Christmas is almost here!
Which means there’s a lot for us to look forward to — sometimes impatiently.
But you know the saying, “good things come to those who wait”?
It’s true for Christmases now, but it was true on the very first Christmas as well.
You see, the day Jesus came to earth wasn’t a sudden surprise.
It was the first step in a long-awaited plan.
In this 4-week series, we’ll hear the Christmas story from the perspective of the prophets in the Old Testament, who foretold and then waited for the good things God had in store.
Christmas is a reminder of what the prophets proclaimed: that God has always had a plan, that Jesus completes God’s plan, that God’s plans bring joy, and that God’s plans require sacrifice.
(Remember that we release our teaching videos and other content on our YouTube channel. So even if your 5th-8th grader can’t be here in person, he/she can still stay connected. You can even subscribe or turn on alerts so you know when each video comes out! Check it out: YouTube.com/mpcc5678 )
Here’s how that breaks down over the next few weeks:
December 5 – Week 1 – God Has A Plan.
We’ll connect Jesus’ announcement of His earthly ministry to the prophet Isaiah, who predicted His arrival as we study Luke 4:14-21; Isaiah 61:1-2; and John 1:1.
Parent Cue: We’ll be challenging students to create a timeline of their own lives and evaluate where they have sensed God’s Presence and seen Him at work, even if it meant, at the time, they had to trust Him and wait. You might want to ask if you can see their timeline or if they need any help thinking through the events on it.
December 12 – Week 2 – Jesus Completes God’s Plan.
*Worship Together Weekend. Lesson will be on our YouTube Channel only!
Since Mount Pleasant Christian Church will have our special Christmas services this weekend, we won’t have our separate Middle School Ministry service. However, through our teaching video on YouTube, notes in the Bible app, and downloadable handout – “the weekly” – we’ll learn how Jesus completes God’s plan as we study Malachi 3:1-2; Mark 1:1-8; Matthew 1:21-23; and 2 Peter 3:9
Parent Cue: Watch this video on your own or with your preteen/middle schooler. Then challenge them to watch it and explain to you how Jesus completes God’s plan.
December 19 – Week 3 – Jesus Brings Joy.
We’ll learn in all circumstances, Jesus brings joy as we study Zephaniah 3:14-17; Luke 2:25-38; and Philippians 4:4.
Parent Cue: We’ll be challenging students to either find one way to choose more joy in their own lives this week or help one person to have more joy in his or her life this week. Ask them which one they chose and what their plan is!
December 26 – Week 4 – God’s Plans Require Sacrifice.
*Worship Together Weekend. Lesson will be on our YouTube Channel only!
This Christmas weekend, Mount Pleasant Christian Church will have Christmas Eve services, but Sunday will be online only. We still want to finish our series, so we’ll share our teaching video on our YouTube channel to help students learn how we are called to make sacrifices to follow God’s plan as we study Luke 1:26-38, 46-55; Romans 12:1; and Hebrews 13:16.
Parent Cue: We’ll finish this series by challenging students to think about who has made sacrifices for them. We’re also challenging them to make sacrifices for others and for God this week. This will probably be a big challenge for your student. Let them know you are praying for them – and then actually pray for them – as they wrestle with how to put this lesson into practice this week.
MPCC 5678 