God wants imperfect people to be part of his family. Genesis 25 and 27, Lamentations 3:22-23

Transcription

1 August 13-14, 2016 Extreme Earth Unit: Jacob and Esau Genesis 25 and 27, Lamentations 3:22-23 God wants imperfect people to be part of his family. Connect Time (15 minutes): Five minutes after the service begins, split kids into groups and begin their activity. Large Group (30 minutes): Begin 20 minutes after the service starts. Model what it looks like to be engaged in large group. Small Group (15 minutes): Keep kids in small groups until parents arrive. If you all have extra time at the end, you can review the video and songs together. Looking for an easy win? Pull out a board game, or Legos, and invite a new kid to play with you! It will help relieve the awkwardness of them trying to find something to do, and will give you an opportunity to get to know them better. As kids leave, ask them which character they played in Small Group! Today s story is about Jacob and Esau, and how God wants everyone to be a part of his family, even people who are imperfect and make mistakes (which is everyone). We don t have to be perfect to be a part of His plan!

2 GOAL: Connect Time is all about engaging kids in an activity that allows them to connect with each other right away while simultaneously piquing their curiosity for Large Group and preparing their minds for what they re going to hear. TWIN OLYMPICS Divide kids into several teams, and tell kids to find a partner on their team. If a kid can t find a partner, make sure they get paired up with a volunteer. Have all the teams line up at one end of the room, with partners standing together. Lay down a piece of masking tape and show everyone where the finish line is (Decide beforehand on a designated area at the opposite end of the room to be the finish line.) Explain that we will be doing Twin Olympics today! Each pair of kids will have to complete some tasks while reaching the finish line, then returning back to their team. But they have to do them together. On the leader s mark, the first pair of kids from each team will do 3 tasks that the leader calls out, all while trying to reach the finish line and then return back to their team. The leader will call out the same 3 consecutive tasks while each round of partners competes. Call out the following 3 tasks while each round of partners tries to get to the finish line and back: Skip with elbows linked together. Crabwalk in unison. One kid is facing backwards, and the other kid is facing forwards. Walk while standing back to back with arms linked. One kid is facing backwards, one kid is facing forward. Have two volunteers demonstrate the 3 tasks before starting the game so that all kids understand what to do when the leader calls out the tasks. TALK ABOUT IT What was the hardest thing about completing the tasks? What s the same about you and your partner? What s different? Before you go to Large Group, you can ask kids how their week went. You can also remind kids of the expectations for Large Group behavior: (1) be kind, (2) listen when somebody speaks, and (3) follow the leader s instructions.

3 Goal: Kids will (1) understand why Jacob tricked Esau into giving him Isaac s birthright and blessing, (2) recognize that God wanted Jacob to be a part of his family, even though he wasn t perfect, and (3) identify how God wants US to be part of his family too. Why? Not one person is perfect in our world, so today s story is important for everyone. Tip: When using glue in the activity, tell kids to put glue on the paper first (instead of putting the glue directly on the tissue), then press down the torn up tissue paper. That way they don t ruin their tissue paper! REVIEW THE STORY 1. Have you ever done something to upset one of your siblings (or a friend)? Have you ever played a trick on someone? How did that make the other person feel? 2. How did Jacob trick Esau? (He gave him soup in exchange for his birthright; he dressed up as Esau and tricked Isaac into giving him the firstborn blessing.) 3. Why did Jacob make those wrong choices to trick Esau? (He wanted all the special blessings/gifts that come with having the birthright/blessing.) 4. Why did God still give Jacob his blessing, even though he went about it in a wrong way? (God loves us even though we re not perfect; he gives us new mercy every day, and still wants us to be part of his family.) 5. How can God turn something bad, into something good? Is there a specific example in your life? MAKE IT PERSONAL Say: God invited Jacob to be a part of his family, even though he wasn t perfect. He wants to invite YOU to be a part of his family too! Ask: How can we become a part of God s family? We can accept that God sent his son Jesus to rescue us from all the wrong things in the world. We can repent of our wrong choices, and turn toward God instead. We can tell others about Jesus rescue too! Give each kid a God s Family template. Point out what it says, and that all the letters have empty spaces in them. Give each kid 3 pieces of colored tissue paper. Set out glue sticks. Tell kids to rip up their tissue paper into small pieces and glue it onto the letters, filling in the inside part of the letters. (Continued on next page.)

