REMEMBER & CELEBRATE

Transcription

1 Lesson 6 REMEMBER & CELEBRATE TruStory CRE: 1st 2nd Grade Lesson Prepared by Bill Stahler Tru Sun, Wedgwood Baptist Chuch

2 2 Leader Preparation Each week you'll find a list of resources along with encouraging articles that help you prepare your heart to present the lesson. Further Resources A Festival Investigation is available for this lesson. Download the following resources to help you plan and lead TruStory lessons: Customizable copy of Lesson Scope and Sequence TruStory How It Works document HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 6 is provided for this lesson. The weekly for the next lesson to be sent home for preteaching by parents is found in BLESS. For more information regarding the Old and New Testament significance of the biblical Feasts and Festivals, visit truministry.com. (!) Allergy Alert When you see a (!) listed next to a resource or activity, note that potential allergens are suggested that may affect children with particular sensitivities. Please check with parents before their children participate. Inspire Shares personal stories from fellow ministry leaders about how God has worked in their lives During a children's ministry conference, attending practitioners, leaders, volunteers, and writers from across North America remembered and celebrated what God had been doing in their ministries. It was a time of fellowship and praise a time to remind us how good God has

3 3 been to fill us up for the work ahead. Many of the stories told during the conference declared God as the Deliverer. One woman spoke about how God used a child's worship response piece to deliver her and her husband from bitter separation and divorce. Another man spoke of how God used a woman's simple act of saying, "I love you" to herself in the mirror to deliver her from years of self-hatred. These stories proclaim the truth that God, the Deliverer, is active in the lives of His people today. They remind us that God is powerful. He hears our cries, and He uses even the most unlikely people and situations to deliver us from our deepest wounds. Praise God who has the power to deliver in ways tailor-made for those who need it. And praise God for giving us in the faith community the opportunity to hear these stories so that together we can celebrate Him. Tori Funkhouser ROCKHARBOR Church Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson's Bible passage Passover: A Feast Celebrating God As Deliverer During Passover, the Israelites celebrated their deliverance from the Egyptians as well as God as their Deliverer. Each portion of the Passover feast symbolizes a part of the narrative of the Israelites' escape from Egypt. The meal includes lamb to symbolize the slain lamb whose blood marked the Hebrews' doorposts on the night of the 10th plague so that God would "pass over" those homes and death would not come to them. In the New Testament, Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb of Passover to offer deliverance from sin for people from every age. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God's Word Slavery takes many forms. Some live as slaves in foreign nations, while others cry out to be freed from the bondage of a dictator. But we're all enslaved in some way, shackled and bound by things we can't see: fear, doubt, vanity, and pride.

4 4 Most of the time our enslavement is spiritual, not physical. But it's just as real. And, just as God saved His people from physical slavery, He can save us from spiritual bondage. This week, challenge yourself to ask God to reveal any spiritual bondage you're suffering under and to deliver you from it. Maybe you fear that God doesn't love you as deeply as you've always heard, that you're not His chosen child, that you're not forgiven for what you did during high school, what you said to your friend, or how you often think about unclean things. Ask Him to heal you from the spiritual bondage of sin or darkness that only He can release. Choose to step out of your comfort zone and ask God to come into the places in your life that have become spiritual millstones around your neck. Ask God to free you from them. When you do this, be prepared to be surprised at the ways God will choose to work in your life.

5 5 10 minutes CONNECT Children are invited to eat together with their parents and engage with the day's biblical feast or festival. Passover -Scissors -Tape -Food, drinks, plates, cups, utensils, and napkins (!) -Name tags (1 per child) -Markers -Festival Banner TruStory 1st 6th CRE Year 1 Fall Lesson 6 Prepare Ahead Encourage families to bring festival-themed goodies to the feast. Invite them to create the foods found on the Recipe cards passed out the previous week. Print, cut out, and assemble the Festival banner. Set Up Tape the banner in a prominent place. Place the food, drinks, and other supplies on the feasting table. Put the name tags and markers near the entrance to the room. God commanded the Israelites to celebrate the holiday of Passover so they would remember an amazing event: God rescuing His people from slavery in Egypt. The people ate certain foods and read about the exodus to remember how God delivered them from slavery and kept all of His promises. It's a joyful holiday to

