No matter what, God still loves us.

Praise Jesus! God Speaks of His Love for the People of Israel Lesson 7 Bible Point No matter what, God still loves us. Bible Verse I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God s love (Romans 8:38a). Growing Closer to Jesus Students will n examine God s promises to be faithful, n confess their sins privately to God, and n celebrate God s enduring love. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n God speaks of his love for the people of Israel. Hosea 11:1-11 At times God commanded his prophets to engage in peculiar behavior to get a certain point across. Ezekiel had to cook his food over human dung (Ezekiel 4). Later he was told to shave his head with a sword and divide the hair into three equal parts. One third was to be burned, another third slashed, and the final third scattered to the wind (Ezekiel 5). Jeremiah had to purchase a belt and then travel to bury it in a pile of rocks. Later he was told to go retrieve it, though by then it was ruined (Jeremiah 13:1-7). Isaiah went about naked and barefoot for three years (Isaiah 20). Shocking behavior? That was precisely the point: God wanted to shock the Israelites out of their spiritual complacency. The first nine verses of Hosea 11 paint a rather depressing picture. But the picture is incomplete without verses 10-11. The exile of Israel and Judah were temporary. God s love for Israel and Judah was everlasting. Judah and Israel would be reunited with one another, but more importantly they would be reunited with the Lord. Other Scriptures used in this lesson are Ezekiel 37:23; Luke 19:10; John 3:16-17; and 1 John 1:8-9. Prayer Read 1 John 1:8-9. We might read the Old Testament descriptions of Israelites sins and comfort ourselves by saying, At least we re not that bad. How does 1 John 1:8 address that sort of thinking? Are there any areas of your life in which you need to take advantage of the wonderful promise mentioned in 1 John 1:9? Pray: Lord, I see how my frequent unfaithfulness to you must pain your heart. Thank you for your faithfulness to me, your willingness to take me back time and again. Help the children I teach come to appreciate your patient and forgiving love for them. 83

Lesson 7 Before the Lesson n Collect the necessary items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed on the chart. n Make photocopies of the Hands-On Fun at Home handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for your students and for God s direction as you teach the lesson. This Lesson at a Glance Attention Grabber Bible Exploration & Application What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Happy Unbirthday! Celebrate everyone s birthday, and discuss getting something good even when they haven t done anything to deserve it. Shoe Relay Race carrying a load of shoes, read Hosea 11:1-11 and discuss God s love, and learn the Bible verse. Cupcakes, birthday candles Bibles, CD player, 2 large garbage bags Closing Lost and Found Search for the Earth, read Luke 19:10 and John 3:16-17, and discuss what it means to be lost. Clean Hands and Pure Hearts Hear Ezekiel 37:23 and 1 John 1:8-9, and compare God s forgiveness to washing ink off their hands. Heart Work Draw hearts on each other s hands as reminders of God s love. Bibles Bible, washable markers, cup of water Washable markers 84

Welcome God Speaks of His Love for the People of Israel As kids arrive, ask them to describe how they put last week s lesson into action. Ask questions such as What tasks did you stick with this past week? and How did God help you through failure? Tell kids that whenever you sound the giggle hammer, they are to stop talking and focus their attention on you. Explain that it s important to respond to this signal quickly so the class can do as many fun activities as possible. Repeating the Bible Point over and over will help the children remember it and apply it to their lives. Help children learn one point that will stay with them for days and even years to come. Attention Grabber n Happy Unbirthday! SUPPLIES: cupcakes, birthday candles Start this class period with a birthday party for everyone. As kids enter, wish them a happy birthday. Give each person a cupcake with a birthday candle on it. Have the group sing, Happy Birthday, dear everyone or dear class. When everyone has finished eating, ask: What went through your mind when I wished you a happy birthday? (I thought you were mixed up, because it s not my birthday; I didn t know what was going on; I didn t care, as long as I got a cupcake.) What would it be like to get a real birthday party, complete with cake and presents, when it s not even your birthday? (Awesome; I d love it; it d be a real surprise.) Say: It s great when we get something good that we weren t expecting or didn t deserve. Today we re going to talk about the best thing in the world that we can ever get. This is something we get without doing anything to deserve it. It s God s love. And we can never lose his love. We ll learn that no matter what, God still loves us. Let s find out more! Bible Exploration & Application n Shoe Relay SUPPLIES: Bibles, CD player, 2 large garbage bags Before this activity, place the popping eyeballs against one track 14 wall. Have kids form two teams. Give each team a large garbage bag. Say: Take off your shoes, and put all the shoes from your team into the garbage bag. When teams are finished, line both teams up at one end of the room opposite the popping eyeballs. Have the first person on each team drape that team s bundle over his or her back. 85

