God Is I AM. Oct. 9, No one is like you, LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Jeremiah 10:6. Exodus 3:1 4:17 (Burning Bush)

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1 Oct. 9, 2016 God Is I AM DATE PONDER POINT Exodus 3:1 4:17 (Burning Bush) No one is like you, LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Jeremiah 10:6 THE BIG GOD STORY REMEMBER VERSE Worship & Welcome (5 minutes): Begins class creating an inviting atmosphere for kids to feel welcome and to worship in song. There is a new memory verse this week. Celebrate (10 minutes): Establishes community and engages kids, drawing them in and preparing them to hear God s word. The Big God Story (15 minutes): Creates space for children to hear God s word. Small Groups (20 minutes): Kids respond in small groups to what they heard in the Big God Story. Remember Verse & Bless (5 minutes): Allows children to practice their memory verse and be sent out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others. GOAL: Worship & welcome is all about engaging kids and helping them enter into worship, letting them know that class has begun preparing their minds for what they are going to hear. WELCOME: IMAGE: Welcome We are so glad you are here at Critter Land today. If you brought offering, you can go put it in the squirrel feeder right when you come in. OPENING WORSHIP SONG: VIDEO: (9:00 & 11:30) Unshakable VIDEO: (10:15) Hosanna Rock 1

2 GOAL: Establishes community and engages kids, drawing them in and preparing them to hear God s word. Kids get to participate in various worship elements such as offering, scripture memorization and their curiosity is peaked as they discover what will be in the wardrobe of wonder. RULES MAIL TIME VIDEO: CHLOE S RULES VIDEO: Mail Time Intro Video IMAGE: Remember Verse No one is like you, LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Jeremiah 10:6 Motions: No one: Both hands open, palms down, cross right hand over left hand and back again. is like you, LORD: Point up to sky with right index finger. Then create L with right index finger and thumb, place over left shoulder and move down to right hip. you are great: Bring both fists up to sky and splay hands open together. and your name: Put index and middle finger together on both hands. Tap two fingers on right hand gently on two fingers on left hand quickly three times. is mighty in power: Hold up both arms in strong-arm pose. WORSHIP IN SINGING VIDEO: (9:00 & 11:30) - God of Love VIDEO: (10:15) - We Believe VIDEO: Wardrobe of Wonder Intro Choose 1 volunteer. Volunteer picks two hats from wardrobe one for himself, one for host. Tell other kids to put on their imaginary thinking caps. Volunteer peeks in the What s It box. Host gives 3 clues, kids get to vote on what they think it is. WARDROBE OF WONDER What sit: Sandals Then as host you say. If you think our clue is a, raise your hand. If you think our clue is a, raise your hand. If you think our clue is a, raise your hand. Let the child volunteer tell which answer is correct! (Child volunteer s name), why do you think we have a pair of sandals in our wardrobe this week? Wait for responses and interact with the answers. They must tell us something about part of The Big God Story we re going to hear today. But what do you think sandals might have to do with The Big God Story? Look at the sandals as if inspecting them. They don t look very special. These sandals look like regular shoes you can wear just about anywhere. Friends, where can we find out what these sandals are all about? Children respond. That s right, in the Bible. Do you know what time it is? It s time for The Big God Story! 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: Video: The Big Story Intro Storyteller Script Hello, friends! It s so good to be here with you. I see that we have some new friends with us today. Welcome! We re all so glad you re here with us. Before we get into The Big God Story, there s something we need to do together. Do you remember what that is? Children respond. Pray! That s right. Let s talk to God together and ask Him to teach us today. Lead children in a Prayer of Release. Last time in The Big God Story, we heard about Abraham and how God chose his family to be God s special people in this world. Eventually, Abraham s family grew just like God promised and they all came to live in the land of Egypt. In that land, there lived a man named Moses. God had a very special plan for Moses and showed him that God is I AM. I AM is a special name for God because God is holy. There is no one else like Him. When Moses was just a baby, the princess of Egypt found him in a basket floating down the river. She named him Moses and brought him into her family. Moses grew up in the palace of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. When Moses became a man, he saw the people of God who were called the Israelites being treated very unfairly by those who worked for Pharaoh. This upset Moses and made him angry. Later, Moses left the palace of Pharaoh and moved out to the desert. 3

