Welcome to Stories of Rescue

Welcome to Stories of Rescue This quarter, get ready to dive into God s plan to rescue His people! We ll start with the Christmas story and then move on to discover how God s salvation plan is seen in the books of Joshua, Judges and Ruth. As your students explore the lives of these people, they ll see how trusting God can make a difference in their own lives. If this is your first time o teach this material or if you d like a quick refresher, go to our website at gospellightsundayschool.com. But if you re ready to dive into God s rescue plan, then follow these easy x Prepare and Pray 1-2-3 steps 1. Check out the lesson introduction. The Big Idea tells why the lesson will make a difference in kids lives and in your life, too! The Action Plan helps you focus on what kids can do in this lesson to apply the Big Idea to life! Connecting You to Jesus shows how the action in this lesson s Bible story points to Jesus. 2. Read the lesson and customize it for your kids by marking the activities you plan to do. Pray for God to help you reach your kids and show His love to them. 3. Gather the materials you need they re listed right there for you! Teach 1. Get Thinking: Welcome your kids and use this activity to help them think about today s Big Idea! 2. Get God s Word: This is the heart and soul of your time together! Use the Story Starter to draw kids in and the fun Storytelling Idea to get kids participating as you tell the story. 3. Get Talking: Help kids talk about ways they can apply the Bible to their lives. Whiteboard Time, Kid Talk Cards, cool art activities and energetic games will keep your kids interacting with each other, with you and with God! (And get families talking, too, by handing out Family Fridge Fun papers for kids to take home.) End with a prayer time together! Ready to dive in? Let s go Connect to families Check out the Winter Family Event on the CD-ROM! This is a must-have event so that you can pump up parent participation in your program and help them grow faith at home. Get your parents started off ight! 1 1

Contents Articles Welcome to Stories of Rescue...................................................... 1 Skills 101: How to Prepare.......................................................... 3 Lessons Lesson 1 Shepherds at a Stable Luke 2:1-20... 6 Lesson 2 Simeon, Anna and a Baby Luke 2:22-38...............................16 Lesson 3 Led by a Star Matthew 2:1-11.........................................26 Lesson 4 Escape to Egypt Matthew 2:1-23; Luke 2:39-40........................36 Lesson 5 Rahab s Roof Joshua 2................................................46 Lesson 6 Miracle at the Jordan Joshua 3:1 4:24...56 Lesson 7 The Fall of a Wall Joshua 6...66 Lesson 8 Achan s Sin Joshua 6:18-19; 7:1-26....................................76 Lesson 9 Trick or Treaty? Joshua 9:1 10:15....................................86 Lesson 10 Daring Deborah Judges 4:1-16; 5:1-9...96 Lesson 11 Go Get Em, Gideon Judges 6:1 7:25............................. 106 Lesson 12 The Strongest Man Judges 13:1 16:31... 116 Lesson 13 Ruth and Naomi Ruth 1:1 4:22................................... 126 Sunday School Curriculum Senior Managing Editor, Sheryl Haystead Senior Editor, Deborah Barber Editor, Rebecca English Video Clips, Digital Felt Productions Editorial Team, Mary Gross Davis, Kristina Fucci, Janis Halverson Contributing Editor, Lisa Pham Contributing Writer, Kurt Goble Designer, Matthew Lawler Founder, Dr. Henrietta Mears Publisher, William T. Greig Senior Consulting Publisher, Dr. Elmer L. Towns Editorial Director, Biblical and Theological Content, Dr. Gary S. Greig Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Gospel Light. It is illegal to photocopy or reproduce this material in any form. 2

