3 rd -6 th. Living with Love Philippians 1:1-18a. Lesson #4-33. Sunday, May 6, I thank my God every time I remember you.

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1 Sunday, May 6, 2018 Lesson #4-33 Living with Love Philippians 1:1-18a 3 rd -6 th Key Verse: The Point: I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3 The proclamation of the gospel of Christ brings joy and thanksgiving even in difficult circumstances. Making Connections: Living in Hope Bible Nuts & Bolts: Letters Spiritual Practice: Prayer 1

2 Activities Supplies Paul writes a letter to the Philippians. Bible Envelope Paper Exploring the letters of Paul. Bible Envelopes Paper Pens or pencils Paul spreads love even in difficult times. Bibles Cardboard tubes, card stock, or construction paper Pray around the clock. Activity Sheet #4-33.A Crayons or markers White board or mural paper Optional: dry erase marker Sing a traditional camp song. Instruments Optional: music player 2

3 We are all saints. Internet-connected devices Optional: projector Optional ongoing activity. Bible Book page (found at end of lesson) Cardstock or plain paper Pens Markers or crayons Optional: three-ring binders, hole punch None 3

4 Background for Teachers Story Connections Paul tells the Philippians that even though he is imprisoned, he is still full of hope and confidence that God is working among them. Despite his imprisonment, Paul lives in hope for the Philippians and rejoices as the gospel of Christ continues to spread. Story Summary: Living with Love When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, much of his ministry was taking place almost entirely among Gentiles as there was not a large Jewish population in the area. Yet Paul begins his letter to the church in Philippi by calling these non -Jews saints. The original Greek word literally means holy ones. Paul is thankful for the work of the people in Philippi in spreading the story of Jesus. Paul is certain that this sharing of the gospel will also be fruitful for the church, and the Christians there will continue to learn and grow. As they continue to share and preach and teach, their own love overflows, leading them into even greater knowledge and joy. Although Paul writes this letter while imprisoned, the tone is full of joy and love as he praises the church in Philippi. Paul uses this as another opportunity to spread the gospel rather than a time to be silent. The Point The proclamation of the gospel of Christ brings joy and thanksgiving even in difficult circumstances. We all struggle through difficult times in our lives, and the men and women of the Bible were no different. As Paul writes his letter to the Philippians, he is in prison. Because Christianity was not a legal religion in the Roman Empire, the Philippian Christians were meeting in secret in small house churches. The lives of these early disciples was difficult, but Paul praises and encourages them for keeping the joy of the gospel of Christ with them always. Bible Nuts and Bolts: Letters This passage contains the opening of the letter to the Philippians. Letters in ancient times followed a formula, beginning with the sender, the addressee, and a greeting. The opening of the letter functions as a snapshot of the whole letter, helping the audience to get a feel for what Paul will say. This letter is written specifically for this community and its situation. It is meant to be read aloud, putting it in the same category as a sermon or speech. As the art of letter writing fades from our culture and the sound bite takes over, we find a teaching moment in which our children can learn the ancient arts of letter writing and storytelling. Spiritual Practice: Prayer Paul says that he is constantly praying in joy for the Philippians. It is easy to remember to pray while at church, or before a meal or at bedtime. What does it mean to pray constantly? How can we make our life itself a prayer? 4

5 Lesson #4-33 (3rd-6th) May 6, 2018 Lesson Plan Paul writes a letter to the Philippians. You will need: Bible Envelope Paper Before class: 1. You may want to address the envelope with the answers from the Bible Nuts and Bolts activity, below. 2. Place the paper in the envelope, and hide it in the Bible. During class: 1. Today we are going to hear from a man named Paul. Paul wrote a lot of the Bible. Let me open our Bible to the letter he wrote to some people in a town called Philippi open Bible, allowing letter to fall out. 2. What is this that fell out of my Bible? [A letter.] That is right, it is a letter. The Bible has a lot of letters, and a lot of them were written by Paul. We are going to take some time to look at these letters before we hear our story. 5

