Jesus' Birth Through the Eyes of Isaiah

Storytelling Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activity:

Hear Isaiah’s story via two “visitors” from Bible times: a camel (puppet) and Isaiah himself (a guest storyteller). [1st – 3rd graders visited this workshop.]

NOTE: This workshop requires two adults – one to be the “storyteller” (dressed as Isaiah) and one to handle other duties (the “workshop leader.)  The storyteller should… prepare to tell the story. Refer to the script at the Rotation.org Writing Team Storytelling workshop on Jesus' Birth Through the Eyes of Isaiah.

Scripture Reference:

Isaiah 6:1-8, Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:21-23, Isaiah 9:6

Key Verse: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

Workshop Objectives:

• Name that the story is found in the Old Testament.
• For 3rd grade and up: Locate the story in the Bible. Identify Isaiah as a book of Prophecy.
• Define prophet: “God’s messenger.” Define Messiah: “Anointed one; Christ.”
• Retell the story of the prophet Isaiah’s commissioning experience in the temple.
• Recognize that Isaiah foretold the coming of the Messiah years before the birth of Jesus. (Jesus’ birth was planned by God way in advance!)
• Identify some of the names to which Isaiah referred to this coming Messiah, and explore these names as attributes of Jesus’ character – Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Leader Preparation:

• Read the scripture for this lesson.
• Read and reflect on the overview material provided for this lesson.
• Gather the materials

Materials List:

Advanced Preparation Requirements:

• Write the key Bible verse on the easel using the abbreviated version - “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Draw any pictures you can think of to help the non-readers. For example: a baby, etc.
• Bookmark the Adventure Bible to Isaiah 9:6.
• Have the camel puppet hidden in a bag or a container. Place this inside the classroom tent.
• The workshop leader should prepare to meet the students outside of the tent. The storyteller should wait in the hall (out of sight).
• NOTE: This workshop requires two adults – one to be the “storyteller” (dressed as Isaiah) and one to handle other duties (the “workshop leader).  The storyteller shoul prepare to tell the story. Print the script at the Rotation.org Writing Team Storytelling workshop on Jesus' Birth Through the Eyes of Isaiah.

Presentation

Opening – Welcome & Lesson Introduction:

Gather the children outside of the classroom tent. Greet your students warmly, introducing yourself and any other adults. Ask everyone to sit in a circle.

Say: Welcome to storytelling! Today we’ll be hearing from a visitor from Bible times. Our visitor is Isaiah. Once we go in to the tent we’ll want to sit quietly and listen so I thought first we’d spent a couple of minutes sort of getting our sillies out and stretching a bit.

Ask: Are you excited about Christmas?
Who can tell me what season of the year it is? (advent)
What is Advent?
Say: Advent is a time of waiting. It’s a time of preparing for the celebration of Jesus’ birth.
Ask: What preparations have you been making during Advent, to get ready for Christmas? (allow several answers)

Say: Christmas is something we plan for way in advance isn’t it? We get our decorations up and we light Advent candles for four Sundays before Christmas. Today we will learn how Jesus’ birth was actually something God planned for a very long time. God told the world about the coming birth way before it happened! We will hear about that from Isaiah, our visitor from Bible times.

Say: Isaiah lived a long time ago in an area of the world where they gathered for warmth around a campfire. Let’s pretend and enjoy our nice warm fire. [Make like are enjoying a fire] But then the fire goes out and it gets cold. [Shiver and get up and stamp your feet] Let’s see…they rode camels back in that part of the world. Isaiah would have had to travel around a lot.
Ask: How might a camel move? [Move about like a camel]
How might you get on a camel?
How might you walk after you’d ridden for a while on a camel?
[End with a quiet “movement” to get everyone “calm.”]
If you were Isaiah, you’d have had to talk to the people as well as to the king. How might that have looked to talk to the king? [Prostrate yourself on the floor]

Say: Let’s move into the story tent.

Dig - Main Content & Reflection:

Ask: Was it hard to wait to be able to come into the tent?
Say: We can say that waiting is what the people in Isaiah’s time were doing. They were waiting for something.
Ask: I wonder what the people were waiting for? (allow a few replies)

Say: We have a special visitor today – visiting us from Bible times. Actually we have two visitors. Isaiah will be coming in a few minutes but first I would like you to meet Micah. [Slip your hand into the puppet while it’s still in the bag, and bring out the camel.]

Say: Micah, I would like you to meet our class today.

Micah (the puppet): Hello everyone.

Say: Micah, I understand that you are Isaiah’s camel?

Micah: Yes, I am Isaiah’s favorite camel.

Say: That’s good because I need your help. You see Isaiah is going to be coming in a minute and I’m a little nervous because Isaiah is from Old Testament Bible times and ah, I don’t know much about Isaiah.

Micah: Isaiah is coming!? Oh goody – I’m Isaiah’s favorite camel you know.

Say: Great. Ah, but I need to know – Isaiah is a prophet but I’m not sure I know what a prophet is.

Micah: Maybe some of the children know what a prophet is – do you know? (allow any answers) A prophet is God's special messenger. A prophet brings God's message to the people. The message that a prophet brings is called a prophecy.

