Course E Teacher s Guide Christian Stewardship

Transcription

1 Course E Teacher s Guide Christian Stewardship This set contains... Student Lesson Copy Masters Teacher s Guide CD with Student Lesson Copy Masters and Teacher s Guide in PDF and RTF files Lesson 1: God of Life Lesson 2: Time Flies Lesson 3: Working for a Living Lesson 4: Good Cents Lesson 5: Temple of the Holy Spirit Lesson 6: Good News ISBN Suggested for Grade N9071

2 Curriculum Developer: Prof. David Kuske Project Director: Gerald Kastens Writing/Editing Team: Laurie Biedenbender, Owen Dorn, Donald Helwig, Rev. John Miller, Rev. Paul T. Prange Design Team: NPH Design Services Authorized by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. We extend our thanks to the many employees of Northwestern Publishing House and WELS Parish Services who have contributed to this project. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society. All hymns, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal. Copyright 1993 by Northwestern Publishing House. Northwestern Publishing House 1250 N. 113th St., Milwaukee, WI by Northwestern Publishing House Published 2005 Printed in the United States of America ISBN All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of Northwestern Publishing House. Printed with soy inks on recycled paper.

3 Introductory Pages TOPICAL COURSE FORMAT Each topical course contains five to eight lessons on a specific theme, such as stewardship or outreach. You may spend as many days as you wish on each lesson. LESSON FORMAT Each lesson contains four to seven copy masters for use with the students. These student copy masters may be reproduced. The teacher s guide contains copy master text, answers, and other instructions. Each student should have a three-ring binder to store and organize all the student lesson pages. Overview This page contains the information the teacher needs to understand the lesson. Lesson title Bible references Spiritual goals: We pray that the Holy Spirit would help our students learn these spiritual truths and adopt these spiritual attitudes and habits. Suggested memory treasures: Assign these as you see fit. Be sure to discuss their relationship to the truths in the lesson. The students will have learned almost all the suggested memory treasures in their Christ-Light lessons at Lutheran elementary school or Sunday school. One asterisk designates those memory treasures that are part of the Sunday school core. Two asterisks designate what is additional core for Lutheran elementary schools. Suggested commentary readings: Read these to review Scripture or to add depth to your instruction. Introduction ideas: Use these to interest the students and to help them see their need for what they will learn in the lesson. Copy Masters The Bible lesson guides the students in their study of specific portions of the Bible. It begins with an Aim question and ends with a Truth that answers that question. Key Points are emphasized along the way. You may hand out the Bible lesson copy master and have the students fill it in as you teach the lesson, or you may have the students work in small groups to complete a portion of it before you discuss it. Please note that the student pages will lose their effectiveness if assigned as homework before class. The Ponder the Point page contains questions related to the Bible lesson directly preceding it. Each option is designated to the specific Key Point to which it is most closely connected. The discussion options require a variety of learning skills, such as analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and application. At least some of these questions should always be used because they help the students apply the lesson to their lives. Plan in advance which questions you will use and where the questions fit best. Then vary your use of these questions: ~ Discuss some questions as a class. ~ Have students write answers first before discussing the questions as a class. ~ Have students discuss the questions in pairs or small groups before discussing them as a class. ~ Assign some questions as homework. The remaining pages contain activities to help the students explore the topic and make applications to their lives. The pages may include additional Bible studies of different kinds, reallife situations, skits and roleplays, simple doctrinal studies, hymn and memory treasure studies, illustrations, writing activities, simple art activities, and so on. They may be done in class or outside of class, independently or in small groups. Select those activities best suited to your class, and limit the number of activities to fit the time allotted. Plan in advance at what point in the lesson you can most appropriately and effectively use the selected activities. iii

