Between the years 2016 and 2020 we will see the beginnings of a revolution that will transform the face of Christianity. I have been opening my eyes to the children of today (age 5 to 12) and I believe we are going to see a massive resurgence of mysticism, a fresh openness to the supernatural, and a strong desire for social change.

What is our generation (those 18-35) doing to train and equip these young people in the areas of the Kingdom of God? *Now* is the time to build up the body of Christ! *Today* is our opportunity to make a difference. It’s time get involved the lives of today’s children. We must love them and be good stewards of the grace that has been given to us.

We can’t wait until middle school or high school or even college to reach *these* children. Their worldview is being formed *today*.

Here is a Sunday School lesson I wrote for my 1st graders at the Grove City Vineyard. Much of it is adapted from the Gospel Light Primetime, Winter A book.

The Best Promise
Thesis: God is with me wherever I go!
Memory Verse: Matthew 1:23
Story Verse: Isaiah 7:14; 9:2-7; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:5-56
Audience: 1st Grade
Total Estimated Time: 47-50 minutes

Craft – Where do you go? (10 minutes)
Materials: Butcher paper, markers.
Prep: Draw some roads.
Activity: Where are some places that you go? Draw pictures of places and scenery.
Segue: Today we’re talking about how God is with us wherever we go.

Prayer – Jesus, teach us about you in your Word today. Amen. (30 seconds)

Bible Story – Immanuel means “God is with Us” (9 minutes)
A. Isaiah prophesies
1. Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, there was a man named Isaiah.
2. Isaiah was a prophet. Do you know what a prophet is?
3. A prophet is a man of God who told God’s people special messages from God.
4. Isaiah said to God’s people, “the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”
5. God was making a promise to His people that day. Have you ever made a promise before? God was promising that one day He would send His son to us and that he would be called Immanuel!
6. Immanuel is a special name and I would like your help with this word. Every time I use this word, we’re going to say “God is with us” together! Let’s practice. “She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘GOD IS WITH US’).” Great!

B. Angel visits Mary.
1. Hundreds of years passed and God decided it was time to fulfill His promise.
2. He sent an angel to Mary and the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! You will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of God.”
3. God was fulfilling the promise he made to His people through Isaiah when he said, “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, (which means ‘GOD IS WITH US.’)”

C. Angel visits Joseph in a dream.
1. When Joseph found out Mary was pregnant, an angel appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, the child within Mary was conceived by power of the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
2. All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through the prophet Isaiah when he said, “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, (which means ‘GOD IS WITH US.’)”

D. Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth and sings a song.
1. Shortly after Mary became pregnant, she visited her cousin Elizabeth who was also pregnant with a special child.
2. Mary was so happy about God using her to fulfill His promise that she sang a song!
3. The song went like this, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”
4. What promise do you think Mary was singing about? It was the promise God gave through the prophet Isaiah when he said, “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, (which means ‘GOD IS WITH US.’)”
5. Why do you suppose Mary sang a song? Songs are a way we can show God how much we love Him. Today we’re going to sing a song called “Jesus is my Friend”

Song – Jesus is my Friend (5 minutes) (Fruit of the Spirit DVD, Vineyard Music)
Jesus is my friend, is He Your friend too (x4)
In a crazy mixed up world, I will have no fear
In a crazy mixed up world, My savior is always near.

Jesus is my Lord, is He Your Lord too (x4)
In a crazy mixed up world, I will have no fear
In a crazy mixed up world, My Savior is always near.
In a crazy mixed up world, I will have no fear
In a crazy mixed up world, My Savior is always near.

Jesus is my friend, is He Your friend too (x4)

Prayer – Jesus, thank you for being with us wherever we go. Amen. (30 seconds)

Craft – God is with me. (15 minutes)
Materials: Construction paper, markers, tape/glue stick.
Prep: Cut construction paper to make doors.
Activity: In the door, kids draw a place where God is with them. Help them attach the door to the construction paper. They write “God is with me” at the top of the paper and they write their name at the bottom.

Memory Verse Game (7 minutes)
Materials: 10 flash cards, Markers.
Prep: Write each word of the memory verse to flash cards.
Matthew 1:23 – They will call him Immanuel – which means, “God with Us”
Activity: Break the kids into groups of 3. Mix up the cards and have each group put the words in the right order. When they order the verse ask them:
1. Why is it important to know that God is with you?
2. When are some times to it is important to remember that God is with you?

