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NT1.4 God's Promises to Simeon and Anna © Beverly Wilson 2019

Unit 1: Birth of Christ

NT1.4 God's Promises to Simeon and Anna

Scripture: Luke 2:21-38

Lesson Goal: God revealed to two very old righteous people in the temple at Jerusalem that His Son Jesus the Messiah would be born before they died. For many years they had looked forward to this event. In this lesson we will see how God keeps His promises. The students will tell who Jesus is and give thanks to God for sending Him to be our Savior.

Introduction: This is the fourth lesson in Unit 1: The Birth of Christ. For 5,000 years God had promised to send a Savior to the people of the earth. In this lesson we will learn how God kept His promise to Simeon that he would see the Promised One before his death. The story of the birth of Jesus is told to us in the book of Luke. Luke is one of the Gospels in the New Testament. The Gospels tell the life and ministry of Jesus while He was here on earth. Let's say the names of the gospels--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Attention Getter: How many of you have taken a trip to Grandmother’s house? Do you think Grandmother looked forward to your coming? How did you know she was glad to see you when you got there? Did she give you a hug and a kiss? This grandmother is so excited to see her new grandchild. See how she carefully hugs and loves this baby! Here is a picture of me holding my granddaughter Andrea when she was a baby in the hospital. I loved her very much and I was so glad to have her in my arms. I bet your grandmother did that for you when you were little. In this lesson we are going to learn about two older people named Simeon and Anna who recognized and greeted baby Jesus as the Savior sent from God. They had looked forward to meeting Him for a long time and they thanked God for Him in prayer. Optional: Show pictures of your family when they were born. Talk about how you or your family felt the first time they saw new babies in the family. Talk about how excited other people were to see new family members. Explain that in today’s lesson Simeon and Anna were very excited to meet Jesus because they knew He was God’s Son.

Opening Prayer: "Dear Father in heaven, Thank you for sending Your Son Jesus to earth as a baby. He willingly became a human like us so He could die on the cross to forgive us our sins and give us eternal life. Help us to praise and thank you every day as we tell others about Your great gift of salvation. In Jesus' name Amen."

Memory Verse: Our memory verse is Psalms 9: 1, 10 “I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart. I will tell of all your wonders…and those who know your name will put their trust in You.”

Lesson Video: http://youtu.be/qV0AH4lqZco

Mary who was the mother of Jesus also loved to hold her baby. Jesus had just been born only a few days ago. He was such a sweet precious child. Mary remembered how she and Joseph had come the long journey on a donkey from their hometown in Nazareth to the city of Bethlehem. Bethlehem was the home town of both Joseph's and her family. Even though she was soon to have a baby they had to make the trip in order to be counted in the census so they could pay their taxes.

