God wants us to put him first.

Transcription

1 Praise Jesus! The Jews Rebuild the Temple Lesson 6 Bible Point God wants us to put him first. Bible Verse And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n see how their talents can be used to put God first, n learn to set aside things that hinder them from following God, and n learn that they are living stones that can be used to build a beautiful temple to God. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n The Jews rebuild the Temple. Ezra 3:1 6:16 The circumstances surrounding the rebuilding of the Temple demonstrate very clearly the supremacy of the God whom the Temple was intended to honor. First, God moved the heart of a pagan king, Cyrus of Persia, not only to sanction the rebuilding but to fund it (Ezra 1:1-4). God had chosen Cyrus specifically for this special role over a hundred years before, during the days of Isaiah the prophet (see Isaiah 44:28; 45:13). The lesson is clear: God is sovereignly in control of human history. He chooses kings and directs their path. When the Babylonians sent the people of Judah into exile, they also transplanted captives from other parts of the world to Judah. The idea was that if you remove a conquered people from their homeland, you vanquish their national pride and greatly lessen the potential for revolt. Most who were deported from their lands were never able to return. Even before the exile, God promised he would bring the Jews back to their lands (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:1-14). That s what was happening now. Not surprisingly, the return of the Jews and their rebuilding project displeased those foreigners whom the Babylonians had relocated to Judah. They did not want the Jews to regain power in the region. Initially their campaign against the rebuilding of the Temple was successful (Ezra 4). Again God orchestrated things so that not only did the work resume, but it received special funding (Ezra 6:1-12). Prayer Read Haggai 1:2-3, 9. Haggai preached to the exiles returning to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. How had the Jews allowed their priorities to get out of order? Are there ways in which we get our priorities out of order in a similar fashion? Pray: Lord, help me always to lead by example as I teach children to keep you first in their lives by 81

2 Lesson 6 Before the Lesson n Collect items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed in the chart. n Make photocopies of the Growing Together handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for your students and for God s direction in teaching the lesson. This Lesson at a Glance Welcome Attention Grabber Bible Exploration & Application What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Welcome! Receive a warm welcome from the teacher, and make name tags. More Important Play a game in which they choose the more important of pairs of options, and learn that no matter what else is important, putting God first is the most important. Gifts for God Make painted pictures and building pieces for a temple, read Matthew 5:16, and talk about their own talents and abilities. Temple of God name tags (p. 93), markers, scissors, tape or safety pins Bible Bible, paper, water, newspaper, pencils, tape, shallow dish Closing The Big Project Listen to the story of the Jews rebuilding the Temple of God in Jerusalem, and build their own temple out of paper rolls and tape. Put It Aside Read Hebrews 12:1-2, learn a rhyme, add complicated actions that make the rhyme hard to say, and learn to put aside whatever distracts them from putting God first. Living Stones Read 1 Peter 2:5, build a temple out of living stones, and sing praises to God. Bible, newspaper rolls and talent pictures from the Gifts for God activity, tape Bible, CD player Bible, CD player 82

3 Welcome The Jews Rebuild the Temple SUPPLIES: Temple of God name tags (p. 93), markers, scissors, tape or safety pins Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. Thank each child for coming to class today. As children arrive, ask them about last week s lesson and Growing Together activities. Use questions such as What did you learn about what to do with worries? and What games did you play to learn about God s guidance? Say: Today we re going to learn that God wants us to put him first. Help children make name tags. Photocopy the Temple of God name tags and follow the instructions. Tell the children that the attention-getting signal you ll use during this lesson is clapping your hands three times. Ask children to respond by clapping their hands three times as they stop talking and focus their attention on you. Rehearse the signal with the children, telling them to respond quickly so you have plenty of time for all the fun activities planned for this lesson. Attention Grabber n More Important SUPPLIES: Bible Say: Let s play a game to decide what s important. Read aloud each of the following questions and instructions: What s more important: eating a candy bar or eating an orange? If you pick the candy bar, raise your hands high in the air. If you pick the orange, stick your arms out at your sides. What s more important: going to school or going to church? If you pick school, stand up. If you pick church, sit down. What s more important: playing with friends or cleaning your room? If you pick friends, stand and face the door. If you pick your room, stand and face the window. What s more important: watching television or reading a book? If you pick television, look up. If you pick the book, look down. What s more important: saving your money or spending your money? If you pick saving, pretend to put your hands in your pockets. If you pick spending, pretend to give me all your money. After you ve gone through the entire list, have the children sit down. Say: It can be tough to decide what s important. Ask: How did you decide what was more important in our game? (I picked what was healthy; I picked what my mom always tells me; I watched to see what everyone else did.) How do you decide what s important in real life? (I listen to what my parents tell me; I do what my older sister does.) Having kids repeat the Bible verse and the Bible Point will give them an opportunity to know the verse and point of the lesson well. This opens them up to deeper understanding of ways they can apply the lesson to their lives. 83

