isaiah session 1 - umphimages.umph.org/grow/grow oe lg dec_2.pdf · • show them how to curl their...

Isaiah Bible Verse

And a little child will lead them. (Isaiah 11:6) Bible Story

Isaiah 11:6-9 Leap of Faith

God’s Son came into the world as a child to offer me peace.

Before You Begin

We live in a violent world. Even children are aware at some level of the troubles that attend human communities. The good news is that God’s son

has come into the world as a child to offer us peace, and it is a peace that passes understanding. But before we study what the Gospel writers have to say about the birth and early life of Jesus, it’s important to set the context of those events by considering the prophecy that foretold the coming of the Messiah.

Just as twenty-first-century Christians experience the stresses and commotion of human strife in our neighborhoods and nations, the people of God who lived during the eighth century before Christ were longing for Godly solutions to human warfare. At a time when Israel was undergoing a total collapse of spiritual and political leadership, God called a prophet named Isaiah to deliver some words of comfort to the nation.

The words of Isaiah that we study in today’s session were probably of deep consolation to the people of Israel in his day. In spite of the failures of many of their human leaders, and in spite of the threat of many military enemies, God spoke of peace to the people through the words of Isaiah.

Forecasting the peace brought by the arrival of God’s redeemer, Isaiah describes a world where even among some of the most fierce enemies of the animal kingdom, peace would rule. Even snakes would pose no threat to human babies. In this passage, Isaiah provides a poetic picture of the peace that God offers humanity through the ministry and work of Jesus Christ.

It is possible that some of the children in your care have directly experienced violence or neglect in their own lives. Even if none of them have suffered personally, most older-elementary children are reaching an age when the fallen nature of the world is becoming increasingly obvious to them. Help them to see and understand the hope that God holds out for us in the prophecies of Isaiah. Remind them that God is just as willing to use the gifts of a child to change the world as to use those of an adult.

Winter 2012-2013 Session 1 GrowProclaimServe.com 7

Session 1December 2

Requires preparation.

TIPVisit GrowProclaimServe.com/leaders to join the community with other leaders and find helpful weekly content and articles.

Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2012 Cokesbury.

8 December 2 GROW • Proclaim • Serve • Older Elementary Leader’s Guide


Grow TogetherChoose from among the following activities to lead your children into the Bible story.

Decorate the Lord’s Holy MountainSupplies: Bibles, Attendance Chart (Resource Pak—pp. 2 & 23), Figures for Lord’s Holy Mountain Poster (Resource Pak—pp. 10 & 15), Lord’s Holy Mountain (Resource Pak—pp. 12 & 13), December Bible Verse poster (Resource Pak—p. 3), CD-ROM, CD player, pens, masking tape

Hang the Attendance Chart where the children can reach it. Have them record their attendance. Punch out the figures for “The Lord’s Holy Mountain” and hang the “Lord’s Holy Mountain” background poster.

Hang the “December Bible Verse” poster in the room.

• Play “Peaceable Kingdom” from the CD-ROM, the worship song for December.

SAY: Today we are starting a new unit of Bible stories about God’s son. God’s son came into the world as a child to offer us peace.

ASK: Who knows the name of God’s Son? (Jesus, Jesus Christ, Messiah)

SAY: Today’s Bible story is from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet, which means that God chose Isaiah as a messenger to God’s people. One of the messages that God gave to Isaiah was about the Son of God. God showed Isaiah a vision of a mountainside where all kinds of animals would live together in peace, and where even human babies could play amongst dangerous animals without fear.

• Ask for a child to read Isaiah 11:6-9 aloud.

• Invite several children to tape the figures onto the mountain poster. If necessary, gently remind the children which figures belong where.

ASK: What ordinarily happens when wolves mix with lambs? (The wolves prey on the lambs.) Can you imagine a place where lambs get along with wolves? Or seeing little babies playing safely around snakes, without any risk of being harmed?

SAY: Isaiah lived about 700 years before Jesus was born. Isaiah’s vision points ahead to the birth of Jesus, whose birth 2,000 years ago signalled the beginning of a new era of peace from God.

