Tips

• Showing kids a real Bible and reading part of the story directly from the Bible helps kids know this isn’t just a made-up story—it’s found in God’s Word!
• Using “pair shares” where kids share with a partner ensures everyone gets a chance to answer the question—not just one or two kids.

Discuss

            Welcome everyone to your Bible Message time.

            Ask: • What's something you've tried to do but haven't been able to do yet?

Have kids turn to a partner to share. Then ask a few kids to share with everyone.

            Say: Well, maybe those things you’ve tried seem impossible now. But you might one day learn to do them! And today we’ll explore how God does the impossible. So let’s try some impossible tasks!

Attempt the Impossible

            Say: First, try to lick your own elbow. Allow time. Ask anyone who did it to raise their hand.

            Next, see if you can touch the ceiling and the floor at the same time. Allow time. Ask anyone who did it to raise their hand.

            Finally, see if you can solve this math problem in your head. What’s 1,482 divided by 57? Ask kids to share if they know the answer.

            Say: Those tasks seemed pretty impossible. But God did something even more impossible in today’s Bible story.

            Open your Bible to Luke 1, and show kids the words.

            Say: First, God sent an angel named Gabriel to talk to a woman named Mary!

            Read Luke 1:28-29.

            Have kids find a partner and act out being an angel talking to Mary. Then lead kids in saying, “God does the impossible!”

            Say: And that’s not all! Listen to what the angel had to say to Mary.

            Read Luke 1:31-33.

            Say: The angel said Mary would have a baby, and he would be God’s Son! Lots of people have babies, but no one had ever given birth to God’s Son before!

            Have kids pretend to rock babies as they say, “God does the impossible!”

            Say: Then the angel told Mary about another impossible thing God had done.

            Read Luke 1:36-37.

            Say: Normally old women can’t have babies. But God helped Mary’s relative Elizabeth have a baby, even though she was old!

            Have kids act like old ladies and say, “God does the impossible!”

            Say: Mary was engaged to man named Joseph—they were going to get married! But the angel had to go convince Joseph that God does the impossible! Joseph believed the angel, and he and Mary got married.

Discuss

            Say: Let’s compare the impossible things we tried earlier with the impossible things God did.

            Ask: • How could it be possible for someone to lick their own elbow? If kids are stumped, suggest that some people are double-jointed or super flexible and can bend their arms in unusual ways.

            • How could it be possible for someone to touch the floor and ceiling at the same time? If kids are stumped, suggest that some rooms have ceilings that slope down near the windows, so it wouldn’t be very hard to reach the ceiling while standing.

            • How could it be possible for someone to figure out 1,482 divided by 57 in their head? If kids are stumped, suggest that some people are experts at math and can do that kind of math in their heads. (Also, the answer is 26, if you’d like to share that info!)

            • How could a human make an angel appear or have a baby that’s God’s Son without God’s help?

            Say: We tried things that were impossible for us but could technically be possible for some people. But God does the impossible. He did things no person could do without his help!

Tip

• Don’t have internet in your classroom? That’s okay! You can choose your own worship songs from our Best Of Dig In Music DVD here.

Sing Songs to God

          Sing the three songs in any order.

Drop Pompoms

            Say: Sometimes things seem really easy to do—like this! Use your thumb and fingers to make an O in front of you, and hold a pompom with your other hand just a few inches above the hole your hand makes. Drop the pompom into the hole. But you may find they’re really impossible. Let’s find out!

• Have kids form pairs, and give each pair three pompoms.
• Show the older partner in each pair how to make one hand into an “O” with the hand resting on the floor. Younger partners will stand next to the older partners.
• Have younger partners drop three pompoms from shoulder height, trying to get them into the hole of their partner’s hands. Partners on the floor may not move their hands to try to catch the pompom.
• Kids who succeed can stay standing. Kids who miss even one time must sit down.
• After three tries or when all first partners are out of pompoms, have partners trade roles.

Talk About God

            When everyone has had a turn, quickly gather the pompoms and have kids sit or stand to show whether they succeeded.

            Ask: • Looking around the room at the number of people standing, would you say this task was possible or impossible? Why?

