Discover this Advent Sunday school lesson on Zechariah who meets the angel Gabriel

We offer you ten creative ideas that you can use in your Sunday school, kids ministry, children's church or youth work on the Bible story of Zechariah and the angel Gabriel in Luke 1: 5 - 25.

The Sunday School lesson consist fo the following ideas:

Idea 572:   Discarded or valuable?

Idea 573:   What number did you throw? - a Bible game / Icebreaker

Idea 574:   YouTube video and discussion – One Dayne Day

Idea 575:   Experiment – The Impossible Sumhe Impossible Sum

Idea 576:   No nice gift for Zachariah? - a creative activity

Idea 577:   Who is the angel Gabriel? - a creative activity

Idea 578:   Who can you trust? - a creative activity

Idea 579:   What did you say? - a Bible game

Idea 580:   I think God is really special, because... - a Bible game

Idea 581:   Keep that straw under your nose! - a fun Bible game

Discover this Advent lesson on Mary who meets the angel Gabriel

We offer you nine creative ideas that you can use in your Sunday school, kids ministry, children's church or youth work on the Bible story of Mary and the angel Gabriel in Luke 1: 26 - 38.

The Sunday School lesson consist fo the following ideas:

Idea 562:   A beautiful princess or just an ordinary girl?

Idea 563:   Icebreaker – the king that loves marshmallows!

Idea 564:   YouTube video and discussion – Eggs change

Idea 565:   Experiment – an Explosive Message

Idea 566:   Your Majesty - a creative activity

Idea 567:   His Name is Jesus! - a creative activity

Idea 568:   God looks at things differently to us - a creative activity

Idea 569:   The King / Queen says... - a Bible game

Idea 570:   Which animal is the most powerful? - a Bible game

A fun game about the Bible story of Mary's meeting with the angel Gabriel

In our story today the angel Gabriel tells Mary that Jesus will be the King of Israel and that there will be no end to his reign.

What does a king do? Is it easy or hard to obey a king?

What do you need:

- a toy crown

What do to:

This is an amended version of the well-known game ‘Simon says’.

Have the children stand in a circle, and have a leader stand in the middle of the circle. The leader is the king or queen, and wears the crown. The children have to obey him or her, but only if they use the words ‘The king says’ . So if the king says ‘The king says sit down’, then they have to sit down, but if the king only says ‘Sit down’ then they have to stay standing. The children who do sit down are out.
You can also have the children take it in turns to be the ‘king’ or ‘queen’.

In what ways is this similar to what a real king or queen would do? Why/ why not?
What sort of King is Jesus do you think?

A fun creative activity about the Bible story of Mary's meeting with the angel Gabriel

Gabriel promised that Mary’s child would be called the Son of God, and that he will reign for ever over Israel. What would you expect? A super hero, or a vulnerable baby?

God turns everything upside down, because He sees things differently to us…..

What do you need:

- magazines
- scissors
- a print out of the download (face).

You can download the face here: Upside-down-face---happy-or-sad.pdf

What do to:

Give the children a mix of magazines – some celebrity/fashion magazines, and also some magazines on Christian mission. Ask them to cut out photos of people who they think are heroes. They could be heroes for different reasons, not just for being famous.

Do:
Show the children the face that you have printed out.

Ask:
Is it happy or sad?

Tell:
It all depends on how you look at it

Do:
Show it both ways. 

Ask:
When is the face the right way round, and when it is upside down?

Tell:
Gabriel promised that Mary’s child would be called the Son of God, and that he will reign for ever over Israel.

Ask:
What would you expect? A super hero, or a vulnerable baby?

Tell:
We like to look at film stars, famous people, kings and queens. God likes to look at ordinary people, people like Mary and people like us.

Ask:
So who is now looking at things upside down?!

A fun creative activity about the Bible story of Mary's meeting with the angel Gabriel

Gabriel tells Mary that she has to give her son the name ‘Jesus’. But what does that mean?

