Younger Kids Bible Lesson

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Fruitful Day One Bible Lesson

Kindness and Gentleness

Younger Kids Bible Lesson

Truth

Jesus loves us. Jesus taught us to be kind and gentle.

Verse

Be kind to one another… Ephesians 4:32

Story

The Birth of Jesus based on Luke 2:1-20 (ERV)

Have you ever heard of Mary and Joseph? More than two thousand years ago, they were two people who were about to be married. An angel visited Mary and told her some amazing news: She was going to have a baby, and that baby was going to be God’s son! The angel said that he would grow up to save his people. Mary was surprised to hear this, but she told the angel that she would do whatever God wanted.

Joseph also had a visit from an angel—in a dream. The Angel told him about the special baby who was coming. The angel also told him that he should take care of Mary and make sure that the two of them would be a good family for the new baby. Joseph agreed to do whatever God wanted.

Later, when Mary was just about ready to have the baby, a new law said that everyone had to go to their hometown to be counted.

So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee, and went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. It was known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David. While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have the baby. She gave birth to her first son. She wrapped him up well and laid him in a box where cattle are fed. She put him there because all the guest rooms in town were full.

That night, some shepherds were out in the fields near Bethlehem watching their sheep. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining around them. The shepherds were very afraid when they saw this. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I have some very good news for you—news that will make everyone happy. Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is the Messiah, the Lord. This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a feeding box.”

Then a huge army of angels from heaven joined the first angel, and they were all praising God, saying,

“Praise God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace to the people who please him.”

The angels left the shepherds and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this great event the Lord has told us about.”

So they went running and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the feeding box. When they saw the baby, they told everyone what the angels had said about this child. Everyone was surprised when they heard what the shepherds told them.

Mary continued to think about these amazing things, trying to understand them. The shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything they had seen and heard. Everything was just as the angel had told them.

Lesson

Do any of you have little brothers or sisters? How little are they?

Even if you don’t have a little brother or sister, have you ever seen a tiny baby?

Can babies do very much? What sorts of things can babies do? (Eat, sleep, cry sometimes, laugh, smile, burp…)

Are babies ever mean to anyone? Do they ever say things that aren’t true? Do they say anything? Do babies pick on people, or argue with them?

It’s silly to think about babies doing those things. Babies are always gentle and kind.

God could have sent Jesus in any shape at all, right? Do you think some people thought that God’s son would look like a big, bright, powerful angel when he came to live with us and teach us things? What else do you think Jesus could have looked like? (A king, a warrior…)

Why do you think God chose to send him as a tiny baby?

I think one reason was that God wanted us to see right from the start of Jesus' life that He loves us. He didn’t want to scare us, so He sent Jesus in the kindest and gentlest way He could think of.

Everyone loves babies. Did you ever see someone look at a baby and just smile for no reason? When you look at a new baby does it make your heart happy?

Can you imagine how the shepherds felt on the night Jesus was born? When the angel told the shepherds the good news about Jesus, do you remember the very first thing the angel said? (“Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you!")

I don’t think anyone is afraid when they meet a new baby. They are too busy smiling!

Even on the night Jesus was born, he was already teaching us to be kind and gentle. He was also showing us God’s love.

Let’s say today’s Truth together:

Jesus loves us. Jesus taught us to be kind and gentle.

Let’s say today’s Verse together:

Be kind to one another… Ephesians 4:32

Prayer

A prayer is provided with each lesson as an example of possible things to pray for each day. The prayers are not intended to be used word-for-word, although you can use them that way if you need to. You should also try to include specific prayer requests from your kids and specific things that they are thankful for in your group’s prayer time each day.

Thank you God for sending Jesus to teach us how to live and to help us know You. Thank you God for sending Jesus as a tiny baby so we could see that we don’t need to be afraid. Thank you Jesus for showing and teaching us that God loves us. Thank you Jesus for teaching us how to trust in God. Thank you Jesus for helping us to be kind and gentle to others, even when that’s not easy.

Activities

Coloring Sheets

Name Game - Getting to know student names