WEEK 1 Activity: God Loves Everyone

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "WEEK 1 Activity: God Loves Everyone"

Merilyn Goodwin
5 years ago
Views:

2 WEEK 1 Activity: God Loves Everyone Teaching Goal: God loves everyone; sinners and believers. Scriptures: Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. Materials: Playing cards (9 per person) I. Play theme song II. Pray III. Review last lesson IV. Lesson and Discussion In Advance: Practice the card trick included in this lesson. A. ACTIVITY #1: God loves everyone. He does not love everything we do, but he loves every person. Invite a volunteer to read Romans 5:8. Even when we were sinners, God loved us! What God does not love, what God hates, is sin. Invite someone to read Romans 1:18. Wickedness and godlessness describes a person s bad choices choices that go against what God teaches. God loves every person but hates every sin. B. ACTIVITY #2: NOTE: THIS TRICK WORKS WITH NAMES WHICH ARE BETWEEN 3 AND 9 LETTERS. IF A NAME IS 2 LETTERS OR LESS, 9 LETTERS OR MORE, THEN USE A NICKNAME OR LAST NAME. Give each person 9 cards. They are free to shuffle the cards before starting the trick. Fan open your 9 cards with the images facing you and memorize the card that is second from the left. Make sure you remember that card! This is your special card. No more shuffling! Hold the cards as a stack, face down in your hand. As you say each of the letters G-O-D take one card from the top of the stack in your hand and make a new stack on the table. Demonstrate. Take the remaining stack of six cards left in your hand and place them as they are on top of the three cards on the table. Pick up the stack from the table and as you say each of the letters spell the word L-O-V-E-S take one card from the top of the stack in your hand and make a new stack on the table. Demonstrate. Take the remaining stack of four cards in your hand and place them as they are on top of the five cards on the table.

3 Pick up the stack from the table one more time and as you say each letter of your name B-O-B or M-A-R- Y or whatever take one card from the top of the stack in your hand and make a new stack on the table. Demonstrate. Take the remaining stack of cards in your hand and place them as they are on top of the cards on the table. Copy what I do. Pick up the stack of cards. Select the top three cards from the stack but do not look at them. You can pretend to be guessing, Is the special card one of these three? No. Set them aside. Select the next two top cards from the stack in your hand but do not look at them. Is the special card one of these two? No. Set them aside. Select the top card (1) from the stack in your hand but do not look at it. Is this the special card? No. Set it aside. I believe the top card on this stack (the one in your hand) is our card! Turn it over and see. This trick should work for everyone. Everyone found their card in the same place by spelling G-O-D L-O- V-E-S {your name}. The trick worked for everyone even though the lengths of our names are different. It didn t matter if your name had three letter, five letters, six letters, the trick worked for everyone. In the same way no matter who you are, whatever differences you have, or what you have done God loves you! C. OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: In the same way God loves us we are to love others. We do not have to love the choices people make or the things they do but we can love each person as someone God made and someone God loves. Repeat the activity above but instead of using G-O-D start with the family member s name. Second use the word L-O-V-E-S. Third, put in the name of a neighbor, classmate, friend or other person that may be sinning against you but is still loved by God. AS LONG AS THE NAMES ARE BETWEEN 2 AND 9 LETTERS THE TRICK WILL WORK. We need to treat everyone as a person God created and God loves. We also need to remember that God hates sin, and work to remove godlessness and wickedness from our lives. V. Memorize God hates it when I sin, but loves the person within. VI. Close in Prayer VII. Pass it on Pray and ask God to bring to your mind another family that would benefit from this activity. Make an extra copy of this lesson and pass it on. CREDITS: Card trick idea from Justin Flom (justinflom.com)