CD-ROM On the CD-ROM, you will find instru tions for the Winter Family Event, teacher-training articles, Song Motion Charts and Lesson Extras such as game cards, patterns and more! Refer to What to Print on the CD-ROM. Basic Supplies to Keep on Hand Markers, pencils, paper (copy paper, construction paper, butcher paper, card stock, etc.), scissors, glue sticks, tape (clear and masking). Materials Needed for Each Lesson Bibles, whiteboard and markers, Bible Teaching Poster Pack, Kid Talk Cards Grades 1 & 2, Family Fridge Fun papers, Get Going! Worship CD and player, several copies of What the Bible Is All About Bible Handbook for Kids; optional Creative Clips DVD and player. Skills 101 Welcome to Skills 101! This is the place where we ll work together to build skills designed to enhance your teaching experience and to help you find new ays to improve your kids learning! This quarter s skill builder focuses on... How to Prepare When we finish a class session, e might say to ourselves, Whew! Glad I don t have to do anything about this again until next week! It s a far more common feeling than most of us care to admit! But that attitude can keep us from doing what we need to do most: nurture relationships with children and involve them in life-changing Bible learning. To do this, a teacher s work needs to be ongoing. Any person can run into a classroom, throw a few materials together, keep children from hurting themselves for an hour or so and send them on their way. But is this effective teaching? This sort of teaching says to children, This is something anyone can do. You kids won t know the difference. You aren t worth preparing for. Because children so easily absorb an adult s unspoken attitudes, they will soon conclude that indeed this is just another situation where the teachers are nice but the children are not very important. 3 3

Skills 101 Prepare yourself. One terrific eacher says, Begin preparing for the next class session as soon as this session is over. Look at the next session while the manual is still open! When you know what is coming next, you have time to think things through, collect materials you otherwise wouldn t have thought of and be relaxed instead of harried. Prepare the Bible content. Don t assume that you know the story. During the week, block out an hour of time during which you will read the Scripture and the teacher s devotional and pray for the children in your class. Familiarize yourself with the age-appropriate version of the story from the lesson. Your goal is to be able to tell the Bible story without being tied to the teacher s guide. Maintaining good eye contact is essential to keeping children involved. Prepare the environment. Look at your classroom both when children are in it and when it is empty. Ask yourself, What kinds of clutter collects in this room? Where are the bottlenecks where children can t move freely? What items distract children? Take time to eliminate clutter, rearrange the space and make the room a place that is welcoming and inviting. If you share a room, meet with those who share the space to work out ways to keep the room functional and beneficial or all concerned. Prepare the materials. Ask yourself, What are some things that might happen if the children have to wait while I collect supplies for this activity? What could result if I don t have materials ready for group time? It can be very difficult o refocus children s attention when they have waited for an adult to prepare materials. Being prepared is the best way to prevent wandering attention! During the week, collect materials and prepare them for the activities you have chosen. Stack materials in the order of use. If your church has a supply room, plan to arrive early enough to gather needed materials before going to your classroom. When you arrive in the classroom, it s easy to place the stacked, prepared materials in the area of your classroom where they will be used. Prepare to arrive early. If you ve taken the steps above, you have only some simple setting up to do when you arrive in the classroom. You ve eliminated that panicky feeling of needing to do a lot of preparation in a hurry. It s important to remember that no matter what your class s stated starting time, class begins when the first child e ters the room. Arriving early to set up materials is well worth your commitment. 4

Tip We have very little time to impact children with the good news of God s love. Being prepared makes us ready to do this with a loving, relaxed attitude that refle ts His love and care to the children we teach! Skills 101 One veteran teacher points out that this first 15 minu es or so after you enter the classroom has the most potential for doing the very thing we are called to do as teachers: nurture relationships and involve children in life-changing Bible learning. The priority must be the children, not our preparations. Have at least one or two activity centers prepared by the time the first child a rives. This gives even early arrivals a choice of activities. If you still have some setting up to do, make helping you one of the choices you give as a child enters the room. (Yes, this means you must be ready for church half an hour earlier. Commit to it as part of your ministry!) Prepare ways to interact. We quite often can picture what we will be doing during a given part of the class session. But a good question to ask is, What will the children be doing during this time? Be familiar with the discussion questions provided in the curriculum. Have a couple of backup ideas in mind (a simple game or an open-ended art activity) in case something you have planned doesn t work well. When children are involved in an activity, it is never time to sneak away to do something else. This is another prime opportunity to build relationships and involve children in understanding God s Word. 5

