January 13, 2019 Bible Passage: Joshua 1; 3 4 (Entering the Promised Land) God Is Strength REMEMBER VERSE He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29 SCHEDULE CONNECT GATHER RESPOND BLESS 1
Leader Prep Each week you ll find a list of resources along with encouraging articles that help you prepare your heart to present the lesson. Further Resources A Small Group Enhancement is available for this lesson. A Storytelling video is available for this lesson. Download the following resources to help you plan and lead TruStory lessons: Customizable copy of Lesson 7 2016 17 Scope and Sequence TruStory How It Works document HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 7 is provided for this lesson. The weekly for the next lesson to be sent home for preteaching by parents is found in BLESS. If you have questions about Tru curriculum or are looking for great training, blogs, and other support resources, visit truministry.com. Inspire Shares personal stories from fellow ministry leaders about how God has worked in their lives As a child I was afraid of the dark. I would see shadows from trees outside and think they were ghosts. I would hear the roof of our house creak and think a kidnapper was coming. I would sometimes creep into my parents room and complain I was afraid. My dad would simply walk me back to my room, tuck me back in, and pray with me. At some point, I began singing songs out loud. I remember singing a song titled I m Not Afraid by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Some of the lyrics were: I m not afraid of the darkness. Whom shall I fear if God be for me? I would sing these words out loud, over and over again. I remember the power I felt while singing songs of courage and praise in the darkness. Feeling helpless and vulnerable, I instinctively knew the way to combat the fear was to declare that God is for me and with me and that I m not afraid. I already knew God was good. I knew He loved me. I knew He had all of the power. So, in those moments of fear, I knew He was my strength. As a scared little girl, I stepped out in faith. I physically projected my voice into the darkness in faith that God was for me. I proclaimed out loud I was not afraid of the darkness. Even today, whenever I am feeling afraid or vulnerable, I declare in faith that God is my strength. Tori Funkhouser TruStory Team Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson's Bible passage Joshua held a special position as Moses right-hand man and God s faithful servant. Moses appointed Joshua to lead the people into battle. Moses asked Joshua to accompany him on Mount Sinai, when God gave him the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24). He told Joshua, along with the 12 other spies in Numbers 13, to survey the 2
Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb were the only two spies who possessed the faith to enter the Promised Land God had given them. Even though Joshua and Caleb had faith to take possession of the land (Numbers 13:30), the rest of the people were afraid. They grumbled and rebelled. Because of this, God said, Not one of you will enter the land I swore to make your home, except Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 14:30). Then He instructed the people and Moses to turn back into the wilderness and wander until a new generation had been born and the old one, over the age of 20, had died off. God also refused Moses entrance into the Promised Land because Moses, out of anger, struck the rock God had instructed him to speak to (Numbers 20:7 12). When Moses was dying, he passed the mantle of leadership to Joshua, saying, Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance (Deuteronomy 31:7). The inheritance of the land would be the fruit of the promise that God made with the Israelites forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Joshua, we read how God gave the Israelites victory, battle after battle, and allowed them to take the land, piece by piece. All the kings who heard about the Israelites and their mighty God were terrified. Not one of the kings was able to stand against Israelites because God, in His never-ending strength, was fighting for Israel. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God's Word God knew it would require great strength and courage for the Israelites to enter the Promised Land. But He did not leave His people to rely on their own strength. He gave them strength because He promised to be with them. He gave them the tools to act on their strength and courage by giving them Scripture to meditate upon. God said, Be strong and courageous for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9). God also said, Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful (1:8). As you teach this lesson, spend time meditating on Psalm 27:1: The LORD is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid? When we meditate on Scripture, God promises that it will become firmly rooted inside of us. After you spend time in Scripture, pray the kids will experience God as the stronghold of their lives too. Pray they will recognize that His strength knows no limits. CONNECT// 10 min. Children develop relationships with their leaders and one another through simple activities and conversation starters. Strength Challenge: Ball Balance Through this activity, children will test their endurance as they prepare to hear that God is strength. 3
