Come + Together
Youth Lessons
WEEK 1
Hope: The Lord is With You
Text: Luke 1:26-38
Introduction:
Google “Facebook status” and list some of the more funny (appropriate) statuses. Read them out loud
and have fun with them. Invite some of your students to share some of their statuses.
If Facebook is not a trend in your youth ministry have students write out on a slip of paper one thing
they did today. Read them aloud and have the group guess which status belongs to which student.
Lesson:
He Knows Your Status Update
Read Luke 1:26-28. God knew who Mary was. He knew the details of her life and He had favor for her.
His favor however, was not because she was perfect but because she would be willing to be used by
God.
Read Psalm 139:2-4. God knows you intimately. He knows everything about you, even before you have a
chance to update your status. But the one who knows you best loves you the most. You can have hope
because the Lord is with you in every detail of your life
His Love Drives Out Fear
Scientifically you are born with only two fears, fear of falling and fear of loud noises. Every other fear is
developed by our life experiences. Read out some of the following actual phobias. If time allows have
your students share some of their fears.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Ablutophobia - Fear of washing or bathing.
Coulrophobia - Fear of clowns.
Ergophobia - Fear of work.
Homilophobia - Fear of sermons.
Namatophobia - Fear of names.
Ok, so some of these fears are a little silly but chances are you face fears just about every day and it’s
plain to see that Mary is afraid.
Read Luke 1:29-30. The words of Gabriel comfort her. The angel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have
found favor with God.” Your fear may not go away but you do not have to be afraid. Let me explain. You
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have a choice to either face your fears or spend your life paralyzed and trapped by them. You can have
hope because the Lord is with you in your deepest fears.
Read 1 John 4:18.
He Has Your Purpose
Have students share with one another what they wanted to be when they grew up back when they were
five years old. Share some of the responses. The news Mary received was troubling at first. Can you
imagine someone dropping news of that caliber on you, news that would ultimately change your life?
Imagine life as you know it to be. Then all of a sudden the script gets switched and you have a new
direction in life. The great thing about God’s news is it comes with purpose; meaningful and fulfilling
purpose.
Read Luke 1:31-33. God reveals specific plans for Mary, and brings comfort with the lifechanging announcement. In the same way, God has a plan and a purpose for your life.
Romans 12:2 says that the plan is good, pleasing and perfect.
Read Jeremiah 29:11, 12. You can have hope because the Lord is with you in every step you
take.
He Understands Your Doubt
“There lives more faith in honest doubt, believe me, than in half the creeds.” (Alfred Lord Tennyson)
Doubt is not the opposite of unbelief. Doubt is simply to wonder and to ponder. It is to feel unconvinced
or uncertain about something.
Read Luke 1:34-36. Mary was asking real and fair questions. She was seeking clarity in the things
that humanly did not make sense. What questions do you have that you need to take to God?
Be honest and share your true feelings with God. Just as God assured Mary, He will speak to you
as well.
Read Proverbs 3:5-6. You can have hope because the Lord understands your doubt and will give
you answers.
He Makes All Things Possible
“For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). What a solid promise to hold onto. Often times the
thing God calls you to may seem impossible. But it is life’s impossibilities that drive us to trust Him all
the more.
Read Luke 1:38. Mary had an unbelievable call set before her. God was preparing her for what
seemed to be impossible. She embraced the impossibility by making herself available to God.
Think about your life. What seems impossible right now? The angel delivered a message of hope
to Mary. And that hope is delivered to you today.
Application and Challenge:
As we enter the Christmas season, be reminded of the hope the savior brings. That hope is not limited to
human abilities, gifts and talents. It’s unrestricted and speaks truth to your life. What do you need hope
for today?
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-The current status of your life?
-To face fears you may have?
-To gain answers in times of doubt?
-In the things that seem impossible?
“For nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). Let’s claim it together as this season begins. Challenge
your students to make themselves available to God, allowing His hope to anchor their lives.
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WEEK 2
Peace: Do Not Be Afraid
Text: Luke 2:8-20
Introduction:
Did you know that you could have fear without being afraid? Fear is an emotion. It is a feeling of anxiety.
Being afraid is when you become apprehensive about something, showing hesitation, wishing to avoid it
all together.
