Advent is such a wonderful time to focus on the prophets because so much of what they had to say was about the coming Messiah.  They were waiting in real time and Advent recreates that in a concentrated way for us each year.  This lesson highlights prophecies from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah and more, but rightly focuses on John the Baptist in particular.  (Jesus, Himself, said that John was the greatest man every born!  Matthew 11:11)

If your kids have the attention span for it, we recommend starting this lesson by reading about John’s life from Scripture.  Start with Luke 1:5-25 and then on to Luke 1:57-66, and then finish with verse 80.  The equivalent from a Children’s Bible or storybook would work equally well and has the added bonus of pictures!

There are two activities to go with this lesson and no preparation other than finding crayons and scissors. (Hooray!) The first one has you finding prophecies in the Old Testament and then matching them up with the New Testament fulfillment.  It’s labeled “for older saints,” but may work equally well with your younger kids (just look up the verses ahead of time).  In my mind, the most amazing lesson from this activity is that of God’s everlasting care for us!  He planned every detail of our salvation then and continues to do so today.  Even if you’re sure your kids are too young for this activity, try it for yourself.  It’s a great Advent meditation.

The second activity is the Good News Megaphone and this one is for everyone.  John came to announce the coming Messiah, and these megaphones will help your little saints do the same.  Make a joyful noise!