The Beatitudes. Huddle 4 SETTING THE ATMOSPHERE

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1 The Beatitudes Huddle 4 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole Earth. Matthew 5:5 (NLT) SETTING THE ATMOSPHERE As children arrive, collect the In slips from parents and see which grade they are in for their huddle teams. Remember to check all slips to make sure children are to be in Up & Out this hour. Team Time Each team leader (student leader) should spend time getting a conversation started within the team to find out more about each child. Spend time today discussing the following questions up front... Huddle Teams 1st & 2nd grade girls 1st & 2nd grade boys 3rd & 4th grade girls 3rd & 4th grade boys What did you guys do this week? Is there anything new happening in your life? Can you think of anything that makes you feel that you are blessed? Can you name something this week that you are thankful for? Were you really sad about anything or anyone this week? Were you comforted by someone or did you comfort someone in need? Opening Prayer Leader prays for the group. LESSON HUDDLE (to have a shorter version of the huddle, use only the highlighted portion) (This leaves out any past weeks review and the entire Beatitudes scripture.) Let s all come over together and get started this morning. Good morning, Up & Out! Where we look up (pause for the group to respond) TO GOD and look out (Pause) TO OTHERS. This is our fourth week in the Beatitudes. We have learned some important things these past few weeks. For example, we have learned that having a ME ATTITUDE is not what our ATTITUDES should BE. We have also learned that blessing means God s special favor in our lives, and that blessings aren t always what we expect. The first Beatitude taught us that that our worth comes from God, not our own abilities. The second Beatitude taught us that the kind of mourning Jesus meant for us to have is the kind that gives us such great sadness that makes our hearts and our stomachs hurt for our sins. Let s read the whole Beatitudes passage, to see if we can hear which one is the third Beatitude. Matthew 5:1-12 (NLT). (Read, or have a child or student leader read, Matthew 5:1-12.)

2 One day as He saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around Him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said: 3 God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. 7 God blesses those who are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. 9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 11 God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. So did anyone notice which one is the third Beatitude? Who wants to go back and read it to refresh our memories? (Allow a child to read.) 5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. The word humble means NOT being proud or feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction--- as a result of one s own achievements, qualities or possessions. (Write the word humble and its definition on the dry erase board.) I think if we really think about this definition of humble, we can all agree that it is not easy being humble. How many of you are proud of something you have done lately? How many of you think you are better at doing something than all of your friends or classmates? The world that we live in teaches us that we can be great all on our own. But, the bible teaches us that when we rely on God, who is GREAT, then we can achieve ALL things through Him. Someone who is humble is led by God in all things he does. We can all be great but not on our own. When you realize that you are a great football player because God made you that way and that you are a gifted piano player because God gave you that gift, you are humble. Try to see God in everything you do. Someone who is humble may also be described as tenderhearted, patient, slow to anger, controlled, moderated, not self-seeking, and self-less. Do you feel as though you have some of these qualities? (Let the children answer. This allows them to think of things about themselves that maybe they never have thought of before.) Some of these qualities seem natural to me while others I have to work hard for. You ll find this is the same for you. We tend to believe that the person who does not seek one s own best interests all the time, who does not respond to wrongs done against them with revenge then they must be weak. It never occurs to us, that the person may have made a choice not to do so, based on principle. In every situation you and I face, we have choices presented to us. If a person cuts in front of me on the road, I can shake my fist at them, tailgate them, cut in front of them just like they did to me, or I can

3 decide that it really isn t that important and just keep driving. The same is true of times when someone may have talked about me or has been rude to me, or has taken advantage of me. I can react in anger, seek revenge, demand my own way, or I can choose to do none of those things. It s my choice. Someone who is humble chooses their actions, based on principles, even when those choices are not the norm. A humble person will restrain and control their actions. A humble person will submit their will to that of God s will. A humble person also chooses to be content in whatever their circumstances. When you make a choice based on principle, then you have exercised the greatest strength of all. Think about the way we approach people when we have difficulty with them, like a classmate, a brother or sister, friend or neighbor. Do you choose gentleness with them? When you have something tough to say to someone, do you treat that person with humility, thinking of their feelings before you speak? A humble person will submit to God s will and they let God lead their lives. Humble people trust in the Lord because they know that God s ways are best. So being humble is submitting to God and trusting Him. It is staying calm when people do wrong things. But that does not mean you never get angry, or that you don t stand up for what s right. There are two people in the Bible who are called humble. Yes, just two people. Does anyone want to guess who? (Allow children to guess.) Moses and Jesus are the only two people in the whole Bible to be called humble. Now sometimes it shows up in the Bible as meek, or gentle, but they mean the same things. Let s do a sword drill to see what the Bible has to say about Moses being humble. Take out your Bible and hold it over your heads. When I say go, look up Numbers 12:3. Ready! Set! Go! (Read, or have a child read, Numbers 12:3.) Now Moses was very humble more humble than any other person on earth. In this passage, Aaron and Miriam (Moses brother and sister) are coming up against Moses to criticize him. Instead of fighting back or calling them liars, Moses lets the Lord defend him. Moses was humble, and he submitted to letting God be in charge of the situation. Now let s look at an example of Jesus being humble. Let s start with another sword drill. Take your Bible and hold it over your heads. When I say go, look up Matthew 11:29. Ready! Set! Go! (Read, or have a child read, Matthew 11:29.) Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Jesus is the perfect example of humbleness! So all we need to do to learn to be humble is to follow Jesus and learn from Him. Let s look at two events from Jesus life that can help us to understand humbleness. First read with me from John 2: It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. 14 In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. 15 Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. 16 Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father s house into a marketplace! In this scene, Jesus goes to the temple to find that people have turned a place made to worship God into a shopping mall! A ME attitude could have ignored that these people were doing wrong, but a BEE attitude stands up for what s right. So humble people don t get back at others for doing wrong things to them, but they do what is right and say what is right. Sometimes people say things that go against what the Bible says. The easy thing would be to pretend that we agree with them, but the right thing is to tell the truth about God s love, and to do so kindly.

