February 25-26, 2017 I Am Journey Week 3: Moses and the burning bush Exodus 2-4; Psalm 139:13-14 God is always with us. Connect Time (15 minutes): Five minutes after the service begins, split kids into groups and begin their activity. Large Group (30 minutes): Begin 20 minutes after the service starts. Model what it looks like to be engaged in large group. Small Group (15 minutes): Keep kids in small groups until parents arrive. If you have extra time at the end, you can review the video and songs together. A good way to start a conversation with kids is to ask them, What was the best or worst part of your week? It opens up a discussion that helps them describe something specific from their life, whether it s good or bad! As kids leave, ask them what they wrote on the back of their verse cards! Week 3 of the I AM Journey is about how our identity is rooted in God, and he is ALWAYS with us. Today we ll focus on how God called to Moses in a pretty unique way, and even though Moses didn t think he was equipped for the mission God gave him, God was always with him!
GOAL: Connect Time is all about engaging kids in an activity that allows them to connect with each other right away while simultaneously piquing their curiosity for Large Group and preparing their minds for what they re going to hear. COLOR SCRAMBLE *Prepare to play music on the room s itunes playlist, or a CD player. Keep kids in one large group. Hand out a colored card to each kid. (There are 4 colors total; try to evenly disperse all 4 colors amongst the group.) As the leader plays music, kids will walk around the room, waiting until the music stops. When you stop the music, tell kids to go find someone with a certain color card (for example, find someone with the same color card as you), and ask them a questions (for example, what s your favorite color?). Let kids talk for 1 minute until you countdown, Three, two, one! and then play the music again. Then kids will start walking until you stop the music and call out another command. Here s a list of commands and questions to give kids each time you stop the music. You can alternate these commands as much as you want, depending on how often you stop the music and how long you play the game. (In between discussion commands, you will give silly commands too!): Find someone with the same color card as you, and ask, What is your favorite thing to do for fun? Find someone with a blue or red card and skip in a circle together. Find someone with a different color card than you, and ask, What is your favorite part of Kids Club? Find someone with a green or yellow card and give him/her 5 high fives. Find someone with the same color card as you and ask, Who is your favorite person to hang out with? Find someone with a red or green card and shake his/her hand. Find someone with a blue or yellow card and tell him/her your favorite animal. Make sure kids know that if they can t find someone without a partner, they can join up and make a group of three. *Collect the colored cards when kids are done. TALK ABOUT IT Did anybody meet someone who had something in common with you? Has anybody met someone new in the past week, or today? Who was it? Before you go to Large Group, you can ask kids how their week went. You can also remind kids of the expectations for Large Group behavior: (1) be kind, (2) listen when somebody speaks, and (3) follow the leader s instructions.
Goal: Kids will (1) understand what kind of identity God gave to Moses, (2) recognize that God was with Moses no matter what, and (3) identify how God is always with us too! Why? As we focus on who we are and who God created us to be, it s essential to remember that God is always with us, and THAT is part of our real identity. Tip: Part of today s activity is helping kids recognize that there s a difference between who we are with God, and who we are without God. Giving them a personal example will really help them visualize the concept better! REVIEW THE STORY 1. What does this story show us about God? (God is too holy to even look at; God is powerful enough to help us do anything; God knows when his people are hurting and comes to rescue them; God is always with us, etc.) 2. Why did Moses say no to God at first? (Moses didn t think he could lead the people because he stuttered and thought that they wouldn t listen to him; he was afraid.) 3. Why can God help us do any job? (God is powerful and can do anything; he is ALWAYS with us, so he can help us do anything.) 4. Do you think God has important jobs for you guys? What kinds of jobs could God have for you? (Telling people about Jesus, treating others with love, etc. Help explain how important these jobs are, and that we also have the Holy Spirit to help us.) 5. We talked about identity. What does it mean? (It s who we are and how God made us.) 6. What kind of identity do we have with God? (We are His special creation; we can do important things and know that he s always with us, so we don t have to be worried or afraid, etc. Encourage kids to come up with more personal, specific answers too!) MAKE IT PERSONAL Give each kid a verse card and read it together: Psalm 139:13-14 You created the deepest parts of my being. You put me together inside my mother s body. How you made me is amazing and wonderful. I praise you for that. What you have done is wonderful. I know that very well. Pass out markers and tell kids to turn their verse cards over. Tell kids to think about themselves WITHOUT God. How would they describe themselves/their identities? Give kids a minute to think, then write their thoughts on the left side of the dotted line, under Without God, I am...