http://youtu.be/qV0AH4lqZco

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When they had arrived in Bethlehem they could not find any rooms to rent. They had to stay in a stable where the animals were kept. Here Mary had given birth to Jesus! It had not been the best place to have a baby but God had been with her. She and Joseph thought Jesus was the most beautiful baby ever! They had wrapped the baby to keep Him warm in the long white cloths, and placed him in a manger which was a box that was used to hold food for the animals. That same night just outside of the city of Bethlehem were some shepherds on the hillside watching their sheep. The sheep were about to go to sleep when suddenly the sky was lit up bright as day. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified. But the angel of the Lord 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!" This will be sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." As soon as the angel finished speaking, the sky was suddenly filled with thousands of angels all praising God and saying, "Glory to god in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests." When the angels left, the shepherds immediately left the hillside and ran into Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus. They found him in the stable just like the angel had said. The shepherds were so glad to see the baby Jesus that they fell down and worshipped him because they knew that he was the son of God and that that God had kept His promise to send a Savior! As Mary looked at her baby she knew that she would never forget what had just happened! How wonderful was the promise that God had made to give her a son. Now Mary’s baby, God’s own Son was just eight days old. It was time to officially give Him His name. Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the local synagogue where they performed the ceremony of circumcision. At this ceremony He was named Jesus, the name the angel had told Joseph to give God's Son. When he was forty days old Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple in the city of Jerusalem for the ceremony of purification. This was a part of the Old Testament Law that said every family should dedicate their first born son. At this ceremony a lamb was normally brought as an offering but because Mary and Joseph were poor they brought an offering of a pair of doves or pigeons. When parents dedicate their baby this means that they are giving their son to God to serve Him in a special way. Mary and Joseph wanted God to help them teach Jesus to love and obey God all His life. Living in Jerusalem was an old man called Simeon who spent a lot of time praying and singing praises to God in the Temple. Many years before God had made a special promise to Simeon. He had been told that he would not die until he had seen the Savior whom God had promised to send. The very day that Mary and Joseph arrived with baby Jesus the Holy Spirit told Simeon to go to the Temple! When Simeon saw Mary he took the baby in his arms and began to praise God saying, "Lord now I can die content! For I have seen the Savior of the world as you promised me I would." The word Messiah or Savior means Promised One or God's Chosen One. Jesus would be the One who would save people from their sins. Simeon's heart was beating with joy and excitement! He held Jesus close for a moment and then said, "He is the Light that will shine upon the nations, and he will be the glory of your people Israel!" Joseph and Mary stood there, surprised at what was being said about Jesus. Simeon then warned Mary that Jesus would be rejected by many in Israel but He would bring joy of many others. An 84 year old widow called Anna was serving in the Temple that day and she saw Simeon talking to Mary and Joseph. She also began very excited and began thanking God for sending the Savior of the world. God had kept His promise just as He said He would! She started telling everyone in Jerusalem who had been waiting and watching for the coming of the Savior that the Messiah had finally arrived. She said, "The Messiah has come. The One God promised is here. Let's all give thanks!"

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After the dedication at the Temple, Mary and Joseph returned home to Nazareth. In Nazareth Jesus grew up as a strong healthy boy known for his wisdom. God poured out His grace and blessing upon him. God didn’t have to send Jesus. God didn’t have to love us. But He chose to love us and to make a way for us to live forever with Him. God did this by sending Jesus to take the punishment for our sins on the cross. Jesus was willing to be born as a child and provide salvation for all people just because He loves us! Let’s be like Simeon and Anna and praise and thank Him for that today! Remember let's praise and thank Jesus for our salvation!

Review Questions: "Find the Object" (Grades K-5) Preparation: Hide a small Christmas object somewhere in the room. The object can be a Christmas sticker, a baby Jesus, a bell, etc.) Hide the Christmas object in plain sight in a spot where it can be seen if someone is close to it. (on a shelf or behind a plant, for example) rather than in a place where something has to be moved to find it (like under a book or in a closet.) Say: There is a (small baby Jesus) hidden somewhere in this classroom. When you see it, quickly sit down in the center without telling where the object is.” Procedure: When two or three students have located the object and are seated, call the remaining students back to the center of the room without telling them where the object is. As the student who was first one to be seated to bring the object to the center of the room. This child gets to answer the first question and score a point if correct. Hide the object again while the students' eyes are closed. Repeat the previous activity until all the review questions have been asked. Give a small prize to the child with the most points.

1. Why Mary and Joseph take baby Jesus to the synagogue when he was just seven days old? (To give Him his name Jesus and for him to be circumcised.)

2. Where did Mary and Joseph take Jesus when he was 40 days old? (They took Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem.)

3. What did Mary and Joseph bring to sacrifice at the temple? (They brought pigeons or doves because they were poor and could not afford a lamb.)

4. What does the word "Christ or Messiah" mean? (It means God's chosen one.) 5. How did Simeon know to go to the temple the day Joseph and Mary came? (The Holy Spirit

told him to go.) 6. What does it mean to "dedicate" someone? (It means to give that person to God for a special

purpose in a special way.) 7. What did the dedication show that Mary and Joseph wanted to do? (It showed that they

wanted their Son Jesus to love and obey God all His life and they wanted God's help in raising their son.)