4 Sample Lesson Plan The following lesson plan is for Lesson 1: God of Life. 1. Introduce the first lesson with the Introduction option (In the lyrics of a 1995 song by...). 2. Hand out Copy Master 1 (God of Life). Read and discuss the first section, concluding with Key Point To apply this Key Point, hand out Copy Master 2 (God of Life), the Ponder the Point page, and discuss application 1 or Return to the lesson on Copy Master 1. Put the students into small groups to read and discuss the second section, concluding with Key Point 2. Then discuss the section together as a class. 5. To apply Key Point 2, use application 3, 4, or 5 (or any combination of them) on Copy Master Return to the lesson on Copy Master 1. Read and discuss the third section, concluding with Key Point 3. Then answer the Aim question with the Truth of the lesson. 7. To apply Key Point 3, use applications 6 and 7 on Copy Master To further apply the lesson, use Copy Master 3 (Ripped from the Headlines). Have the class discuss the passages as they apply to the question first in small groups and then as a whole class. 9. Assign Copy Master 4 (1-800-HELP) as homework. Give a reasonable deadline, and then ask students to share their thoughts and responses with the class. Post some of these sheets on a bulletin board. Characteristics of Twelfth-Grade Students Spiritual Development They think more deeply about spiritual truths they have already learned. They can understand the interrelatedness of Bible events. They want to know how to apply spiritual truths to their lives. They may need additional guidance if they do not come from homes that model Christian living. Emotional and Volitional Development They are quite independent in their attitudes and habits. They are still greatly influenced by the actions and opinions of their peers. They are often governed by role models they have consciously or unconsciously chosen to follow. They are greatly influenced by television, movies, music, and magazines. Sexual Development Their sexuality is an important aspect of their lives. Relationships with Parents They are in the process of leaving their parents in order to develop independent lives. They share fewer of their experiences with their parents. They are still influenced by their parents, especially if their parents respect their growing independence. Learning Style They can study one topic in depth over a number of class periods. They still enjoy a variety of learning experiences: ~ working independently and in peer groups ~ learning by listening and by doing ~ learning by reading and by writing ~ learning by answering questions and by asking questions ~analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, and creating They question things they have previously accepted without question. iv

5 Some Teaching Strategies Meet the students where they are and then stretch them: Recognize that your students have different levels of Bible knowledge and spiritual development, even when they might have received similar spiritual training in elementary school and the early high school years. Do not make assumptions about their previous learning. Start with the simple. Review the basics. Then move on to more complex concepts, deeper understandings, and applications of Bible truths relevant to their teenage years. Create an open, responsive environment: Recognize that as your students develop independent thinking skills, they may question things they previously accepted without question. Maintain a classroom in which it s good to ask questions, even spiritual questions. You are a spiritual leader. If they have questions, you want to give them truthful and appropriate answers. Encourage them to search the Scriptures, not look to worldly experts for answers. Allow them to work together on some exercises: Occasional cooperative-learning activities yield many positive results. Your students may enjoy their work more when they do it with their peers. They may become accustomed to discussing spiritual issues with their peers a skill we hope they take with them outside the classroom. And when they have already tried out their ideas on a small group of their peers, they may feel more confident discussing an issue in front of the whole class. To keep chatty students focused on the task at hand, give the students definite and fairly short time limits. v

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7 God of Life Genesis 9:6; Exodus 21:22,23; Deuteronomy 32:39; Psalm 31:15; 139:13; Jeremiah 1:4,5; Luke 10:33-35; Romans 6:23b; Philippians 2:6-8 Goals We pray that the student knows this spiritual truth: All human life is created by God and redeemed by Christ. develops these spiritual attitudes and habits: I value all human life and encourage others to do so. I preserve and prolong human life with all available means. I put my life into God s hands and accept that he will end it when he wishes. To Memorize Deuteronomy 32:39 Psalm 31:15 Psalm 139:13 * Romans 6:23b *The Fifth Commandment Suggested Commentary Readings Pages in Jeske, Genesis, Pages 130,131 in Wendland, Exodus, Pages in Braun, Deuteronomy, Pages 134,135 in Brug, Psalms, Volume 1, Pages 255,256 in Brug, Psalms, Volume 2, Pages in Gosdeck, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Pages in Prange, Luke, Pages in Panning, Romans, Pages in Kuschel, Philippians, Colossians, Pages in Wolfgramm, Stewardship, People s Bible Teachings series Introduction Idea In the lyrics of a 1995 song by the Smashing Pumpkins are these words: Welcome to nowhere fast. Nothing here ever lasts. We re nowhere, we re nowhere, we re nowhere to be. Living makes me sick So sick I wish I d die. These words might be considered tame when compared to those in songs like Embrace the Death by Asphyx, Hell Awaits by Slayer, or Dreaming with the Dead by Ripping Corpse. These songs of the last 20 years along with others by groups like Death Vomit, Carnage, Cadaver, Pestilence, and Grave are strong evidence that we live in a culture of death. Is our God a God of death? Is the gospel so empty that life is meaningless a few useless years in the waiting room of death? Hardly. Our God is a God of life. Life is his gift to us. That s what this lesson is about. Course E Christian Stewardship Lesson 1 1