Say: A message; so that would be like “don’t forget to wear your coat?”

Micah: No. No. No. More like – change your ways people; shape up or else!

Say: That message sounds scary.

Micah: Well it could be, but what Isaiah heard from God, he had to pass along to the people. But, prophets also brought messages of hope.

Say: Hope! Oh really, what sort of hope?

Micah: Well, the people were feeling down and discouraged. Other prophets had said that a new king would come. The people were really waiting for their new king. Isaiah said that a child would be born – a Savior – and we would call him Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace!

Say: Oh right! I’ve read those words in the Bible in the book that Isaiah wrote. Ok, so in Old Testament times, a prophet told the people a message from God, and sometime it was about something that was going to happen in the future.

Micah: Yes. Ah, I need to go now. I’m hungry and I smell something good to eat.

Say: OK. Thank you Micah. I’m glad to know what a prophet is, because I’m sure Isaiah himself is going to ask us if we know. Bye Micah. [Put Micah away] Isaiah will be here in just a little while. But first, I have a question for you [direct to the students]…

Ask: If we were going to read in the Bible about an event that happened way before the time of Jesus – would we find our story in the Old Testament or the New Testament? (Old)

Say: That’s right, we would find a story written by a prophet in the Old Testament.

For 3rd graders:

Say: Because Isaiah was a prophet, we find the book of Isaiah in the collection known as “Prophecy.” If you have your own Bible today, be sure you receive the tab for the Prophecy section of your Bible.

[At some point – probably later in the lesson - have the Shepherd do a “Prophecy” tab for students who bring their Bibles. Use the classroom Bible with tabs as an example.]

Say: Before Isaiah comes, let me read some of Isaiah’s words in the Old Testament, in the book of Isaiah. Read Isaiah 9:6.

Say: Let’s welcome Isaiah.

The Storyteller takes over:

Tell your story. Refer to the script at the Rotation.org Writing Team Storytelling workshop on Jesus' Birth Through the Eyes of Isaiah (a Supporting Member resource).

When you are finished, turn the class back over to the workshop leader.

Discussion:

Say: Thank you very much Isaiah, for visiting with us today. [Isaiah may leave.]

Ask: What did God ask Isaiah to do? (to give messages to the people)
From Isaiah’s description of seeing God, what can we learn about God?

[Refer to the easel] From these words that Isaiah spoke about a coming baby: “For to us a child is born…” who is the child referred to in the verse? (Jesus)
What do Isaiah’s words tell us about Jesus? (wonderful counselor)
What is a counselor? (someone who listens to you and helps you)
What other words do you know of that describe Jesus?

Say: God told the prophets about Jesus’ birth way before it happened. The people at that time were in need of a message of hope that they could look forward to: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” That verse is so beautiful – it’s full of hope and it came true! Jesus was born as a small baby! Jesus is a wonderful counselor, Let’s work on learning that verse.

Learn the Key Bible verse:

Have everyone stand. [Perhaps you want to go outside of the tent.] The students will learn the verse with movements so that their bodies will help their minds remember the words; accompanying movements are in italics.

Say: Isaiah 9:6 (hold up 9 fingers, then 6) This Bible verse is in the 9th chapter of Isaiah, in the 6th verse. So, Isaiah 9:6 (hold up 9 fingers, then 6).

For to us a child is born, (rock a baby)

To us a son is given, (hold out both hands palms up as if giving something)

And he will be called (sign your 'John Hancock' on your hands)

Wonderful Counselor, (put both hands at your ears, as if to hear better)

Mighty God, (hold both arms up to show muscles)

Everlasting Father, (both hands start at heart, reach and point out to sides showing eternity)

Prince of Peace. (hold two fingers up in a peace sign).

Closing:

Ask for any prayer requests. Ask if anyone would like to lead the group in prayer. Use the Lord’s Prayer as the ending. [You may ask one or two students to lead the Lord’s Prayer.]

A suggestion: Dear God, Thank you for this exciting season of hope. We wait with excitement to celebrate the birth of your son Jesus. Thank you for bringing everyone here today to learn about how your plan for the birth of Jesus was first told about so long ago. Thank you for the gift of Jesus and thank you for the prayer he taught us…(End with the Lord’s Prayer) Amen.

If you have extra time:
Play a game of “Twenty Questions.” Ask a student to come up with a person, place or thing from the Bible story. Other students can ask Yes/No questions to try to figure out what the thing is. The one who guesses first gets to think of the next item.

Resources:

• “Birth Narrative: Good News.” Faith Quest Lesson Sets (at Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church).   http://www.kirkofkildaire.org/...ns/BirthGoodNews.htm
• Crane, Amy. “Rotation.org Writing Team Lessons On The Birth Of Jesus Through The Eyes Of Isaiah: Storytelling Lesson.”   https://www.rotation.org/topic...istmas--storytelling

A lesson written by Carol Hulbert from: First UMC, Ann Arbor, MI

Copyright First United Methodist Church, Ann Arbor, MI. Permission to copy materials granted for non-commercial use provided credit is given and all cited references remain with this material.

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