Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Hello everyone! Today, we have a new Superbook story, “The First Christmas.” Christmas is an exciting and busy time, isn’t it? As followers of Christ, what is the reason we celebrate Christmas?

Let’s begin our video now and see what Chris thinks is the most important thing about Christmas.

Play Video 2: Chris and Joy’s Dilemma (4 minutes)

Chris and Joy's Dilemma

Chris doesn’t want to help his mother set up the manger scene at home because he is rushing to the mall to win a mega-prize. Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to ancient Bethlehem to meet Mary and Joseph.

SuperTruth and Discussion (1 minute)

Chris, like many of us, was very busy and excited about the holiday season. What did Chris think was most important about Christmas?

Today’s SuperTruth says “God keeps His promises and sent His Son to us.” This is the true meaning of Christmas. The Savior of the world came as a baby to grow up and die on the cross and save us from our sins! Now let’s watch the rest of today’s Superbook video.

Play Video 3: Bible Story and Resolution (18 minutes)

Bible Story and Resolution

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to ancient Bethlehem to meet Mary and Joseph. There, they experience the true meaning of Christmas—the gift of God’s Son, Jesus.

Play Video 10A: SuperVerse Graphic 1

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

SuperVerse Graphic 1

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

Let’s say our SuperVerse, Micah 5:2 (nkjv), together.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”

This verse is a prophecy or prediction by an Old Testament prophet named Micah, telling where Jesus would be born! Jesus has no beginning and no end—so He is the only One who could ever fulfill this prophecy.

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

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Dear God, we are so thankful that You always keep Your promises! Help us to always remember to keep You first during this exciting holiday season! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Do you remember what guided the Wise Men to Bethlehem?

That’s right! Our game in Small Group is all about that important star. Let’s go have some fun!

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

The reason for the Christmas season is the birth of Jesus. Let’s play a matching game that compares symbols of the world’s meaning of Christmas to symbols of the true meaning of Christmas.

Divide the class into two teams. Have each team sit together as a group.

You are going to try to select two matching cards. Teams will alternate turns. A turn consists of two guesses by the same player of a team.

The player chooses one card number. The teacher turns the card over so all can see. The same player then chooses a second card number trying to match the first card. If the cards match, the cards are taken out of play and given to the player who matched them. If there is no match, the cards are placed back on the wall, number side out. The next team then takes a turn.

After each match, ask the children if the cards represent the true meaning of Christmas. Emphasize that symbols like the Christmas tree, gifts, etc. are not necessarily bad, but they are secondary to the spiritual significance of Christmas and should not become more important than Jesus’ birth!

The four blank cards must remain in play the entire game to make it more challenging. Continue until all cards are matched. The team with the most matches wins.

Teaching

Place the nativity stable on the table or floor and randomly lay out the individual pieces of the nativity set around it. Point to the nativity set. What is this called? Manger scene, nativity.

Let’s think about how each of the people represented here reacted to Jesus coming as a baby to fulfill God’s promise.

Hold up each piece as you discuss its significance. If the pieces are unbreakable, you may pass them around as you discuss them and then have a child position it in the manger scene. You can look up the scriptures if you have time.

How did Mary feel when the Angel Gabriel appeared? Frightened at first, but then she was very joyful. See Luke 1:46–55 for her song of praise.

How did Joseph feel? Upset at first because he and Mary were not yet married, but he trusted God’s plan.See Matthew 1:18–24.

How did the shepherds feel? Terrified to see angels, then amazed and excited. See Luke 2:8–18.

The angels did not proclaim Jesus birth to religious leaders or to wealthy, important people. God brought the news to shepherds. What significance is there in that do you think? Jesus came to save everyone, even the most common or lowly. God is not a respecter of persons.

What do you think the angels thought? Excited to see God’s promise fulfilled; wanted to give God glory. See Luke 2:13–14.

How did the Wise Men feel about God’s promise? Excited that a prophecy a promise of God was being fulfilled, and determined to find out for themselves. See Matthew 2:1–12.