6 6 remember and celebrate God as Deliverer! Invite everyone to put on a name tag and then work together to set up the feast. Give the children, leaders, and parents separate jobs. For example, allow the kids to set the table while leaders fill the cups with water and parents set out the food. Reassign the jobs for each Remember & Celebrate gathering so everyone gets to be involved in a different part of the feast preparation. Together, engage in the activities found in the following section. These conversation starters and activities will help your kids and parents connect with old friends and get to know new friends. They will also help your faith community interact with the day's festival. Optional: As your parents and kids eat and talk, invite them to decorate the Festival banner before hanging it in the room. Connect Games Let My People Go -Card stock -Scissors -Connect Questions Cards Color TruStory 1st 6th CRE Year 1 Fall Lesson 6 -Connect Questions Cards Black & White TruStory 1st 6th CRE Year 1 Fall Lesson 6 Prepare Ahead Print the Connect Questions cards onto card stock and cut them apart. During the exodus, Pharaoh finally said the Israelites could go and then he changed his mind! Let's play this version of Red Light, Green Light to get the children thinking about the concept of stopping and starting. Invite one child to be Moses and stand at the front of the room. Invite another child to be Pharaoh and stand at an imaginary line about 10 feet away from Moses. Have the rest of the

7 7 children also stand on the line as the Israelites. When Moses says, "Go," the Israelites can move forward. But when Pharaoh says, "Stop," the Israelites must stop. The first child to reach Moses gets to answer a question. Play multiple rounds so each child gets to interact with the questions. Connect Questions - What kinds of celebrations does your family enjoy? - What is your best memory of a special celebration as a family? - How have you seen God as Deliverer in your family? - Are there any areas of your life where you're asking God to deliver you? Someone you know? - How can you remind yourself of all God has done in your life?

8 8 30 minutes REMEMBER Children reflect on what they've learned about God in The Big God Story, who He is, and what He's doing in their own lives. Remember Verse -Lessons 1 5 Remember Verse Image: Psalm 90:2 TruStory Year 1 Fall Spend time remembering the previous weeks' Remember Verse. Encourage the children to stand and say the verse together. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Psalm 90:2 Remembering God in Our Family -Bibles In Exodus 12, God commanded His people to celebrate the Passover. Every year, the Israelites stopped to remember what God had done for them and to celebrate His deliverance. - What does the word deliverer mean? Explain that deliverer means someone who rescues someone or sets someone free. God delivered His people by bringing them out of Egypt and setting them free from their slavery.

9 9 - What do you think of when I say, "God is our Deliverer"? God delivered His people all throughout the Bible. He kept His promises by delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. And in the New Testament, God delivered the world by sending Jesus to die for our sins. - Describe some events or passages from the Bible that show God as the Deliverer. Leaders, feel free to give some brief examples to get the conversation started. - Describe a time when God delivered you or someone you know. Leaders, feel free to share examples from your own lives. Our Faith Community -Bibles -Scissors -Props: globe or world map, baby doll, piece of faux fur (small to medium-sized, at least 4" x 4") -Rainbow Image TruStory 1st 6th CRE Year 1 Fall Lesson 6 -Star Template TruStory 1st 6th CRE Year 1 Fall Lesson 6 Set Up Print the Sta template and cut out the star. Also print the Rainbow image. Hide the Rainbow Sta, globe or world map, baby doll, and faux fur around the room. Spend some time during this section helping your kids remember and celebrate some of what they've experienced and learned about God over the past several weeks. Encourage parents and kids to search for the hidden items around the room. Let them know you've hidden five items that relate to each lesson from the past several weeks. Once all five items have been found, encourage the kids to gather in a circle and figure out which item goes with which lesson. Have them place the items in the order each one appears in The Big God Story, and then refer to the items as you review the lessons together.

10 10 Lesson 1, God Is Eternal: Genesis 1 3 Who existed in the very beginning of The Big God Story? Allow the children to respond. That's right God! God is eternal, which means He has always been. Hold up the globe or world map. God created the land, sea, animals, sun, moon everything. And then God created Adam and Eve, the very first people. God had a perfect relationship with Adam and Eve, and He put them in the garden of Eden to take care of it. But what happened? Allow the children to respond. Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, and this broke their relationship with Him. God continued to take care of them. God is always working to restore our relationship with Him. - How do you see God at work throughout The Big God Story to restore our relationship with Him? Lesson 2, God Is A Covenant Keeper (Part 1): Genesis 6 9 Hold up the Rainbow image. What part of The Big God Story does this come from? Allow the children to respond. Exactly right Noah! After Adam and Eve sinned, people continued to do bad things. God decided to destroy all living things except a righteous man named Noah, his family, and every kind of animal. God told Noah to build interact with responses. Yes, an ark! It rained for 40 days and 40 nights. After the flood, God brought Noah, his family, and the animals out, and He made a covenant with them. What is a covenant? Children respond A covenant is an extraspecial promise, and God always keeps His promises. God promised to never again destroy all living things with a flood. - What helps remind you about God's promises? Lesson 3, God Is A Covenant Keeper (Part 2): Genesis 12; In Genesis 12, God chose a certain man. Who was it? Allow the kids to respond Yes, Abram (later called Abraham)! God promised to give Abram land and descendants. What did God show Abram? Invite the kids to share their thoughts. Hold up the Star God showed Abram the stars in the night sky and told him that he would have so many descendants that trying to count them all would be like trying to count the stars. Then God made a covenant with Abram, promising that through Abram, all the families of earth would be blessed. And God remembered His covenant Jesus is a descendant of Abram, and through Him the whole world is invited to know God

