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Advent with Bible Labs: lesson kit
Four weeks on the road to Bethlehem, for a class, a small group or the kitchen table
Each week has two pages. The teacher page is for whoever leads: a plan for about 40 minutes, what to show from the labs, what the evidence says and the questions. The family page goes home, or to each person in the group.
The QR codes open the labs on a phone, already at the right place. If you have a screen, open the week's page at xdreamers.com/labs/advent and project it.
The evidence labels are the same as in the labs. “Textually stated” means the Bible says it. The other levels say how sure anyone can be about a point that the text does not settle. Read them out as they are: you do not need to decide every question for your group.
In this kit
Evidence levels
Textually statedStrongly supportedPlausibleSpeculativeArtistic
Promise
Aim: See that Christmas begins with promises made centuries earlier, and that God chose a small, ordinary place to keep them.
Before you start
- Read Isaiah 9:1–7 and Micah 5:1–5 through once yourself.
- Open the Time Map at Isaiah (QR 1) and Bethlehem from above (QR 2) on the screen.
- Have a Bible for every two people, or print the verses below.
Plan · 40 min
| 5 min | Welcome. Ask: what is the longest you have waited for something? |
| 5 min | Read Isaiah 9:2, 6–7 and Micah 5:2 aloud, two readers. |
| 10 min | Show the timeline, Hezekiah's Jerusalem and Bethlehem (below). |
| 5 min | The evidence: which Bethlehem, and how Isaiah 9 is read. |
| 10 min | Discuss the questions. |
| 5 min | Pray. |
Read
Isaiah 9:2; Isaiah 9:6–7; Micah 5:2
Show in the labs
1. Isaiah · The Bible Time Map
Isaiah and Micah lived about seven hundred years before Jesus. Let the gap sink in.
2. Hezekiah's Jerusalem · Jerusalem Through the Ages
This is the city they knew: new walls, a tunnel for water, Assyria on the way.
3. Village · Bethlehem and the Birth of Jesus
And this is Bethlehem: a village of a few hundred people on a ridge.
What the evidence says
Textually statedMicah names Bethlehem Ephrathah, “little among the thousands of Judah” (5:2).Strongly supportedThe village of the Gospels is today's Bethlehem, about 9 km south of Jerusalem; the name never moved.Strongly supportedJewish readers also took Micah 5:2 as a promise of the Messiah; the Aramaic Targum says so outright.PlausibleIsaiah 9:6–7 read of the Messiah (Matthew 4:13–16 and the church) or of King Hezekiah (some Jewish interpreters). Both are readings; say so and move on.Questions
- Micah's promise was about seven hundred years old when Jesus was born. What do you make of a promise that takes that long?
- God started with a small place. Where else in Scripture does he start small?
- Which of the four names in Isaiah 9:6 do you most need this year?
Leader tip
Leave the timeline on the screen while you talk. The distance between the prophets and the manger does a lot of the teaching for you.
Closing prayer
Faithful God, you kept your word to Isaiah and Micah, and you will keep it to us. Teach us to wait for you this Advent. Amen.
Promise
Long before Jesus was born, God made promises. This week we read two of them.
Read · Micah 5:2 and Isaiah 9:6
6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Look
Scan the code to see Bethlehem from above, as it may have looked when Jesus was born.
xdreamers.com/labs/places-of-jesus/bethlehem?stop=village
Can you find…
- The village on its ridge
- A road going north to Jerusalem
- The terraces where people grew food
Wonder
- God chose a very small village. Why do you think he did?
- Isaiah gives the child four names. Which one do you like best?
For the youngest: Is Bethlehem big or small? Is it near Jerusalem or far away?
Pray
God, you always keep your promises. Help us wait for you. Amen.
Draw or write
Draw a light shining in the dark (Isaiah 9:2).
Journey
Aim: Read Luke 2:1–7 as Luke wrote it, and notice which parts of the familiar picture come from later tradition.