8. Why did Simeon say when He saw the baby Jesus? (Now I can die content because I have seen Him as You promised."

9. What job did Anna have? (She was a widow who worked and served in the temple every day.)

10. How did God show His love for Anna and Simeon? (God showed His love for them by helping them know He was the One who had come to save people from their sins.)

11. Who did Simeon and Anna say that Jesus is? (They said the Jesus was the Savior of the world.)

12. What did Simeon and Anna know about God? (God always keeps His promises.) 13. What did Simeon and Anna do when they recognized Jesus? (They praised God and gave

thanks for God's gift of salvation. They told everyone about the good news.) 14. Who do you believe Jesus is? Who does the Bible say He is? (The Son of God who came to

save us.) 15. What is the memory verse? (Psalms 9: 1, 10 “I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart. I

will tell of all your wonders…and those who know your name will put their trust in You.”)

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Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Carpet Squares” Our memory verse is Psalms 9: 1, 10 “I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart. I will tell of all your wonders…and those who know your name will put their trust in You.” Have students locate the verses in scripture and read them together aloud several times. Say: “Look at these verses. What are the two words that are said most often in these verses? Yes, it is “I will.” That means we must choose to praise God with all our heart and tell others about God’s wonders. We can rejoice and sing praise to God’s name because He is our Savior.” Preparation: Go to a carpet store and purchase some "out of date" carpet squares. (The store manager may even give them to you!) Procedure: Lay enough carpet squares on the floor for each word or phrase in the story. Children are to step from one square to another as they say each word in the story. If carpet squares are unavailable, you can use the large foam square exercise mats from Wayfair. These mats are inexpensive and come in a variety of colors.

Group Learning Activity: Play "Freeze Frame" (Grades K-5) Purpose: Have the students play "Freeze Frame” to reenact the Biblical account. Procedure: When the teacher calls out a scene, the children are to stand in a position with the hand or leg positions in a "frozen" position that dramatizes that scene in the story. The teacher calls out "Freeze Frame" when children are to hold their positions. While the children hold their positions for a few minutes, the teacher decides which child best depicts the story. Some ideas for scenes in this story would be "traveling to Jerusalem," "meeting Simeon," "meeting Anna," "returning home to Nazareth," "praying in the temple," "taking the pigeons or doves to the temple for the sacrifice." Compliment ingenuity in portraying the scene. Praise all efforts to portray the action! Here are four scenes you could portray as small groups:

1. Simeon waited for the birth of God's Son. Anna stayed in the temple and prayed. Mary and

Joseph traveled to Jerusalem with Jesus.

2. Mary and Joseph walked into the temple with Jesus to present an offering. Simeon came to

meet them and took Jesus in his arms. Anna was at the temple praying.

3. Anna told people about seeing Jesus and His family. Mary, Joseph, and Simeon worshiped at

the temple.

4. Simeon and Anna thanked God for seeing Jesus and His family. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus went to Nazareth.

Group Learning Activity: Prayer "Story Starters" (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need large sheets of chart paper. On large sheets of chart paper write the following prayer story starters at the top of each page:

"Thank You God for…"

"Jesus, You are..."

"Praise God for..."

“I want to thank you for the blessing of…”

“We give you thanks O God for….”

“Father, we want to pray for (person) because…”

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Hang the sheets of prayer story starters in various areas of the room. (Make sure there is plenty of space for a small group of children to work on the chart together.) Procedure: Divide the class into small groups of 2 or 3 children. Make sure each group of children have a chart paper story starter. Make extra sheets of chart paper if you have a larger class. Give each child a different color of magic marker. Assign each group of students a prayer starter page. At your signal the groups are to go to the prayer starter paper and write as many endings to the sentence as they can. As soon as most of the children in the group have had an opportunity to write on the chart paper, have the groups move to another story starter. When all the groups have been to each of the stations, ask the students to return to their seats. Go to the each chart and read the answers to the whole class. The different colors of markers identify which child responded to the particular prayer starter. This is a great interactive prayer and praise activity!