Lesson 7 As you lead discussions with your class, ask open-ended questions. Rather than rephrasing questions as statements and asking children to agree, wait for kids to answer on their own. Respect what class members say, and let the kids teach you. You ll be surprised how much they know! Make your class a safe zone for kids with special needs and learning disabilities. Avoid calling on students to read or pray aloud if they find it embarrassing or difficult. Say: When I give the signal, the person on each team with the bundle of shoes must crawl on hands and knees to the other end of the room, take a popping eyeball from the pile, and set it to one side. Then that person should crawl back and put the bundle of shoes over the back of the second person in line. Keep racing until everyone on your team has had a turn. Give the signal with the giggle hammer, and let the relay begin. When everyone has raced, have kids reclaim their shoes and put them back on. Put away the popping eyeballs for use in future lessons, and put the garbage bags away. Have each group discuss your questions and then share their responses with the other group. Ask: How did the bundle of shoes around your back affect this relay? (The shoes made it harder because I kept tripping on them; if I crawled very fast the shoes bounced against me and hurt, so I had to slow down.) Say: Our relay was similar to a verse in the book of Hosea. In this passage, God is talking about the people of Israel. As we read Hosea 11:1-4, see if you can spot the verse that s like our relay. Distribute Bibles. Have one group read the passage in unison while others follow along. Then ask: Which verse is like the relay? (Verse 4; the one that talks about the yoke.) A yoke is a frame or harness that goes on an animal s neck so the animal can carry or drag something heavy. Now that you ve dragged the shoes around, how do you suppose it would feel to wear a yoke? (Heavy; tiring; painful.) Think of things that weigh you down emotionally. For example, when somebody picks on you, you might feel pushed down or sad. What kind of experience could make you feel as if you were carrying a yoke around? (When something is too hard at school, you feel dragged down; when you lie to your parents, feeling guilty weighs you down.) Verse 4 says that God lifted a heavy burden off his people. How would you expect them to act toward God? (I d expect them to say thanks; I d expect them to be glad; I d think they d be grateful.) Have the other team read Hosea 11:5-7 aloud. Ask: How did God s people really respond to what God did for them? (They turned away from God; they didn t thank God.) How would you feel about somebody who refused to be your friend even after you d done something really nice for that person? (Angry; hurt; I wouldn t want to be their friend anymore.) What would you expect God to do when the Israelites chose to worship idols instead of the true God? (Be angry; find other people who would obey him; turn away from them.) Have teams alternate reading verses from Hosea 11:8-11. Ask: What words would you use to describe how God feels about the people who belong to him? (Loving; forgiving; kind; patient.) What is it like to know that God loves you, even when you do something wrong? (It makes me feel good; I want to love God back; I m not so scared of making mistakes.) What things could you do to thank God for loving you? (I could give some of my own money for the church offering; I could pray; I could try to do things that would make God happy, like obey my parents.) 86

