Lesson Objective:
The children will understand that Mary was willing to do whatever God wanted her to do.
Scripture:
Luke 1:26-38
Arrival:
As the children arrive, ask them if they have ever had an unexpected visitor. Take the time to talk about these experiences, or share one of your own. Sing with the children.
Prayer:
Pray that the Lord will help each person in the classroom to accept His will for them.
Lesson:
Mary was a young girl who lived with her mom and dad. The Bible doesn’t tell us how old she was, but she was engaged to be married, and in Bible times girls would be engaged when they were young teenagers. One day when she was in her home, probably doing her work for the day, she had an unexpected visitor.
As Mary was doing her work, she looked up to see a man standing near her. While he looked like a man, she knew he was more than that. He was an angel. The angel Gabriel in fact. Gabriel looked at Mary and said, “Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.”
This was a highly unusual greeting, and it bothered Mary a lot. What did this angel want? What did he mean about her being “highly favored?” She was nothing special. She was just a common girl who was marrying a common man.
The angel could tell that she was confused, and he said, “Fear not, Mary. For thou hast found favor with God.”
The angel went on to tell her that she was going to have a baby! That baby would be very special. He would not just be any baby, but would be the “Son of the Highest.” The Messiah!
At this time, the entire Jewish nation was waiting in anticipation for the Messiah. Many young girls were hoping they would be chosen to be His mother. This was wonderful news.
But there was one problem. Mary was not married. How could she have a baby without a husband? She asked Gabriel this question.
Gabriel answered, “The Holy Ghost will come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Then Gabriel said, “For with God, nothing shall be impossible.”
In Bible times, an unmarried woman who had a baby was considered to be in great sin. She was shunned and looked down upon. While carrying the Messiah should have been a great honor, and in many ways it was, it was going to make Mary’s life hard for a while. She would have to tell Joseph, her fiancé, that she was having a baby, and he would think she had been unfaithful to him. He might even refuse to marry her.
In spite of these concerns, Mary told the angel, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”
Those are fancy words that we don’t use today, but what Mary was saying was, “I will do what you say, even if it is hard. Let the Lord do what He wants in my life.”
Because Mary was willing to be the mother of Jesus, even though it would not be easy, we have a way to get to heaven today. There will probably come a time in your life when God will want you to do something that is hard. When that time comes, remember Mary and the way she accepted what God wanted her to do.
Memory Verse:
Learn Luke 1:37 with the children. Start by writing the verse on the board. Divide the class into two groups, and quote the verse, alternating between each group for each word. In other words, the first group will say the first word (for) and then you will point to the second group for the second word (with) and continue. Do this several times until the verse has been learned.
Craft/Game:
Make a Popsicle stick angel with the children. Remind them that this is not what Gabriel really looked like, but that angels help us remember God’s messengers.
Dismissal:
Tell the children to remember Mary’s willingness during the week when something happens that they might not want to have happen.