            • What made it nearly impossible to do this perfectly?

            Say: In the Bible, Mary believed that God does the impossible. Jesus—God’s Son—would be born in a seemingly-impossible way. And here’s why: God knew we’d find it impossible not to sin—or make wrong choices. He knew it would be impossible for us to do the right thing every single time.

            Ask: • This is a question to think about silently: When have you made a wrong choice? Allow time for silent reflection.

            Say: God knew we’d all do wrong things. So he gave his special Son, Jesus. Many years after Jesus was born, he would give his life as a payment for those wrong things. Jesus’ sacrifice makes it completely possible for us to have a forever friendship with God. God does the impossible!

Tip

• Find reflective worship music and other great DIG IN resources here.

Sit on a Chair and Pray

            Say: It’s true! God does the impossible. When things in our lives feel difficult, we can depend on God to see us through.

            Ask: • What impossible thing are you facing right now? You don’t need to answer aloud. Just pause for a moment to think of something that seems hard today. Pause for a moment or two while kids think.

            Say: When things are hard, we can always talk with God, our Father. You see, God is our Abba Father. The word Abba means “Father” in the Aramaic language. That’s the language Jesus spoke when he lived on earth! Jesus called God “Abba” or Father.

            Jesus made a way for us to call God “Abba,” too. When he died on the cross and came back to life again, Jesus welcomed all people who believe in him into God’s family.

            God is an Abba Father we can always depend on. God supports us, so we can rest in his loving care. Like a chair supports us and gives us a solid place to rest, our Abba Father God supports us, too. No matter what we’re going through, we can rest and rely on him. Let’s rest with God now and tell God we depend on him.

            Have kids sit comfortably on a chair or the floor. Play quiet worship music for a minute or so as kids simply sit on the chair, rest, and think about God.

            Say: When we were little and needed a hug or wanted to be held, we’d raise our arms to a grown-up. Now as we sit and rest with God, let’s raise our arms to our Abba Father to show we need him, too. Have kids extend arms as you pray.

            Pray: Abba Father, thank you for inviting us to be a part of your family. May we depend on you today and find rest, knowing that you love us and that you do the impossible. In Jesus’ name, amen.

            Say: God is our Father, and God does the impossible!

Tips

• It may take a while for kids to find the Bible verse. That’s okay! This activity is primarily about building Bible navigation skills.
• If you have a lot of non-readers, have some picture Bibles on hand for them to flip through as older kids look up verses. They won’t look for anything specific, but they can look at the pictures to practice paging through Bibles.
• It’s a great idea to have a stash of matching classroom Bibles, such as the Hands-On Bible. This will avoid confusion of different translations or storybook Bibles that don’t include every passage. Even so, avoid the temptation to just tell kids a page number—let kids practice finding verses.

Talk About the Impossible

            Say: The angel told Mary something that seemed like it wasn’t possible. But God does the impossible. Let’s think about some other things God does that are impossible for us to do.

            Ask: • What are some things God can do that people can’t? If you have a large group, form groups of five or six for kids to share, and then ask for a few ideas from each group. Examples might include making the sun rise or controlling the weather.

            • Which of those things do you most wish you could do? Why?

            Say: There’s a lot we can’t do. But God can do anything! God does the impossible.

Explore Matthew 19:26

            Say: Let’s see what the Bible has to say about God doing things that seem impossible.

            Make sure kids all have Bibles. Younger kids can sit with older kids so they can observe the skills of using their Bibles even before being able to read.

            Say: Our Bible verse is in the book of Matthew, chapter 19, verse 26. Let’s find the book of Matthew. That’s the first book in the New Testament—which is the later part of the Bible. Open your Bible kind of near the back. Allow time.

• Point to the book of Matthew on the poster so kids can see the name and what books come before and after it.
• Mention that the chapter numbers are the big numbers, and help kids find the big 19 in Matthew.
• Mention that the verse numbers are the small numbers, and help kids find the small 26 in Matthew 19.
• When everyone has found the verse, ask someone to read Matthew 19:26 aloud.

