Lesson 4: John the Baptist is born.

Written By Jeremy Duncan

Passage: Luke 1:57-80 - When it was time for Elizabeth to give birth to her baby, her neighbors and relatives celebrated with her. Then when time came for the baby to be circumcised, they wanted the baby to be named after his father Zechariah. However, Elizabeth said that the name was to be John. Zechariah confirmed this by writing on a tablet that the baby’s name is John. Right then and there, Zechariah was able to speak once again and began praising God for bringing salvation and redemption to the people. He testified that John was to be a prophet who would prepare the way for the Lord.

Big Idea: Praying, hoping, and waiting.

For Teachers:

Lesson plan.

  • Welcome — Activity Leader

    Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class and introduce yourselves.

    Warm Up Activity: Faux Snow Sensory Bins — Activity Leader

    There will be sensory bins provided for the kids to play and experiment with.

    Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader

    Today is our last day learning all about Advent, the time leading up to Christmas! So far we’ve learned about some of the different characters in the story and how they all had a part to play in God’s big plan to send a Savior to the world.

    • Does anyone remember the names of any of the characters we’ve learned about so far?

    • How did Zechariah, Elizabeth and Mary find out that they were going to be part of God’s big plan?

    Today we’re going to be talking about Zechariah the priest one more time. Last time we saw him in our videos, he couldn’t speak at all because the angel said it was a sign that God would keep God’s promise to give him a baby.

    Let’s watch our video to find out what happens next…

    Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader

    Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader

    • Can anyone remember what Zechariah said that him and his wife Elizabeth were praying for, for so long?

    • Have you every asked your parents for something you wanted really badly? Do your parents always give you what you want right away or do you sometimes have to wait for it?

    • How do you feel when you have to wait a long long time for something that you really want? Is it easy or hard to wait?

    • What is something that you learned from the story about how God answers our prayers?

    Prayer — Bible Story Leader

    “Dear God, thank you for the story we learned today about Zechariah and how you answered his and Elizabeth's prayers, not only for a baby but also for the Savior to come. Thank you for what we learned about how sometimes when we pray for something we have to wait for the answer to come, but we know that you are good and you always keep your promises. Please help us to put all our trust and hope in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

    Activity: Baby in a Manger — Activity Leader

    Kids will use the materials provided to put together a baby in a manger craft.

    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.

  • Welcome — Activity Leader

    Have the children sit near the TV. Welcome them to class and introduce yourselves.

    Warm Up Activity: Silly Drawing Challenge — Activity Leader

    Each kid is seated on the floor and is given blank paper and markers; the leader gives them different silly drawing prompts (from the list provided) for them to use as inspiration for their artwork.

    Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader

    Today is the last day of our series about the very first Advent season, which was the time leading up to Jesus being born into the world.

    So far we’ve been learning about several different characters in the Bible story who were waiting and praying for the Savior to come.

    • Can anyone remember the names of the characters we’ve talked about so far?

    • Can anyone remember what happened to Zechariah when he was visited by the angel?

    Today we’re going to find out what happens to Zechariah later in the story. Let’s watch our video to find out more…

    Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader

    Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader

    • Can anyone remember what two things Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were praying for, for so long? (a baby, and for the Savior to come)

    • How long did they have to wait to have their prayers answered?

    • Was there ever a time when you wanted something really badly, and maybe you asked your parents for it? Do your parents always give you what you want right away or do you sometimes have to wait for it?

    • How do you feel when you have to wait a long long time for something that you really want? Is it easy or hard to wait?

    • Do you still trust that your parents want the best for you and that they would give you what you asked for if or when they could? Why do you trust them?

    • What do you think we can do when we pray to God for something but we don’t get an answer right away?

    Prayer — Bible Story Leader

    "Dear God, thank you for the story we learned today about Zechariah and how you answered his and Elizabeth's prayers, not only for a baby but also for the Savior to come. Thank you for what we learned about how sometimes when we pray for something we have to wait for the answer to come, but we know that you are good and you always keep your promises. Please help us to put all our trust and hope in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

    Activity: Baby in a Manger — Activity Leader

    Kids will use the materials provided to put together a baby in a manger craft.

    Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.

  • Welcome — Activity Leader

    Welcome the kids to class and introduce yourselves.

    Warm Up Activity: Silly Drawing Challenge (with Time Crunch) — Activity Leader

    Kids will receive drawing prompts and must draw the best they can in a minute and vote for their favorite.

    Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader

    Today is the last day of our Advent series where we’ve been learning all about the very first Advent, which was the time leading up to Jesus’ birth.

    • Can anyone remember who the different characters are in the story that we’ve been learning about so far?

    • Each of those characters had their own important role to play in God’s big plan to send a Savior to the world. Can anyone remember what Zechariah and Elizabeth’s role was? What about Mary’s?

    • Can anyone remember what happened to Zechariah when he was visited by the angel, after the angel gave him the message?

    Today we’re going to be returning to Zechariah's story and seeing what happened to him later on. Let’s watch our video to find out more…

    Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader

    Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader

    • Can anyone tell me what were the two things that Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were praying for, for so long? (a baby, and for the Savior to come)

    • How long did they have to wait for their prayers to be answered?

    • Has there ever been a time when you prayed for something and you didn’t get an answer for a very long time? How did you feel about that?

    • What do you think are some reasons God might sometimes not answer our prayers right away?

    • Do you think there is value in having to wait and hope for things, rather than always getting what we ask for right away? What might that value be?

    Prayer — Bible Story Leader

    “Dear God, thank you for the story of Advent and for the reminder of the importance of hoping and waiting. It’s not always easy to wait for an answer to our prayers, and to feel like they are being ignored. In those moments, please gently remind us that you are a God who keeps promises, who has the very best intentions for us, and who’s plans are sometimes bigger than we can even imagine. We pray that as we hope and wait to the things we desire, that you will help us grow in our trust and faith in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

    Activity: Baby in a Manger — Activity Leader

    Kids will use the materials provided to put together a baby in a manger craft.

    Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.

For Parents:

Follow-up questions.

    • What was the story you learn about in class today?

    • Have you ever wanted something really badly, but you had to wait a long time before you could have it?

    • What does it feel like to have to wait for things that you really want?

    • What were the two things that Zechariah and Elizabeth really wanted but had to wait a long time for?

    • Do you think that we can still trust God, even when we don’t get an answer to our prayers right away? Why do you think that?

    • What was the story you learned about in class today?

    • What were the two things that Zechariah and Elizabeth were hoping ad praying for?

    • How do you think it felt for them to have to wait so long, until they were already really old, for God to finally answer their prayers?

    • Why do you think God sometimes doesn’t answer our prayers right away?

    • Do you think that hoping and waiting for something helps us to grow in our trust and faith in God? Why or why not?

    • What was the story you learned about in class today?

    • What were the things that Zechariah and Elizabeth were praying to God for?

    • Why do you think God made them wait all the way until they were old to get an answer?

    • Do you think that having to wait for something, instead of always getting what we want right away, can sometimes be a good thing for us? How so?

    • What are some things we can remind ourselves of when we find ourselves waiting for God to answer our prayers so that we don’t lose hope?

Jeremy Duncan
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Lesson 3: Mary visits Elizabeth.