8 God of Life Genesis 9:6; Exodus 21:22,23; Deuteronomy 32:39; Psalm 31:15; 139:13; Jeremiah 1:4,5; Luke 10:33-35; Romans 6:23b; Philippians 2:6-8 AIM How can I take care of God s gift of life? We live in a culture of death. Does that sound too strong? Consider the lyrics of musical groups such as Obituary or Living Death. Or consider the following: Unborn children are deliberately killed in the womb. Newborn infants with physical handicaps are denied food and left to die. Terminally ill people are given drugs to induce a quick death. Young men blow each other off the streets in the name of gang loyalty. And teens, ready to step into adult life with all its bright possibilities, are found hanging in their closets or lying in exhaust-filled garages, victims of their own despair. As Christians, we understand that God is a God of life and that life that miracle of breathing, thinking, being is a blessing of inestimable value. God himself made that clear when he spoke to Noah and his family after the flood. Ge 9:6 a. If Noah or any of his descendants murdered someone else, what payment would be required? That person would have to give up his or her own life. b. Why was and is human life so valuable, according to this passage? In the image of God has God made man. Human life is valuable because human beings are created by God and created in the very image of God holy and with a full understanding of God s holy will. (That image was lost when Adam and Eve fell into sin, but it is partially restored through faith in Christ and will be fully restored in heaven.) Ps 139:13 c. God did not sculpt us from mud, as he did Adam, or shape us around a single rib, as he did Eve. Still, he created each one of us. How did David picture God making him? God knit him in his mother s womb. The word knit conjures up the picture of a finely embroidered tapestry or some other piece of art that was wrought with love and care. God intended Adam and Eve to live forever. Death was unheard of. But when they sinned, they ushered in death, because the wages of sin is death. God, however, would not let these human beings, the crown of his creation, remain the slaves of death and its devil-master. He chased after them. He bought them back. Php 2:6-8 d. What price did God pay to reclaim and redeem the human race? The price was the lifeblood of his Son. The Son of God redeemed us by becoming one of us. He left his heavenly throne and became a human being. Then, as the God-man, he lived a sinless life and gave up his life on the cross to buy us back. This is how valuable God deemed us: In his love, he considered us worth the lifeblood of his own Son! Ro 6:23b e. What, therefore, is eternal life? Eternal life, like earthly life, is a gift of God. KEY POINT 1 Why do I value human life? I value human life because it is a gift of God: God created human beings, and Jesus lived, died, and rose to redeem all human beings for eternity. Cain was the first sinner to take another human life but not the last. Since Cain, the human race has developed many different ways of ending the lives of fellow human beings, some committed in unthinking rage and some in cool, calculated malice. Most forms of murder are illegal, and murderers generally receive punishment. But some forms of murder have been accepted in the name of the common good. The victims of abortion and euthanasia are considered not worthy enough to live. Ex 21:22,23 a. Proponents of abortion, the murdering of children before they are born, often claim that a child in the womb is not a person but a mass of tissue, a collection of cells, and that its elimination can be compared to extracting a tooth. What did God s Old Testament law say about that mass of tissue in the womb? The Old Testament law considered that being in the womb a human life. If a pregnant woman were hit and her child died, the law demanded a life given for a life. In other words, the killing of that child before birth was murder. 2 Course E Christian Stewardship Lesson 1 Copy Master 1a