What do you need:

- worksheet with the names of Jesus in many different languages

You can download the worksheet here: Names-of-Jesus-in-many-languages.pdf

What do to:

Ask the children if they know what their name means.

Show them the worksheet with the names of Jesus in different languages. Which of them can we pronounce? Which ones do you like? Which sound a bit strange to you? Which languages do you recognise?

Who knows why Mary had to call her son Jesus? What does the name mean?

The name Jesus comes from the name Joshua. Who knows who Joshua was?

Joshua and Jesus both mean ‘God saves’. Later in the Bible the disciples go on to tell the people:

There is no one else through whom we can be saved, because his name is the only one on earth that can save. (Acts 4:12)

Look together once again at the worksheet. Why is this name the only name that can save people?

A fun creative activity about the Bible story of Mary's meeting with the angel Gabriel

Gabriel tells Mary that her son Jesus will be the king of Israel and that he will reign for ever. How does it feel to be a king?

What do you need:

- a paper crown, beautifully decorated

What to do:

Ask the children:

- Who knows what the angel Gabriel told Mary? (He told her that Jesus would be a King.)
- What does a king or queen do? What do people do when they see a king or queen? (They honour the king or queen.)
- Who knows what this means? What do you do to honour a king or a queen? 

The children take it in turns to be the king or queen. They put on the crown and walk around the room pretending to be royal. The other children then ‘honour’ them – cheering, clapping, making way for them.  When each child has had a turn, ask them what it felt like to be a king or queen. What did you like / not like about it?

A fun way to introduce the theme of Mary meeting Gabriel

What do you need:

- a big bag of marshmallows

What do you do:

Have the children sit in a circle on the ground.

One by one the children introduce themselves, and are given three marshmallows, which they have to put in front of them.

One of the children starts as the king/queen. He or she stands in the middle of the circle. The aim is for the king to try and take the marshmallows from the children. The children can prevent this by calling out the name of another child if the king tries to take a marshmallow from them. If they say a name before the king has taken their marshmallow, the king has to then run to the child whose name has been called and take a marshmallow from them. But if that child also calls out the name of another child before their marshmallow has been taken…..then the king has to go to that child. And so on!

If the king does succeed in taking a marshmallow, they can eat it, and the child whose marshmallow was taken becomes the king.

Discover this Advent lesson on Mary who meets her elderly aunt Elisabeth, who is also pregnant

We offer you twelve creative ideas that you can use in your Sunday school, kids ministry, children's church or youth work on the Bible story of Mary and Elisabeth in Luke 1: 39 - 56

The Sunday School lesson consist fo the following ideas:

Idea 549:   Children’s moment/ introduction – a tie or an apron?

Idea 550:   Icebreaker – let that popcorn pop!

Idea 551:   Tips for telling the story of Mary meeting Elisabeth

Idea 552:   YouTube video and discussion – Memories

Idea 553:   Experiment – a Powerful Combination

Idea 554:   What is the meaning of being blessed? - an object lesson

Idea 555:   Create a chain reaction - a creative activity 

Idea 556:   Living Memory - an Advent Game

Idea 557:   Big Tummy race - a game

Idea 558:   Israel’s photo album - a craft idea

Idea 559:   What are you full of? - a Creative Prayer idea

Idea 660:   What makes your heart bubble up? - a Creative Prayer idea

An idea to help children to talk / communicate with God

A creative prayer idea about praising God. To be used with the story of Mary meeting Elisabeth and her song!

What do you need:

- bottles of bubble mix
- food colouring
- paper hearts and pens

What to do:

Put a few drops of food colouring in each of the bottles of bubble mix – a different colour in each bottle gives the best effect.

Give the children a paper heart and ask them to write things that they are thankful for, and what they want to thank God for.

Then show them how they can blow bubbles up against the paper hearts. When the bubbles burst they will leave their colour behind on the paper. The children can blow different colour bubbles to make a nice effect on their paper hearts.

An idea to help children to talk / communicate with God

A creative prayer idea about being thankful. To be used with the story of Mary meeting Elisabeth and her song!

