1.8. God Wants Us to Love and Honor Him First. Bible Passage: Exodus (Ten Commandments) Schedule

Transcription

1 date: 10/22 & 23 Bible Passage: Exodus (Ten Commandments) REMEMBER VERSE O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. Psalm 30:2 God Wants Us to Love and Honor Him First Schedule Anticipate 5 10 minutes Celebrate & Respond Large Group minutes Respond & Bless Small Group minutes Environment: COURSE CORRECTION This environment flows out of Hebrews 12:11 13 and is the direct opposite of punishment. Instead, biblical discipline for a child encompasses: a season of pain, the building up in love, and a vision of a corrected path for the individual with the purpose of healing at its core.. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children s ministry leaders. All rights reserved.

2 Equip God freed His people, the Israelites, and brought them to a place where they could honor and worship the one true God of the universe. Then rising out of the context of relationship, having proven His love for them, God gave them the Ten Commandments. In fact, when God spoke the first commandment in Exodus 20:1 3, He reminded His people of this, saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. Of the Ten Commandments, the first four are about relationship with God; the fifth is about relationship with parents; and the last five are about relationships with each other. They seem designed to prove that how we relate to others depends on how we relate to God. Interestingly, God spoke all of these commandments in the negative tense: You shall not It is as if He knew His people would stray from what He desired, so He gave these commandments to correct His people s course before they could veer off the path. He gave them clear boundaries so they could know how to please Him. The Ten Commandments offered God s people the way to live the best life possible. But as we know, His people (and all people) were unable to fulfill these obligations on their own. As the laws stood, they only brought knowledge of sin. God knew this, so He sent His Son to bring the law of grace and truth (John 1:17), which made it possible for God to put [His] laws in [our] minds and write them on [our] hearts (Hebrews 8:10). God made it possible to do as Jesus said, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind [and] love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37, 39). Through Christ, God changes our sinful hearts, and gives us the love we need to love and honor Him so we can then love those around us. 3

3 NOTES: Lesson Overview Experience Time Summary Supplies/Prepare (Master Supply List under Resource Tab) Anticipate// Small Group Check-In 5 10 min. Encourages interaction among kids, leaders, and parents; engages the kids in curiosity and anticipation of the lesson; and creates an inviting atmosphere. No Rules! No Boundaries! (per table) numbered cards, and map (see Resource Folder) scissors, colored construction paper (1 color per small group), dice, sand timers, egg timers, play money, or other board game pieces Celebrate// Large Group min. Establishes community and tells stories both personal and biblical in a fun and engaging way. Traditions mementos for your church Traditions (rocks, marbles, ping-pong balls, etc.) Remember Verse cards, slides, and animation (see Resource Folder) Connect Connect Question slide (see Resource Folder) The Big God Story Bible Timeline slide and animation, images of Mt. Sinai, Icelandic volcano lightning; sound effect: lightning and thunder (see all in Resource Folder) Respond// Large Group min. Creates space for children to respond to the Holy Spirit in worship and community as a large group. God is, God gives verse slide: Galatians 5:22 23a (see Resource Folder) Worship Response Stations (see How It Works under Resource Tab) Respond// Small Group min. Discusses Truth, reflects on the lesson, engages in relationships, and creates a project or a piece of art individually or together. Reflect: God Wants Us to Love and Honor Him First questions Create: Rock Art Option 1 (for older kids) sandstone rocks ( rocks_and_minerals.htm), screwdrivers (or other blunt carving tools); optional: gardening gloves Option 2 (for younger kids) charcoal, chunks of soil and dirt (or small, crumbly rocks), bucket, tarp, corn syrup, water, blunt object (e.g., large rock, a mallet), large mixing spoon, paintbrushes, smocks, or old shirts, poster board, or butcher paper Ten Commandments coloring sheet (see Resource Folder), crayons, or colored pencils Bless// Small Group 5 min. Sends the kids out with a sense of peace and blessing so they can be a blessing to their families and others. Bible (for the blessing) HomeFront Weekly (1 per child, see Resource Folder) 5