Luke 2:1-20 Shepherds at a Stable Dear Teacher, The word glory has always seemed too abstract for me to use in connection with my everyday actions. But as I read Luke 2:14, the phrase glory to God leaped out at me. As I thought about all the Christmas preparations waiting to be done, I wondered how I could give glory to God in the midst of this season. Thankfully, the angels and the shepherds gave me some clues. The angels sang! While my voice isn t angelic, singing songs of praise and Christmas carols is something I can accomplish, even while I m wrapping presents or doing errands. And how did the shepherds give glory to God? They told everyone they saw the reason for the season: the birth of the Savior. I m asking God to give me an opportunity every day to include Jesus in my conversations with others. Got glory this Christmas? I hope so! Sheryl Haystead Senior Managing Editor Big Idea I can celebrate and share the joy of Jesus birth. Action Plan Discover why Jesus birth gives me joy, and tell ways to celebrate with others. Bible Verse Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. Luke 2:14 Sheryl became ill shortly after writing this lesson and went to be with Jesus on January 6, 2012. She missed out on the Christmas preparations she had been looking forward to. But she gave glory to God in every area of her life. Go to teachkidsjesus.com to see more about Sheryl s life. 6

Winter Lesson 1 Connecting You to Jesus Jesus birth in Bethlehem was just one of several ways that the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah were fulfilled (see icah 5:2). God used the decree of a pagan king to bring His prophecies to pass. Even today, God uses the people and events in our world and in our lives to bring us to faith in the Messiah who was born so long ago. Lesson Materials The basics (see contents) Strand of Christmas lights Get Thinking several gift bags, tinsel, Christmas items Story Starter several gift bags, tinsel, Christmas candy Story props (see p. 9) Materials for Art or Game activity (see pp. 14-15) Lesson Extras! 1. Help your kids learn the order of the books in the Bible by playing Ball Toss (on CD-ROM). Use only the first six books of the New Testament for this lesson. Look at the picture of the shepherds hearing the good news of Jesus birth. Find and color the numbers 1 to 15 hidden in the picture. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 We can thank God that Jesus was born. The Bible says, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. Luke 2:14 Draw a line to connect each of the numbers in the correct order. 2. Students talk about today s Bible story as they complete Lesson 1 Bible Story Puzzle (on CD-ROM). 3. DVD Option: Show Lesson 1: Who Would You Tell? on Creative Clips DVD. It s fun to share great news. And Jesus birth is the greatest news ever! 7

Get Thinking Tinsel Search Ahead of time, place tinsel in gift bags and hide one Christmas item under tinsel in each bag. Students take turns searching through gift bags to find and emove Christmas items. (Optional: Challenge students to first ide tify items simply by touching them.) Connect: Which of these items reminds you of something you really like to do at Christmas? Which of these items reminds you of Jesus birth? (10-15 minutes) Welcome students and help them begin to think about today s Big Idea. Big Idea I can celebrate and share the joy of Jesus birth. you need Several gift bags, tinsel, Christmas items (bow, nonbreakable ornament, candle, card, Nativity scene figu ine, star cookie cutter, Christmas light, small stocking, etc.). At Christmas, we celebrate the time that Jesus was born a long time ago, but today we re also going to talk about why Jesus birth gives us joy! 8

Get God s Word Shepherds at a Stable Winter Lesson 1 (15-25 minutes) Tell the following story summary in your own words, asking discussion questions as indicated. Story Starter Show gift bag. What would be the most surprising gift that could be in this bag? The gift you wouldn t want to receive? The gift you would MOST want to receive? Give several kids a chance to answer. I don t have the gift you d most like to receive, but I do have a small gift for each of you. Give a piece of Christmas candy to each student. Surprises are fun! We ll hear about some surprises in today s story. Our story is in Luke chapter 2. Help students find uke 2 in their Bibles. Listen to find out wh t the suprises were. you need Bible for yourself and each student, Lesson 1 Poster, gift bag, Christmas candy, a scarf (or length of fabric) for yourself and each student, strand of Christmas lights. The Emperor s Order Storytelling idea As you tell the story, lead students to be part of the events by using their scarves (or lengths of fabric) as instructed throughout story. Caesar Augustus was a Roman emperor, or king, who lived about 2,000 years ago. Drape scarf over shoulders like a robe. This emperor ruled over the country of Israel, where God s people lived. One day Caesar ordered EVERYONE in Israel to go back to the towns their families had come from so that they could be counted. Counting all the people was called a census. Caesar wanted to know how many people lived in Israel, so he could make them pay money to him. How do you think the people felt about having to travel to their hometowns? Two of the people who heard about this order were Joseph and Mary. To be counted, they had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Joseph s family 9