Peaceable PairsSupplies: Bible Brain Pak—p. 3, pens or pencils

• Pass out the Bible Brain Paks. Let the children work on “Peaceable Pairs” to remind them of the unlikely pairs that Isaiah saw.

Peace OfferingSupplies: Bible Brain Pak—p. 4, pens or pencils

• When the children have completed “Peace Offering” the answer will reveal this month’s Leap of Faith: “God’s son came into the world to offer me peace.”

TIPIf the children have trouble, point out that the babies and the snake belong near the snake’s hole, and the lion and the calf belong near the pile of straw.

Winter 2012–2013 Session 1 GrowProclaimServe.com 9


Nativi-treeSupplies: Reproducible 1a, large white paper cups, brown markers, green construction paper, clear tape, scissors, gluesticks, crayons or markers

Make copies of the “Wolf and Lamb” ornament reproducible for everyone. Cut the reproducible sheets into strips so that each strip has two ornament images on it.

• Give each child a paper cup, a piece of green construction paper and a “Wolf and Lamb” ornament strip.

• Invite the children to turn their cups upside-down and color them brown to make Christmas tree trunks.

• Have the children cut triangles along one of the wide edges of their papers so that it resembles the foliage of a Christmas tree.

• Show them how to curl their papers into a cone shape being sure to keep the narrow end of the cone as tight as possible. This gives the tree a pointed top. Use clear tape up near the top to tape the corner edge down; this will hold the cone together.

• With the cups still upside-down, have the children apply glue all the way around the tops of the trunks and settle the green cone on top to complete the tree.

• Hand one strip with the two ornament images out to each child.

• Ask the children to color and decorate their strips of paper with the wolf and lamb ornament images. The children will then cut the two circles out and glue them back-to-back.

SAY: Each Sunday this month we’ll be adding one ornament to our trees that will remind us about that day’s Bible story. Let’s cut out this picture of a wolf at peace with a lamb to remind us of the story from Isaiah.

• Help them to glue or tape the wolf and lamb ornament onto their trees.

SAY: These are Nativi-trees, which are sort of like Christmas trees. The word nativity means birth, and it often refers specifically to the birth of Christ. All of the ornaments we will put on our trees this month will remind us of some part of the story of Jesus’ birth.

A Child Leads the WaySupplies: Reproducible 1b, scissors, two envelopes

Make enough copies of “Leadership Creatures” to be able to give each child one word card, and to keep one set of cards for yourself.

• Pass out a word card to each child. Tell the children to group themselves according to which creatures they have. (Leopards with leopards, etc.) Have them all stand and remain standing.

SAY: We’re going to play a game to see who will lead the group into the storytelling time. Earlier we read about the peace that would exist when God’s Son had come into the world. It would mean peace even between animals that are normally enemies. Our Bible verse this month is Isaiah 11:6, “And a little child will lead them.” Isaiah was speaking about the birth of baby Jesus, who would grow up to be a great leader in Israel.



• Pull one word from your envelope, revealing only the first letter of the word to the group.

SAY: If the word on your card doesn’t begin with ‘L’ (or ‘C’ depending which card the leader has drawn), please be seated. Let’s reveal the next letter.

• Reveal the next letter on your card. Tell everyone whose card doesn’t contain that letter to be seated as well. Show the group the rest of the word on your drawn card.

SAY: Okay, we’re down to the lambs (or whichever card the leader has drawn). Now lambs, I want whichever one of you knows the answer to this question to jump in the air, and I’ll point to you to see if you know it. The first lamb to answer the question correctly is our leader.

ASK: In the Bible passage we read earlier, what was the name of God’s prophet? (Isaiah)

• Allow whoever answers the question correctly to lead the group over to the storytelling area.

Proclaim the WordVisit Leaper’s PointeSupplies: DVD, DVD player, television

• The DVD is an optional resource. It can be used in place of “Who Was Isaiah?” in this session, or to supplement the telling of the Bible story.

