Lesson two: firstborn

Transcription

1 Lesson two: firstborn Main Point: Jesus, The Firstborn, is over all creation. Bible Verse: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 1:15 Bible Story: Jesus Preeminence Colossians 1:15-20; Genesis 1 This Lesson contains: Evidence: Numbah 93 Crack the Code Unlocking the Clues Investigation: Key Bible Story On the Case In the Field Something to think about before teaching: Debriefing: The Gadget Lab Creative Thinking Craft Tricks of the Trade Games Secret Message Bible Memory Express Yourself Daring Disguise Snack Code Deciphering Cards Family Lab Report When we think about the firstborn, we might think about the first child born into a family. We also might consider the Old Testament and the rights and spiritual blessing that was given to the firstborn. However, when we consider Jesus as the Firstborn, we cannot take the view of a literal birth as Jesus was not born. He was not created, instead, it was through Him that all things were created. Therefore, the Firstborn name points toward status and rank. It distinguishes Jesus from the created things as He came before them both in time and in supremacy. He is first over all creation. As kids learn about Jesus being the Firstborn make sure they are clear that He was never created. Also, that as Firstborn, He should be kept as number one in our life. He already has that rank, we just need to acknowledge it. 1

2 Evidence Numbah 93 Supplies: costume, Theme from Pink Panther (optional), piece of paper Preparation: Place the paper inside the envelope. Top Secret lettering can be printed from lesson one and glued to the envelope. *Download the Theme from Pink Panther from itunes. Numbah 93 enters the premises while the music plays. He again hides behind different objects looking over the area. As the music plays, he comes out in front of the audience. I see that the suspicious characters have not left the premises. Just remember that I ve got my eye on you. I just got my orders from the chief of the agency. Right here in this Top Secret envelope. And don t even think I m going to let you close to it. I am guarding it with my life. You may wonder how we are given our orders in the spy world. I can t tell you everything but I can tell you that I am not my own boss. All the agents are under the chief. He is over all of us. Yes, Numbah One is over it all. He created the spy agency so it is up to him to give orders. He gives the orders and we obey them. It is to him we report. He assigns us our jobs and we do them. So whatever is in this envelope, I will be doing to the best of my ability. I am sure you are curious what my next assignment is. Probably something very important. Like perhaps I will need to go to a foreign country and do some very sneaky investigative work. Or better yet I might be spending time on a ship going to a remote island to find a suspicious character- you know, one such as you. I might be called into headquarters to unlock a secret code that has hundreds of agents stumped. It could be any of those things. I guess I could open the envelope just to see. What do you think? Ok, I will open it but that doesn t mean I ll tell you what s in it. Oh this is going to be exciting. (Opens the envelope and pulls out a piece of paper and starts reading.) Next assignment for Numbah 93. (Looks up at the kids.) That s me, you know. 2

3 Ok, let s see what important foreign country I will be flying off to. Um. Let s see. (Reads down the paper.) What? What! Are you kidding me. What kind of assignment is this? Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. (Is physically upset.) (Looks at kids and remembers where he is.) I know you might want to know what I know now that I know what I know. But I still consider you suspicious characters and this information that I now know is Top Secret. (Music starts and Numbah 93 looks around and slowly leaves the stage as he scouts out the area.) Crack the Code Supplies: For optional display-numeral One, Firstborn sign Preparation: If doing the display, print Firstborn sign. Fold it into a tent sign. Purchase a large 1 from a craft store or home decorating store. This can also be made out of cardboard or foam cord board and painted. Also, the popular foam sports hand with the index finger pointing number one used at ball games will work. As the pieces of the Top Secret envelope disappear, let s try to guess what is under it. (Have all the kids work together, divide into teams or choose two people to compete.) What number did we find behind the envelope? The numeral one helps us to remember that Jesus is called the Firstborn. How many of you were the first child born in your family? Do you think that is what this name is referring? That Jesus was the first person born in His family? How about the first person born on earth? (Give the kids time to think about this and venture some guesses.) The problem with thinking about the name Firstborn as the first one born is Jesus was never born. He was not created. He has always been. We learned in John 1 that through Jesus all things were created. Firstborn can also mean over everything. It can mean that the person is the greatest of great. That is what this name of Jesus means. 3