TIP Read aloud information about Bethlehem in Discoveries from the Past on page 221 in What the Bible Is All About for Kids. had come from. God had chosen Mary to give birth to God s Son, Jesus. Put scarf over head like Mary would wear. The prophets who had lived long ago had said that God s Son, the Messiah, would be born in Bethlehem. And that s exactly what happened! Just because the baby who was going to be born was God s Son didn t mean that He was born in a fancy hospital or even a fancy hotel! Instead, Jesus was born in a stable and then laid in a manger! A manger is a place where people put hay and feed for their animals. It wasn t special at all! But that night, this manger filled with h y became famous, because it was the place where Jesus slept. Fold scarf like a baby blanket and pretend to hold a baby. The person God had sent as part of His plan to save the world had come to Earth! No Sleep Tonight! Have you ever sat around a campfi e or climbed into your sleeping bag and gotten cozy and comfortable just before drifting off o sleep? Imagine that feeling. Not long after Jesus was born, some shepherds were probably feeling just like that. Fold scarf like a pillow and place beside your head as if you were sleeping on your side. They were out on a hillside watching over their sheep. But suddenly, an angel appeared in the sky! And the light around this angel was blinding! Those shepherds went from warm and sleepy to TERRIFIED in just a few seconds! Hold scarf up to your chin as if you are afraid in bed. The quiet dark had become bright as NOON! WHAT was going on? The shepherds weren t sleepy now they were WIDE awake! One Amazing Baby The angel didn t let them stay terrified or long. Don t be afraid! the angel called out. I ve got good news for you and for everyone! Today the Savior sent from God has been born. Go find Him! He s in a manger in Bethlehem. After the angel 10

Winter Lesson 1 Big Idea I can celebrate and share the joy of Jesus birth. told them how to find the ba y, the shepherds were surprised once again by the loud SOUND of thousands and thousands of ANGEL voices! Wave ends of scarf like angel wings. Angels filled the s y as far as the shepherds could see, saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests! No one on earth had ever SEEN anything this beautiful before. No one had ever HEARD anything as wonderful! Imagine how the shepherds must have felt! They were seeing and hearing AMAZING things! But then the angels left. The sky got dark again. The shepherds sat up and looked at each other. Drape scarf over head like a headdress. LET S GO! the shepherds yelled. Let s get to Bethlehem and see this thing the Lord has told us about! They hurried, and indeed, they found a baby in a manger AMAZING! What do you think was the first thing the shepherds did when they saw Jesus? This child was the One God had sent! This was the baby that the angel had said was the SAVIOR, the CHRIST and the LORD! Got to Tell Somebody! TIP Show Lesson 1 Poster and ask volunteers to tell as many words as they can that describe the response of the shepherds to the angels. Listen as I read Luke 2:17-18 to hear how the shepherds celebrated Jesus birth. The promise God had made to send the Messiah, Jesus, to save the world was coming true RIGHT BEFORE THE SHEP- HERD S EYES! Once the shepherds had seen Jesus, they were filled with so much JOY that they went and told everyone they could find about the AS ONISHING things they had seen and heard. What do you think the shepherds said? They praised and thanked God for what He was doing and for keeping His promise about Jesus the Savior. 11

Wrap-Up You might have heard this story of Jesus birth many times. Or you might be hearing it for the first tim. Either way, it s a story that keeps being told, because Jesus life has made such a BIG difference in the world. We celebrate Jesus birth because of His life and His death and because God raised Him from the dead to make us part of God s family. This is why the angels said joyful words to God when Jesus was born. Read Luke 2:14 aloud. The word glory in this verse means to give praise or honor to God. Show strand of Christmas lights. At Christmastime, using lights to decorate our trees and our houses is one way of showing our praise to God. The songs we sing and the things we talk about show the joy we feel all because of Jesus. We celebrate with people all over the world that Jesus, God s Son, was born! Action Plan Discover why Jesus birth gives me joy, and tell ways to celebrate with others. Connecting Kids to Jesus Jesus birth in Bethlehem showed that He was the special One that prophets in the Old Testament had said would be born. The king who had ordered Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem did not believe in God. But God used this king to make the prophecy come true. This helps everyone know that Jesus is God s Son. Even today, God uses people and events to help us trust Jesus. 12

