God is Eternal Bible Point God has no beginning and no end. Bible Story Review of David s Life Bible Verse But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever. Psalm 102:12a (NLT) Overview God has always existed and will always exist. He is not bound by time. Because of this, He sees the past and the future just like the present. With this knowledge, He knows what is best for our lives. We can trust Him and have hope for the future knowing this. 1
Dr. Beaker Costume for Dr. Beaker (Dr. Beaker appears with a towel, wiping water off his face.) You will not believe what happened to me. Or perhaps you will believe it. There was yet another accident in my lab. And this time I got all wet. There are days when I think that my assistants will always cause accidents. I think that it will never end. However, I know that is not true. There will be an end to the messes. Some day, it will end. But did you know that God will never end? He has always lived and will always live. That is called eternal. God is eternal. I need to go mop the floor in the lab before someone slips on the water and falls. Remember, God has always been here and He will always be here. He is eternal. Dr. Beaker s Lab Disappearing Peanuts Styrofoam packing peanuts* Cornstarch packing peanuts* Water Glass jar Let s count how many packing peanuts I put in the jar. (Count out loud as you drop each packing peanut in the jar.) What do you think will happen if I pour water over them? Pour enough water into the jar to cover the peanuts. Slosh the jar around to stir the peanuts. Some peanuts (cornstarch) should start melting. The other kind of peanuts (Styrofoam) will stay the same. How many peanuts do we have left? (Count them.) Some of the peanuts stayed the same and others went away. Things that are eternal will stay the same forever. They will never go away. Things that are not eternal will one day disappear. God is eternal. He will never go away. He will live forever. 2
Destroyed Bag Small zipper baggie (be sure there are no holes in it) Baking soda Vinegar Warm water Napkin or paper towel Place about ¼ cup of warm water into the bag. Add ½ cup of vinegar to the bag. Place 3 teaspoons of baking soda into the middle of the napkin. Fold the napkin around the baking soda. Partially zip the bag closed, leaving room for the baking soda packet. Put the packet into the bag and quickly zip the bag completely closed. Place the bag on the ground or in the container and stand back. The bag should start to expand from the reaction of the baking soda and vinegar. It will pop open, making a noise. Was that fun to watch the bag explode? The bag certainly did not last forever. Things we have here on earth are the same way. One day they will be destroyed just like the bag. Have you ever received a new toy for Christmas and then just a few weeks later, it was already broken? It did not last forever. But what will last forever is God and our friendship with him. Newton s Cradle 3 ping pong balls* Dowel Drill 3 eye screws String Scissors Preparation: Drill a hole in each ball and insert an eyescrew into each ping pong ball. Cut 3 equal lengths of string, about 3 feet. Tie each string in a loop through the eye screw in each ball. Tape the top of each loop onto the dowel with the balls just far apart enough so they are barely touching. Hang the dowel rod between 2 chairs. What do you think will happen when I pull this ball up and let it go? (Allow the children to make some guesses then pull the ball to the dowel level and let it go. It will hit the other balls and continue the motion for awhile.) Did you expect that to happen? Did it go on forever? No, eventually it stopped. Do you remember what something that goes on forever is called? It is called eternal. Is God eternal? Yes, He will live forever. And if we believe in him, we will also live forever with him. 3
Bible Story Review of Bible stories throughout the unit Paper bags Grass made from green paper (lesson one) Crown (lesson two) Smooth stone (lesson three) Finger rocket* (lesson four) Piece of material (lesson five) Piece of candy (lesson six) Ten Commandments tablet (lesson seven) Crown (lesson eight) David knew that God is eternal. He wrote songs that praised God. In one song, David wrote, Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. That meant that God s kingdom would last forever. It is eternal. In each one of these bags, I have a clue about David s life. Let s see if we can guess what the clue might mean. (Have a child open each bag as you talk about it.) Bag number one. What do we have in it? Grass. What would grass have to do with David s life? David was a shepherd when he was a boy. He would lead the sheep to green grass to eat. David was loving to his sheep. God is also loving to us just like a shepherd is to his sheep. Bag number two. What do we have in it? A crown. Why would there be a crown? When David was still a shepherd, Samuel came to his family. Samuel told the family that one day David would be king. What would you think if someone came to your home and told you that one day you would be a king? God knows all about us. He knew that David would one day be king. Bag number three. What is in this bag? A smooth rock. Why is a rock important? David fought the big giant Goliath with a rock. Did David win? Yes, he put the rock in his sling. He whirled that swing around and the rock went through the air and hit the giant. Down Goliath went. Did David do this on his own? No, God helped him. God is all powerful. We need God s power to help us do the things He wants us to do. Bag number four. What is this? We used this like a spear. (Throw it across the room.) Can anyone remember why a spear was important? King Saul wanted to hurt David because he was jealous of David. So David had to run away. When King Saul was trying to hurt David, God was still in control. He knew what was happening. He made a way for David to escape. 4