There is one very important man mentioned in the Christmas story who is never shown in a manger scene. Can you guess who? King Herod.

Herod felt his position was threatened by Jesus. Why? He was afraid that he would lose his kingdom to the baby, called “King of the Jews.” He was so jealous that he ordered all the baby boys born around the time of Jesus’ birth to be killed.  See Matthew 2:1–16.

What do you think it was like for God to become a tiny baby?

When Jesus was first born, could He feed Himself or go places by Himself? No, just like us, He needed His parents to take care of Him.

Jesus loves us so much that He gave up His place in heaven to come down to Earth and live among us!

Many people don’t know that Jesus came into the world as a little baby, and that He grew up to bring us forgiveness and salvation. For the next two lessons, let’s pray about friends and neighbors we can invite to church so they can hear about Him. Today, we are going to make special invitations to give these people.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Hand out two invitations to each child along with the decorating supplies. Have the children sign their names on the invitations and decorate them with markers and optional stickers, candy canes, etc.

As they are working, ask: Do you know why most people come to church for the first time?

You may think it’s because of a fancy sign or a beautiful building—but the biggest reason people come to church is because someone invites them! So, who should we invite to church?

Encourage the children to pray about who they wish to invite and give their invitations to in the next few days.

SuperVerse

Our SuperVerse this week is Micah 5:2 (nkjv). Have children look up Micah 5:2, and read it aloud slowly with them. Note: Ephrathah is pronounced: Ef-RAH-tuh.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”

In Bible times there were two towns named Bethlehem—so saying Bethlehem Ephrathah made it clear which one. Bethlehem was small compared to Jerusalem and other cities in Israel, and certainly not where you would expect the future Ruler of Israel to be born!

Do you remember when the Wise Men in the Superbook video went to Jerusalem? They probably went there because they assumed that the King of the Jews would be born in the biggest, most important city of the Jewish people. When King Herod asked his advisors about the birth of the King of the Jews, they told him about Bethlehem of Judea, basing their answer on this scripture written by the Prophet Micah.

The New Living Translation says it this way:

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.

The verse promises that a Ruler of Israel will come from the distant past. Jesus existed with God from the beginning—He is the promised Ruler who came from the past!

Let’s read our verse aloud together slowly again. Read the SuperVerse together. Yes, God kept His promise by sending His Son to be born in Bethlehem. He came not as the world expected—but as a tiny baby in a little town.

Note: Younger children may not be able to memorize the SuperVerse. They may simply repeat it several times, while older children may memorize part or all of it. Be sure all children understand its meaning.

Prayer

Listen closely as I read to you a clue about the most wonderful gift ever given.

Read John 3:16 (nkjv):

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Can you guess what that gift is?

God gave us His wonderful Son, Jesus. He came to Earth to show us God’s love, to die on the cross, and to offer us God’s gift of salvation. But there is still one thing we must do—we must accept this gift from God.

Hold up the gift.

What if someone gave you a gift, but you didn’t unwrap it—you just put it under your bed and forgot about it? You didn’t really receive that gift, did you? Allow a child to unwrap the gift holding the cross. God gave us the wonderful gift of His Son, who died on the cross so our sins can be forgiven, and we can live in heaven with Him someday. But it’s not enough to say, “Oh yes, I know about that gift.” We have to accept this gift to receive Jesus into our hearts!

Today, we are saying a Power Prayer to accept the powerful gift of Jesus into our hearts. Repeat this prayer after me:

Dear Lord Jesus,

I’m so glad God kept His promise and sent You into the world to show us God’s love.

Please forgive me for all the things I have done wrong.

Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins.

Come into my heart and help me live for You.

Today, I receive the gift of forgiveness,

the gift of salvation,

and the gift of eternal life.

Amen.

If you have never said a prayer like this before, please come up to me after class so we can talk more about receiving this special gift from God.

Musical Activity

Name each of the carols on the slips of paper and briefly hum the beginning of each one for a brief review.

Our SuperTruth says “God keeps His promises and sent His Son to us.” In our game today, we’re going to hum some Christmas carols that celebrate the first Christmas and God’s wonderful gift to us!

