God Made a Way for Me to Be with Him Forever. Psalm 107:2

Transcription

1 Kinder Guide LESSON date: date: Bible Passage: Genesis 2 3 (The Fall and Restoration) God Made a Way for Me to Be with Him Forever REMEMBER VERSE Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story those he redeemed from the hand of the foe. Psalm 107:2 SCHEDULE Connect 5 10 minutes Gather minutes Engage minutes Respond minutes Bless 10 minutes Environment: STORYTELLING In this lesson we see the environment of STORYTELLING through God s promise to send the Redeemer so we can live in perfect relationship with Him forever David C. Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children s ministry leaders. All rights reserved.

2 Inspire As a child I played many games of Hide and Seek. The delightful anticipation of being discovered was almost more than I could bear. Then there were those occasions when I would hide, not because I was playing a game, but because I had done something wrong. I knew there would be consequences for my actions there always were. Once I was concealed and out of sight, I always wondered, How long will it be before I am found? I knew, even as a kid, that I wouldn t be able to hide forever. I didn t want to remain under the bed it was lonely. Finally, my parents entered the room. Knowing full well where I was, they would call out to me one more time, Cristi, where are you? Slowly I would crawl out from under the bed to face what I had only temporarily avoided. Although I no longer hide under the bed, there are still times when I try to hide from God. I know He sees me, even when I m trying to avoid Him. I m also very aware that I can t remain in hiding forever nor do I want to. I hate the distance my sin creates between God and me. It s then I m reminded that He has called us out of the shadows of sin. God provided the way for us to be freed and taken out of hiding: no more shame; no more distance. He defeated sin and death to remove all barriers that would keep us from being with Him. We re able to come to Him without fear. He is the way, the Truth, and the life. Cristi Thomas TruWonder Team 2

3 Equip After God created mankind, He blessed them and gave them rule over all the fish of the sea, birds of the air, and every living creature that moves on the ground. Of the food in the garden God said, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will certainly die (Genesis 2:16 17). One day the woman entered into a conversation with the Serpent the deceiver. As they spoke, he began to question the validity of God s command and assured the woman that she would not die as soon as she ate the fruit, but she would know good and evil just as the Lord knew good and evil. Eve made the choice to eat the fruit of the tree. Adam followed by taking the fruit she offered. And then they hid; sin had entered humanity. Although Adam and Eve did not die physically, the moment they ate the forbidden fruit they died spiritually. Death was now a part of the human experience. No longer would they live forever, eating from the tree of life. No longer would they be in perfect relationship with God Himself. They were ushered out of the garden to work the land and bear children both with pain. However, God had a plan to restore what had been broken and redeem what had been lost. In the middle of the garden stood choice between life and death. God s story with mankind would be forever altered by this choice. Death was chosen, but life would be redeemed. God made a way for us to be with Him forever. Environment: STORYTELLING The power of The Big God Story impacts our lives by giving us an accurate and awe-inspiring perspective into how God has been moving throughout history. It further compels us to see how God is using the life of each person and is creating a unique story that deserves to be told for God s glory. The 10 environments guide us in creating a climate that puts God on display. Encourage your families to discover more about creating the environment of STORYTELLING in their homes by checking out HomeFront: A Spiritual Parenting Resource and Spiritual Parenting by Michelle Anthony. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9b). Further Resources naaman.htm Developmentally Speaking in CONNECT pbs.org/parents/childdevelopmenttracker/five 3

4 Support Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. Psalm 139:7 12 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:15 16 God s story specifically includes you. You are never out of God s sight. He has always known you and loved you. You are never in a place where He cannot reach you. Think of a place in your home or outside where you feel safe and quiet. Go to this place. Take some time to read through these Scriptures again. As you do, pray through them. Where do these words and their meaning direct your thoughts? Is there anything you ve been trying to keep from God? Is there anything you ve been trying to handle on your own before showing it to Him? Spend some time giving these things over to God. As you do, open your hands and place them palms down on your lap. When you re finished, and you re ready to receive from the Lord, turn your hands and place them palms up in front of you, or on your lap. Wait expectantly on the Lord. He will meet you. God has made a way so that you may know Him and be with Him forever. 4