6 Exploring the letters of Paul. You will need: Bibles Envelopes Paper Pencils or pens During class: 1. How many of you have received a letter or card in the mail at home? Now we seem to get more s and text messages then mail, but people used to have to rely on letters to communicate with people who were far away. Our Bible story today is that kind of letter. 2. Letters all have some things in common. Hand out a blank envelope and pencil or pen to each student. Point to the return address area on envelope. This part of the envelope tells who the letter is from. Have students turn in their Bibles to Philippians 1. Can you find the part in the Bible story that tells who wrote this letter? [Philippians 1:1a, Paul and Timothy.] Let s all write Paul and Timothy in the return address area of our envelopes. 3. Which part of the envelope shows to whom the letter is going? Allow students to point out the address area. Can you find in our Bible passage where it tells who Paul is writing to? [Philippians 1:1, the saints in Christ Jesus in Philippi.] Let s add that to our envelope where the address goes. 4. Give everyone a sheet of paper. The rest of this Bible passage is like the letter inside the envelope. The first thing Paul does is to say Hi, but in different words than we use. What words does Paul use to greet the Philippians? [Philippians 1:2, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.] Those are wonderful words! Let s write them on our letter. 5. That is a beautiful way to greet each other! Let s take turns greeting our neighbor by saying, Grace to you and peace. Allow students to greet one another. 6. Let s look at what else Paul wrote in his letter to the Christians in the church in the city of Philippi. 6

7 Paul spreads love even in difficult times. You will need: Bibles Cardboard tubes, card stock, or construction paper Before class: 1. Make a barred window, approximately 12 x 12, out of empty paper towel rolls, construction paper, or cardstock. This will simply be a prop for Paul to look through while talking to the guards. During class: 1. We are going to turn back to our story and read it together. Everyone turn to the letter from Paul to the Philippians, chapter 1, beginning at verse 1. Help students as needed. 2. Invite students who are comfortable doing so to take turns reading the passage. 3. There are a lot of things going on in this passage! One we have talked about: Paul is speaking to the Philippians in a letter. 4. Let s keep going and look at verse 3. How does Paul feel about the Christians that he is writing to? [He is thankful for them.] What does verse 4 say that he is doing to show his thankfulness? [Constantly praying in joy.] Verse 5 tells us why is he so thankful. Can you find it? [Because they are telling other people about the gospel, the story of Jesus.] We will talk more about these verses in a moment. 5. Paul goes on to talk about how thankful he is for these friends. Listen to all the good things he says about them. Read verses 8 through Paul sure sounds like a happy guy! But when we get to the next part, we learn something really interesting. Look at verses 13 and 14. Where is Paul when he writes this letter? [Prison.] Can you imagine being so thankful and joyful when you are in prison? Do you think you would be able to do that if you were in his situation? Allow students to answer. 7. Most of us have a hard time being joy-filled when things are going wrong. But according to what Paul is teaching us, the proclamation of the gospel of Christ brings joy and thanksgiving even in difficult circumstances. 7

8 8. We are going to take turns pretending to be Paul. I am going to give you a chance to come up here and stand in jail (behind the 12x12 jail window you created earlier). When you are in jail, I want you to share one thing about Jesus or your faith that makes you joyful. 9. Allow students time to take turns coming forward. Hold the jail window in front of them as they share something that makes them joyful. 10. We are not in prison like Paul was, but sometimes we do struggle with hard times. Even during these difficult times in our life, we sure do have a lot of reasons to be thankful and joyful! Let s talk about praying with thanksgiving for all of these things. 8

