JUNIOR HIGH GAME: TRIPLE GIFT RACE

In Matthew 2, we find the familiar, but strange, story of the Magi who came to visit Jesus and brought him unusual gifts.

There are lots of misunderstandings and assumptions related to this passage.

So, let’s have a little fun with a game inspired by the text, which sets up a quick lesson about seeking and serving Jesus.

Then, we’ll finish up by clearing up some of the confusion and giving students a devotional challenge on worship.

Also, if you like this lesson you should definitely check out the Massive Junior High Bundle that goes live this Friday, December 8 at 12 Eastern U.S. time. Once live it only lasts 7 days. 

The bundle saves you over 90% on 3 years of junior high ministry lessons and games.

We’re giving away some awesome prizes to the first who order the bundle on opening day, including THREE $100 gift cards and $129 worth of youth ministry lessons from our sister website – Ministry to Youth.

So, be sure to mark your calendar for this Friday at 12pm noon Eastern.

– Nick Diliberto, Junior High Ministry

JUNIOR HIGH GAME: THE TRIPLE GIFT RACE

DOWNLOAD PDF OF THIS GAME

Written by Mike Sheley

Bible: Matthew 2:1-8

SUPPLIES

Relay Race Version

3 legged-race Version

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

There are two ways to play this game.

In the relay race version, one person advances through each challenge at a time.

In the 3-legged-race version… well… yeah… three people move through the race at a time.

If you have a large number of students playing, you could combine these two races and have three people at a time move through, and then tag out to be replaced by three new people from the same team.

Ahead of students arriving, set up the starting line, three stations, and finish line.

This can be a simple straight line with stops along the way.

Or, to add more fun and challenge, these can zig-zag or go around obstacles.

Have one leader at each station to act as judge.

Divide up your students into two, even-numbered groups.

Line them up on the starting line.

(If you want more students to play or have a large number of students, divide into more teams. Just make sure you have enough supplies and room.)

If you want to do the three-legged-race version, pick three people to represent teach team.

They are linked together and must complete the entire course as representatives of their team.

Make sure they know that at each stop, different people will complete the challenges before moving on.

The goal is for no one to go twice until everyone has gone once.

One person, per team is the ‘gift-bearer’.

He or she must carry the three wrapped boxes throughout the entire race.

If at any time he/she drops them or sets them down, the team must go back to the station and pick a new gift-bearer.

Another player is to be the team ‘scribe’.

They are to carry index cards and a pen or marker.

Whenever guessing is involved at the stations, the scribe’s job is to write down the answers and show them to a judge.

That’s how they know if they are correct or not.

Their teammates quietly tell them the guesses so the other team doesn’t hear.

Line up both teams in a single-file line.

The gift-bearer is in the front of the team.

On “Go!”, teams race from the starting line to the first station.

Each time they reach a station, they can not start until everyone has arrived, even the back of the line.

STATION 1: GOLD

This station is “gold.”

Here, up to three students will participate in a food challenge.

To participate, they must not have any food allergies.

If they do, have them sit this out and do one of the next challenges.

Have the food supplies hidden.

Blindfold the participants.

Then, give each of them one piece of the new Hershey’s Gold candy bar, but don’t tell them what it is.

Their job is to identify at least two of the three main ingredients in this new candy bar: creme, peanut, pretzel.

They get 5 points per correct guess.

They can guess for as long as they want, but they need to keep in mind that this is a race.

They get one chance to name the specific brand and bar.

If they get it right, (Hershey’s Gold), they get 10 bonus points.

Once they have completed this, they line up again with the gift-bearer in front and race to station 2.

STATION 2: FRANKINCENSE/MYRRH

Here you will have blindfolds again and items hidden.

Once up to three students are blindfolded, you bring out four small scented candles, one at a time, and have them guess the scents.

Every correct guess is 5 points.

They can spend as much time here as they want, but once again, keeping in mind this is a race.

(If you want to spread the race out a bit, you could make this station into four stations with one candle at each.)

Once they are done, they line up again with the gift-bearer in front and race to station 3.

STATION 3: GIFT UNWRAPPING

At this station, the gift-bearer picks one teammate as the gift-unwrapper.

He or she must put on the oven mitts and unwrap the three gift boxes completely – no paper left on the box.

If he/she struggles, they are allowed a little help from the gift-bearer, with the judge’s approval.

(But it costs them 5 points per package that they get help).

For every package they are able to open without help, they earn the team 10 points.

Once all the packages have been unwrapped, they line up and race to cross the finish line.

First team across gets 10 bonus points.

When both teams are done, or after a prescribed amount of time, whichever comes first, the team with the most points wins.

TEACH

This should remind you of a familiar part of the Christmas story.

Let’s read it and check it out a little more deeply today.

Read Matthew 2:1-8

These wise men, or Magi, were Gentiles – non-Jews – who came looking for Jesus so they could worship him.

Long before Saul becomes Paul and starts a missionary work among non-Jewish people, they were already coming to Jesus!

Okay, here’s the crazy thing, these guys came seeking Jesus.

King Herod had a bunch of questions and then realizes that the priest and religious experts knew all along that Bethlehem is where Jesus would be born.

And yet, they stay while these foreigners go in search of Jesus.

Read Matthew 2:9-12.

We often see three male figures carrying gifts in most manger scenes.

However, Matthew never tells us how many of these Magi came to worship Jesus.

He only tells us that they brought three types of gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

And since they were in a house, this was not the same place where Jesus was born with all the animals.

It’s possible that he could have been up to two years old!

But, that’s not our point today.

Here is our point: In the game, you worked as a team to overcome obstacles and get to the finish line as fast as you could.

In life, we can get really busy with our Christmas traditions, shopping, and other fun stuff, and miss out on worshipping Jesus.

Ironically, this is still a time where many people who are not Christians will come to church services.

Whether these people come out of an annual tradition or because they are genuinely wanting to seek Jesus, let’s learn from the Magi.

We don’t want to be like the Jewish priests and religious leaders who knew where to find Jesus but didn’t go.

We want to seek and serve Jesus.

And we want to help others who come to do the same.

It’s not always as easy or fun to focus on Jesus at Christmas as it was making our way through that race today, but the prize of worshiping him is so much greater than just some points in a game.

Close in prayer.

DOWNLOAD PDF OF THIS GAME

Quick reminder…

If you like this lesson you should definitely check out the Massive Junior High Bundle that goes live this Friday, December 8 at 12 Eastern U.S. time. Once live it only lasts 7 days. 

The bundle saves you over 90% on 3 years of junior high ministry lessons and games.

We’re giving away some awesome prizes to the first who order the bundle on opening day, including THREE $100 gift cards and $129 worth of youth ministry lessons from our sister website – Ministry to Youth.

So, be sure to mark your calendar for this Friday at 12pm noon Eastern.

Written by Mike Sheley, who is the Middle School Pastor (5th-8th grade) at Mount Pleasant Christian Church in Greenwood, Indiana.

He’s been in full-time youth ministry over 17 years with most of that time focused on 5th-8th graders.