Check out our FREE Prince of Peace Sunday School Lesson! Teach kids that we can experience peace when we trust Jesus with our lives. By the end of this lesson, kids will choose to trust God to handle at least one challenge in their lives during the week ahead so that they can enjoy his peace. This lesson is great for every Children's Ministry, Kids Church, and Sunday School! One day, God will take away fights and hard times and everything that makes us anxious. But for now, we can experience his peace on the inside when we remember he has everything under control. When Jesus came to earth, it was a scary time! That’s one of the reasons why people were excited when Jesus was born. They figured he was going to make things less scary and more peaceful. They assumed he was going to defeat all the bad guys, like King Herod and Caesar Augustus and the robbers. Let me read you a prediction from the Old Testament, written hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth, that talked about some of the things he would do. Take a look at our Not Sold In Stores 4-Week Children's Ministry Curriculum. And, if you like this lesson we have over 100 more free Sunday School Lessons for Kids!

Prince of Peace Sunday School Lesson For Kid:

BOTTOM LINE:

We can experience peace when we trust Jesus with our lives.

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will choose to trust God to handle at least one challenge in their lives during the week ahead so that they can enjoy his peace.

KEY PASSAGE:

Isaiah 9:6-7, Jesus is the Prince of Peace

MEMORY VERSE:

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11, NIV)

SUMMARY:

One day, God will take away fights and hard times and everything that makes us anxious. But for now, we can experience his peace on the inside when we remember he has everything under control.

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

Help us trust you with the hard things in our lives, so that we can experience your peace instead of worrying.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

 

MEMORY VERSE

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11, NIV)

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news. It will bring great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11, NIrV)

LARGE GROUP:

Put the words of the verse on screen, then teach your students these hand motions to accompany the phrases.

But the angel said to them,               Flutter your hands like wings

“Do not be afraid.                             Shake your head vigorously

I bring you good news                                 Wave your hands up and down to signify exciting news

that will cause great joy                    Jump in the air

for all the people.                              Make quick pointing motions to many different people

Today in the town of David             Use your hands to make a megaphone around your mouth

a savior has been born to you;          Pantomime rocking a baby in your arms

he is the Messiah, the Lord.”            Point upwards to heaven with both hands

SMALL GROUP:

Review the memory verse with the hand motions (see above) a couple of times as a group. Then ask for a volunteer to try it by himself or herself.

 

DRAMA

THE OFFICE OF IMPOSSIBLE WISHES, PART 1

ITEMS NEEDED:

2 elf hats (or entire elf outfits if you can manage them)

Desk and chair

Big pile of papers and envelopes (the bigger, the better)

A couple of pens

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:

2 actors, either gender

CHARACTERS:

Jingle Sparkletoes, a nervous sort of elf who worries about everything

Jolly McSnowflake, an incorrigibly cheerful elf who doesn’t have a care in the world

(JINGLE is sitting at a desk center stage, looking thoroughly frazzled as she reads a letter from the huge pile on her desk. JOLLY enters, carrying even more letters.)

JOLLY: Mail call, Jingle! (She dumps her stack of letters on top of the piles already burdening JINGLE’S desk.) Isn’t it fun to get so many letters?

JINGLE (groaning aloud): I haven’t finished the last batch!

JOLLY: But answering kids’ letters is easy! “Dear Suzie, Santa will be happy to bring the doll you wanted . . . but not the real live pony.”

JINGLE: Jolly, I don’t get letters like that.

JOLLY: That’s what all kids write to Santa!

JINGLE: Not all kids. (picking up a letter and reading it) “Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is to stop worrying about school. I get so nervous before tests that I feel sick to my stomach. Sincerely, Cameron.”

JOLLY: A boy really wrote that?

JINGLE (nodding): Here’s another one. “Dear Santa, can you make Mommy and Daddy stop fighting? That would be the best Christmas present ever. Love, Celeste.”

JOLLY: Wow . . . I don’t think the Boss can put that under her tree.

JINGLE: That’s why they call this the Office of Impossible Wishes.

JOLLY: So you have to write back . . .

JINGLE: . . . To all the letters asking for stuff that Santa can’t bring.

JOLLY: That’s why you’re stressed. I wonder how come don’t kids write to God instead of Santa?

JINGLE: Like a prayer? (JOLLY nods.) But what if God doesn’t help?

JOLLY: God always helps!

JINGLE: Jolly, you know that’s not true! If Cameron prays, will he instantly feel calm for tests?

JOLLY: Probably not, but—

JINGLE: If Celeste prays, will her parents never fight again?

JOLLY: Probably not, but—

JINGLE: If I pray, will God make this huge pile of letters disappear?

JOLLY: Jingle Sparkletoes, will you let me finish a sentence? (JINGLE folds her arms and rolls her eyes.) What I mean is, God can give us peace from the stuff we’re worried about . . . even when he doesn’t bring us exactly what we want.