Group Learning Activity: “Shepherd Game” (Grades 2-5) Preparation: You will need chalk or masking tape, cardboard boxes or croquet hoops, two brooms, and 6 cotton balls or a small rubber balls. Say: “In this lesson we learned that people who became aware of the birth of the baby Jesus and believed that he was the Son of God, worshipped Him. Some of the people who praised God were the shepherds who heard the message from the angels, and Simeon and Anna who worshipped Jesus in the temple. Today we are going to pretend to be the shepherds. They were out herding their sheep when the angels appeared to them with the good news of great joy. We are going to play a game that will help us understand the job of a shepherd in caring for his sheep.” Procedure: Divide the class into two teams. Draw on the floor with chalk or masking tape a "path" for the sheep to be herded through. Tape a few boxes to the floor (ends cut out). If the game is played outside use croquet hoops pushed into the ground. Teams line up on opposite ends of the track. Give each team a broom and 6 cotton balls (for younger children a small rubber ball can be used). The object is to herd the sheep down the path, through the "tunnels," to the other side and back. The team who has all their members complete the course first, wins. Group Learning Activity: "Who Am I?" (Grades 3-5) Say: “In our lesson today Simeon was guided by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God also leads and guides all believers. Let's learn more about what and how the Holy Spirit works? Preparation: You will need to prepare “Who am I?” strips of paper with the one of the following questions written on each slip. Be sure to write the scripture reference following the question. Place the strips of paper in a colorful gift bag.

I convict you when you sin. Who am I? John 16:8

I am the Gift God sent when Jesus returned to heaven. Acts 1:4, 2:38,

I teach you when you study God’s Word. Who am I? John 14:26

I help believers know what to say. Who am I? Mark 13:11, Luke 12:12, Acts 4:8

I descended in the form of a dove at Jesus’ baptism. Who am I? Luke 3:22

I speak to believers. Who am I? Acts 13:2

I live in believers’ hearts. Who am I? 2 Timothy 1:14, 1 Corinthians 6:19

I am hurt when believers sin. Who am I? Ephesians 4:30

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I help believers when they are weak. Who am I? Romans 8:26

I help believers pray. Who am I? Romans 8:26b

I give believers peace. Who am I? Romans 8:6

I lead believers in the way they should go. Who am I? John 16:13

In the Old Testament I came upon people and would depart. Who am I? 1 Samuel 16:13-14.

Procedure: Distribute Bibles to every student. Have one of the students take a slip out of the bag and read it to the class. Allow students to guess who they think the person is. Locate and read the verses to verify answers to questions. You are looking for the answer Holy Spirit or God/Jesus. Have the student write on the board the answer the class believes it to be. Go through all the slips and at the end if the students haven't figured it out explain that God is three persons and each of these slips of paper refer to the Person of the Holy Spirit and He does each of these things. Say: “The Holy Spirit is not a mystical force that God makes available to believers. Instead the Bible declares that the Holy Spirit is God. The Bible also tells us that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, a being with a mind, emotions, and a will. The Holy Spirit is a divine person because He is equal to God the Father and God the Son. He is the third Person of the Trinity. He has special functions and jobs in His relationship to us. He intercedes for us. He teaches us the Word of God. He makes decisions according to His will. He is our Comforter and Counselor. He is our Helper and Guide. He gives us strength and inner peace. The Holy Spirit is the great Gift that Jesus promised when He left for heaven.” Optional: A craft on the Holy Spirit as a dove (below) goes well with this activity.