9 Make life a prayer. You will need: Activity Sheet #4-33.A Crayons or markers White board or mural paper Optional: dry erase marker Before class: 1. Make a copy of Activity Sheet #4-33.A for each student. 2. On the white board or mural paper, make three columns with the headings Morning, Afternoon, and Evening. During class: 1. Paul writes that he is constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you. What does constantly mean? [All the time, never stopping.] So constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers means Paul was praying all the time! That is a lot of prayer. Paul was praying all day long. 2. Hand out Activity Sheet #4-33.A. 3. We are going to use this Activity Sheet to help us remember to pray all day long. We are going to think about different times of the day that we can pray, and write some ideas on this clock. 4. What are some things that we can pray about in the morning? [A good day at school or at home, breakfast, our friends and family, etc.] Write the ideas on the white board or mural paper under the Morning heading. 5. Go through the same process for ideas for afternoon and evening or nighttime prayers. 6. Now that we have a good list of ideas, pick one or two from each column and write or draw that idea on your clock face. Let s start with morning ideas. Help students as needed, then continue with afternoon and evening sections. 7. Let s end by praying together: Dear Jesus, help us to pray all the time with joy. Amen. 9

10 Sing a traditional camp song. You will need: Instruments Optional: music player Before class: 1. If you are unfamiliar with the song Fill My Cup, do an Internet search to learn it. During class: 1. Paul says his heart is overflowing with joy for the Philippians. We are going to learn a song about filling our heart, or cup, with so much joy that it overflows. 2. Teach the song, allowing students to use instruments or hand motions. 3. This traditional song can include many other songs as verses, including: Jesus Loves Me Amazing Grace Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star The ABC Song 10

11 Work as a team to share the gospel. You will need: Paper Masking tape Before class: 1. Print or write the letters from the phrase Jesus loves you, one letter on each piece of paper. 2. Put one curl of masking tape on the back of each paper. During class: 1. Divide into teams, or work as one large group. 2. Today we are going to spread a very important message. Paul was thankful for the church in Philippi because they told other people about Jesus. We are going to play a game to help tell other people about Jesus, too. 3. Line up teams across from a wall or other flat surface to which the papers will stick. Each team has some letters on the floor in front of them. When it is your turn, you will pick up one of the letters, run across the room, and stick it on the wall. Then run back to your team, tag the next person, and go to the end of the line. 4. When all of the letters are sticking to the wall, you will all run as a team to the letters and arrange them to make sense. Remember, we are trying to tell other people the good news that Jesus loves them. 5. Allow students to race, and help them unscramble the letters at the end as needed. 11

12 We are all saints. You will need: Internet-connected devices Optional: projector Before class: 1. Allow students to bring phones, or provide tablets or other Internet-connected devices, or project search images for the group to see. 2. If you choose to project the search results, you may want to prepare images ahead of time. Be sure to include the football team and logo, biblical iconography, statues, angels, a Saint Bernard dog, and Mount Saint Helens. During class: 1. What do you think of when you think of a saint? [Football team, church people, people who do good things.] 2. Let s see what happens when we do an image search online for the word saint. 3. Allow students to search. Invite them to share what they find, or project the results from your search. 4. We are missing some very important saints in our search. Have you found the picture of yourself yet? Allow students a moment of confusion. 5. YOU are a saint, too! Just like the people that Paul was writing to in Philippi, you are also a saint. A saint does not mean that you are perfect or super religious. A saint is simply someone who loves Jesus and tells others about him. Paul would be thankful for you, too. 12

13 Optional ongoing activity. You will need: Bible Book page (found at end of lesson) Cardstock or plain paper Pens Markers or crayons Optional: three-ring binders, hole punch Before class: 1. Make copies of this week s Bible Book page on cardstock or copy paper for each student. During class: 1. Hand out Bible Book pages. 2. What are some of the important things we have learned from today s story? [Answers will vary.] 3. On the bottom of your page, please write one or two important things that you have learned from the story today. In the middle of the page, draw a picture from the story or illustrate one of the important things you ve learned. Don t forget to put your name on the back of the page, please! 4. Optional: Collect and three-hole punch the pages, and put them in individual binders for each student to be kept at church until the end of the year. If you wish, you can investigate other options for binding the Bible books through a local print shop at the end of the year instead of using a three-ring binder. 13

