God is with us when we worship.

Praise Jesus! God s Presence Fills the Temple Lesson 13 Bible Point God is with us when we worship. Bible Verse I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20b). Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n learn to look for God with all their senses, n understand that worship is special time spent in God s presence, and n know that God is with them all the time. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n God s presence fills the Temple. 2 Chronicles 5:1-14 King David, Solomon s father, had wanted to build a temple for the Lord. However, since David was a warrior king and had shed much blood, God would not allow David to build a temple for him. However, God promised that Solomon would be the king who would build a temple for him, and after David s death, Solomon took up the task. A description of the incredible beauty and intricacy of the Temple and its furnishings is found in 2 Chronicles 3 4. As the ark was brought to the Temple, Solomon and the people offered such a great number of sacrifices that they couldn t be counted (2 Chronicles 5:6). Once the ark was in place, a great orchestra of trumpets, cymbals, harps, lyres, and voices joined in praise and thanks to God. The people worshipped God together, and he responded! When God came down, a cloud filled the Temple. The cloud itself wasn t God or even God s glory. He is too holy for imperfect humans to see without falling over dead. God was simply in the cloud, which protected the people from actually seeing him. He came to dwell among his people as they worshipped him, Immanuel God is with us (Matthew 1:23). Prayer Read Matthew 18:20. How have you sensed God s presence when you worship him with others? Pray: God, help me help the children in my class sense your presence among us. Help us 141

Lesson 13 Before the Lesson n Collect items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed in the chart. n Make photocopies of the Growing Together handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for your students and for God s direction in teaching the lesson. This Lesson at a Glance What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Welcome Welcome! Receive a warm welcome from the teacher, and make name tags. Trumpet Name Tags handout (p. 107), scissors, markers, tape Attention Grabber Bible Exploration & Application God Is in Church Draw a picture of churchgoers, and find that God is with the churchgoers and with themselves as they worship. Share Circles Share experiences, and find that God is with them even when things are bad. God in the Temple Listen to the story from 2 Chronicles 5:1-14, and learn that God s presence is special. Paper, fine-tip markers, index cards Bible Bible, CD player Evidence of God Look for an invisible picture, and compare that to looking for our invisible God. Bible, 8½x11-inch white paper, scissors, CD player God Is Work with partners to look for God with their five senses, and learn from Isaiah 66:1-2a that God is everywhere in the world. Bible, tape, newsprint, markers, dry sweetened cereal, bowl Closing Sweet Smells Read Jeremiah 23:23-24, learn that God s presence fills heaven and earth, and then eat a sweet-smelling snack to find that God s presence is sweet and good. Bible, sweet-smelling treat 142

Welcome Supplies: Trumpet Name Tags handout (p. 107), scissors, markers, tape Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. Thank each child for coming to class today. As children arrive, ask them about last week s lesson and Growing Together activities. Use questions such as How did you and your family make worshipping God fun last week? and What did you put inside your ark of the covenant to remind you of your faith in God? Say: Today we re going to learn that God is with us when we worship. Hand out the Trumpet Name Tags children made during Lesson 9, and help children attach the name tags to their clothing. If some of the name tags were damaged, or if the children weren t in class that week, have them make new name tags using the photocopiable handout. Tell children that you ll raise your hand to get their attention. They should respond by raising their hands and focusing their attention on you. Rehearse this signal, and encourage the children to respond quickly so you have plenty of time for all the fun activities planned for this lesson. Attention Grabber n God Is in Church Supplies: paper, fine-tip markers, index cards Say: We re going to draw a picture of people at our church. Cover a table with paper. Form two groups. Give a stackable clown and a fine-tip marker to each child in Group 1. Have the children in Group 1 trace around their clowns on the paper. Have the children in Group 2 share markers and decorate the tracings to look like churchgoers. Have the children continue tracing and decorating until there are many churchgoers. As the children are working, ask: How do we worship in our church? (We sing songs; we have a sermon; we pray.) In our picture, where would you put God? (I d put him in the middle where the pastor stands; I d put him where the people are; I d put him by the ceiling because I think God floats through our church.) Rub your finger on the ice-cream cone scent, and then rub your finger on each place the children mention. The scent will stay. Say: This sweet smell reminds us that God is with us when we worship. Ask: Where do we worship God, other than at church? (At church camp; at church picnics; at home.) When can we worship God? (In the morning; anytime.) God s Presence Fills the Temple It s important to say the Bible Point just as it s written in each activity. Repeating the Bible Point over and over throughout the lesson will help kids remember it and apply it to their lives. 143