What do you need:

- balloons

What to do:

Tell the children how Mary was full of what was happening to her….and that she was full of the Holy Spirit. She was about to burst with it!

Give each child a balloon and ask them to blow it up but don’t tie it. When the balloons have been blown up, ask the children ‘What are you full of?’ ‘What are you excited about?’ You could also ask them ‘What are you thankful for?’

The children can take it in turns to give their answer, and then let the balloon go – this will fly round the room as it empties!

A wonderful craft idea about the Bible story of Mary meeting Elisabeth

In her song Mary sings that God hasn’t forgotten His love for Israel. That’s why he is going to help His people. He had promised this to Abraham and to everyone who came after him.

Mary knows that the arrival of her child means that the God of all the stories in the Bible still loves his people. He hasn’t forgotten them at all.

What do you need:

- an empty photo album or file
- printed photo sheets - that you can download here.
- felt pens/crayons

What do to:

Ask:
Ask the children which of them has a photo book or scrap book at home?

Tell:
They are full of photos that help you remember what it was like when you were younger and what you did. 

I’ve got Israel’s photo album here . Only look…..it’s empty!

Do:
Show the children the empty photo album, or the file filled with the blank photo sheets.

Ask:
- How does Israel know that God loves them?
- Which stories/photos should be in their album?

Ask the children which stories they know from the Old Testament in which God shows that he loves the people of Israel.

Do:
Write the names of these stories on the sheets and ask the children who wants to make a ‘photo/drawing’ for which story.

Give each child their own sheet and ask them to draw something that illustrates that particular story.

When the drawings are finished, they all go in to the album – so we now have an album with many different ‘photos’ and stories, which will also help us to remember how much God loves us.

A fun creative activity about the Bible story of Mary's meeting her aunt Elisabeth

When Elisabeth heard May’s voice, the baby in her tummy started kicking and moving around. The Holy Spirit came over Elisabeth and she called out to Mary ‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear!’

What do you need:

- balloons
- an obstacle course in your location

What to do:

Divide the group into two and hold a relay race – set out an obstacle course and give each group a balloon.

When you say go, the first child in each team has to put the balloon up their t-shirt/jumper and run round the course. When they get back to the start they give the balloon to the next child in their group. If the balloon bursts the group has to blow up a new one before they can continue with the race. The winning group is the one in which all the children have completed the course.

A super fun reflection on the Bible story of Mary meeting her aunt Elisabeth

When you read this story you can see that from the very moment Mary and Elisabeth meet, things start to happen – a chain reaction is set in motion. The baby in Elisabeth’s tummy starts to move around, Elisabeth is filled with joy and calls out that Mary is blessed, and Mary sings a spontaneous song, because she’s so happy with what God is doing.

What do you need:
- marbles
- some pvc piping
- bottles
- domino pieces
- string
- etc...

What to do:
As a group, or in smaller groups, you can lay out a course in which one thing leads to another. It would be fun if you could end with a wow factor, which will have the children cheering and celebrating, just as Mary was celebrating all that God was doing.

For some inspiration, watch the following video:

In her song with her aunt Elisabeth, Mary sings that she has been blessed by God. What does this mean? In the case of Mary it meant that she:

- is chosen by God
- is special in God’s eyes
- is honoured
- receives good things from God

As children of God we have also been chosen by Him. We are also special. We are also honoured – we may call ourselves sons and daughters of the Most High. We also receive good things from God. But how can we make that clear to the children?

In this activity we’re going to use four gifts to teach this to the children. In each gift there’s something to help them understand what it means to be blessed.

What do you need:

- a beautifully wrapped gift containing badges that say ‘Chosen by God’
- a beautifully wrapped gift containing two mirrors: one that has written on it: ‘I am special because…..’ and the other that has written on it ‘God thinks I’m special because…..’
- a beautifully wrapped gift containing a golden plastic crown
- a beautifully wrapped gift containing a dream cloud (using white card cut out the shape of a cloud).

