252 Groups
252® Groups
Group Experiences for K-5th Grades
Scripture marked “NIrV” is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s
Version™, Copyright ©1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. Used by
permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked “NIV” is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL
VERSION (NIV). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Statement of Faith
ABOUT GOD
God is the one and only true God, yet He exists in three persons: God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator, so
everything belongs to Him and is under His control. God is holy, so He is
righteous, majestic, and loving. God is all knowing and purposeful, so He’s
at work to bring about His will. No person, thing, or idea compares to God.
ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES
God reveals Himself to us through the Bible, and it is 100% accurate, reliable,
and authoritative.
ABOUT PEOPLE
People are made in God’s image and for His pleasure. But everybody falls
short of God’s intention, or ideal, for people. In other words, everyone has
sinned. As a result, we are all separated from Him, even though He wants
an intimate relationship with each of us.
ABOUT SALVATION
That’s why Jesus—God’s Son—came and lived on this earth, died, and
rose again. God offers His free gift of salvation to all who believe in Jesus
and accept Him as Savior—the only way to be forgiven and reconciled to
God. Anyone who accepts this gift is adopted as a son or daughter into
God’s family and will live with Him forever in heaven.
User Agreement
Orange gladly grants permission to churches, schools, and other licensees
to tailor 252 Basics® materials to fit their unique leadership requirements,
locale and format preferences, and physical environment needs. However,
if you wish to edit the content substantively, including Bible stories,
learning activities, scripts, and any other content in which biblical principles
and concepts are presented, you are obligated to do so within the doctrinal
guidelines we’ve expressed in our Statement of Faith. These resources
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entity only and may not be electronically transferred to or duplicated by
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material or incorporation into a new work is a direct violation of US
copyright laws. ©2012 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. 252
Basics® and the 252 Basics® logo are trademarks of Orange and the
reThink Group.
December 2012, Week 1
Small Group, 4-5
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©2012 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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252 Groups
December 2012, Week 1
Small Group, 4-5
FOR LEADERS ONLY
GOD VIEW: the connection between COMPASSION and God’s character,
as shown through God’s big story
If you want to understand who God is—if you want to learn more about His character—there may be no
better place to start than with the Christmas story.
The Creator of the entire universe was attentive to His creation. He saw and understood the
consequences of our sin. He saw our greatest need. And He did something about it. He humbled
Himself to be born as a tiny baby in a remote town in the dwelling place of animals. He lived as one of
us so that, eventually, He could die for us and rise again, giving us the chance to live eternally with God
in heaven.
This Christmas story shows that one aspect of God’s character is compassion. COMPASSION is
caring enough to do something about someone else’s need. God lovingly saw our greatest need
and met it in the most remarkable way.
People with very real and practical needs surround us. Let’s train our eyes to see their hurts and teach
our hearts to step outside our comfort zone. When we can imagine ourselves in someone else’s shoes,
take action, and do what is in our ability to help them, we reflect God’s COMPASSION into the world.
We may not be able to meet every need or solve every problem, but we can start somewhere and do
something. As we demonstrate more COMPASSION, we will see ourselves transformed to be more like
God.
This month, let’s think about how:
(1) God showed compassion to us when He sent His Son to meet our greatest need.
(2) We reflect the character of God to the world around us when we meet others’ needs.
(3) As we demonstrate compassion to others, we experience transformation in our own life and
begin to discover more about God’s great compassion.
This week, we’re discovering:
In this week’s Bible story, we see God begin His compassionate rescue by sending Gabriel to appear to
Mary (Luke 1:26-38). Gabriel tells Mary that God has seen His people’s need, and Mary gets to be a
part of God meeting that need. Immanuel—God with us—is coming to rescue us!
Our Bottom Line is God saw our greatest needs. Whose needs do you see? When we slow down
and look outside ourselves, we see the needs of those around us. But when we stay focused on our
own needs, we miss the chance to help others.
The monthly memory verse summarizes God’s example of compassion: God loved the world so
much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have
eternal life. John 3:16, NIrV God saw the world’s greatest need and cared enough to do something
about it.
©2012 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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252 Groups
December 2012, Week 1
Small Group, 4-5
Mama Mia!