            Ask: • Think about something in your life that feels hard or even impossible. How does this verse encourage you?

            Say: Sometimes we face challenges in life, and we wonder how we’ll get through it. It may seem impossible. Just remember, God does the impossible. With God, everything is possible! He’s right there with you, no matter what you face.

Tip

• WARNING! Don’t just print and distribute! Here’s why.

Older Kids: Do an Activity Page

            Say: We’ve seen how God does the impossible. He sent an angel to tell Mary she would have God’s Son as a baby! That’s impossible! Let’s see if you can find the impossible things in this picture.

            Distribute the activity pages and pencils. Kids will find six impossible things in the picture.

            Ask: • Which of the impossible things in this picture do you most wish were possible? Why?

            • What would you do if one of these things really happened?

            Say: God does the impossible. Now, that doesn’t mean he’ll make pigs fly or puppies grow in flowers. But when it was his plan, God did the impossible and sent his Son as a baby. Even though Mary knew it was impossible, she trusted and obeyed God.

            ANSWER KEY:

Younger Kids: Color a Coloring Page

            Distribute the coloring pages and crayons. Say: God does the impossible! Let’s remember that as we color a picture of an angel telling Mary the impossible message that her baby would be God’s Son.

            Allow time for kids to color.

            When kids finish coloring, three-hole-punch their pages and put them into binders, if desired.

Sing a Song

            Say: God used an angel to announce that Jesus was going to be born! That’s not the only time God worked through angels to share about his plan to send Jesus. Let’s learn a verse from right after Jesus was born, when God used angels to celebrate!

            In Luke 2:14, the angels said: “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

            Glory means giving God all the praise and honor for being such an awesome God. We can give God glory for sending Jesus, too! Let’s do that today by putting this Bible verse to the words of a Christmas song. It’ll remind us of how the angels gave God glory that first Christmas night when Jesus was born!

• Form mixed-age groups of three or four kids.
• Have each group pick any popular Christmas tune they all know really well.
• Encourage kids to sing the words of the verse so they match the tune of the song. Readers can refer to the poster as needed.
• Younger kids can help make up motions if they’d like.
• At the end have each group perform their song for the group.

Talk About It

            Ask: • Think of the original words of your song. Give an example, using the words to a song such as “Jingle Bells.” How well do those words bring glory to God? How about the new words?

            • Besides singing, what other ways can you give glory to God?

            Say: Some Christmas songs celebrate Jesus, and others are just fun, silly songs about reindeer or snowmen. We bring glory to God when we sing to him, talk about him, or do things that show we love him. And we have a lot to celebrate about what God has done, because God does the impossible.

Attempt the Impossible

            Say: God does the impossible. Can you? Let’s find out with this shoe challenge!

• Ask kids to spread out, take off their shoes, and then hold one shoe in each hand.
• Explain you’ll call out what they’re to do with their shoes, and kids will attempt to do the challenge.
• If kids can do the challenge, they shout, “Possible!” If not, they shout, “God does the impossible!”
• If someone can’t accomplish a task, that’s fine—they can keep playing. Kids can touch only their own shoes.
• Things to call out might include:
  • Flip a shoe in the air and catch it.
  • Toss your shoe into the air and make it hover for 15 seconds before falling.
  • Make your shoes do an Irish jig.
  • Put your shoes on the opposite feet.
  • Balance your shoes on the ground, up on their tiptoes.
  • Juggle your shoes.
  • Toss a shoe in the air and catch it behind your back.
  • Make your shoes walk—without touching them.
  • Spin a shoe on your left index finger like a basketball.
  • Toss your shoes so that they both land on their soles.
  • Run around your shoes three times.
  • Throw your shoes so that they land on the ceiling.
  • Jump over your shoes.
  • Put your shoes on your hands and do a walking handstand.
  • Smell your shoes.
  • Make your shoes grow bigger.
• Let the game keep going as long as needed to fill time until parents begin to arrive. You can add your own challenges, some easy, some challenging but theoretically possible, and others completely impossible.

           Distribute a copy of the “Dig In @ Home” handout to kids as they leave, or email it to parents during the week.