SAY: Today the whole town of Leaper’s Pointe is preparing for the Christmas play. It’s about the Christmas story found in the Book of Luke, but Mrs. Finnanfeathers has trained her animals to act out the Scripture found in the Book of Isaiah. Although she’s picked the wrong Bible story for the Christmas play, Mrs. Finnanfeathers reminds Ernie that the Isaiah Scripture is about a world that lives in peace, and that it leads into the Christmas story.

• Play today’s episode of Leaper’s Pointe (DVD).

ASK: Do you ever have trouble connecting the relationship between the Old and New Testaments? Did Mrs. Finnanfeathers’ explanation of the Isaiah passage help you to see a connection with what you already know about the life of Jesus?

Who Was Isaiah?Supplies: Bibles, Reproducible 1c, pens or pencils, mural paper, tape

Make copies of “Who Was Isaiah?”

• Hang a sheet of mural paper on the wall and write across the top of it “Who Was Isaiah?” List the following verses underneath to help the children answer the reproducible page questions: Isaiah 1:1; Isaiah 7:3; Isaiah 37:2.

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SAY: Besides today’s story, the Book of Isaiah also contains some facts about Isaiah’s life, more of his prophecies, as well as some of the history of Israel. Let’s learn more about this man who God called to be a prophet.

• Pass out copies of “Who Was Isaiah?”

• Give the children a few minutes to fill out the quiz, and tell them that you’ve listed a few verses on the wall that might help them.

• Answers: Life’s work (prophet, found in Isaiah 37:2); Father’s name (Amoz, found in Isaiah 1:1 and elsewhere); He had a son named (Shear-jashub, found in 7:3); Lived in (Judah, found in 1:1 and elsewhere); Book is found in the Old Testament; Book contains 66 chapters.

SAY: Isaiah was one of the many prophets through whom God spoke about the coming of God’s son into the world.

A Picture of PeaceSupplies: Faith Guide—pp. 3-5; pencils

• Invite the children to read “A Picture of Peace” in their Faith Guides.

ASK: Can you think of some times in your life when you have seen conflict? What happened? Have you ever witnessed the resolution of a conflict that led to peace? Could you see God at work in bringing peace to the problem?

• Have the children write about a time when they experienced God’s peace.

Serve With LoveThe Knowledge of the LORDSupplies: Bibles, Reproducible 1d, scissors, envelopes, construction paper, gluesticks

Make enough copies of “The Knowledge of the Lord” to give one to each child. Cut the word boxes apart and place the sets of scrambled Bible verses in envelopes for each child.

• Pass out construction paper and gluesticks to each child.

• Pass out the envelopes to the children, asking them to keep the envelopes closed for the moment.

SAY: Earlier we read aloud from the Book of Isaiah, chapter 11. The last verse that we read contains a powerful prophecy about the peace that comes from the Lord, which is a description of Jesus. Verse 9 begins by saying, “They won’t harm or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain.” Inside the envelopes, you have the words of the end of verse nine, but they are mixed up. When I say ‘Go!’ let’s see who can put the words in order fastest, to remind us of where the peace of the LORD will come from. The first to finish will get a chance to lead the group in worship as we close today’s session.

SAY: Go!

TIPOption: If your group seems to need additional help with putting the verse in order, allow them to use Bibles.



• Let the children work individually to see who can put the words in order first, gluing them onto the construction paper. Once you have your winner, tell him or her that you will need help during the closing worship activity.

• Be sure to allow everyone in the group enough time to put their words in order.

WorshipAdvent WreathsSupplies: Bible; five pillar candles (four purple, one white); candle lighter; real or artificial greenery; large plate or tray

• Invite the children to gather around the plate or tray where you have the wreath supplies.

SAY: Advent is a season of expectation, for the word actually means ‘coming.’ During Advent, we await the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. One of the ways that Christians celebrate Advent is by lighting the candles of an Advent wreath.

• Ask for a volunteer to arrange the candles on the plate with the white one in the center and the four purple ones around it.

• Other children can complete the wreath by adding greenery to the plate in and around the candles.