4 SMALL Group SECTION Anticipate// 5 10 min. Small Group Leaders An energizing time for parents and kids to start engaging with the material that will be presented in the lesson. It is intentionally designed to spark curiosity and cultivate a sense of awe and wonder about God. Encourage parents to participate in this time with their kids. No Rules! No Boundaries! During this Anticipate, lead the kids through the challenge of playing games without rules. SUPPLIES (per table) numbered cards, and map (see Resource Folder) scissors, colored construction paper (1 color per small group table), dice, sand timers, egg timers, play money, or other board game pieces SET UP Cut the construction paper into colored squares (1 per child, per table). Print the numbered cards (enough for a group of three or four kids per table), cut them out, and place a pile on each table. Also place a timer, dice, or other board game pieces on each table. Print out map (1 per table). ENGAGE Option 1 (for older kids): Randomly hand one colored square to each child upon arrival. Once all of the kids have arrived, split them into their color groups, based on the colored square they were given. Tell them to play a game, but explain there are no rules. Tell them to be creative. The object is for them to feel the frustration of a game without rules, and to be creative in making up their own games. Then ask: How did it feel trying to play a game without rules? Ask: How hard would it be to play baseball if you had no rules? It would be confusing! When God gave His people the Ten Commandments, He showed them how He wanted them to live, and gave them guidelines for how to worship Him. Leader Tip For fun, if the kids are done playing their games without rules or creating boundaries on their maps, get them thinking more about the idea of boundaries by asking them questions such as: What would it be like to live in a house with no walls, or driving on a road with no lane lines? Option 2 (for younger kids): Lay out one map per table. Encourage them to create boundaries on the map that form new countries, states, cities, etc. Ask them to name the countries, states, or cities. Than ask: Why did you draw the boundaries where you did? Partner Church Comments We asked leaders to bring in board games and mix them up so kids in different groups got the game board for one game, the game pieces for another game, and cards for another game. The kids were so confused, but really understood how important rules are. Elmbrook Church 6

5 LARGE Group SECTION Celebrate//20 35 min. Host/Storyteller Kids get to be a part of the faith community of God s family. Welcome and Traditions After everyone is gathered together as a large group, open with Traditions. During Traditions, you are helping the kids work toward a common goal and giving them mementos to celebrate things like memorizing the Remember Verse, inviting a friend, or bringing their Bibles. They participate in traditions and share them with newcomers, connect through fun and interaction, and experience The Big God Story through storytelling. Leader Tip If there is time, take it a step further and choose one or two child volunteers each week to give praise reports, testimonies, or tell about funny and intriguing events. REMEMBER VERSE This is a good time to introduce or remind the kids of the Remember Verse. As they arrive, open a Bible and read it together if time allows. Remember Verse cards, slide, and animations can be found in the Resource Folder. O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. Psalm 30:2 Mementos can be anything, such as rocks, marbles, ping-pong balls, or connecting blocks. Once the kids have been awarded their mementos, direct them to put the mementos into a container or add them to a building effort. When the common-goal tradition is complete, have a celebration! (See the RockWall example in the How It Works document under the Resource Tab.) Connect Connect is a time to laugh, play, and enjoy each other s company. Engaging questions, energizing games, and creative activities encourage the community to get to know each other. Invite kids to ask each other the following question or one of your own. Encourage them to ask someone they might not know yet. After a minute or two, ask several kids to tell the group their friends answers. (See the Connect Question slide in the Resource Folder.) Question If you could change one rule at school, what would it be and why? Prayer of Release At the end of Connect, pray a Prayer of Release. This is a time for kids and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet their hearts and minds. If you would like, encourage kids to hold their hands out in front of them in a spirit of releasing their worries and distractions in order to better receive what the Holy Spirit might have for them. Encourage kids to quiet their voices and take a seat. Then ask them to pray with you. 7

6 NOTES: The Big God Story Storyteller During The Big God Story, the kids learn about God giving His people the Ten Commandments. Though this part of The Big God Story can be delivered verbatim, read it before the lesson, so you can personally interact with the material. Share stories from your life, and speak with your own style by varying your intonation and gestures. Tip Before sharing about the Ten Commandments, point out that what they are about to hear is true and is recorded in the Bible. Open your Bible to the passage and leave it open and visible throughout The Big God Story. Establish a consistent place to keep this Bible every week. Invite kids to open their Bibles and follow along in Exodus 19:4 18, 20:3 12 as you storytell. Encourage adult volunteers to keep an eye out for kids who need help finding the Scripture passage, and allow enough time for each child to locate the passage. You may even want to project the reference on a screen or write it in large print on a poster board or whiteboard. Visual Aids You will find JPEGs of various visual aids in the Resource Folder for every lesson of TruStory. Please use these files in whichever format works best for your church, whether you use computer media, an overhead projector, or poster board. God Wants Us to Love and Honor Him First SUPPLIES Bible Timeline slide and animation, images of Mt. Sinai, Icelandic volcano lightning; sound effect: lightning and thunder (see Resource Folder) SET UP Cue images and sound effects. For the past few weeks, we ve watched how God proved to His people, the Israelites, that He is the Lord. We heard how He sent ten plagues to prove He is the allpowerful, one true God, and there is no one like Him. And we heard about Him freeing His people from the Egyptians and leading them into a new life with Him. In the wilderness, God showed them He knew what they needed by providing food and water. 8