Gift 1 – I have been chosen by God

Ask one of the children to open the first gift. It contains enough badges for each child. The badge reads ‘Chosen by God’. The children can put on the badges.
Tell the children how Maria was chosen by God to carry his child, and how we have all been chosen by God to be his child. That’s just as special. Elisabeth called Mary blessed because she had been chosen by God. We too can call each other blessed, as we have been chosen by Him.

Ask the children to tell each other that they are blessed. How does that feel?

Gift 2 – God thinks I’m special 

Ask another child to open the next gift. In it there are two mirrors. The text ‘I am special because….’ has been written on the first mirror. Show this one to the children first and have them take it in turns to look in the mirror and say what makes them special. This could be anything – where they come from, what they want to be, a hobby they have, or something that they are good at. Elisabeth thinks Mary is special, because God thinks she is special. This is why she calls Mary blessed. You’re blessed because God thinks you’re special.

Take the second mirror – on this one is written: ‘God thinks I’m special because…”

Ask which of the children wants to hold the mirror and finish the sentence.

Do you know what’s so great? God thinks we’re all special. He made us. He loves us. He chose us to be his sons and daughters. God loves you just as much as He loves Jesus, and if you discover that, you will really be able to call yourself ‘blessed’.

Gift 3 – I feel honoured

Ask another child to open the third gift – in it there’s a golden toy crown. The children can take turns to wear it. When a child is wearing the crown ask the other children to look at him or her and say ‘You are a child of the Most High’. The child answers ‘I feel honoured’. The children can then answer, ‘We are honoured too, because you are a part of this group’.

We may feel honoured when we discover : - that we are sons and daughters of the Most High. - that we are part of a group in which others are also sons and daughters of the Most High.

Gift 4 – good things from God

Ask a child to open the last gift. This contains the dream cloud – ask the children to take turns holding it.

When a child is holding it, ask him or her:
- which famous person would you like to be friends with?
- what would be the best thing that that person could say about you?

When each child has had a turn, tell them that it’s fun to dream, but that those sorts of dreams seldom come out. But there is another dream that can come out. God says that He wants to be our friend.

Ask the children to hold the cloud again in turn and say what the greatest think would be that God could say to them.

A fun science experiment that you can use with the story of Mary meeting her aunt Elisabeth

Mary was so full of thankfulness, so full of what had happened to her and so full of the Holy Spirit that something was bound to happen. It was a powerful combination.
Today we’re also going to make a powerful combination.

What do you need:

- bicarbonate of soda
- vinegar
- kitchen roll
- sandwich bags that are airtight when closed (those with a zip top).

What to do:

Do:
Put a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda into a piece of kitchen roll and fold it tight. Now take a sandwich bag with a zip top and pour some vinegar into it. Close the zip to halfway. Now push the folded piece of kitchen paper with bicarbonate of soda in it into the bag. Close the bag up quickly and shake It gently.

Ask:
What happens when the bicarbonate of soda comes into contact with the vinegar?

Tell:
Hopefully this is also a powerful combination! Maybe just as powerful as what happened to Mary.

Ask:
Is something already bubbling up?

Using this secular YouTube film you can talk with the children and go deeper into the meaning of the Bible story of Mary meeting her aunt Elisabeth

A family is watching old videos - it’s fun to bring back all the old memories. Then the son of the family sees something that makes him realise that he was switched as a baby, and is therefore not a true member of the family.

Quickly he breaks the video tape in two…

Why does this film go with today’s Bible story?

In her song Mary sings that God has not forgotten His love for Israel. That’s why he is always coming to the aid of his people. That is what he had promised to his friend Abraham and to everyone who came after him.

Mary knows that the birth of her child means that the God of all the ancient stories in the Bible, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jonah and Noah still loves His people. He has not forgotten them.

Important questions:

It’s important to always watch the film yourself beforehand and to ask yourself:

- do I want to show this to the children?
- does this film work in the context and age-range of the children I am working with?

