Leader s manual OT1 Through the eyes of Dr Luke

Transcription

1 Leader s manual OT1 Through the eyes of Dr Luke On the trail of the real Jesus

2 Contents How it works 4 Unit introduction 6 1 The need for a Saviour Genesis 3; Luke 1: Jesus fulfils Isaiah s prophecy Isaiah 61:1,2; Luke 4: Jesus: the young person Luke Jesus: the man with a mission Luke 3:1 4: Jesus proves he is the Saviour Luke 4: Jesus calls people to follow him Luke 5:1 11, Jesus followers have eternal life Luke 20: Jesus moves towards the cross Isaiah 53; Luke 9:22 27,43 45; 18:31 34; 22: Who is worthy? Isaiah 53; Luke 22:1 6; 22:39 23: Jesus: Power to give new life Luke 23:44 24:8 85 Over the top

3 Over The Top How it works How the sessions are structured Bible passage: All sessions are Bible-focused Aim This is the big idea to be taught during this session. It is child-oriented. Outcomes These statements break down the aim into do-able chunks. There are generally only three, so that the leader can keep them in mind and check up later whether or not they were achieved. They are broken up into: knowledge information, concepts, beliefs understanding more personal ways of grasping the concepts in the session life application ways of making links between knowledge and children s lives, and reflecting on what kind of change might happen in response to God s word Memory verse This verse will be based on the CEV Bible and will be taught during the session. Notes These notes for the leader give Bible context and background. There are hints regarding the theology of the passage, where it fits in salvation history and how it may properly be applied to both leader and child. There might also be comments about the management of the session content and special comments when needed about visual aids and activities. Leader s prayer This section links to the aim and outcomes, mentioning the way this session will actually call for a response from the child and make a difference in their lives. Gear A list is given at the beginning of the session including all the equipment needed by the leader and when it will be used. Some items will be given as optional. Start up During this time activities occur that introduce the theme, aim and ideas of the session. There may be a few activities to choose from. Each activity has a specified purpose. Chat time This short section is when the activities are over and the leader and children reflect on what the activities were about and how they lead into the Bible focus time. This will often involve a few open-ended questions. NOTE: Sometimes during Bible focus time there will be a special comment to the leader about an issue that may come up during the session. Get ready This section gives hints about important preparation to be done before the session starts. Over the 4 top

4 Bible focus Links? Links are made with previous learning which may involve the Memory verse or a previous session. Links with life will also happen at this introductory part of the session. Connections with life are raised and the children are encouraged to discuss real life situations they face. We will raise the issue here and it will be drawn to a conclusion during Bringing it together. Teaching time This is the body of the session. It involves teaching and learning activities. Activities are usually integrated into this time rather than having them as an add-on later. During this time the aim and the outcomes of the session are directing the activities. What the leader actually says to the children is presented in bold text. Directions to the leader are in normal type. In this part of the session we aim to have the children interacting with the Bible themselves. We seek to unpack the Bible passage in its context and place it in the big picture of salvation history. Concepts and activities are designed to be ageappropriate and not too abstract. It is understood that such a wide age-range is a great challenge, so in many ways we aim for the middle group of nine and ten year olds. Older or more able children will be challenged by the Digging deeper activities. Application is an important part of this section and it is done carefully, while being true to the passage and to the developmental needs of the children. There must be a crunch for the child a place where the rubber hits the road in their lives. They are called to respond to the challenge of the passage, without ever being manipulated or inappropriately pushed into an uncomfortable situation. Regardless of the stage of their faith, they can be called on to respond and encouraged to know how God s word challenges them to change. Application should always be grace-oriented and gospel-based. This icon shows you where in the session the children will be reading, listening to and interacting with the Bible. Digging deeper This section has suggested extension learning activities for older or more able children. It still seeks to be directed by the aim and outcomes. It will usually be Bible-based. Music spot Various songs, on readily available CDs, are suggested to link into the session and to provide a high-interest flow to the activities. Bringing it together This section is really important. The leader is encouraged to allow enough time for this as connections are discussed that impact the children s lives. There may be open-ended questions that encourage children to respond in their own terms. We are aiming for honest responses from the children. Prayer This will normally follow Bringing it together and allows for the issues highlighted by the children to be prayed about. Leaders will model prayer and also teach children how to pray both for themselves and for others, and for issues in the wider world. Think about it Here the leader is encouraged to think through issues that occurred in the session and reflect on possible strategies for the future. Think ahead This is a very brief indication of what the leader will need to plan ahead for next session. It may involve equipment, people and so on. Over the 5 top