14 Today we learned a lot about how important it is to spread the story of Jesus, and how important it is to pray. Let s look at our Living the Story clocks again. I want you to help me close with prayer by filling in the blanks with what you wrote on your clock. Let s pray together: Dear Jesus, hear us as we pray in the morning for (have students fill in their ideas). Dear Jesus, hear us as we pray in the afternoon for (have students fill in their ideas). Dear Jesus, hear us as we pray in the evening for (have students fill in their ideas). Help us make our lives a prayer. Amen. 14

15 Activity Sheet #3-33A Lesson #4-33 (3rd-6th) May 6, 2018 Constantly Praying with Joy Make life a prayer. 15

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17 Bible Book Lesson #4-33 (3rd-6th) May 6, 2018 Living with Love Philippians 1:1-18a I learned: 17

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19 The Home 3 rd -6 th Living the Word: Teaching Kids God s Story Narrative Lectionary, Year 4 ( ) Lesson #4-33 Philippians 1:1-18a Last Week This week, Paul challenges the religious leaders to put their faith in a God who cannot be contained or restrained in a simple idol. This Week Next week, we see Paul reflecting on his missionary journeys. Now imprisoned, he writes to the Philippians he visited in Acts 16, and shares words of encouragement. Story Summary Paul begins his letter to the church in Philippi by calling the Christians there saints. The original Greek word literally means holy ones. Paul is thankful for the work of the people in Philippi in spreading the story of Jesus. Paul is certain that this sharing of the gospel will also be fruitful for the Christian church, and they will continue to learn and grow. Although Paul writes this letter while imprisoned, the tone is full of joy and love as he praises the church in Philippi. Paul sees this as another opportunity to spread the gospel. Practice: Prayer Paul says that he is constantly praying in joy for the Philippians. It is easy to remember to pray while at church, or before a meal or at bedtime. What does it mean to pray constantly? How can we make our life itself a prayer? As a family, write a letter reaching out to a family member, neighbor, or friend who is isolated and would appreciate the personal touch of a letter. Tell them that you are praying for them. The Point The proclamation of the gospel of Christ brings joy and thanksgiving even in difficult circumstances. Bible Nuts & Bolts Letters This passage contains the opening of the letter to the Philippians. Letters in ancient times followed a formula, beginning with the sender, the addressee, and a greeting. The opening of the letter functions as a snapshot of the whole letter, helping the audience to get a feel for what Paul will say. This letter is written specifically for this community and its situation. It is meant to be read aloud, putting it in the same category as a sermon or speech. As the art of letter writing fades from our culture and the sound bite takes over, we find a teaching moment in which our children can learn the ancient arts of letter writing and storytelling. Next Week Next week, we continue the three-week series on Philippians. Paul continues to remind the Philippians of the example that Christ gave them.

20 @ HOME Lesson #4-33 Philippians 1:1-18a Family Discussions Use the questions below or other questions you think of to discuss today s Scripture reading (listed above) with your family. In what way does this text speak to our theme of Living in Hope? What does this scripture have to do with our lives today? What part of this scripture is the most interesting to you? Why? Family Devotions As you hear and study these stories each week, consider what God has to say to you and your family. What is God s message to us? How should we respond? Sunday Read Philippians 1:1-18a Living with love. Share what you are thankful for about each family member. Close with prayer for each person. Monday Read Philippians 1:19-26 Paul s reason for happiness. Share one thing about your faith that makes you happy. Tuesday Read Philippians 1:27-30 Fight for the faith. Stand shoulder to shoulder as you read this passage. Wednesday Read Galatians 1:11-24 Paul explains the gospel. Look at a map online to find the locations Paul mentions in this text. Thursday Read Galatians 2:1-10 Paul at Jerusalem. What is one way that you can help the poor this week?. Friday Read Galatians 2:11-14 Paul and Peter. What is one thing that you do or do not do as a Christian that might look odd to nonbelievers? Saturday Read Galatians 2:15-21 Paul explains the gospel, part 2. It does not matter what you do or do not do: Jesus will always love you. Pray a prayer of thanksgiving for this amazing love.