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TEACHER GUIDEThe story of Easter is one that started long ago. Before Adam and Eve, Moses or the prophets, God was already hatching a plan to save mankind. Four hundred years after the final words of the Old Testament were written, a baby was born in a manger and a new prophet was given to Israel. The baby in the manger was Jesus; the prophet was his cousin, John the Baptist. When Jesus was about 30 years old, he began his ministry on earth, which would last for about three years. His cousin John baptized him, and Jesus’ deity was confirmed as the Father spoke from Heaven and the Holy Spirit came down as a dove. This man was no ordinary teacher; Jesus was God in human form. After Jesus was baptized, he was tested in the wilderness by Satan who urged him to take control of the situation instead of trusting in God’s plan. Jesus answered the Devil with words straight from God. This week, help your students grasp the greatness of who Jesus was. He was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. He was the loved Son of God. He was the sinless Savior. He was the Messiah. He was and is the only One who could bring us to God. And with his arrival, the world would never be the same.FOR THE TEACHER: Read the account of John the Baptist’s ministry and Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3. What stands out to you about this story? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What is something new you learned from reading it this time? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What is one important truth you think your students need to hear?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________God’s Word is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). Spend some time in prayer, asking God to show you what points to emphasize with your students. LESSON SCHEDULE & SUPPLY LISTNote: Italicized supplies are included in the curriculum. You can find the video on the DVD or DVD-Rom (for .mov version) and the printables on the Print Materials Disc in the Week 1 folder. SETTING THE STAGE (10 minutes)You’ll need: Christmas decorations Christmas music Christmas treats (optional) Jingle bell for each child for Jingle Bell Hunt game (optional) Small object to hide for Jingle Bell Hunt game (optional)INTRODUCTION & VIDEO (8 minutes)You’ll need: Week 1 Video GOING DEEP (10 minutes)Jesus is Baptized—Matthew 3.CLOSER LOOK (10-20 minutes)Activity 1: GOD’S PLAN IS HATCHEDYou’ll need: 12 plastic eggs Prophecy Paper slipsMarker Bible(s)Activity 2: KID LIKE MEYou’ll need: Jesus Comic Template (one per child) Crayons Markers Other art suppliesTHE GOOD WORD (10 minutes)“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” – Luke 19:10Note: Write this on a poster board or white board before class. BIBLE TO-GO (5-10 minutes)You’ll need: Ball or Bean Bag Jesus is Baptized Coloring Sheet (optional) Week 1 Take Home Activities (one per child or family)SETTING THE STAGE (10 MINUTES)You’ll need: Christmas decorations, Christmas music, Christmas treats (optional)Before class, put up some Christmas decorations. As children arrive, welcome them to your Christmas party. Have Christmas music playing. You may want to play a Christmas party game (see “Jingle Bell Hunt”) or even provide a holiday-themed snack. OPTIONAL GAME: JINGLE BELL HUNTYou can end your Christmas party with this game to get everyone in their seats.You’ll need: A jingle bell for each child (you can tie one or two bells on a piece of yarn) An object to hide (a funny Christmas item from home would be fun)Show the object you will be hiding to the group. Send a volunteer out of the room while you hide the object. Ask the volunteer to come back in. Tell the rest of the class to use their jingle bells to help the volunteer find the object. Ring them louder when the searcher gets closer to the object and softer when he or she gets further away. INTRODUCTION & VIDEO (8 MINUTES)You’ll Need: Week 1 VideoIntroduce the video with something like: Did you have fun at our Christmas party today? Did anyone wonder why we were having a Christmas party NOW? We’re a few months late! Pretty soon, we will be celebrating Easter. And the story of Easter begins with the story of Christmas. Can anyone tell me what we celebrate at Christmas? (Allow children to answer.) That’s right! We celebrate Jesus being born. Jesus would grow up to do something very special, and we’re going to hear all about it. Let’s watch as some friends tell us the story! PLAY Week 1 Video. Follow video by saying something like this: Wow! This is a pretty exciting story so far. Jesus was born as the fulfillment to the Old Testament prophecies. Then God sent a new prophet to Israel named John the Baptist. John baptized Jesus and we saw the Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—for the first time. Then Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. You may be wondering what all of this has to do with Easter; we’ll be getting to that in the next few weeks. OPTIONAL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Why did Matthew begin his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus? (Because it connected Jesus to David and Abraham and let the people know that this was the Messiah they had been waiting for.) Who was the prophet God sent to Israel after they waited for 400 years? (John the