Before you start
- Read Luke 2:1–7 slowly, and Luke 22:11 (the same word as the “inn”).
- Open the house in Bethlehem (QR 2) and the common picture list (QR 3).
- Optional: a nativity set from home, to point at.
Plan · 40 min
| 5 min | Welcome. Ask the group to describe the Christmas story without opening a Bible. |
| 5 min | Read Luke 2:1–7. |
| 10 min | Show the road, the house and the cave (below). |
| 5 min | The evidence on the “inn”, the census and the donkey. |
| 10 min | Discuss the questions. |
| 5 min | Pray. |
Read
Luke 2:1–7
Show in the labs
1. Journey · Bethlehem and the Birth of Jesus
Nazareth to Bethlehem is about 150 km, four to seven days on foot. Luke does not say how they travelled.
2. Family house · Bethlehem and the Birth of Jesus
A village house: guest room, family floor, and the animals' end with its mangers.
3. The common picture vs the text · Bethlehem and the Birth of Jesus
Go through the list together. Which parts of our picture are in Luke?
What the evidence says
Textually statedLuke has no innkeeper and nobody turns them away. There was “no room in the kataluma”.PlausibleKataluma is the word Luke uses for a guest room (22:11), so many read it as a full guest room in a family house.Strongly supportedThe cave tradition is early: Justin Martyr, about AD 155. A cave behind a house may be the same place.SpeculativeHow Luke's census fits Quirinius (AD 6 in Josephus) is debated; the proposals are not settled.Questions
- A decree in Rome sends a family on the road for a week. Where do you see God at work in events nobody chose?
- Which details of your Christmas picture are not in Luke 2? Does it matter?
- If the “inn” was a relative's full guest room, how does that change the night for you?
Leader tip
Do the common-picture quiz before reading, not after. People listen to Luke more closely when they are checking their own guesses.
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, you came to a crowded house and were laid in a manger. Come into our full and busy lives this week. Amen.
Journey
Mary and Joseph walked for days to get to Bethlehem. When they got there, the guest room was full.
Read · Luke 2:1–7
7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Look
Scan the code to go inside a Bethlehem house. Find where the baby was laid.
xdreamers.com/labs/places-of-jesus/bethlehem?stop=house
Can you find…
- The manger (a feeding trough)
- Where the animals sleep
- The guest room upstairs or at the back
Wonder
- What do you think Mary and Joseph talked about on the road?
- Jesus was laid in a manger. What does that tell us about him?
For the youngest: What is a manger for? What do the animals eat from it?
Pray
Jesus, please come into our home, even when it is busy. Amen.
Draw or write
Draw the house, with the manger and the animals.
Shepherds
Aim: Hear the good news as the shepherds heard it, and notice who God told first.
Before you start
- Read Luke 2:8–20.
- Open the shepherds' field (QR 2) and step through the four moments: the watch, the angel, the host, the hurry.
- If you can, dim the room for the reading.
Plan · 40 min
| 5 min | Welcome. Ask: who do you tell first when you have big news? |
| 5 min | Show the four moments on the screen, without talking. |
| 5 min | Read Luke 2:8–20. |
| 5 min | The evidence: where the fields were, and the season. |
| 15 min | Discuss the questions. |
| 5 min | Pray, or read Luke 2:14 together. |
Read
Luke 2:8–20
Show in the labs
1. The watch · Bethlehem and the Birth of Jesus
Working men on the night shift, below the village.
2. The heavenly host · Bethlehem and the Birth of Jesus
Luke says the heavenly host was “praising God, and saying”. He does not mention wings or singing.
3. To Bethlehem · Bethlehem and the Birth of Jesus
They go with haste, find the baby, and tell everyone.
What the evidence says
Textually statedShepherds were staying in the fields near Bethlehem, keeping watch by night.SpeculativeWhere the fields were is unknown. Tradition points to Beit Sahour, east of Bethlehem.SpeculativeFlocks out at night do not settle the season: both sides argue from indirect evidence. Luke gives no month.ArtisticIn the lab the angels are drawn as soft light; Luke describes glory, not appearance.Questions
- God told shepherds first, not priests or scholars. What does that say about who this news is for?