9 Jer 1:4,5 b. What does God say about Jeremiah even before he was born? God formed him in the womb and, in fact, knew him knew him, Jeremiah the person even before his conception and set him apart as a prophet before he was born. c. How can we be good stewards of life in this matter of abortion? We denounce abortion as sin. We assert that unborn children are not just masses of tissue but living and growing human beings with eternal souls. We assert that all human lives are valuable even these very small, not fully developed human lives. We do all we can to preserve life in the womb and encourage others to do so too. Another form of murder is euthanasia, the purposeful ending of a life in the name of mercy. Euthanasia literally means good death, but nowhere in his Word does God encourage or condone this kind of killing. Lk 10:33-35 d. The man in Jesus parable was half dead (verse 30). Perhaps some would have called it merciful to give him a little extra morphine or a dose of hemlock to end his suffering. But Jesus doesn t see it that way. What does this Samaritan, whom our Savior sets up as an example for us, do for the man near death? The Samaritan bandages his wounds and finds him medical care, at great risk and expense to himself. e. How can we be good stewards of life in the case of those who are very ill like the man in this parable or the very old, brain-damaged, or physically disabled? We do everything possible to prolong their lives, recognizing that human beings are valuable simply because they are human beings, created by God and redeemed by Christ. In the throes of battle, a powerful king was critically wounded by speeding arrows. Not wanting his enemies to end his life, he drew his sword and killed himself. Some would call what King Saul did honorable. God calls it a sin suicide. Dt 32:39 a. Who alone has the authority to end life? God the only true God. Ps 31:15 b. What is our attitude toward the time and manner of our death? We place our times in God s hands, knowing that he, in his wisdom, will end our earthly lives when he sees fit. KEY POINT 3 Into whose hands do I put my life and the time of my death? I put my life and the time of my death into God s hands. TRUTH How can I take care of God s gift of life? I value all human life, preserve and prolong human life as much as possible, and put my own life and time of death into God s hands. KEY POINT 2 How do I honor the gift of human life? I honor the gift of life by preserving and prolonging life with all available means. Course E Christian Stewardship Lesson 1 Copy Master 1b 3

10 GOD OF LIFE Ponder the Point 1. KEY POINT 1 : The theory of evolution says that life arose by chance, not creation. Explain why people who believe in evolution can easily support things like abortion and euthanasia. If life arose from chance and not from God, then people s lives do not have much value. Human beings are perceived as nothing more than highly developed animals; they are only as valuable as the benefits they can contribute to society. This philosophy makes unborn children, the elderly, and the handicapped especially vulnerable; they can be considered expendable because they need so much from society and contribute so little. (See more on this point in the next discussion question.) An evolutionist does not understand that every human life is valuable simply because he or she is a human life, created by God and redeemed by Christ. 2. KEY POINT 1 : Many people believe that the value of a human life is based on what that person contributes to society and takes from society. According to this theory, how valuable would a newborn baby be? an elderly person in a hospice? a mentally ill person? a physically handicapped person? To what does this theory lead? The students might debate that a newborn baby is more valuable because of his or her potential, whereas an elderly person is only taking from society and no longer has much to give. Perhaps a mentally ill person could be valuable if medicated, and perhaps a physically handicapped person could become valuable if some appropriate work were given to him or her. As the students discuss this question, however, they will realize that such arguments are wrong in and of themselves. Each human life has inherent value simply because God made that life and Christ redeemed that life. This evil philosophy leads to genocide, such as Hitler s campaign to rid the world of undesirables. God preserve us from ever thinking of human life in such terms! 3. KEY POINT 2 : Becca is pregnant. She s a high school senior and has already been accepted to a fine university. She wants to be a doctor. Ryan, her boyfriend, the father of the child, also has plans for college. He wants to be a pastor. What are the couple s options? Why is abortion not the answer? The options: Becca has the baby, and the couple gets married. (Will one or both give up their college plans for the time being? How will they support themselves? How else will their lives change?) Becca has the baby, and the couple does not get married. (Will Becca live with her parents or on her own? Will she pursue college or a job? What role will Ryan play in the child s life? Will he pay child support?) Becca places the baby for adoption. (Will she choose the parents? Will the adoption be open?) Becca has an abortion. Some people would advocate abortion because it seems to remove the problem, which is the baby growing inside Becca. However, abortion is murder. It ends the life of a human being. It ends the time of grace of this child the time on earth in which the child can learn about his or her Savior from sin. Also, abortion, like all sins, has consequences. Though it may seem to be a short-term solution, in the long run it causes more pain. Most women who have abortions and many fathers of the unborn children suffer from postabortion syndrome, which is characterized by severe feelings of guilt, anxiety, and depression. (According to a 1985 University of Minnesota study on the long-term effects of abortion, 81 percent of mothers reported preoccupation with their aborted child, 54 percent had nightmares, and 96 percent felt their abortion had taken a human life.) People with postabortion syndrome cannot stop thinking about the child they never knew, the child they allowed to die what that child would look like, how old the child would be today, and where that child is now heaven or hell. Because of their feelings of guilt and despair, people with postabortion syndrome also have increased chances for alcoholism, drug abuse, and suicide. 4 Course E Christian Stewardship Lesson 1 Copy Master 2a