The King Is Coming
Group Activities

Sermon Title: "The King Is Coming"

Scripture Reading:Mark 1:1-8

CLEANING RELAY:

Divide the children into teams. Each team will be given a mop or broom to push a potato or a veggie to the finish line and will do this relay to see which team finishes first. Let children know that they will see cleaning items during our story today to get our lives in order.

PUTTING THINGS IN ORDER:

Have all the children line up against a wall or divide them into two teams to compete against each other to see who can get things in order the quickest! The teacher will tell children, "Get in order according to height, shortest to tallest." Another task could be to get in alphabetical order by first names.

KING CROWNS:

Give the children supplies to cut out and decorate a crown and tape it in the back to fit the child's head. Decorate with glitter, sequins and bright markers to say, THE KING IS COMING.

WRAPPING GIFTS FOR JESUS:

Give the children Christmas wrapping paper and ribbon to wrap a gift for Jesus. Inside will be placed slips of paper with pictures or words of love for Jesus. (Suggestions: a heart, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Matt22:37; "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." 1 Jn. 4:12; "This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands." 1 Jn. 5:2. Small boxes could be used as the container to be wrapped.

CHRISTMAS CARDS:

The children can use previously used Christmas cards to cut out the front of the card with pinking shears in various shapes. The cutouts will then be glued onto construction paper and folded so that a message that The King Is Coming can be on the inside of the card. Encourage children to share this card with a friend.

PREPARE FOR JESUS:

Provide the children with construction paper, glitter, ribbon and bright markers to draw a large red heart and decorate it around the edges. Prepare your heart to receive Jesus could be the title in the middle of their decorated heart and other words showing how we can prepare for Jesus can be written around the sides of the heart such as repent, love one another, be kind to one another, etc. Use the ribbon to hang the heart on a wall at their home or around the classroom to remind them to prepare for Jesus.

CROOKED PATHS WALK:

Follow the leader/teacher up and down and around and on a crooked path walk to look for HEARTS along the pathway. Each heart will have sections of the Bible verse on it. As children reach the end of their walk, they'll put the hearts in order to learn their Bible verse by memory.

GIVE MY HEART TO JESUS:

Have the children cut out two matching paper hearts and hole punch around the edges, to sew a string or ribbon in and out of those holes. Stuff some tissues inside the heart before sewing it completely shut. Decorate the heart before stuffing, and write, I'LL GIVE JESUS MY HEART for Christmas. Wrap the heart up and place it under the class Christmas tree, which could be a Christmas tree standing on the floor or table, or a large green poster board triangle, decorated by the children.

SHARE A SNACK:

Heart-shaped Christmas cookies for the children to frost and decorate.

Song: "Prepare the Way"

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Accompaniment Track