If you choose to show this YouTube video, we suggest you use the following steps:

Step 1 – What is your earliest memory? (5 minutes)

Share one of your earliest memories with the children – maybe bring something with you to demonstrate this.

Then ask the children about their earliest memories, or their nicest memories. What will they never forget?

Step 2: Watch the video ‘Memories’ with each other (5 minutes)

Step 3: Why does the son break the videotape? (5 minutes)

In this film the son discovers that he was switched as a baby and that he is not the couple’s real son.

Why does he break the videotape? How many reasons for this can you think of together?

Maybe the son doesn’t want his family to discover this, but perhaps he would rather forget it himself.

Do you think that the son will ever be able to forget it? Why/why not?

There are some things that you can never forget! In her song Mary sings about something that God can never forget. Who knows what God can never forget?

An icebreaker as part of the Bible story where the pregnant Mary meets her pregnant aunt Elisabeth

Tell the children that everything’s going to start bubbling up in this weeks’ story. The baby in Elisabeth’s tummy jumps for joy, Elisabeth calls out that Mary is blessed, and Mary suddenly starts singing a song. Everything starts bubbling up and happening, just like the popcorn that starts jumping all over the place.

What do you need?

- microwave popcorn and a microwave
- OR corn, oil, a pan. a camping stove and paper cups

What to do:

In the microwave:
- make the popcorn and give each children a handful op popcorn

On the camping stove:
Be careful! This activity is not without its own risks! Prepare it well beforehand and make sure you have enough leaders. The effect can be fun and exciting.
Make sure you create a safe environment by making sure that the children are sitting in a circle around the camping stove at a good distance. Make sure the camping stove is on a sturdy surface. Heat a little oil and get the popcorn popping, but don’t put the lid on. Then you will see it fly all over the place as it starts to pop! Maybe the children will be able to catch a bit in their paper cups as it pops out of the pan! You could always have made some earlier that you can give to the children to eat at the end if they haven’t been able to catch much.

An easy to do gospel illussion from Richard Lenski

You can use this gospel illusion from Richard Lenski in your children's ministry, Sunday school or kidmin. You don't have to be a Christian magician to do this trick.

Material Needed:

- Professors Nightmare.

Having the ropes with candy cane stripes would be helpful.  You can find this rope online or make your own with a red marker and white rope. Won’t be easy, but it will look good.

You can learn how to do this gospel illusion / magic trick through this video below here:

Let’s make a difference this Christmas

This is an interesting Advent idea for use at home or within your kids ministry or Sunday school lesson.

Create a pile of activity cards. Each Sunday of Advent, ask a child to pick one of the activity cards – hold them so that the child can’t see which card they are choosing. This card is the coming task for the coming week. You can fulfil this task as a group or as a family.

You can think of lots of fun and interesting tasks such as:

- Make a Christmas card for someone
- Clean up the rubbish in your park
- Sweep the street
- Give food to a foodbank or to someone who needs it
- Buy a cup of coffee for a homeless person
- Make a present for someone who is lonely
- Give someone a compliment
- Create your own bird feeder
- Bake cookies and share them with neighbours and friends

You can think of twenty or more activities that you can do as a family or as a children’s group.

God is not far away from us. In Jesus He came so close…

A fun Christmas idea on God coming to us in His son Jesus. You can use this Advent idea at home or in your children’s ministry. 

Put a Lego figure into a small cup of water and put this into a freezer. Once it is frozen take it out and show it to the kids. Explain to them that when we celebrate Christmas we celebrate that God became like us. In Jesus He became a man. God is not very far away - show your hands and move them far away from the Lego figure in the ice. But through Jesus He has come very close – put your hands on the ice block.

By reading the Bible, praying and going to church we can grow closer to Him. This is what God wants for us, because He loves us so much. His love makes you warm. Shall we see if we can make this block of ice warm, so that it will melt. How can we do that?

What on earth could be the link between cornflakes, a magnet and the star of Bethlehem?

To find out, you’ll have to watch this surprising TheDadLab video below. It is another one of his great, short videos on easy to do science experiments.

