Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Welcome, everyone! Today we will watch a Bible story about the birth of John the Baptist. Why was he called “the Baptist”? He baptized people.

In this story, we will learn that nothing is impossible with God. Now, let’s begin the video and see what is happening with Chris, Joy and Gizmo!

Play Video 2: Chris and Joy’s Dilemma (8 minutes)

Chris and Joy's Dilemma

Joy loses her patience while babysitting energetic little Charlie.

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

The SuperTruth for today is: “Nothing is impossible with God.” Let’s say that together. "Nothing is impossible with God."

In today’s video, we will see two miracles that are only possible by the power of God.

Have you ever said that you would never like something or never do something?

Did you ever change your mind?

Why didn’t Joy want to babysit Chris’ neighbor, little Charlie? He ran around the house full of constant energy, his playful nature tested her patience. He dumped his snack on the floor and put the bowl on Joy’s head.

What did Chris do to make matters even worse for Joy? He volunteered Joy to help with Charlie while his mother finished preparing dinner. Chris told his mother how much Joy liked little children.

Joy said she wouldn’t watch Charlie; not now or ever! Let’s watch the rest of the video and see if that is true. Sometimes what seems impossible becomes possible!

Play Video 3: Bible Story and Resolution (16 minutes)

Bible Story and Resolution

Superbook takes Chris, Joy, Gizmo, and Charlie to meet Elizabeth and Zechariah, who learn they will have a baby in their old age. Our heroes deduce from past adventures that Elizabeth’s unborn baby will grow up to be John the Baptizer. They also learn that God has amazing plans for each of us, and every child can grow up to be someone special.

Play Video 10A: SuperVerse Graphic 1

Graphic loops 2.5 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat the verse.

SuperVerse Graphic 1

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

Today’s SuperVerse in Luke 1:37 says:

“For nothing is impossible with God.”

Who said this in the Bible story? The Angel Gabriel.

Who was he talking to? Mary.

Is there anything that God can’t do?

This verse tells us that nothing is impossible for us when we believe in God! Let’s say our SuperVerse together. Luke 1:37:

“For nothing is impossible with God.”

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group.

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Let’s pray. Dear God, the angel Gabriel declared that nothing is impossible with You. Help us believe in Your Word like Mary and allow You to do amazing things in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Let’s go to our Small Group where you will play a very fast and fun game called Grab, Build and Balance. Let’s go see what it’s all about.

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Game

Who remembers our SuperTruth?

Let’s all say it together: “Nothing is impossible with God.”

We are going to play a challenging game.

Here’s a clue: It’s important to remember each word in the SuperTruth so you can quickly recognize any words that are NOT in the SuperTruth! It might be difficult, or maybe even impossible? Let’s find out!

Divide the class into teams of six children each. If there are fewer than twelve children, some may need to hold two plates—one in each hand.

Have the teams stand at opposite ends of the room.

Place all balloons randomly in the center of the floor between the teams.

Give five paper plates to each team.

Five players for each team stand in a horizontal line, shoulder to shoulder, each holding a plate.

The sixth player for each team will gather the balloons. If that player cannot read, a volunteer should help the child.

Say “Go!”

The gatherer for each team quickly walks to the balloons and picks one balloon with a word from the SuperTruth. Players must be careful not to take one of the four balloons with words that are not in the SuperTruth—“possible” and “everything.” If they do, they must return it before they get a different balloon.

The gatherers then quickly walk back to their teams and place the balloon on the plate held by the player on the left. The SuperTruth must be displayed from left to right.

Players must balance their plates so balloons don’t roll off. That player begins gently bouncing the balloon in the air with the plate. If a balloon falls, only the player gathering balloons can put it back on the plate.

When the entire SuperTruth appears in order on the plates, the whole team shouts the SuperTruth. The first team to do so scores one point. Play continues until all teams have assembled and shouted the SuperTruth.

If time permits, mix all of the balloons in the middle again and continue to play with a different gatherer for each team.