When the angels appeared to the shepherds it must have scared the guys half to death. Can you imagine
the scene? Its late, it’s dark and no one’s around except the sheep. Then all of a sudden the sky brakes
open and an angel appears. Talk about freaked out; the shepherds must have been shakin’ in their
sandals. After all, the scripture tells us they were terrified. And the first words spoken by the angel are
“Do not be afraid” (Luke 2:10a). In fact they had a message of peace. “I bring you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10b).
Lesson:
Peace…God comes to you
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks
at night” (Luke 2:8).
Have you ever been afraid to take a stand for God because you felt like you didn’t have much to offer or
that you were not good enough? Isn’t it interesting that God chose the shepherds of all people?
Shepherds during this time were not at the top of the high society list. In fact they were near the
bottom. They were uneducated, overlooked, and poor. At first glance they did not have much to offer.
Do not be afraid; the peace of God that came to the shepherds comes to you. No matter where you are
in life; rich, poor, popular, not popular, skilled or unskilled, it does not matter. God makes Himself
available to you right where you are.
“The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace” (Psalm 29:11).
Peace…makes you want to move
“Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about” (Luke
2:15).
What motivates people to move and act crazy? Ask your students what people get excited about. Have
them yell out their responses.
Have you ever been part of something that just made you get up and shout, stirred an emotion or
inspired you to do something? It could have been a game where you saw a fantastic play and you
immediately jumped to your feet. Or maybe a concert where you just had to “rock out”. Or maybe it was
a note from that special someone that caused a reaction on the inside.
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The shepherds were so moved by their encounter and the message, that they could not contain
themselves; they had to go and see for themselves. Have you had that kind of encounter with God? Has
His message ever stirred that type of response in your life? Of all the things we get hyped up about in
life the message of the Gospel should compel us the most.
Peace…makes you want to talk
“When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (Luke 2:17:18).
The work that’s going on inside of you will eventually spill out. The shepherds heard the truth from the
angels, saw the truth for themselves, and the natural response was to tell others. The peace of God has
given them so much hope and joy that they could not keep it to themselves.
Jesus said in Matthew 12:34 “…For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
What do you talk about? If I were to ask your friends at school what would they say?
If I were to ask your folks what would they say? If speaking about the good news of the Gospel is not a
part of your conversations (I’m not saying you have to preach 24/7), then maybe you should check your
life to see what you are allowing in your life. Chances are, that will be the source of the overflow that
comes from your mouth.
Peace…brings praise to God
“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which
were just as they had been told” (Luke 2:21).
Ask your teens some of the greatest events they have ever been to. It could be anything like a concert or
camp. It could be a vacation moment or a birthday celebration. The idea is to share about a time when
there was a lot of excitement and it was a really big deal.
Peace is the great antedote to being afraid. It’s through God’s peace that you find His presence, which
inspires you to move to action, which is an awesome witness for the work of God within you. All of this
is a nice package that brings praise and glory to God the Father.
How do you praise God? Have students share on the different ways a believer can praise God. Most
likely the responses will be:
-Prayer
-Worship
-Sing
-Acknowledgement
Praise, genuine praise, always comes from a work within. The shepherds returned rejoicing and praising
God because they found what they had heard to be true. You, no doubt, have heard a lot of truth about
God but what have you done to experience that truth in your own life? The shepherds could have
remained on the hillside and talked about the angel’s appearance. But that highlight was not enough to
satisfy them. They wanted to go see for themselves. We talked earlier about some of the greatest
moments in your life. As great and necessary as those moments are, they do not sustain.
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Have you ever found yourself living for the event…searching for the next moment? If I can just get to
summer camp or if I can just make the summer mission’s trip or make it to the next youth meeting. True
peace comes from a true experience of knowing Jesus beyond the highlights. And when you walk with
Jesus in everyday life you bring genuine praise and glory to the Father.
Application and Challenge:
Close out by asking your students if they are searching for peace. Peace at school, home, work, in a
dating life, is all made possible through a relationship with Jesus Christ. He brings peace and that peace
comes with courage, fulfillment and purpose.
Give your students an opportunity to respond and receive God’s peace.
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WEEK 3
Joy: God’s Way is Not So Bad
Text: Matthew 1:18-25
Introduction:
Read Matthew 1:18-19
We don’t use the word joy much these days. When was the last time you told your friends that you had
joy? In fact have you ever had a conversation with your friends where you admitted that you had joy in
your life? Girls use words like feel good, peace, or even happy deep down. Guys talk about being stoked
or really excited, but the expression of joy hardly comes up. But joy is deep. And truth be known, joy is
what we are all really searching for. We do the things we do for some sort of fulfillment of a void in our
life or because it meets a felt need of some sort. That’s an indication of the search for joy. Joy is much
deeper that being happy, it goes beyond feeling good it’s a deep sense of finding fulfillment and
purpose.
