Curriculum
Be Prepared for Christ’s Coming
Memory Verse:
“So always be ready. You don’t know the day your Lord will come.” (Matthew 24:42 ICB)
Bible Background
What Kids Will Learn
Jesus promised the disciples (and us) to one day come back again. And we all need to be ready for when that happens.
Scripture Summary
Jesus’ entire purpose was to save mankind and reconcile with God those who are lost. Beginning with His birth, He was given the name Emmanuel, meaning “God with us.” Jesus spent more than 30 years here on Earth right alongside men and women. His ministry, lasting just three years, included engaging in relationships, preaching, and healing. Jesus taught and prepared the disciples to carry on the gospel because He knew when His time had come to die on the cross for our sins. After three days, Jesus defeated death and was raised back to life. He promised the disciples that He will come back one day.
And that’s what we’re all waiting for. Christians greatly anticipate His return because the world as we know it will be over. The time will come when followers of Jesus will be welcomed into heaven, and those who rejected Jesus will begin their eternity in hell.
No one but God Himself knows the day or time of Jesus’ return. And that’s a good thing. For if we knew the exact time, we might be tempted to live a lazy life up until Jesus’ return. We would miss out on the incredible and intentional work God has for us to do right here, right now, as we wait.
We must be prepared for Christ’s coming. It will be quick, without forewarning. There won’t be a last chance to right wrongs, especially our relationship with Him. This secrecy of when Christ will return is not to prompt speculations and predictions. Instead, we’re to heed Jesus’ loving call to live every day according to His love and His plan.
Why Is This Important
Every decision (big and small) of our lives comes down to this moment. When Jesus returns, we’ll all be asked if we’re ready to be welcomed into heaven. The alternative is quite bleak.
Teacher Devotion
Scripture
“And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we’ll be ready for Him when He appears, ready to receive Him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when He arrives.” (1 John 2:28, MSG)
Mountain climbing and hiking are popular pastimes in the Rocky Mountains. The views are spectacular, and many of us enjoy the physical challenge. While the occurrence of accidents is ridiculously low (far less than 1%), most hikers know to pack clothing, gear, food, and supplies “just in case.” Most of the time, I return home from a hike and find that I didn’t use most of what I carried in my pack.
But that’s not always the case. When bad weather strikes, injuries occur, or anything unexpected happens, hikers are thankful to have extra snacks, a mirror, or a knife. In fact, I just recently had friends who unexpectedly spent the night on the side of the mountain when one of them got injured. Because of their quick thinking and preparedness, they had what they needed to survive the frigid night awaiting rescue.
How much more so are we to be prepared for Christ’s coming? The great news is there’s no long list of supplies to pack, no formal training for traversing life’s paths. No, in order for us to be prepared for Christ’s return, we need only to live deeply in Christ.
Bask in God’s presence as you go about your day today. Consider offering Him thanks for what He has done and provided. Ask Him for wisdom as you navigate life’s twists and turns. And take time to listen to His still small voice as He shows you the best next step.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for inviting me to spend time with You. Please help me live deeply in Jesus as we walk together throughout today. I want to be ready for His return. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Bible Memory Verse
You’ll Need: “Be Prepared Banner” sheets cut out, Markers, Yarn, string, or ribbon, Tape
“So always be ready. You don’t know the day your Lord will come.” (Matthew 24:42, ICB)
Tell kids that they’re going to make a banner to learn today’s Bible verse.
Lay out the “Be Prepared Banner” sheets, and have kids work together to color the sheets.
As kids work, talk with them about what each phrase on the sheets means:
- “So always be ready. (What can we do to be ready?)
- You don’t know (It could happen any day.)
- The day (It will happen any day.)
- your Lord will come.” (Jesus is definitely coming back!)
Once kids have finished with their decorations, help them tape the sheets over the yarn and hang the banner in your room.
Interactive Bible Experience
You’ll Need: Red and green construction paper strips, Tape
SAY: Jesus said to be prepared for His return. One way we can show Jesus that we are ready for Him is to help others. What are some ways we can help our family? Our church? Our friends? Our neighbors?
Each time children say something, write it on a strip of construction paper.
SAY: Let’s make a chain with all the ways we can prepare for Jesus’ return.
Help children make a looped chain to decorate the room by following these steps:
- Fold the strip into a chain link.
- Tape the links through one another to make a chain.
- Continue adding strips until you run out of ways to prepare for Jesus’ return.
Hang the finished chain in your room as a decoration.
Snack
You’ll Need: Paper plates, Napkins, Plastic knives, Plain sugar cookies, Frosting, Sprinkles
Get Ready: Have kids clean their hands.
Tell kids that they’re going to prepare today’s snack for one another. Give each child a paper plate, a napkin, a plastic knife, and a cookie, and set the decorating supplies out so all the kids can reach them.
When it’s time to eat, no one eats their own cookie, but rather a cookie that was prepared by another child.
While kids enjoy their snack, discuss:
- What was it like to prepare a snack for someone else?
- What was it like to eat a snack prepared for you?
- What can we do to help our families prepare for Jesus?
Game
Hide and Seek Game
You’ll Need: Objects to hide around the room
Get Ready: Hide the objects around your room.
SAY: Jesus was born at Christmas, and He went to heaven when He was 33. Someday, Jesus is going to come back. We don’t need to hide from Jesus because Jesus loves us and He knows where we are. To help us remember that Jesus is going to seek and find us, we’re going to play a fun game of Hide and Seek.
Allow time for children to find the hidden objects. Once all the objects are found, remind kids to be ready for Jesus’ return.
Craft
Advent Calendar Coloring Page
You’ll Need: “Advent Calendar (Nativity)” coloring page, Crayons
Give each child an “Advent Calendar (Nativity)” coloring page. Encourage children to color Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. Tell them not to color the stars yet, as they’ll use the calendar to count down to Christmas. Remind kids to pre- pare for Jesus by helping others every day they color a star at home.
Prayer
Be Prepared Prayer
You’ll Need: Card stock, Markers
Give each child a sheet of card stock. Help kids follow these directions:
- Fold your paper like a card.
- Trace the outline of your hand on the front of the card.
- Trace the outline of your other hand on the back of the card.
- In the center of the hand outline, write the names of the people you want to be prepared for Jesus’ return.
Lead kids in praying for the people whose names they wrote on their cards.