4 One day while he was caring for a flock of animals, Moses saw a bush that looked like it was on fire. Cue burning bush prop. Have you ever watched a fire before? Children respond. What happens to things that are burning? Children respond. They turn to ash and disappear, that s right. Wait. Should we ever play with fire? Children respond. No! That s right. It s very dangerous. Only grown-ups should use fire. Well, the flames Moses saw weren t like any he had seen before. Not ever! The bush was on fire, but it wasn t burning up! These weren t normal flames like people use. This was a very special kind of fire. Emphasize this next point. The Lord God was in the flames on the bush! God was letting Moses know that He is I AM and there is none like Him anywhere! Optional: Tech: Cue burning bush scene from The Prince of Egypt. When God saw Moses walk over to get a closer look He called to him, Moses, Moses! Moses stopped and answered God, Here I am. Cue instrumental music. Do not come any closer, God said. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. Holy means the ground Moses was standing on was special and different from anything else. It was holy because God was there and God is I AM! Moses couldn t stand on holy ground with the sandals that he wore all over the desert. So Moses obeyed God and took off his sandals. Storyteller takes off shoes. Then, God introduced Himself to Moses. Do you know what introduce means? Children answer. It means that God told Moses who He is. God wanted Moses to meet Him, for Moses to get to know Him better. Try introducing yourself to your neighbor. Allow children a moment to do this; model it for them. God said to Moses, I am the God of your father, and the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. You may choose to drop to your knees and hide your face as you storytell this. When Moses asked God what His name was, God told him, I AM who I AM. Tell the Israelites that I AM has sent me to you. What does Moses already know about God? Wait, then encourage thought with a follow-up question. What did God tell Moses from inside the bush? Children answer. God is holy; that s right. He is special and not like anyone or anything else. God is I AM. There is no one like God. Moses knew God is holy, and now he was meeting God Himself. The God who made the whole wide world and everything in it was talking with Moses. The same God who saved Noah and his family from the floodwaters was there with him in the burning bush. The God who knew his dad and grandpa, and so many great people before them, was talking to him. Moses was meeting the One true, living, and holy God! Now that Moses knew who God was, he worshipped Him. How did God show Himself to Moses? Children answer. Yes, He showed Himself to Moses in the burning bush. Did God tell Moses who He is? Children answer. Yes, He did. God is I AM. There is no one like God. Does God show us who He is? Children answer. Yes, He does. God shows us who He is every day. We can learn more about God by looking at the things He has made. Give a few examples. God also tells us who He is in The Big God Story the Bible. Start to quiet physical movement and voice as you lead into closing. When you re praying, who hears everything you say? Children answer. God does! And who teaches you deep down in your heart about God? Children answer. God does! God shows us who He is every day in many ways. God is I AM, and we can know Him. 4

5 GOAL: Kids respond in small groups to what they heard in the Big God Story. Find a Friend SUPPLIES (per small group) Dot stickers (multi-color, 1color per child) Friends, today in The Big God Story we heard about when Moses met God at the burning bush. God showed Himself to Moses and He shows Himself to us. We can learn more about God by looking at the things He has made which includes us! We re going to have a chance to show and tell our friends all about ourselves. In a moment, I m going to hand you some stickers. You ll see that all of your stickers are the same color. When I say go, I want you to find someone with a different color sticker from yours and tell them something about yourself. You can tell them your favorite ice cream flavor, the color of your house, or your favorite TV show. You can tell them anything! After you share something about yourself, give them one of your stickers. Then, it will be their turn to tell you something and give you one of their stickers. Keep finding new people with different-colored stickers to share things with until you collect all the colors available. Repeat instructions for younger kids if necessary and demonstrate with another leader to help kids understand the concept. Play the music in the background until they ve collected all the stickers. Wonder Question Coloring Page Allow kids to color while asking the following questions. Today in The Big God Story, Moses found himself in a place that became sacred because God was there and met with Him. God revealed more of Himself to Moses. God is I AM. He is holy and like no other. I wonder How did Moses feel when he met God at the burning bush? I wonder What did Moses know about God? I wonder What do I know about God? I wonder How can I get to know God better? 5