Craft Learning Activity: “Praise Streamers and Tambourines” (Grades 2-5) Preparation: You will need paper plates, glue, bells, and crepe paper streamers. Before class the teacher should cut four 12" crepe paper strips per child. Say: “In this lesson we learned that God told Simeon that He would see the birth of Jesus. The Holy Spirit told Simeon to go to the temple to see Jesus. Simeon and Anna praised God for the coming of Jesus the Messiah. Today we are going to make some praise streamers and tambourines to praise God for the birth of His Son Jesus.” Procedure: Give each child a paper plate and four streamers. Have students write the words, "Thank you for bringing me to church" in the center of each paper plate. Help them glue or tape the streamers around their paper plates and let the paper plates dry. You can staple two paper plates together with a crepe paper streamer between the two plates. This will be more secure as children use the plates to praise God. Play praise music and let the children walk around and wave their praise streamers in the air. Alternative Idea: Use 24" dowel rod sticks and tie the streamers together in a knot. Hot glue or staple the streamers to one end of the stick. Give a "streamer stick" to each child. To make the Tambourines: Preparation: You will need 2 paper plates per child, crayons, stickers, 2 jingle bells per child, yarn, and hole puncher. Procedure: Have students put two paper plates together and staple around the edges, placing the jingle bells inside before stapling completely. (The teacher or leader may need to help with the stapler and hole puncher.) Punch holes around the

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edges of the plates for the yarn. Encourage each child to decorate his or her tambourine with crayons and stickers. Help them lace the yarn around their tambourines for decoration and to hole the plates more securely.

Craft Learning Activity: “Mary and Baby Jesus Figures” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need one copy of the Mary and Baby Jesus template below printed on card stock. You will also need scissors, crayons, a cardboard toilet paper roll, and glue. Procedure: Distribute the supplies to all the children. Have the students color the pieces and then cut them out. Glue or tape the square piece around a cardboard toilet paper roll. Wrap it around for the dress. Add a belt around the waist and tape it in the back. Tape the arms to the side and bend the arms some so they have a 3-D effect and will hold the baby. The words "Mary and Baby Jesus" are at the bottom of the dress.

Craft Learning Activity: “Prayer Door Hanger” (Grades 2-5) Preparation: You will need a 14” length of ribbon or yarn; a 3" X 5" rectangle of green construction paper and a 4" X 6" rectangle of red construction paper for each child. You will also need tape, jingle bells, buttons, sequins, rickrack, Christmas stickers, wrapping paper, glitter, etc.) Say: “In this lesson we learned that Simeon and Anna worshipped in the temple at Jerusalem. God had promised them that they would see the Promised Messiah before they died. When they saw the baby Jesus they were told by God that this was the Son of God, the Redeemer. They sang praises to God and thanked Him for this special gift. We too should praise and thank God that Jesus brought to us salvation. Today we are going to make a door hangar that will remind us to daily praise and thank God.” Procedure: Distribute the ribbon, construction paper, and colored markers to each child. Students are to write a short thank you prayer to God for sending Jesus as our Savior on the red rectangle. Glue the red rectangle to the larger green rectangle centering the smaller rectangle. Students are to tape the ends of a length of ribbon or yarn to the back of the larger rectangle, making a loop big enough to hang over a doorknob. (See drawing.) Each student then cuts three more varying lengths of ribbon or yarn, ties several jingle bells along each length and tape them to the ends of the bell strands to the back of the larger rectangle. Students can decorate the larger rectangles with buttons, sequins, rickrack, Christmas stickers, wrapping paper, glitter, etc.) Optional Activity: Craft and hobby stores often stock foam door hangers that can be purchased inexpensively and used instead of the construction paper ones above. Have students write the prayer directly on the foam and decorate the hanger with ribbon, yarn, foam stickers, glitter, and wrapping paper.