JINGLE: That doesn’t make sense.

JOLLY: Sure it does! Why do you think Cameron gets so worried about tests?

JINGLE: ‘Cause he’s afraid of bad grades—duh.

JOLLY: What if Cameron trusts God with his grades? “God, I hope you’ll help me get an A. But even if I don’t, I know you and Mom will still love me. Even if I get an F for Fantastic.”

JINGLE: That’s not what F stands for . . .

JOLLY: What if Celeste trusts God too? “God, I hope you’ll help my parents stop fighting. But even if they don’t, I trust you to take care of me.”

JINGLE: What will that prayer get her?

JOLLY: Peace, Jingle—peace in her heart! She’ll worry less because she’s trusting God more.

JINGLE: Sounds nice. But I don’t think anything could give me peace about these letters.

JOLLY: You’ll never know until you try.

JINGLE: You mean until I pray? (JOLLY nods.) Okay, okay . . . “God, I hope you’ll make these letters disappear. But if not, help me trust you that you’ll give me strength to answer them all.”

JOLLY: Guess what? God’s already answering your prayer!

JINGLE: How do you know?

JOLLY: ‘Cause some of these letters are gonna disappear! I’ll help you answer them.

JINGLE: Really? You’ll do that?

(JOLLY nods. JINGLE hands her a pen, and both ELVES begin to write letters.)

JINGLE: Jolly? (JOLLY looks up.) I’m glad God sent me a friend like you.

JOLLY: How am I supposed to feel peace unless you stop talkin’ so much?

(JOLLY grins at JINGLE, who throws a letter at JOLLY. Both ELVES laugh.)

 

OBJECT LESSON

ITEM NEEDED:

Noise reduction earmuffs (like these: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017YGE8A)

Everybody worries sometimes. We get nervous about a test, or we’re scared because our Mom and Dad are arguing, or we’re afraid a bully will hit us on the bus. Even adults feel that way—sometimes, I worry about [share something that makes you feel anxious].

Praying about the things that worry us is a good idea, because God can help. Sometimes, he takes away the thing we’re worried about. But other times, instead of taking away the worries on the outside, God will help you feel better on the inside. I need a helper to show me what I mean.

(Select a student volunteer.)

When I say, “GO”—don’t do it yet—I want everybody to make as much noise as you can. But as soon as [Volunteer] raises her hand, like this (have your volunteer demonstrate sticking her hand in the air), you need to get silent immediately. Everybody got that? Okay, bring on the noise when I say . . . GO!”

(After a few seconds, cue your volunteer to raise her hand and silence the students.)

Sometimes, when we pray about something that worries us, God brings us peace on the outside. He takes away the thing we’re anxious about, just like when [Volunteer] took away the noise. But life doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes, the thing that’s worrying you keeps happening! I mean, if you pray about a test, God won’t usually call off the test.

Still, when you trust God, you can have peace inside, no matter what happens. You might say a prayer like this: “God, I’m trusting you with this test. Even if I get a bad grade, I know you’ll still love me.” If you can pray that—and mean it—you’ll probably start to feel some of God’s peace! Why? Because you’re letting him take care of the thing that worries you.

Let me show you what that looks like. In a minute—don’t do it yet—we’re going to make noise again. But first, we’re going to give [Volunteer] some peace, even when you’re really loud. (Gently place the muffs on your volunteer’s ears. It will make the room sounds significantly quieter for her.) Okay, time for the noise—GO! (Let the students keep up their noise for longer than before. Finally, cue them to stop.) What do you think, [Volunteer]? Was that a more peaceful experience, even while everybody was going nuts?

(Applaud your volunteer and allow her to sit down.)

When you trust God with the things that worry you, sometimes he brings peace on the outside, like when we stopped the noise. But other times, he works a little bit like earmuffs. He brings you peace on the inside because you’re trusting in his love, even when the outside world is going crazy.

 

LARGE GROUP GAME

WAR AND PEACE

ITEMS NEEDED:

A flag (like a towel or rag) for each student

INSTRUCTIONS:

All students should tuck a flag loosely into their waistbands, so that it hangs down the side of one leg. (It’s no fair tying the flags around their waists or concealing more than half of it in a pocket or under a jacket.) Then have the boys stand on one side of the room against a wall while the girls stand against the opposite wall.

When you say, “WAR,” the two teams will rush towards each other. Their goal is to pull out other players’ flags while not losing their own! Anyone who loses a flag is out, and must sit down at the side of the room.

If a player reaches the other side of the room and touches the wall opposite from where he started, he’s “on base” and can no longer lose his flag (or take anyone else’s). Let the game go on for maybe 15-30 seconds, depending on the size of your room and the number of students. When you say “PEACE,” everyone needs to freeze, and the game is over.

