have things about us that are the same and things that are different. Jesus is a person just like you and me, but He is also very different from you and me. We will find out why in today’s Bible story. SMALL GROUP LEADER

Session Title: Genealogy of Christ Bible Passage: Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38 Big Picture Question: How is Jesus different from any other man? Jesus is fully God and fully man. Key Passage: Luke 1:76-77 Unit Christ Connection: As prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1, John the Baptist prepared the people for the coming Messiah.

Unit 23 Session 1 – Younger Elementary 4 Sunday, Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group July 13, 2014

Key passage activity (5 minutes) • Key Passage Slide or Poster • dry erase board and markers (optional) Make sure the key passage, Luke 1:76-77, is visible for each child, either as the printed poster or written on a dry erase board. Read the verse together. Say • Our key passage talks about a man called John the Baptist. John was sent to show the world who the promised Savior was. We will learn about John for the next few weeks. John prepared the way for Jesus, who would save the people from their sins. Repeat the key passage a few times together so the kids are familiar with it. Form two or more groups with both boys and girls in each group if possible. Guide each group to imagine it as a family. Allow the kids to assign family member roles to each person in the group. For instance, a girl could be mom, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, or aunt. A boy would be a father, grandfather, great- grandfather, brother, or uncle. Invite the groups to sit down. Call out a family member. The kids who were assigned that family member should jump up and say the key passage together.

Bible story review (10 minutes) • , 1 per kid • Small Group Visual Pack • Big Picture Question Slide or Poster • strips of paper • marker Encourage the kids to find Matthew 1 in their Bibles. Say • Is Matthew in the Old Testament or ? (New Testament) In which division of the Bible is Matthew found? () Matthew tells us about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. It also points to Jesus as the promised Messiah. Use the small group visual pack to show kids where today’s Bible story is on the timeline. Review the Bible story provided using the bolded text, or summarize the story in your own words. List 10 members of Jesus’ family on separate strips of paper. Use familiar names like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Rahab, Ruth, David, Josiah, Joseph, and Mary. For older kids, include a few lesser known names. Put the names in order as a class, or form groups and see who can put them in order fastest. Say • God gave us Jesus’ family tree so we could know that Jesus is the promised Messiah. The list in Matthew starts with Abraham, whom God promised would be part of the Messiah’s

Unit 23 Session 1 – Younger Elementary 5 Sunday, Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group July 13, 2014

family. It details how Jesus was part of a family of kings, including David. The list in Luke takes us through Jesus’ family all the way back to Adam. Jesus is the One whom God promised in the Old Testament would come to save His people. Much of the Old Testament is about the people mentioned in Jesus’ family. While Jesus has an earthly family like you and me, He is God’s Son. Show the big picture question slide or poster. Say • How is Jesus different from any other man? Jesus is fully God and fully man. Colossians 2:9 says that Jesus is as much God as He is a man. Because Jesus is both man and God, He was able to take our punishment for sin.

Activity choice (10 minutes) Option 1: It’s me! • name tags • marker Give each kid a name tag with a name from Jesus’ genealogy: Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rahab, Ruth, Jesse, David, Solomon, and Hezekiah. If you have more kids, use additional names from Jesus’ genealogy. If you have a small group, kids may wear two name tags. Read one of the questions below and bring two to four kids to the front of the group, including the kid with the name tag of the correct answer. Encourage the kids to quickly stand behind the kid whom they believe is wearing the correct name. • God chose my youngest son, a shepherd, to be a great king. (Jesse) • I protected some spies in Jericho. (Rahab) • I was the first person in Jesus’ family. (Adam) • I was the wisest king ever. (Solomon) • God saved me from a giant flood. (Noah) • I was tricked by a snake and disobeyed God. (Eve) • God asked me to offer my son as a sacrifice, and then He stopped me. (Abraham) • I wrestled with God. (Jacob) • I was a shepherd, a king, and a man after God’s own heart. (David) • Boaz redeemed my family. (Ruth) • My parents were really old when I was born—a son promised many years before. (Isaac) • I was one of just a few kings of Judah who remained faithful to God. (Hezekiah)

Unit 23 Session 1 – Younger Elementary 6 Sunday, Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group July 13, 2014

These people from the Bible were part of Jesus’ family, but Jesus is more than a man. How is Jesus different from any other man? Jesus is fully God and fully man.

Option 2: Family tree craft • spring-hinged clothespins, 2 per kid • small paper plates, 1 per kid • crayons or markers • brown chenille stems or tape (optional) Invite the kids to color the outer circles green on the backs of small paper plates. Kids can either draw a picture of their family in the inner circle, or keep it open for them to paste a family photo. Demonstrate how to clip two spring-hinged clothespins onto the plate’s edge and stand it up to create a family tree. If you want it to look more like a tree, invite the kids to paint or color the clothespins brown, wrap them with brown chenille stems, or cover them with brown tape. Say • Jesus had a family just like us, but His family included more than just humans. How is Jesus different from any other man? Jesus is fully God and fully man.

Journal and prayer (5 minutes) • Journal Page, 1 per kid • markers or crayons • Bible Story Coloring Page Distribute each child’s journal page provided with this session. Instruct the kids to draw a picture of a favorite relative. Writers can write things they love about one or more family members. Say • Here’s our big picture question one last time. How is Jesus different from any other man? Jesus is fully God and fully man. If time remains, take prayer requests or allow kids to complete the coloring page provided with this session. Pray, thanking God for family. Pray for each child by name, asking God to show each one how Jesus wants us to be part of His family by repenting and trusting Him.

Dismiss to parents – Make sure to check security tags when dismissing children.

Unit 23 Session 1 – Younger Elementary 7

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Genealogy of Christ Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38