4 Options: Display: Place the 1 in the display. Make sure to print out the name Firstborn from the file to label the number. No Power Point: If you do not have access to power point, put the 1 in a box and have the kids guess what might be in the box giving clues. Unlocking the Clues Read Colossians 1:15 together: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Let s say the verse again with some motions to help us remember it. He (Point to sky.) Is the image (Hold hand in front of you as if looking in a mirror.) Of the invisible (Hold up both hands and touch fingertips to thumbs then open hands at same time.) God (Point to sky.) The firstborn (Hold up one finger.) Of all creation. (Point finger in a semi-circle around you.) Investigation Key Bible Story Jesus Preeminence Colossians 1:15-20; Genesis 1 Supplies: Top Secret envelope (lesson 1), Created and Not Created pages Preparation: Print the Created and Not Created page. Cut the words apart and place inside the Top Secret envelope. 4

5 Today our Top Secret Envelope has words written on slips of paper. It is our job to investigate these words and determine if each word represents something that was created or something that was not created. (Go through the words asking kids whether each one is created or not created. Have them vote using different methods each time: clapping hands, raising hands, barking like a dog, standing up, jumping up and down twice, raising both hands, fist pumping, etc.) Not Created: God, Jesus, The Word, Firstborn Created: Angels, Sun, Oak Tree, St. Bernard, Atlantic ocean, Grand Canyon, Great White Shark, Saturn, Black Widow Spider, Cardinal Let s find out a little bit about what Scripture says. Genesis 1 tells us about creation. It begins, In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth. Then it tells us that on the first day God created light. God said, Let there be light, and there was light. He separated the light from the darkness. He called the light Day and the darkness He called night. The second day God created the atmosphere. God said, Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters. On the third day, God created the oceans, the land and the plants. He said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear. And that is exactly what happened. Then God said, Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit. And trees, plants and other vegetation were created. The fourth day God created the sun, moon and stars. He placed in the heavens the stars and created the sun to be seen by day and the moon by night. On the fifth day God created the birds and the fish. God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens. And finally on the sixth day God created the land animals. He spoke, Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to 5

6 their kinds livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds. But He did not end with the land animals, He also created man. Scripture tells us that He made humans different than the animals: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Finally on the seventh day God rested. Let s look at our list and see if we can find the day that each thing was created. Day 3: Atlantic Ocean, Grand Canyon (land), Oak Tree Day 4: Sun, Saturn Day 5: Cardinal, Great White Shark Day 6: St. Bernard, Black Widow Spider What about angels? Did God really create them? Another Scripture might help us out with that question: Colossians 1:16 says, For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things were created through him and for him. Notice that it says all things visible and invisible. Since angels are invisible, they were also created by Him. Jesus is over all creation. All things are held together by Him. He is the head over all. That is what it means to be Firstborn over creation. There is a big word called preeminent. That means over all. Jesus is preeminent over all creation. He is number one. Even though Jesus is number one, many times we do not act like He is. We do not acknowledge that He should be first in our lives. What do you think it would mean to put Jesus first in our lives? (Have kids give answers.) Putting Jesus first might seem like following a lot of rules. His rules, parent s rules, teacher s rules. However, putting Him first is not about following His rules. Putting Him first is about following Him. It is about knowing that He is first so 6

7 He is the leader. It is allowing Him to change our hearts so that it is not all about us but instead all about Him. Prayer Ask Jesus to help the kids place Him first in their lives. This would be a good time to give them an opportunity to ask Jesus into their lives or to recommit their lives to Him. Be careful not to push, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you. Also, give the kids who have made a decision to follow Him to pray and ask if there are areas of their lives where they are not putting him first. Help them pray to put Jesus first in all parts of their lives. On The Case: Book Safe Supplies: Old hardback book, utility knife, white glue or glue stick, piece of jewelry Preparation: Open the book and turn about 10 pages. Draw a rectangle on the next page leaving at least one inch from the sides of the page. Using the utility knife, cut down about ¼ inch at a time around the sides of the rectangle, removing the cut paper as you go. When you have reached the back cover, glue the pages together so that whatever is put in the rectangle will stay in place. Allow to dry. Once dry, place the piece of jewelry in the hollowed out rectangle and close the book. People will often place things in a safe so that those things are not destroyed, damaged or stolen. Here is a special kind of safe that is made from a book instead of a metal safe. It looks like a normal book. However, if I open the book it has a secret hiding place to put valuable things like jewelry. What other things might you put inside a book safe like this? (Give kids an opportunity to share.) When something is valuable or important to us, we will go to a lot of trouble to keep it safe. What about our relationship with Jesus? If we truly believe that Jesus is the Firstborn and is over all creation, we should make sure that we treat Him as important. Of course, we are not going to put Him in a safe! However, we can do things to keep our relationship safe- from becoming damaged. What kinds of things can we do to show Jesus how valuable He is to us? (Give kids an opportunity to share.) 7

