As we enter the second half of the Season

Transcription

1 This Seaso Petecost 2 As we eter the secod half of the Seaso after Petecost, we cotiue to explore what it meas to live as disciples of Christ. This cotiues to be a growig time for us, symbolized by the use of the colour gree. Readigs from the epistles are promiet i this seaso. The early Christia churches were begiig to realize that Jesus Christ was ot goig to retur soo. They eeded, therefore, to fid ways to live together i commuity, supportig ad ecouragig each other. Jesus message, which we also explore i some stories from the gospel of Luke, called them to live i a way differet from the stadards of the world aroud them. What is faithful livig? Leaders, like Timothy, sought advice about how to deal with problems ad uestios from a experieced pastor. The uestio of what it meas to be the church is as importat today as it was i the first cetury. These texts still speak to us today as we explore what it meas to live as disciples of Christ i everyday life. We ca be cofidet through the challeges we face, kowig that God is already preset i every situatio we ecouter. I this seaso, we also remember our acestors i the faith, those who have bee our teachers ad metors, guides o our jourey. We reflect o the ways i which we are metors ad guides for others, ad are ecouraged to share the faith with others. We rejoice i the hope that God is brigig about a reig of peace ad justice for all people, ad we celebrate that God s lovig care is for all. The art images this seaso are bright ad colourful. Light breaks i at uexpected agles ad i surprisig ways. People support ad care for each other. There are possibilities for trasformatio, movig from shadow to light, from isolatio to commuity, breakig free of structures that cofie. As we move towards the ed of the seaso ad church year, we begi to prepare for the comig of the Messiah, the birth of Jesus the Christ, aticipated i Advet ad celebrated at Christmas. I the birth of Jesus, God breaks ito huma history ad creates a ew heave ad earth. How will we recogize the ew thig that God is creatig? These are the challeges the Petecost seaso brigs. We are ecouraged by God s promise to be with us o our jourey. Petecost 2

2 This Seaso, So... Before the opeig sessio As you look over the etire leader s guide, ote activities that particularly iterest you, or that eed special materials or extra preparatio. Read The Focus for Ages 9 11 for each sessio to gai a geeral idea of how the childre i your group might approach these Bible texts. If childre of this age are ew to you, read about them i From Start to Fiish, available from your curriculum distributor, or visit ad click o Library. Look over the articles i the back of this leader s guide. The sped time i prayer before you begi to pla the first sessio. Read the letter to families (p. 93). What iformatio about evets of your cogregatio ca be set with this letter? If you are a ew leader, how would you like to itroduce yourself? If you eed substitutes, you might ask parets to voluteer. Nourish your soul as you prepare to teach. Meditate o the posters. Aother source of urture for you is Behold: Arts for the Church Year. This 28-page arts resource explores themes of the seaso through a diverse ad beautiful collectio of images, writigs, ad scripture. To order, cotact your curriculum distributor for iformatio. Olie opportuities Go to regularly to see what iterests you ad to follow up o suggestios i the sessios. Visit the Seasos website ad use the password likig to access Spirit Sightigs for coectios betwee curret evets ad the focus passage. Ecourage the childre to check the Seasos website ad visit Actio Zoe, especially whe sites are suggested i the sessio pla. The childre ad Bibles The childre will sped most of this seaso i Luke, but letters ad Hebrew Scripture books are also icluded. It is importat that they lear their way aroud the Bible. Helpig them fid the passages will take extra time durig the sessio, but it is time well spet. Ecourage the childre to brig their ow Bibles, if they have them. Basic supply kit The materials reuired for specific projects are listed i Prepare i each sessio. However, some supplies are assumed to be available ad are ot icluded i those lists. For your group, you eed: crayos or coloured markers pecils scissors glue or glue sticks maskig tape ewsprit ad markers clear tape stapler ad staples writig paper plai paper May you grow i faith as you lead the childre i your group toward a deeper kowledge of God, Jesus Christ, ad the Holy Spirit. 2 Petecost 2

