Lesson 4: Jesus and John the Baptist.
Passage: Luke 3:1-15 - John the Baptist went into the wilderness to preach about repentance and the forgiveness of sins. He was the one written about by the Prophet Isaiah who wrote, “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.‘“ So John preached to the crowds and many came to him to be baptized. He taught them the importance of changing their ways. Many wondered if John might be the Messiah.
Big Idea: Jesus changes hearts and lives.
For Teachers:
Lesson plan.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Walking with the Penguins Song — Activity Leader
Play video (Walking with the Penguins by The Laurie Berkner Band). Kids can follow along with the movements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEyarqk1Ijo
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
It is now our fourth week talking about the Christmas story and then we have one more Sunday before Christmas!
Is anyone getting exciting for Christmas?
Have you done any fun Christmas or winter activities?
In our Christmas series we’ve been hearing all about Jesus from some of the different Bible characters, like John the Beloved who was Jesus good friend, Mary his mother, and even one of the shepherds who visited Jesus as a baby.
In today’s video we’ll be hearing about another John, this time it is Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist!
Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Who was the Bible character that was in the video today? (James, a friend of John the Baptist)
Does anyone know what being baptized means? (explain in simple language that when someone believes in Jesus and becomes his follower, they get baptized by being dunked in water or having water sprinkled on them. It’s a picture of how Jesus washes us and gives us a brand new life)
What kind of things was John the Baptist doing in the wilderness? (teaching the people and baptizing them)
What do you think was John’s big mission? (to point people to Jesus and tell them that he is the Savior)
Do you think that John ever felt jealous that Jesus was the most important and that his job was just to point to Jesus? Why or why not?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
"Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about John the Baptist and how his mission was to point people to Jesus. Thank you that John teaches us about baptism and how John washed people with water, but Jesus is the one who really changes their hearts and their lives. Thank you that Jesus forgives us when we make mistakes and always gives us a fresh start. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Activity: Paper Plate Wreaths — Activity Leader
Kids will use the materials provided (stickers, markers, bingo daubers, paper strips) to decorate their paper plate wreath.
If a child is not interested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: The Floor Is Lava — Activity Leader
Use floor dots and play “The Floor is Lava” video on YouTube.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
It is now our fourth week talking about the Christmas story and then we have one more Sunday before Christmas!
Is anyone getting exciting for Christmas?
Have you done any fun Christmas or winter activities?
In our Christmas series we’ve been hearing all about Jesus from some of the different Bible characters, like John the Beloved who was Jesus good friend, Mary his mother, and even one of the shepherds who visited Jesus as a baby.
In today’s video we’ll be hearing about another John, this time it’s Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist!
Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Who was the Bible character that was in the video today? (James, a friend of John the Baptist)
Does anyone know what being baptized means? (explain in simple language that when someone believes in Jesus and becomes his follower, they get baptized by being dunked in water or having water sprinkled on them. It’s a picture of how Jesus washes us and gives us a brand new life)
What kind of things was John the Baptist doing in the wilderness? (teaching the people and baptizing them)
What do you think was John’s big mission? (to point people to Jesus and tell them that he is the Savior)
Do you think that John ever felt jealous that Jesus was the most important and that his job was just to point to Jesus? Why or why not?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
"Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about John the Baptist and how his mission was to point people to Jesus. Thank you that John teaches us about baptism and how John washed people with water, but Jesus is the one who really changes their hearts and their lives. Thank you that Jesus forgives us when we make mistakes and always gives us a fresh start. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Activity: Paper Plate Wreaths — Activity Leader
Kids will use the materials provided (stickers, markers, bingo daubers, paper strips) to decorate their paper plate wreath.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Alibi Game — Activity Leader
Kids will sit in a circle. One kid is chosen to be the detective and will leave the circle briefly. Another kid is chosen to be the criminal, without the detective knowing who it is. The detective will return to the group and stand in the center of the circle.
The detective will then go around the circle asking each person “Where were you last night?” Each has to respond with an alibi (ex. I was walking my dog, I was at the grocery store, I was watching a movie, etc). After each person has given their alibi, the detective will go around the circle once more asking the same question. Everyone must give the same answer except for the criminal who will give a different answer.
In order to find out who the criminal is, the detective has to try to remember the original alibis and figure out who’s alibi has changed. If they do not guess correctly, the criminal wins and becomes the next detective. Otherwise, a new detective is chosen by the leader.Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is week four of our new Christmas series and then we just have one more week before Christmas!
Is anyone getting excited for Christmas?
What are some Christmas/winter activities you’ve done this year?
In our series we’ve learning about who Jesus was according to some of his closest friends, family and those who were around him. So far we’ve heard from the perspectives of John the Beloved who was a close friend of Jesus, Mary his mom, and even one of the shepherds who visited Jesus as a baby.
Today we’ll be hearing about another John, this time John the Baptist who was Jesus’ cousin. However, since in the Bible story John actually died before Jesus, we’ll be hearing about his perspective from one of his friends instead.
Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
What do you remember about John the Baptist from the video or from the Bible? What kind of things did he do?
Does anyone know what baptism is? (explain in simple language that when someone chooses to believe in and follow Jesus they usually get baptized by being dunked under water or sprinkled with water. This represents being washed and given a new life by Jesus)
What do you think John the Baptist’s life mission was? (to point people to Jesus) What was the phrase that he used that meant that he was putting Jesus before himself? (“he must become greater, I must become less”)
Do you think it must have taken a lot of humility for John to realize that he wasn’t the main character in the story but that his job was just to point toward Jesus? What do you think it would mean for you to live your life for Jesus instead of for yourself?
What do you think John means when he says that he only baptizes with water but Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit? (Water baptism is symbolic, a picture of something else, but Jesus is the one who truly changes people’s hearts and lives)
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
"Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about John the Baptist and how he spent his whole life pointing people towards Jesus. Thank you that John teaches us about baptism and how when we are baptized we are washed with water on the outside, but on the inside it is Jesus who washes and changes our hearts. Thank you for the forgiveness that Jesus gives us and how we can always have a fresh start no matter what mistakes we have made. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Activity: Paper Plate Wreaths — Activity Leader
Kids will use the materials provided (stickers, markers, bingo daubers, paper strips) to decorate their paper plate wreath.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
For Parents:
Follow-up questions.
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Who was the Bible character that talked about Jesus in the video?
What was the job that John the Baptist was doing? (teaching, baptizing, and pointing people to Jesus)
Do you know what baptism is? (when someone starts following Jesus they often get baptized with water; this is a picture of how Jesus washes our hearts and give us a new life)
What do you think are some ways that Jesus can change our hearts and our lives?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Who was the character that was a special guest in the video? Who was he talking about?
What kind of things did John the Baptist do? (teaching, baptizing, and pointing people to Jesus)
Do you know what baptism is? (when someone starts following Jesus they often get baptized with water; this is a picture of how Jesus washes our hearts and give us a new life)
What are some ways that Jesus has changed or touched your heart?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Who was the character that was in the video? Who was he there to represent?
What kind of things did John the Baptist do? What was his message?
What do you think John meant when he said “Jesus must become greater and I must become less?” What are some ways that we can follow his example of humility?
What do you think he meant when he said that he baptizes with water but Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit? What are some ways that Jesus changes people’s hearts and lives?
