Large Group - Wheaton Bible Church

Teacher BIBLE STUDY 

People had been waiting a long time for Jesus. God hinted at His coming 

in the garden of Eden when He promised a seed to conquer the serpent. 

(Gen. 3:15) The prophets told of His coming hundreds of years before His 

birth. God was working out His plan to bring His people back to Himself. 

In the Bible, God used angels to communicate His message to people. 

Angels spoke to Abraham in Genesis 18. The Angel of the Lord spoke 

to Balaam in Numbers 22. Now Mary and Joseph, the earthly parents of 

Jesus, each received a special visit from an angel to announce the birth 

of God’s promised Messiah. The angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary 

surprised her. By His grace, God chose Mary to be the mother of His child. 

The angel’s message revealed much about this promised child. 

First, He would be great in both being and nature. He would be the Son of 

the Most High. Jesus is the Son of God, and the Lord God promised to give 

Him the throne of His father David. These words fulfilled the prophecy 

given to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-16. He would reign over the house of 

Jacob forever. His kingdom would have no end. 

The good news that Jesus was coming into the world was good news 

because of why He was coming. An angel revealed Jesus’ purpose to 

Joseph in Matthew 1:21: “He will save His people from their sins.” The 

gospel is the good news of what God has done for us through Christ. 

The announcement of Jesus’ birth is not the beginning of the gospel; God 

had been planning for this moment since before the beginning of time. 

(See Eph. 1:3-10.) Help the kids you teach understand that God’s plan has 

always been to save sinners and bring them back to Himself. Jesus, whose 

name means “Yahweh saves,” is the culmination of that plan. 

Preschool Worship Guide 

Unit 4 • Session 1 

1 ©2012 LifeWay Christian Resources

Preschool WORSHIP OVERVIEW 

Session Title: Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph 

Bible Passage: Luke 1:26-56; Matthew 1:18-24 

Big Picture Question: What part did Mary and Joseph have in God’s 

plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of Jesus. 

Key Passage: Luke 2:10-11 

Unit Christ Connection: The Savior God had promised was born! 

Large Group Worship 

(15–20 minutes) 

Small Group Activities 

(25–30 minutes) 

Large Group Closing 

(10+ minutes) 

Christmas 


The BIBLE STORY 

Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph 

Luke 1:26-56; Matthew 1:18-24 

One day God sent an angel named Gabriel to a town in Galilee called 

Nazareth. The angel went to visit a young woman named Mary. She was 

engaged to be married to Joseph, a descendant of King David. 

The angel said to Mary, “Be happy! God is happy with you. He is with 

you.” Mary was afraid and unsure. Why would God be happy with her? 

She had done nothing special. 

The angel told Mary to not be afraid. He told Mary that she was going 

to have a very special baby. The baby’s name would be Jesus. The angel 

said that the baby would be great—He would be God’s Son! He would be a 

king! 

Mary asked the angel, “How can that happen?” 

The angel said, “God will be the father of the baby. The baby will be 

God’s Son.” 

The angel Gabriel said, “God can do anything!” He told Mary that her 

relative Elizabeth was pregnant, even though she was old and did not have 

any children. 

Mary said, “May everything happen just as you said.” Then the angel left 

her. 

Mary hurried to her relative Elizabeth’s house. When she arrived, the 

baby inside Elizabeth leaped for joy! The Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth and 

she said, “What an honor, Mary! You and your baby will be blessed!” 

Mary was so happy. She praised God with a song about how great God 

is. Mary knew families in the future would say she was blessed because 

God was going to do great things for her through Jesus. God kept His 

promise to Abraham to bless the whole world through Jesus. 

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months. Then she went home. 

Joseph found out Mary was going to have a baby, but Joseph knew it was 

not his baby—Mary and Joseph were not married yet! 

Soon after Joseph thought these things, an angel appeared to him in a 

dream. 




“Joseph!” the angel said. “Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. 

Mary is going to have a son. Name Him Jesus because He is going to save 

His people from their sins!” 

When Joseph woke up, he did just what the angel said. He married Mary, 

and when she had a son, Joseph named Him Jesus. 