3 Freed to Be What does it mea to be the church? Jesus ad Paul call us to embrace both the cost ad promise of livig i a faith commuity shaped ad trasformed by the gospel. Because God is already preset i every situatio, we ca work with cofidece through the challeges we face, helpig oe aother to live as faithful disciples. Focus Scripture: Philemo 1 21 Paul wrote may letters of ecouragemet ad advice to the small commuities of Christias throughout the Mediterraea world. But this letter is differet. It is a persoal busiess letter, writte primarily to Philemo, though the letter metios other Christias who meet at Philemo s home. Paul, writig from priso, has a reuest for Philemo. I priso Paul has met Philemo s slave, Oesimus. Perhaps Oesimus is i priso as a ruaway. Perhaps Philemo has set this slave to miister to Paul i priso. However this slave happes to be i priso, through Paul s teachig Oesimus has become a Christia. Oesimus (meaig useful ) oce seemed useless to Philemo, but ow is beeficial to Paul ad to the commuity. Paul is sedig Oesimus back, askig Philemo to forgive him ad to receive him as a brother i Christ. Paul getly remids Philemo that he owes Paul a debt, ad suggests obliuely that Philemo might eve cosider freeig this slave. Slavery was customary i New Testamet times, ad Jesus tells stories of servats ad masters. But here we see how the gospel message from its earliest times is begiig to disrupt ad trasform accepted social structures. The early Christia commuities had to face some challeges. Is it right to ow slaves? What happes whe the slave of a Christia becomes a Christia, too? Paul s word to them ad to us is that, slave or free, we are all childre of God. We are brothers ad sisters i the faith, ad eual i worth. What does it mea to be the church, a commuity so trasformed i Christ? Paul s words set a stadard of behaviour, remidig disciples to be iclusive, hospitable, ad forgivig. Disciples are called to exceed the demads of the law i hospitality. Belogig to the Christia commuity will cost Philemo somethig, but obediece to the gospel brigs a ew ad differet freedom for him ad for Oesimus. Accustomed structures ad customs are beig trasformed by Christ, ad disciples are freed to respod to God s call. The crowds described i Luke 14:25 33 follow Jesus because may thik he is o a victory march to Jerusalem to reveal himself as Messiah, God s aoited saviour. But Jesus tells them the high cost of discipleship. Followig Jesus meas givig up possessios. It meas puttig first thigs first ad givig as much attetio to the gospel message as to busiess or politics. Jeremiah speaks God s trasformig message ot oly i words, but i dramatic actios. I Jeremiah 18:1 11, the prophet visits the potter s house ad tells of God as the potter, reworkig the clay (Israel) whe the vessel is spoiled. Israel is called to repet ad chage. As Oesimus ad Philemo are trasformed by the gospel, as the disciples are set free to serve, so Israel is beig shaped ad chaged by obediece to God. Psalm 139:1 6, celebrates the way i which God has formed ad shaped us i a woderful way, eve from before our birth. Iside each of us there is great potetial, ad God is at work i us before we recogize it. There is both cost ad promise i followig Jesus. As we cotiue i our discipleship, God is preset i our lives, shapig ad trasformig us. Through us, trasformatio comes to the Christia family ad to all those commuities of which we are part. How ca we help oe aother be good ad faithful disciples? September 9, 2007 Focus Scripture Philemo 1 21 Additioal Scriptures Jeremiah 18:1 11 Psalm 139:1 6, Luke 14:25 33 God, you kow us iside ad out. You created us, ad you cotiue to shape us. Be preset with us as we lear what it meas to be faithful disciples, ad help us respod to the trasformig power of your love. Ame. Go to ad use the password likig to access Spirit Sightigs for iteratioal curret evets liks to this week s theme. Ages 9 11