Lesson 13 Say: We can worship God anywhere, anytime. Since God is with us when we worship, let s put ice-cream cone scent on our hands to remind us that wherever we are when we worship, God is there, too. Rub a little ice-cream cone scent on the children s hands. If some of the children are reluctant, rub the ice-cream cone scent on index cards, and let them take the cards home. Then return the ice-cream cone scent to the Learning Lab. As you ask questions, always pause and allow children time to think for themselves. Then, only as needed, use the answers provided to guide children to discover their own answers. Students learn through self-discovery. Bible Exploration & Application n Share Circles Supplies: Bible Form two groups of equal size. Have the groups form two circles, one inside the other. If you have an uneven number of children, join one of the circles. Have one circle turn to the right and walk, while the other circle turns to the left and walks, until you hum into the kazoo to signal the class to stop walking. Have the circles face each other. Each child should be facing another child. Say: Tell your partner about a time you were scared. You ll have 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, hum into the kazoo to signal the children to start walking again. After a few seconds, hum into the kazoo to signal the children to stop and face a new partner. Say: Tell your partner about a time you were sad. You ll have 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, hum into the kazoo to signal the children to start walking again. After a few seconds, hum into the kazoo to signal the children to stop and face a new partner. Say: Tell your partner about a time you were angry. You ll have 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, have the children sit on the floor. Ask: What makes you feel safe and secure when you re scared, sad, or angry? (I remember that God loves me; I know that my parents will help me; I have a stuffed animal that makes me feel better when I hug it.) Where is God when you are scared? sad? angry? (God is with me; God is in heaven; God is at church.) Say: Listen to what the Bible says about God s care. Read Isaiah 43:1-2. These verses mean that no matter what happens to us, no matter how bad things are, God will always be right there with us. God is with us when we worship, too. When we feel bad, we can remember how good God is, and we can tell him we love him. That s worshipping God. And we can be sure that God will be with us. Let s listen to a story about worshipping God. 144

God s Presence Fills the Temple n God in the Temple Supplies: Bible, CD player track 11 Cue the CD to track 11, God Is With Us. Say: In biblical times, God was with the people in a special way when they worshipped. Let s listen to the story and find out what happened. Open your Bible to 2 Chronicles 5, and show children the passage. Say: This story comes from the Bible. Start the CD. Lead the children in making the sounds and doing the actions. When the story ends, turn off the CD player, and ask: When we worship, how do we know that God is with us? (The Bible says so; I can feel God with me; my parents told me that God is with me.) Say: God is with us when we worship, and it s as special as when God filled the Temple with a cloud. We can be sure of that because the Bible promises that God is with us. Read Psalm 139:8-10. Ask: Where can you go that God won t go with you? (Nowhere; God goes with me everywhere; God is everywhere.) Say: God promises to be with us everywhere. Our Bible verse for today, which comes from Matthew 28:20b, tells us this, too: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Those are the words of Jesus. God sent us his Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for our sins. If we are sorry for our sins and we put our faith in Jesus, he promises he will be with us all the time, until the end of all time. Ask: What is one way we know that Jesus is with us? (The Bible says so; we can feel good inside when we pray to God.) How long does Jesus say he will be with us? (To the end of time; always.) Say: If we believe in Jesus, he will be our friend forever and always. Let s learn now how we can find God all around us. Hands-On Bible For this activity, each student will need a box with a lid (a shoe box works great) and aluminum foil. Index cards and markers or crayons will also be used. If you do not have many children who write well, you may wish to fill out the index cards yourself, ahead of time. You will want to select a Bible verse that talks about how good God is. There are many to choose from in Psalms. Write the verse on the card, and set it aside for class. Also put together a sample special reminder box to show the class. Have the children open their Hands-On Bibles to 2 Chronicles 5, and find the activity called A Special Reminder. Hold up your sample box to show to the class, and then read the activity together. Say: In last week s lesson, we learned about a special box called the ark of the covenant. It represented an agreement that Bible Insight In 2 Chronicles 5:14, God s glory filled the Temple in the form of a white cloud, just as it had at the dedication of the tabernacle during Moses time (Exodus 40:34-35). Since no one can see God face to face, he sometimes sent a cloud to appear as an image of his glory. God also sent a cloud to lead the Israelites through the desert in Exodus 14:19-20, and a cloud that looked like a consuming fire covered Mount Sinai when Moses met with God in Exodus 24:15-18. 145