SAY: Each Sunday in December we’ll light one candle to remind us of a part of the meaning of Advent. The white candle is lit on the last Sunday of Advent and represents Christ. Today we will light one of the purple candles to remind us of the hope that we have in Christ.

• Let the child who won the Bible verse race light one of the purple candles.

• Ask for a volunteer to read all of Isaiah 11:6: “The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; the calf and the young lion will feed together, and a little child will lead them.”

SAY: During the coming week of Advent, watch for ways that God offers peace to the world.

PRAY: Dear God, thank you for the gift of peace that we receive through your Son Jesus Christ. Help us to reflect the peace of God in our own lives. And remind us daily of the hope that we have in you. In the name of your son Jesus we pray, Amen.

Plan for Next WeekHaving set the stage with our consideration of Isaiah’s prophecy, we will turn directly to the Christmas story itself. The next session focuses on the events of the birth of John the Baptist as they were experienced by his parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah.

Plan to keep your wreath in the classroom throughout December, and use it during closing worship in each session.

If you are concerned about the safety of letting the children use candles, consider lighting the Advent candles yourself. Or you could use a light bulb candle or other small light for the Advent wreath.

TIP

TIP

37 Winter 2012-2013 GROW • Proclaim • Serve • Older Elementary Leader’s Guide


Reproducible 1a - “Wolf and Lamb” Ornament



Reproducible 1b - Leadership Creatures

LAMB LEOPARD

LION CALF

CHILD COW

Winter 2012-2013 GrowProclaimServe.com 39Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2012 Cokesbury.

Reproducible 1c - Who Was Isaiah?The Book of Isaiah is full of prophecy, prayer, and even poetry. But who was this prophet of God? Use your Bible to fill out this fact sheet on Isaiah.

Life’s Work _____________

Father’s name___________

He had a son named_________

Lived in _______________

His book is found in the ______________ Testament

Number of chapters in his book______________



Reproducible 1d - The Knowledge of the LORD

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Winter 2012-13 GrowProclaimServe.com 121Permission is granted to duplicate this page for local church use only. © 2012 Cokesbury.

Advent is a season of four weeks, including four Sundays. The word “Advent” comes from the Latin and means “coming.” The season of Advent is that time in the church when we prepare to celebrate once again the coming of Christ. The liturgical color for Advent is purple. Encourage the children to look about the sanctuary and notice the different times purple is used in their church.

Many churches use an “Advent Wreath” as a way to emphasize the stories of Jesus’ birth. An Advent wreath is a special evergreen wreath with four purple candles and a central white candle as symbols of the season. Each of the candles represent some aspect of the celebration. Each week one candle is lit.

Over the years the four purple candles have had different meanings. But our tradition is this: First candle = HopeSecond candle = LoveThird candle = JoyFourth candle = Peace

The central white candle is called the Christ candle and is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Each Sunday of Advent, in the worship section of our sessions, we will light the candles, hear the song “Let Them Shine,” and read Scriptures or pray a prayer appropriate to the candle’s theme.

There are many different ways to create an Advent wreath—from the simplest to the most complicated. However you choose to do one, involve the children in the creation of it. See the different illustrations here on how to make the wreath. If your church does not allow real candles to be used in the Sunday school area, use LED tea lights or create your wreath from paper or felt.

What Is an Advent Wreath?

122 GROW • Proclaim • Serve • Older Elementary Leader’s Guide


My Very Own Advent WreathYou will need: a sturdy white 9-inch paper plate, five plastic bottle caps (preferably white), green

construction paper, craft glue, modeling clay, and birthday candles.

1. Use the holly leaf pattern here to cut out about twenty holly leaves from green construction paper.

2. Glue over the surface of the paper plate as shown here.

3. Arrange four of the bottle caps on the holly leaves as shown here, the top of the cap down. (If the

plate were a clock, they would be at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00.)

4. Glue them in place using the craft glue.

5. Place the fifth bottle cap in the center of the plate.

6. Fill each bottle cap with modeling clay.

7. Insert a birthday candle in each bottle cap.

isaiah session 1 - umphimages.umph.org/grow/grow oe lg dec_2.pdf · • show them how to curl their...

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