190 lines
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190 lines
12 KiB
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:ID: 20211213T101226.653949
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:END:
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#+TITLE: Lesson - Christmas 2021
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#+AUTHOR: Chris Cochrun
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#+CREATED: 12/13/21 - 12:00 AM
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* PLAN
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** TODO TFC todos list [14%] [3/21] :noexport:
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DEADLINE: <2021-12-15 Wed 17:00> SCHEDULED: <2021-12-13 Mon 10:00>
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- [X] Write lesson
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- [X] Pick game
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- [X] Write up announcements
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- [ ] Collect pictures from previous week
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- [ ] Songs into Proclaim
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- [ ] Build Proclaim
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- [ ] winter coats x2
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- [ ] gloves x2
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- [ ] scarves x2
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- [ ] christmas sweaters x2
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- [X] lots of candy
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- [X] a cool present?
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- [X] candy canes
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- [X] hershey's kisses
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- [ ] wreaths x2
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- [X] pantyhose x2
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- [X] balloons
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- [X] whipped cream
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- [X] red pompom balls or something like that
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- [X] gift bags x10
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- [ ] plastic round ornaments x2
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** 5:30 pm - Eat Supper
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** 5:50 pm - Plastic UnWrap
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Wrap a bunch of inexpensive prizes in a big ball of plastic wrap. (Limit lengths to a few feet.) Form a big circle and have one person start unwrapping while another rolls some dice. As soon as they roll a pair, they steal the ball and pass the dice to the next person, who repeats this process until the gift is fully unwrapped---that person gets to keep it.
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- Candy, Cheap Stuff from D.G. One “cooler” present?
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** 6:15 pm - Christmas Minute to Win It Games
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1. *Brrrr, It's Cold in Here*
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/Winter clothing, gloves, scarves, Christmas sweater, ski pants, etc./
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Separate the players into two teams and give each team a Christmas sweater, Santa beard, ski gloves, a scarf, heavy pants, winter jacket or anything else you have around the house you would wear in colder weather. Try to have one piece of clothing for all of the team members except one. When the game starts, the teams must pick one person from their team to dress for the cold weather. The team that dresses their player in under one minute wins.
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2. *Candy Cane Pick Up*
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/Large wrapped Candy canes/
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Give each player a candy cane to put in their mouth, with the curved side pointing down. The players then use their candy cane to pick up other candy canes that are lying on the table.
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Once a player has picked up a candy cane, he/she can put it in his/her pile. The player with the most candy canes in his/her pile after one minute wins!
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3. *Catch a Kiss* /Wrapped Hershey's kisses/
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Split players into teams of two. Make the players in the teams stand ten feet apart and give one player from each team a small bowl of wrapped holiday chocolate kisses. The player with the kisses must unwrap a kiss and throw it so that his/her partner can catch it in his/her mouth. The team that catches the most kisses after one minute wins!
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4. *Caterpillar Wreath*
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/Large Christmas Wreaths/
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Designate a start and finish line. Break players off into two teams and have them form a line. Supply each team with a big Christmas wreath. The last player in the line needs to put the wreath around his/her neck. He/she transfers it to the next persons neck without either of the players using their hand, then runs to the front of the line. The players should continue transferring the wreath and running to the front to become a part of the line until the wreath reaches the finish line.
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5. *Christmas Antlers*
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/Pantyhose / balloons (not inflated)/
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Split players into two or three teams and give each team a bag of balloons and a pair of pantyhose. The teams must blow up balloons and stuff them into pair of pantyhose. When the team feels their pantyhose antlers are complete, one person from the team puts on the pantyhose. The team with the best antlers wins!
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6. *Holiday Pie*
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/Whipped cream, red pompom balls/
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Separate the players into two to four teams and designate one player from each team to be ‘it'. The chosen player gets whipped cream spread over his/her face. The team members then have one minute to throw as many red pompoms as they can onto the person's face with the whipped cream. The team who gets the most pompoms to stick on their team member's face in one minute wins.
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7. *No Time Like the Present*
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/5 gift bags (or grocery bags cut to different heights), table/
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Cut five gift bags to varying heights and put them on the floor in front of a table. One at a time, the players must use their mouths to transfer the gift bags from the floor to the table. The only body parts allowed to touch the floor are the player's feet!
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8. *Ornament Roll*
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/Round non-breakable holiday ornaments/
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Designate a starting line and a finishing line across the room from each other. Give each player a round non-breakable holiday ornament. The players must get on their hands and knees and roll the ornament using their nose to the finish line. The first player to complete this task wins!
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(More ideas here!) [[http://www.birthdaypartyideas4kids.com/christmas-minute-to-win-it-games.html]]
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** 6:45 - Praise and Worship
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- Joy to the World
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- O Come O Come Emmanuel
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-
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* 7:00 LESSON
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** OVERVIEW
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This lesson will help students recognize the depth of God's pursuit of us when he came to earth. Luke 2 emphasizes the low-profile nature of Jesus' arrival. Jesus is born among animals and peasants in an outpost of the Roman empire, not the anticipated landing site for the Creator of the universe. Not only does Jesus' birth show the extent of his pursuit, but it also demonstrates the humble nature of his Kingdom on earth, which would shock the Israelites, who were looking forward to a military leader who would rise against Rome. Students will compare Jesus' life and incarnation to a popular television show and movie in order to see how drastic God's pursuit is. Then they will be challenged to pursue God just as he has pursued them.
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** OPENING QUESTION
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- Who do you most look forward to seeing at Christmas? Tell about one of your favorite memories together.
