March 3, 2019 Bible Passage: Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3 (John the Baptist) God Is Faithful REMEMBER VERSE Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 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. Download the following resources to help you plan and lead TruStory lessons: Customizable copy of Lesson 1 2016 17 Scope and Sequence TruStory How It Works document HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 1 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 In a television series I watched, humanity lived through a yearlong occupation by hostile foreigners. During the occupation, people made difficult choices. Some chose to collaborate with the foreigners in order to obtain and deliver covert information, turning on their own people. Others organized a resistance movement and sacrificed members as suicide bombers. All felt justified, no matter their actions. Later, trials convicting people of treason or murder began. The penalty for these crimes was death. However, just as they began, the president stopped the trials, as it was clear that if every person who had committed a crime was tried, the trials would last for years. After thinking it over, the president stood ready at her microphone to give her decision about who should be tried, in what order, and when. But when she spoke, she shocked everyone listening. She declared a general pardon. No one would be tried. Everyone would be forgiven. Hearing this, I burst into tears. I thought of the sin in my life and how I d been forgiven. I deserve to go to trial before God as a result of my sin, but instead I ve been offered forgiveness through the sacrifice Jesus made for me once and for all. The Bible says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). God made the way for us to be forgiven and to receive the gift of eternal life. God promised thousands of years ago to do this, and He did! He is faithful. Tori Funkhouser ROCKHARBOR Church Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson's Bible passage Born in the hill country of Judah to Elizabeth, a relative of Mary the mother of Jesus, John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus. He came preaching in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). In a sense, John the Baptist bridged the gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament. 2
John s first testimony to who Jesus was came before his birth. When Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, came into the room, John leaped in his mother s womb (Luke 1:41). This foretold what lay ahead for John s future. His life s goal and mission would be testifying to who Jesus was. Taking the Nazarite vow, John was set apart to God. He wouldn t drink wine or strong drink, cut his hair, or go near a dead body. His unique appearance and dress added to his likeness to Elijah. Jewish tradition holds that after Elijah s death, his mantle was stored in a small chamber in the golden altar in the temple. Hundreds of years later, when John was born, this tradition tells that Zechariah, John s father, took the mantle for his son to wear during his ministry. John paved the way for Jesus by calling people to repent and be baptized as a symbol of turning away from their sin. Multitudes flocked to the wilderness to hear the message of John. When Jesus, too, came to be baptized, John acknowledged that this was indeed the Messiah Israel had been waiting for. Even in the face of death, John maintained his witness to King Herod. In Luke 7:28, Jesus described John as the greatest man who had ever lived. The faithfulness of John reflected the faithfulness of our God. John provided a witness to the coming of God s Son, and John took the responsibility of fulfilling that mission. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God's Word Each of us has a sense of what it means to prepare. Preparation requires planning and considering various possibilities. This week, as you're preparing to welcome children to learn more about The Big God Story, consider how God has been faithful in your life. Look back at His promises and how He has worked in ways both expected and unexpected. You may want to make a list of each category to help remind you of His faithfulness in the past. Then, look ahead. What is He calling you to do in the future? In your home? At church? In your community? How can you be a light and a voice that directs people to Jesus? Take time to share what you're hearing from God with someone you trust. Ask that person to pray for you and encourage you in the days and weeks ahead. First Thessalonians 5:24 says, "The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it." Watch together as He works in your life and the lives of those around you to accomplish His plans, in His timing and in His way. CONNECT// 10 min. Children develop relationships with their leaders and one another through simple activities and conversation starters. What s Different? John the Baptist was different from most people around him. He wore camel's hair and ate bugs! In this activity, your children will change something about their appearance and see if the group notices what is different. 3
None CONNECT QUESTION: Welcome and greet children. Open your time by asking this question: What is something different or unique about you? Each of us is unique and different in our own way. Today, we are going to hear about someone named John the Baptist who was very different from most of the people alive at that time. He had long hair, wore funny clothes made out of camel s hair, and ate locusts and wild honey. Just like John was different from most, each of us has differences too! Invite your class to do an activity where children change something about their appearance and see if others can notice. To play, have children take turns standing in front of the class for 15 seconds. Then, have the child at the front leave the room and change a few things about her appearance. For example, she might change her hairstyle, remove a sock, or put on a hat. Then, when the child returns, have the other kids guess what is different about her. Continue until each child has had a turn changing his appearance. 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. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 Game: Pass the Coin Coin Upbeat music ( Jesus Saves, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) Review the Remember Verse with the children for a few minutes. Then invite everyone to stand together in a circle. Turn on the music, give one child a coin, and have kids begin to pass the coin around the circle. After a little while, stop the music. The child holding the coin will then recite the Remember Verse. Turn on the music again and continue the game until each child gets a chance to recite the verse. Storytelling Bible Passage: Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3 Storytelling Technique: Acting Out the Narrative God Is Faithful 4