Christ Connection: “Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a 

sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel” 

(Isaiah 7:14). The baby Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy, as well as other 

prophecies of the coming Savior throughout the Old Testament. Through 

His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled God’s plan of redemption 

that God planned from the beginning of the world. 

Christmas 


Large Group WORSHIP 







• Play “Born That We 

May Have Life” in 

the background 

as you welcome 

kids, following your 

church’s security 

procedures. 

• offering basket 

• countdown video 

(optional) 

• a song of your 

choice 

• Bible 

• Key Passage Poster 

• “He Was Born” song 

Large Group Worship (10–15 minutes) 

Welcome and sing 

Play the countdown video or use another method to 

assemble the group. Sing a song such as “O Come, Let Us 

Adore Him,” “Hurry, Hurry to Bethlehem,” or “Oh, How I 

Love Jesus.” 

Practice the key passage and a Bible skill 

Listen to the key passage song, “He Was Born.” Show the 

key passage poster and talk about some of the phrases in 

the key passage. Explain that “them” in the passage was the 

shepherds. Why did the angel tell them not to be afraid? (He 

was bringing good news of great joy.) Who was the good 

news for? (all people; everybody) 

Say • God sent angels to give messages to other people 

about Baby Jesus, too. We can read in the Bible about 

when an angel spoke to Mary [Point to Luke 1.] and an 

angel spoke to Joseph in a dream [Point to Matthew 1.] 

Those visits by angels are at the beginning of books in the 

New Testament. The New Testament begins with Jesus’ 

birth. 




• “Angels Spoke to 

Mary and Joseph” 

video (optional) 

• “Oh, How I Love 

Jesus” song 

• “O Come, Let Us 

Adore Him” song 

• “Hurry, Hurry to 

Bethlehem” song 

Tip: Do activities 

one of these ways: 

• as a group, all at the 

same time 

• in small groups that 

rotate through each 

activity 

• set up as 

centers, allowing 

preschoolers to 

browse and choose 

Watch or tell the Bible story 

Say • The angel said to Mary, “Don’t be afraid!” Why do 

you think the angel said that to her? How would you feel 

if an angel spoke to you? It was a strange thing. Seeing 

the angel might have frightened Mary. 

Practice looking afraid. When you hear the word afraid 

in the Bible story, make your “afraid” face. 

The angels told both Mary and Joseph that Mary would 

have a baby and they should name Him Jesus. 

What part did Mary and Joseph have in God’s plan? 

God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly parents of 

Jesus. 

Show the “Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph” video, or tell 

the Bible story. 

Worship with song and pray 

Pray, thanking God for choosing Mary and Joseph to take 

care of Baby Jesus and for sending Jesus to earth. 

Pass the offering basket. Sing “Oh, How I Love Jesus” 

and say that Jesus was born as a baby on earth because God 

loves us. Sing “O Come, Let Us Adore Him.” 

Transition to small groups 

Describe the small group activities. Two activities, “Mary 

and Joseph Obeyed God” and “Play the Name Game” 

would work well as whole group activities. Use one of them 

at the first or last of the small group activities time. Play 

the song “Hurry, Hurry to Bethlehem” as children move to 

small groups. 

Christmas 


Small Group ACTIVITIES 







Tip: Select from the 

activities those you 

can staff and which 

suit your class’s 

interests. 

• Plan how many 

kids can work on an 

activity at the same 

time. 

LOW 

PREP 

• craft sticks 

• “Stick Puppet 

Outlines,” 1 per kid 

• construction paper 

• crayons or markers 

• child-size scissors 

• glue 

Small Group Activities (25–30 minutes) 

Mary and Joseph obeyed God 

Say • God knew that Mary and Joseph loved Him and 

would obey Him. When God sent angels to tell them 

they would be the parents of Jesus on earth, they did 

what God said. 

Play “Simon Says.” Kids listen to your instructions; they 

obey and do the action if you begin with the words “Simon 

says” but do nothing if you do not begin with “Simon says.” 

Form two groups to listen and obey. When a child is tricked, 

he transfers to the other group and continues playing. Kids 

practice listening and obeying, but nobody wins or loses! 