4 From Start to Fiish Ideas for buildig commuity, strategies for disciplie, ad suggestios for settig up meetig spaces ad itegratig techology ca all be foud i the booklet From Start to Fiish, available from your curriculum supplier ad/or o the Seasos website. The Focus for Ages 9 11 Group experieces are commo for childre from ie to 11 years of age. Readig circles, two or three childre workig together o special projects, eve buddy groups for outigs are a regular part of school for most childre. These experieces cotiue i such after-school activities as sports teams, dace, gymastics or martial arts classes, ad scoutig orgaizatios, amog others. These various formal ad iformal groups play a promiet role i a child s jourey to adulthood. It is here the childre lear from oe aother as well as from adult leaders what it meas to be a part of a group. They lear teamwork, cooperatio, ad how to care for oe aother. I the church the childre lear from the faith commuity the essetials of what it meas to be a disciple. Through their ivolvemet with the church school, worship, ad outreach activities, childre experiece firsthad what it meas to follow Christ i word ad actio. It is here that their faith is formed ad urtured by experieces with carig adults as well as their peers. Pray that the childre i your group will deepe their uderstadig of how they are supported ad how they support others as they grow as disciples of Christ. September 9, 2007 PREPARE Materials eeded Visit the seasoal olie activity i the Actio Zoe at Before the sessio Read, ad prayerfully reflect o, the focus scripture, Philemo 1 21, ad the biblical backgroud material (p. 9). Who supports you i your role as disciple? Brig Bibles ad basic supply kit (see p. 2 for list). If possible, brig Seasos Music CD, vol. 5, ad CD player. Gather Prepare worship table with gree cloth, Bible, white Christ cadle, matches, ad offerig basket. If you are still learig the childre s ames, brig ame tags. Brig sog Come, O Holy Spirit, Come/Wa, Wa, Wa Emimimo (p. 83, also #10 o Seasos Music CD). Brig assortmet of letters ad greetig cards, icludig evelopes, that you have received. Egage Brig The New Testamet (p. 7). Brig copies of today s resource sheets A Reuest of Philemo ad Slavery i Bible Times. Respod Brig the supplies for the Respod optios you choose. Discipleship letter: iformatio about ad address of cogregatio to receive the letter Disciples today: poster Solace Musical ecouragemet: sog God Is the Oe We Trust (p. 92, also #27 o Seasos Music CD) Bless Brig sog God Is the Oe We Trust (p. 92, also #27 o Seasos Music CD) Ages 9 11

5 September 9, 2007 Freed to Be Scripture Philemo 1 21 FOCUS To explore how we help oe aother grow as disciples of Christ. 1GATHER Greetig Welcome the childre ad ivite them to get ame tags, if you have them. Call to gather Light the cadle ad ivite the childre to joi you at the worship table. Explai that this is a Suday i the Seaso after Petecost, also called ordiary or commo time. Note that the worship cloth is gree, ad the white cadle symbolizes the presece of Jesus Christ. Sog ad offerig Play Come, O Holy Spirit, Come/Wa, Wa, Wa Emimimo (p. 83, also #10 o the Seasos Music CD) as the offerig is received. The ivite the childre to read the words i uiso. Pray the followig prayer, or oe of your ow: Lovig God, be with us as we come to your church to lear how to be your people. Ame. Coect with the focus Mail call Place the evelopes, letters, ad greetig cards that you collected o the worship table. Ask: Whe have you received mail, like a letter or a greetig card? Who set it to you? How did it feel to receive it? After the childre have offered a few resposes, explai that today s scripture passage is a letter writte by oe follower of Jesus to aother, ecouragig him to help someoe i a uusual way. 2ENGAGE Reviewig the New Testamet Letters i the New Testamet Show the group The New Testamet (p. 7). See that each child has a Bible. Remid the childre that this page shows the books i the New Testamet ad the writig categories ito which they fall. Ask: What book did we read from last week? Not every child will recall the ame, but may will be able to tell you somethig about it. Have them fid Hebrews o The New Testamet. The have them fid Philemo. Ask: What type of writig is Philemo? While Philemo ad Hebrews are both classified as letters, Philemo is a better example of letters durig New Testamet times. It also bears some resemblaces to letters today. It has a greetig, a message, a edig, ad eve a sigature of sorts. Explai that the perso writig the letter is Paul, a major disciple i the early church. Ivite them to tell aythig they remember about Paul. Poit out that it is Paul s writigs, like this letter, that help us uderstad eve more clearly how Jesus expects us to live as disciples. The letter to Philemo Master ad slave Help the childre fid Philemo i their Bibles by ecouragig them to fid it i the table of cotets. Distribute copies of the resource sheet A Reuest of Philemo ad work through it with the childre to review the passage. Have the resource sheet Slavery i Bible Times ready to refer to durig discussio. After both sheets have bee reviewed, ask: How did Paul s reuest to Philemo give Philemo a opportuity to grow as a disciple? After a few thoughts have bee offered, poit out that the letter does ot tell us what Philemo decided to do about Paul s reuest. Ask: What do you thik Philemo decided? What would you decide? Ages

