Leader Guide

Teaching

Have children sit in a circle if possible.

Let’s say our SuperTruth today: “I want Jesus to be Lord of my life.”

That sounds very nice—but what does Lord mean?

Lord means a master or ruler; someone with power and authority over others. When we ask Jesus to be our Lord, we are saying that we will obey Him, we will respect His power and authority in our lives, and we allow Him to guide our lives according to God’s will. Who gave Jesus His authority and appointed Him Lord?

Read Acts 2:36:

“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

Messiah means “Anointed One” or “Chosen One.” God Himself appointed Jesus to be Lord of all!

Hold up the “No Vacancy” sign for the children.

What does this sign mean? There is no room available.

Where might you find this sign? Hotels, motels, campgrounds, and other lodgings.

How would you connect this sign to the first Christmas? Mary and Joseph couldn’t find a room to stay in when they arrived in Bethlehem.

Put the sign around your neck.

What would you think if you came to talk to me, and I put this sign on?

You wouldn’t feel very welcome, would you? No.

You would think I didn’t have a place for you in my life. Sometimes we can wear an invisible No Vacancy sign, telling Jesus that we don’t have a place for Him in our hearts or time for Him in our lives. We want to control our lives and be our own lord. Or, sometimes we only let Him be Lord of a tiny bit of our lives: “Here, Jesus, You can be the Lord of my life every Sunday morning, and I’ll control the rest of my time!”

Our SuperTruth says, “I want Jesus to be Lord of my life.” Your whole life—every piece and every moment!

Read Proverbs 3:6 (nkjv):

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

In how many ways should we recognize Jesus as our Lord? In all our ways.

We want Him to rule in every part of our life! That means taking this sign off. Take off the sign and dramatically tear it up, then hold up the Welcome Mat sign for children to see. Have you ever seen a sign like this on a building, or on a mat by someone’s front door?

Making Jesus Lord means welcoming Him into every area of our lives.

Place the Welcome Mat in the center of the class circle.

Let’s welcome Jesus among us as we pray! Lord Jesus, it’s sad to think that the innkeeper in Bethlehem had no room for You. God, show us ways that we can welcome You and make room for You in every area of our lives each day. Allow children some time for God to speak to their hearts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Did anyone sense God speaking to their hearts about how we can put Him first?

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Let’s talk about the Discipleship Challenge we started in our last lesson.

Hand out invitations and supplies to any child who did not receive them or who already gave them away. Briefly explain what the challenge consists of for these children.

Jesus came to be Lord in everyone’s life, but sadly not everyone knows that the gift of Jesus, who God sent to Earth, is for them! Has anyone thought of two people you would like to invite to church or given out the invitations?

Please continue to pray and give them out in the next couple of days.

Close in prayer, asking God to bless the invitations that the children are giving out so that others will come to know Him.