The Foundations of Faith.

A Christmas series following Matthew's account of the birth of Jesus, showing how his arrival is “built” on Old Testament promises.

_______

Gingerbread Christmas Lessons Overview:

MEMORY VERSE:

“The virgin is going to have a baby. She will give birth to a son. And he will be called Immanuel.” The name Immanuel means “God with us.” – Matthew 1:23 (NIRV)

LESSONS:

Getting Ready to Build
Scripture: Isaiah 7:14 & Matthew 1:18-25, Angel Visits Joseph
It’s exciting buying a gingerbread house kit and looking forward to putting it together. When Joseph learned that Mary’s Child was the long-promised Messiah, he eagerly stepped forward to play his part in God’s great plan.
Objective: Kids will know that Jesus' birth was promised long ago.  

The Sweet Stuff
Scripture: Micah 5:2 & Matthew 2:1-6, Magi Visit Herod
Icing is sweet, but it also keeps the gingerbread house together. When Herod learned that the long promised King would be born, he acted sweet, but in reality, he was having trouble keeping it together. 
Objective: Kids will know that Jesus' birth exposes our selfishness and sinfulness.

Putting On The Roof
Scripture: Hosea 11:1 & Matthew 2:9-15, The Magi & Egypt
We put the roof onto the gingerbread house and celebrate that it’s finished.  When the Magi met Jesus, they knew that He was God’s gift to the world, and they celebrated Him with gifts and worship. 
Objective: Kids will know that Jesus' birth was the greatest gift.

Gingerbread Doesn’t Last
Scripture: Jeremiah 31:15 & Matthew 2:16-21, The Innocents & John 10-9-10, Life
Whether it gets eaten or gets dusty, we know a gingerbread house doesn’t last forever.  Jesus was coming to a sinful world that was heading for destruction. When Herod learned that the Magi had tricked him, his wicked actions led to the death of many.
Objective: Kids will know that Jesus' life was hard, but led to the promise of abundant life.

 _______

Each Lesson Includes:

• Make It Stick! Parent Sheet - so you can let mom and dad know what kids are learning each week and look like a rockstar teacher who's thought of everything.
• Memory Verse - so that you can make sure kids are getting Scripture in their minds and hearts every single week and you can feel like each lesson was a success even when it seems like 90% of your lesson time is spent saying things like "calm down", "let's be quiet", "hands to yourself!"
• Skit or Puppet Show - so you have a way to easily connect the lesson with your hands-on and visual learners. No drama team? No problem! Just hand the script to the kids. They'll have a blast and think you're the coolest.
• Craft Activity - so you can give kids a physical reminder of the Bible lesson (and give yourself an activity to keep them busy until mom and dad come back!)
• Game - so kids don't leave and say church was BORING! Games are so important to help keep kids engaged. Our large group games always include a "What's The Point" section to help you connect the game to the lesson.
• Large Group Lesson - so you can present the Bible story in a clear and fun way, which means now you can enjoy Saturday nights instead of stressing over putting a lesson together!
• Small-Group Discussion - so you can find out who was paying attention and who was talking to their neighbor. Just kidding, this is a great way for you to build deeper relationships with your kiddos after each lesson, which means you're going to care about them so much you'll cry like a baby when they graduate and go to middle school
• More! - Yes, there is even more than all of that so that you can easily put together the perfect lesson for your ministry each weekend, which means no more agonizing over how to adjust complicated lesson plans.

About This Curriculum:

• Perfect for kids ages 6-12
• 4-weeks
• Includes large group and small group resources
• This curriculum is an instant download