5 Unit introduction Through the eyes of Dr Luke On the trail of the real Jesus Unit aim To teach the children that God s word is trustworthy and that Jesus fulfilled all of the prophecies relating to the Messiah. Unit outcomes By the end of this unit the children will: know that Luke s writings were well-researched and reliable understand that all people are in need of a Saviour know that prophecies were given about the identity of the Messiah or Saviour appreciate that Jesus fulfilled these prophecies and was the promised Saviour have opportunity to respond to Jesus as the Messiah for the forgiveness of sin and belong to God s family. Memory verses Sessions 1 3 All of us have sinned and fallen short of God s glory. Romans 3:23 (CEV) Sessions 4 6 A voice from heaven said, You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you. Luke 3:22b (CEV) Sessions 7,8 But Jesus told the woman, Because of your faith, you are now saved. Luke 7:50a (CEV) Session 9 But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. Romans 3:24 (CEV) Session 10 All of us have sinned and fallen short of God s glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. Romans 3:23,24 (CEV) Where this fits in God s plan of salvation Timeline Creation Abraham (ca BC) David ( BC) Isaiah (ca BC) Micah (ca BC) Jesus Luke (ca AD 60) Us (AD 21st century) We encourage the children to understand that Jesus is the centre-piece of God s plan and that we can also be part of the plan by having faith in Jesus ourselves. Over the 6 top

6 Notes Bible background This unit is designed to look at evidence given in the Bible that points to Jesus as the promised Saviour. Prophecies from the books of Isaiah, Micah and the Psalms are examined in the light of the gospel according to Luke. The birth, life and ministry of Jesus are examined to see if they confirm Jesus claim that he was the Messiah. The children are also challenged as to their response to the claims of Jesus. The first session examines the reliability of Luke s account of the life and ministry of Jesus and also his motivation for writing his gospel. The session also examines the consequences that Adam and Eve s sin had for all people and the need for a Saviour. Session 2 looks in detail at Isaiah 61:1,2 and Jesus claim to have fulfilled this Messianic prophecy (Luke 4:18 21). The third session explores Jesus humanity and the reaction of Simeon and Anna when Jesus was brought to the temple (Luke 2:22 38). Prophecies regarding the Messiah s birthplace and ancestry are also examined. The fourth session deals with the baptism and temptation of Jesus. The session is designed to lead the children to an appreciation of the importance of Jesus being sinless so he could pay the penalty for our sin. The ministry of Jesus is examined in the light of Isaiah 61:1,2. This Scripture gives an outline of the role of the Messiah. In Session 5 the children examine the evidence in the book of Luke to see if Jesus fulfilled these tasks. Session 6 focuses on the call of Jesus for people to follow him. In particular it looks at the response of Simon Peter and Levi to Jesus call. This session also challenges the children as to who they follow. Session 7 looks at the reaction of different people to Jesus. The parable of the tenants is studied to introduce the children to the fact that those who reject Jesus miss out on eternal life with God. Session 8 continues to have the children examine the ministry of Jesus to see if he fulfilled the prophetic words of Isaiah 53:2,10,11. These verses foretold the death of the Messiah and the reasons behind the need for the Saviour to die a sacrificial death. This theme is continued in Session 9 where the prophecies in Isaiah 53:6,8,11 are studied by the children. Again the children examine the writings of Luke to see if Jesus fulfils these prophecies. The final session shows Jesus as victor over sin and death. Evidence is examined to show that Jesus had in fact risen from the dead as prophesied (Psalm 16:10,11). What the resurrection accomplished is examined and the children challenged as to their response to Jesus call to follow him. Faith development Children grow and develop physically, emotionally, cognitively and spiritually at different rates and in different ways. This unit aims to encourage growth in faith for each child at their own pace. No matter where each child is at in their faith development, they can be challenged to respond in faith to God and in obedience to the way he wants them to live. Faith has been described as having four aspects: believing, imagining, trusting and doing. (See Children finding faith by Francis Bridger, SU, England, 2000, available from CEP.) Believing involves having faith in the truth of the gospel and a reliance on the promises of God in Christ. Imagining involves creatively exploring our beliefs. Trusting involves the relational side of faith. Doing is the way we act as an outworking of our faith. Children, like adults, benefit from learning approaches that involve exploring faith from each of these four aspects. These sessions have been written with this in mind. Special features Visual aids The Leader s pack includes: the Leader s manual with ten sessions a full-colour Rescue chart poster and Bible verse cut-outs a full-colour Books of the Bible poster three full-colour Memory verse posters a sample Children s notebook. Extra notebooks may be purchased from CEP so every child can complete the pages associated with the sessions. a set of photocopiable masters to cover the topic of each session. On the trail of the real Jesus theme This unit is characterised by a detective theme in which the children examine the evidence through the eyes of Doctor Luke. The child s take-home component is a notebook. The notebook contains activities for each of the sessions. These activities help the children in their study to discover the real Jesus. Over the 7 top