Here is a sermon that I wrote for our Family Friday Night at the Grove City Vineyard. I thought the evening went GREAT! The participation during the message and response for prayer afterward was beyond anything I could have imagined!

Target age: Kindergarden – 5th grade.
Bible Verse: 2 Corinthians 4:7.
Thesis: Jesus is the treasure. You are the one holding the treasure. We are to give this treasure to other people.

The Greatest Treasure
Introduction (2 minutes)
Tonight we’re going to talk about the true treasure of Christmas. But, before I do, I need a volunteer who wants to help me. How many of you have helped out in the kitchen? OK, now which of you has used a mixer before? [Pick a volunteer] What’s your name? JANE is going to help me make the icing for the Christmas cookies. [Take plastic wrap off bowl] Inside of this clay bowl we have some yummy icing! [Take lid off the cookie jar] And, inside of this cookie jar we have broccoli. Just kidding, we have cookies!

I’m going to put in a few drops of food coloring, like this. [put in the food coloring] OK JANE, go ahead and mix in the food coloring with the icing. [let her mix it for 30 seconds] Great job JANE! You can go back to your seat now. Everybody, give Jane a round of applause!

Usefulness – Icing and Cookie Jar (2 minutes)
I want to bring your attention to something we don’t usually think about when we’re working in the kitchen, and that is: How useful this clay bowl is. If we didn’t have a bowl, we wouldn’t have been able to mix in the food coloring using this mixer. [try to put the beaters into the icing container] This clay bowl was very important in making the icing.

We can say the same thing about this clay cookie jar. Where do we keep cookie jars? We keep cookie jars on the counter because it makes the cookies really accessible to people who are short. [Illustrate the following by getting a chair, climbing on top of the table, and pretend you are looking for cookies in a cabinet] If your parents kept the cookies way high up on a shelf, you’d have to go over to the dining room table to find a chair, bring it over to the counter, climb up onto the counter, open up the cupboard, find the box of cookies, and then finally open the box of cookies so you can eat one. Now what do you think would have happen if your parents found you standing on the kitchen counter trying to find a cookie? They would probably be really scared that you’ll fall down! So, some genius invented the cookie jar so all you have to do reach over the counter and lift off the lid. This clay cookie jar is a really practical way of holding cookies.

Significance (2 minutes)
There’s one other thing that we usually don’t think about when we look at the cookie jar and the bowl. I want a show of hands, how many people like to eat COOKIES? OK, put your hands down. How many of you like to eat COOKIE JARS? You like to eat cookie jars??? That’s silly, we don’t eat cookie jars! OK, another show of hands, how many people like to eat ICING? OK, put your hands down. How many of you like to eat CLAY BOWLS that hold icing?

Even though the clay bowl is very important because it lets us mix the icing with the food coloring, we’re actually interested in enjoying what’s inside of the bowl. The same thing is true for the cookie jars. Even though cookie jars are essential to bring the cookies closer to us, we’re more interested in enjoying the treasure that’s inside of the cookie jar.

Lesson (3 minutes)
In the Bible, the Apostle Paul talks about a jar and a treasure very much like the one we’ve been talking about here. Let me read 2 Corinthians 4:7.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

First, I want to look at the “jars of clay”. What Paul is saying here is that we are like a clay jar, very much like this cookie jar here. We’re fragile like a cookie jar. We also have the capacity to hold a treasure, and make that treasure accessible to the people around us.

Second, I want to look at the “treasure”. In the Bible verse just before this one, Paul talks about how this glorious light from God has been shown into our hearts. That light is the very glory and presence of God. The treasure inside of us is Jesus. Jesus is our treasure.

Finally, I want us to think about the “all-surpassing power”. Paul said that the treasure inside of us is powerful. Not just powerful, but a REALLY BIG power! Do you want to see what God’s all-surpassing power looks like? [Dump 2 boxes of cookies into the cookie jar.] What just happened here? It overflowed! Did you know that there is no limit to God’s power and love? There aren’t enough cookies in the entire world to illustrate God’s power! This is what happens when God shines his light on us and fills us with his power. The people around us begin to notice the love of God in a really powerful way.

Response (1 minute)
How many of you would like to be this cookie jar? How many of you want to have your life so filled with God’s love and power that you begin to overflow into the people around you?

If that’s something that you want, come forward in a little cluster right here so I can pray for you.