4 Week 2 Activity: God s Valentine Valentine s Day Teaching Goal: Tell Jesus that we love Him. Scriptures: Love your Neighbor Matthew 19:19 Love the Lord Your God Mark 12:30 Love One another John 13:34 If You Love Me, Feed My Sheep John 21:17 Love Builds Up I Cor. 8:1 Love is Patient I Cor. 13:4 Love is Kind I Cor. 13:4 Love your Wife Ephesians 5:28 Love the Brotherhood of Believers I Peter 2:17 Materials: Paper and Markers Magazines I. Play theme song II. Pray III. Review last lesson IV. Lesson and discussion Words that are written in bold are when the leader is speaking. Feel free to use your own words. Valentine s Day is a day when we say, I love you to those people we love. We say, I love you to Mom, Dad, Grammy, etc. We give and receive Valentine s Day cards. Let s make a Valentine card for Jesus to say, I love you. A. ACTIVITY: Card for Jesus. Draw a big heart on a large piece of flip chart paper. Above the heart write WE LOVE YOU JESUS. Below the heart write HAPPY VALENTINE S DAY. Cut out photos or pictures from magazines which symbolize scriptures about love (examples of scriptures listed above). It is a good idea to check the magazines in advance to make sure there will be pictures to match the scriptures. Also, use extra photos of family and friends to add to the valentine. Paste the magazine pictures and photographs inside the big heart. Write the scriptures next to the appropriate pictures. Display the valentine on a wall or the back of a door. V. Memorize: This card of valentine love, Is for Jesus above. VI. Close in Prayer

5 Week 3 Activity: Does God Really Love Me? Teaching Goal: God s love is reliable. Scriptures: Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Psalm 89:31-33 If they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands, I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging; but I will not take my love from them, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 17:23-24 Let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me. Materials: Sidewalk chalk Paper and pencil For older children rent the movie Vertical Limit. In Advance: Identify a large parking lot or area of cement (perhaps at your church). Get permission to draw on the lot with sidewalk chalk. FOR OLDER CHILDREN: Preview the movie scene from Vertical Limit for language and violence to see if it appropriate to use in your family. I. Play theme song II. Pray III. Review last lesson IV. Lesson and discussion Words that are written in bold are when you, the parent, are speaking. Feel free to use your own words. A. ACTIVITY #1: Ask each person in your family, one at a time, the following questions. Let them answer both questions before moving on to the next person: (Person s name), do you think I love you? Listen. How do I show you that I love you? After listening, write down the responses. Next, ask each person the following questions about one another. Listen to the answers and record them as well. For instance, Mary (sister), does Jeff (brother) love you? How does he show that love? Make sure that you ask each person.

6 It s good for our family to take the time to talk about how we love one another. Most of the time we don t talk about it because we all know that we love each other, even if we argue or fight. But sometimes it s good to focus on that love. We re also going to talk about how our love compares to God s love. Do you think that Mom and I love you more than God loves you? No. Do you think God loves us more than we can love each other? Yes. Why? Because he is God, because he made love and he knows what is best for us in every situation. His love is perfect. God does love us more than we love each other. It s hard for us to understand because we are human. We do not know and see everything like God can. He created us. So He knows exactly how to love us perfectly. Let s make a list of the ways God shows us that He loves us. Write down each suggestion. B. ACTIVITY #2: FOR OLDER CHILDREN (Preview to make sure it is appropriate for your family. Show the first 7 minute scene from the movie Vertical Limit. ) We re going to watch a movie clip of a dad rock climbing with his son and daughter. I want you to know in advance that it s very intense. Watch the movie clip. End when the father falls. The father knew that the only way to save his children was to have his son cut the rope. Do you think the father loved his children? Listen. Yes, he gave his life for them. When we put the needs of someone else above our own needs it shows how much we love them. God loves us so much that he gave his son Jesus to die so that we could live. Which do you believe was harder, the dad asking the son to cut the rope or the son having to cut the rope? Listen. Which do you think is harder, a father dying for his children or a father having to choose to let his son die so others could live? Would it have been a tougher situation if the father was second on the rope? Listen. God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to earth where he knew that he would die so that you and I could live. If God did not send Jesus, we could not have eternal life. Do you see how much God loves you and me? Listen. Just before Jesus was arrested and taken to the cross, He prayed to His father, God. Listen to what he said. Read John 17: Jesus is God s message of love to the whole word! Jesus loved us so much that he was willing to die and pay the price for our sin so that he could be with us in heaven. C. ACTIVITY #3 FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN: Go to the parking lot and write a GIANT message of love to God. (This can also be done on the beach by drawing in the sand.) The idea is to make the message as huge as possible to recreate the big message of love God sent when He sent His son Jesus. Consider the age and abilities of your children when deciding how big the message will be. For example, preschoolers will view a heart the size of a driveway as a big message. Unable to write, they can still help color in the heart. A group of fifth graders will enjoy the challenge of making a message WE LOVE YOU! that can be seen by a passing airplane! You will need several kids, perhaps one per letter, to make a huge message. God s love for us is big! We want our love for God to be big too. That is what this message represents, giving God a big message of love! V. Memorize: Jesus is God s love from above. VI. Close in Prayer VII. Pass it On. Pray and ask God to bring to your mind another family that would benefit from this activity. Make an extra copy of this lesson and pass it on.