7 Rescue poster The Rescue chart poster should be displayed each session. The leader should cut out the appropriate Bible verse from the accompanying Visual aid and add it to the poster. This helps to provide a record of what has been studied and gives an overall picture of God s rescue plan for his people. It also provides a way of revising the content of the sessions. Investigator s file The Investigator s file is introduced in Session 4. This gives the children the opportunity to ask questions about the sessions or to research answers to questions raised by others. Make an Investigator s file by writing Investigator s file, Top secret on the cover of a manila folder. Encourage the children to place their questions in the folder each week. Rather than answer the children s questions yourself, try to direct the children to the place where they can find the answers to the questions for themselves. Bibles It is intended that during each session the children will read the Bible for themselves and think about how they can respond to its message. It is strongly recommended that children begin to handle the Bible for themselves, learn their way around it and discuss what it means. The Contemporary English Version (CEV) is recommended as it uses everyday language that should be easy for the children in this age group to understand. Relationships As children of this age grow in faith, their relationships with other Christians will be very important. You have an important role as an example to them. Be warm and genuine in your relationships with the children. Pray for them and their concerns. Invite other Christians of various ages to visit and meet the group. It would be especially helpful for young people, a few years older than the children in your group, to meet them. Help the children see where they are heading as part of the community of God s people. Digging deeper This section is designed for more able children who want to dig deeper into the session content. These activities are usually Bible-focused and involve good reading skills and literacy. If you have a multi-aged group, these ideas can be used to challenge children who feel they have heard it all before. Activities Each session contains many suggested activities, either to begin the session in Start up or to reinforce the Teaching time. When choosing the activities you will include in each session, consider the number of children in your group, their individual skills, as well as the time and space you have available. Try to encourage a wide range of activities so that the different learning skills of the children will be catered for. A Memory verse activity is included in each session and presented in an interactive way so that the children will begin to build their own personal store of Bible verses. Photocopiable masters The set of photocopiable masters include Memory verse ideas and worksheets. Encourage the children to take the appropriate photocopiable home each week as this helps parents and carers to know what is being treated in the sessions. Purchase of the Leader s pack entitles you to make one copy for each member of your group. Music spot The sessions recommend songs from these CDs, all available from CEP. Promises, promises, CEP Practise being Godly, Colin Buchanan The King, the snake and the promise, Emu Music Meet the King, Emu Music Over the 8 top