6 September 9, 2007 Fidig ourselves i the story Discipleship today To help the childre coect this letter to their lives ad to prepare them for the Respod optios, ask: What kids of thigs do you do at church that help you grow as a disciple? Who helps you to do them? After the childre have give a few resposes, ask: What are other thigs we ca do to grow as disciples? 3RESPOND Select oe or two of the followig optios. Discipleship letter To help the childre uderstad how we ca ecourage oe aother i discipleship, ivite them to write a letter of support to aother cogregatio. If your cogregatio has a coectio with oe i aother place, tell the childre about that church. The braistorm with the childre what might be icluded i the letters, listig their ideas o ewsprit. Distribute pecils ad paper to the childre to write their letters, workig i pairs, if they wish. Disciples today To help the childre imagie how they ca grow as disciples, ivite them to thik of situatios they might ecouter. Place the poster Solace o the table. Ivite the childre to form triads ad positio themselves like the figures i the poster. The ivite the child o oe ed to whisper to the child i the middle, How will you be a disciple today? The middle child whispers a aswer to the two childre. This child speaks a word of ecouragemet, such as God s Spirit be with you. The third child the moves to take the place of the first child, who becomes the perso i the middle, ad the cycle repeats. Cotiue util each child has had a tur i the middle. If you wish, cotiue by mixig up the triads. Musical ecouragemet The sog God Is the Oe We Trust is a musical ecouragemet for followig God s way. The group ca sig the sog or read the lyrics as a choral readig. Follow these directios, buildig the voices so they are loud ad ethusiastic at the ed: Oe voice: God is, Two or three voices: God is the oe, Everyoe: God is the oe we trust! God is the oe we trust to give all good thigs we eed to live. Oe voice: God is, Two or three voices: God is the oe, Everyoe: God is the oe we trust! Words ad music by Maria Millward. Copyright 2005 Maria Millward. Published by Willow Publishig Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. Used by permissio. 4BLESS Gather Brig the group together aroud the worship table. Light the Christ cadle. Sig God Is the Oe We Trust (p. 92, also #27 o the Seasos Music CD). Prayer Remid the childre that durig this seaso, the prayer will focus o a specific part of church life. Pray this prayer, or oe of your ow: Getle ad carig God, thak you for all the ways to be disciples that we fid i this church. Bless us ad help us to be the disciples you eed us to be. Ame. Blessig To each child, offer this blessig: (Child s ame), be a blessig i the world as you follow Jesus this week. REFLECT How did the childre expad their uderstadig of discipleship through this sessio? Which childre eed extra ecouragemet to participate i the discussios? How did the childre s experiece with this passage ecourage you to live out your discipleship each day? 12 Ages 9 11