Baptist.) What did John the Baptist tell the people to do? (Repent or turn from their sins.) What happened when John baptized Jesus? (The Holy Spirit came down as a dove and a voice spoke from heaven saying, “This?is?my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”) When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, how did Jesus respond? (He quoted the Bible and did not give in.)GOING DEEP (10 MINUTES)Tell the story of Jesus’ baptism from Matthew 3, using this script. Our story begins with a prophet named John the Baptist. The book of Matthew says that John was preaching in the wilderness. (You may want to write the italicized statements from John, Isaiah and Jesus on slips of paper and ask volunteers to read them.) John went around telling people, “Repent, for?the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Repent means to turn away from sin.Many years before, a prophet named Isaiah had predicted that a prophet like John would come to introduce the Messiah, or Savior. Isaiah had said: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare?the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”John was this prophet that Isaiah had talked about. John dressed in clothing made of camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey! You wouldn’t think that people would want to spend time with a strange man living out in the desert, but the Bible says people from Jerusalem and all over Judea went out to John in the wilderness to repent of their sins and be baptized in the Jordan River.Some people thought that John was the Messiah, but he told them that one more powerful than him was coming, someone whose sandals John did not feel worthy to carry. John told them that he baptized them with water, but this Messiah would baptize them with the Holy Spirit. Jesus was about 30 years old at this time. He came to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. John had been baptizing people who confessed their sin. So why would Jesus need to be baptized? That’s what John wondered. He said: “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Listen to Jesus’ response: “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” When John heard Jesus’ words, he agreed to baptize him right away. This was all part of God’s plan to establish his Kingdom on earth.But as John was baptizing Jesus, something amazing happened! As Jesus came up out of the water, the Bible says the heavens opened and the Spirit of God came down like a dove and landed on him. And a voice from heaven spoke and said: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit—three parts of One God—were there at Jesus’ baptism. I’m sure the people who witnessed it knew that Jesus was very special! Jesus’ baptism was just the start of his amazing ministry. Jesus would be like no other man who ever lived. That’s because he is God. He had come to be the Savior of the world, and establish the Kingdom of God. CLOSER LOOK (10-20 MINUTES)Activity 1: GOD’S PLAN IS HATCHEDJesus fulfilled more than 300 Old Testament prophecies through his birth, life and death. Play this game to help your students explore some of them. You’ll need: 12 plastic eggs, Prophecy Paper Slips, Marker, Bible(s)Cut out Prophecy Paper Slips. Place one slip of paper in each egg. Hide the eggs throughout the room before children arrive or while they are out of the room. To play, have kids search for eggs until all 12 are found. Open the eggs and match the reference to the fulfilled prophecy, using Bibles to solve the mystery![Note: If you have a large group of children, you may divide them into two or more rooms and provide duplicate sets of eggs.]Prophecy: Fulfillment: Isaiah 7:14Born of a Virgin (Matthew 1:18)Psalm 2:7Son of God (Matthew 3:17)Genesis 49:10Tribe of Judah (Luke 3:33) Jeremiah 23:5House of David (Luke 1:32)Micah 5:2Born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1)Zechariah 9:9Riding a Donkey (Matthew 21:4-5)SAY: The fact that Jesus fulfilled these prophecies is evidence that he was the Savior that the Old Testament predicted. The chances that one man could fulfill even eight of these prophecies is 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. (10 followed by 9 sets of three zeros!) Write that number on the board. Jesus fulfilled more than 300 prophecies! Activity 2: KID LIKE MEYou’ll need: Jesus Comic Template (one for each child), Crayons, Markers, Other art supplies SAY: The Bible doesn’t tell us much about what Jesus’ life was like between the time he was a baby and the time when he began his ministry around age 30. The gospel of Luke tells one story about when Jesus was 12. He and his parents traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. When Mary and Joseph (and a group of their relatives and friends) began heading for home, Jesus stayed in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t realize he wasn’t with them for a whole day! When they did realize he was missing, they returned to Jerusalem. After three days, they found him in the temple, listening to the teachers and asking them questions. When Mary told him they had been worried, Jesus said, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Now, spend a few minutes drawing your own comic that shows what you think Jesus might have been like as a kid your age. You could show a scene from his home or school or visiting the temple. THE GOOD WORD (10 MINUTES)Before class, write the memory verse on a white board, print it on a piece of paper or create a PowerPoint slide. Introduce the good word, saying something like this: Jesus came for a purpose. He came to do something for people that they could never do for themselves—save them from their sin and reunite them with God. Today we’re going to learn a verse that talks about why Jesus came. Read Luke 19:10.