WELCOME: Welcome all the first-timers. Invite everyone to share their name and their favourite Christmas tradition.

READ: Matthew 1: 18-24

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

DISCUSS:

• Who was Joseph and how did he know Jesus?
• What does this story teach us about Joseph?
• Do you think Joseph was obedient or disobedient?
• Why do you think Joseph chose to be obedient?
• Are you obedient or disobedient?
• How can you practice obeying Jesus to show him that you love him?

COLOURING PAGE:

PRAY: Pray that Jesus will help us be obedient to Him.

OPTION OTHER ACTIVITIES:

1. Feelings: Ask the children to line up along one side of the room and when you say ‘go’ to cross the room. Each time they cross they must do so in an emotion of your choosing.

• Sadly
• Happily
• Angrily
• Scared
• Ecstatically

Feel free to add in your own ideas – or get the children to suggest things themselves.

2. Looking for Joe

Gather the children together and remind them of some of the things you have explored together during this session. Ask the children what they have discovered about Joseph during this session.

Say to the children that as we head towards Christmas, they may notice nativity scenes, perhaps in shops, on Christmas cards, in the school nativity play etc. Challenge the children to go looking for Joseph in each of these scenes, and to use those scenes as a reminder of some of the things they have discovered today.