8 Let s say our verse again to help us remember the place that Jesus should take in our lives. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 1:15 In The Field: What s Out of Place? Supplies: various props from around your church/home Preparation: Set up three scenes for kids to examine. In each of these situations, something (or somethings) should be out of place. Possible examples: -Person standing with two different shoes on. -A classroom with a calendar hanging on the wall with the wrong month. -A table set with one of the eating utensils missing or in the wrong place. -Someone reading a book that is held upside down. It is important when in the field for a spy to be aware of his/her surroundings. Sometimes it can be the simplest thing that is in the wrong place that can be an important clue. Today we are going to look at three different scenes and see if you can deduce what is wrong. Have the kids visit each scene. They are not to share with anyone what they find. They must spy as quietly as possible. After they have viewed each scene bring them back together and announce what was wrong with each scene giving the kids an opportunity to guess first. Sometimes in our own lives we can get things out of place too. Instead of making Jesus first in our life, we can let other things become more important. Perhaps we are more concerned with our money than we are with following Him. Or maybe our friends and what they think become more important to us than what Jesus thinks. We can let our possessions, our toys or video games become too important when we spend all our time playing with them and none of our time with Jesus. We can let sports, hobbies, clothing, or TV shows become more important. If we have made the decision to follow Jesus, we should be aware of our lives and where we are putting our time. We should always keep our eyes open to things that might be taking the place of Jesus as the Firstborn. 8

9 Debriefing The Gadget Lab: Lifting Fingerprints Supplies: Scotch tape, small paintbrush, cocoa powder, white paper, clear drinking glass, magnifying glass, copy of Fingerprint page Preparation: Put fingerprints on the glass. (For a larger group use various glasses.) It works better if you will rub the side of your nose with your finger before pressing it onto the glass. Being able to lift fingerprints allows people to find a match for the fingerprint. We are going to see if we can lift the fingerprints that were left on a glass. Show the kids how to lift fingerprints. (Be sure to practice first.) 1. Brush(or sprinkle) cocoa powder gently on the fingerprint. 2. Place the clear tape on top of the fingerprint and press down. 3. Lift the tape off the glass. 4. Press the tape onto the white paper. Examine the fingerprints with the magnifying glass. Compare the fingerprint you lifted with the fingerprints on the classification fingerprint sheet. Can you deduce what kind of fingerprint it is? Someone s identity can be traced from their fingerprints. No one else has fingerprints just like you. There are types of fingerprints that you can have that are alike, however, within that type no one has one like you. You were created unique that way. Even though each of us is unique, we sometimes fall into the trap of finding our identity (who we are) by looking at our friends. We may base what we think on what our friends think. We may base what we wear or watch or play with on what our friends like. But this really makes no sense. We need to be the person God created us to be. We should care what the One who is over all creation, Jesus, thinks and what He says is important. When we do that we are making Him first in our lives. 9

10 Creative Thinking Craft: Fingerprint Number One Supplies: Different colored washable ink pads, disposable wipes, white paper, thin markers, black thin sharpie or felt pen Have the kids draw a large hollow (or bubble) number one on their white paper. Make fingerprints inside the numeral. Make each fingerprint into something from God s creation. Example: A tree by drawing a trunk on a green fingerprint. A flower by drawing petals on a fingerprint. Drawing a lion face on a yellow fingerprint. Drawing a person with the head being the fingerprint. Review the meaning of Jesus being Firstborn over all creation. Tricks of the Trade Game: Spy Training Supplies: Roll of crepe paper, tape, crawl through tunnel or box, other items to make an obstacle course Preparation: Prepare an obstacle course for spy training. Using the crepe paper, make a laser beam area they must maneuver through. Tape ends of crepe paper at different heights and angles across a room. Make sure the kids can make it through without touching the crepe paper. Place a crawl through tunnel or box for them to crawl through. Use other items easily available- something they must climb over or under and something to run around. Have each kid try to make it through the obstacle course. Remind them that becoming good at something takes practice and training. Sometimes we fail but we must pick ourselves up and try again often asking for help. It is the same way with keeping Jesus first in our life. We may sometimes fail but we need to get up and ask Him to help us when we stumble. The more we practice putting Him first, the easier it will get. 10