4 Lesson 6 Understanding how your first- and second-graders develop spiritually will help you communicate with them effectively about why God wants us to put him before anything and anyone else. The children understand God s love and God s world through personal experience. They don t comprehend the spiritual nature of God, but rather, they think of God as a giant, a magician, or an invisible man. They don t comprehend the Bible s chronology except that the Old Testament came before Jesus and the New Testament talks about Jesus. They have a literal and concrete understanding of Bible stories and biblical truths, and they don t comprehend abstract ideas such as the Trinity. Say: Sometimes it s easy to pick what s most important. For example, it s almost never better to eat a candy bar than an orange. But what if you were allergic to oranges and eating one would make you sick? Then it would be better to pick the candy bar. Let s think some more about choosing what s most important. Ask: When would it be better to save your money than spend it? Explain. (When there s something I really want because then I would have the money to pay for it; every time I get allowance so that I don t run out of money; when my dad tells me I should.) When would it be more important to spend your money rather than save it? (If I needed food or medicine; if I met a poor person who needed something I could buy; at church to give an offering because that s nicer than saving all my money for myself.) Say: Sometimes it s hard to choose between two things because both are important. For example, let s say that you catch a cold. It might be hard to pick between staying at home or going to school. If you go to school anyway, you might not feel your best and maybe you won t learn as much because you just want to sleep. But if you stay at home and sleep, you might miss a test or some other important event at school that will be harder to make up later, and that might put you behind in class. That wouldn t be good, either. Ask: When do you have a tough time making decisions? (When my mom wants me to do one thing and I want to do something different; when I know I should do one thing, but I want to do something else.) Say: Today we re going to talk about a group of people who had some tough decisions to make. There were lots of things for them to do, and it was hard to do them all. But in the end, they learned that God wants us to put him first. Listen to what our Bible verse for today, Deuteronomy 6:5, has to say about that. Point to Deuteronomy 6:5 in your Bible and read it aloud to the class: And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Say: God wants to be first in our lives, and we will have chances to decide how to put him first in everything we do. Right now, you have a big decision to make regarding two big projects we have to complete. Both projects have to do with putting God first in our lives, but you can choose which one you want to do. Let s get started! 84

5 The Jews Rebuild the Temple Bible Exploration & Application n Gifts for God SUPPLIES: Bible, paper, newspaper, pencils, tape, shallow dish, water Form two interest centers. Interest centers are designed to run at the same time, and they include activities that can be completed with minimal teacher supervision. Children choose one of the two interest centers to participate in. Circulate between the centers, offering help and directing conversation as needed. Say: We have two different kinds of activities here for you to work on. I will let you decide which one you want to do. But first, I m going to read you something from the Bible. Listen to what it says. Read Matthew 5:16. This Bible verse talks about us doing good things so people will see how much we love God and put him first. When we do that, we shine like little lights in the darkness. Let s find out how our good deeds for God can help us shine for everyone to see. Explain that at one center the children will paint pictures of the things they do best. At the other center, children will make paper rolls that will be used to build a building. Let the children choose where they want to go. n Interest Center: Painted Pictures Fill the shallow dish with water and put it on a table along with paper, the paint set, the three paintbrushes, and the six foam animals. Have children use the paint set, paintbrushes, and foam animals to create pictures illustrating their talents. For example, one child might paint a picture of a soccer ball because she is good at playing soccer. While the children are painting, ask: What are your best talents? (Reading; doing somersaults; catching a football; baking cookies.) Do you like your talents? Why or why not? (I like playing basketball because I d like to be a famous sports star; I like my talents because no one else is just like me.) Why do you think God gives us talents? (So we can please him; so we can have fun; so we can do special things.) n Interest Center: Paper Rolls Show children how to create the building pieces for a temple that will be built during the next activity. Roll a sheet of newspaper around a pencil and tape the edge of the paper to the roll so it doesn t come unrolled, and then slip the pencil out and roll another sheet of newspaper around it. Have children create about 50 rolls. Tell them to work quickly so there are plenty of newspaper rolls to build the temple with. 85