5 Lesson Overview Experience Time Summary Supplies/Prepare (Master Supply List at tru.davidccook.com) Connect:: 5 10 min. Gather:: min. Welcome and allow children to develop relationships with their leaders and one another in a free-flowing setting. Children will gather to experience and learn about God through lively Remember Verse games, interactive storytelling of the day s portion of The Big God Story, Wonder Questions, and community and personal prayer. Fruit Basket Mix Up Fruit Illustrations (see tru.davidccook.com) tape Transition Song optional: The Cleanup Song, TruBlessings Worship Treasure Trunk Gizmo puppet (see p. 8 for purchasing suggestion) Welcome Song Story Spots Welcome Song pieces (People Template, see tru.davidccook.com; for detailed description see Putting It Together document) Remember Verse Bible Remember Verse image and card (see tru.davidccook.com) toy microphone orange upbeat music (suggestions: Celebrate, TruWorship Sincerely Yours or Your Love, TruWorship Your Love) The Big God Story 2' 3' of white butcher paper masking tape various colors of crayons or markers 2 sheets of green construction paper glue optional: easel, white poster board Wonder Questions Wonder Question Strips (see tru.davidccook.com) small bag with drawstring Prayers & Praises Prayers & Praises book 3 x 5 cards pen or marker paper (1 sheet per child) crayons (several per child) *To make metric conversions, search the Internet for a metric conversion chart or calculator. 5

6 Lesson Overview Experience Time Summary Supplies/Prepare (Master Supply List at tru.davidccook.com) Engage:: min. Respond:: min. Bless:: 10 min. Children will engage with one another in a time designed to encourage various forms of play and exploration. Children will have the opportunity to process what the Holy Spirit has been teaching them and demonstrate their response to God in a time of hands-on worship. Bless the children that they may experience God fully and be a blessing to others. Dance and Hide upbeat music (suggestions: Celebrate, TruWorship Sincerely Yours or This Is the Day, TruWorship Your Love) Growing Gardens disposable cups (1 per child) permanent marker soil (about 1 cup per child) seeds (2 3 per child) disposable spoons (1 per child) wet wipes optional: printable labels (1 per child), disposable tablecloth Blessing seed (1 per child) HomeFront Weekly HomeFront: A Spiritual Parenting Resource *To make metric conversions, search the Internet for a metric conversion chart or calculator. 6

7 Connect:: 5 10 min. Connect activities allow kids to develop relationships with their leaders and one another in a freeflowing setting. Using simple supplies and conversation starters, this section is all about getting to know one another better. Developmentally Speaking Children at this age are becoming more independent in social situations. Your children can manage their emotions and might choose to go to another room to calm down or try to negotiate with peers on their own before seeking adult help. Being accepted by a group is becoming important, and the children in your class are able to form and maintain friendships with both adults and children. Fruit Basket Mix Up SUPPLIES Fruit Illustrations (see tru.davidccook.com) tape PREPARE AHEAD Print out the Fruit Illustrations from the web site. SET UP Tape pictures in four different spots in the room. Be sure they re far apart from one another, such as in the corners of the room. RELATE Welcome children and invite your group to play a game about fruit. God made all different kinds of fruit. What s your favorite kind of fruit? Allow children to respond. My favorite kind of fruit is (fill in the blank). We re going to play a game with apples, bananas, strawberries, and oranges. There are pictures of each of these fruits in different places in the room. I want each of you to go stand by a fruit. Make sure children are evenly distributed around the room. I m going to call out two different fruit names. If I call your fruit, you need to hop or skip to a new fruit. If I say fruit basket mix up, everyone needs to find a new fruit in the room to stand by. You may want to do a practice run with the kids and help walk them through finding a new fruit to stand by. If skipping or hopping is too much for your space, they can walk or tip-toe. 7

8 Gather:: min. Children will gather to experience and learn about God through lively Remember Verse games, interactive storytelling of the day s portion of The Big God Story, Wonder Questions, and community and personal prayer. Just a Note Information for the opening traditions will be included in the first five lessons of each quarter. Traditions are activities or times for responding to God that happen every week, such as the Welcome Song, Remember Verse, and Prayers & Praises sections. For reference in later lessons, please refer to the Putting It Together document for TruWonder Sunday School under the Supporting Lesson Resources online at tru.davidccook.com. For detailed information on the GATHER section, please refer to the Putting It Together document for TruWonder Sunday School at tru.davidccook.com. The Treasure Trunk should include: Ponder Point God Made a Way for Me to Be with Him Forever Welcome Song Welcome Song pieces Bible (for adult or children, to use during teaching) Remember Verse The Big God Story teaching aids Wonder Question Strips (see tru.davidccook.com) and bag Prayers & Praises book SUPPLIES Gizmo puppet (purchasing suggestion: 14 silly glove puppet, SKU# SLP1106, Silly Puppets, Story Spots Welcome Song pieces (People Template, see tru.davidccook.com; for detailed description see Putting It Together document) Remember Verse Each week children will spend time memorizing a portion of Scripture together. Remember Verses are chosen according to the 10 environments. This week we re highlighting the environment of STORYTELLING which says, God has a big story, and I can be a part of it! REMEMBER VERSE Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story those he redeemed from the hand of the foe. Psalm 107:2 8