Rubber balls (1 per child, small) Stopwatch or timer CONNECT QUESTION: Welcome and greet children. Open your time by asking this question: Who is the strongest person you know or have ever seen? Have the children ask one another the CONNECT question, making sure they introduce themselves to any newcomers. Then gather the children together. Some people are strong because they can lift heavy things or have big muscles. Some people are strong because they have endurance, which means they can do something difficult for a very long time without stopping. Today we ll compete in an endurance challenge to see who has the most endurance. Before you have the kids take the endurance challenge, demonstrate how it should be done. Then give a small rubber ball to each child and have him place the ball between his feet and hold it up in the air while balancing on his heels. Finally, start the timer and see which child holds up the ball the longest. GATHER// 30 min. Children experience and learn more about God through memorizing Scripture, storytelling from The Big God Story, prayer, and discussion. Remember Verse Each week children will spend time memorizing a portion of Scripture together. The Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that s highlighted in today s portion of The Big God Story. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29 Game: Fill in the Blanks Whiteboard and dry erase marker SET UP Write the first letter of each word of the Remember Verse onto the whiteboard. Following each letter, draw blanks representing the other letters that make up each word. For example, for the word power you will write p. Have the children review the Remember Verse a few times. Next, divide the class into two teams, and have the kids on each team work together to fill in the blanks on the board. Invite the first team to try to remember the first word. If the children correctly guess the word, they come to the board and fill it in. Then give the other team a chance to figure out the next word. Once the whole verse is complete, invite kids to read through the verse together a few more times. 4
Storytelling Bible Passage: Joshua 1; 3 4 Storytelling Technique: Objects and Motions God Is Strength Optional: Storytelling video (see Resources) Bibles Blankets (3 or 4, preferably blue) Stones (12, small) Shoe box or small chest SET UP Create a zigzag line down the center of the room with the blankets so they look like a river. Place the 12 stones at various spots on the blankets. Invite all of the children to sit on one side of the river. Today, whenever they hear the words strong or strength, have them hold both of their arms up in a flexed muscle pose. When they hear the words courage or courageous, ask them to hold one fist in the air and let out a yell of courage. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. When God brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, He promised to bring them into a land that would be their very own. First, He brought the Israelites to Mount Sinai. What happened there? Allow and interact with responses. Yes, God gave the Israelites His law, the Ten Commandments and more, so they would know how to live for Him. But the Israelites didn t trust that He would give them the Promised Land, so they disobeyed Him, and God disciplined them. He put them on a new path. He had the Israelites wander in the desert so they could learn more about Him and His ways. How long did the Israelites wander in the desert? Allow responses. Yes, 40 years! By that time, a new generation of Israelites had grown up and chosen to trust and obey God, and God prepared them to enter into the Promised Land. Invite the children to open their Bibles to Joshua 1. Who helped lead the Israelites out of Egypt? Allow responses. That s right Moses! But Moses didn t enter the Promised Land. Right before Moses died, he called a man named Joshua to take over as the leader of the Israelites. One day, God appeared to Joshua. Read Joshua 1:3 5 aloud while the kids follow along. God was finally going to give the Israelites all of the land He had promised them. God told Joshua to be strong (have the children motion) and courageous (invite them to shout). God would provide strength and courage (have children motion and shout) for Joshua because God would always be with him. God told Joshua that one of the ways Joshua could stay faithful to God was by learning His law. That would help Joshua and the Israelites know how to follow God s way so they could stay on His path. Read Joshua 1:9 aloud for your group. Again, God told Joshua to be strong (encourage the children to do the muscle motion) and courageous (invite the children to shout). Joshua could only do it with God s help! The Israelites were excited to enter the Promised Land. They began to prepare themselves, because God said He would do something amazing as they went into the land. Does anyone know what 5
separated the Israelites from the Promised Land? Allow responses. The Jordan River blocked them! Point to the river of blankets on the floor. Joshua told the people to get ready, because God would help them enter the land. Read Joshua 1:17 aloud to your group while they follow along. The people said they would obey Joshua. They also reminded him to be strong (have the children do their muscle motion) and courageous (invite the children to shout). When the day came for the Israelites to enter the land, Joshua told the people to follow the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, a box that held the Ten Commandments. Hold up the shoe box or small chest. Then God said He would do something amazing. Read Joshua 3:13 aloud or ask a volunteer to read it. Invite a volunteer to come up and hold the shoe box or small chest. Have all of the other children stand up as well. The priests led the way, and as soon as their feet touched the water, God stopped it from flowing. All of the people followed behind, and everyone safely crossed the Jordan River! Invite all of the children to cross to the other side of the blankets as though they re crossing the river. Then ask everyone to sit down. When else in The Big God Story did God hold back the waters of a river so people could cross? Allow responses. Yes, God parted the Red Sea too! After the people crossed the