This free Bible lesson is based on Luke 1:26-38 where the Angel Gabriel visits Mary to tell her of her upcoming pregnancy and birth with God’s Son Jesus. It is designed for children’s church or Sunday School. Please modify as best fits your ministry.
If your church follows the Revised Common Lectionary, this teaching plan would correspond to Year B – 4th Sunday in Advent, Gospel Reading – Luke 1:26-38.
Opening Activity – Nothing is Impossible – It’s Physically Impossible to…
Supplies – index cards, dark marker, tape
The following tasks are considered (near) impossible for humans to complete. Try out these ‘simple’ tests to see if anyone can succeed.
- Twitch your nose (without moving the rest of your face)
- Lick your elbow
- Rotate your right leg in a clockwise motion, while drawing a ‘6’ in the air with you right hand
- Wiggle your ears
- Place your palm on a flat surface with your middle finger curled underneath, then raise (only) your ring finger
Lesson – Nothing is Impossible
Can you think of anything that is impossible? Like flying, or running 100 mph. There are so many things that we just can’t do.
But you know, there are also so many things that CAN do. Let’s try some of those. Can we breathe? Raise our hands? Look up at the ceiling? Talk? Spin in a circle?
See? And that’s just a few of the many, many, many, many, many, many, MANY things we CAN do.
God carefully chose those things for us, making sure He remembered all the important ones; like eating, breathing, and talking. I mean, is licking your elbow really that important?!?
But, did you know, that if God wanted you to fly, or needed you wiggle your ears, He could do it.
Before Jesus was born, God made two things that weren’t possible, become possible. God chose two special women to become pregnant and have babies.
Now, I know this might not sound impossible – I mean, women get pregnant all the time, right? – but for these women, it really was impossible.
The first women was Elizabeth, who became the mother to John the Baptist. Elizabeth was very old, much to old ever become pregnant. Plus she was barren, which means it was physically impossible for her to get pregnant and have babies. But that didn’t stop God. God wanted Elizabeth to be the mother of John the Baptist, so did just that. Even though she was much too old, and her body said ‘NO’, Elizabeth got pregnant and gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
But that’s not all. God chose Mary too. God wanted Mary to get pregnant and give birth to baby Jesus, so He did just that. Mary wasn’t to old – she was just the opposite – Mary was too young, and it was physically impossible for her to get pregnant yet. That didn’t stop God though; God wanted Mary pregnant, so Mary got pregnant, and gave birth to baby Jesus.
It can be difficult to understand sometimes how something that is impossible can suddenly become possible. When we think about the impossible, that’s it; our thinking ends right there. I cannot run 100 mph. You cannot sprout feathers and fly home. But there is something very important missing there. Do you know what it is?
God! Mary didn’t just get pregnant – GOD made it that way. Elizabeth didn’t just get pregnant – GOD made it that way.
If God wanted you to sprout feathers, you would. And if God wanted me to run 100 mph, I would be getting ready for the Olympics. Because if God if wants it that way, God will make it that way.
Because NOTHING is impossible with God.
Activity A – Nothing is Impossible – Bible Verse Challenge
Supplies – Bibles
Verse – Luke 1:37
Pass out Bibles to students. Bibles should be closed and sitting on the table face up in front of each child. When you say go, have the kids look up this week’s Bible verse. As each child finds the verse, have them stick one finger on the verse and quietly raise their other hand. The first one to find the verse gets to read it to the rest of the class.
Help younger kids and new kids find the verse by following these steps.
Look in the Table of Contents for the book you are looking for. Make an effort to show them if it is found in the Old Testament or New Testament to help them in the future. Then open the Bible to the page number listed in the Table of Contents.
Show them the large numbers in the text, known as the chapters. Flip through pages until you find the large chapter number you are looking for.
Then scan through the text with them pointing out the smaller verse numbers until the correct number is found.
Activity B – Nothing is Impossible – God’s Way Mural
Supplies – two extra large sheet of poster paper (large enough for the entire class), tape, drawing utensils
Tape up a long sheet of paper on the wall at kid level, and invite them to draw scenes showing some impossible things that God made possible. Examples:
- Elizabeth and Mary getting pregnant
- The parting of the Red Sea
- Manna falling from heaven
- A whale swallowing Jonah
- Jesus coming back from the dead
Closing Prayer – Nothing is Impossible
Ask for a volunteer to pray for the class before leaving, and encourage them to thank God for making the impossible, possible.
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Thanks for all your work and sharing these wonderful lessons! Such a blessing!!
Thank you so much for sharing this!