7 The Big God Story NOTES: Why did God want Pharaoh to let the Israelites go? That s right! God wanted His people to be free to worship Him. Now, after three months of wandering around the desert, the Israelites arrived at the foot of a mountain named Sinai, where they could do just that: worship God (show image of Mt. Sinai). While the Israelites camped at Sinai, the Bible says, The Lord called to [Moses] from the mountain and said, You yourselves have seen [how I] brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant you will be my treasured possession. (Exodus 19:3 5). Do you remember what a covenant is? (Encourage the kids to respond.) Yes! It is an everlasting promise made by God. God made a covenant with Abraham to bless and multiply his descendents. Now God would make a covenant that was not only with one man, but also with all of His people. (Let s read more about this from the Bible together.) Then God said He would come in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear [Him] speaking (v. 9). So God told Moses to have the people wash their clothes and prepare themselves to see and hear God. Imagine what it must have been like to get ready to see God! (Turn down the lights, show images of Iceland volcano lightning, and play sound effect of thunder and lightning.) The Bible says that when God appeared, there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain[a] trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder (vv ). Wow! How would you have felt if you were standing at the foot of the mountain watching God come down onto it creating amazing noises and amazing sights? You would probably be shaking in your shoes! After this, the people stayed at the foot of the mountain while Moses went up to where God was. Imagine seeing something like this, and then watching your leader go right up into the middle of it. That s probably what it was like! While Moses was up on the mountain, God gave him the Ten Commandments. The commandments were God s laws and instructions, telling His people how to live and what it meant to be His people. The commandments were arranged first, love and honor God; second, honor your parents; third, love people. By setting up the commandments this way, God told His people that loving and honoring Him was more important than anything else. 9

8 The Big God Story NOTES: So, the first thing God required of His people was to have no other gods before [Him] (Exodus 20:3). Next, God said, You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God (v. 7). You see, God had revealed His name to Moses through the burning bush. He said, I AM who I AM, the only One who exists. Because of this, God required that His people respect His name as the Holy One. Next, God told His people, Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long (v. 12). This is the only commandment that actually has a blessing of long life attached to it. So, it must be pretty important to honor your parents! In the rest of His commandments, God said, don t kill each other, steal from each other, or think bad thoughts about each other because all of these things are sins against God. He made it clear how He wanted His people to live. They did not have to guess. Remember that game you played where you didn t know the rules? How hard would it be to live as God s people without knowing what He wanted? Thousands of years after God gave His people the Ten Commandments, Jesus spoke about them in the New Testament. He said, Love the Lord with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37 39). Jesus basically summed up all of the commandments in these two sentences. Partner Church Comments Liked the images of Mt. Sinai provided. Some images showed modernday hikers, and the kids were very impressed by the magnitude of the mountain compared to the people. It really showed the scope of the journey Moses took, and why he was gone so long. Mount Paran North Church of God Just like He did for the Israelites, God has done amazing things for us, too. He has saved us from our sin, has given us the gift of eternal life, has loved us and heard our prayers. Because God has shown great love for us, we probably want to please Him, too. Worshipping God through obeying His commands is not something we do out of guilt, but out of love. And, amazingly, we don t have to do this alone. Because God sent the Holy Spirit to live in us, God gives us the power to obey Him. (Share about a time in your life when you realized that God gave you what you needed to love and honor Him first.) For us, obedience to God s law is also an act of worship. We don t need to obey God to get Him to love and accept us He loves us no matter what. But we obey God because we are in relationship with Him, and we want to obey Him. We will all fall short of living perfect lives we all do things God does not want us to do. Even so, as we love and honor God first, our hearts become more able to live the way God desires for us. In fact, God says when we live our lives in relationship with Him, we will bear the fruit of His Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22 23). If we stay close to God, and walk on the straight path He set for us, He will give us what we need to obey Him and care for others. 10