6 Lesson 6 Make it a point this week to send a note of encouragement to each child in your class. In your notes, tell the children how glad you are of the special talents God has given them and how you are praying for them to be able to use their talents for God. And don t forget to follow through on that promise! While children are working, ask: When you have a job to do, what s the best way to finish it? (Keep working hard until I finish it; find someone to help me; play music to make it more fun; tell myself that I can play as soon as the work is done.) What do you do when you get tired of working? (I take a break; I slow down, and then the work takes longer; sometimes I just quit.) How do you feel when you ve finished a project? (Good; important; ready to play.) Give the children in the centers eight minutes to complete their work. It s OK if some children finish early and want to switch centers. Get the children s attention by clapping your hands three times. Wait for them to respond, and then call them all together in one large circle as you put the items from the Learning Lab away. Be sure to save the paper rolls for the next activity. Say: Listen to the Bible verse again. Read Matthew 5:16. Whatever we do can be used to show how good God is. The children in the painting group worked hard on their pictures they show that God gives us good talents, and we can use them to honor God. Let s clap to show we appreciate their hard work. Have everyone clap. The paper rollers worked hard at their job, too. They ve shown that it s important to keep working for God, even if you get a little tired of the work. We honor God when we do. Let s clap to show we appreciate their hard work. Have everyone clap. Have the members of the painting group show their pictures and tell the others about their talents. As each child shares his or her picture, say: God has given you a great gift. You can do special things with it. Then have the members of the painting group share their answers to this question with the paper rollers. Ask the painting group: Why does God give people talents? (To help us do good things; so that we can please God; so that we can feel good about ourselves.) Have the paper rollers demonstrate how they made the paper rolls. To each of the paper rollers, say: [Child s name], I watched you work hard to make enough rolls to make a building. You please God when you work hard. Then have the rollers share their answers to this question with the painting group. Ask the paper rollers: What s the best way to finish a big project? (To keep working at it; to not take breaks; to remind yourself of how good you ll feel when it s done.) Say: Today we re going to talk about a group of people who learned that God wants us to put him first. The people had many talents and skills. Just like our painting group, they put their talents to good use, and they pleased God. They were working on a big project just as our paper rollers were. It was a tough job to complete. Let s find out how they used their skills to work on that big project. 86

7 The Jews Rebuild the Temple HANDS-ON BIBLE Before you begin this activity, set out pieces of red construction paper, safety scissors, colored index cards, crayons, string, and tape for the children to use. Say: God has given us special skills and talents to use for his work. As we work for God, God wants us to put him first. Let s open our Hands-On Bibles to our Bible verse for today, Deuteronomy 6:5, and I ll read it to you as you follow along. Help children locate Deuteronomy 6:5 in their Hands-On Bibles, and read it aloud to the class: And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Continue: God wants us to love him more than anyone or anything else. We are going to make a special heart mobile that will be a fun reminder to us to love God with every little piece of our heart. Let s look on the right-hand side of the page now at the Key Verse activity there. The instructions for making our heart mobiles are there. We can work together to make our heart mobiles. I have put out some supplies here that we can use. Assist the children in making their heart mobiles. Have them each write their name on the back of the index card. Find a place in the classroom where they can hang their mobiles, or arrange for them to take their mobiles home and display them there. When children have finished, ask: Why should you put God first? (Because God is so important; because he is God and deserves to be first.) What s something you could do at home to show your family that you put God first? (I could practice reading my Bible; I could pray with my mom.) Say: Look at the beautiful heart mobiles you have made! I hope that when you look at your mobile, you will remember how much you love God and that God wants us to put him first. Let s give God a round of applause! Lead the children in a round of applause for God. n The Big Project SUPPLIES: Bible, newspaper rolls and talent pictures from the Gifts for God activity, tape Have the children sit in a circle. Put the newspaper rolls, talent pictures, and tape in the middle of the circle. Open your Bible to Ezra 1 6 and say: I m going to read you a Bible story about when the people of Judah rebuilt the Temple of God. Whenever I mention the word temple, I want you to pretend you are pounding something with a hammer, as if you were a workman rebuilding the Temple. Pause to demonstrate a hammering motion. Ready? Here we go! At the point where our story starts, most of the people of Judah were living in Babylon because Judah had lost to Babylon in a war. They were held captive for about 70 years before there was another war. This time the country of Persia took over Babylon. A new king, named Cyrus, let the Jews the people from Judah go back home to Jerusalem. Cyrus told them to rebuild their Temple (pause) and their city. And he gave back many of the beautiful gold and silver items that had been taken from the Temple (pause) in Jerusalem. 87