6 GOAL: Kids respond in small groups to what they heard in the Big God Story. Moses and the Burning Bush Supplies: Tree template one per child Moses template one per child Red, yellow and orange and green tissue paper Tape and glue sticks Crayons Friends, today in The Big God Story we heard about when Moses met God at the burning bush. God showed Himself to Moses and He shows Himself to us. We are going to make a picture of the burning bush, so you can remember that God is Holy, and Special. He is the Great I AM. Pass out the tree template and allow the kids to color the tree and put green tissue paper on it if they want. Have them take the red, yellow, and orange tissue paper and tape it to the back of their tree. Show them how to fold their paper so it will stand up. Pass out the Moses template and let the kids color it. Have kids fold and tape the Moses template to the standing up tree. Make sure they put their name on their papers. Ask kids the following Wonder Questions as they work on their projects or as time allows. I wonder Why did the bush not burn? I wonder What do you think it would be like to hear God s Voice? I wonder What does it mean to be holy? 6

7 Review the Remember Verse: No one is like you, LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Jeremiah 10:6 Children are blessed through a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, and words of encouragement and guidance from their leaders. Children, may you know God more and more each day. May you always follow Him and trust Him. 7

8 One afternoon, our ministry team sat together reading and listening to the Word of God being spoken over us. Each time Scripture was spoken, I could hear God s voice. Each time, the movement of His Spirit within me was louder and stronger. He was present; He was close speaking to each person in the room. We could all hear Him and feel Him. We looked around the room at one another. It was clear. God was near, and we knew His presence. Somehow the room we were in was transformed. No longer was it a living room, but a sacred space. As we shared, the accounts each of us was giving were the same. In this sacred space, God was revealing Himself to us. We sat in awe. There could be no denying Him. I didn t want to move. I didn t want our shared experience our shared worship to end. My soul longed for more. More of our Holy God the great I AM. The unknown becomes known. Until God shows Himself, we cannot know Him. He chooses to reveal Himself in many ways, and has throughout all of time. From a burning bush and pillars of cloud and fire to a living room with a few attentive worshippers, God desires for us to know Him. He longs for us to be in close relationship with Him closer than even our own breath. Cristi Thomas TruWonder Team Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. Isaiah 6:3 The very essence of God is holiness. To know God is to first know that He is holy. Qadowsh is the transliterated Hebrew of the word holy. To be holy is to be set apart removed from anything that acts as a contaminant. To be holy is to be pure and without blemish. Sacred. The complete and total otherness of God does not allow for comparison to anything or anyone else. He is distinct. He alone is holy. The matter of the holiness of God will often cause us to pause. Understanding God s holiness can be difficult for an adult. How do we go to this place with preschool and kindergarten children? We just do. We often try to teach children about spiritual concepts by drawing a comparison with the world they know and either confirming or contrasting it with Scripture. But God isn t like anything or anyone else. None compares to Him. So, to teach children about the holiness of the Lord is to simply state what it is for Him to be holy. God is other no one compares to Him. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. 8

9 What is God speaking to your soul? This week, explore a time of contemplative praying through Scripture. This is a way for the Word of God to become another point of connection between you and God. Whether you block out a few minutes or an hour, allow yourself this time. Slow your rhythm and experience God s Word washing over your heart and soul. Read Psalm 90. This psalm was written by Moses and is thought to be the oldest of the psalms. Read verses 1 4 a second time. Listen with your heart to what God s Spirit is saying to you. Read the same four verses a third time. Meditate on the passage. Ponder. What stands out to you? You may choose to write the Scripture on a piece of paper and post it somewhere visible to you on a regular basis, revisiting it throughout the week. Choose a method that works best for you. Read Psalm 90:1 4 one last time. Ask what God wants to say to you. How does He want to minister to you through this passage? Listen and respond. You may choose to journal to mark this time with the Lord. The natural reply to the Lord from your heart is the best response. Be free and be blessed! As you come before the Lord in a quiet place, may you feel His presence and hear His voice as He ministers to your soul. May knowing God and being known by Him bless you. 9