A few very important rules: When they’re trying to grab another player’s flag, students may only touch the flag itself—not grab or hold onto someone. When they’re trying to protect their own flags, the students’ only defense is to run away! They can’t hold onto their flags to prevent them from being yanked, and definitely can’t shove others to keep them back. Demonstrate what’s okay and what’s not before you begin. Have adults standing by as referees to quickly stop any inappropriate behavior.

If time permits, play two or three rounds (with students who lost their flags replacing them after each round so they can play again).

VARIATION:

Instead of pitting the boys against the girls, divide the students into teams by using two different colors of flags.

WHAT’S THE POINT?

The name of this game is “War and Peace.” When you were trying to grab people’s flags, and other kids were trying to grab yours, you were at war! But when I stopped the game, you were at peace again. No one was trying to get your flag.

Someday, when Jesus comes back, he’s going to put a stop to wars and fights and arguments. We won’t have anything to worry about, because he’ll stop all the bad things that happen in the world! Everything and everyone will be at peace, which will be pretty amazing.

For now, though, we have to live in a world where bad things sometimes happen. The good news is that we can still have God’s peace in our hearts! That’s like what happened when you got on base in the game. Even though there was a war all around you, you were at peace—no one could grab your flag!

When you get worried about something, try turning it over to God. Say, “God, no matter what happens in this situation, I’m going to trust you, because I know you love me no matter what.” That’s like getting on base in real life! Yeah, bad things might happen. But you can worry less, because you’ll have God’s peace inside your heart when you trust in his love.

 

LARGE GROUP LESSON

BOTTOM LINE:

We can experience peace when we trust Jesus with our lives.

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will choose to trust God to handle at least one challenge in their lives during the week ahead so that they can enjoy his peace.

KEY PASSAGE:

Isaiah 9:6-7, Jesus is the Prince of Peace

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever thought it would be cool to live during the same time as Jesus? Wouldn’t it be amazing to visit him right after he was born, and see Jesus lying in a manger? Or watch him do a miracle after he grew up? How about visiting the empty tomb after he rose from the dead?

Of course, it would have been amazing to see Jesus in person. But I’m afraid it wasn’t amazing to live in Israel 2000 years ago. When Jesus came down from heaven to be born, there were a lot of problems. We’ve been talking today about peace, and there wasn’t much peace in Israel.

The whole country was being ruled by an evil king named Herod. Herod was not a nice guy—in fact, the Bible tells us that he actually tried to kill Jesus! It was a horrible, evil thing, but Herod wanted Jesus dead. With a guy like that in charge, Israel was not a safe place.

But King Herod wasn’t even the big boss. That was Caesar Augustus, who was kind of like a super-king that lived in another place called Rome. Rome had fought a war against Israel and taken over. So Israel didn’t have its own country, like we do in the United States. Instead, their ruler was in another place—kind of like if the president of Russia was in charge of the United States. A lot of the people in Israel hated being ruled by another country.

Plus, a lot of people died from diseases because there were no modern medicines like we have today. There were also robbers who hid out in the countryside to beat people up and steal their stuff . . . and there were no police officers!

Thankfully, all of these things happened a long time ago. But I want to make sure you understand—when Jesus came to earth, it was a scary time! That’s one of the reasons why people were excited when Jesus was born. They figured he was going to make things less scary and more peaceful. They assumed he was going to defeat all the bad guys, like King Herod and Caesar Augustus and the robbers. Let me read you a prediction from the Old Testament, written hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth, that talked about some of the things he would do.

READ ISAIAH 9:6-7

Now, wait a minute—there seems to be a problem here! In that prediction, it says that Jesus will do a lot of amazing things. Let’s just look at a couple of them. “[Jesus] will reign on David’s throne”—that means he’ll become king of Israel! Jesus will be called “Prince of Peace”—in other words, he’ll put a stop to wars and fighting and worrying. But do you see the problem? Jesus didn’t do those things!

Even after Jesus came to earth, Herod was still the king, and Caesar Augustus was the super-king. Jesus never made wars and fights and worrying stop—those things are still going on today! So what happened? Did God make a bad prediction? Did Jesus mess up?

MAIN POINT

No, God and Jesus didn’t mess up. It’s just that people didn’t understand what the prediction meant. It was talking about what will happen in heaven someday—not about what Jesus would do on earth when he was born in a manger.

When we get to heaven, there won’t be any more wars or fighting. No one will die. We won’t have anything to worry about. Jesus really will be the king of everything! We talked earlier about how cool it would have been to see Jesus be born or do a miracle, and you know what? Someday, we will get to meet Jesus! It’ll be pretty amazing. In heaven, there will be perfect peace, brought about by God himself. You’ll never have to worry about bad things happening ever again.