7 Resource sheet September 9, 2007 A Reuest of Philemo Philemo received a short letter with a uusual reuest. Fid it i your Bible. The use the uestios below as a guide to uderstad this letter writte so very log ago. Who How Why What wrote the letter to Philemo? was the letter addressed to i additio to Philemo? is Paul askig Philemo about? does Paul kow Philemo? is Paul helpig ad supportig Philemo? is Paul helpig ad supportig Oesimus? does Paul say he gives thaks for Philemo i his prayers each day? might it have take courage for Oesimus to go back to Philemo? does Paul say he is prayig for Philemo each day? is Paul askig Philemo to do with Oesimus? does Paul offer to do o behalf of Oesimus? does Paul hope will chage betwee Philemo ad Oesimus? Where is Paul whe he is writig to Philemo? Petecost 2 Ages

8 Resource sheet September 9, 2007 Slavery I Bible Times The word slavery meas oe perso ows aother perso, just like they would ow a chair or a coat or ay thig. Slavery has existed from the most aciet of times ad, eve though it is ow illegal i most of the world, it still exists i some places today. Slavery is all about moey. Work by slaves is free work because the slave is ot paid for the work doe. The oly cost to the slave ower is the food, clothig, ad shelter eeded for the slaves to stay alive. While some slave owers took good care of their slaves, others did ot. That s because oe way for the slave ower to save moey was to sped as little as possible to take care of the slaves. Slaves remaied slaves util they died or were freed by their owers. People became slaves i Bible times for a variety of reasos: Captives of war: Whe you were captured durig a war, you could expect to become a slave to someoe from the wiig army. This was the sigle biggest source of slaves i the biblical world. Sale of childre: Some families were forced to sell their childre as slaves whe there was t eough moey ad food to take care of all of them. Girls were sometimes sold as slaves with the provisio that they would evetually be married to someoe ot a slave so they could regai their freedom at a later time. Self sale: Whe times were very hard, such as i a famie or a war, people would soo sped all they had ad evetually have to sell themselves as slaves to survive. Bor ito slavery: Childre bor to slaves were automatically slaves. Slavery is metioed a lot i the Bible because it was a commo reality i those days. There are passages i both the Hebrew Scriptures ad the New Testamet tellig slave owers to take care of their slaves ad ot to abuse them. These passages have bee used i the past to justify slavery, sayig that God approved of slavery. But ow we uderstad that God ever iteded for oe huma beig to ow aother huma beig. 4 Ages 9 11 Petecost 2