9 LARGE Group SECTION Respond// min. Host/Worship Leader This is a time for kids to worship through silence, prayer, singing, giving, sharing, thanksgiving, and many other ways. Make plans for your worship time but prepare yourself and your team to hold them loosely if the Holy Spirit leads the group in a different direction. God is, God gives SUPPLIES verse slide: Galatians 5:22 23a (see Resource Folder) Worship Response Stations (see How It Works under Resource Tab) SET UP AND ENGAGE (Print out or cue the verse slide). We just heard that God gives us the fruit of His Spirit (show verse slide, and have the kids say God is in front of each statement [e.g. God is love. ]) when we are in relationship with Him. When we live our daily lives, we can choose to be afraid, impatient, or rude, or we can allow God to shine through us by being kind, loving, and peaceful. Some of you may be in relationship with God already, but others may not have made that choice yet. For those of you who are not in relationship with God yet, relationship is available. God sent His Son to die on the cross in order to open up the way to eternal life with Him. For those of you who are already in relationship with God, God continually calls us to a closer relationship with Him. He always makes Himself available to us and tugs on our hearts so that we will come and be with Him. (Now, pray with the kids, giving them the opportunity to be in relationship with Him, or to renew relationship with Him.) NOTES: Once we are in relationship with God, God gives us the fruit of His Spirit. (As before, show the verse slide, and have the kids say God gives in front of each statement [e.g. God gives love. ]). Afterward, close in prayer, and encourage the kids to respond further at the Worship Response Stations. IT S OKAY IF Help kids understand that God speaks to us in many ways mostly through His Word, prayer, and others. Encourage them to ask God for the ability to hear His voice, but also give them the freedom to know that it s okay if they do not always experience Him in the ways that other people do. 11

10 SMALL Group SECTION Respond// min. Small Group Leaders A time to engage in relationship, reflect on the lesson with spiritual conversation, and/or create a meaningful project or piece of art. NOTES: Reflect: God Wants Us to Love and Honor Him First God had done much to show His people He was worthy of their worship. When He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, He was showing His people how He wanted them to worship and obey Him. Through these commandments, He showed that He wanted His people to love and honor Him first; then honor their parents; then love each other. He also knew that loving and honoring Him first would lead to a heart that had the ability to love others. (Open your Bible, and encourage kids to look up the Scripture references to the questions below.) Questions for Younger Kids Why did God take His people into the desert? (Exodus 7:16) Why did God appear on the mountain in the form of clouds and fire? Why did God give His people the Ten Commandments? (Exodus 20) How can we love God? How can we love others? Questions for Older Kids How did God take care of His people in the desert? (Exodus 7:16) Why did God bring His people to Mt. Sinai? (Exodus 3:16 18) Why did God appear on the mountain in the form of clouds and fire? Why did God give His people the Ten Commandments, and what are they? (Exodus 20) How did Jesus sum up the Ten Commandments? (Matthew 22:36 40) How can we love God and honor Him first in our lives? How can we love others? Create: Rock Art SUPPLIES Option 1 (for older kids): Carving Rocks sandstone rocks ( screwdrivers (or other blunt carving tools); optional: gardening gloves Option 2 (for younger kids): Painting with Rocks charcoal, chunks of soil and dirt (or small, crumbly rocks), bucket, tarp, corn syrup, water, blunt object (e.g., large rock, a mallet), large mixing spoon, paintbrushes, smocks, or old shirts, poster board, or butcher paper Ten Commandments coloring sheet (see Resource Folder), crayons, or colored pencils 12