8 Lesson 6 Bible Insight It is quite likely that Ezra, who returned to his homeland with 5,000 people and much treasure, had secured permission to rebuild the city walls and had made a beginning on the Temple. But opposition made the work cease until Nehemiah came in 444 B.C. with a new building permit. This may explain how Nehemiah finished his work in such a short time 52 days for Ezra had already done much. Take advantage of your Bible story time to help children learn the names of books in the Old and New Testaments. Point out that the story of the Jews rebuilding the Temple can be found in the Old Testament. If time permits, play The Books of the Bible Song (track 14) on the CD, and have the children sing along. Some of the Jews were excited to return to their homeland and start rebuilding the Temple (pause) because it was the only place they could worship the way God had told them to. Let s wave our hands to show how excited they were. Have the children wave their hands back and forth in the air. The Jews traveled back to Jerusalem and made homes for themselves. As soon as they were settled, they began to collect money and materials to rebuild the Temple (pause). They collected precious metals and fragrant wood and beautiful clothing for the priests to wear. The first thing they rebuilt was the altar. As soon as it was finished, they offered sacrifices every morning and every evening because this was one way they worshipped God. They followed God s law and offered sacrifices and celebrated festivals just as their ancestors had done. Next, they paid bricklayers and carpenters to work on the Temple. (Pause.) And they hired men to be in charge of the rebuilding. The next thing they built was the foundation of the Temple. (Pause.) Let s build our own foundation. Have the children place on the floor two paper rolls to form two opposite sides of the foundation. Then have them lay two more paper rolls on top of the first two to form the other two sides of the foundation. Securely tape the four rolls together. Say: Let s continue with our story. When the workers finished the foundation, the people had a huge celebration. Let s wave our hands and jump up and down to show how excited they were. Have the children wave their hands back and forth in the air and jump up and down with excitement. The priests dressed in their fancy clothes and played their trumpets. Others played cymbals. Everyone else praised God with thanksgiving. They sang, God is so good! His faithful love for Israel endures forever. Let s say that together. Have the children say with you: God is so good! His faithful love for Israel endures forever. Then they shouted, Praise the Lord! The foundation of the Lord s Temple has been laid. Let s shout that together. Have the children say with you: Praise the Lord! The foundation of the Lord s Temple (pause) has been laid. The people shouted so loudly that they could be heard from far away. But then, trouble began. There were enemies who didn t want the Temple (pause) to be rebuilt. A new king had come to power, and the enemies wrote a letter to him, saying that as soon as the Temple (pause) was finished, the Jews would start disobeying the king. They told the king that the Jews wouldn t pay taxes and that they wouldn t be loyal to the king. So the king ordered that the work be stopped. Let s sit on our hands to show that the work had stopped. Have children sit on their hands. The Jews stopped working on the Temple (continue sitting on hands) and started to pay attention to growing food and providing good homes for their families. For several years, no work was done on the Temple (continue sitting on hands). Then a prophet named Haggai (HAG-ay-eye) told the people that it was time to start building the Temple (pause and resume hammering motion) again. He said that it wasn t right for the people to live in nice houses when the Temple of God (pause) was in ruins. The people listened to Haggai and started to build again. When the enemies saw that work on the Temple (pause) had begun again, 88