Optional: Investigate Questions (see Resources) Bibles Card stock (2 sheets) Marker PREPARE AHEAD Choose children to play the roles of a prophet and John the Baptist. Write each character s name on a sheet of card stock, and have the actors hold the signs as they act out the narrative. Try to meet with the children a few moments before the Storytelling time to go over their roles. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. What is a covenant? Pause for answers. Good thoughts. A covenant is a very special promise, and when God makes a promise, He keeps it. What were some of the covenants God made with His people? Invite answers. God made several covenants with His people throughout The Big God Story. For one covenant, God promised to send a king through David s family line a king who would reign forever. That King was Jesus, God s Son. After King David s son, King Solomon, chose to disobey God and not give God his whole heart, the nation of Israel divided into two different nations: Israel and Judah. Have the class break up into two different groups. During that time, God continued to speak to His people. How did God speak to people in the Old Testament? Invite answers. Right! God spoke through the prophets. Have the prophet hold his sign and pretend to be listening to God. God reminded the people of His faithfulness and His promise to send the Redeemer. God even said He would send someone to prepare the way for the future King. Read Isaiah 40:3. But a time came when God didn t speak to the people through a prophet, judge, or king. The people waited for God to fulfill His promises. For 400 years they waited and waited and waited. Can you imagine having to wait 400 years for something? What do you think it would have been like to wait so long? Pause for answers. Do you think God forgot about His covenant? Invite answers. Four hundred years was a long time, but God is faithful and did not forget His people or the covenant He had made with them. After 400 long years, the time had come. Invite children to open their Bibles and follow along as you read from Matthew 3. In the wilderness outside of Judea, a man was preaching to large groups of people, telling them to repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near (Matthew 3:2). Have John come forward and shout, Repent! The man s name was John. He was actually the cousin of Jesus! John was a little bit strange. As we talked about earlier, he wore funny-looking clothes made of camel s hair and ate wild honey and locusts. John told the people to repent. Does anyone know what it means to repent? Pause for answers. Good thoughts. To repent means to turn away from your sins and toward Jesus. People would confess their sins and repent, and then John would baptize them with water to prepare them for the Messiah. The water baptism was an outward symbol of their decision to repent of their sin. Can you think of any examples of symbols we use to represent a commitment we ve made? Pause for answers. Have John pretend to baptize a child. When John baptized people, he reminded them that someone even greater was coming. Read Matthew 3:11 while the children follow along. Whom do you think John was talking about? Invite answers. Right! John was talking about Jesus. 5
John was calling people to repent and baptizing them to prepare them for the arrival of Jesus just like the prophecy said! God was faithful to bring the new covenant He had promised His people long ago. This was the covenant that came through Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection the covenant that invites us to trust and obey Jesus to be forgiven of our sins and enter into relationship with Him. God is faithful. He chose the right time in history to send John to prepare the world for Jesus. God entrusted John with sharing a message with the people around him, and John was able to encourage people to repent before God. We ve been given the opportunity to choose to follow God, who is always faithful to us. All we have to do is repent and turn toward Him who is faithful. Share a time when God showed His faithfulness in your life. Discussion Questions Whom was John preparing the way for? Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3 What does it mean to repent? How did God show His faithfulness by sending John? Matthew 3:1 3 What are some other times we ve seen God s faithfulness in The Big God Story? RESPOND// 15 min. Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond to God through creative activities and games. God s Faithfulness Children will listen to verses about God's faithfulness and respond by writing down words or phrases that stand out to them. Bible Various colors of ribbon (12" per child) Scissors Fabric markers (1 per child) PREPARE AHEAD Cut 12-inch pieces of ribbon, one piece per child, in various colors. God is always faithful. From the beginning He had a plan to bring us into restored relationship with Him through Jesus. At just the right time He sent John the Baptist to prepare people for the arrival of Jesus. What are some ways that we can see God s faithfulness throughout The Big God Story? Invite kids to share some of their thoughts. Those are great examples! God s faithfulness can be seen throughout all of The Big God Story, and it can also be seen in our lives. Sometimes it can be easy to forget God s faithfulness, but we have His Word to remind us that He is always faithful. Invite the children to close their eyes as you read Scripture about God s faithfulness over them. As children listen to the verses, encourage them to pick out key words or phrases that stand out to them. 6
Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Psalm 36:5 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15 Who is like you, LORD God Almighty? You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. Psalm 89:8 Because of the LORD S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22 23 Pass out a piece of ribbon and a marker to each child, and have the kids write down the words or phrases that they thought of. When children finish writing on their ribbons, invite each child to share a particular word or phrase that stood out to him. Then, collect the ribbons and tie them together to create a kind of garland. Keep this display for the next Remember & Celebrate weekend. (Optional) Follow the Leader John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus. Jesus came after John and saved us from our sins. None After hundreds of years, someone in the wilderness began to call people to repentance to prepare them for the coming Messiah. John the Baptist was the man the prophets talked about who would be followed by Jesus. Invite your kids to play a game of Follow the Leader. To play, choose one child to be the leader, and have the rest of the children line up behind him. The leader will do funny hand motions and steps, and everyone will have to follow him. After a few minutes, send the leader to the back of the line, and the next child in line will become the leader. Developmentally Speaking First and second graders are becoming much more developed in their motor skills and can even combine different movements to form patterns such as hopping, skipping, and jumping. Follow the Leader is a great way to practice their motor skills and follow patterns with their physical movements. BLESS// 5 min. Children receive a blessing from their leaders and sometimes one another. A blessing can be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. Remember Verse cards (see Resources) HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 2 (see Resources) Bible 7
Pitcher of water Disposable cups (1 per child plus 1) SET UP Fill one disposable cup with water. Pass out one empty disposable cup to each child. Invite students to stand together in a group as you read the following from Deuteronomy 7:9: Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. Pray the following blessing over your group: May you know that God is faithful. May you know that He always keeps His covenants. Once you have read the blessing over the class, take the disposable cup with water and pour it into the cup of a child. Then say, (Child s name), may you know that God is faithful. Once you have filled his cup, have him go to another child and use the water from his cup to fill another child s cup as he says the blessing over her. Continue until all of the children have been blessed. Send home Remember Verse cards and the HomeFront Weekly with your kids. 8