9 SUPPLIES Remember Verse image and card (see tru.davidccook.com) toy microphone orange upbeat music (suggestions: Celebrate, TruWorship Sincerely Yours or Your Love, TruWorship Your Love; see tru.davidccook.com for Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users; or itunes) Note: Please check with parents for any potential food allergies. SET UP Place the Remember Verse card in the Bible. RELATE Collect the oranges from CONNECT and gather the children together in a circle. Hi, friends. Turn to Gizmo, who is holding a microphone. I see you have a microphone, Gizmo. Gizmo nods. Do you use your microphone to sing? Gizmo shakes his head. Do you use your microphone to tell stories? Gizmo nods. Well, the Bible is The Big God Story. Is that the story you like to tell? Gizmo nods. Oh, that s wonderful to hear that you re telling others about The Big God Story! You know, that reminds me of our Remember Verse. Gizmo, can you get the Bible so we can look at it again this week? Gizmo nods and gets the Bible from the Treasure Trunk. Thanks, Gizmo. Now, if you have a Bible with you, let s practice finding our verse. Help the children navigate to the book of Psalms. Let s practice saying the verse together a few times. Lead the children in repeating the verse. Gizmo, do you remember the motions that go along with the words to the verse? Gizmo nods emphatically. Great! Let s all practice the motions together. Spend some time practicing the Remember Verse motions. Remember Verse Definitions Redeemed: bought back. Jesus paid the price of our sin so we can have eternal life. THE REMEMBER VERSE GAME Explain to your group that when the music plays, the children will pass the orange around the circle. When the music stops, the child holding the orange can put it in the middle of the circle, then the children will all stand as a group and say the Remember Verse together with the motions. When the children seem to be more confident with the Remember Verse, you can have just the child holding the orange when the music stops stand and say it alone or with a friend. Repeat until all the children have had a turn. Remember Verse cards are available to print and send home with parents along with the HomeFront Weekly (see tru.davidccook.com). Foe: an enemy. 9

10 Remember Verse Motions: Let the redeemed: Cross index and middle fingers on both hands. Begin with arms and fingers crossed at chest and move outward to uncross them. of the LORD: Using right hand, make an L with index finger and thumb. Begin on left shoulder, crossing over front of body, and end on right hip. tell their story: Both index fingers start at mouth and move outward in a quick movement. those he redeemed: Cross index and middle fingers on both hands. Begin with arms and fingers crossed at chest and move outward to uncross them. from the hand: Both hands open in front of body move in opposite directions to form a circle. of the foe: Index fingers of both hands begin together, then pull apart. 10

11 Prayer of Release The Prayer of Release is a time for children and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet their hearts and minds. As you pray, encourage children to hold their hands out in front of them as if releasing their worries and distractions. This posture also shows they re open to receive what the Holy Spirit might have for them. The Big God Story Genesis 2 3 Storytelling Technique: Interactive Mural SUPPLIES 2' 3' of white butcher paper masking tape crayons or markers (various colors) 2 sheets of green construction paper glue optional: easel, white poster board PREPARE AHEAD Post the butcher paper on the wall at a level the children can reach. If using an easel and poster board, be sure it s low to the ground for your children. Tear green construction paper apart into one- to two-inch pieces. RELATE After you re finished with the Remember Verse game, invite children to get their wiggles out, starting with nodding their heads and working their way down until they wiggle their toes. Then have them return to their Story Spots in the GATHER circle time area and have a seat. Friends, I m so excited to share this part of The Big God Story with you. Today we re going to hear another incredible true story, but before we get started, let s pray to God and ask Him to help us understand what He wants to teach us. (Lead children in a Prayer of Release.) We hear about a lot of different people in The Big God Story. But did you know that you and I are a part of The Big God Story? We are! God made some very important promises to the people in The Big God Story and to us too! That s exciting! Who remembers what the world looked like when God first created it? (Allow kids to respond.) There was nothing. It was empty, like a blank piece of paper. (Point to paper on easel or wall.) Then God spoke, and the empty earth suddenly had something on it. The Bible says God planted trees and plants. (Have a few children come up and draw trees around the edges of the paper. Have them glue tissue paper on trees to resemble leaves.) God also put four rivers that flowed through the garden. (Have some children come up and draw some rivers in between trees.) 11

