Peacefulness Stays Orderly

Transcription

1 Copyright 2015 by Elizabeth L. Hamilton All Rights Reserved. Peacefulness Lesson 4 of 4 Peacefulness Stays Orderly (Peacefulness maintains tidiness, organization, and order in all areas of life.) Scripture: For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. I Corinthians 14:33 Preparation Read entire lesson before teaching it. Display the pictures from lessons 1, 2, and 3 on a bulletin board or hang them from a wire. Print on cardstock one copy each of the picture pages. Print one copy of the age-appropriate activity sheet(s) for each child involved. Review and Introduction Ask: What character trait are we working on today? You ve learned three things about peacefulness. Can you remember them? Let s take a couple of minutes to review. Point to the displayed pictures from the first three lessons as you review. Say: Today s story will show you that peacefulness is not hard. You can do this. Listen. Tell this story in your own words, changing it to fit your listeners culture and ages. NOTE: This lesson contains words and phrases from language other than English. Simply pronounce them as well as possible or purposefully mispronounce them. Misunderstanding is part of the story. Scott! Mike shouted as he raced into the classroom. Think fast! He threw a big blob of wet paper across the room, right at Scott. Scott ducked, and the paper splatted onto Rocky s desk. Hey! Rocky scooped up the soggy ball. Slob-blob! You asked for it, he yelled. He hurled the mess back at Mike. Then he yanked paper from his desk, poured water on it, and squished another dripping mess. He sent the slob-blob flying at Scott, but it hit Sophia s desk instead. Sophia gave him a look. Tranquilidad, she said. Display picture of Sophia as you continue. The boys laughed. Tranquil Dad?! Mike screeched. Her dad s a porcupine. Tran quill. Scot threw a slob-blob right at Sophia. Speak English! Sophia jumped from her chair. No puedo estudiar sin paz y tranquilidad!! she told the boys. Janquelle jumped up, shouting at the boys, Ferme ta bouche! Il moyens pacifiques. Mrs. Burns know. Mrs. Burns know what? Rocky shouted. Whatever you two said, Mrs. Burns doesn t know it. Look at her desk. Does that look as though she knows anything? Know-how doesn t go near that desk! Let s throw slob-blobs on Mrs. Burns desk! Scott suggested. She ll never notice with that mess! Hands flew as all the boys started making slob-blobs, but just as Mike aimed one at the teacher s desk, Mrs. Burns opened the door. The class scrambled into their seats, dropping slob-blobs on the floor.

2 Mrs. Burns walked to her desk, setting her coffee mug on top of a scattered mess of books and papers. She looked over the desk, peeking cautiously under papers. Then she looked at the class and pretended surprise. What? No snake today? Mrs. Burns asked. I suppose you couldn t find one. Well, time for Character Building. She walked to the board, and wrote the word PEACEFULNESS with big, bright yellow chalk. Then she went back to her desk. Now where did I put my test on peacefulness? She pushed papers around for a minute, and then gave a huge pretend sigh. Oh, I am so sorry, she said. We won t be able to take the test after all. She wiped a pretend tear from her eye. I know you wanted the test, but I ve lost it. Mrs. Burns started to say something else, but before she could, there was a big, firm knock on the door. The door opened and Principal Sharp came in. He frowned. Five steps took him to the teacher. He picked up the coffee mug. Mrs. Burns. He whispered, but the students could hear, No coffee in class! Display picture of teacher and principal at desk as you continue. He forgot to whisper when he noticed the rest of the desk. What are you studying?!!! he asked loudly. Mrs. Burns sat down in her chair and smiled at the principal. We were just starting Character Education class, she said. She pointed behind her at the big yellow word on the chalkboard. Principal Sharp stared at it. Peacefulness?!!! he barked. Your desk looks like a paper explosion and you re teaching peacefulness?!!!!! The students held their breath, but Mrs. Burns leaned back in her chair and smiled angelically. She even waved her arms like angel wings as she said, Of course! I m peaceful. My students are peaceful. The principal strode to the chalkboard, picked up the bright yellow chalk, and added two words. Peacefulness stays orderly! he said. Then he told the class. Peacefulness stays orderly. You show peacefulness when you keep your desk and other belongings tidy. You show peacefulness when you do homework in an orderly way. You show peacefulness when you play games in an organized way. You show peacefulness when you speak to others in an orderly manner. Peacefulness stays orderly. Principal Sharp turned to the chalkboard, and wrote the word INSPECTION. He laid down the chalk, said, Tomorrow morning for everyone including you, Mrs. Burns, and walked out of the room. Bible Story: The Chaotic Corinthian Church I Corinthians 14:20-40 PLEASE NOTE: We are not asking you to teach whether the church of today should allow speaking in tongues. We are showing how God presents two opposites: confusion and peacefulness. God uses the Apostle Paul to tell us about a church that did not do peacefulness. It was the Corinthian church a church that did not stay orderly. What did they do? Listen. If therefore the whole church should assemble together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? (I Corinthians 14:23) People came to church and everyone talked in a different language. Imagine it! The pastor probably preached in Greek, and many of the people spoke both Greek and Hebrew, but it was hard to hear the pastor because others were talking. They were talking all at once! Display the picture of the two men speaking in tongues. One man might be talking about God in Spanish another man explaining the Bible in French a woman might speak in Russian another woman in Chinese maybe someone prayed in German while someone else prayed in a language no one knew at all. Someone sang a psalm in a completely different language. It was chaos! The church was so filled with confusion that if people who couldn t understand other languages came in, they might think the whole church was out of its mind! If an unbeliever visited their church, that person would agree that they were all out of their minds. People just wouldn t be able to understand in the commotion.

