Week 4 - December 22 – Trust
Matthew 1:18-25 – Mary becomes pregnant with Jesus

Note to the Teacher

This lesson will focus on trust as youth explore who they trust in their lives, how the Biblical characters can trust in God in very unusual circumstances, and how the group can grow in their trust of one another.

Time Description of Activity

10 min. 1. Ice Breaker: Whom or what do we trust?

In a bowl, basket, or hat place the following people, items, and institutions each on an individual small piece of paper. Then, one at a time, draw them out and ask the group if they believe what/who has been named is trustworthy. Then ask them why they believe they can trust or they cannot trust what was named. Feel encouraged to put your own ideas in the basket as well:

• Your parents
• Your school
• GPS
• The Church
• Your coaches
• Your friends
• God

5 min. 2. Read Scripture

In this scripture Mary becomes pregnant with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Joseph decides to end their relationship but receives a vision from an angel of the Lord to stay with Mary and raise the child who will be Emmanuel, God with us.

Read Matthew 1:18-25

15 min. 3. Discussion

• How do you think Joseph felt when he found out Mary was pregnant? How do you think Mary felt having to tell Joseph she was pregnant and pregnant by the Holy Spirit?
• What do you believe it must have felt like to be visited by an angel and told that your soon to be wife will give birth to a son who will save his people from their sins?
• How do you think Mary and Joseph were able to have such trust in God to do what they were asked to do?
• Jesus is called Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” How is God with us in our everyday lives?

Read Isaiah 7:10-16

• Ahaz and his people are under the threat of being attacked, and they are struggling to trust God. Through Isaiah, God tells Ahaz to ask for a sign, as if God is saying, “let me prove to you that you can trust me.” But Ahaz says, “I won’t ask, I won’t test the Lord.” What do you think was the reason Ahaz refused to ask God for a sign, even when God told him to ask for a sign?
• Are there ways you think that today we are too afraid to ask certain things of God? Why are we too afraid?
• How do we know that God is worthy of our trust?

20 min. 4. Activity

Gather your group to make a large circle where everyone is sitting down. Pick three people who will be in the middle, one of whom will be blindfolded. This is a form of tag. The blindfolded person seeks to find and tag the one or two people in the middle who are able to move around the circle. The group who is seated helps the blindfolded person.

Tell the group that thy can give the person instructions as to where the others are in the circle using their hands. A clap from the group means there is a person to their right. A snap means there is a person to their left. Beating their hands on the floor means that there is a person behind them. If they are about to break out of the circle, the group yells “STOP!”

The blindfolded person learns to trust in the group’s direction as they are the eyes for them. The group has to show they can be trusted. Please make sure that you do this knowing your group well and that there may be some youth who will not feel comfortable being the one blindfolded. If time allows, give several youth the option to be blindfolded.

After doing this a few times ask the people who were blindfolded what it felt like to have to trust everyone else to guide them. Ask what it was like for those sitting in the circle to be the ones who were being depended upon and trusted.

50 min.

Resources Needed

• Basket, hat or bowl
• Pen and strips of paper
• Blindfold