The team with the highest score wins.

For an additional challenge, the gatherer must bounce the balloon in the air instead of simply carrying it back to their team.

Conclusion: That looked like fun! Was it difficult to balance and bounce the balloons?

Did your arms begin to get tired?

It may have been difficult; however, it wasn’t impossible, right?

Let’s learn more about how God performed what was really impossible for people!

Teaching

Can you name some situations that seemed impossible in the Superbook video? The births of John and Jesus. Joy didn’t want to babysit Charlie.

Many times situations seem impossible, and maybe they are impossible for people—but not for God! Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “Nothing is impossible with God.”

Today, our SuperTruth is also our SuperVerse! This will make it easy to learn, right?

Have you ever created a great plan and then realized it was impossible to do it? That is never the case with God’s plans!

Read Jeremiah 32:19a (cev):

With great wisdom You make plans, and with Your great power You do all the mighty things You planned.

God has all wisdom to create plans and also the power and ability to complete them!

Elizabeth and Zechariah were quite old when Gabriel told Zechariah that God was giving them a son. And Mary wasn’t married to Joseph when Gabriel told her she would have a baby! In both cases, God was preparing them for a miracle!

Let’s discuss how Zechariah and Mary reacted to Gabriel’s news. First, how did Zechariah react? Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear. He also asked Gabriel a question.

Optional: have the children look up and take turns reading Luke 1:11–20.

¹¹ While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. ¹² Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. ¹³ But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. ¹⁴ You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. ¹⁶ And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” ¹⁸ Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” ¹⁹ Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was He who sent me to bring you this good news! ²⁰ But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

Now how did Mary react? Mary was disturbed, confused, afraid, and asked Gabriel a question.

Optional: have the children look up and take turns reading Luke 1:26–38.

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. ²⁸ Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” ²⁹ Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. ³⁰ “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you will name Him Jesus. ³² He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. ³³ And He will reign over Israel forever; His Kingdom will never end!” ³⁴ Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” ³⁵ The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and He will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. ³⁷ For the word of God will never fail.” ³⁸ Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Their reactions seem similar, don’t they?

So why was Gabriel disturbed by Zechariah’s response and not with Mary’s?

Let’s look closer at how Zechariah answered Gabriel. Read Luke 1:18:

“How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

When Zechariah asked how he could be sure this would happen, it seems that he was asking for a sign because he doubted God’s plan could happen. Instead of focusing on God’s limitless power and ability, Zechariah focused on human thinking, that He and his wife were too old to have a baby. Write “IMPOSSIBLE” on the board in large letters.

Now let’s look at Mary. She tried to understand Gabriel’s amazing news that she would give birth to the Son of the Most High! She asked Gabriel, “How can this happen,” not “How can I be sure?” There is a difference. Mary’s question was not based on doubt or unbelief. Gabriel answered that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of God would overshadow her—nothing was impossible with God! It was not about what Mary could do; it was about what God can do! Mary only needed to believe, obey, and allow God to work in her! And how did she respond?

Read Luke 1:38:

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Erase “IM” from the board, to reveal the word POSSIBLE. Mary did not ask how she could be sure; Mary accepted, believed, and submitted her life to God as part of His plan! She believed everything was possible with God!

What happened to Zechariah when he didn’t believe Gabriel? Zechariah was struck silent until the baby was born.

Why? He wasn’t sure God’s plan was possible.

See Luke 1:19–20. Add “IM” back to the word on the board.

Now let’s think about Elizabeth. What did she tell Mary?

Read Luke 1:45:

“You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said.”

Erase the “IM” on the board. Mary showed her faith in God’s promise by singing a song of praise BEFORE her child was born. See Luke 1:46–55. Zechariah praised God and prophesied about God’s mighty plan after John was born. See Luke 1:67–79.