4 As kids are working, explain that all the pieces of tissue paper are different sizes, colors and shapes. They are torn up and imperfect on their own. But when we put them together, we can make a beautiful picture! It s the same with us! God takes broken people who are imperfect and messy, and he uses them as part of his perfect plan. You can also have some meaningful discussion: See if kids can identify how each person in the story was imperfect: Jacob Tricked Esau into giving up his birthright, and his father into blessing him; Ran away when he made his brother mad. Esau Gave away his blessing to Jacob Rebeccah Deceived Isaac; encouraged Jacob to lie to his father Isaac Even though God wanted him to give the birthright to Jacob, he still planned on giving it to Esau. Extra time? Play another round of Twin Olympics, but make up new Twin tasks for kids to do together. Here s some ideas: Hop around the entire room with their arms linked Walk with their heads touching Hold hands and skip Crab walk while their feet or knees are touching in some way Mimick each other s movements

5 Today s lesson can be a little tricky because we want kids to understand that God loves us when mess up, but he also wants us to try and make right choices! Here s a link to a video we ll be watching today! God s Story / Jacob and Esau: WELCOME AND INTRO Main Goal: Review Connect Time and introduce the lesson. *Click to play intro music. Welcome: Hi everybody! Welcome to Kids Club, we re so glad to have you here! Ask: Those Twin Olympics were pretty fun, did you like working with a partner instead of by yourself? (Let kids respond.) Ask: What was the hardest thing to do? (Let kids respond.) How about the easiest? (Let kids respond.) Say: Even though we were pretending to be twins and do everything the same, were you and your partner exactly alike? (Let kids respond.) Nope, you were still different in a lot of ways! And not just how you look. In the game, some of you were good at some tasks, and your partner was better at others! Did you find that to be true when you were playing? (Let kids respond.) I m sure you did! Say: Even if you were REAL twins, would you be exactly the same? (Let kids respond.) Nope, not even then. Twins might looks alike, but they still have very different personalities, abilities and interests! Say: Today we re learning about two twins from the Bible named Jacob and Esau, and they were VERY different. They made a lot of mistakes, but God still used them as a part of his rescue plan. He had a purpose for them, even though they weren t perfect.

6 VOLCANOES Main Goal: Use volcanoes to help explain that supposedly bad things can be used for good! INTRO: JACOB AND ESAU Main Goal: Introduce Jacob and Esau and how they fit into God s family. Say: Before we talk about these brothers, we re going to talk about.volcanoes! Has anybody ever one seen up close? (Let kids respond.) Probably not, because they can be really dangerous, and can cause a lot of destruction! Ask: Do you think volcanoes are just dangerous, or can they be good too? (Let kids respond.) Well we re going to watch a video about volcanoes, and as you watch, try to figure out if they only hurt and destroy things, or if there s a purpose for them too. Video: Volcanoes 101 Ask: So what do you think? Can volcanoes have a good purpose? (Let kids respond.) Say: Yep, they sure can! Even though they can burn down and destroy things, they can also form new land, and beautiful new islands! Sometimes something that seems bad at first, can be used for good. Say: You might be wondering why we re talking about volcanoes! Well, remember those twin brothers I mentioned? We re going to see how they are a part of God s story today, even though they were imperfect. They messed up and made mistakes, but God still had a purpose for them. Kind of like volcanos can have a purpose! Say: These twins, named Jacob and Esau, came from Abraham and Sarah s family, who you may have heard about before. God promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son, and that son would have kids, and those kids would have kids, and one day, the Rescuer would come from their family! Say: Well Abraham and Sarah did have a son, Isaac. And his kids were Jacob and Esau! Esau was born right before his twin brother, Jacob, which means that Esau was the firstborn and he had special rights that Jacob didn t get. Ask: Has anybody ever wanted something that your sibling or maybe a friend, had? Maybe you were jealous? (Let kids respond.) Well that s how Jacob felt. He wanted to have the special rights that Esau had. Things like money, being in charge of the family household, and getting a special blessing from their dad, Isaac. Say: Jacob was willing to make some wrong choices to get these special rights.

