July 2, 2017 DATE Acts 19; Ephesians 1 (Paul in Ephesus) THE BIG GOD STORY God Calls Us His Own PONDER POINT Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12 REMEMBER VERSE Welcome and Worship (10 minutes) Begins class creating an inviting atmosphere for kids to feel welcome and engage kids in worship through singing and communion. The Big God Story (20 minutes) & Response Creates space for children to hear God s word and respond to the Holy Spirit in worship response. Small Groups (20 minutes) Kids will build relationships with each other and their leaders, and respond to what they learned in the Big God Story. Bless & Dismiss (5 minutes) Bless kids to send them out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others. The large group room will be divided into three sections. Please help kids find which section they should sit in according to their grade: 1st- 2nd, 3rd-4th & 5th-6th. The host will be dismissing kids into small groups Toward the end of small group time, we will knock on the door/wall as your 3 minute warning and we will open your door or curtain when it is time to regroup in the large group meeting space. 5th & 6th graders can go directly to Snack Shack after small group time, rather than regrouping in the large group space. SCHEDULE Large Group Small Group 3 Min Warn. Regroup/ Dismiss 5th-6th 1st Service (9:00) 9:00 9:30 9:57 10:00 Host Administrative To Do s: Make sure no group is too large Make sure each group has enough supplies Close curtains and divider wall for small groups at 10:15 Give a 3 minute warning knock to groups Open doors when it s time to dismiss groups Call names for dismissal after blessing 2nd Service (10:15) 10:15 10:45 11:12 11:15 3rd Service (11:30) 11:30 12:00 12:27 12:30 1
GOAL: Worship & welcome is all about engaging kids and helping them enter into worship, letting them know that class has begun preparing their minds for what they are going to hear. WELCOME (Host): Stage Lights On VIDEO LOOPS: Welcome Loop, 5 Min Countdown, Welcome Image We are so glad you are here today. Welcome the kids in your own words and finish by saying, Let s all stand and hear God s word and sing our praise to Him OPENING WORSHIP SONG (Worship Leader): Turn out main overhead lights REMEMBER VERSE VIDEO VIDEO 1: (9:00 and 11:30) Good News (10:15) This Is Amazing Grace VIDEO 2: (9:00 and 11:30) Jump Up (10:15) Our God (Kids may be seated) TIMELINE VIDEO (Storyteller) The Big God Story: Point out that what kids 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. Invite kids to open their Bibles and follow along as you storytell. Children respond to what the Holy Spirit is teaching them as they reflect on the day s portion of The Big God Story. The Prayer of Release: This allows children and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet their hearts and minds. Before you pray, you might ask the kids to hold out their hands, palms up, in a spirit of releasing their worries and distractions in order to better receive what the Holy Spirit might have for them today. Then encourage the kids to quiet their voices, take a seat, and pray with you. 2
The Big God Story: Worship Response: Storyteller Script Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. God sent the apostle Paul all over the place to tell people about Jesus. Paul was one of the first missionaries. What missionaries do you know of, and where do they serve? Invite a couple of kids to share. Some of the places Paul visited include Cue Ancient World Map image, and point out the following places) Antioch, Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. As he spoke to people about the good news of Jesus, many started to believe in the one true God. Many lives were changed. The people began to gather to worship God together. As a result, many new churches began in cities throughout the land. Paul stayed with the new believers for a time. He taught them about Jesus, His love, and the very best way to live in response to God. But shortly after Paul left the new believers in Ephesus, the people began to have a hard time. Ephesus was a beautiful and wealthy city. Cue Ephesus image. The people in this city focused on beauty, sports, art, and success in business. The Ephesian people also worshipped lots of false gods. Statues and images of these false gods were everywhere. Because the new believers in Ephesus lived in a city with so many false gods, they were tempted to go back to their old ways of thinking. So God told Paul to write a letter to the people to remind them of their new identity in Jesus. Have the volunteer deliver the envelope to you. Walk to the Postcard image on poster board and cue the Postcard image. In Paul s letter, he encouraged the Ephesians to rejoice because they had discovered the most amazing thing in the universe: salvation through Jesus. Paul also encouraged them to stay strong in their identity in Christ. Wait a second what s an identity, anyway? Let me show you an example. Hold up the framed picture. What do you see? Ask one or two children to share their thoughts. That s really interesting. You described the picture, but you didn t describe the frame. Why? Invite responses. Great thoughts. What s really important is the picture, not the frame. If we pretended that we re a framed picture, the frame would be how we look to others and what we do the things on the outside. But the beautiful picture of who we are is on the inside. And the most important thing about who we are on the inside is not just about loving others and 3