Collect Bibles, and say: Hosea 11:1-11 shows that God never gives up on people who belong to him. No matter what, God still loves us. In fact, nothing can separate us from God s love. Don t believe me? Well, look at this! Have kids turn to Romans 8:38a in their Bibles and read the verse aloud with you several times: I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God s love. Then have kids stand in a circle. Explain that they ll take turns around the circle saying one thing that they think might separate them from God s love. For example, someone might say, Disobeying my parents, or doubts about God, or sin. After each child shares, ask the class, Can that separate us from God s love? Then lead everyone in shouting No! as loud as they can. Say: Nothing can separate us from God s love. God loves us so much that he wants us to be his children and live with him forever! Let s sing a song to help us remember that God loves us and wants us to be close to him. Lead kids in singing Come Boldly to the Throne (Hebrews 4:16) with the CD (track 14). (Lyrics are at the back of this book.) God Speaks of His Love for the People of Israel HANDS-ON BIBLE Now let s make something to help us remember that God loves us and wants us to be his children. Have kids turn to the God s Children activity found on page 871 in their Hands-On Bibles. Set out the cards and yarn, and help kids start wrapping the yarn around the cards. Then help them follow the directions to make the rest of the doll. You might want to make a doll yourself so kids can see how you do it. As they work, help kids discuss what it means to be a child of God and how it makes them feel that God wants them to be his children. Encourage kids to take the dolls home as reminders that no matter what, God still loves us, and he wants us to be his children. n Lost and Found SUPPLIES: Bibles Show kids the flying flipper. Say: Pretend you re extraterrestrials searching for this, the planet Earth. One of you will be the Searcher and the rest of us will be Clue-Givers. The Searcher will leave the room while we hide the flying flipper. When the Searcher returns, we ll all crouch down. Each time the Searcher moves toward the hidden flying flipper, we ll straighten up a little bit. When the Searcher moves away from the hidden flying flipper, we ll crouch a little lower. Those are the only clues we ll give. Make sure kids understand the instructions. Then choose a volunteer to leave the room while another volunteer hides the flipper. Have kids crouch down as far as they can. Invite the Searcher to begin looking for the flipper. When the Searcher finds the flipper, have him or her select another student to be the Searcher. After a number of kids have had the chance to be the Searcher, form a circle. Hold up the flying flipper and say: I m going to toss the flipper to someone in the circle. If I toss it to you, respond to my question and then If you don t feel comfortable having a student leave the room, let the Searcher turn his or her back to the rest of the class while the flying flipper is hidden. 87

Lesson 7 Bible Insight At about the time that Hosea became a prophet, Jeroboam II, Israel s powerful and prosperous king, died. Six different kings (four of whom were assassinated) reigned within the following 20-year period, indicative of the moral and political decay during this period. If you have students who have not committed themselves to Jesus, now is a good time to give them that opportunity. Perhaps a simple prayer at this point in the lesson is enough, or maybe you have kids who need to hear a fuller presentation of God s message. Whatever you do, pray that the Holy Spirit will give you wisdom to help those kids who are open to his leading right now. toss the flipper to someone else. When everyone has had a chance to answer my question, I ll ask a new one and toss the flipper again. Ask: Which hiding place did you think was the most difficult to find? Why? (The flipper was completely hidden, so even when you were right next to it you couldn t see it; it was such an unexpected hiding place that it was hard to guess.) What have you lost in real life that was really important to you? What did you do to try to find it? (When I lost my dog we put signs on telephone poles and ads in the paper; once I lost my homework and I looked everywhere in the house; one time my friend let me wear her watch and I lost it I didn t want to see her until I found it.) Say: It s important to search for things when they re lost. The Bible tells about something that God doesn t want to lose. Let s read Luke 19:10 and John 3:16-17 to see if we can discover what God thinks is so valuable. Put the flying flipper away, and distribute Bibles. Read Luke 19:10 and John 3:16-17 aloud while kids follow along. Ask: How is this passage like our activity? (It says that we ll be found, just like the flying flipper was; God wants us to be found, like the Searcher wanted to find the flying flipper.) What do you think this passage means when it says lost? (Not to know God; to be far away from God.) What do these verses teach you about God? (He loves us; he wants people to believe in Jesus; he doesn t want to judge people guilty he wants to save them.) What does it mean to believe in God s Son? (To know that Jesus is really God; to be a Christian; to love Jesus; to be sorry for your sin and ask Jesus to forgive you.) What does it mean to you to know that Jesus loves you enough to die for you? (It s awesome; I feel bad that I don t always thank Jesus; I love Jesus, too.) Say: No matter what, God still loves us. He loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die so that we wouldn t be lost. God doesn t wait for us to show how good we are before he will love us. Even though we sin, God doesn t judge us as guilty Jesus makes us innocent if we have faith in him. Let s take a look at how that works. 88