Joy is a pleasurable aspect of something or source of happiness. When you experience joy, you are at
peace with the situation around you. What is your source of happiness? If your source of happiness is
found in this world, it will leave you longing and searching for more and more.
God is the source of true Joy. The morsel of truth He gave to the woman at the well in John 4:13-14 is
the same truth He gives to you and me. “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty
again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will
become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” It is Joy that anchors our life regardless of
the situation.
Tonight we are going to take a look and Joseph and Mary. On the outside this news of the birth of Jesus
could be very troubling and cause much angst, but Joseph and Mary found joy in God’s plan.
Lesson:
The Joy of Joseph as seen in his life:
 He was “a man of stern principle” (Matthew 1:19a). When you have joy you are not worried
about what others think nor do you measure success by the standards of the world. Joseph was
a man of stern principle, which means he had morals and values that he lived by.
 Being compassionate, he “decided to break the engagement quietly, so not to disgrace her
publicly” (Matthew 1:19b NLT). Joy takes the focus off you and looks toward the good of others.
Joseph truly cared about Mary and her well being and did not want to inflict undue duress.
 He was obedient. “He did what the angel of the Lord commanded” (Matthew 1:24a NLT). Joy is
seen and experienced when you allow God’s will above your own will. Joseph was obedient. He
trusted God even when things did not make sense.
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The Joy of Mary as seen in her life:
 She was trustworthy. “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” (Luke 1:28 NLT). Mary
was trustworthy. She trusted God with her life even before the angel appeared before her. She
was known as one who found joy in the Lord.
 She was pure. “But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin!” (Luke 1:34 NLT). Mary knew what it
meant to wait and rely on God’s plan. She understood that the world can only offer superficial
joy or happiness. She had true joy and it was seen in her purity.
 She was available. “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to do whatever he wants. May
everything you said come true” (Luke 1:38 NLT). Mary completely trusted God with her very life.
Finding joy comes when you put God’s agenda ahead of yours.
 She was thankful. “Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Savior!” (Luke 1:46-47
NLT). Mary had a great perspective. She not only trusted God with her life she rejoiced. She
did not bemoan it; she embraced it and celebrated even in the most difficult and sometimes
confusing news.
The Joy seen in your life:
The good news is this; you too can have this joy. But before we move on let’s just make sure you
understand what it means to have true joy.
-It’s not a claim to have all the answers. I’m sure Joseph was still unsure how
he was going to explain Mary’s “condition” without her getting stoned.
-It’s not a claim where you have to pretend that everything is hunky-dory. Both
Mary and Joseph had real life problems that they had to deal with.
-It’s not a claim that everyone around you will understand and accept you because
you have joy. I’m sure that Mary and Joseph were the subjects of ridicule and
rejection.
-It is a claim that all of these things, though important, have no bearing on your life
and deep down you can have a peace to know that God is in control. This kind of joy
is found when we realize that God’s way is better than our way.
Closing:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your
thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
God is above all things. He sees and knows what is best for you and me. Find your joy in that truth. Joy
is found in the promise of the Christmas message and is a gift for all who are willing to receive it.
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WEEK 4
Love: That Changes the World
Text: Matthew 2:1-12
Introduction:
Have students tell of a time they were really wanting or expecting a certain Christmas gift, only to
receive something different or unwanted. What was the gift that was wanted? What did they receive?
How did they feel?
Lesson:
Sometimes what you get may not be exactly what you want. The people of Israel had been waiting a
very long time for the coming Messiah. Decades upon decades and generation after generation had
been waiting. Finally the time was here. Finally God put on His FedEx uniform and delivered to His
people the ultimate gift--His only son. There has never been a greater act of love. However this gift of
love was not necessarily what the people were expecting.
That’s how it is with God’s love. It’s not always packaged how we think it should be delivered, but it’s
always on time and it’s always what we truly need in our life.
Tonight we will take a look at God’s love found in the birth of Jesus. We will focus on what the people
wanted versus what the people got.
What They Wanted
A King who would come in SPLENDOR
If you were invited to a party as the guest of honor and there were great expectations for your arrival,
how would you show up? (Feel free to play this out in front of the group.)