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** WHAT THE BIBLE HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT
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By the time Jesus arrived in Bethlehem, God's people were on the brink of despair. They'd endured years of exile and finally returned home, only for Rome to come along and overrun their land. The Israelites were home, but they weren't free. It must have seemed to them that God had abandoned them or didn't care enough to save them from oppression. But that's when God stepped in to save the day, literally.
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*Read Luke 2:1-20.*
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*God stepped into human history.* Leaving his home in heaven, Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph as a baby, fully God and fully human. Jesus was born into time and space, helpless and dependent on the very humans he had created! Jesus obeyed God the Father every step of the way and wasn't concerned with fulfilling expectations set by others. God himself stepped into our story in order to write a better one than we could've imagined, saving his people spiritually from sin.
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*God's pursuit of his people is often different than what we expect.* The Israelites expected their Savior to set them free in a political sense. God had made it clear that he would somehow forgive and restore his people, but the Israelites naturally expected a powerful ruler to step up and do the job. How could a helpless baby be the Savior? Because God often chooses to work in ways we don't expect. We also get a glimpse of Jesus' Kingdom when we see who heard the Good News first: shepherds. They weren't prestigious, but lowly. Yet in God's grace, they saw the Messiah first, and they believed! They witnessed their Savior, the one who would free them from spiritual death. Jesus isn't thinking about how popular a person is; he's pursuing people out of his love and grace, offering freedom from sin and making them like himself.
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** A SECOND LOOK
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/Pick one of these illustrations to bring the topic to life./
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*Option 1: With Us*
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God was so intent in his pursuit of us that he entered our world as a human. CBS used to have a TV show called /Undercover Boss/ where big-shot business executives would wear a disguise and try the more hands-on jobs their companies offered.[fn:1] For example, the CEO of a waste disposal company might spend a few days riding the back of a garbage truck. Wealthy, powerful people would connect with the “little guys” to observe and appreciate all that happens to make their companies run. Jesus coming to earth was a bit like this TV show. For him to take a fully human form and live among regular people demonstrated the Kingdom he spoke of! God isn't a far-off executive at the top of a tower. He cares about his people, and he wants to be with us.
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/Discuss:/
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- How would it feel if your favorite celebrity took a real interest in you, offering help with school, getting meals together, etc.?
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- How does it feel to know that God cares about you so much that he became human in order to offer you salvation?
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*Option 2: Jumping the Fence*
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In some of the best stories, the protagonist doesn't get what they want until they're willing to change or give something up. In the movie /The Sandlot/, the neighborhood boys accidentally lost an autographed baseball behind the fence containing “The Beast”, an infamous, feared dog. Unsuccessful at retrieving the ball from a distance, they realized someone had to jump the fence and brave whatever danger may come. Benny, one of the boys, decided to give up his safety and comfort in order to retrieve their prized ball.[fn:2] In a similar way, Jesus was willing to sacrifice the comforts of heaven, and more, to pursue us, his prized creation. Philippians 2 talks about God's humility when he came to earth as a human. Jesus willingly suffered, died, and was raised to life so that we could be forgiven of our sins and spend eternity in God's presence. We get to enjoy eternal life with God because Jesus was willing to “jump the fence.”
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/Discuss:/
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- What did Jesus give up when he came to earth? (Read Phil. 2:6-8.)
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- How can you follow Jesus' example by sacrificing your comfort for the sake of someone else?
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** DISCOVER
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- Share about a time in your life when someone gave something up to be with you.
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** THE BIBLE IN YOUR LIFE
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God went above and beyond in pursuing his people by being born as a baby on earth. He humbly and willingly gave up the comforts of heaven to be with and pursue even the lowliest humans.
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*Read Luke 2:1-20, then answer the following questions.*
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/Discuss:/
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- Why do you think Jesus chose to be born in a stable, rather than a palace?
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- How does it make you feel to know that God was willing to become human to pursue you?
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- How is God pursuing you right now?
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** APPLY IT
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When we see what God has done to be with us, it makes us want to pursue him back through prayer, reading Scripture, and other spiritual disciplines. Decide on a spiritual discipline to practice this week more regularly with the intention of drawing near to and abiding in God.
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/Be specific:/
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- What are you going to do?
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- When are you going to do it?
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- Is there someone who can keep you accountable?
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** PRAYER
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Take time to let your students pray for each other's applications in the upcoming weeks.
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** A QUOTE TO THINK ABOUT
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#+begin_quote
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“Because of immeasurable love, he became what we are to bring us to be even what he is himself.” - Irenaeus of Lyons[fn:3]
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#+end_quote
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[fn:1] ^{1} Three Minute Theology, “3 Minute Theology 1.5: What is the Incarnation?,” YouTube video, 3:29, Posted [February 6, 2015], https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I 6XMn-yH71E.
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^{2} Three Minute Theology, “3 Minute Theology 1.6: How could Jesus be fully God and fully human?,” YouTube video, 3:29, Posted [February 13, 2015], www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtoevOdB7m0.
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"Undercover Boss (American TV series)," /Wikipedia,/ accessed May 1, 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Undercover_Boss_(American_TV_series)&direction =prev &oldid=955294143.
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[fn:2] /The Sandlot/, directed by David Mickey Evans (1993: Los Angeles, CA: Twentieth Centurey Fox), Film.
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[fn:3] Irenaeus of Lyons, quoted in Eric Osborn, /Irenaeus of Lyons/ (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2001), 261.
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