Give kids a personal example to get them started: Without God, I am (worried about things, afraid, not kind, selfish, etc.) Next, tell kids to switch gears and think about themselves WITH God. How would they describe themselves/their identities then? (Give kids a minute to think, then write answers on the right side of the dotted line, under With God, I am... If kids prefer to draw a picture, they can do that as well! Remind kids that because God is ALWAYS with us, our identity can always be what we ve written on the right side of the card! Extra time? Hand out the colored index cards from Connect Time, and play a colorful version of Simon Says: Give each kid a colored card. Tell kids that when you give a Simon Says command, you ll say a certain colors (or combination of colors) and only the kids with those colors should do what Simon Says. For example, say, Red cards, Simon Says do 5 jumping jacks or Blue and green cards, skip in a circle around someone with a yellow card or Yellow cards, run from one side of the room the other side, etc. Make up whatever silly actions you want!
There are four videos in today s lesson. Here s an overview, and the length of the videos, so you can plan ahead! Trolls / Meet Cloud Guy (1 min) God s Story / Moses (3 min) The Prince of Egypt (1 ½ min) What is Identity? (1 ½ min) WELCOME AND WORSHIP Main Goal: Review Connect Time and introduce the lesson. Notes: Here s a link to today s Kids Club videos: What is Identity? https://vimeo.com/195824120 God s Story / Moses: https://vimeo.com/49018352 *Click to play intro music. Welcome: Hey everybody, welcome to Kids Club! We re so glad you re here. Say: I hope you had fun meeting some new people in Connect Time! Can I have a few volunteers share what you talked about when you met someone new? (Let several kids share.) Say: You probably meet new people all the time. Maybe new teachers at school, or new leaders and friends here in Kids Club, or even someone you sit next to on a bus or play with at recess. Say: Today we re going to talk about meeting someone else.but he s not like anyone else you ll ever meet in your whole life. This person is actually the most important person you ll ever get to know. Anybody want to guess who it is? (Let kids respond.) Yep, it s God! Say: God isn t a far-away guy that keeps his distance. He s an up close and personal God who wants to be close to us, and meet us in real life. Say: Let s imagine what it would be like to meet God. How do you think God would show up? What would He look like? What would you do? Turn and tell a friend what you think it would be like if God just showed up at your house one day. (Let kids share with each other.)
IMAGINE MEETING GOD Main Goal: Imagine what meeting God would be like; use a fun video clip to illustrate meeting someone for the first time. GOD PROTECTS MOSES Main Goal: Show how Moses was born and kept safe by God throughout his life. Ask: Okay, who wants to share how they think God might show up, what he might look like, or what you would do? (Let a kid or two share; they can share in pairs if they want.) Say: Great answers! Sometimes it s fun to imagine things like that. Now, let s watch an example of some funny characters, in the movie Trolls, meeting for the very first time. As you watch, try to think if this is what it would be like to meet God in person! Video: Trolls / Meet Cloud Guy Say: So did that meeting turn out good...or bad? (Let kids respond.) Yeah, Cloud Guy was a little weird! Do you think that s how God would greet you? (Let kids respond.) Okay, maybe not! That was just a silly example! Say: We re going to hear a story of a guy who got to see and meet God in real life. God showed up and actually spoke to him in an audible voice, just like I m talking to you right now! This guy s name was Moses. Say: Now, Moses was born during a time when God s family was in a lot of trouble. See, they were stuck as slaves in a country called Egypt. And their family kept growing, because of new babies being born. Pretty soon, the ruler of Egypt, called Pharaoh, realized that God s family was getting SO big, that if the people wanted to, they could turn into an army that could fight him! (Image: Pharaoh) Because of that, Pharaoh made a law that all new babies in God s family should be killed. And back then, rulers could make laws like that. So all the Israelite babies from God s special family were killed when they were born. And that made God very, very sad. Say: The good news is that even though baby Moses could have been killed when he was born, God protected him, and kept him safe. And later, God would give Moses a very important job to help save all the Israelites. Say: We re going to watch a video that shows us how God appeared to Moses in real life. As you watch, pay attention to how God speaks to him, and how he stays with Moses throughout the rest of the story. Video: God s Story / Moses Ask: So how did God first appear to Moses? (Let kids respond.) Yep, he appeared as a burning bush. Do you think Moses ever expected THAT to happen? (Let kids respond.)