The expectations of the Messiah’s arrival were pretty high. They had waited a long time. They had
already played out in their minds how things would go. They wanted a king…an earthly king. They
wanted splendor, power and authority.
What Love Gave Them
A King who came in HUMILITY
“But He gave up His place with God and made Himself nothing. He was born to be a man and became
like a servant” (Philippians 2:7).
Jesus came as the ultimate act of sacrifice. God’s love for us is so great that He humbled Himself, took
on the role of a servant, and entered the world to save us. Love is greater than power. It’s more
authentic. It’s pure and genuine in its very nature. God knew that in order for mankind to be truly saved
and to become true followers of His kingdom, this was the only way.
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What They Wanted
A King who would SEPARATE
Israel wanted a king who would come in and remove them from all other people of the earth. They
could not see beyond their own race. They wanted a Jewish leader to come and establish a Jewish
kingdom.
What Love Gave Them
A King who would BRING TOGETHER
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
(Galatians 3:28).
God’s love brings people together. It causes us to reach out to others even when it’s difficult.
Movie Clip Illustration: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
(background and summary) This classic Dr. Seuss tale was brought to the big screen with Jim Carey
playing the Grinch. This creative tale gives us a peek into the history of the Grinch, an outcast who was
teased as a child by several mean kids during Christmas. (One of these little bullies grows up to be the
mayor of Whoville.) As a result, the Grinch secludes himself in the mountains on the edge of town,
hating people, and hating Christmas. The whole town now equally despises the Grinch to the extent that
his name isn't even to be uttered during the holiday season.
Whoville is in for a surprise when a young girl named Cindy Lou sees something in the Grinch that no
one else can see. She feels something that no one else feels for the despised outcast – she feels
compassion. In this scene Cindy plans to act on her compassion at the annual "Whobilation" festival
where the town gets together annually to nominate the "Whoville Holiday Cheermeister."
Introducing the Clip:
Many of you have seen The Grinch. As soon as it was released back in 2000, it became an instant
Christmas classic. Today we're going to watch a scene from The Grinch, that has little Cindy Lou trying to
convince the people of Whoville to share some Christmas cheer with the Grinch. You'll see that it
sometimes takes a bold person to make a move like this.
BEGIN CLIP AT 33 minutes and 28 seconds (Chapter 7)
END CLIP AT 36 minutes 23 seconds (before the Mayor talks again)
Transitional Statement:
You know, sometimes it is really hard to be loving to certain people. It's really easy for us to notice those
who we feel deserve our love and compassion, but very difficult to actually act in love toward those we
think don't deserve it.
God’s love is life changing. His love not only saves us but also causes us to reach out to others. A true
measuring stick for the love you have for God is seen in the love you have for others.
What They Wanted
Salvation from their ENEMIES
The people of Israel wanted freedom from their physical oppressors; which in and of itself makes sense.
No one wants to get pounded day after day. For years they had endured some of the most awful
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treatment and ridicule and they were ready for physical protection. But love goes deeper than physical
protection; it answers a spiritual problem as well.
What Love Gave Them
Salvation from their SIN
“Brothers, understand what we are telling you: You can have forgiveness of your sins through Jesus. The
law of Moses could not free you from your sins. But through Jesus everyone who believes is free from all
sins” (Acts 13:38).
Perhaps the greatest gift of God’s love is salvation of sin. His love forgives and wipes the slate clean.
Etch-A-Sketches Object Lesson:
Bring several students up front. Using a few Etch-A-Sketches, have several teams of two students
compete against each other in drawing a simple picture that you decide upon. (Something simple like a
smiley face, dog, etc.) But here’s the catch: one team member will control the knob that moves the
drawing tool up/down while the second team member will control the knob that moves the drawing
tool left/right. Of course, this makes the task slower and more difficult.
Give the teams a time limit, and play some excitement-building music in the background. When the time
is up, repossess the Etch-A-Sketches.
While displaying the (poorly done) Etch-A-Sketch drawings, say: Under our control, our lives typically
end up messy and ugly, just like these. We can get so messed up it’s hard to even tell what we’re
supposed to be!
However God’s love offers redemption and a new, clean slate through His Son Jesus Christ. (Now shake
the Etch-A-Sketch back and forth to clear it.) No matter how many times we draw out of the lines, or
how ugly our life is, the love of God has the power to make us clean.
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