“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Explain unfamiliar words and concepts:SON OF MAN — a name Jesus used to refer to himself.SEEK AND TO SAVE — Jesus came to find sinners and save them.THE LOST — every person, including you and me, because all have sinned. Have students repeat the verse with you one or two times. Next play the game “High and Low.” As students recite the verse, raise and lower your hand. When your hand is up high, their voices should be loud. When your hand is down low, their voices should be soft. Move your hand a lot to keep kids engaged. Allow a few volunteers to direct, and repeat the verse three to five times. BIBLE TO-GO (5-10 MINUTES)You’ll need: Ball or Bean Bag, Jesus is Baptized Coloring Sheet (optional), Week 1 Take Home Activities (one per child or family)To tie into your opening Christmas party, play Christmas music during this closing activity. SAY: As we learned earlier from the video, Jesus fulfilled prophecy and came to establish the Kingdom of God on Earth. During the next few weeks, we’ll learn more about the amazing story of Jesus. Let’s remember some of the things we learned about Jesus today. Have students stand in a circle. Toss a ball. When a child receives the ball, have him say one thing he learned. (Examples: “Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist,” “Jesus fulfilled prophecy,” “Jesus came to seek and save the lost,” “Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness,” etc.) (You could also do this activity without the ball and simply have kids call out their ideas from their seats.) Close in prayer. Hand out the Week 1 Take Home Activities to each child.. TAKE HOME ACTIVITIESEach week, use the provided Take Home Activities to encourage kids to keep learning at home with their parents. These thoughtful activities will guide the families in your church through a richer Lent and Easter experience. WEEK 1 TAKE HOME ACTIVITIES:For Parents:This week, your child learned about the start of Jesus’ ministry on earth and how he was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The time leading up to Easter is an opportunity to spend some time doing a few of these activities with your family. Don’t forget the discussion questions that go along with each one. Have fun! Activity 1: FAMILY TREEThe book of Matthew begins with a genealogy—or a family tree—that shows that Jesus’ ancestors were Abraham and David. This was important to the Jews, because they knew the Messiah was going to be a descendent of these well-known Israelites. God had made promises to Abraham and David that through their descendants the nations would be blessed.Using the tree template on the following page, or blank paper, have your child draw his family tree with as many relatives as he can remember. While he or she is working, tell him or her anything special about your family (example: Great-Grandpa served in World War II). Ask your child if he or she has a special memory with his or her grandparents or other relatives.Why was it important that Jesus came from Abraham and David’s family? Activity 2: LENTLent is a religious observance on the Christian calendar that begins Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter. During this season, Christians prepare for the celebration of Easter through prayer, repentance of sins and sometimes giving up something for the duration of Lent. Traditionally, Lent was said to last forty days to symbolize Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness while he was tempted by Satan. Many Christians choose to give something up during this season, such as a favorite food or TV. Whether you celebrate Lent in your church or not, talk to your child about Jesus’ time in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11. How did Jesus respond when he was tempted by Satan? What should we do when we face temptation? Prayer is a big part of the Lenten season. Trace your child’s hand on a piece of construction paper and cut it out. On each finger, write the name of one person you and your child can pray for until Easter. Maybe you could invite one or more of these people to church with you. Jellyfish One, LLC grants permission to churches, schools, and other licensees to edit Buck Denver and Friends Present... Why Do We Celebrate Easter? Curriculum materials to fit their requirements and needs. These resources are intended to be downloaded and printed for use by the subscribing entity only and may not be electronically transferred or duplicated by other non-subscribing entities. Any unauthorized reproduction of this material or incorporation into a new work is a direct violation of U.S. copyright laws. Scripture quotations are from the ESV? Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version?), copyright ? 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ?2015 Jellyfish One, LLC. All rights reserved. ................
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