9 The Jews Rebuild the Temple they were upset. Another new king was in charge of the country. The enemies wrote a letter to let him know that the Jews were disobeying the command to stop work. But the new king ordered that the Temple (pause) be completed so that the Jews would have a place to worship God. Let s do some more work on our temple (pause). Have the children build up the sides of the structure as if it were a log cabin. Tape all of the paper rolls securely. When the sides are built, place rolls across the top to make the roof. When the temple is complete, tape the talent pictures to the walls and to the roof. Say: When the Temple was complete, the Jews had a huge celebration. They were joyful because the king had allowed them to finish the Temple. Ask: Why was it so important to finish the Temple? (Because it was the place to worship God; because the Temple showed that God was important to the people.) How do you think the Jews felt when they finished their Temple? (Proud; glad that the work was done; glad to have a pretty place to worship.) What do you think of the temple that we built? (It looks good; it was hard work to get it to stay together; I think we did a good job.) How did you feel when you completed our temple? (I felt happy; I felt proud; I was glad we were finally done.) The Jews showed they put God first by rebuilding the Temple. How do we show that we put God first? (By going to church; by obeying God; by reading the Bible.) Say: The Jews worked hard to finish their Temple, just as we worked hard to finish ours. Even when it was hard work and even when enemies tried to stop them, the Jews kept working until the Temple was finished. They showed that they put God first when they used their talents and abilities to make the Temple. God wants us to put him first. We worked hard to create the logs that this temple is made of and to make the nice pictures of our talents with which we decorated this temple. When we do our best working at something for God, we are putting him first. Let s learn more about putting God first. Save the temple for next week s lesson. n Put It Aside SUPPLIES: Bible, CD player track 6 Before class, listen to track 6, Put God First, on the CD several times until you re comfortable with the rhythm of the jump-rope rhyme. Gather the children in a circle and say: Listen to this Bible passage about putting God first. Be ready to tell me what we can do to put God first. Read Hebrews 12:1-2. Ask: What can we do that will help us put God first? (Get rid of everything else; push aside other stuff.) 89

10 Lesson 6 Putting God first begins in the heart. Are you willing to be humble, to be open to opportunities, and to move at his direction? God chose us as his own, and he knows how we can best serve him. Encourage your students that we can trust God to put that desire in our hearts when we ask him. What kinds of things can we put aside? (Things that keep us from thinking about God; cheating; taking things that aren t ours; wanting things our way.) What are some ways we could put God first? (Be nice to somebody else; pray for our pastor; tell people that Jesus loves them.) Say: Let s see how putting aside some things can help us put God first. Listen to this cheer: We do our best when we put aside the rest and we put God first! Now say the cheer with me: We do our best when we put aside the rest and we put God first! Say the cheer several times until the children know it well. Then have two children swing the jump-rope back and forth, from side to side, while the other children take turns jumping back and forth over the rope and saying the cheer. Make sure the rope swingers also get a chance to jump. When everyone has had a turn, ask: Was it easier or harder to say the cheer when you had to jump the rope, too? (It was easier because jumping made the rhyme easy to say; it was hard because I was watching the rope and I forgot the words.) Next, have volunteers bounce the return ball on the floor and catch it while jumping the rope and saying the cheer. When everyone who wants a turn has had one, have everyone sit down as you put the jump-rope and return ball away. Ask: What was it like to do all of these things at once? (It was hard; it was fun to try, but I couldn t do it.) Do you ever feel that you have a lot of things to do all at the same time in your life? (Yes, I have to go to school and to church, do my chores and my homework, and practice the piano; there s not enough time to have fun and do what I m supposed to.) How can we put Jesus first and still do the things we need to do? (We can go to church first, and if there s time later, we might go hiking; we can do other things but remember that God is the most important.) Read Hebrews 12:1-2 again. Then say: It s not bad to have to do lots of things at once, but sometimes other things get in the way of our relationship with Jesus. For example, the people who were building the Temple also had to worry about providing food for their families. It became bad, though, when the people spent so much time worrying about their families that they forgot all about God. We should remember that God put us first when he sent Jesus to die for us, and God wants us to put him first. 90