God did what He said He would do for Mary, and also for Zechariah and Elizabeth. As God’s children, we will have doubts, fears and questions as we follow Jesus. We may hear others tell us something is impossible. Add the “IM” to the board. God has provided the Holy Spirit to us to teach, strengthen and assure us. This is the same Holy Spirit who came upon Mary and who filled Elizabeth, Zechariah, John, and Jesus! With God’s help, we can believe by faith that all things are truly possible with God. Erase the “IM.”

That reminds me of our SuperTruth! Let’s say it together: “Nothing is impossible with God.”

Gabriel told Zechariah that God heard his prayers. God hears our prayers today! Now, let’s learn more about our Discipleship Challenge, which is about prayer!

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Display the Prayer Journal you made before class. Give each child a Prayer Journal cover and Prayer Journal Pages, plus hole punches and leather pieces, yarn, or twine to assemble them. Children should carefully cut apart the pages, then follow the instructions to assemble the pieces and write their names on the back cover. Assist as necessary, especially with tying the knots.

As the incense burned in the Temple, the people prayed. Read Psalm 141:1–2:

O Lord, I am calling to You. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to You for help! Accept my prayer as incense offered to You, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.

Have children open their Prayer Journals to the first page. Our challenge for the three lessons in this course is to keep a journal of your praises to God, your prayers, and how He answers your prayers so you can thank Him! Each day, your challenge is to write something in each section: 1. Praise God as Mary did, for being God and saving you! 2. Bring your needs and the needs of others to God. God heard Zechariah and He hears you! 3. Write God’s answers in this section, and also how He may speak to your heart as you listen. He did great things for Mary, Zechariah, and His people; He will do great and mighty things for you!

Next time we meet, you can share how God has answered your prayers, if you’d like to tell us.

SuperVerse

Our SuperVerse is Luke 1:37:

“For nothing is impossible with God.”

This is a great verse to memorize! It is only six words and you can quickly speak it in faith wherever you are—in any situation! Because of the game we played earlier, many of you can probably say the verse from memory right now. Raise your hand to try! Call on a few children who raise their hands. Have them say the SuperVerse with their eyes closed.

Hold the balloon as you stand in a circle with the children. Larger classes may split into two or more circles, with one balloon per circle.

Explain that you will throw the balloon up and say the first word of the SuperVerse, then the next child in the circle should quickly say the second word, and so on.

The goal is for the children to complete the entire verse one word at a time—including the reference, if possible!—before the balloon falls to the ground.

Once the balloon is thrown, no one should try to keep it in the air longer.

When the balloon lands on the floor, whoever is closest to it should retrieve it, throw it up in the air, and say the first word. The next child says the next word, and play continues.

Children may look at the board if they are having difficulty.

After a couple of rounds, erase the verse from the board.

Prayer

In the Bible story, what had Elizabeth and Zechariah prayed for? A child.

Why do you think it might have seemed impossible for this prayer to be answered? See Luke 1:7. Elizabeth was unable to have children and now they were both very old—past childbearing age.

Read Luke 1:13–14:

But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

What wonderful news that Gabriel brought to Zechariah. God heard their prayers, and His answer was a baby boy! There would be much joy and gladness at his birth.

Is there something today that seems difficult or even impossible? Do you face an assignment at school that you think you can’t do? Or do you have a problem at home that you think is impossible to fix? Remember, nothing is impossible with God!

Ask the children to pray silently about anything that seems difficult or impossible to them, and then believe that God will answer their prayers.

Close in prayer: Dear God, as Mary, Elizabeth and Zechariah learned, nothing is impossible with You. We agree together in faith for each other today. As the incense in the temple rose to heaven—our prayers rise to You today. We believe You not only hear us, You also answer. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Word Game

Jesus and John the Baptist were miracle births in the Bible. As Gabriel said to Mary: Nothing is impossible with God! Did you know that there were many other humanly impossible births in the Bible? Yes, God answered the prayers of parents who could not have babies.

Optional question for Grades 1–3: Can you name any of them?

See list below for answers.