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Craft Learning Activity: Calendar of Promises (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Buy each child a small calendar or make a computer printed calendar for children to write or draw their promises on their calendar for each month of the New Year! Preparation: Distribute the calendars or computer printed calendars to each child. Have children write on the empty spaces of each calendar month where there is no date. Encourage the children to write their own name with a promise to God. Examples of promises: "I will pray to God," "I will go to church." "I will read my Bible." "I will be faithful to God." "I will tell others about Jesus." I will thank God for..." "I will give God a gift." "I will sing praises to Him." "I will obey my parents." "I will share my toys." "I will help ...." "I will clean my room." Provide stickers and magic markers to decorate the calendar.

Craft Learning Activity: “Fluffy Dove” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need a 10” square of white felt, some pillow batting, a permanent black marker, scissors, and a stapler. Say: "When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to dedicate him, they had to bring an offering of sacrifice. Because they were poor they brought doves or pigeons. Today we are going to make a dove to represent the gift they brought to the temple in thanks for Jesus." Procedure: Give each child a 10" square of white felt; some pillow batting; permanent black marker, scissors and stapler. Have the children fold the sheet of felt in half. Draw and cut out two doves (two at once). The teacher can provide a copy of the dove outline below to use as a pattern for drawing and cutting the dove. With the teacher’s help have the children staple all around the dove leaving room to push in the batting. Fill the dove with stuffing. Staple the hole shut where you inserted the stuffing. Draw and eye and write Jesus on the dove with the permanent marker. You can also attach a string or yarn to hang the dove from the ceiling. Review the work of the Holy Spirit in our life. (See the section on “Who am I?”)

Craft Learning Activity: “Paper Snowflake Promises Preparation: You will need white drawing paper sheets for each child. You will also need scissors. Say: "In our lesson Simeon was promised by God that He would see the Messiah before he died. God always keeps His promises. We are going to make some snowflakes that will remind us of the importance of keeping our promises to God." Procedure: Give each child a square or round white piece of paper. Demonstrate to the children how to fold the paper four times until the page is in sixths or eighths. Have students cut little notches out on all the FOLDED edges. UNFOLD their new snowflake. Encourage children to write promises around the snowflake and hang in the classroom or on the classroom door. Remind children that it is very important to keep their promises as God does.

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Examples of promises for children to write include: "I will pray to God," "I will go to church." "I will read my Bible." "I will be faithful to God." "I will tell others about Jesus." I will thank God for..." "I will give God a gift." "I will sing praises to Him." "I will obey my parents." "I will share my toys." "I will help ...." "I will clean my room." Life Application Challenge: “Make a Promise” Mini-Snack Preparation: You will need 3-5 small mini snacks or mini candy bars. One of the snacks should be a peppermint candy cane. Say: "In this lesson we learned that God always keeps his promises to us. We should keep our promises to Him as well. What does it mean to be faithful to God? How did Simeon and Anna remain faithful to God? How can we be faith to God at home, at school, and with friends? Simeon and Anna were faithful and trusted God and knew that He would keep His promise for the to see His Son, Jesus. And it happened! God kept His promise. We are going to choose some treats that will remind us of His love for us." Procedure: Let children choose 3-5 small mini snacks/candy for the number of promises that they would like to keep for the coming week. Encourage children to remember which promises they kept and to share next week when the class gets together once again. One of the small treats could be a candy cane. The shape of the candy cane is a "J" for JESUS. He will keep His promise to bring us salvation. He will also help those who follow Him to keep their promises! This poem is a powerful remind of Who Jesus is and His promise to bring us salvation:

Look at the Candy Cane, what do you see? Stripes that are red, like the blood shed for me White is for my Savior, who’s sinless and pure! “J” is for Jesus, My Lord, that’s for sure! Turn it around, and a staff you will see Jesus my Shepherd was born for me!

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God’s Promises to Simeon and Anna

Psalms 9: 1, 10

I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart. I will tell of all your wonders… and those who know your name

will put their trust in You.

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qv0ah4lqzco - storage.googleapis.com€¦ · carefully hugs and loves this baby! here is a picture...

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