Week 6 John Baptist

 Over the past few weeks we have been talking about Jesus.  We have been learning that He is God who came to earth as a man to show us what God is like.   This week we are going to learn about someone else in the Bible who was very important.  Not as important as Jesus, but someone we need to meet.

This person's name was John.  John was born at about the same time as Jesus and his birth was special because his mum and dad had been told they couldnt have children.   They were very old and a bit sad because they really wanted a baby but they didnt have one.  Johns Dad was called Zacharias and his Mum was called Elizabeth.  Zacharias worked in church and one day when he was busy an angel came to him and said ' today is a really happy day because God has heard your prayers and is going to say yes to them!  You and Elizabeth are going to have a baby.  You are to call him John.   God is going to use him to get people ready for someone else who is coming very soon.   You need to teach him all about God because God is going to fill him with the Holy Spirit'    Zacharias was really really surprised.  How surprised do you think he was?  Can you show me a very surprised face?  Yes, he looked like that. 

You know that sometimes when something really good happens its hard to believe?  Well Zacharias didnt believe the angel and he said '  How are we going to be able to have a baby ?  Both my wife and I are too old!'  The angel was a bit cross with him - he said ' Listen, Im an angel, Ive come from heaven to bring you great news and you dont believe me??!!   I tell you what, to prove that this is true you wont be able to talk until your baby is born'   And from that moment Zacharias couldnt speak!   He tried to.  He wanted to.  But he couldnt!   Oh dear!

When Zacharias went home, his wife Elizabeth wondered what had happened.  Zacharias couldnt tell her so he had to write it down - we are going to have a baby!  Elizabeth was so so happy.  And sure enough as soon as could be she was pregnant.  

John was born just a few months before Jesus was born and they probably knew each other - maybe they played together when they were little boys.  But Jesus grew up to be a carpenter in his Dad Josephs workshop and John went off into the wilderness where he lived a bit of a strange life.  He didnt really have a proper house.  He made his own clothes out of animal fur.  He caught and ate bugs and insects ( yuk) and ate honey from wild bees.  He wasn't a very normal person really.   Sometimes we can look at someone on the outside and think they are weird - maybe they dont wear clothes we like or maybe they dont live like we do.  But sometimes God is with those people and they are special.  John was special because God's spirit lived inside him.  Gods spirit lived inside Jesus too.  They were the only people in the world who had God's spirit living inside them.

Watch  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NMHOLPWeTM&t=110s

Activity      use brown wool to stick on a hairy outfit for John then colour the rest.      https://whatsinthebible.com/activity-library/john-the-baptist   

Handprint grasshopper (locust) https://funhandprintartblog.com/handprint-grasshopper-craft.html

Or for a slightly older group make a clothes peg grasshopper http://almostunschoolers.blogspot.com/2016/01/john-baptist-preschool-sunday-school.html?spref=pi

Worship - need to start learning songs for nativity?  To be confirmed

Pocket prayer https://www.facebook.com/share/r/o2vLbdNmXv5rHKpD/We are going to say  1) Hello Jesus!  2) Thank you for loving me  3) Thank you for giving me everything I need 4) Thank you for looking after me and the people I love. 5) Amen



 Free play

Sleeping Bunnies, get badges back. Goodbye

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