Lesson 13 Even adults have trouble comprehending a God so powerful that he knows all the thoughts and actions of millions of people and is with us all the time. Watch for teachable moments throughout the lesson when you can remind your students that only God s incredible power makes this possible. God made with his people so they would remember their promise to God and his promise to them. We are going to make our own reminder boxes now, using the supplies I have provided. Read the activity with the children, and then hand out supplies. If you have children who can write, they may choose to write their own index cards for the box. Or you could simply hand out the cards with Bible verses that you prepared in advance. When finished, ask: What are some promises God has made you that you want to remember? (He promises he will always be with me; he promises to love me; he promises to take care of me.) What s one promise you have made to God? (I promise to pray to him all the time; I promise to obey his rules; I promise to tell somebody when I m sorry.) Name one thing you want to thank God for today. (My mom and dad; my new bicycle; my dog s little puppies.) Remind children to keep their special boxes in a safe place and put things inside that will remind them that God is with them. You might want to make a small mark in the corner of each paper to remember which side of the paper you stamped with the shapes. n Evidence of God Supplies: Bible, 8½ 11-inch white paper, scissors, CD player Before class, cut 81/2x11-inch sheets of white paper in eighths. track 9 You will need one small piece for each child. Using the colorchange end of the color-change marker, write GOD in the middle of each piece. The word should dry clear and not be visible on the paper. Give each child one of the papers you prepared. Say: Hold up your piece of paper. Can you see anything on your paper? Allow children to respond. You can t see anything, but you know what? There s something there! And that s a little bit like God. Even though we don t see him, the Bible tells us that God is with us when we worship, and when we pray, and when we sleep...god is always with us! Cue the CD to track 9, Praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6). Song lyrics are located at the end of this teacher guide. Encourage children to sing together with the CD. As they are singing, pass around the color-change marker again, and have children color over their papers with the bright end of the marker so GOD will appear against the background. Continue playing the music until everyone has had a turn, and then ask: What did you think when you saw the word appear on your paper? (I was surprised; I saw someone else s paper so I knew mine would have something, too; it looked cool.) Some of you were surprised to see the word God appear on your paper. How is your surprise like the surprise you sometimes feel about God, whom you can t see? (Because we can t see God, we have to trust that he s there; it surprises me sometimes when I pray and I think God is listening to me.) Read Deuteronomy 4:29 aloud. Say: The Bible says if we look for God, we will find him. Even though we 146

God s Presence Fills the Temple couldn t see the word on our paper, it was there! We just couldn t see it! But when we looked for it with our special marker, we could see it. God is with us when we worship, even though we can t see him. And when we look for God deep inside us, in our hearts, we will find him. Let s learn some more about this. n God Is Supplies: Bible, tape, newsprint, markers, dry sweetened cereal, bowl Tape six sheets of newsprint to the walls at various intervals around the room. Write one of these words on the top of each sheet: see, feel, hear, smell, and taste. Leave the sixth sheet blank. Put the pocket kaleidoscope by the newsprint with see written on it. Put a paper fan by the newsprint with feel written on it. Put a kazoo by the newsprint sheet with hear written on it. Open the ice-cream cone scent, and put it by the newsprint sheet with smell written on it. Set out a bowl of dry sweetened cereal by the newsprint sheet with taste written on it. As you set each item in place, explain to the children how it relates to that sense so nonreaders can remember which sense each newsprint sheet represents. For example, say, I ve put this pocket kaleidoscope by the paper that says see because we see through it. I ve put the paper fan by the paper that says feel because it feels crinkly. Have children form pairs, and have each pair choose a newsprint sheet to stand by. It s OK if more than one pair chooses the same newsprint sheet, but the pairs should be spread evenly among the newsprint sheets. Give each pair a marker. Say: You ll have 30 seconds at each newsprint-sheet station to think of your favorite sights, touches, sounds, smells, and tastes. Work with your partner to think of as many things as you can at each station, and list them or draw them on the sheet. It s OK to use inventive spelling. Use the other kazoo to signal go and to signal 30-second intervals. After each 30-second interval, have children travel to another station. When they ve visited every station, have the children sit on the floor. Raise your hand to get children s attention. Wait for them to raise their hands and stop talking. Then say: God has given us five senses to explore our world. We can see (read from the newsprint list). We can feel (read from the newsprint list). We can hear (read from the newsprint list). We can smell (read from the newsprint list). And we can taste (read from the newsprint list). We can also know that God is with us when we use our five senses. Let s see how our senses can remind us that God is with us. On the blank sheet of newsprint, write I know God is with me when I Then write the words see, feel, hear, smell, and taste with space to write below each one. Read the words to the children, pointing to each word as you say it. Then have the children call out what sights, touches, sounds, smells, and tastes remind them that God is with them. Write what they say under the appropriate word. For example, someone might say, I know God is with me when I see beautiful flowers. When the children have talked about each of the five senses, read aloud the entire See page 5. Be sensitive to kids who might have disabilities that limit their senses. Bring a bag of stuffed animals for the children to take turns holding and hugging. Talk about the special feelings that stuffed animals and hugs can bring. Say: God s presence is even more special than hugging your favorite stuffed animal. Have children close their eyes and pretend that God is giving them a hug. They can wrap their arms around themselves if they want to. Say: God is with us when we worship. God s presence can make us feel as warm and secure and happy as a hug because God loves us. Whenever you need to remind yourself that God is with you, just wrap your arms around yourself, and pretend that God is giving you a hug. 147