7 JACOB WAS IMPERFECT Main Goal: Understand how Jacob made a wrong choice, but God still loved him and was able to use him. JACOB TRICKS ESAU Main Goal: Review how and why Jacob tricked Esau, and understand why God still wanted him as part of his family. Say: As we hear about Jacob s story, you might think that he just made a lot of mistakes and did things the wrong way. But try to figure out if God still used him as a part of his family, even though he wasn t perfect. Video: God s Story / Jacob and Esau Ask: So what happened after Jacob tricked his brother? (Let kids respond.) Yep, he got his dad s blessing that was meant for Esau! Does it surprise you, that even though Jacob did something wrong, he still got what he wanted? (Let kids respond.) Yeah, it might seem a little confusing. Say: The thing is, we live in an imperfect world. None of us can make perfect choices ALL the time, because we all sin. Jacob was the same way, and God loved him whether he made good choices OR bad choices. Just like God loves US no matter what we do. Ask: Let s go back to the part where Jacob decided to trick his brother into giving him his special birthright. Why did Jacob, and his mom Rebekah, want the birthright and special blessing in the first place? (Let kids respond.) Say: Yep, Jacob wanted all the perks that come with being the firstborn! And Esau, because he was so hungry, was willing to give it all up. Ask: Do you think Esau regretted his choice later? (Let kids respond.) He might have; I know I would! Say: Jacob didn t just trick Esau once though, did he? He did it twice! What happened the second time? (Let kids respond.) Yep, Rebekah helped Jacob dress up in Esau s clothes, and then he went to Isaac while pretending to be Esau! Since Isaac couldn t see very well, he couldn t tell that it was Jacob. Ask: What do you guys think of the decisions Jacob made to get what he wanted? (Let kids respond with varying answers.) Yeah, I agree! Now why do you think God still wanted Jacob to be a part of his family, and his ultimate rescue plan? (Let kids respond with varying answers.) Say: Well, we talked about it a little earlier. Are any of us ever going to be perfect all on our own? (Let kids respond.) Nope, and neither was Jacob. But God loved him just like he loves all of his creation. Even when we make wrong choices. He loves us no matter what.

8 GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR JACOB Main Goal: Understand how Jacob became an important part of God s family, and rescue plan! GOD WANTS US IN HIS FAMILY TOO Main Goal: Understand how God loves us and wants us as a part of his family, even when we mess up. WE CAN REPENT Main Goal: Actively understand repentance, and see how it s a part of God s rescue plan. Say: Since God loved Jacob even when he messed up, God was still able to use Jacob for a purpose. He turned something bad like all those mistakes Jacob made into something good! Ask: Who can tell me how God ended up using Jacob as a part of his family? (Let kids respond.) Say: Yep, Jacob eventually had a lot of kids of his own. And those kids had more kids, and on and on and on. And all those people that were born out of Jacob s family, they became the Israelites, who were God s chosen people. Ask: Who would one day come out of God s special family? (Let kids respond.) Yep, Jesus the Rescuer! Ask: Do you think God wants YOU to be part of his family, even if you re not perfect? (Let kids respond.) Absolutely! Even when we make mistakes, or wrong choices, God forgives us and lets us start fresh every single day, IF we want to. Let s look at our verse this month, which tells us about how God s love never stops, no matter what we do! Slide: Lamentations 3:22-23 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Ask: This verse says that God s mercy never stops. Does anyone know what mercy means? (Let kids respond.) Say: Yep, mercy is when God forgives us, even though we deserve punishment. God showed mercy on Jacob by letting him be a part of his special family even after he tricked his brother. God shows mercy on us too, even when we make wrong choices. Say: Let s take a second to think about a wrong choice we ve made lately. Something that we need God to help us with, and start over fresh. (Give kids a few moments.) Say: We ve talked about repentance before; who can tell me what it means? (Let kids respond.) Yep, it s when we realize we ve made a wrong choice, and then we turn away from it. So whatever wrong choice you just thought of in your head? Go ahead and tell God that you want to repent of it, and turn toward something better! (Let kids respond.) Ask: Do you think God can take your mistakes, and turn them into something good? (Let kids respond.)

9 WRAP UP AND WORSHIP Main Goal: Close the lesson with prayer and worship. Say: He sure can! We might not always see it at first, but He can use any of us, no matter how imperfect we are. Let s pray together and ask God to use us as part of his special family, just like he did with Jacob. Pray: God, please help us to turn away from our wrong choices and start over, just like you helped Jacob to do. We want to be a part of your family, and your rescue plan. Amen! Set up worship: Now let s worship God and show him how thankful we are that no matter how imperfect we are, he still loves us and wants us in his family! Music Video: More Like You Are Song: Better than the Best

10 Twin Olympics foot piece of masking or painter s tape Per group: Bible, markers, glue sticks Per kid: God s Family template (printed in BW on 8.5x11 paper, 1 image per paper) (p. 11) 3 pieces of tissue paper (each piece a different color; 6 x6 ) Per Group: Bible 1. Summer Series Extreme Earth Unit song slide: for when kids enter the room (All that You Need instrumental; mp3 only; can be downloaded on website) 2. Video: Volcanoes 101 ( 3. Video: God s Story / Jacob and Esau ( 4. Slide: Lamentations 3:22-23 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. 5. Music Video: More Like You Are ( 6. Song: Better than the Best (KC/SM media videos songs>songs>songs with slides) Tell me about Jacob and Esau. Why does God want us to be part of his family?

11