But when Jesus was born, he also brought a different kind of peace that we can have right now. It’s the peace we experience inside our hearts when we trust in God’s love.

Let’s say you’re worried about something. Try trusting God with whatever’s making you anxious! You can say, “God, I’m really scared about this thing. But I’m going to put it in your hands, because I believe I can trust you. Please take care of it the way you know is best. Even if things don’t go the way I want, I trust you and I know that you love me.”

If you pray that prayer—and you mean it—I bet you’ll feel at least a little less scared. You can have God’s peace in your heart when you trust him.

DRIVE IT HOME

I want you to think about something that makes you worry sometimes. Has everybody thought of something? Okay, now I want you to try trusting God with it. Will you pray along with me in your head?

“God, you know what I’m worried about right now. But I’m going to put it in your hands, because I believe I can trust you. Please take care of it the way you know is best. Even if things don’t go the way I want, I trust you and I know that you love me. Amen.”

I hope that trusting God helps you feel some of his peace. Unfortunately, so long as we live on earth, there are going to be things to worry about. There wasn’t peace in the world when Jesus was born, and there won’t be perfect peace on the outside of our lives until we get to heaven. But on the inside—deep within our hearts—we can have peace right now. It happens when we trust God with the things that make us afraid.

CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Help us trust you with the hard things in our lives, so that we can experience your peace instead of worrying.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

 

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)

ICEBREAKER

What’s one thing that makes you feel worried?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY

Luke 2:10-11

Review the memory verse with the hand motions (see below) a couple of times as a group. Then ask for a volunteer to try it by herself.

But the angel said to them,               Flutter your hands like wings

“Do not be afraid.                             Shake your head vigorously

I bring you good news                                 Wave your hands up and down to signify exciting news

that will cause great joy                    Jump in the air

for all the people.                              Make quick pointing motions to many different people

Today in the town of David             Use your hands to make a megaphone around your mouth

a savior has been born to you;          Pantomime rocking a baby in your arms

he is the Messiah, the Lord.”            Point upwards to heaven with both hands

SMALL GROUP GAME/ ACTIVITY

As in the Object Lesson, let your students take turns experiencing peace on the inside. Choose one volunteer. Have all of the other students make noise, and have the volunteer tightly cover his ears (or use the earmuffs). Let the kids take turns being the volunteer. Remind them that the peace from noise that your volunteer is experiencing is a picture of what happens when we trust God with the things that worry us. He gives us peace on the inside, even when bad things are happening on the outside.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Read Isaiah 9:6-7

In these verses, what are some of the things that Isaiah predicted Jesus would do?

Did Jesus do those things when he came to earth as a baby?

When will we finally get to see Jesus be the king, and bring peace to the earth?

How can we have God’s peace inside our hearts right now?

SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Remind us this week that whenever we get worried, we can trust you to take care of the thing that’s bugging us, and experience your peace inside our hearts.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

 

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH)

ICEBREAKER

What’s one thing that makes you feel worried?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY

Luke 2:10-11

Review the memory verse with the hand motions (see below) a couple of times as a group. Then ask for a volunteer to try it by herself.

But the angel said to them,               Flutter your hands like wings

“Do not be afraid.                             Shake your head vigorously

I bring you good news                                 Wave your hands up and down to signify exciting news

that will cause great joy                    Jump in the air

for all the people.                              Make quick pointing motions to many different people

Today in the town of David             Use your hands to make a megaphone around your mouth

a savior has been born to you;          Pantomime rocking a baby in your arms

he is the Messiah, the Lord.”            Point upwards to heaven with both hands

SMALL GROUP GAME/ ACTIVITY

Divide your students into pairs. Have each pair act out a situation that can make them anxious. (Give them a minute or two to practice before performing for the group.) See if the other students can guess what scenario the pair is portraying. Then have the whole group pray together for God’s peace to overcome their worry.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Read Isaiah 9:6-7

In these verses, what are some of the things that Isaiah predicted Jesus would do?

Did Jesus do those things when he came to earth as a baby?

When will we finally get to see Jesus be the king, and bring peace to the earth?

How can we have God’s peace inside our hearts right now?

SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Remind us this week that whenever we get worried, we can trust you to take care of the thing that’s bugging us, and experience your peace inside our hearts.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

 

For your convenience, you can also download the entire PDF version of this Prince of Peace Children's Ministry Lesson (just click the link). 

Here's a video from the Gospel Project that you might find helpful to go along with your Sunday School Lesson on the Prince of Peace. 

Take a look at the links below for other ideas for teaching a Prince of Peace Sunday School Lesson: 

 

Jesus Brings Peace: A Gospel Lesson for Christmas

 

Jesus, Prince Of Peace - Free Bible Study Lessons

 

The Gift of Peace | Focus on the Family