Introduction

The John the Baptist unit is designed to be used after the Jesus, Light of the World! unit in the weeks running up to the beginning of Lent. Together these units are designed to lead the children, week by week, from the joy of Christmas through to John the Baptist and Jesus the wilderness, in preparation for the quiet giving up of things in Lent and the journey to the cross.

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‘Extra’ sessions are included, because the date for the beginning of Lent changes yearly. We suggest that you look at how many weeks your group will be meeting and construct your own timetable so that the final week of this unit is held in the week before Lent.

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Build your own Sowing Seeds session

Click on the Building Blocks on the left to explore the worship material and build your own Sowing Seeds session.

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Bible Storytelling

See Sowing Seeds Book 1 for the six stories from the ​Jesus' Wonderful Love Unit.

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Week 1: Meet John* (Matthew 3.1-6)

Week 2: John Baptizes Jesus (Matthew 3.13-17)

Extra: Our Baptism: a baptism roleplaying workshop

Extra: Jesus is Thrown into the Wilderness (Mark 1.9-12)

Week Before Lent: Jesus Gives Up Everything for Us (Luke 4.1-2, Matthew 4.1-2)

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*In years with very few Sundays between Christmas and Lent, your group may need to combine Weeks 1 and 2 of John the Baptist into a single week. The storytelling material in that unit sets out how to combine the stories.

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Creative Response Starter Ideas

See Sowing Seeds Book 1 for a wide range of Creative Response Starter Ideas.