Bible Story: Mama Mia! (Gabriel appears to Mary) • Luke 1:26-33
Bottom Line: God saw our greatest needs. Whose needs do you see?
Memory Verse: “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who
believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.” John 3:16, NIrV
Life App: Compassion—caring enough to do something about someone else’s need.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Plug In: Focus the Energy (Small Groups, 10-15 minutes)
Focus the energy on today’s Bible story in a Small Group setting with an engaging discussion question
and an interactive opening activity.
Before students arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your
class for the first time. Pray that God would help the kids understand that we really do need rescuing
and help. Thank Him for sending Jesus. Pray that God will help the kids identify some of the greatest
needs that people around them have—and then do something about it.
1. Early Arriver Idea
What You Need: an offering container
What You Do:
Ask the kids about their favorite part of Christmas. Ask if they’ve put up any decorations at their house
yet and let them tell you about it. What parts of decorating do they need help with? Is there anything in
particular that they can’t do alone?
2. Happy News
What You Need: news article
What You Do:
Read the article out loud. Then ask your group to answer the following questions:
1) Who had a need in the story?
2) Who saw the need and responded?
3) What did they do?
4) Did it do any good? How? Why?
What You Say:
“That’s such a cool story—someone noticing a need and doing something about it. [Transition] In
Large Group we’re going to hear about another need—the biggest need ever! Let’s go see what
this is all about!”
Lead your group to the Large Group area.
©2012 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
3
252 Groups
December 2012, Week 1
Small Group, 4-5
Catch On: Make the Connection (Small Groups, 25-30 minutes)
Make the connection of how today’s Bible story applies to real life experiences through interactive
activities and discussion questions.
* 2. Worldwide Needs (application activity / great for boys)
What You Need: labeled butcher papers, markers
What You Do:
If the butcher paper sheets aren’t on your walls, spread them around your space. Then assign two or
three kids to a paper. (If you have an empty paper, that’s fine.) Instruct kids to write down as many
needs as they can for the place on their paper. After a minute, instruct everyone to switch to the next
paper. If they think of a need that someone has already written on the paper, tell them to put a star or
check mark next to it as if they are “agreeing.” Continue until all groups have written on all papers.
What You Say:
“You all came up with some really great needs, and some of them seem so big. Do you ever feel
overwhelmed when you start thinking about all the needs in our lives? Noticing the needs isn’t enough.
We also have to do something about it! [Apply] Tell me a need you see and then an idea of how we
could show compassion and meet that need. (Allow several people to answer.)
[Apply] “Those are great ideas! And you know, even though we can’t meet every need and fix
everything, we can ALWAYS pray. God hears us when we pray! We need not just to notice, but
also do something about problems we see. But this isn’t a one-time thing—we’ve got to make
compassion a part of who we are, so that we can be more like God. Let’s keep reminding ourselves
that [Impress] God saw our greatest needs. Whose needs do you see?”
Pray and Dismiss
What You Need: sunglasses
What You Do:
Pass around the sunglasses and allow everyone to try them on for a few seconds. Discuss what
happens when you wear sunglasses inside where it isn’t sunny. Does it make it harder to see clearly?
Explain that like the sunglasses, there are things that get in our way and cloud our view from seeing
others’ needs. It can be selfishness, things on our to-do list, even our favorite things and activities—
anything!
What You Say:
[Apply] “Because God treated us with so much compassion, we need to treat others with
compassion, too. Compassion is something God does in us to change the world around us, so I’m
going to pray over each of you and ask God to remove your sunglasses and open your eyes to the
needs around you. [Impress] God saw our greatest needs. Whose needs do you see? I’m also
going to ask that He will fill you with compassion to respond to those needs and love others like He
loves you!
©2012 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
4
252 Groups
December 2012, Week 1
Small Group, 4-5
“Dear God, thank You for giving us this opportunity to learn about compassion and the great
compassion You had for us. Thank You for Your Son. Lord, please open these kids’ eyes to the needs
of those around them and fill them with the courage and heart that it takes to respond with compassion
and love others like You love us. I pray for [kid’s name] and [kid’s name] and … (continue until you
have named all kids). In Jesus’ name, AMEN!”
Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent Cue cards as adults arrive to pick up.
©2012 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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