11 11 and receive His gift of salvation! - What is your favorite thing about this part of The Big God Story? Lesson 4, God Is Provider: Genesis 18; Cradle the baby doll in your arms What happened next in The Big God Story? Invite the kids to respond, and interact with their responses Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were very old. But God told them that Sarah would have a son. And His promise came true! Sarah had a boy and they named him Invite the kids to respon. Yes, Isaac. But then God told Abraham to sacrifice his son. Abraham went up the mountain and obeyed God; he was willing to sacrifice Isaac because he trusted God. And Abraham's faithfulness was rewarded God stopped him from sacrificing Isaac and provided a ram instead. God is Provider! - How have you seen God provide in your life? Lesson 5, God Is Lord: Genesis 25:19 34; 27 Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, had twin boys. Does anyone remember their names? Invite the children to respond Yes, Esau and Jacob. Esau was born a little bit earlier than Jacob, so he was the one who was supposed to receive a special blessing from his father. But Jacob wanted that blessing. Hold up the faux fur So he tricked his father and received the blessing that was meant for Esau! When Esau found out, he was very angry. But God knew that this was going to happen. He still had a plan. God is Lord. He is ruler over everything. - How does it help you to know that God is Lord over everything? My Life -Scissors -Markers or colored pencils -Tape

12 12 -Ponder Point Pennants TruStory 1st 6th CRE Year 1 Fall Lesson 6 -Blank Pennant Cutout Black & White TruStory 1st 6th CRE -Blank Pennant Cutout Color TruStory 1st 6th CRE Year 1 Fall Prepare Ahead Print a Blank Pennan cutout for each child and cut it out. Tape them to the base of the Festival Banner (from CONNECT) or hang them up with yarn or string. Print the Ponder Poin pennants and cut them out. Optional: Tape RESPOND pieces from past lessons around the room. Show the children and parents each of the triangular Ponder Poin banners. Each Ponder Point highlights God and one of the things He was doing in that part of The Big God Story. Use these banners along with the ribbons to help kids remember and celebrate. Ask: What has God done in your life? Then, give the children a chance to respond to what they've learned about God and how it's affected their lives. Encourage the kids to write stories or draw responses to God on a Blank Pennant. For example, kids might write, "God, thank You for Your gift of freedom," or they might draw themselves and an event that reminds them of God's freedom in their lives. After children have a chance to respond to God in this way, encourage them to tape the triangular banners like bunting to the bottom of the Festiva Banner.

13 13 15 minutes CELEBRATE Through interactive games and activities, children will retell portions of The Big God Story together. Remember Roundup During Remember Roundup, kids will "round up" the people in The Big God Story whom they heard about during the past several weeks. 1st 6th: Obstacle Challenge -Scissors -Obstacles (9, chairs, paper bags, boxes, trash cans, etc.) -Masking tape -Golf balls (2 or 3) -The Big God Story Images TruStory 1st 6th CRE Year 1 Fall Lesson 6 Set Up Set up an obstacle course using bags, chairs, boxes, etc. (Make sure you have at least nine obstacles.) The kids will use golf balls to attempt to hit the different obstacles. Print and cut apart The Big God Story images, and use masking tape to tape each image to an obstacle. Also use the masking tape to make a line at least five feet away from the first obstacle. Place the golf balls at the line. Invite the kids to line up at the masking tape line. Have the first child take a golf ball and roll it toward one of the obstacles. If he hits the obstacle, he gets to share what he remembers about that portion of The Big God Story and the things that God did in it. If he misses, he goes to the