- Savior, Christ, Lord (Luke 2:11): what does each title add?
- What would going “with haste” look like for you this week?
Leader tip
If someone asks where exactly the fields were, the honest answer is “nobody knows”. Say it plainly; it builds trust for the parts we do know.
Closing prayer
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace. Thank you for good news for ordinary people. Amen.
Shepherds
On a dark night, shepherds were watching their sheep. Then the sky lit up.
Read · Luke 2:8–14
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Look
Scan the code and click through the four moments in the shepherds' field.
xdreamers.com/labs/places-of-jesus/bethlehem?stop=shepherds&moment=host
Can you find…
- The sheep
- The shepherds' fire or lamp
- The village on the hill above
Wonder
- Why do you think God told the shepherds first?
- The angel said, “Fear not.” What would you like God to say to you?
For the youngest: What did the shepherds do after the angels left?
Pray
Glory to you, God! Thank you for good news for everyone. Amen.
Draw or write
Draw the night sky full of light.
Magi
Aim: Follow the magi from Herod's Jerusalem to the house, and compare their response with Herod's and the scribes'.
Before you start
- Read Matthew 2:1–12, and 2:16 for the timing.
- Open the magi in Jerusalem (QR 2) and at the house (QR 3). Herod's palace in Jerusalem Through the Ages is a good extra.
- This week can be used any time up to Epiphany, 6 January.
Plan · 40 min
| 5 min | Welcome. Ask: where do the wise men stand in your nativity set? |
| 5 min | Read Matthew 2:1–12. |
| 10 min | Show Jerusalem and the house (below). |
| 5 min | The evidence: when they came, how many, and the star. |
| 10 min | Discuss the questions. |
| 5 min | Pray. |
Read
Matthew 2:1–12
Show in the labs
1. Herod's palace · Jerusalem Through the Ages
Herod's palace on the western hill. A king who is “troubled”, and all Jerusalem with him.
2. In Herod's Jerusalem · Bethlehem and the Birth of Jesus
The scribes know the answer from Micah 5:2, and stay where they are.
3. At the house · Bethlehem and the Birth of Jesus
A house, a young child, three gifts. Not the night of the birth.
What the evidence says
Strongly supportedThe magi came later than the birth: a house, “the young child”, and Herod's “two years old and under”.Textually statedMatthew does not count the magi; he names three gifts.SpeculativeThat they were kings, and that they rode camels, comes from later reading of Psalm 72 and Isaiah 60.PlausibleA sign given by God fits a star that “went before them” and stopped (2:9). The planet and comet theories are speculative.Questions
- The magi worship, Herod plots, the scribes know but stay home. Which response do you recognise in yourself?
- Why might it matter that foreigners from the east are at the start of Matthew's Gospel?
- What is costly worship for you, now that Christmas is over?
Leader tip
Bring a nativity set and let someone move the magi away from the manger to a “house” across the table. It makes the point about timing without a lecture.
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, the magi followed the light until they found you. Keep us seeking and worshipping you after Christmas is over. Amen.
Magi
Wise men from the east saw a star and came a long way to find the new king.
Read · Matthew 2:1–2 and 2:9–11
10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Look
Scan the code to see the magi arrive at the house in Bethlehem.
xdreamers.com/labs/places-of-jesus/bethlehem?stop=magi
Can you find…
- The gold, the frankincense and the myrrh
- Mary with the child
- The door of the house
Wonder
- The magi brought gifts to Jesus. What would you bring him?
- Why do you think King Herod was afraid of a little child?
For the youngest: Matthew does not say how many wise men came. How many gifts were there?
Pray
Jesus, help us keep looking for you, like the wise men. Amen.
Draw or write
Draw the star over the house.