4 Let s not forget about the blessing God gives us when we follow the example of Moses and Jesus, by being humble. Matthew 5:5 says that when we are humble, we will inherit the earth! So what does that mean? Romans 8:17 helps clear it up. It says, 17 And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering. This is saying that we are children of the Lord and when we are humble, we get the same things as Jesus. We get to be princes and princesses! All of our needs will be filled and then some, when we stand for what is right without getting even or taking revenge. When we trust in God and submit to Him, He gives us all the riches a king gives to a prince or princess! When we are humble, we become spiritually rich and get to spend all of forever in heaven with Jesus! End by adding the humble bee to the inherit the earth part of the hive on the BEE ATTITUDES poster. As we close in prayer, and as you go about your week, learn to be humble in the opportunities that arise. For our craft, we will make something to help remind us that we will inherit the whole earth when we have a BEE ATTITUDE. First, let s pray. Pray and thank God for all of His blessings and humbleness. Ask Him to help us be humble, like Him, because we can t do it all on our own. ACTIVITY Game: More Bees, Please! Supplies Needed: Yellow Cardstock or Construction paper, cut into approximately 2 squares (at least 15 per child=1 sheet) 1 Bowl per child or group (place the yellow squares in, to start) 1 Cup per child (average styrofoam coffee cup size) 1 Straw per child Directions: Gentle movements are the key to this game (think patience and controlled strong breath). There are several variations to this game. Choose what works best for your group. Make little bees (squares) out of cardstock or construction paper. (Two inches across should be good. If they are too big, the children won t be able to hold onto them with the straw.) Put all the paper bees in a small bowl then have the kids try to move the bees from the bowl to their cup by sucking on the end of a straw and getting the bee to stick to the other end. Someone set a timer or count for 60 seconds. The child that has the most bees in their cup wins. If each child has the same number of bees to start with and one child moves all their bees from their bowl to their cup in under 60 seconds, they win.

5 Skittles can be used if you want to use candy. In every variation, the goal is to move something from one bowl to another by sucking through a straw and getting the object to stick to the end of the straw. When they stop sucking, the object will fall. If they move too abruptly, the object will fall. If there is a tie, you could let those kids play the game again but with the candy. You can also make 2 relay teams. Any way that you do it, have fun doing it and try to share a message like using control, having patience, etc.) Examples of humbleness. ACTIVITY Game: Inherit the whole earth with a BEE Attitude Coloring Page Directions: There are two options for your class. Option #1: Have the children color the globe picture with colored pencils. Once they finish, have them press their thumb into a yellow stamp pad or a small amount of yellow paint. Press yellow thumbprints all over the world. Wash hands (diaper wipes work fine for this), then use a black marker to add wings, stripes, legs, antennae, and faces to the bee thumbprints. You can make your own stamp pads by sprinkling a tiny amount of salt on a heavy duty paper (or plastic) plate or pie tin. Mix in some paint. The salt thins the paint out a bit and makes it easier to stamp. Cover the paint with a piece of felt and gently press down. The paint will soak through the felt and allow just enough paint for stamping. This will help keep the kids from getting too much paint on their hands. Option #2: Have the kids color the globe picture with colored pencils or markers and color the bees which are already are printed on the globe.

6 Bee humble, gentle, and kind. Trust that God will take care of you, no matter what. Stand up for what is right, and don t seek revenge.

7 Bee humble, gentle, and kind. Trust that God will take care of you, no matter what. Stand up for what is right, and don t seek revenge.