In this game, you will work together as a class to reveal the names of babies, parents, or other important characters for each impossible birth that God made possible! Be sure to guess carefully before all of the rattles disappear! Are you ready for the challenge?

Draw blank lines corresponding to the number of letters in a word. For example, draw five blank lines for Isaac.

Place or draw the same number of baby rattles under the word. One will be taken away for each incorrect letter that is guessed. You may use more baby rattles for younger children if desired.

Going in order around the room, allow one child at a time to guess one letter on their turn.

If the letter that was guessed is in the word, write it into the blank/s where it occurs in the word or phrase.

If the letter is not in the word, take down or erase one baby rattle, then write the incorrect letter below the other rattles for children to reference.

Continue until the word is completed or all the rattles are gone.

Players may only try to guess the word on their turn. An incorrect word guess erases two rattles!

Do not allow children to shout words on others’ turns.

Put additional rattles on the board for each new word.

After all the words are used for one Bible story, use the information below to briefly discuss the miraculous births.

Play until all children have taken a turn or all words have been guessed.

Options:

• Change the difficulty level by increasing or decreasing the number of rattles.
• Fill in a few key letters for longer words to make it easier for younger children.
• To save time, you may choose to put all the names for each Bible story on the board at the same time.

1. Isaac, Abraham, Sarah

God had promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations. He and his wife, Sarah, were much too old to have children. In fact, Sarah laughed at the idea of having children in their old age. Yet when Sarah was 90 years old and Abraham was 100 years old, their son Isaac was born. See Genesis 17:17. God miraculously did what seemed impossible to people! Isaac was a gentle man of peace. God’s promise to Abraham continued through Isaac.

Optional: Genesis 18:11:

Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children.

Genesis 21:1–3:

The Lord kept His word and did for Sarah exactly what He had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac.

2. Joseph, Rachel, Jacob

Jacob had two wives, Rachel and Leah. Leah had several children, but Rachel was unable to have any. Leah, taunted and made fun of Rachel for not being able to have a baby. God answered Rachel’s prayer and Joseph was born. Joseph eventually became second in command to Pharaoh in Egypt and saved Israel’s people during a long famine.

Optional: Genesis 30:22–23:

Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said.

3. Samuel, Hannah, Elkanah

Hannah desperately wanted to have a child. When she and her husband, Elkanah, went to the Tabernacle, she prayed for a baby. She promised to give the baby back to God if He would answer her prayer. God remembered Hannah and gave her a baby boy named Samuel. Hannah kept her promise and dedicated Samuel to the Lord. Samuel faithfully and powerfully served God as a judge and prophet all his life!

Optional: 1 Samuel 1:2:

Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.

1 Samuel 1:6–7:

So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children. Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.

1 Samuel 1:20:

And in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”

4. Samson, Manoah

Samson’s mother’s name is not mentioned in Scripture. However, we know she couldn’t have a child and God blessed her. What was impossible became possible with Him! God gave specific instructions for raising Samson. He was dedicated to God and fought the Philistines!

Optional: Judges 13:2–5:

In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”

If time permits, play the game with names from today’s story: John the Baptist, Elizabeth, Zechariah; Jesus, Mary, Joseph; Gabriel; Holy Spirit.

Conclusion: You played the game very well! Remember, all things are possible with God! The children who were born in these stories went on to do mighty things for God!

Silent Game

Zechariah was struck silent until his son was born. This was because he didn’t believe God could do what Gabriel declared. Zechariah had to communicate by writing or by using gestures or motions. That is how this game will be played—silently. I will give one word to a player, who can draw and use gestures to act it out. The audience has 30 seconds to guess the word. If a word is not guessed, another player continues with the same word.

Conclusion: Great communication! That must have been difficult for Zechariah to be silent for about nine months! Imagine his relief and surprise to be able to speak again! Nothing is impossible with God. Let Zechariah remind us to never doubt God’s Word!