11 CARVING BRICKS (for older or younger kids) SUPPLIES: modeling clay and toothpicks SET UP: Set out the clay for the kids to use. Encourage them to make their clay into blocks, and carve words that reflect how we can love and honor God first. They can write words like WORSHIP, LOVE GOD, or LOVE OTHERS, etc. Have them leave their clay bricks somewhere in the classroom as reminders, and to display during the next Remember & Celebrate. SET UP AND ENGAGE The Israelites were required to follow the law of the Ten Commandments as their main act of obedience and worship to God. As Christians, we too are required to obey the commandment to love and honor God first, then love others. How can we love and honor Him first in our daily lives? How can we love others? (Encourage the kids to take a minute and think about their answers. Then introduce them to the activity(s), where they will write or draw their answer as a creative and worshipful response to God.) Option 1: Carving Rocks (for older kids) Pass out the sandstone rocks and screwdrivers. Optional: Pass out gardening gloves for the kids to wear while they carve. Encourage the kids to spell out a word or short sentence with their rocks a word such as WORSHIP, or WE LOVE GOD, by chiseling out one letter of the word. Afterward, the kids can line them up somewhere in the room. Option 2: Painting with Rocks (for younger kids) Place the tarp under the bucket. Place the paintbrushes, smocks, poster board, or butcher paper nearby. Put the charcoal, chunks of soil, and dirt (or small, crumbly rocks) into the bucket. If using rocks, crush the rocks with the blunt object until you make a powder. This will be the base for your paint! Pour water and some corn syrup into the powder, and mix it with the large mixing spoon until it makes a paint paste. Print out the Ten Commandments coloring sheet from the Resource Folder. On the poster board or butcher paper, encourage the kids to use the paint you made to draw or write the ways they can love and honor God. To prevent mess, have only one or two kids paint at a time. While some kids paint, have others color the Ten Commandments coloring sheet. 13

12 the world has yet to see what a man fully committed to God can accomplish. As I stare at his grave, images of places, times, experiences, pain, my heart. God. date: / / Main Point: REMEMBER & CELEBRATE! by Rick Lund ANTICIPATE CELEBRATE RESPOND BLESS SMALL Group SECTION Bless// 5 min. Small Group Leaders A blessing can be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words of encouragement or guidance. A blessing can be offered in order to ask God s Spirit to overflow from the child s life to bless others or prayed over a child for the purpose of declaring God s protection, joy, or wisdom. Leader Tip The blessing can be done in many ways, but the more intentional you are about it, the more powerful it will be. Depending on whether parents are able to join in at this time, you may want them to put their hands on their child s head or kneel and look him in the eye as they bless him. Leaders, be sure to model how you envision the blessing working in your church so your volunteers and parents become comfortable with it. As kids are blessed, tell them they have the opportunity to also be a blessing to others. Encourage them to freely share with others the joy and love they have received from God. Encourage the kids to hold their hands in front of them, palms up. This posture is meant to symbolize a willingness of heart to respond to God s Holy Spirit and receive what God has for them. Invite them to remain in this posture as you bless them. Encourage parents to come early in order to read the blessing over their child. Open a Bible and read Romans 5:1 2 (NLT): Therefore, since we have been made right in God s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God s glory. May you rejoice in the knowledge that God loves you and offers you a relationship with Him. May you learn to live like He desires you to. As you worship, may your life display to others the great things He has done for you. HomeFront 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. Inspire (for parents) As I walk down the path of the cemetery where my father was buried, leaves rustle in the wind. All around me, graves mark the resting places for mothers, sons, daughters, fathers, and loved ones. Some of the memorials along the path are huge, imposing, with names prominently displayed on stone that will stand the ravages of weather and time. But the one that means the most to me was my Dad s simple plaque that hunkers flush to the grass, nearly hidden. My dad left for work on February 1, 1965, and never returned. He was 45 years old too young to die. On the grave, his name was written along with his favorite quote, ELEMENTARY KIDS & FAMILIES REMEMBER & CELEBRATE! them to be places that helped us keep walking on the path toward Him. As I drive away from my visit to my Dad s gravesite, I think of how God uses both the prominent and the hidden memorials in our lives as touchstones for remembering and celebrating. From the road, the large gravestones humble me in my mortality and bring me to praise the God who gave me eternal life. And my father s gravestone, now laying hidden in the grass, leads me to thank God for my father s life and pray that I can walk for my children, as he was for me, on the path toward being a man fully committed to 1.6 HomeFront Monthly: Every four weeks we highlight one of the 10 environments. For each new environment, parents and laughter stir up emotion in Memorials are like that. God knows we need places for remembrance. Throughout Scripture, God instructed His people to create memorials out of stone in worship and reverence for what He has done. He wanted should receive HomeFront Monthly. This resource gives families ideas for how to create fun, spiritually forming times in their homes setting aside a sacred space for family in the midst of their active, everyday lives! Getting Started This resource is designed to allow your family to have time in God s Word before your children attend church. Because God s plan is for parents to be the spiritual nurturers of their children s faith, we know that as you grow spiritually, your children will grow spiritually as well. 14