14 14 back of the line. Once a child hits an obstacle and correctly answers a question, remove it from the course so the kids can work on hitting the rest of the obstacles. Feel free to play a few rounds by rearranging the course after all of the obstacles have been hit. Festival Games Invite your children to play these fun and engaging games as they celebrate what they've heard in The Big God Story recently. 1st and 2nd: Bucket Bash -Buckets (4, all the same size) -Tennis balls (2 or 3) -Festival Games Questions TruStory 1st 2nd CRE Year 1 Fall Lesson 6 Set Up Print a copy of the Festival Games st - nd questions. Create a line with masking tape on the floor. Place the buckets in a row, with the first one about five feet from the line, the second one a little farther away, the third even farther away, and so on. Divide the class into two teams and have the teams line up next to each other behind the start line. Let the kids know that their goal is to get a ball into one of the buckets. The bucket closest to them is worth one point, the second bucket is worth two points, the third bucket worth three, and the fourth bucket worth four. Allow the first child in line to toss a tennis ball toward a bucket. If he gets it in one of the buckets, ask him one of the corresponding questions from the Festival Games st - nd questions. For example, if he gets it into the first bucket, ask him a question from the st Bucket list. Then allow a child from the opposing team to take a turn. Keep track of the children's scores, and play until all the questions have been asked or until the kids have reached a predetermined score. 3rd 6th: Home Run

15 15 -Chairs (4) Prepare Ahead In a large area, arrange four chairs into a diamond shape like st, nd, rd and Home bases for baseball. Be sure that each base is the same distance from the next, at least four feet apart. Print a copy of the Festival Games rd - th questions. Divide the kids into two teams. Have the first child for the team "at bat" sit in the chair designated as home base. Then ask one of the questions from the Festival Games rd - th questions. Let the child know if it's a single, double, triple, or home run question. If she gets the question right, she moves that number of bases (i.e. a single would move to st base, a double to nd base, and so on. If other children are already on base, they should also advance accordingly. A point is scored each time a child makes it all the way around the bases back to home base, at which time they should exit the bases and rejoin the rest of the group.) If the answer is incorrect, the team gets a strike. Invite the next child up and repeat the process. Three team strikes equals an out. After one out, allow the next team to go to bat! Keep a record of the runs, and allow the children to play until you're out of time or questions, or until you've reached a predetermined number of runs.

16 16 5 minutes BLESS -Lesson 7 HomeFront Weekly TruStory Year 1 Fall Children receive a blessing from their leaders and sometimes one another. A blessing may be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. During Remember & Celebrate lessons, encourage the parents to bless their children. Also encourage them to invite kids whose parents aren't present to join their group. Invite the parents to pray the written blessing over their child and also to pray a special blessing over them in their own words. Place a hand on the shoulder or hand of your child. Say to him or her: "(Child's name), the Lord is your rock, your fortress and your deliverer" (Psalm 18:2a). May you rest in His love, deliverance, and peace this week. After the children are blessed individually, invite the kids to shout out blessings to God they can name His characteristics or things that make them grateful for His deliverance. After a few moments, say: God, we thank You for Your goodness and deliverance in our lives! Children, may you know that our God is mighty and powerful, and He fights for you. May you see God as your Deliverer in your life this week. Send home the HomeFront Weekly with your kids.

17 Disciplr Digital Product End User License Agreement This single use/download print edition digital work ( Work ) is protected by copyright and other laws. By downloading this copy of the Work, you agree to be bound by these terms. Your use also is subject to the Disciplr Terms of Use located at This is a downloadable/digital product no physical product will ship. Downloadable products cannot be returned, sold, or relicensed. See the Disciplr Terms of Use for information about obtaining a replacement for corrupted files. This Work is licensed, not sold, to Wedgwood Baptist Chuch ( Subscriber ) during the Term of the Subscriber's active subscription to Disciplr.com, according to the following restrictions: Subscriber may use the Work only during Subscriber's active subscription to Disciplr.com. Upon termination or expiration of Subscriber's subscription, Subscriber must delete and destroy all copies of the Work. Subscriber has the limited, nonexclusive, nontransferable, nonsublicensable right to download (to a single computer or mobile device), display, use and perform on a computer or mobile device, and print and distribute printed classroom copies of the Work in connection with its noncommercial ministry and for the purpose(s) for which the Work is provided only. Subscriber may make as many printed copies of the Work as are needed for its class size and uses. Each copy of the Work must be a true and complete copy, including all copyright and trademark notices, and Subscriber may not (and may not permit others to) alter, change, edit, or make derivative works of all or part of the Work. Subscriber may not extract any portion of the Work for any use except as permitted herein. Subscriber may not sell or charge for copies of the Work, and may not share the Work outside of the licensed classroom. Subscriber may not post the Work (or any portion of it) online, in social media or on a website without prior written permission (except for a short quotation in accordance with fair use rules). Disciplr reserves the right to terminate this EULA upon written (including ed) notice.