SuperTruth Game

Divide children into pairs. If possible, place an older child with a younger child to form the pairs. Give each pair a bag of letters from Word Sheet 1. Keep the bags of Word Sheet 2 letters out of sight. Have each pair of children find a place to sit and empty their letters from the bag. Tell the children to try and build the SuperTruth as quickly as they can. Give them a few minutes. Soon they will discover that it is impossible without “GOD.” Then, hand the Word Sheet 2 bags to each pair to finish their phrases.

Great work! Why was it impossible to finish the SuperTruth? God was missing.

Yes, you found out pretty quickly that without God, it was impossible. When you added God to your work, suddenly it was possible with God!

Optional: If time permits have children scramble their letters and turn them face down on the floor. Say “Go,” and see which pair can complete the SuperTruth in order first. Allow children to compete for second and third place, too.

Bible Study

Have you ever smelled sweet incense?

The book of Exodus in the Bible gave instructions about offering incense in the Tabernacle as an important part of the Israelites’ worship. Zechariah was chosen to offer incense in the Temple. See Luke 1:8–10. The incense was added to the burning hot coals by a priest twice a day. The incense smoldered or gently burned all day, rising to heaven. When the Israelites smelled the aroma and saw the smoke rising, it was a reminder of God’s presence and that their prayers continually ascended to heaven. See Exodus 30:7–8.

Have children look up the Scriptures. Lead a discussion with the information below.

1. Psalm 141:1–2:

¹ O Lord, I am calling to You. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to You for help! ² Accept my prayer as incense offered to You, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.

• What is the writer’s prayer compared to in verse two? Incense.
• Think about burning incense. How is it like prayer? It is pleasing to God—sweet smelling. The smoke travels upward like our prayers ascend to God in heaven. Incense was an offering. Part of our prayers should be an offering of praise and worship.
• What does it mean to you to raise your hands to God? Surrender, placing yourself in God’s hands, offering yourself to Him. Reaching toward Him, extending your arms to be closer to Him, to give Him a hug, to connect with Him, to praise Him.

2. Revelation 5:8:

And when He took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.

This verse is part of the vision God gave the apostle John about the end times.

• What do you think the harps represent in this verse? Praise and worship to God.
• Why do you think praise should be a part of our prayer time? It reminds us of how wonderful and powerful God is, and that He can do anything and answer every prayer.
• What do the bowls of incense represent? The prayers of God’s people.
• Besides praise, can you think of other important elements or parts that should be part of our prayers? Listening and waiting in God’s presence, confession of sin, intercession for others, petition—needs or wants, thanksgiving.

3. Revelation 8:3:

Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne.

• What two things are mixed together in this verse? Incense and prayers.
• What does this verse say that the mixture of incense and prayers are to God? An offering before His throne.
• What does this say about how God values our prayers? An offering is valuable, so our prayers are important, pleasing and valuable. An offering is also a sacrifice, so our prayers are a pleasing sacrifice we offer to God.

4. Hebrews 10:19–22:

¹⁹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. ²⁰ By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. ²¹ And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, ²² let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

• According to verse 19, why can we enter into God’s Most Holy Place before His throne? By the blood of Jesus. His perfect sacrifice by His death.
• The Israelites had an appointed high priest. According to verse 21, do we have a High Priest today; if so, whom? Jesus is our High Priest.
• What does verse 22 tell us about our hearts when we pray? They need to be sincere and full of trust.
• How did Zechariah measure up to the first part of verse 22? He was sincere, yet he did not fully trust God’s Words from Gabriel. He doubted.
• The priests in the Temple needed to cleanse and purify themselves before entering into the holy places. In the second part of verse 22, how does Jesus’ blood prepare, or qualify us, to enter into God’s presence? His blood clears our conscience, purifies and cleanses us.

Close in prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus. By His blood He created a new and living way to enter Your presence! Thank You for the Holy Spirit who helps us to pray according to Your will so that our prayers rise to You as a sweet, pleasing aroma, day and night. In Jesus’ holy name we pray, Amen.