3 God wanted that chaotic church to stop being disorderly! Paul tells them to take turns speaking. He tells them that if they speak a language that others don t understand, someone has to interpret. If no one can interpret, they are to keep quiet. He says they should not allow more than two, or at the most three, people to speak in other languages at a service. He says those who want to explain God s Word also should take turns. They should not all speak at once. Paul tells them why God is giving them these rules. He writes, For God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. (I Corinthians 14:33) The opposite of confusion is peace. God is not a God of confusion, so when their church allowed confusion, they shut out God. Paul gives them a few more rules from God, and then says, But let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner. (I Corinthians 14:40) The opposite of disorderly is orderly. Orderly is the proper choice. God tells the people in that chaotic church that they should settle down and start being orderly. He tells them that peacefulness stays orderly. That is true in a church, in a school, and in a home. God is never the God of confusion. God is always the God of peacefulness. Apply the story in age appropriate words. Hold up the picture of the girl, reading the caption: Peacefulness Stays Orderly. Suppose ten of you started speaking different languages right this minute. How would it sound? What if you spoke louder and louder so others could hear you? Would a visitor to this room think you were orderly or disorderly? What if an adult tried to speak, and you refused to listen? What if you whispered and talked instead of listening to the adult? Would this room be filled with confusion or peacefulness? Peacefulness stays orderly in words. It never allows dirty words or bad words. Peacefulness speaks calm, well-behaved words. Hold up the picture of the principal and teacher, reading the caption: Peacefulness Stays Orderly. Peacefulness stays orderly in actions, too. Suppose we had desk inspection right now with no warning? Do you keep your desk tidy? Do you keep the belongings in your desk in order? Do you keep this room neat and clean? What about your room at home? Peacefulness stays orderly in actions as well as words. Hold up the picture of the two men, reading the caption: Peacefulness Stays Orderly. Many people in the Chaotic Corinthian Church thought it was good to talk whenever you wanted to talk. They thought it was all right to speak any language, even if nobody understood what you said. They thought it was okay to talk even when others were talking. They didn t listen to others, and the church was filled with confusion. What did God have the Apostle Paul write to them? God is not a God of confusion God is a God of peace! God does not want our lives to be full of commotion. He doesn t want us talking just any time we want to talk. He doesn t want us saying things that others can t understand. God wants our words to be filled with peacefulness He is a God of peace. God is not a God of confusion when it comes to our actions, either. God wants us to do things properly, in an orderly manner. When God looks on you, He wants to see neat, orderly actions. When He looks at your desk, he wants to see a neat, orderly desk. When he looks at your bedroom, He wants to see the peacefulness that stays orderly. Even when He looks into your closet, God wants to see peacefulness. Peacefulness Stays Orderly. Close by handing out assignment sheets.

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7 First and Last Name: Let s make a beautiful dove. Stay orderly as you work. You may ask for help. 1. Color the sign below. Cut out the sign on the dotted line. 2. Give the dove a small eye. Cut out the dove and the olive leaf. 3. Write your Bible Memory Verse on the back of a sheet of pretty paper. 4. Paste the dove and leaf on the front of the pretty paper. 5. Paste cotton balls on the dove s gray wings to make them fluffy. 6. Paste the sign on your paper above the dove. Write your namee below the dove. Peacefulnesss stays orderly. Christian Character-Trait-of-the-Month 2015 by Elizabeth L Hamilton Program Copyright Peacefulness #4 Ages 3 to 7 For more information, visit

8 First and Last Name: I show peacefulness when I stay orderly. Let s make a beautiful dove. Stay orderly as you make your dove. You will need: plain white paper colored construction paper pencil green crayon white cotton balls paste or glue tape scissors What you do: 1. Make wings. Trace your hand twice on white paper like this. Be sure you hold your thumb away from the fingers when you draw. Cut out the handprints and cut the thumb off one handprint. Lay the handprints to one side. 2. Make a tail Carefully cut out this box. Beginning at the short side, fold over and under, making an accordion like this one. Christian Character-Trait-of-the-Month Program Copyright 2015 by Elizabeth L Hamilton Peacefulness #4 Ages 7 and Up For more information, visit

9 Hold one end of the folded paper and wrap tape around it. Open out the other end like this picture to make a fantail. Lay the tail aside with the handprints. 3. Make an olive leaf Cut out the olive leaf below and color it green. Lay it aside. 4. Make a beak Cut a small triangle of white paper to make a beak. Lay it aside. 5. Build your dove. Cut a piece of pretty construction paper. Make it 2 inches higher than your hand and a little wider than that. Write your name on the back of the construction paper. Glue the handprint with thumb on the construction paper, like this. Turn the handprint without a thumb downward. Then move it over the first handprint. Your picture should look like this. Glue the second handprint in place. Glue the fantail to your dove s body. Add a little glue under the tail to make it stay. Glue the olive leaf near your dove s head. Add a beak over the stem of the leaf. Glue cotton balls to the wings and body of your dove to make it fluffy. Do not glue cotton on the neck, head, or tail. Let your finished dove dry completely. Then hang it where it will help you remember to show peacefulness. Learn your Bible Memory Verse, and be ready to explain what it means in your life. Christian Character-Trait-of-the-Month Program Copyright 2015 by Elizabeth L Hamilton Peacefulness #4 Ages 7 and Up For more information, visit