2.12. God Redeems. Bible Passage: Nehemiah 1 4; 6 9 (Nehemiah and Walls of Jerusalem)

Transcription

1 date: Bible Passage: Nehemiah 1 4; 6 9 (Nehemiah and Walls of Jerusalem) God Redeems REMEMBER VERSE Many are the plans in a person s heart, but it is the Lord s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children s ministry leaders. All rights reserved.

2 Tru Mission Statement Tru helps kids and their families connect to God, find their place in His big story, and respond to Him through the power of the Holy Spirit. Lesson Path: Seeing the Mission Statement in a Tru Lesson Connecting leaders to God... Connects kids and their families to God His big story And invites them to respond to Him Through the power of the Holy Spirit. Inspire, Equip, and Support HomeFront Weekly Anticipate Celebrate Respond Bless Navigating Lesson Below you will find additional information to enhance lesson sections as needed. Anticipate Celebrate Respond Mosaics Some children may not know what a mosaic is, so create an example to keep nearby as children work on their mosaic bricks. Bless Small Enhancement Would You Rather? activities are available for this lesson. Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users may find them in the Resource Files. HomeFront Magazine: A Spiritual Parenting Resource This magazine gives families ideas for creating fun, spiritually forming times in their homes setting aside a sacred space for family in the midst of their active, everyday lives! As the new issue becomes available each month, you may choose to print it for families or encourage them to visit to subscribe to have the magazine sent directly to their inboxes. HomeFront is also available as an app for iphone, ipad, or Android devices. 2

3 Anticipate// 5 10 min. When God used Nehemiah to help His people rebuild Jerusalem s walls, it took them only 52 days and they had been in the process of rebuilding their city for 100 years! The people were only able to do this because God was with them, watching over them and helping them. Option 1: Rebuilding Ruins (for Younger and Older Kids) twigs, small sticks, or craft sticks (2 3 dozen) rocks or stones (2 dozen, small) play dough or modeling clay (several lumps) SET UP Mix up the sticks and rocks on the table to create the ruins of a city. Place the play dough or clay nearby. Option 3: Box Wall (for Older Kids) boxes (at least 1 dozen; examples: shoe boxes, cereal boxes, file boxes) Invite children to use the boxes to build a wall across the room. Partner Church Comments We set out two Jenga games, with all the pieces taken apart. Signs directed the kids to work on building walls with the blocks. Mount Paran North Church of God Invite children to build a new city or new city wall out of the ruins on the table. They can use the play dough to hold the rocks and sticks together. Option 2: Block Wall (for Younger or Older Kids) building blocks (at least 3 dozen) SET UP Place the blocks on a table. Invite the children to use the building blocks to construct a wall on a table. See if they can make a wall that goes around the perimeter of the table. 3

4 Respond// min. Reflect: God Redeems God used Nehemiah to rebuild His people s home and bring their hearts back to Him. God redeems what is broken. Encourage the kids to open their Bibles and read the suggested passages. Questions for Younger Kids Why had God s people been taken captive? Where was their home? What did Nehemiah do when he heard about Jerusalem? Nehemiah 1:4; 2:5 How were the people able to build the wall so quickly? Nehemiah 6:16 What does redeem mean? What do you need God to redeem in your life? Questions for Older Kids Why had God s people been taken captive? Where was their home? What did Nehemiah do when he heard about Jerusalem? Nehemiah 1:4; 2:5 How was God with Nehemiah when he spoke with the king? Nehemiah 2:4 5 What happened when the Israelites enemies tried to stop them from rebuilding the wall? Nehemiah 4:15 What did the people do when they heard God s Word? Nehemiah 8:6; 9:2 What does redeem mean? What do you need God to redeem in your life? Create: Mosaic Bricks shoe boxes (1 per child) tape or glue construction paper or tissue paper (about 5 10 sheets, various colors) glue sticks (1 per child) PREPARE AHEAD For each shoe box, tape or glue the lid to the box. Tear the construction paper or tissue paper into small, uneven pieces (about half an inch to two inches in size). God still redeems our hearts and lives today. He sent His Son, Jesus, to pay for our sins, and buy us back into a relationship with Him. He can also redeem the broken situations in our lives! He takes the broken pieces and puts them together again to make something beautiful. Let s take some broken pieces and put them together to make something beautiful. Give a shoe box, or brick, to each child. Encourage children to select various sizes and colors of broken pieces of paper and glue them to their bricks to create beautiful mosaics. When the kids finish their mosaic bricks, encourage them to stack their bricks at a specific place along the wall, as if they re building their own brick wall. Then bring everyone back together for some discussion. What is one area in your life or in your family members lives that God has redeemed? What is one area that you re asking God to redeem? How has Jesus redeemed you? 8

5 Bless// 5 min. Invite children to listen as you read Psalm 107:1 3 over them: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Encourage children to cup their hands around their mouths, as if shouting their stories, as you bless them. May God redeem every broken part of your life. May you tell the story of how God has redeemed you so that those around you will see His work in your life. WEEKLY Be sure to send home the HomeFront Weekly for next week s lesson! This preteaching tool for parents encourages families to spend time in God s Word together before children arrive at church. 9