Good Things-God Has A Plan
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QUESTION | "What are you waiting for?"
Christmas is almost here, which means we're all waiting . . . and waiting . . . and waiting for the big day. This Christmas, what are you most excited for?
What are you waiting for?
INSTRUCTIONS: Give a few students a chance to respond.
ACTIVITY | Good Moves
Whether you're waiting for presents, Christmas cookies, holiday traditions, or the moment you can finally blast some Christmas music without getting dirty looks, there's a lot to look forward to at Christmastime. But you know the saying, "Good things come to those who wait," so let's play a game that's going to help us practice some patience.
INSTRUCTIONS: Ask students to volunteer if they're either really good or really bad at dancing. Select two students at a time to come to the front to compete in an interpretive dance-off. For each round, play a 30-second clip from a famous Christmas song while the students perform their interpretive dance routines, and then declare a winner for each round. But only play with very slow Christmas songs, like . . .
"Mary Did You Know." "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." "White Christmas." "Silent Night." "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."
*Title Slide*
POLL | "How good are you at waiting?"
There are some things that I'm willing to wait for, but I don't really have the patience to wait forever. Maybe you can relate. On a scale of "a toddler who wants a snack" to "someone who camps out for three days to get a good Black Friday deal," how good are you at waiting?
INSTRUCTIONS: Have students respond to the question by making up their own answers or by creating a scale they can respond to by running to different parts of the room. Maybe the left side of the room represents "toddler," while the right side of the room represents "Black Friday camper."
STORY | Talk about a Christmas plan that didn't go according to plan.
Waiting is easier when we have an end in sight. When it comes to our Christmas plans, that's easy! We know exactly when all of our waiting and planning is going to end. But sometimes, even when we've been waiting patiently, our plans don't go according to plan.
Buddy the Elf was a guy was excited for his boss, Santa, to come to New York and see him.
But things didn’t go as planned:
“Elf” Movie Scene
No matter how well we plan this Christmas (or anytime, really), there's always a chance our plans aren't going to go according to plan. For the next few weeks, as we wait for Christmas to finally arrive, we're going to talk about a plan that actually did go according to plan. It's a plan that . . .
Was created by God. Was set in motion before time even existed. Involved a little bit of waiting. And is capable of changing our lives. And that plan has a lot to do with Christmas.
SO WHAT? Why does it matter to God and to us?
OBJECT LESSON | Headlines from The Prophetic Gazette
INSTRUCTIONS: For each piece of "breaking news" from God's plan, create your own newspaper headlines using markers and poster board, construction paper, recycled pizza boxes, or whatever you have laying around. Try using headlines like . . .
Sneaky Snake Ruins Everything
Royal Baby on the Way!
Waiting . . . and Waiting . . . and Still Waiting
Christ The Savior is Born! *Show Newspaper
SCRIPTURE | Genesis 3:1-15
There's a good chance you've heard the Christmas story before. Mary, Joseph, a manger, baby Jesus — you get the idea. But God started making Christmas plans long before that day. To trace the beginnings of God's plans, we actually need to go all the way back to the very beginning of the Bible, to another story that might be kind of familiar.
God's plan began where humanity's whole story began: in the Garden of Eden. In the very beginning, God created the very first people, Adam and Eve. Back then, God and humanity had a close relationship and everything was as it should have been. But then a certain serpent appeared on the scene.
INSTRUCTIONS: Read or summarize Genesis 3:1-15
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,
“Cursed are you above all livestock
and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.”
Title Slide
From this moment on, everything changed. Because of sin, humanity's relationship with God was altered forever. It might seem like God's plans had already gone wrong, but God doesn't seem surprised. Instead, we get the first hints of God's plan.
Yes, things had gone wrong, but someday things will be made right. One day, a child would be born who would put an end to sin and death forever.
SCRIPTURE | Jeremiah 33:14-16
That plan was still sounding pretty vague to us humans though, so over time God started to give us more hints about what was in store. Long after Adam and Eve, God began to speak to humanity through prophets. During the time of King David, in around 1000 BC (about 3,000 years ago), God gave humanity an update on the plan. We were told the baby God promised was still on the way, and that the baby would be a descendant of King David. Then God gave us another update through the prophet Jeremiah, who probably lived around 650-750 BC. That's like 2,700 years ago.
Jeremiah had a tough job. At one time, God's people, the Israelites, had been a powerful nation, but during Jeremiah's time, their sinful choices and disobedience to God had led to their downfall. The nation of Israel split in two: Israel and Judah. These nations fought wars with each other and their neighbors. Poverty led to people going hungry and without homes. A lethal combination of jealousy and pride left them vulnerable to attack from other nations. The strengthening nation of Babylon became a huge threat to God's people. If Babylon invaded the city, they thought, it wouldn't just be them who was defeated. They believed God would be defeated too. With that in mind, let's see what God had to say . . .
INSTRUCTIONS: Read Jeremiah 33:14-16.
No, this "righteous Branch" thing is not about Groot from GOTG or Treebeard from LOTR. This is about the "family tree" of humanity. From Adam and Eve, to King David, all the way to a future king who God would use to save the world.
For a long time, this was all humanity knew about God's plan. Jeremiah had the privilege of sharing the good news that God's plan was still in the works. But there was a catch: we still had some waiting to do! All throughout the Old Testament, there are so many hints, pictures, and clues like this one — reassurances that God had good things in store, and that better days of God's grace and mercy were on the way.