9 Of Great Value The God we follow showers us with blessig each day. Through a lost sheep ad a lost coi, Jesus teaches about God, who ca be trusted to seek us always, pursuig us with steadfast love. God s itetio is to save. God s people are called to live withi this treasure ad gift, rejoicig as the faith commuity grows. Focus Scripture: Luke 15:1 10 I chapter 14 of Luke, we lear that large crowds were followig Jesus to hear him teach. Amog them were tax collectors, siers, Pharisees, ad scribes. As chapter 15 opes, we hear grumblig amog the Pharisees ad the scribes: This fellow welcomes siers ad eats with them. Jesus respods to their complait with parables. Imagie the respose of the crowd who listes to these stories: Who puts 99 sheep i jeopardy to risk that oe might be foud? No oe who is tryig to ru a livestock busiess! Who turs the whole house upside dow lightig a lamp ad usig precious oil to search for a small amout of moey ad the, whe it is foud, throws a party? No oe! But we might hear i these parables how God acts. God ca be trusted to seek us ad love us. Through these parables, we sese that the flock of sheep ad the set of cois were ot complete util the lost members were foud. The Pharisees ad the scribes perhaps uderstood, i keepig with may i firstcetury Middle Easter cultures, that wealth ad good fortue were sigs of God s blessig ad that poverty was a sig of a perso s si. Not oly does Jesus upset this uderstadig, i the parables God first is cast i the role of a shepherd, a class of labourers held i low esteem withi first-cetury Jewish culture. The, eve more shockigly, God is cast as a woma, the least powerful group i their culture. No woder the gospel that Jesus proclaimed was see as good ews to the poor (Luke 4:18). I these parables we ca glimpse God s way, God s searchig love. The Pharisees ad the scribes have bee shocked by how Jesus seeks out those whom they perceive to be of little value. God, however, is persistet i love for all. The reig of God that Jesus proclaims is a upside-dow world where oe sheep is worth spedig the eergy ormally reserved for 100, where oe coi is worth domestic disruptio ad expediture, ad where oe repetat sier is cause for rejoicig. Jesus parables challege all who liste to grow i uderstadig of what it meas to be foolish, to be wise, to be lost, ad to be foud. Who will joi i the celebratio of God s mercy? Eve whe hope is dim, God ca be trusted. I the barre lad described i Jeremiah 4:11 12, 22 28, a wastelad of the people s ow makig, there is little hope. But eve i such a place of desolatio ad amog those who have sied greatly, God who seeks all who are lost will be preset ad will ot give up. The psalmist, i Psalm 14, trusts that God will restore God s people. God will ot forget those who are poor ad who have bee mistreated by those i power. Si will ot have the fial word i God s reig. Paul kows that he has received udeserved mercy, ad gives thaks for this blessig i 1 Timothy 1: The good ews for all is that, like a shepherd searchig for a lost sheep ad a woma a lost coi, God ca be trusted to seek, to save, ad to love. From Jesus teachig, we lear that God s determiatio to seek us ad to love us is beyod what humakid would cosider wise or eve ratioal. Jesus risked all to reach those i eed of God s savig grace. Whe have you felt most lost ad most foud? I what ways might you ad your church be as reletlessly lovig as God? September 16, 2007 Focus Scripture Luke 15:1 10 Additioal Scriptures Jeremiah 4:11 12, Psalm 14 1 Timothy 1:12 17 We praise ad trust you, O God, for your gift of reletless ad everlastig love. Kidle i us the zeal to guard the treasure of faith you have give, ad to reach out to others with joy. Ame. Go to ad use the password likig to access Spirit Sightigs for iteratioal curret evets liks to this week s theme. Ages

10 The Focus for Ages 9 11 I ca t fid it! Parets, teachers, or ayoe withi hearig distace has heard this lamet from childre, eve as old as 11. The childre will surely uderstad the plight of the shepherd ad the woma i Jesus stories i this sessio. Those childre who have bee lost from a adult for a time may eve idetify with the lost sheep, a feelig that is frighteig at ay age. Some childre i your group may have leared about deeper emotios durig a loss if a gradparet or someoe close to them has died. You eed oly say the word lost ad the childre will immediately cojure some coectio with the cocept. Because these childre have a stroger sese of time ad history, they may also be ready to thik aew about oe message of Jesus parables i Luke 15: the kowledge of God s costat ad trustworthy love. Youger childre may fid the words of costacy comfortig, but ot util childre have a cocept of ogoig time, before ad after their ow experieces ad memory, do they begi to appreciate the woder of this kowledge. Pray that the childre i your group will come to a fresh kowledge of God s trustworthy love for them. September 16, 2007 PREPARE Materials eeded Visit the seasoal olie activity i the Actio Zoe at Before the sessio Read, ad prayerfully reflect o, the focus scripture, Luke 15:1 10, ad the biblical backgroud material (p. 15). What portrays God s trustworthy love to you? What story would you tell to describe it? Brig Bibles ad basic supply kit (see p. 2 for list). If possible, brig Seasos Music CD, vol. 5, ad CD player. Gather Prepare worship table with gree cloth, Bible, white Christ cadle, matches, ad offerig basket. Brig sog Come, O Holy Spirit, Come/Wa, Wa, Wa Emimimo (p. 83, also #10 o Seasos Music CD). Egage Brig today s resource sheet They Listeed. Brig poster The Good Shepherd. Brig sog God Is the Oe We Trust (p. 92, also #27 o Seasos Music CD). Respod Brig the supplies for the Respod activity you choose. Bible words remider: verse writte o papers Sheep remider: copies of today s resource sheet No Loger Lost, clea flat-sided clear plastic milk or drik cotaiers, permaet black fie-tip markers, eedles, ad thread or fishig lie Story ad sog: Joh Newto (p. 94), hymbooks, ad (optioal) recordig of Amazig Grace ad player Bless Brig sog God Is the Oe We Trust (p. 92, also #27 o Seasos Music CD) Ages 9 11