God Speaks of His Love for the People of Israel n Clean Hands and Pure Hearts SUPPLIES: Bible, washable markers, cup of water Form a circle. Hand out washable markers, and have each person write sin on the back of one hand. Say: This marker has made your hand dirty! Listen as I read about things that make your whole life dirty. Read Ezekiel 37:23 aloud. Ask: In what way is the sin in your life like this ink on your hand? (It makes me dirty; I need it washed off; it shows up God and other people can see it.) People today don t usually worship statues of gods like the people mentioned in this verse did. But what are some sins that do tempt people today? (Lying; cheating; being mean to other kids; talking back to parents; swearing.) Say: Sins make our lives dirty. Listen as I read 1 John 1:8-9 to find out what makes our lives clean again. Read 1 John 1:8-9 aloud. Ask: How do people try to fool themselves into thinking they don t have any sin? (They figure everybody else is cheating, so it s not really so bad; they tell themselves they didn t mean to do something wrong, so it doesn t count; they compare themselves to really bad people.) If God loves us no matter what, is it OK to sin? Explain. (No God wants us to obey him; we should show God that we love him by doing what he wants; God loves us, but he doesn t love our sins; God loves us enough to forgive us when we sin, but it s still wrong to sin.) Why do you suppose God included these verses in the Bible? (So we would know that sin makes us dirty; because we need Jesus to wash away our sins; so we ll say we re sorry.) Say: Think of a sin that you need to confess to God. Don t tell anyone except God. Pause a few moments to allow kids to think. Then say: Now pray silently with me as I pray out loud. Pray: Dear God, I m sorry for my sin. Please forgive me. Please wash this sin out of my life and make me clean. Thank you for promising to forgive me when I tell you I m sorry. In Jesus name, amen. Dip the expandable sponge in a cup of water to get it really wet. Say: God promises to wash away our sins when we tell him we re sorry. When this sponge is passed to you, turn to the person on your left and say, [Name], when you confess your sin, God washes your sin away. Then use the sponge to wash the word sin off the person s hand. After you ve done this, give that person the sponge so he or she can wash the next person s hand. Start the expandable sponge around the circle by washing the hand of the person on your left. When the expandable sponge has gone all the way around the circle, put it aside. Rinse it out after class so that it will be ready for use in later lessons. Have kids keep the washable markers for the next activity. Say: Even when we sin, God is ready to forgive us. No matter what, God still loves us. If you have more than 15 students you may need to stop and rinse out the expandable sponge periodically. If your washable markers aren t quite as washable as you d hoped, don t panic. You can carry the object lesson further by pointing out that it is hard for us to wash away something as ordinary as ink. How much more it takes to cleanse us from sin itself! But God is capable of making us as clean and innocent as if we had never been marked by sin. 89

Lesson 7 Closing n Heart Work SUPPLIES: washable markers Say: In the next three minutes, draw a heart on someone else s hand where the word sin used to be. After you ve drawn on one person s hand, find someone else, and add to or decorate the heart that another person has drawn. Be sure to let people draw on your hand, too! Let kids draw for three minutes, and then give the signal with the giggle hammer. Collect the markers. Have kids form a circle and put their decorated hands into the center of the circle. Take a few moments to appreciate everyone s artwork, and then say: Today, whenever you look at your hand, remember that because of God s love our sins can be washed away. No matter what, God still loves us! If we accept that love and trust in Jesus, God will forgive all our sins. Have kids raise their hands and shout, Forgiven! Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Hands-On Fun at Home handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your kids. Encourage kids and parents to use the handout to spark meaningful discussion on this week s topic. 90

LESSON 7 No matter what, God still loves us. I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God s love (Romans 8:38a). Have a valentine dinner even if it isn t Valentine s Day. Decorate the table with red and white napkins and paper plates. Serve heart-shaped sandwiches, red Jell-O molded in a heart-shape, and heart-shaped cookies for dessert. As you eat, talk about the ways God shows he loves you and how you can show God s love to others. Ezekiel 37:23 tells us that God s love chases the dirtiness of our sins away. To get an idea of what this is like, fill a small bowl with water. Sprinkle pepper on the water. Then squeeze a drop of liquid dishwashing detergent into the water and watch what happens! Read Hosea 11:1-3. What are some of the things your mom or dad did for you when you were little? What are some things God does for you as your heavenly Father? Read Hosea 11:8. What prized possession do you own that you would never give up? What does it mean to you that you are God s prized possession? Read Hosea 11:9. What do you usually do when you are angry with someone? What are some differences between a human s way of dealing with anger and God s ways of dealing with anger? Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com 91