11 Secret Message Bible Memory He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 1:15 Torn Dollars Supplies: Copies of Bible Verse Money, envelopes Preparation: Make enough copies for each child to have one bill. Divide the bills into groups of 6-8. Tear the money in half, placing the different halves in different envelopes. Do this for each group. Divide the kids into groups of 6-8. Give each group enough money halves for each person. Have them each take one piece of money, sit in a circle and dump the rest of the halves in the middle of the circle. The groups race to find the missing half to their money. Once they all find it, they should practice saying the verse printed on the money. Express Yourself Supplies: Copy of questions for each small group 1. How many people in this group were born first in your family? What do you like about being firstborn? What do you not like about it? 2. Is Jesus being Firstborn the same or different as being born first in a family? How? 3. What does it mean to be Firstborn over all creation? 4. What types of things do kids struggle with making first in their life instead of Jesus? Why do you think they struggle with those things? 5. Is there something you struggle with putting first over Jesus that you would feel comfortable sharing? 6. What steps can a kid take to put Jesus first and worship Him as Firstborn instead of worshipping other things? 11

12 Daring Disguise Snack: Fruit Kabob Supplies: strawberries, bananas, Rice Krispie treats (or marshmallows), wooden kabob skewers Preparation: Wash strawberries and take off stems. Slice bananas into 1 inch slices. Cut Rice Krispie treats into bite size pieces. Have the kids thread the fruit and Rice Krispie treats onto the skewers making any design they wish. Remind them that the fruit kabob looks like the numeral one. Review that the symbol one reminds us that Jesus is the Firstborn. Code Deciphering Cards Supplies: printed card for each child, markers or crayons (optional) Name: Firstborn Symbol: 1 (Jesus is first over all creation. We should make him first in our lives.) Verse: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 1:15 Give each child the card. If using the coloring cards, use markers or crayons to decorate them. Go over the verse together and review the symbol. 12

13 Supply List Numbah 93: Costume Piece of paper Theme from Pink Panther (optional) Crack the Code: For optional display- Number 1 Firstborn sign Key Bible Story: Top Secret envelope (lesson 1) Created and Not Created pages On the Case: Old hardback book Utility knife White glue or glue stick Piece of jewelry In the Field: Various props from around your church/home The Gadget Lab: Scotch tape Small paintbrush Cocoa powder White paper Clear drinking glass Magnifying glass Copy of Fingerprint page Creative Thinking Craft: Different colored washable ink pads Disposable wipes White paper Thin markers Black thin sharpie or felt pen Tricks of the Trade Game: Roll of crepe paper Tape Crawl through tunnel or box Other items to make an obstacle course Secret Message Bible Memory Verse: Copies of Bible Verse Money Envelopes Express Yourself: Copy of questions for each small group Daring Disguise Snack: Strawberries Bananas Rice Krispie treats (or marshmallows) Wooden kabob skewers Code Deciphering Cards: Printed card for each child Markers or crayons (optional)

14 family lab report 2 Name of Jesus: firstborn Main Point: Jesus, The Firstborn, is over all creation. Bible Verse: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 1:15 Bible Story: Jesus Preeminence Colossians 1:15-20; Genesis 1 Family Debriefing: Read the verses: Colossians 1: Ask your child what it means that Jesus is the Firstborn over creation. 2. Review the days of creation. Read Genesis 1 to check yourself. 3. What does it mean to put Jesus first in your life? Name some things in your family that you might need to guard against so they do not take the place of Jesus. Family Imaginative Thinking: Have everyone leave the room except one person. That person moves something in the room. The rest of the family comes back in and tries to guess what was moved. Continue playing until everyone has had a turn. Family Activity: Collect nature items from your yard or park. Place them in a jar. Thank Jesus for making a place that you can enjoy together as a family.

15

16

17

18

19 19

20 Express Yourself 1. How many people in this group were born first in your family? What do you like about being firstborn? What do you not like about it? 2. Is Jesus being Firstborn the same or different as being born first in a family? How? 3. What does it mean to be Firstborn over all creation? 4. What types of things do kids struggle with making first in their life instead of Jesus? Why do you think they struggle with those things? 5. Is there something you struggle with putting first over Jesus that you would feel comfortable sharing? 6. What steps can a kid take to put Jesus first and worship Him as Firstborn instead of worshipping other things?

21

22

23

24