8 1 The need for a Saviour Genesis 3; Luke 1:1 4 Aim To help the children understand that everyone is in need of a Saviour. Outcomes By the end of this session the children will: understand the effect of sin upon all people appreciate that God had a plan to save his people know that Luke wanted people to know the truth about Jesus. Memory verse All of us have sinned and fallen short of God s glory. Romans 3:23 (CEV) Notes Read Genesis 3; Luke 1:1 4. This session deals with the effect of Adam s sin upon the entire human race and provides an understanding as to why God, in his grace, sent a Saviour. God had provided an environment in which people were able to live in perfect relationship with him. God gave Adam and Eve amazing freedom, including the freedom to obey or disobey his word. Adam and Eve knew that God had said not to eat of the tree that gave the power to know the difference between right and wrong (Genesis 3:2,3). In eating the forbidden fruit they displayed a lack of trust in God s goodness. Their disobedience resulted in a broken relationship with God and a spoilt relationship with each other. It also changed the nature of their interaction with creation. Adam s sin brought death into the world (Romans 5:12). Adam s actions, as head of the human race, impacted upon all generations. Everyone is born into sin because they are of Adam s family. The reality of this is borne out in the fact that all people have sinned individually (Romans 3:23). Luke, a companion of Paul (Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11), believed that Jesus was God s chosen Messiah who would save his people from sin and death. Luke stated at the beginning of his book that he made a careful study of everything and wrote with the express purpose to tell the truth about Jesus (Luke 1:3,4). This session sets out to establish Luke as a reliable witness to the life and ministry of Jesus. Leader s prayer Praise God that he inspired his people by his Holy Spirit to write down his word. Pray that the children will understand that God is faithful and always keeps his word. Over the 9 top

9 Gear Several editions and versions of the Bible (see Get ready) Leader s poster Books of the Bible A CEV Bible marked at Genesis 3:23; Luke 1:1 4; 6:12 16; 19:10; Romans 3:23; 5:12 Additional CEV Bibles A Children s notebook for each child Pens and pencils CD player and CD of choice Memory verse poster 1 Prepared Memory verse flashcards (see Get ready) Leader s poster Rescue chart Bible verse cut-out Romans 3:23 (see Get ready) Blu-Tack A large sheet of paper Coloured marker pens A copy of the On the trail of the real Jesus photocopiable (page 14) for each child Gear for activities in Start up Get ready Place several versions and editions of the Bible on a desk or table. Display Leader s poster Rescue chart in your area. Cut out the Romans 3:23 cut-out from the Bible verse cut-out poster. Write each word of the Memory verse on a separate flashcard ready for the Memory verse activity. Start up Choose one or more of these activities for the time you have available. These are fun and interesting activities designed to introduce the topic or theme of the session. Please note that Chat time is an important component of the session and should be completed immediately before moving into Bible focus. For future reference, tick the activities you use. Memory Purpose: To consider the importance of being observant. Gear Twelve small items A tray A cloth to cover the tray A sheet of paper and a pencil for each child Invite the children to sit in a circle on the floor. Arrange the items on the tray and cover with the cloth. Place the covered tray in the middle of the circle. Explain to the children that there are twelve objects on the tray and they will be given 20 seconds to memorise the items. At the end of the 20 seconds cover the tray and ask the children to write down as many items as they can remember. Point out that the children are not to discuss their answers. When the children have had sufficient time to write their answers, remove the cloth and allow the children to count how many items they were able to remember. A variation on this game is to remove one or two items and see if the children can tell you what was taken from the tray. Eyewitness Purpose: To consider the importance of being observant. Gear A large sheet of paper A marker pen Explain to the children that they are to watch you carefully and try to remember everything you do for a short period of time. The time begins when you say start and finishes when you say stop. During this time, do several actions such as sneeze, pick up a book, stretch, walk across the room, sit on a chair and so on. When you have finished, ask the children to state the things that they saw you do. List these on the sheet of paper. Once all of your actions have been listed, number the actions in the order they occurred. Chat time Lead the following discussion. What did these two activities have in common? (Accept responses. The need to be observant or to have a good memory.) In the second activity you watched me to see what I did. What do we call someone who has seen an event occur? (Accept responses. An eyewitness.) Because we wrote down what I did, other people who weren t here would still be able to find out what happened, even though they weren t eyewitnesses. Some people were eyewitnesses to the ministry of Jesus. They were there when he worked his miracles showing his power and authority over nature, disease and even death. They were also there to hear Jesus teach about God. But what about people who were not there to actually see what Jesus did or hear Over 10 the top

