Curriculum
A Messenger Sent From God
Memory Verse:
“Prepare the way for the Lord.” Mark 1:32
Bible Background
What Kids Will Learn
Jesus was coming, and John the Baptist had a great job to do. He would tell others about Jesus and help them prepare for His arrival.
Scripture Summary
John the Baptist told everyone he could about the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. John was Jesus’ cousin, born of Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary’s relatives. Because his book was written for primarily Roman Catholics, Mark began his writings with the announcement of Jesus. During this time, royalty or those of prestige were always preceded by an announcer.
Isaiah was one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament. A great portion of the book of Isaiah is focused on the plan of salvation and prophesying about the coming Messiah. A prophecy is a foretelling of something to come in the future. The prophecies found in the Old Testament were given by God.
John the Baptist knew the Scriptures well and quoted Isaiah and Malachai, both telling of a messenger who would make the way for the Messiah. It had been more than 400 years since a prophet had been sent by God, and the anticipation of the Jewish people was growing.
John was a unique individual who chose to live in the desert, wear different clothes, and eat different foods. His choices removed distractions from the current culture, were noticeable by the people, and fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies.
Many people followed John the Baptist and heard his teachings. His message focused on turning from sin, being baptized, and beginning a new life. While John had a great following, he didn’t keep the attention to himself. He clearly pointed to Someone coming, the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Why Is This Important
God chose John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus. He orchestrated so many details to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies and to help the Jewish people prepare their hearts, minds, and lives for the coming Messiah.
Teacher Devotion
Scripture
Meeting Grandparents at the Airport
“The kingdom from heaven is like treasure hidden in a field that a man found and hid. In his excitement he went and sold everything he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44)
What are you excited about today? Lunch with a friend? A restful time of reading? A project that’s coming to a close?
I remember the excitement I had as a child when my grandparents, who lived out-of-state, came for a visit. Our family planned for weeks before they arrived. We cleaned the house from top to bottom. We planned meals around serving some of their favorites. We scheduled activities and outings for when they were here.
And then the day came. We drove to the airport, parked, and checked the monitor for their arriving gate, because back then, you could greet travelers at the gate. My sister and I would often tell people also waiting at the gate that our grandparents were coming. We simply couldn’t contain our excitement. As passengers disembarked, we craned our necks to get the first glimpse of Grandma and Grandpa. The excitement was overwhelming.
There is such a deep excitement for Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. He is a priceless treasure. John the Baptist told everyone he knew that Jesus was coming, and the anticipation was palpable.
In the midst of everyday activities, it’s easy to lose that excitement. But remember: Jesus will not only come again, He is also already here! He is always with us. He is the same Savior who died on the cross and rose again. He is our friend. Our guide.
May we prepare every day in anticipation of walking and talking with Jesus, our Savior and friend.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for being a priceless treasure. May I find true and genuine excitement to live today with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Bible Memory Verse
You’ll Need: Bibles, “Megaphone” handouts – one per child, Markers, Tape, Scissors
“A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” Mark 1:3
Give each child a “Megaphone” handout and some markers. Lead them through these steps:
- Invite kids to write today’s Bible memory verse on the megaphone.
- Allow time for them to decorate their megaphones.
- Show kids how to cut out a megaphone, roll it up, and tape it together, and then have kids do it with theirs.
- After their megaphones are complete, call out the Bible memory verse and have kids repeat it back to you through their megaphones.
ASK:
- What good news would you give others about Jesus?
- Why are these things good news for you and others?
SAY: Wow, these megaphones sure get your message across, and that’s important because you have really good news to share.
Today we are going to learn about a messenger sent from God who had an important message about Jesus, too.
Interactive Bible Experience
You’ll Need: “A Messenger Sent from God How-to Video”, Bibles – one per child, Sheet of newspaper – one per child, A bowl of water, Hand soap, A white towel
- Invite each child to turn in their Bibles to 1 John 1:8-9.
- Remind kids that as John the Baptist shared about Jesus, people came to him confessing their sins and were baptized.
- Invite a child to read aloud 1 John 1:8.
ASK:
- What does this verse mean to you?
