Jesus' Birth through the Eyes of the Shepherds and Angels
Storytelling Workshop
Summary of Lesson Activities:
The children will hear the Christmas story via a “visitor” from Bible times - a shepherd. [Note: 4th – 6th graders visited this workshop.]
Scripture Reference:
Luke 2:1, Luke 2:10-12, and Luke 2:17
Key Verse:
“But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.'” Luke 2:10-11 (NIV)
Lesson Objectives: At the end of the Rotation, kids should be able to:
- Name that the shepherds’ story is found in the New Testament in the Gospels.
- Locate the story in the Bible. Identify Luke as the third of four Gospels.
- Retell the story of the birth of Jesus from the point of view of the shepherds and the angels.
- Recognize the shepherds’ fear, amazement and joy at the sights/sounds of the angels visit.
- Question who are the messengers of the good news, both in Bible times and today.
Leader Preparation:
NOTE: This workshop requires two “leaders” – one to be the storyteller (dressed as a shepherd) and one to handle other duties.
- Read the scripture and the Bible background information.
- Gather the materials
Materials List:
- Bibles
- Easel with marker
- Storyteller’s script – note: this script can not be posted, see note in resources below.
- Costume for the storyteller
- Two chairs
- Strips of paper
- Air-drying clay (enough for each student to have a 2” ball)
Advanced Preparation Requirements:
- The Storyteller should practice the story using the script.
- Write the key Bible verse on the easel.
- Write on the strips of paper, the key verse breaking it into short phrases. Use at least 10 strips. Include the Bible reference as one strip.
- Break the clay into 2” balls, one per student.
Lesson Plan
Opening:
Do: Greet your students warmly, welcoming them to the Storytelling Workshop. Introduce yourself and the Shepherd(s). Have the Shepherd take care of attendance/name tags while you are starting the lesson.
Say: Today we have a special guest – a visitor from Bible times – a shepherd. He will tell us about the events that happened on the very first Christmas.
Ask: Can anyone tell me what a "Shepherd" is?
Is it like the dog "German Shepherd?"
Say: Before we hear our shepherd's story, let’s start with prayer.
Ask for any prayer requests. Ask if anyone would like to lead the group in prayer. Be prepared to say a prayer yourself, working in prayer requests.
Use the Lord’s Prayer as the ending. A suggestion: “Dear God, as we wait for Christmas to come, we thank you for sending a baby who turned out to be the shepherd of us all. Help us to follow where the good shepherd leads us. And help us to go tell everyone the good news of his birth with the same excitement as the shepherds who first heard this good news. (End with the Lord’s Prayer) Amen.”
Dig In- Main Content and Reflection:
Ask: What is the good news about Christ’s birth? (accept a few answers)
Say: Let’s find our story in the Bible to see who told about this good news.
Distribute Bibles if needed. (For younger non-reading students use a picture book to tell the story.)
Ask: In what part of the Bible would we read the story about Jesus’ birth? (NT)
What are the names of the first four books of the New Testament, the Gospels?
Does anyone know which two Gospels tell about Jesus’ birth? (Matthew & Luke)
Say: Our story is in the Gospel of Luke. That’s the third book of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Have everyone find Luke, chapter 2, verse 1.
[If necessary remind them of the quick way to find the New Testament - Opening the bible in middle lands you usually in psalms. Taking just the back half and finding the middle of that, gets you to the beginning of NT.]
Have the students tell you the story, checking their Bibles for accuracy.
Ask: Who was the first messenger to tell the good news about Jesus’ birth? (an angel)
Ask: What did the angel tell the shepherds?
[Have the students find and read Luke 2:10-12.]
Ask: In this story, who else is a messenger of this good news?
[Have them find Luke 2:17 – the shepherds.]
Say: If we thought more about this question – who else is a messenger of the good news – there are lots of possible answers.
Ask: Can you think of anyone else who acts as a messenger of the good news of Jesus’ birth? (prophets; writers of the Gospels; us!)
Say: Now let’s hear from our visitor.
The Storyteller takes over:
Tell your story using the script.
When you are finished, turn the class back over to the workshop leader.
Discussion/Project:
Say: Thank you very much for visiting with us today. [Shepherd may leave if desired.]
Do: Pass out balls of clay.
Say: Our friend the Shepherd mentioned making something out of clay. Take this clay and fashion something that you can take home with you to help you remember this story.
As the students work Ask:
- Do people remember things better if they have something to look at?
- I wonder what will you remember about the story when you see your clay creation?
- To whom would you like to tell this story of good news?
- I wonder how has the news of Jesus’ birth had an effect on you?
- Who is the “angel” who first told you about Jesus?
- I wonder why God sent the angel to the shepherds with the good news, instead of to important people in town?
- Recall how our Shepherd told us about the huge group of angels…and how they sang praises to God, singing “Glory to God in the highest.” What does "glory" mean? How can we show glory to God?
Closing:
Allow students to share what they have made.
Say: Take this reminder home. Let it remind you to be a messenger who brings joyous news to others – a Savior has been born! He is Christ the Lord.
If you have extra time:
Pass out the prepared strips of paper. Ask the students with the papers to stand up and put themselves in order so that the verse is correct. Repeat as needed, swapping strips each time, to provide adequate review of the Key Bible verse.
Resources:
Crane, Amy. “Christmas through the Eyes of the Shepherds.” Rotation.org, 2001.
“This is My Dear Son: Jesus’ Birth to Baptism.” Faith Challenge Lesson Sets at Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church, 2003, www.kirkofkildaire.org/ed/F...rth_to_BaptismA1.htm
Note: The storyteller’s script was purchased as part of a workshop from Cornerstones Publishing. I wrote the workshop portion of the above lesson; I didn’t use any of the Cornerstones material. Sorry, but Cornerstones Publishing is no longer in business. In case you can find this lesson somewhere else, (perhaps at your denominational resource center or borrow from another church who has it) it was entitled: "The Covenant -- Messengers of the Covenant - Bedouin Encampment."
A lesson written by Carol Hulbert from First United Methodist Church, Ann Arbor, MI. Dec. 2007.
A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.
Save