7 Teaching Goal: God wants us to share. Scripture: Week 4 Activity: Sharing 2 Kings 4:1-7 Story of Elisha and the widow. Used a small jar of oil and through a miracle, filled all the jars in her home. John 6:1-13 Story of a little boy who shared his lunch and Jesus multiplied it. Materials: Piece of paper Scissors Package of candy such as skittles or M&Ms In Advance: Put candy in a cupboard or closet to be retrieved later by a child. Read the two Bible stories ahead of time so you are familiar with them and can tell them in your own words. I. Play theme song II. Pray III. Review last lesson IV. Lesson and discussion Words that are written in bold are when you, the parent, are speaking. Feel free to use your own words. A. ACTIVITY #1: What does it mean to share? To let others use or have things of ours. Did you know that God wants us to share? Everything we have comes from God and He likes it when we share with others. What are some ways God provides for us? Gives us a job to buy what we need, friends to help us, clothing to keep us warm etc. Tell the two Bible stories in your own words appropriate to the age level of your children. When we share what we have with others, God is pleased. We can always trust God to provide for us and should not be afraid of sharing what we have with others. We re going to do a little experiment. Hold up one piece of paper. How many points does this paper have? Count the corners. Four When I cut off a point and give you one, I am sharing. What if I said, I don t want to share my corner points with you. How many will I have? Still four. Watch what happens when I do share! Cut off a corner and hand it to child. Where there was one point, now there are two!! Demonstrate again with another corner. Each time I give away a point I get more. When I cut off all four corner points, how many do I end up with? Count out eight points with the children. God does the same for us. It may not happen right away like this did, but God knows when we give and He is pleased. He will multiply what we give to others just like the story of the widow and the little boy who shared his lunch. Point out that the person who received a corner, received three points not just one!

8 B. ACTIVITY #2: Ask a child to go get the candy you put away earlier. Thank you so much for bringing me this candy. I was really hungry. Open the package and begin to eat the candy, but do not share. This candy is really hitting the spot. I m so glad you brought it to me. Thank you again. As you eat the candy, talk to the children about sharing and the Bible stories you just told them. As children watch you eat and not share they will want some too. After about 2 minutes, share the candy. How did it make you feel that I didn t share with you? Sad, jealous, hungry. Ask the child who brought the candy to you, How did it make you feel that you gave me this candy, and I didn t share with you? How do you think it makes God feel when He gives us things and we don t share them with others? It makes Him sad too. One of the ways God blesses us when we share is by an inner feeling of joy because we did the right thing. Another way we are blessed is that others will learn from our example and share, too! Then they will please God and share with even more people they may even share with you! V. Memorize When I share, God will surely bless, In lots of ways, we ll get more, not less. VI. Close in Prayer VII. Pass It On Pray and ask God to bring to your mind another family that would benefit from this activity. Make an extra copy of this lesson and pass it on.

Wisdom for God s People

Unit 11 Session 2 Use Week of: 2 Wisdom for God s People BIBLE PASSAGE: Proverbs 1:1-7; 3:1-12; 4:10-19 MAIN POINT: Wisdom is fearing the Lord and obeying His Word. KEY PASSAGE: Proverbs 2:6-7 BIG PICTURE