Jordan River, Joshua chose 12 men to get 12 stones from the middle of the river. Invite volunteers to go pick up the small stones from the blankets and place them in one pile next to the blankets. The 12 stones formed a memorial to honor God and remind the people of the amazing thing He did that day. That way, years later, people could bring their children to the memorial and talk about how God brought His people into the Promised Land. Finally, once all the people reached dry ground, the river started flowing again. God is strength. God helped His people cross the river so they could enter into the Promised Land. He helped them to be strong (allow the kids to motion) and courageous (invite the kids to shout). God does the same for us today! We can always trust Him to be with us and to give us strength and courage (have children motion and shout) when we need it. He helps us follow His way, He teaches us to obey Him, and He gives us help. He is always with us! Share a story of a time God gave you strength and courage in a situation. Discussion Questions Who became the leader of the Israelites after Moses? Joshua 1:1 2, 6 What did God tell Joshua to be? Joshua 1:6 What did the men take from the middle of the Jordan River? Joshua 4:4 7 Whom else did God give strength and courage to in The Big God Story? RESPOND// 15 min. Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond through creative activities and games. God Is Strong After Joshua and the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, they built a memorial out of rocks as a reminder of what God did that day. Through this activity, children will praise God for being their strength. 6
Rocks (1 per child, small) Permanent markers Worship music (suggestion: Remain, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) Basket (small) Just like God was Joshua s strength the day the Israelites crossed the Jordan, God is our strength today and every day. What are some ways you have seen God s strength in your life? Allow responses. When the children finish sharing, pass out a rock and a marker to each child and give the kids a few moments to think about how God has been and is their strength. As they think through these things, consider playing Remain from TruWorship Sincerely Yours. Invite the children to write on their rocks a word or phrase of praise to God for being their strength. Then have the kids place their rocks in the basket. Keep the basket and bring it out during the next Remember & Celebrate weekend. (Optional) Paper Towel Race God is strength. Nothing is stronger than He is, and nothing can break Him down! Today, invite your kids to play a game where they will test the strength of an everyday household supply: paper towels. Paper towels (1 sheet for every 2 children) Marbles (1 bag of 25 for every 2 children) Disposable bowls (1 for every 2 children) Water SET UP Fill the disposable bowls with water. Divide the paper towels and give each team of two kids gets one sheet. Have children get into teams of two. Give each team a bag of marbles, a paper towel sheet, and a bowl of water. Have teammates stand about 20 feet apart. Within each team, give one teammate half of the marbles and the other teammate the bowl of water, the paper towel, and the other half of the marbles. On my signal, those of you with the paper towel and water will dip your towel into the bowl to get it completely wet. Then you ll put five marbles on the paper towel and run to your teammate. Your teammate will add five marbles, take the paper towel, and run back to the start line. If the paper towel isn t broken yet you ll add five more marbles to the paper towel and run back. Continue until the paper towel breaks. The team who successfully runs with the most marbles on the wet paper towel wins! What did you think would happen when you put a marble on the paper towel? What helps you remember God is strong? Developmentally Speaking First and second graders tend to be very competitive and energetic when it comes to playing games and interacting with their peers. Reinforce their love of play by encouraging them to work together and learn how to win and lose as good sports. This activity is a good opportunity for leaders and volunteers to model good sportsmanship as well. 7
BLESS// 5 min. Children receive a blessing from their leaders and sometimes one another. A blessing may be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. Remember Verse cards (see Resources) HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 8 (see Resources) Bible Gather the children and read the blessing from Psalm 28:7: The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. Invite the children to face you and imitate you as you demonstrate the following motions for the blessing: The LORD: Point to the heavens. Is my: Point to self. Strength: Make muscles with your arms. And my shield: Point to self and then pretend to hold a shield in front of your chest. My heart trusts: Put both hands together to make a heart shape in front of your chest. In him, and he: Point to the heavens. Helps me: Make a flat palm with your left hand and then place your right hand in a fist on top of the flat palm, with your right thumb sticking up in a thumbs-up sign. Bring hands toward your chest. My heart: Put both hands together to make a heart shape in front of your chest. Leaps: Jump into the air. For joy: Make a huge smile and point to your smile using both pointer fingers. And with my song: Put right hand in front of your mouth and then move it away from your face. I praise him: Point to self and then put both hands in the air like you are worshipping. Bless your group with the following words: May you know that God alone is the source of your courage and strength. May you seek Him every day of your life. Send home Remember Verse cards and the HomeFront Weekly with your kids. 8