Pass out slips of paper with the song titles. Tell the children not to reveal their song title to anyone else. At your signal, they should begin walking around the room humming - not singing — their song until they find all the other children who are humming the same tune. If any children have hearing disabilities or are very shy, assign them a partner who likes to sing. Have the children with the same song stand together in a group as they find each other. Then have the groups actually sing their songs for the class.

When we sing these carols during the Christmas season, remember that God always keeps His promises to us! Jesus, who was with God from the beginning, came from heaven as a baby to give us eternal life!

Craft

Birthday Cards for Jesus: Write notes of gratitude to Jesus.

What if everyone was really excited because it was your birthday, so they came to your house for a big party, and they all gave each other lots of gifts — but they ignored you. How would you feel?

Sometimes we forget what Christmas is all about. Do you remember?Jesus’ birthday.

Let’s make birthday cards for Jesus today! What do you think we can give Him? Our thanks and praise; our hearts; our obedience; our promise to live for Him.

Hand out the Christmas Stationery and pencils or pens to the children and ask them to write personal notes to God, thanking Him for the gift of Jesus. Suggest they give a gift back to God and write something that they will do to show Him they are thankful. Have the children roll up their notes into tubes. Help them tie ribbons, yarn or string around the letters, then put their names on the outside of their tubes. No one but the child and God needs to know what was written inside. If the children have Christmas trees at home, suggest that they can put their letters under their Christmas trees as their gifts to Jesus.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for loving us and giving Your life for us. Help us remember that You are the reason for the season! Amen.

Word Game

Give each child a pencil and paper. Write “The First Christmas” on the board and allow 2 minutes for the children to write as many words as possible using the letters in those words. See who can find the most words, the most unusual words, and the longest words. As time permits, give them other phrases and Christmas carols to use, such as “eternal life” and “Joy to the World.”

There were hidden words in our game today, but God does not hide His plan for salvation from us. Jesus is the one and only Way to eternal life with God. We can mix up the words, but let’s not mix up the message!

Discussion

At the beginning of our Video today, what did Chris Quantum think about his family’s nativity scene? He was caught up in the presents and decorations and had forgotten the real meaning of Christmas. He thought it was just another decoration with little significance.

He didn’t want to spend time on the most important thing about Christmas—the birth of God’s Son!

Our SuperTruth says: “God keeps His promises and sent His Son to us.” Jesus didn’t come to Earth as a man, ready to teach and to perform miracles. He came as a baby. Why do you think He chose to come this way?

Just think, Jesus is the Son of God Almighty! What did He have to give up to leave heaven?

Spend time discussing how wonderful heaven is, how much power Jesus has there, how He is continually worshiped and obeyed there—and what it may have been like for Him to give it all up and be born as a helpless baby who couldn’t walk, talk, or feed Himself, at first.

Read Philippians 2:6–7:

Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

Jesus is equal with God the Father—and together they created the universe—with stars and planets, plants and animals, and us! Jesus knows everything and has all power. In heaven there is no sin, no sickness, and no pain—it is full of unbelievable joy and happiness and blessing! Yet Jesus was willing to leave the glory of heaven to become a helpless little baby, to grow up to be a man, and then to die an incredibly painful death on the cross—why? Because He loves us and wants us to live in heaven forever with Him, someday!

Because He did all this, do you think He understands what we go through in this world? Yes.

He chose to come to Earth so He could experience all that we feel and all that we go through so that He could help us! Then, He died on the cross to save us from our sins, and rose from the grave so we can have new life. All we need to do is ask Him into our hearts.

Let’s pray. Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You that You loved us so much that You gave up all of Your glory and majesty and power in heaven to come to Earth as a helpless little baby. You went through many hard things in Your life on Earth, so You understand our problems. We praise You for dying on the cross and rising from the dead to save us from our sins. We ask You to forgive us for all the things we have done wrong, and to be our Lord and Savior. Thank You that someday You will take us to live with You in heaven, forever. Amen!