Tell the Bible story with craft stick puppets 

Photocopy the stick puppet outlines; older kids can make 

a complete set—the angel, Mary, Joseph, and Elizabeth. 

Younger kids may make only one or two. They will color 

the outlines, cut them out, glue them to construction paper 

(optional), and glue them to the top inch of a craft stick. 

Encourage them to play out the Bible story. 

Say • Mary and Joseph were going about their everyday 




• blocks 

• masking tape 

• pieces of wood or 

wooden blocks 

• sanding blocks or 

sandpaper 

• pencils 

• safety goggles 

(optional) 

Tip: If needed, 

explain the 

meaning of Jesus’ 

names. Jesus 

means “the Lord 

saves” (Matt. 

1:21). Immanuel 

means “God with 

us” (Matt. 1:23). 

Messiah means 

“anointed one” 

(Isa. 61:1). 

• countdown video 

(optional) 

business when an angel told each of them God’s plan. 

What part did Mary and Joseph have in God’s 

plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly 

parents of Jesus. 

Build a “J” 

Tape a large J on the floor. Challenge kids to build a 

J-shaped block wall. 

Say • Today’s story has people whose names begin with J. 

What was the name of Mary’s husband? (Joseph) 

What very special baby would be born? (Jesus) And 

Elizabeth’s baby would be named John. 

• What part did Mary and Joseph have in God’s 

plan? God chose Mary and Joseph to be the earthly 

parents of Jesus. 

Sand wood 

Use sanding blocks or sandpaper to sand pieces of wood or 

wooden blocks. Lightly print words on blocks with a pencil 

for kids to sand off. Include names from today’s Bible 

story: Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, angel. 

Say • Joseph was a carpenter. Do you think Jesus helped 

Joseph in the carpenter’s shop? 

Play the “Name Game” 

Sit in a circle and ask kids to join in a steady clap. Call 

out kids names and ask kids to mimic you. Start with their 

names. Say the names in a whisper, shout, fast, slow, robot, 

high pitched, and so on. Say names of Jesus throughout the 

game such as Messiah, Christ, Son of God, and Immanuel. 

Transition to large group closing 

Clean up after the activities and gather for a closing review. 

Christmas 


Large Group CLOSING 







• action song such as 

“I Like to March” or 

“Dancin’ Song” 

• Timeline Map 

• Bible 

• Big Picture Question 

Poster 

• Key Passage Poster 

• “He Was Born” song 

Large Group Closing (10+ minutes) 

Review with the timeline map 

Sing a happy action song such as “I Like to March” or 

“Dancin’ Song,” doing the actions in place. 

Help one child find and point to today’s Bible story on 

the timeline map (“God’s Plan Is Jesus” unit). Help another 

child find and point to what you have studied in recent 

weeks. Explain that a long time passed between what you 

have studied in recent weeks and the birth of Christ, which 

we study at Christmas. Show the Old Testament in your 

Bible; all the people in this part of the Bible lived before 

Jesus was born. 

Say • The entire Old Testament was built on the promise 

that Jesus would come, and God kept His promise. Jesus 

was born! 

Sing and Pray 

Say • Mary and Joseph were just regular people, but they 

trusted in God’s plan for them. What part did Mary and 

Joseph have in God’s plan? God chose Mary and Joseph 

to be the earthly parents of Jesus. 




• “Mission Project 

Announcement,” 

1 per kid 

• Follow church 

security rules as 

parents pick up their 

children. 

Sing “He Was Born.” Remind kids that Mary sang a song of 

praise to God because He chose her to be Jesus’ mother. 

Pray • Thank You, God, for the good news of great joy that 

Jesus was born, as You promised. 

Mission project 

Decorate an announcement to notify parents of a Christmas 

mission project. During the next two weeks, kids can bring 

cans of food for a food pantry or collect clothing items such 

as mittens (to make a mitten tree). Tell kids that you will 

decorate a collection box next week. (Gather stickers, old 

Christmas cards, drawings, or handprints to decorate the 

box for your collection.) See that each child leaves with her 

announcement. 