Just as the cornflake is pulled along by the magnet held above it, so the (three) wise men experience the pull of the star. It leads them towards Bethlehem, where they will worship Jesus and present their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

"They went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed." Matthew 2: 9 - 10

This is a great object lesson to illustrate the Christmas story of the wise men following the star of Bethlehem.

It is fun and easy to do with the children. They can take it in turns to try moving a cornflake over the water.

Themes:

The Magi, the (three wise men, the (three) kings, the star of Bethlehem, God's direction

What do you need:

- a strong magnet
- fortified cornflakes (check the label to see how much iron each serving contains—the more the better!) 
- a bowl of water

A fun activity that will help you to start thinking about Advent.

Is there someone pregnant in the church or someone you know. Maybe it is a fun idea to invite her to the children’s program, Sunday school lesson or kids ministry.

Maybe she can share what it feels like to be pregnant. Has she even felt her baby kicking? Or even leaping, like Elizabeth? Maybe some children can feel the tummy and see if the baby moves.

How do think this would have been for Mary and Elizabeth? (10 - 15 min)

Scripture reference:

Luke 1:41-42  (NIV)

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!

You can use this idea in a:

Sunday School lesson, Sunday school class, Sunday school curriculum, children's ministry, kids time

A fun final act that will make people leave with a smile on their faces

This is probably one of my favourite magic tricks. I currently use it as an ending to two of my Christian children's theatre shows. I like it because it is so easy, but it always gives a 'wow' effect. 

Take the red umbrella out of the tube. When you open the umbrella you can show that it is a normal one. You close the umbrella and put it back into the tube. Now show eight different coloured silks to the audience. Then put them into a bag, and suddenly the bag changes into the top of the umbrella and all the silks have disappeared. Pick up the tube and pull the umbrella out. Now the top has been disappeared and instead of the top, the eight silks are hanging on the umbrella.

In your Christmas show you use this trick to answer the question: Who is welcome in the stable? Who can find a place of refuge with Jesus?

Watch the video:

In the video below I will show you how you can use this amazing act during your Christmas service, school assembly or in your Sunday school lesson.

You can buy your copy of the Magic Umbrella Deluxe through the site of Dynamite Magic.

Don't forget – any children’s worker can do this! It only needs a little bit of practice. So give it a try!

A spectacular act that is so easy to do it will surprise you!

The following act is all about the Magi arriving at the stable and giving their presents to Joseph and Mary. It is educational, fun and spectacular with some magic fire at the end of the act. And you know what? You can do this too. It is so easy...

The Magi arrived in Bethlehem and saw Jesus. They worshipped him and give him their presents. To demonstrate the giving of these three presents you use The Incredible Kettle and pour water in the first glass. Somewhere during the pouring the water turns red.

Who knows what the red present was? Incense!

Now you pour the second glass and to your surprise the water turns yellow. This yellow water is a symbol for the second present: gold!

And the third present?

Again you pour water in a glass. This time the water turns green: myrrh!

After pouring the water you lift off the lid, reach in and pull out a long (and bone dry) rainbow streamer! This streamer is a demonstration of the celebration in the stable.

To create a spectacular moment, take a piece of flash paper and light it! This will create a real flame in the air. The boys especially will love this!

You can finish this act with a dove pan and a large sponge cake. 

Watch the video:

In the video below I will show you how you can use this amazing act during your Christmas service, school assembly or in your Sunday school lesson.

Don't forget – any children’s worker can do this! It only needs a little bit of practice. So give it a try!

Use the puzzle piece of the presents to introduce the story line of the Magi.

After completing the several different acts about the shepherds. take the fourth piece of the puzzle out of the folder. It's a picture of a present. You can talk about all the different presents that we hope to get at Christmas. Put this picture on the board and you are ready to start the following act: introducing the Magi.

Use the picture of the present to talk about the Magi who brought their own presents for Jesus: gold, incense and myrrh. It is important to ignore the hole in the middle of the puzzle. Just act like you haven't seen it and don't mention it yet!