10 what he said? How did they find out about Jesus? (Accept responses. They were told by the eyewitnesses or others who had spoken to eyewitnesses. People also wrote down what happened for others to read and learn from.) We are going to find out about Jesus. We are going to study who he was, what he did and why he did those things. We are going to find out these things through the writings of a man named Luke. Luke wasn t an eyewitness to the ministry and life of Jesus. The Bible tells us that he was a doctor. Jesus had died and risen to life before Doctor Luke would have started to write about him. But Luke was very careful to study things before he wrote about Jesus and everything that happened. Bible focus Give each child a CEV Bible to refer to during Bible focus. Links Where do you think we can find Luke s writings? (Accept responses. In the Bible. Luke wrote the gospel according to Luke and the book of Acts.) Point to Luke and Acts on Leader s poster Books of the Bible. This is what Luke wrote at the beginning of his account of the events surrounding the ministry of Jesus. Listen for the name of the person Luke was writing to and why Luke thought it was important to tell him about Jesus. Read Luke 1:1 4 from a CEV Bible. Who was Luke writing to? (Accept responses. Theophilus.) Why did Luke write to Theophilus? (Accept responses. To tell him the truth about what he had heard about Jesus.) Luke also wanted other people to read about Jesus. Give a Children s notebook and a pen or pencil to each child. Explain that each session they will use the notebook to record what they find out about Jesus. Ask the children to write their name on the cover and complete page 1. Assist children who are having any difficulties. Do you think that you can trust Luke s account of the life and ministry of Jesus? Why or why not? (Accept responses. Point out that Luke took care to make sure he wrote the truth about Jesus.) During the next section of the session, ask the children to locate the relevant books in their Bibles. The Book of Luke is one of the four gospels in the New Testament section of the Bible. Who wrote the other gospels? (Accept responses. Matthew, Mark and John.) The word gospel means good news. The gospels were written so that people might know who Jesus is and come to believe in him. As the people who knew Jesus got older and began to die, it was important that the true story about Jesus was written down so that people would know the truth about him. Disciples who had known Jesus well and been eyewitnesses to his ministry wrote two of the four gospels in the Bible. Ask the children to look up Luke 6:12 16 to find out the names of the two disciples who wrote gospel accounts. The disciples were Matthew and John. Mark and Luke wrote the other two gospels. Mark was a close friend of the apostle Peter. Luke was a close friend of the apostle Paul. To write his gospel account, Luke would have read what others had written as well as spoken to eyewitnesses. He was so careful in writing the truth that his writings were accepted as being the word of God and included in the Bible. Ask the children to complete page 2 of the Children s notebook. People today, including you and me, still need to hear the truth about Jesus. Teaching time To understand why people need to know the truth about Jesus, we have to know what happened to the first people God created. We can learn about them in the first book of the Bible, Genesis. Point to Genesis on Leader s poster Books of the Bible. God wanted people to enjoy his creation and his blessing. He wanted them to always live as his friends. Adam and Eve were the first people God created. They lived in a beautiful garden God 1 Over 11 the top

11 had made for them. In the garden was the tree of the power to know right and wrong. Adam and Eve knew that God said they could eat from any tree in the garden except for the tree of the power to know right and wrong. However Adam and Eve both ate from the tree. They had disobeyed God and could no longer live as his friends. Listen to what happened as a consequence of Adam and Eve s disobedience. Read Genesis 3:23 from a CEV Bible. Adam and Eve had gone their own way. They hadn t trusted God. This disobedience was known as sin. Sin spoilt God s good creation. Adam and Eve could never pay for their sin and make things right between themselves and God. They needed help to live as God s friends. But it wasn t only Adam and Eve who needed help. Listen carefully to find out who else has been affected by sin. Read Romans 5:12; 3:23 from a CEV Bible. Who has been affected by sin? (Accept responses. Everyone.) Sin entered our world. Now everyone is like Adam and Eve and wants to live their own way. And everyone needs to be rescued from their sin so they can be friends with God once again. God was not surprised that this had happened and he had always planned a way to rescue, or save, his people from their sin. Sometimes we say that people are lost in their sin. And sometimes people don t even realise that they are lost and in need of a Saviour. They think they are friends with God. Luke knew that this was the greatest problem facing people everywhere. He wanted them to know that they were lost and that God had a plan to save them. Discuss what it is like to be lost. Ask the children to look at page 3 of the Children s notebook and circle the words that describe how people may feel when they are lost. Talk about the picture on the bottom of the page. Relate the picture to the fact that some people do not know that they need to be saved. Perhaps a child can remember a time they had been separated from his or her parents without even knowing it. Why do people need to be saved? (Accept responses. All have sinned and so cannot be God s friends.) Listen to a verse from the book of Luke in the Bible. Read Luke 19:10 from a CEV Bible. Jesus often referred to himself as the Son of Man. Luke believed that Jesus was the one whom God had sent to save his people. Next session we will begin our investigation into the life and ministry of Jesus as seen through the eyes of Doctor Luke. Collect the Children s notebooks ready for the next session. Music spot Choose from the following songs. God s mega-plan (track 2) or God loves his people (track 10) on CEP s Promises, Promises CD. Memory verse Display Memory verse poster 1. Say the Memory verse three or four times with the children. Put away the Memory verse poster. Take out the Memory verse flashcards and ask the children to help you to arrange them in the correct order. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God s glory. Romans 3:23 (CEV) Rescue chart During each session a Key Bible verse will be added to Leader s poster Rescue chart. Attach the Romans 3:23 cut-out to the appropriate space on the chart. What does this verse remind us about? (Accept responses. We all need to be saved or rescued from sin.) Mind map Write the words People need on a large sheet of paper. Ask the children to tell you things that people need, such as food, shelter, love, clothing and so on. Write their answers on the paper. Use several different colours to complete the chart. Write the need for salvation if no one mentions it. Discuss with the children which things are necessary to sustain life. Over 12 the top