SAY: We’re fooling ourselves if we think we don’t sin.
Invite kids to take their newspapers and rub them between their hands to make them dirty with the newspaper ink. As kids do so, have them name sins that people their age do, such as lying, being unkind, stealing, or disobeying parents.
SAY: Look at your hands. They’re dirty and that represents sin. Our sin separates us from God, but Jesus came to save us. Take a moment to silently talk to God about sin in your life.
Invite kids to wash their hands and dry them on the white towel. (Make sure to get some of the ink on the towel.) Ask for a volunteer to read 1 John 1:9.
SAY: This Scripture tells us that if we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us and make us clean. To confess means to agree with God about our sin, and when we do He is faithful to forgive us.
Hold up the white towel, and show the dirt from their hands that’s now on the towel.
SAY: Jesus came to save us from our sins. Even though He was perfect, He took our punishment on the cross and died for our sins. Our dirty hands on the towel remind us of how our perfect savior, Jesus, makes us clean.
Snack
Locust and Honey Treats
You’ll Need: Crescent rolls – one per child, Pretzel sticks – six per child, Honey, Plates, Napkins
Get Ready: Bake the small crescent rolls that come in the can.
SAY: Today we learned about a messenger sent from God, John the Baptist. He was a different fellow. He loved to eat locusts and honey. Instead of eating real bugs, I thought you would enjoy these yummy treats.
Follow these steps to make “locust and honey treats”.
- Give each child a crescent roll and six pretzel sticks on a plate.
- Instruct kids to make their crescent roll into a locust by sticking legs on each side of the crescent roll.
- After their locusts are complete, walk around and drizzle honey on the treats.
SAY: While John the Baptist was different, he had one mission: to announce the coming of Jesus. Even though he was popular, he was sure to let people know that the one coming, Jesus, was greater than he was.
Game
Prepare the Path
You’ll Need: Small bells – one per child
Get Ready: Set up an obstacle course by placing ob- jects around the room (that children can lift). The children will have to navigate as they follow a designated leader around the room.
- Give each child a small bell to ring as they follow behind the leader through the objects that are in their path.
- The leader and children will pick up the items to clear the path as they go.
- Invite children to say “prepare the way” as each object is cleared from the path.
- A designated helper will be at the end of the marching line putting things back in the path as they continue, and the path will have to be cleared each time they come to something in the way.
ASK:
- Tell about some of the items that were easier to move and some that were more difficult to clear from the path.
- How did you feel about having to move the same items more than once?
- How might this experience be like you clearing your life to make room for Jesus?
SAY: I bet it was really different for John the Baptist as he came to prepare the way for Jesus. He had to tell everyone to get their lives ready for Jesus by asking for forgiveness for their sins. John the Baptist was a great messenger as he made sure to point everyone to Jesus.
Craft
Messenger Sandals
You’ll Need: Poster board, Duct tape, Scissors, Stickers, Markers
To make the “messenger sandals” have kids follow these steps:
- Give each child a piece of poster board.
- Instruct them to each trace both of their feet on the poster board and then cut out their foot shapes.
- Guide kids to be creative designing their sandals.
- Instruct kids to write the following quote from John the Baptist on their sandals: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.”
- Have kids tape the sandals to their shoes, criss-crossing over the top.
SAY: People really looked up to John the Baptist and came to hear what he had to say, but John the Baptist made sure they knew he was just the messenger. He pointed people to Jesus by saying, “After me comes the One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.”
Prayer
Bell Prayers
You’ll Need: Jingle Bells, A bucket
- Give each child several small jingle bells.
- Place the bucket in the front of the room.
SAY: John the Baptist was like a bell ringer as he shared the good news about Jesus. Think for a minute about people in your life who need to hear the good news of Jesus. As you think of each person, walk to the bucket and pray for each person silently then drop a bell for them in the bucket. Come to the bucket separately for each person you think of who needs to hear about Jesus.
Allow kids time to pray for others using all their bells.
PRAY: Dear God, thank You for the example of John the Baptist. He made sure to share the good news about Jesus. God, give us opportunities to share the good news with those we just prayed for. In Jesus’ name, amen.