11 September 16, 2007 Of Great Value Scripture Luke 15:1 10 FOCUS To rejoice i the trustworthy love of God. 1GATHER Greetig Welcome the childre ad itroduce yourself to ay who are ew. Provide ame tags, if you wish. Call to gather Light the cadle ad ivite the childre to joi you at the worship table. Explai that this is the Seaso after Petecost, also called ordiary or commo time. Durig this seaso we explore what it meas to be a disciple i our everyday livig ad as part of a faith commuity. As a remider of the seaso, the worship cloth is gree ad the white cadle symbolizes Christ s presece. Sog ad offerig Play Come, O Holy Spirit, Come/Wa Wa Wa Emimio (p. 83, also #10 o the Seasos Music CD) as the offerig is received. Ivite the childre to hum or sig with the music. Pray the followig prayer, or oe of your ow: Lovig God, be with us as we come to your church to lear how to be your people, together ad i our ow lives. Ame. Coect with the focus Lost ad foud Before the childre arrive, hide a coi i a fairly difficult-to-see spot. Ask them to look for the coi. Whe it is foud, brig everyoe together. Ask: Whe have you lost somethig that was importat to you? After they tell about losig, ad fidig, the item, explai that the Bible stories today are about fidig thigs that were lost. 2ENGAGE Go to the Seasos website (www. spiritseasos.com) ad click o Actio Zoes ad the o Ask the Rabbi for his aswers to uestios about scribes, Pharisees, tax collectors, ad siers. Prepare for the Bible story Gospels Look at The New Testamet (p. 7) together. Go over the types of literature foud i the New Testamet. The fid the gospels o the page ad read the defiitio of gospel. Fially, have the childre fid the Luke 1 i their Bibles. Ask: For whom did Luke write this gospel? Guide the childre to skim the first three verses, util they discover the ame Theophilus (thi-off - ill-us). May people thik that Theophilus was a Roma officer ad that the gospel was iteded for people who were ot Jewish ad had little kowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures. Poit out that amig someoe as the perso for whom the gospel is writte makes this oe differet from Matthew, Mark, ad Joh. The Bible story Jesus listeers Have the childre tur to Luke 15. Ivite a child to read Luke 15:1 2 aloud. Commet that it is helpful to kow who was listeig whe Jesus told a story. His stories are ofte parables (stories about ordiary evets, but with messages about God ad how we relate to God). Ask: What do you remember about scribes ad Pharisees? Because these groups regularly show up i the gospels, the childre probably have some idea about them. Build o their kowledge with iformatio o today s resource sheet, They Listeed. Ask: Why do you thik the scribes ad Pharisees grumbled that the tax collectors ad siers were preset? Puzzlig out the relatioship of these groups ecourages the childre to read scripture closely. Jesus stories of lost ad foud Ivite oe or two childre to read Luke 15:3 7 aloud. Before talkig about it, show the group the poster The Good Shepherd. Ask: If you were goig to use this picture to illustrate the story of the lost sheep, what title or captio would you give? Or what part of the story do you thik this could show? Read Luke 15:7 aloud. Ask: If you were a scribe or a Pharisee, how do you thik you would react to this story? The have a child read Luke 15:8 10 aloud. Ask: Ages

