(104) Enjoy (110) (105)

Transcription

1 July 10, 2016 Jesus Is The Way DATE PONDER POINT Acts 8 (Philip and the Ethiopian Man) Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:13 THE BIG GOD STORY REMEMBER VERSE Rotation 9:10-9:23 9:25-9:38 9:40-9:53 Butterflies Enjoy Discover Connect (Room #) (110) (105) (104) Caterpillars Discover Connect Enjoy (Room #) (105) (104) (110) Fireflies Connect Enjoy Discover (Room #) (104) (110) (105) Goal: To create space for children to engage in hands-on activities as they begin their time of worship. Explore Station: Coloring Page Supplies: crayons 1

2 Goal: Children participate in discovering God s Word through storytelling, worship, and interactive experiences and respond to God in worship through games and other hands-on elements. Upon entering the room, have each child choose a story spot and place it where they want to sit and then sit down. At the close of your time together in The Big God Story, encourage children to return their Story Spots to their original location. Hi, kids! Welcome! I am so excited to be here with you today. Let s all celebrate God by singing and dancing together! Welcome & Story Jacket (Play the TruBlessings Theme Song and lead kids in dance and celebration.) Wow! That was great! Now everyone, take a seat it s time to hear part of The Big God Story! Let me put on my storytelling jacket and see if we can find a clue to our Big God Story in one of my pockets. Start checking pockets and pull out this week s clue. I wonder what we are going to find in the story pocket today? Let s find out together: (show the kids the picture or object from the story pocket.) Story Pocket: Stick horse Insert child s name), what did you find when you opened the Story Jacket? We heard the sound of a horse walking, that s right. Did you recognize it right away? Ask the children. Why do you think the sound of a horse walking was in the wardrobe? Interact with their responses. Those are good ideas! Well, I think it s about time we find out how this fits into today s portion of The Big God Story. Do you know what time it is? Let s all stand up and sing our Bible Song together. Bible Song (sung to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb ) Bible Song Now it s time to hear God s Word Hear God s Word Hear God s Word Now it s time to hear God s Word So let s look in the Bible (As the song ends, have the children return to their Story Spots) 2

3 Point out that what kids are about to hear is true and is recorded in the Bible. Open your Bible to the passage and leave it open and visible throughout The Big God Story. Invite kids to open their Bibles and follow along as you storytell. Children respond to what the Holy Spirit is teaching them as they reflect on the day s portion of The Big God Story. The Prayer of Release allows children and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet their hearts and minds. Before you pray, you might ask the kids to hold out their hands, palms up, in a spirit of releasing their worries and distractions in order to better receive what the Holy Spirit might have for them today. Then encourage the kids to quiet their voices, take a seat, and pray with you. The Big God Story: Image of Chariot and Ethiopian Storyteller Script Hello, friends. I m so glad you all are here today! I can t wait to discover God s Word together. Before we jump into The Big God Story, let s stop and ask God to teach us. Lead children in a Prayer of Release. In today s part of The Big God Story, a follower of Jesus, named Philip, was in Jerusalem when God sent an angel to him. The angel told Philip to start walking on a road in the desert. The angel didn t tell Philip where he was going or how long he was going to be walking, he just said, Go! Philip knew that he could trust God, so without asking why, he got up and went. As Philip was traveling along the dusty road, he saw a horse and chariot. Back in Philip s day, sometimes horses were used to pull chariots. Well, inside the chariot was a man who worked for the queen of Ethiopia. Can you say that with me? E-thi-o-pi-a. Good job. Ethiopia is a country far away from Jerusalem. The Ethiopian had traveled to Jerusalem to worship God, but he had never heard that Jesus is the way. While the Ethiopian man was on his way home from Jerusalem, he stopped to rest and read his Bible. Show Chariot and Ethiopian image. Philip saw the man sitting in his chariot, reading God s Word. The Holy Spirit told Philip, Go over to that chariot. Since the Ethiopian man worked for a queen, he was very rich. He had a huge chariot that he used to take him where he needed to go. Philip didn t have a chariot; he was on foot. Philip didn t know if the Ethiopian man would even want to talk with him about God or hear about Jesus. After all, they were from 3

4 different parts of the world and didn t know each other. But Philip knew that God wants everyone to know that Jesus is the way to be with God forever. And so Philip obeyed the leading of the Holy Spirit. When Philip reached the chariot, he asked the Ethiopian man, Do you understand what you re reading? The man said, How can I understand unless someone helps me? You see, the Ethiopian man was reading a part of the Bible that talks about the promised Savior. Who is The Promise? Jesus, that s right. Well, the Ethiopian man didn t understand the things he was reading. He didn t know that Jesus the promised Savior had already come and that Jesus is the way to be with God forever. He needed someone to teach him so he could know Jesus! Do you think Philip helped the man? Children respond. Yes! Philip began to tell the Ethiopian about Jesus and The Big God Story.. Philip told the man all about God s love. He also shared the good news. Philip told the man that God made the way for him to know God and be with Him forever. Who is the way to God? Jesus is the way! He s the promised Savior! Philip also told the man how Jesus rose from the dead and sent the Holy Spirit to help us.. The Ethiopian man listened to everything Philip said. He was so happy that God loved him and wanted to know him. The Ethiopian man decided to trust in Jesus and follow Him right then. After the Ethiopian decided to follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit suddenly took Philip away to another city so he could tell more people about Jesus. God was going to use Philip to tell people that Jesus is the way to be with God forever. Children, God loved the Ethiopian so much that He sent Philip to tell him about Jesus. Philip knew God. He also knew that God wants everyone to know who He is. So when God told Philip to go talk to the Ethiopian in his chariot, Philip did! Just like God used Philip to share the good news, He can use you and me to tell people that Jesus is the way! 4

