Mary Kate contacted me and asked if she could share a Christ-based object lesson with you all today. I thought that was a fantastic idea! Â Kids love object lessons, and this one would be great to do with the cousins at Christmas, in Kids Church, or a Sunday School setting.
Mary Kate writes at Christianity Cove, please make her feel welcome here at 4 little Fergusons! 🙂
Hugs, T
God’s Love – The Greatest Gift Of All
Jesus’ life certainly had humble beginnings. It’s important during the holidays to portray greatness, not in the amount of gifts we get, but in allowing God’s love to fill us, like it filled Jesus throughout his birth, life and death on the cross.
Materials
- Balloon, not blown up (but you can stretch it out by blowing once)
- A bouncy ball, the size of a volley ball (easily purchased at the supermarket—and you can put it under the tree for your own child!)
- A safety pin
Preparation
Hide the bouncy ball.
Lesson
Hold up the un-blown balloon.
Jesus’ life started very humbly. You would not have known him from anybody else. In fact, you might have thought he was less fortunate than others.
Shake the balloon a little and let it wilt over your hand.
He was born in a manger. He had no clothes. His parents were essentially homeless, having left Nazareth to go to some census. Mary and Joseph were working class. They were often sweaty and grimy and worried about the economy. Why do you think God chose people like this to bear his only son?
Because God doesn’t care about things like riches or prestige. He looks at people’s hearts.
Mary and Joseph had very good hearts. If Jesus had anything in his favor, coming into this world as a baby, that was it.
Blow into the balloon. Depending on its size, blow a little or a lot. After nine blows, you want it close to its full size without popping. Pinch it off.
Looks can be deceiving. The baby Jesus actually had a lot going for him. In that region, there were shepherds watching over their flocks by night. And an angel of the lord appeared to them and said, “Do not be afraid. For lo, I bring you tidings of incredible joy. For born to you this night, in the City of David, is a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Blow into the balloon. Pinch it off.
And suddenly appeared a multitude of angels singing, “Glory to God in the highest!”
Blow into the balloon. Pinch it off.
The shepherds came to see this miracle baby. And coming from afar were three Wise Men, bearing gifts of gold, frank incense and myrrh. They were following a star that shown brightly over Bethlehem.
Blow into the balloon. Pinch it off.
And Joseph was warned in a dream that King Herod might try to kill Jesus, knowing he was the Messiah. And the family escaped to Egypt.
Blow into the balloon. Pinch it off.
And when they returned, the boy was raised humbly, in Nazareth, a working class town containing nobody special.
Blow into the balloon. Pinch it off.
Except one. The king of kings. But you wouldn’t know it to look at him. Nobody knew! Not until he started performing miracles as a grown man. And he healed the blind and the sick.
Blow into the balloon. Pinch it off.
And he walked on water and calmed a storm.
Blow into the balloon. Pinch it off.
And he fed 5,000 in one place and 2,000 in another on a couple loaves and some fish.
Blow into the balloon. Pinch it off.
You would think this man would now be so loved and so famous. His own disciples thought he was going to ascend the throne in Jerusalem and they would be…
Tie a knot in the balloon and hold it up.
…princes and royalty, who would serve out a royal kingship forever! What started with a humble quiet Christmas should have ended with bigness and greatness. But lots of men were jealous of Jesus. They wanted to take his powers away. They wanted to…
Pick up the pin, stick it in the balloon, and break it.
kill him. And they did.
Hold up the broken balloon.
A humble life starts on Christmas and ends on Good Friday, 33 years later.
Lay the balloon down with some sadness.
Or does it? We’re here today and we celebrate Christmas every year in hope. We know that humble beginnings make for great endings, no matter what. We’re waiting for Jesus to come back. Only this time, He’ll be in a different form…
Bring out the bouncy ball.
Matthew 24:42 says, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”
Bounce it a couple times.
Let’s remember that the best gift we get on Christmas is a chance to be humble, to be like Jesus, who is coming back great…and who will make us great too! We just have to believe.
Have the students form a circle and bounce the ball to each other, thanking God for something “simple” with each bounce.
 If you enjoyed this lesson, be sure to check out my Ultimate Mom Challenge Christian Parenting Cheat Sheets! It’s an extensive guide of challenges designed to help your family put Christ and His love and joy back into various holidays throughout the year!
Mary Kate Warner
Mary-Kate is a regular blogger at Christianity Cove. You can often find her writing about Christian Motherhood, Homeschool Teaching, Bible Study and Sunday School Activities, Faith and inspiring children to love God.
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