This fourth piece of the puzzle helps you introduce the story of the Magi and their presents.

You can do this too during your Christmas service, school assembly or in your Sunday school lesson

In idea 289 I demonstrate the use of the Christmas puzzle as the main story line in a Christmas show

Any children’s worker can tell this story using the Gospel magic trick of the Joker Tube / Stratosphere

Ask a child to come forward as a volunteer and show him/her the Joker Tube and asks if he knows what order the colours are in a traffic light. Red at the top, yellow in the middle and green at the bottom. The child gives you the coloured balls and you put them in the right order into the tube. Then you start telling the story...

"Joseph and Mary have travelled a long way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It’s busy. Lots of people have come to register. Joseph looks at Mary. He knows that she can give birth any moment soon. It’s important for him to find an inn where they can stay.

He knocks on the door of the first inn he comes across. “Hello, do you have a place for us to stay for the night?”

You look questioningly at the child and the child says ‘no’. You lift the covering of the tube and the lights are all mixed up.

Joseph is confused. How can this happen? Mary trusted God. He trusted God and now there is no place for them to stay. No place where the son of God can be born? Joseph doesn’t understand. How is this possible?

Take the three balls out of the tube and put them back again in the right order.

Joseph starts to worry a little now. Quickly he rushes to the next inn. He knocks on the door of the second inn. “Hello, my wife is pregnant. Do you have a place for us to stay for the night?”

You look again questioningly at the child and the child says again ‘no’. You lift the covering of the tube and the lights are all mixed up again for the second time.

Joseph starts to panic. How can this happen? Will God desert them? Is God not to be trusted?

Take the three balls out of the tube and this time you put them back again in a different order: yellow first, then red and then lastly green.

Joseph knows he has one more opportunity. The last inn in Bethlehem. He runs as fast as he can and knocks at the door. “Hello, my wife can give birth any moment now. Please, please, do you have a room for us? Have mercy!”

You look questioningly at the child for the last time and the child says ‘no’ for the third time. You lift the covering of the tube and this time there are two red lights in your traffic light and the green light has disappeared. You’ll hear the amazement from your public and you use this amazement to focus on Joseph’s amazement.

How is this possible? Why has God deserted them? Why? It wasn’t easy for Joseph to marry a pregnant Mary. Everyone in the village had spoken of their shame. But he did it, because he trusted God and now this. How can it be?

And then someone, we don’t know who, shows love and compassion to Joseph and Mary. God does care for them. Someone has a place for them in a stable.

You take the three balls out of the tube and this time you put them back again in a different order: In the stable is some straw: the yellow ball. There is a small manger: the red ball and some blankets: another red ball.

That night Joseph and Mary discover that they can trust God. He does take care of them. That the night the traffic light in Bethlehem turns...

You lift the cover away from the tube.

Green!! Green for Joseph and Mary. Green for us all."

Tthank the child who helped you and make sure he/she gets a round of applause. Then go straight into the end of the Cut and Restore trick and ask the girl who took care of your rope and knot to come forward and demonstrate the birth of Jesus Christ this way. Immanuel - God coming down to earth.

To demonstrate this you keep the rope vertical and move your hand down from the top to the bottom. When you reach the knot half way down the rope you move the knot down as you keep talking about God coming down from heaven.

Ask the girl to open her hands and slowly let the knot drop into her hands. Jesus is born in the stable and I ask her to take care of Jesus. She can keep the knot as a symbol of Jesus being born. Before she leaves the stage make sure she gets a around of applause.

You can do this too during your Christmas service, school assembly or in your Sunday school lesson

Watch the demonstration video

You can see me doing a full demonstration of this story and magic trick in the video below.

Don't forget – any children’s worker can do this Gospel magic trick. It only needs a little bit of practice. So give it a try!

Use the puzzle piece of the candle to introduce the story line of Joseph and Mary 

After your own act about trusting using slush powder it is time to take the second piece of the puzzle out of the folder. It's a picture of a candle.