Play a Game 

Sing and do motions to the tune “The Farmer in the Dell”: 

Joseph had a saw; / Joseph had a saw. 

Saw, saw, saw the wood; / Joseph had a saw.” 

Ask kids to help you make up more verses about people in 

the Bible. For example: 

Noah built an ark; / Noah built an ark. 

Hammer, hammer on the boat; / Noah built an ark. 

Or 

Jacob made some stew; / Jacob made some stew. 

Stir, stir, stir the pot; / Jacob made some stew. 

Or mention kids and activities in the room: 

Annie built a tower; / Annie built a tower. 

Stack, stack, stack the blocks; / Annie built a tower. 

If you run out of verses, play “I Spy,” describing things in 

the room by color, size, and location. 

Greet parents as they arrive to pick up their kids. Tell 

them about the mission project. 

Christmas 


TM 

And the angel said to them, 

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you 

good news of great joy 

that will be for all the people. 

For unto you is born this day 

in the city of David a Savior, 

who is Christ the Lord. 

UNIT 4 • Key Passage Poster (ESV) 

© 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. 

OK tO print 

Luke 2:10-11 

Christmas

TM 

But the angel said to them, 

“Don’t be afraid, for look, 

I proclaim to you good news 

of great joy that will be for all 

the people: Today a Savior, who is 

Messiah the Lord, was born for you 

in the city of David.” 

UNIT 4 • Key Passage Poster (HCSB) 


OK tO print 

Luke 2:10-11 

Christmas

TM 

And the angel said unto them, 

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you 

good tidings of great joy, 

which shall be to all people. 

For unto you is born this day 

in the city of David a Saviour, 

which is Christ the Lord. 

UNIT 4 • Key Passage Poster (KJV) 


OK tO print 

Luke 2:10-11 

Christmas

TM 

And the angel said to them, 

“Do not be afraid; for behold, 

I bring you good news of a great joy 

which shall be for all the people; 

for today in the city of David 

there has been born for you 

a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 

UNIT 4 • Key Passage Poster (NASB) 


OK tO print 

Luke 2:10-11 

Christmas

TM 

But the angel said to them, 

“Do not be afraid. 

I bring you good news of great joy 

that will be for all the people. 

Today in the town of David 

a Saviour has been born to you; 

he is Christ the Lord. 

UNIT 4 • Key Passage Poster (NIV) 


OK tO print 

Luke 2:10-11 

Christmas

TM 

Then the angel said to them, 

“Do not be afraid, for behold, 

I bring you good tidings of great 

joy which will be to all people. 

For there is born to you this day 

in the city of David a Savior, 

who is Christ the Lord. 

UNIT 4 • Key Passage Poster (NKJV) 


OK tO print 

Luke 2:10-11 

Christmas

What part did Mary 

and Joseph have in 

God’s plan? 

TM 

UNIT 4 • Session 1 • Big Picture Question 


OK tO print 

God chose 

Mary and 

Joseph to be 

the earthly 

parents of 

Jesus. 

Christmas

TM 

UNIT 4 • Session 1 • Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph 


OK tO print 

Christmas

Mission Project Announcement 

Christmas Mission Project 

During the next two weeks, our class 

will collect _________________ to 

give to ______________________. 

Please include your preschooler in 

choosing what he or she will bring to 

contribute. 

We will have a collection box in our 

room for your child to put items in. 

Thank you! 

TM 




give to ______________________. 



contribute. 



Thank you! 

UNIT 4 • Session 1 • Mission Project Announcement 


OK tO print 

Instructions: Print an announcement for each child to take home. Fill in the blanks 

with what they are collecting and for whom. Let kids decorate the announcement. 




give to ______________________. 



contribute. 



Thank you! 

Christmas

Stick Puppet Outlines 

Instructions: Copy a set of puppets for each kid to color. Cut them out. Older kids can cut 

out their own puppets. Glue each puppet to a craft stick and use as suggested in the session. 

TM 

UNIT 4 • Session 1 • Stick Puppet Outlines 


OK tO print 

Christmas

Large Group - Wheaton Bible Church

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