GOD APPEARS AS A BURNING BUSH Main Goal: Describe what it was like for Moses to witness God as the burning bush. Say: Probably not! Some of you might have heard about it in the Bible before, but it s still pretty crazy to think about. Can you imagine if a burning bush started talking to YOU? What would you think? (Let kids respond.) Yeah, it would probably be terrifying! And while it may sound strange, God can appear however he wants, because he s all powerful. Ask: What did God tell Moses to do while he stood there? (Let kids respond.) Yep, he said to take off his shoes, because he was on holy ground. (Take off your shoes.) The Bible also says Moses turned his face away because he was afraid to look at God. Moses knew God was so holy and amazing, that he couldn t look. I AM Main Goal: Understand that when God calls himself, I AM, he is saying he is here yesterday, today and forever. Say: There s something else pretty cool that God said. Let s watch a short video to see what happens when Moses asks who the burning bush is. Video: The Prince of Egypt / Burning Bush Ask: So what did God say when Moses asked his name? (Let kids respond; they might not know exactly, so help them if needed.) He said this: Slide: I AM WHO I AM Say: That may sound like kind of a strange thing to say, right? But basically, God is saying that he was, is and always will be God. He was here yesterday, he s here today, and he ll be here forever. That s what he means when he says, I AM. Pretty cool, right? GOD IS ALWAYS WITH US Main Goal: Understand that Moses was able to overcome his fear because God was always with him, and he is always with us too! Say: Now even though Moses knew he was standing in front of the real, true GOD, when God asked him to save his family, what did Moses say? (Let kids say: No!) That s right! Can you believe that?! Moses actually argued with God until finally, he said he would obey. Ask: Moses needed some help, didn t he? There was no way he could do this huge job on his own. So God told him something really important. Let s read about it in the Bible. Can I have a volunteer read Exodus 3:11-12? (Let a kid read the screen): Exodus 3: 11-12: But Moses protested to God, Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt? God answered, I will be with you.
GOD IS ALWAYS WITH US Main Goal: Understand that Moses was able to overcome his fear because God was always with him, and he is always with us too! GOD GIVES US OUR IDENTITY (RESPONSE TIME) Main Goal: Connect our identity with how God is always with us. Give kids a chance to actively respond to what they ve heard today. WORSHIP Main Goal: Close the lesson with prayer and worship. Ask: So what did God say when Moses was afraid? (Let kids respond.) Yep, he said, I will be with you. See, God knew Moses wouldn t be able to lead the Israelites by himself. He knew that Moses would need help. Say: Luckily for Moses, God is all powerful. He can show up as a burning bush and be too amazing to even look at. God can help somebody who can t talk very well or speak clearly, because he made his mouth. God can cause a staff to turn into a snake and turn water into blood. No matter what Moses was facing, God would be there with him through it all. Say: Over the last few weeks, we ve been talking about identity. It means who we are and how God made us. The thing is, sometimes we don t think of ourselves as God s special creation. Say: It s kind of like what Moses went though. What do you think he thought of himself BEFORE he met God? (Let kids respond.) Yeah, he didn t think he could do what God wanted! He was scared, and he thought he was too weak. But when God told him that he would always with him, Moses realized he didn t need to be afraid. Ask: It s the same with us! Sometimes, WE think of ourselves as not very important, or we think we re not loved, or we re afraid. But God is ALWAYS with us, no matter what, which means he loves us, and sees us as his special creations. Let s watch a short video that we ve been showing every week, to help us understand what our real identity is. As you watch, think about how God made you, and how special you are to him. Video: What is Identity? Say: It s pretty cool how no matter who we are, or what we can or can t do, God gives us our real identity, and he is ALWAYS with us. Pray: God, please help us remember that no matter what we do, or where we go, you are always with us. Thank you for creating us, and helping us, just like you did Moses. Say: Let s worship God now and thank him for always being with us, no matter what hard things we re facing! Music Video: Trust in the Lord Music Video: You Are
3rd-5th February 25-26, 2017 Tell me about Moses. Why did God appear to Moses? Connect Time Item Usage Details Provided by Red Colored Card 1 per ¼ kids in room, Cut construction paper or colored reused cardstock into ¼ sheets KC Central Yellow Colored Card 1 per ¼ kids in room, Cut construction paper or colored reused cardstock into ¼ sheets KC Central Blue Colored Card 1 per ¼ kids in room, Cut construction paper or colored reused cardstock into ¼ sheets KC Central Green Colored Card 1 per ¼ kids in room, Cut construction paper or colored reused cardstock into ¼ sheets KC Central Small Group Item Usage Details Provided by Markers 1 set per small group, reused Verse card 1 per kid Page 10/11, Color, 8.5x11 cardstock, double sided, cut in half (length-wise) Site Item Usage Details Provided by Adventure Bible 1 per room site Large Group site
Verse card side 1
Verse card side 2
3rd-5th 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Song slide: for when kids enter the room (All that You Need instrumental; mp3 only; can be downloaded on website) Video: Trolls / Meet Cloud Guy (0:00-1:34; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnjsfn4jbuc) Image: Pharaoh Video: God s Story / Moses (https://vimeo.com/49018352) Video: The Prince of Egypt / Burning Bush (0:54-2:33; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ds9y3ljgig) Slide: I AM WHO I AM Slide: Exodus 3: 11-12 But Moses protested to God, Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt? God answered, I will be with you. Video: What is Identity? (https://vimeo.com/195824120) Music Video: Trust in the Lord (https://vimeo.com/153815987) Music Video: You Are (https://vimeo.com/112963091)