Put the second picture on the board; you can use the candle to talk about the dark times that the people of Israel were living in. Hundreds of years ago God had made a promise that the people walking in darkness would see a great light, but they couldn’t see anything yet. God still seemed very far away. The Romans were an occupying force that used brutal force to suppress the Israelites. There was lots of poverty. It was a dark time to be living in.

This second piece of the puzzle helps you to introduce the story of Mary’s meeting with the angel. 

You can do this too during your Christmas service, school assembly or in your Sunday school lesson

In idea 289 I demonstrate the use of the Christmas puzzle as the main story line in a Christmas show

Any children’s or Sunday school worker can do this! You don’t have to be a professional to do this show!

You can start your Christmas show with the presentation of the Christmas Puzzle.  In total the show lasts about an hour, but of course you can make the show longer or shorter if you want. You can use a sketchboard / wooden board and velcro to stick the pieces of the puzzle onto the board.

Tell the children that the postman came to bring a parcel that didn’t fit through the post box, so he had to ring on your doorbell. You don’t know what is in the parcel. That’s exciting! Let’s have a look.

Take out the first piece of the puzzle. It's a picture of a Christmas tree. Put the first picture on the board and you are ready to start with your first act on the theme of trust.

In my case this is a ventriloquist act with my puppet Harry, but I have created another easier act for you.

The five pieces of the puzzle provide the main story line within the Christmas show. It helps you to tell all the individual stories and to combine them into one big story.

You can do this too during your Christmas service, school assembly or in your Sunday school lesson

In idea 289I demonstrate the use of the Christmas puzzle as the main story line in a Christmas show.

Symbols on the candle as silent prayers...

On the floor in the middle of the prayer room there is a very large candle. Next to it there’s a notice that explains that this candle is going to be used in the services in the coming year, as a symbol of Jesus’ presence. We do this to remind ourselves that Jesus is the Light of the world and that He is always with us. Next to the candle are sheets of coloured candle wax. Children and adults can use this to decorate the candle, so that it will really become ‘their’ candle in the coming year.  

What do you need:

-  a very large candle
-  sheets of coloured (candle) wax
-  a pair of scissors

Biblical themes:

Creative prayer, burning a candle, Christmas, Easter, light of the world

Setting:

Children's Sunday School, children's ministry, children's work, kids ministry, Messy church,  small churches , prayer room

Scripture reference:

1 John 5:14-16, 1 Chronicles 16:11, 2 Chronicles 6:21, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Ephesians 1:18, Ephesians 6:18, Jeremiah 29:12, Job 22:27, John 17:15, James 5:13, Mark 11:24, Matthew 5:44, Matthew 6:7, Matthew 26:41, Proverbs 15:8, Psalm 17:6, Psalm 102:17, Psalm 141:2, Romans 12:2, Romans 12:12, Psalm 4:1, Psalm 145:18, Luke 11:2-4, Proverbs 15:29, Matthew 6:9-13, Matthew 7:11, Luke 6:12, Luke 18:1, Romans 8:26, Philippians 4:6, Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 1 Timothy 2:8, Hebrews 4:14, James 1:7, James 4:3, James 5:16, 1 John 1:9, 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Create an unforgettable experiment for your Sunday school class

Did you know that you can create the most beautiful colour effects, even a rainbow, in a bowl of milk? The only things you need for this is a bowl of milk, different colours of food colouring (liquid) and a drop of washing up liquid.

This is not just a really fun craft, it is also a cool science experiment that will appeal to both the girls and the boys in your Sunday school class or your children’s ministry.

You can combine this experiment with several Bible stories or Christian themes:

The story of creation - creating something that is beautiful  (Genesis 1)
The story of Noah and the rainbow – creating a rainbow in the milk (Genesis 9:8-17)
The story of the Bethlehem star – creating a star in the milk (Matthew 2: 1-12)|
The theme of light conquering darkness – this works really well if you use lots of dark colours in the milk.
The theme of the cross – maybe it is an accident, but most of the effects in the video below change into a cross.

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