11 Closing n Living Stones SUPPLIES: Bible, CD player track 4 Ask: What are some things you remember about today s lesson? (We should put God first; sometimes it s hard to decide what s most important, but God should always come before anything.) Say: Listen to what the Bible says. Be ready to tell me what we re like, according to this Bible verse. Read 1 Peter 2:5. When the Bible says we are living stones for God s temple, that means that we are part of a church, a big group of people here on earth who all love and worship and serve God. As more people learn about Jesus and choose to love God and serve God, the church is built, the way a building is built as you pile stones one on top of another. And we are a part of that building! Ask: What are we like, according to 1 Peter 2:5? (We re like stones that live; we re stones that God is putting into his church.) How can God use us, like living stones, to help build his church? (We can tell people about Jesus; we can invite friends to church.) Say: Just as the people of Jerusalem worked to build a beautiful Temple, God is working through us to gather his people together and build his church. He can use us in special ways to make the church bigger because of the special talents he has given each one of us. When we put our special talents to use for God, we are putting God first, and this pleases God. Let s talk about those special talents right now. One by one, call on the children to become part of the living-stones temple. (See the drawing in the margin.) As you call on each child, complete the following sentence by naming a talent that will help the child put God first. Say: God wants us to put him first. [Child s name], you can put God first by using your special talent of This is one thing you can do to honor God. For example, you might say, God wants us to put him first. Jacob, you can put God first by using your special talent of encouraging others. This is one thing you can do to honor God. As the children take their places in the living temple, have them crouch down and wrap their hands over their heads to make themselves into living stones. Then say: Each of you can be a part of the temple, or church, of God. God has given each of you special talents to use to help build his church, and when you use your talents for God, you put him first. Now let s put God first by singing a praise song to him. Have the children sit in the temple formation while they sing The One and Only Lord (Mark 12:29) (track 4) with the CD. After the song, pray: God, you are the one and only Lord. Thank you for being a good God. Help us to remember to put you first in everything we do. In Jesus name, amen. The Jews Rebuild the Temple 91

12 Lesson 6 Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Growing Together handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your children. Encourage children and parents to use the handout to plan meaningful activities on this week s topic. Follow up the Growing Together activities next week by asking children what their families did together. 92

13 Temple of God Photocopy this page and cut out the name tags. Have the children color them and write their names in the center. Help the children attach the name tags to their clothing. Permission to photocopy this page from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO group.com 93

14 Ezra and Nehemiah 6: God wants us to put him first. Bible Story The Jews rebuild the temple. (Ezra 3:1 6:16) Bible Key Verse No And eye you has must seen, love no the ear Lord has heard, your God and with no mind all your has heart, imagined all what your God soul, has and prepared all your strength for those (Deuteronomy who love him 6:5). (1 Corinthians 2:9b). Puzzle Fun Today your child learned that God wants us to put him first. Choosing priorities can be tough, but we ll never go wrong if we make God our top priority. Children discovered that they each have gifts and abilities that they can use to put God first every day. Use these activities to put God first in your home this week. First Things Last Choose a simple puzzle with a picture that you d like to display in your home. Put the puzzle together as a family. Then gently lift the edges and try to pick up the picture so it hangs vertically in the air. Even if it does hang together, a little shaking will cause some of the pieces to come off. Place a towel on the table. Put the puzzle together on top of the towel. Then put a cookie sheet on top of the puzzle and flip it over so the back of the puzzle is facing up. Brush glue on the back of the puzzle. Let the glue dry and pick up the puzzle again. Talk about how God is like the glue. When we put God first, he strengthens us. Sand Castles Build a sand castle at the beach or in a park or backyard sandbox. Watch the waves or the rain melt the castle, or sprinkle your castle with a garden sprinkler and watch as it deteriorates. Read Matthew 7:24-27, and talk about the weak foundations that people can build their lives on. Then look at your home s foundation or the foundation of a big building in your town. Talk about how God is the strong foundation on which Christians build their lives. Eat dinner backward. Start with dessert; then eat bread, vegetables, and meat. Talk about why it s important to eat healthy food first instead of last. Then talk about why it s important to put God first instead of last. Worship Time The Jews put God first by rebuilding the Temple so they had a place to worship. Put God first in your family this week by scheduling time for prayer and worship. Put stickers on your family calendar to remind your family to worship God together. Try to schedule at least three times other than Sunday for your family to pray, sing praise songs, or read the Bible together. 94 Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO group.com