SCRIPTURE | Matthew 1:1-17
Hundreds of years after the book of Jeremiah was written, we were given the book of Matthew, which helps us see how this family tree turned out.
INSTRUCTIONS: If you'd like, have students stand up, raise their hand, or cheer anytime they hear a name they recognize.
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
*Title Slide*
You might be thinking, "Wow, what a cool list of names I can't pronounce and people I can't identify. Why is this important?"
It's important because this list of names shows us how God's plan unfolded over generations! Each of these people, for generations, knew what it was like to wait for the future Savior God had promised. Jesus' ancestors included all sorts of people — men, women, kings, nobodies, shepherds, widows, religious people, not-so-religious people, and more. And each of these people, mentioned by name in Jesus's ancestry, were part of God's big plan — but they all had to wait for it. The season leading up to Christmas (which we're in right now) is called Advent. It's the season where plan and wait for the birth of Jesus, just like humanity did for centuries before He arrived.
For generations, humanity didn't know what we were waiting for, but we trusted God had a plan. Today, Advent reminds us of the plan God set in motion at the beginning of time — a plan to solve the problem of sin and make wrong things right. If you're anything like me, waiting is not something I'm always good at, especially if I don't know what I'm waiting for or when I'm going to get it. But Advent reminds me that even while I'm waiting, God can be trusted. Because today, as always, God has a plan.
NOW WHAT? What does God want us to do about it?
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OBJECT LESSON | Good Things Candles
INSTRUCTIONS: Before your teaching time, set up a station where students can create their own candle as a modern take on the traditional Advent wreath. You can either pause your teaching and create these candles together or you can give them instructions and let them create their own candles as they leave or when you break for small groups. If you'd like to closely imitate the traditional Advent wreath, you'll need four or five candles for each student, depending on your tradition. If you'd like to simplify the concept, have students create just one candle they can light throughout the Advent season. For inspiration, we like . . .
. The church has celebrated Advent for centuries, although it looks a little different in different Christian traditions.
Some believers spend the four weeks leading up to Christmas focusing on God's promises of hope, peace, joy, and love, lighting one new candle each week. For other believers, the candles represent different things: the prophets who predicted Jesus' coming, the journey of Mary and Joseph, the joy experienced by the shepherds at Jesus' birth, and the angels who brought messages of peace. Some light a fifth candle on Christmas Eve or Christmas day to celebrate the arrival of Jesus. Some traditions use different symbolic candle colors. Some start celebrating Advent even earlier, so they have six candles instead of four or five. There are lots of ways to celebrate the season of Advent, but here's what all followers of Jesus have in common: just like the Jews looked for and anticipated the first coming of Jesus, believers today both celebrate the arrival of Jesus and still anticipate His return one day. The tension of this season of Advent is that we are both celebrating and still waiting for the rest of God's plan — even when we have to wait for it.
So much of the Christmas season is about remembering the past and waiting for the future. There's nostalgia and anticipation at the same time. In that spirit, let's remember what God has already done and look forward to what God still has planned as we sing this song together.
For centuries, God had been telling the world through prophets that a Savior was on the way. And He was!
God's plans were already in motion before we even knew we needed those plans. From the Garden of Eden, to King David, to Jeremiah, and beyond, God's plans were in motion even though humanity had to wait for them. So let this holiday season be a reminder to you that (even when you're waiting impatiently), that this is as true now as it was back then: God has a plan. And God's plans for us are good.
FOR SMALL GROUP TIME:
REFLECTION | Storyboard of My Life
In Week 1, move the "Storyboard of My Life" reflection to small groups. This activity might be hard for middle school students to fully grasp without the guidance of an adult, so try breaking into small groups at this point in the message or, if you do small groups afterward, saving it for a group discussion that your small group leaders lead.
You might be thinking, "This all sounds cool, but what does this have to do with me?" Well, you know how God had a plan to make good things happen for all of humanity? The same thing is true for you personally.
You were never a surprise to God. Your life was always part of the plan. If you pay attention, I think you'll be able to see God's presence throughout your whole story — past, present, and future. Where have you seen God at work in your life already? What good things might God have in store for you?
INSTRUCTIONS: Before your teaching time, print and cut the handouts provided in your Week 1 folder. Place one under each seat, along with a pen. Encourage students to fill out their timeline either on their own or in small groups with an adult leader guiding them.
Think of the major life events that have shaped who you are. Maybe . . .
The day you were born.
The time you landed the lead in the middle school play.
When your parents divorced.
That class you took that gave you a new passion or interest.
The first time you lost a loved one.
The day you decided to follow Jesus.
Add these events in order to your timeline. Then, next to each one, write a sentence about how God was present with you in that moment. What did you learn? How did you grow? How did God change you? Last, think about what "good things" God might have in store for you. I'm not asking you to predict the future, but I'm encouraging you to think about what good things you know God wants for you, like . . .
A deeper faith. A life filled with purpose. Becoming more like Jesus. When you're done, look at the story of your life! Can you see the good things God has done, and will do, even through some of the painful, messy stuff? The good news of Advent is that God is on the way, evil doesn't win. In all of the good stuff, all of the bad stuff, and all of the painful stuff, God always has a plan.