5 GOAL: Kids respond in small groups to what they heard in the Big God Story. Philip Baptizes the Ethiopian Supplies: Template: (one per kid) Philip and Ethiopian figures (one per kid) Popsicle Stick (one per kid) Crayons Tape Pass out Philip and Ethiopian figures and have kids color them. Tape a popsicle stick to the back of the Philip and Ethiopian figure. Pass out the template, have kids put their name of the back. Have kids color the template. Put the figures through the slit in the template to make it go up and down, in and out of the water. I wonder What is it like to hear about God for the first time? I wonder What did it feel like for Philip to hear the Holy Spirit and follow His directions, even though they seemed unusual? I wonder What would it be like to tell someone about Jesus who s never heard about Him? 5

6 Goal: Enjoy building relationships with the kids during this time intended for a snack break, restrooms and free play or video clip. Ensure that each child: Receives a small snack/drink Uses the restroom Has a little time to play and build friendships with you and other children Review the Remember Verse: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:13 Children are blessed through a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, and words of encouragement and guidance from their leaders. May you know God and share His love with others. 6

7 At 16 years of age, I found myself traipsing through the jungles of Thailand following a missionary. We were prepared to share the good news and lead worship. We approached a deserted village and were told that the night before, there had been a drug raid. Villagers fled into the jungle rather than be recruited, intimidated, or kidnapped to transport drugs for powerful drug lords. I didn t want to get mixed up with a national war on drugs. A couple of days later, we ran into a group of soldiers in camouflage gear and carrying rifles. Just walk past them, I thought to myself. But our missionary leader approached them. The commanding officer explained they were going on a drug raid. Then I heard my youth pastor request if we could perform our drama for them. No way, I thought. There is no way the soldiers of a Buddhist country will want to see a drama about Jesus. What is he thinking? To my astonishment, the officer accepted our invitation. Before I knew it, we were enacting the good news right on the side of the road. Afterward, we gathered around the soldiers, laid our hands on them, and prayed for the safety of the men and their mission. Before we said good-bye, their stern faces turned to smiles as we posed to take pictures. I ll never forget how I almost missed an opportunity to share the good news. I ll never forget how I saw scary soldiers, but God saw men who were in need. God challenged the way I saw people. I wanted what was safe and comfortable, but God pushed me beyond my narrow limitations in order to show me that He wants everyone to know Him everyone. Copy Asriel Medina Los Angeles, CA After Jesus ascended into heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit. Under the guidance of Saul, who later became the apostle Paul, the church saw a time of great persecution. The church scattered but continued to preach the Word so others could know Jesus is the Way. It was during this time that an angel led Philip down a wilderness road (Acts 8), where he saw an Ethiopian eunuch, an important court official to the queen of Ethiopia, reading from the book of Isaiah. Although the Ethiopian knew about God and traveled far to worship in Jerusalem, as a eunuch he wasn t allowed to enter the assembly of the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:1). His reading of Scripture and his questions to Philip indicated he wanted to know more. There were many reasons Philip could have chosen not to share the good news with this man ethnicity, social status, and his physical condition. But the Spirit revealed to Philip that God wants everyone to know Him. In what some commentators see as a fulfillment of Isaiah 56:3 7, Philip not only shared the good news with the eunuch foreigner, but he baptized him and fully accepted him into the faith community. God s plan for all of humankind to know Him was being fulfilled. This Ethiopia is not the same as the African country we now know as Ethiopia, but refers instead to ancient Nubia, or Cush, the region south of Egypt. This makes the Ethiopian eunuch a descendant of Ham, one of the sons of Noah who was saved in the ark during the great flood. It was through Noah s sons, Ham, Shem, and Japheth, that the world was repopulated (Genesis 9:19). Ham s sons and their descendants would occupy the area we now know as Egypt (another name for Mizraim). Although Ham knew God, his descendants fell away, becoming pagan worshippers and enemies of Israel. But God never stopped longing for Ham s descendants to know Him. In Psalm 68:31, the Psalmist prayed that all people would worship God, saying, Envoys will come from Egypt; Cush will submit herself to God, and the prophet Zephaniah wrote about the restoration of the nations, declaring 7

8 that, From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings (Zephaniah 3:10). Further Resources InterVarsity Press Commentary Coogan, Michael D., Marc Z. Brettler, Carol A. Newsom, and Pheme Perkins (eds.) The New Oxford Annotated Bible, NRSV Third Edition. New York: Oxford University Press. Take some time this week to reflect on how much God loves all the world, and what He has done to reveal Himself to us. God is near, ready to give you a deeper understanding of His heart. Go to Him. Kneel at His feet and ask for the courage to go wherever and to whomever God may lead you. Ask Him to make you increasingly aware of others, both near and far, who are ready to know Him in a more personal way. What is God saying to you about the children and families in your ministry? Give thanks to the God who loved the world so much that He sacrificed His one and only Son. May He fill your heart with a love that passes understanding, so you can make His love known to every person He places in your path. 8