being a good friend. The most important thing is what God says about who we are. Invite children to turn in their Bibles to Ephesians 1:4 and follow along. The Bible says God chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he [adopted us] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins (verses 4 5, 7). We have been chosen, redeemed, and adopted into God s family as His children! God has done all this because He loves us very much. He calls you His own. Let s read Ephesians 2:10 together. Invite children to find the verse. For we are God s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Handiwork that s the work of God the Creator. We re the handiwork, the creation, of God, made by His hands and breath. We re His masterpiece we re created by the Master! Take a look at this handiwork. God made each one of you with special care. He knew how you would look, walk, talk, think, feel, and more. God is the Master Artist, and you re His masterpiece! He calls you His own. Read Ephesians 2:10 again. We are God s children, created to do good works that He planned for us long ago. He made you everything about you for His special plan! That s exciting. And no one and nothing can change who you are as a child of God. No one can take away the place you have with Him. In Paul s letter to the Ephesians, God used Paul to encourage the people about their identity in Him. The most important thing about you is what God says is true. Tech: Cue Identity Statement image. Let s read this together and put our names at the very beginning. Let s remember what is true about who we are. When we get to the last line, I want you to shout it out! Lead kids in saying the identity statement. Then have them say it with you a second time, this time standing up and with more oomph. Encourage kids to really take ownership of the words and what they mean. God tells us to rejoice because we have been chosen by Him the God of all creation. We ve been adopted by God into His family and are His! Your identity isn t in what you do or don t do. It s not in your soccer skills, good grades, or ability to sing well. You re God s perfect masterpiece. You re His child. Share a personal story of a time you came to know and appreciate your identity as God s child. Storyteller continues into Worship Response Before we dismiss to small groups I would like to pray for us, and then I would ask you to please walk quietly and in an attitude of prayer as we go to our small group rooms so we can be ready to hear what God would want to say to us next. (Close in Prayer) 9:00 & 11:30 --please remind kids response is also a time they can give offering or take communion if they have made Jesus their savior and been baptized. 10:15 --please remind kids response is also a time they can give offering (communion will be offered during small group time) 4
IMAGE: Worship Response - None MUSIC: Spotify Response playlist - play very softly IMAGE: It s time for small groups Turn main overhead lights on 9:00 10:15 11:30 1st-2nd Yellow - Rm 105 B 1st-2nd Yellow - Rm 105 B 1st-2nd Yellow - Rm 105 B 1st-2nd Red - Rm 101 1st-2nd Red - Rm 101 3rd-6th Teal - Rm 118 3rd-4th Purple - Rm 104 B 1st-2nd Pink - Rm 105 F 3rd-4th Green - Rm 102 3rd-4th Purple - Rm 104 B 5th-6th Teal - Rm 118 3rd-4th Green - Rm 102 5th-6th Orange - Rm 112 3rd-4th Gray - Rm 104 F 5th-6th Teal - Rm 118 5th-6th Orange - Rm 112 5th-6th Blue - Rm 103 5th-6th Navy - Rm 110 Dismiss for small groups ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the end of small groups... Tech cue: 2 minute warning with exit song, using ceiling speakers, at the host s prompting Turn speakers back to wall speakers for blessing, closing song and dismissal. 5
GOAL: Kids build relationships with each other and their leader as they respond to what they heard in the Big God Story. UNIQUELY ME SUPPLIES: Identity cards (see Resources) Fingerprint Facts (see Resources) Washable ink pad Hand wipes Magnifying glasses Isn t it amazing that God made everything in the universe and still knows each one of us personally? And He designed each one of us to be different to be unique. He s such a creative God! Paul encouraged the Ephesians to be joyful because God had chosen them to be a part of His family. After this, Paul told them to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24). The new self is our new identity as followers of Jesus. In Christ, we re chosen, redeemed, blessed, forgiven, given an inheritance, given new life, saved, brought near, made members of God s household, unified with all believers, and children of light (Ephesians 5:8). Wow! We can find a great example of this in our fingerprints. No two people have the same fingerprints. Not even twins! Our fingerprints are completely unique. Today let s investigate our fingerprints as we think about how God made each one of us, loves us, and calls us His beloved children. We belong to Him! Point out the Identity cards and supplies, and invite each child to press a finger into the ink pad and then press it onto a card (in the box) to create a fingerprint. Invite the kids to use the magnifying glasses to examine their fingerprints as well as the other kids fingerprints. How are the fingerprints the same? How are they different? As the kids work, they can talk about some of the Fingerprint Facts. When the kids have finished investigating their fingerprints say the following: Think of a time when you really wanted to belong, to be chosen, to be picked to be a part of something. Well, you ve been chosen, by God, to be a part of His family. Choosing to trust and obey Jesus, God s Son, is how we become a part of God s family. Now have the kids sign their names and turn over the cards to read the identity statement. Have the kids take their identity cards home with them to help them remember their identity is in Christ. Close group time in prayer. 6