12 Then God made different animals. (Ask a couple of children to draw some animals on paper.) God made a man out of the dust and put him in a beautiful garden. I need a helper to come up and draw a man for me. (Assist volunteer in drawing simple stick figure near top of paper.) God thought Adam needed a helper, so He made a woman. Does anyone remember the name of the first woman? (Allow children to respond.) Yes, her name was Eve. (Ask a child to come up and draw Eve next to Adam.) In the middle of the garden God planted the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Have child draw a tree in the center of the paper.) The trees grew lots of yummy fruit. (Ask a couple of children to come up and draw fruit on all of the trees.) God had Adam take care of the garden. Have you ever helped your family take care of a garden? It s a lot of work. God told the man that he could eat the fruit from any of the trees except one: the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Circle the tree in the middle.) God told Adam that if he ate from that tree, he would die! One of the animals in the garden was a snake. (Have a child draw a snake near the circled tree.) The snake told Eve a lie. He told her that she could eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil the same tree God told them not to eat from. Eve decided to take a bite of fruit from the tree even though she wasn t supposed to. Then Adam took a bite too. Adam and Eve knew they d done something wrong. Then the man and woman heard God walking through the garden, and they hid from God. But God called out to Adam and Eve, Where are you? Adam and Eve came out from hiding. God knew they d done something wrong. Eve told God what the snake had said. God had to discipline Adam and Eve for their choice. (Point to all of the beautiful things they put on paper.) God told them they couldn t live in the beautiful garden anymore. (Take down paper.) Outside the garden, the man and woman would have to work extra hard. They would experience pain and one day they would die. God still loved Adam and Eve even though they did something wrong, and He took care of them. God also made a promise to them and to all of us in The Big God Story. God promised to send a Savior to come to Earth and save us from our sins. Do you know who that Savior is? Jesus! God sent His Son, Jesus, so we would always be able to live with God forever! We re a part of The Big God Story, just like Adam and Eve. We get to tell our family and friends how God came to be the way for us to be with Him forever. 12

13 Small Group Enhancements Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users can find a quarterly TruWonder Timeline and images of people corresponding to each week s lesson at tru.davidccook.com. As you place the weekly people squares on the timeline, invite children to help you storytell. The provided questions will prompt further conversation about what children have been experiencing. They ll enjoy watching as the timeline fills from week to week and their knowledge of The Big God Story grows. Wonder Questions SUPPLIES Wonder Question Strips (see tru.davidccook.com) small bag with drawstring I wonder What would I like most about living in the Garden of Eden? I wonder How did Adam and Eve feel when God called to them in their hiding? I wonder Who can I tell about the promise God made to us? 13

14 Prayers & Praises SUPPLIES Prayers & Praises book 3" x 5" cards pen or marker paper (1 piece per child) crayons (several per child) SET UP Place the Prayers & Praises book in the Treasure Trunk. Set the paper and crayons near the Treasure Trunk. RELATE After your time discussing the Wonder Questions, you ll have the opportunity to pray with and for each of the children in your group. Friends, we just heard all about God creating a beautiful garden where Adam and Eve could live. Some sad news was that they disobeyed God and had to leave the garden. But some good news is that God promises us we ll live with Him forever because of His Son, Jesus, and we can tell other people about the promise that He made to us. Let s thank God now for promising us we can live with Him forever. We can thank Him for always being with us and always loving us even when we disobey Him. Start by praying an example, such as, Thank You, God, for always being with us, or Thank You, God, for always loving us. Allow the children time to participate. Encourage them to either repeat your statement or say their own words. I love praising God for the promises He gives us. God wants us to share the promise He gave us with people who do not know Him. Can you think of anyone whom you can tell about God s promise to be with Him forever? Encourage the children to think of friends and family who might not know about God. Pass out the paper and crayons to the kids. I d like you to draw a picture of someone who doesn t know God. When you re done, we re going to pray for that person. When the children are done drawing their pictures, have them get into pairs. Tell your partner the name of the person in your picture, and then pray with each other for the people who don t know God s promises. When you re done, we can put the pictures in our book and come back next week and see if anyone got to share God s promise with the person in their picture. Open the Treasure Trunk and take out the Prayers & Praises book. Ask children to share updates on the things they previously asked the class to pray with them about. Celebrate the praises, recommit to praying for things yet unanswered, and ask for any new requests. Pray for the praises and requests mentioned and let the children know you ll continue to pray for them in the coming week. 14