12 September 16, 2007 Why do you thik the woma was so worried about fidig oe coi? The read Luke 15:10 aloud. Ask: How are the edigs of the two stories alike? By this time, how do you thik the scribes ad Pharisees were feelig? the tax collectors ad siers? What do you thik Jesus wated the scribes ad Pharisees to lear from this story? the tax collectors ad siers? Help the group come to uderstad that Jesus wated all the people who heard the story to kow that God s love was for everyoe ad they could deped upo that kowledge. Fidig ourselves i the story Sog Whe we kow that God loves us o matter what, we kow that God is worthy of trust or trustworthy. Sig the sog God Is the Oe We Trust (p. 92, also #27 o Seasos Music CD). Read the words together. To prepare for the Respod optios, ask: How ca we remember that we ca trust God to love us today? 3RESPOND Select oe or two of the followig optios. Bible words remider Memorizig words from the Bible ca help us remember that God s love is trustworthy. I The Message, Luke 15:10 is recorded: Cout o it that s the kid of party God s agels throw every time oe lost soul turs to God. Write the phrases i these verses, each o a sheet of paper: Cout o it / that s the kid of party/ God s agels throw/ every time/ oe lost perso/ turs to God. Place the papers i order o a table. Have the group read it i uiso. Tur over oe paper, from the middle. Have the group read it agai, fillig i the missig phrase. Cotiue to do this util all the papers are tured over. By this time, the childre will have memorized this verse, a good remider of the parable of the lost coi. Sheep remider A visual remider of God s love ad Jesus parable of the lost sheep is aother way to keep the kowledge of God s trustworthy love before us. See today s resource sheet No Loger Lost for directios for creatig sheep. Story ad sog Jesus stories were parables, stories of truth, but ot a real icidet. The story of the ma who wrote the hym Amazig Grace is also story of beig lost ad foud, oe that did take place. Read the story to the childre ad liste to a recordig of this famous hym, which has bee recorded by sigers from classical music to coutry music. Or provide hymbooks ad sig or read the hym together. 4BLESS Gather Brig the group together aroud the worship table. Light the Christ cadle. Sig God Is the Oe We Trust (p. 92, also #27 o the Seasos Music CD). Prayer Remid the childre that durig this seaso, the closig prayer is for a specific area of church life. This week it is miistries that show our love for all. Pray this prayer, or oe of your ow: Lovig God, thak you for the people i our church who show your love to others. Help us remember that God loves us all. Ame. Blessig As the childre leave, offer each this blessig: (Child s ame), God will love you forever. REFLECT What did the childre lear about God s love from Jesus stories? How ca you back up that learig with the way you pla ad lead the group? Pray for each child i your group this week. For oe September 23 Respod optio, ivite the youth, older youth, or adult group i the church school to be prayer parters with the childre i your group. 18 Ages 9 11

13 Resource sheet September 16, 2007 They Listeed Tax collectors Tax collectors were Jews who worked for the Roma govermet. They collected the hated Roma taxes, ad legally added a fee, which was their wages. Some tax collectors added a small fee, but others added a large fee so they could have more moey. Siers Siers were Jews or Getiles who the priests thought did ot live accordig to God s laws. If they were Jews, they could perform acts that would make them acceptable agai. Pharisees The Pharisees were Jewish me who were experts i the religious law. They believed i resurrectio ad a life after death ad i agels. They emphasized learig scripture ad followig religious practices. Scribes The scribes were Jewish me who wrote dow importat ideas ad papers for people who could ot write. They ofte agreed with the Pharisees about religious matters. Petecost 2 Ages

14 Resource sheet September 16, 2007 No Loger Lost If you have a youger brother or sister, tell the story of the lost sheep. The play fid the sheep by hidig the sheep for your brother or sister to fid. What you eed clea, flat-sided, clear plastic milk or drik cotaiers sharp scissors black permaet fie-tip markers eedles thread or fishig lie sheep patter 20 Ages 9 11 Petecost 2 What you do 1 Cut a side from the milk or drik cotaier. 2 Use the patter here or draw your ow sheep o the plastic. 3 Add details to the sheep. 4 Cut out the sheep. 5 Thread the eedle with thread or fishig lie. 6 Make a hole through the sheep with the threaded eedle ad make a hager. 7 Take your sheep home ad hag it as a remider that God will always love you.