Lesson 13 sheet of newsprint. Say: This is a poem to God of all the things that remind us of him. A person in the Bible wrote a poem to remind himself that God is in the whole world. Read Isaiah 66:1-2a. Remember all these things we wrote in our poem this week, and look for new things that remind you that God is with you. When we think about how good God is, we re worshipping. And God is with us when we worship. Put away the leftover cereal. Return the pocket kaleidoscope, the paper fan, the kazoo, and the ice-cream cone scent to the Learning Lab. See page 5. For a great-smelling snack, bring a popcorn popper and pop popcorn with your children. They ll love the treat, and the smell will linger in your classroom and in the hallways of your church as the children are leaving. Closing n Sweet Smells Supplies: Bible, sweet-smelling treat Ask: What did you learn from today s lesson? (I learned that God is always with us; I learned that God is with me everywhere; I learned that God is with me when I worship.) Bring a snack that smells good, such as freshly baked brownies, cinnamon rolls, or chocolate chip cookies. Put the snack in an airtight container. Have children sit in a circle. Say: Our God is so wonderful that he fills heaven and earth. Listen to this description from the book of Jeremiah in the Bible. Read Jeremiah 23:23-24. Our snack s good smell is everywhere in our room, the way God is everywhere in all the heavens and earth. Open the snack container, and pass it around the circle. Have each child smell the snack and pass it on without taking any of it. When the container comes back to you, ask: How did you feel when you smelled the snack? (I got hungry; my stomach felt empty; I wanted the snack.) Say: God is with us when we worship. His presence is good and sweet. When we experience a little bit of God s presence, we want more, just as when you smelled the snack you wanted more you wanted to gobble it up. I ll pass the treats around again. This time, take one. We re going to pray a special prayer as we eat. As we take bites of our snack, we ll talk about what makes God s presence so good and sweet. Pass the treats around, and have each child take one. Between bites, talk about why God s presence is sweet and good. When everyone has finished, pray together: Thank you, God, for being with us when we worship you. Amen! 148

God s Presence Fills the Temple Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Growing Together handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your children. Encourage children and parents to use the handout to plan meaningful activities on this week s topic. Follow up the Growing Together activities next week by asking children what their families did together. 149

Worship 13: God is with us when we worship. Bible Story God s presence fills the Temple. 2 Chronicles 5:1-14 Bible Verse I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20b). Today your child learned that God is with us when we worship and that wherever they go, God is there. Use these activities to remember that God is with your family this week. Walk Around Take a walk around your neighborhood with your family, and look up and down for evidence of God s presence. Before you head out, praise God for being a great God who is with you when you worship. Then as you walk, look for kindnesses, such as neighbors chatting, to remind you of God s kindness to us. Look for beautiful things in nature to remind you of God s creation. Look for sturdy homes to remind you of God s protection. Feel the breeze on your face, or watch leaves rustling to remind you that, even though he can t be seen, God is always with us. Quiet Worship Tell each family member to find a place he or she can be alone and silent for three or four minutes. Tell your family to think about the verse Be still and know that I am God. Have them talk to God and then be quiet and listen to God, imagining that God is sitting beside them during this time. Afterward, play quiet praise music or sing a quiet worship song such as Alleluia while you gather the family. Talk about why God sometimes likes us to be quiet when we think about him. Thank God for quiet times of worship. Sweet Smells Wrap a cinnamon stick and a few cloves in a small piece of cheesecloth. Simmer the spices in a pot of apple cider after supper. Remind your family that God is with them like a sweet-smelling fragrance. Serve everyone a cup of cider, and talk about how God is always with us. As your family enjoys the cider, remind them that God s Spirit lives inside them. God s Comfort Have your child draw a heart on white cotton fabric with markers. Pin the picture to another piece of fabric, and cut the picture out, leaving a margin of about half an inch. Then unpin the two pieces of fabric, and turn them both over so the wrong sides are facing each other. Repin the fabric. Thread a dull needle, and tie a large knot in the end. Show your child how to make a running stitch, and have him or her sew the two pieces of fabric together. Leave a 2-inch opening on one side. Turn it right-side out, and stuff it with Poly-Fil, fabric scraps, or cut-up nylon hosiery. Sew the gap shut. Send your child to bed with this heart pillow to remind him or her that God is always present. 150 Permission to photocopy this page from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Ave., Loveland, CO 80538. group.com