This lesson teaches children that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and that God sent His good news first to ordinary shepherds. It suits children aged 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes, including the story, the verses, and the activity.
Big Idea
God loves everyone, and He sent Jesus to bring good news and joy to all people, even the people nobody else was watching.
Memory Verse
Luke 2:10
The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people.
(WEB)
Stand up tall with your arms wide open, like you are announcing big news. Say the words with your hands opening outward as you go, then bring your arms down to your sides when you finish.
The Story: Luke 2 for Kids
A long time ago, the Emperor Caesar Augustus ordered everyone in the whole world to be counted. So Joseph and Mary had to travel from their home in Nazareth all the way to Bethlehem, the city of King David. The road was long, and when they arrived, the town was very crowded.
While they were in Bethlehem, Mary had her baby boy. There was no room for them at the inn, so Mary wrapped Jesus in cloths and laid Him in a feeding trough, where the animals ate. It was a humble bed, but Jesus was safe and warm with His mother and father.
That night, shepherds were out in the fields, keeping watch over their sheep. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and the sky was filled with bright light. The shepherds were terrified. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I bring you good news of great joy for all the people. Today, in David’s city, a Savior has been born for you. He is Christ the Lord.”
Then a huge crowd of angels appeared, singing praises to God. When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing the Lord has told us about!” They hurried off and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby lying in the feeding trough, just as the angel had said.
The shepherds told everyone what they had seen and heard, and everyone who listened was amazed. The shepherds went home praising God for all they had seen. Mary quietly kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
Many years later, Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem when He was twelve years old. His parents searched for Him for three days before they found Him, talking with the teachers. Jesus said, “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Then He went home with them and grew in wisdom and in favor with God and people.
Read It Together
Luke 2:4-7
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to David’s city, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; 5 to enroll himself with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him as wife, being pregnant. 6 While they were there, the day had come for her to give birth. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn.
(WEB)
Point out that Joseph and Mary had to travel a long way to Bethlehem, and that God’s plan was fulfilled even when things felt uncomfortable. Ask children what it might have felt like to have no room at the inn.
Luke 2:13-14
13 Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men.”
(WEB)
Show children that the angels were not whispering but praising God with a great multitude of voices. Explain that this song tells us God’s glory is high above and His peace reaches down to people on earth.
Luke 2:19
But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.
(WEB)
Point out that Mary took time to think about what was happening and held these things close to her heart. Encourage children that quiet thinking about God’s goodness is a good thing to practice.
Talk About It
- Why do you think God chose shepherds to hear the good news first?
- How did the shepherds feel when they saw the angels, and what did they do next?
- What is one way you could share good news about Jesus with a friend this week?
- Why do you think Mary kept thinking about what happened to Jesus?
- What did the shepherds do after they saw Jesus, and how can we praise God too?
Activity Ideas
Shepherd and Star Craft
You will need paper plates, cotton balls, glue, markers, and yellow construction paper. Have children glue cotton balls onto a plate to make a sheep, then draw a shepherd’s face and add a star cut from yellow paper above the plate. As they work, talk about how the shepherds kept watch over their flock and how God watched over them too.
Good News Run
You will need a open space, a few chairs placed around the room, and a small bell or clapping hands. Children walk like shepherds carrying their sheep, then run to a chair to “see Jesus” when you ring the bell. Each time they arrive, they shout out “Good news!” and then tiptoe back to the start, just as the shepherds hurried and then went home praising God.
Good News Card for Home
You will need index cards, crayons, and a pen. Have children draw a picture of the manger or the shepherds and write or dictate the words “Jesus brings good news” on the back. Let them take the card home and read it to a family member at dinner, sharing one thing they remember from the story.
Teacher Notes
For adults, the Luke 2 account shows that God’s plan of salvation unfolded in quiet, humble ways, from a crowded census and a borrowed manger to shepherds on a hillside and a teenager in the temple. The chapter also shows that God’s good news was announced first to people society often overlooked, and that Jesus grew in wisdom and in favor with God and people.
Avoid telling children that the shepherds were a certain kind of people or that the exact date of Jesus’s birth is known, since the text does not give those details. Keep the focus on the angel’s message of good news, God’s care for ordinary people, and Jesus’s growing wisdom.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to bring good news and joy to all people. Help us to be like the shepherds, quick to share what we know about Jesus, and like Mary, to keep thinking about Your goodness. Help us grow in wisdom and love every day. Amen.