GOAL: Kids build relationships with each other and their leader as they respond to what they heard in the Big God Story. WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT ME Children decorate frames with words and pictures that remind them about what God says about who they are. SUPPLIES: Picture Frame template (see Resources) Bibles Markers/crayons Ephesians 1: 1-14 RELATE Today we heard about what God thinks of us. God says that when we trust and obey Jesus, we belong to Him as His child. God says we re chosen, forgiven, redeemed, and loved. Sometimes we forget that it s who we are on the inside, not the things we do or what other people think, that s important to God. Have the children open their Bibles and read through Ephesians 1:1 14. Ask them what this passage tells them about who God says they are. Ask them if they have any other thoughts or ideas about what God thinks about them. Then pass out the frames. On the inside of the frame, encourage the kids to write or draw about who God says they are (e.g., loved, chosen, children of light). When the kids finish, invite them to share their frames with the rest of the group. For Younger Kids Verbally share with the children some examples of images that describe what God thinks about them (for example, a heart for loved, a number one for chosen, or a candle for a child of the light). When finished use the following discussion questions to keep the conversation going about Our identity in Christ Encourage kids to look up the following verses in their Bibles. Why was Paul in Ephesus? What are some things that describe you on the outside? (for example, hair color, best subject in school, or hobbies) What are some words that describe the way God sees us? Ephesians 1:4 5 How does it make you feel to know God chose you to be His child? Please remember to offer communion during your small group time for those kids who have made Jesus the savior of their life and been baptized into Him. 7
GOAL: Bless kids to send them out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others. CLOSING REMARKS/ANNOUNCEMENTS (Host): Wall Speakers On VIDEO LOOP: Thanks, glad you were here. BLESSING (HOST): RELATE Encourage the kids to hold their hands in front of them, palms up. Then open a Bible and read Ephesians 3:16 19: I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. May you know, through Jesus, that you ve been chosen to be God s own and that He loves you just as you are. CLOSING WORSHIP SONG (Worship Leader): VIDEO 3: (9:00 and 11:30)- Glory To God (10:15)The Lord Our God DISMISSAL (HOST): Call names of kids as parent come to pick up and welcome kids who are being dropped off. Encourage parents to enter the room and encourage kids and parents to exit out the middle door (103) 8
My husband and I had been married for a few years when we started talking about starting a family. But the more we talked about it, the more loudly we felt God telling us something we hadn t expected: Our child was already alive, out there somewhere in the world, waiting for a mom and a dad. We began pursuing adoption. Knowing our child wasn t home yet created a longing and an ache in my heart. I hadn t met my child, but the love I felt was deeper than I ever thought possible. I desperately wanted my child home with us. In the midst of this journey, God s love became more real to me than ever. If I could feel this kind of love for a child I hadn t met yet, then God must feel a love for me that I could never imagine. He must want me with Him so badly that He would do anything, and stop at nothing, to seek me out and claim me as His own. Wow! I cannot wait for the day when I get to look at my beautiful child in the face and say, We love you so much that we sought you out. You are our child. I m pretty sure God has been saying the same thing to me for longer than I know. My identity comes from being His beloved, desired, pursued child. God calls me His own! Laura Weber ROCKHARBOR Church Much of the content of Paul s letter to the Ephesians focuses on the believer s identity in Christ. In chapter 1, Paul encourages them to rejoice in their identity; in chapter 2, he asks them to remember where they came from (what they have been saved from); in chapters 3 through 5, he exhorts them to live as children of light (5:8) and to live up to the calling they have received. In chapter 6, he asks them to remember that the enemy will try to break them down, destroy the unity of the body of Christ, and make them stray from the glorious calling they have received in Christ. Why did Paul spend so much time discussing the idea of identity in his letter to the Ephesians? Ephesus was the third most populated city in the Roman Empire, on a bustling trade route. It was wealthy, important, and cosmopolitan. Because of this, the Ephesians identity in Christ might have warred against the lure of money, prestige, or power. In addition, because of the Roman fascination with Greek culture, Ephesus was Hellenized (turned Greek) under Roman rule. Temples dedicated to Greek gods were built, and much of Greek culture and philosophy were incorporated into Ephesian life. The Ephesian people were surrounded by the lifestyle and culture of pagan worship. For these possible reasons, God inspired Paul to write this impassioned and beautiful letter. God gave Paul the words to speak the truth about who we are in Christ: dearly loved children [chosen] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight (Ephesians 5:1; 1:4). These words resonate with us today. It is still astounding that through Christ we re able to live as children of light (5:8). 9
The first chapter of Ephesians is essentially one unbroken thought an overflow of powerful emotion. It is Paul s impassioned declaration, full of faith and joy at the free, lavish gift he received in Christ. Read through Ephesians 1. Then read it again and pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance (Ephesians 1:18). Pray God will give you a similar overwhelming sense of joy at the knowledge of the salvation that you have in Christ. In the same way that Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus, pray for your kids. Pray God will fill them up with a sense of joy from the glorious gift of Himself that He freely offers. Pray they will be overwhelmed with joy because they know they have been chosen to be His own. 10