15 Engage:: min. Children will engage with one another in a time designed to encourage various forms of play including interactive games and activities, engaging projects, experiments, and more. Dance and Hide SUPPLIES upbeat music (suggestions: Celebrate, TruWorship Sincerely Yours or This Is the Day, TruWorship Your Love; see tru.davidccook.com for Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users; or itunes) RELATE After putting away the Prayers & Praises supplies, gather your group together in a circle on the floor. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, they hid. God went looking for them because He loved them. Did God know where they were? Allow children to respond. Yes. God always knows where we are. We re going to play a game where we dance and hide. I m going to play some fun dance music and everyone will go crazy, dancing and singing around our room. When the music stops, we ll all get down on the floor and get in a ball and hide. Demonstrate for the kids what it looks like to hide on the ground covering their face. I ll come around one at a time and touch your shoulder and say, I see you! When I touch your shoulder, you can get up again and stand as still as a tree until we re ready to dance again. Demonstrate standing still like a tree. Who is ready to dance and hide? Did you know that we don t ever need to hide from God? Even when we ve done something wrong, God will always love us. God loves us so much that He made the way for us to be with Him forever. What is that way? Children respond. Jesus! That s right! 15

16 Respond:: min. Children will have the opportunity to process what the Holy Spirit has been teaching them and demonstrate their response to God in a time of hands-on worship. Collaborative and individual worship will grow an appreciation for their faith community. Growing Gardens SUPPLIES disposable cups (1 per child) permanent marker soil (about 1 cup per child) seeds (2 3 per child) disposable spoons (1 per child) wet wipes optional: printable labels (1 per child), disposable tablecloth PREPARE AHEAD Write God made a way for me to be with Him forever on each cup, or print labels with those words on it and apply one on each cup. SET UP Write each child s name on the outside of her cup. Optional: Place a disposable tablecloth on the table. RELATE Gather the children around the table. God made a beautiful garden for Adam and Eve to live in. They took care of the animals and the plants. God wanted them to live with Him forever, but they disobeyed Him and had to leave the garden. God still loved them and made a promise to all of us. He made a way for us to live with Him forever. How did God make a way for us to be with Him forever? Children answer. Yes, by sending His Son, Jesus. As we continue our worship today, we can think about that special garden God created. As a way to respond to God, we can plant our own tiny garden in a cup to care for. Our miniature gardens can remind us of something very important, which is written on our cups: God made a way for me to be with Him forever. Let s take some time to be still and talk to God. Ask Him if you know someone who doesn t know Him, someone who might be lonely, or maybe a new friend you have. Allow for a moment for the children to pause and talk to God. As you re planting your seeds, you can pray for that person. You might even want to consider giving this to them. As children put the soil and seeds into the cup, talk with them about the different people they might give the plant. When you give your plant to someone special, share with him how God sent His Son, Jesus, so we can live with Him forever. Let s all hold hands around the table and pray for the people we re going to give our plants to. Close this time in prayer. 16

17 Bless:: 10 min. A blessing can be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. Ask God s Spirit to overflow from the child s life in such a way that blesses others, while also praying over a child for the purpose of declaring God s protection, joy, or wisdom. Note to Leaders Remember to give each child a Remember Verse card before they leave so they ll have a chance to memorize the verse during the week with their parents. Have the children form a line facing you and assign each child a partner next to him. Today we have the opportunity to bless one another before we leave. Encourage the children to look at their partner and repeat these words of blessing to the child they re facing: May you remember that you re a part of The Big God Story! Then, invite all of the children to turn and face you again. They may want to place their hands out and open in front of themselves, as if cupping them together to hold water. This simple posture demonstrates that your children are ready to receive from God. Say the final words of blessing over your children: Children, God has made each of you a very special promise that you can be with Him forever. May you share this promise with the people you love. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story those he redeemed from the hand of the foe. Psalm 107:2 HomeFront Weekly: Be sure to send home the HomeFront Weekly for next week s lesson! This preteaching tool for parents encourages families to spend time in God s Word together before children arrive at church. HomeFront: A Spiritual Parenting Resource is a magazine that gives families ideas for creating fun, spiritually forming times in their homes setting aside a sacred space for family in the midst of their active, everyday lives! As the new issue becomes available each month, you may choose to print them for families or encourage them to visit HomeFrontMag.com to subscribe to have the magazine sent directly to their inbox. HomeFront is also available as an app for your iphone, ipad, or Android device. 17