Get Talking Whiteboard Time (25-30 minutes) Winter Lesson 1 On whiteboard, draw the number 2, an arrow pointing up, a circle and two stick figu es. What words do these drawings remind you of? Ask questions to guide kids to guess to, a high place, Earth and people. Our Bible verse, Luke 2:14, talks about something important we can give to God, the King over all the world. That important thing is glory, or praise. The verse also talks about what God gives to us. Let s read the verse to find out wh t God gives us. Distribute Lesson 1 Kid Talk Cards and look at Side 1. Read Luke 2:14 aloud. We can say the words of this verse to praise and honor God for the wonderful things He has done. One thing He has done is offer peace to the people He loves. Students draw lines to show answers to the questions on the page. In today s story, who gave glory, or praise, to God? (The angels. The shepherds.) What did the shepherds decide to do? (To go to Bethlehem to see Jesus, as the angel had told them to.) Why do you think the shepherds believed that Jesus was the Savior? Students look at Side 2 of Kid Talk Cards. Students complete the word search to find easons that Jesus birth gives us joy. What Christmas decorations does your family have that remind you that Jesus birth gives us joy? (Manger scene. Christmas cards that picture the shepherds or angels.) Point to photo of strand of Christmas lights. All the lights and decorations we see at Christmas remind us of how glad we are that Jesus was born for us! What are some other ways that we can celebrate the joy of Jesus birth? What can kids your age do to give glory to God during Christmas? (Sing Christmas carols about Jesus. Thank God every morning for sending Jesus.) 13

Prayer Invite volunteers to tell prayer requests as you write them on the whiteboard. Also encourage students to tell ways they will be getting ready for Christmas in the next few weeks. Then pray with students about the needs and concerns they mention. End the prayer time by asking God to help students show joy because of Jesus birth as they prepare for Christmas. Art Give each student an Ornament Sheet. Students cut out ornaments and fold on each dotted line. Each student opens up the ornament, and on the bottom portion of the ornament, draws a picture of a person or object from the story of Jesus birth (star, angel, manger, shepherd, etc.). Help students place string or cording across the center dotted line. Students apply glue to the shaded section and refold the ornament. Students decorate the outside of the ornament as desired and tie ends of string or cording together. you need One Ornament Sheet (from CD-ROM) printed on white card stock for each student, scissors, markers, 9-inch (23-cm) length of string or cording for each student, glue sticks. Connect: It s a lot of fun to celebrate Christmas! When you hang your ornament on your family s tree, remember the reasons we re glad that Jesus was born! TIPs 1. Make a sample ornament ahead of time. 2. If time in class is limited, precut and fold the ornaments ahead of time. 14

Winter Lesson 1 Game Watch what I do, and see if you can guess what I am doing to celebrate Christmas. Without saying anything, Nothing. pretend to wrap a present. Students guess the action. (Be prepared to give clues if needed.) How does giving a gift remind us that Jesus birth makes us glad? (God gave us Jesus as the Savior of the world.) Invite volunteers to take turns pretending to do other actions: decorating a Christmas tree, making and eating cookies, sealing a Christmas card in an envelope and mailing it, singing a Christmas carol, setting up a Nativity scene or reading the Christmas story from the Bible. (If students need help, whisper ideas to them to help them act out actions.) As each action is guessed, ask students to tell how the action shows that they are glad for Jesus birth. Connect: Which one of these ways of celebrating Christmas is your favorite? When you are doing these things during the next few weeks, don t forget to give glory and praise to God for Jesus! Get Going you need Direct students to look at Side 2 of their Kid Talk Cards again. I know you are going to enjoy celebrating Christmas! Besides all the fun, we get to remember how Jesus made it possible for us to experience God s love and to be part of His family. Play All for Jesus (track 1 on Worship CD), inviting students to listen or sing along. This week, remember to give glory and honor to Jesus for all He has done for us. Distribute Lesson 1 Family Fridge Fun papers as students leave. 15