12 Digging deeper We thought about the fact that everyone is lost in his or her sin. It could be said that when a person is lost then they are far away from God. However if they turn back to God and put their trust in Jesus then we could say that they are near to God. Read the following Bible verses and discuss the benefits of being near to God: Psalm 73:28 Psalm 16:11 Psalm 21:6 James 4:8. Read Romans 13:14 and discuss the meaning of the verse. The verse means that in every way we should live as Christ lived. We should accept him as our Saviour, follow his example and obey God s word. We should seek his guidance. By doing this we will want to live God s way and not our own way. On the trail of the real Jesus Give each child a copy of the On the trail of the real Jesus photocopiable. This can be completed during the session or at home. Encourage the children to decode the message and share it with their parents or carers. Bringing it together What kind of trees do you think God would have put into the garden so that Adam and Eve would have things to eat? (Accept responses.) How many trees did God say not to eat from? (Accept responses. Only the tree of the power to know right and wrong.) What effect did Adam and Eve s sin have upon all people? (Accept responses. All people were sinful and needed help to become God s friends again.) People needed help to live as God s friends. God had a plan to save his people. Who did Luke believe was the Messiah, the one whom God sent to save his people? (Accept responses. Jesus.) Prayer Invite the children to join you in the following prayer. Father God, Thank you that you had always planned to save your people from their sin. We are sinful like Adam but you have shown us love and mercy in sending Jesus so that we may be saved. Help us to trust in you always and to obey your word. Amen. 1 Think about it Do the children understand the concept of being lost in regard to being separated from God by our sin? Do they understand that they can participate in God s rescue plan by placing their trust in Jesus? Think ahead You will need a lectern, Leader s poster Rescue chart and the Bible verse cut-out Luke 4:18a. You will also need to prepare a copy of the Scroll Visual aid (page 20) and Synagogue sketch script (page 23), copies of the Synagogue sketch phrases (page 21), and a copy of the Memory verse photocopiable (page 22) for each child. See Gear in Session 2 (page 16). Over 13 the top

13 Was Jesus the Son of God? Was he the Messiah sent by God to save people from their sin? What clues were given in the Old Testament so people could recognise the Messiah, or Saviour? Did Jesus fit the clues? Come with Dr Luke as we go on the trail of the real Jesus! To find out what Luke said about his investigation of the facts about Jesus, replace the words in type with a rhyming word. The first one has been done for you. You can check your answers by looking up Luke 1:1-4 in a CEV Bible. cried Many people have ( t r i e d ) to tell the story fun of what God has ( ) among us. They bad wrote what we ( _ ) been told by the ones hair who were ( _ ) in the beginning and eye saw what happened. So ( _ ) made a careful hen study of everything and ( ) decided to kite ( _ ) and tell you exactly what look ( ) place. Honourable Theophilus, flow I have done this to let you ( ) the word truth about what you have ( _ ). CEP 2004 The purchaser of the Over the top OT1 manual is entitled to photocopy this page for use with his or her group. Over 14 the top