Bag number five. What will we find in this bag? A piece of material. Do you remember in the cave when David cut off part of King Saul s robe? David was hiding in the cave from the king. The king walked into the cave and did not know David was there. David could have hurt him but he did not. He knew that it was the wrong thing to do to hurt the king. But he did cut off a piece of the king s robe. Even in the dark cave, God was there with David. God is always with us, also. Bag number six. What do you think will be in this bag? A piece of candy? I do not remember a story about David eating candy. However, it does make us think about the choices we make. We can choose to eat the candy or not to eat the candy. If our mom or dad has told us not to eat the candy, would it be a good choice to eat it? No, it would be a bad choice. David made a bad choice in his life. God is fair and would not let David get by with making the bad choice. When David was caught, did he say he did not make the choice? No, he was so sorry. He asked God to forgive him. And God did forgive him. Bag number seven. What is in the bag? This looks like the Ten Commandments that were in the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was the very special box that David brought to Jerusalem. David knew that because God is holy that only those with clean hearts could be a part of bringing the box to the city. David had a clean heart because he had been forgiven. Does anyone remember what David did as he walked in front of the ark? He danced to the Lord! Bag number eight. The final bag. What could be in this bag? Another crown. Someone wanted to take the crown away from King David. Someone wanted to be king. That person was Absalom, David s son. But God had decided that David would be king, not Absalom. David remained king. God was with him during this time. God loved him. God helped him. God did not change. We can rely on God too. He will always love us. We can always count on him. David was a man who loved God. He is known for his love for God. When David died he went to live forever with God. Do you love God like David? God loves you just like he loved David. Prayer Thank God that He has made an eternal home for us. Thank Him that He made a way for us to live with Him forever by sending His son, Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. 5
Lab Time Bubbles Bubble solution Bubble wands Pipe cleaners Preparation: Make different shapes out of the pipe cleaners. Pour the bubble solution into containers that will be easy for the children to get to. Have them experiment with different pipe cleaner shapes and bubble wands. If weather allows, take the children outside for this experiment. Did your bubbles last long? No, they popped after a little bit of time. Are bubbles eternal? No, they will not last forever. Remember that God is eternal. He will never go away. Option: Make the following bubble solution. Make enough to cover the bottom of a plastic baby pool. Use a hula hoop to make giant bubbles. You may also place a child on a step stool in the pool. Place the hula hoop over the child into the solution. Slowly pull the hula hoop over the child. The child will be encased in the bubble. ½ cup liquid dishwater detergent 4 ½ cups water 4 tablespoons glycerin (Purchase glycerin from a pharmacy.) Mix together. Skim any foam off the top. The solution will work better if made 24 hours before use. Packing Peanuts Small cup for each child Water Packing peanut for each child Repeat the experiment from Beaker s Lab individually. Have the child drop the peanut in the cup. Ask them to guess whether the peanut will disappear or not. Pour the water over the peanut and have the child watch. 6
Circle Time Have the children sit in a circle. Go around the circle and ask each child to name something that is not eternal. For instance the child might say, my toys or my clothes. Remind them that God is eternal and He has an eternal home for each one of them. Snack Cereal Necklace Red licorice strings Fruit circle cereal String the cereal onto the ropes. Tie the ends to make a necklace. This necklace is not meant to be worn long. It will break easily. Show the children that the necklace is a circle just like the cereal is a circle. The circles do not have a beginning or an end. They remind us of God who does not have a beginning or an end. Craft Heavenly Necklace Clear contact paper String Shiny things such as sequins, confetti, glitter Scissors Hole Punch Preparation: Cut two 3 inch circles for each child out of contact paper. Cut the string the desired length for the necklace. Place one circle in front of each child. Peel off the backing of the contact paper with the sticky side up. Have the children place the shiny things on the sticky part. Peel the backing off the other circle and place on top of the shiny things. Trim as needed. Punch a hole in the top and put the string through the hole, tying it at the desired length. 7
Game Hula Hoop Fun Hula Hoops Do some of the following activities with the hula hoop: *Hold the hula hoop out beside you. Have the children crawl through it. *Place hula hoops on the floor. Play music. When the music ends, the children run and jump into a hula hoop circle. *Roll the hula hoops on the ground across the room. Talk to the children about the shape the hula hoops make. Remind them that a circle does not have an ending nor a beginning. Does God have an end or a beginning? Activity Page Copy the activity page for each child. Have them circle the things from David s life. Creative Play What Will David Do? None Call out different actions from David s life. Everyone hurries to act it out. David takes care of his sheep. David kills a bear trying to take his sheep. David picks up a rock and slingshot and hits Goliath with it. David runs away from King Saul. David hides in a cave and sees King Saul. David is made king. David tells God he is sorry for his sin. David dances before God. 8
9
Together Time Bible Point God has no beginning and no end. Bible Passage Review of David s life Bible Verse: But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever. Psalm 102:12a NLT Discussion Do you like to wait? What do you not like to wait for? Does it seem like forever to have to wait? Does it really last forever? Name something that will actually last forever. Family Fun Play Guess the Animal game. Someone thinks of an animal. Everyone asks questions about the animal until someone can guess the animal. This is a good game to play when you are waiting in line or at a doctor s office. 10
Teaching Needs Dr. Beaker: Costume for Dr. Beaker Dr. Beaker s Lab: Newton's cradle: 3 ping pong balls* Dowel Drill 3 eye screws String Scissors Destroyed bag: Small zipper bag Baking soda Vinegar Warm water Napkin or paper towel Disappearing peanuts: Styrofoam packing peanuts* Cornstarch packing peanuts* Water Glass jar Bible Story: Paper bags Grass made from green paper (lesson one) Crown (lesson two) Smooth stone (lesson three) Finger rocket* (lesson four) Piece of material (lesson five) Piece of candy (lesson six) Ten Commandments tablet (lesson seven) Crown (lesson eight) Lab Time: Packing peanuts: Small cup for each child Water Packing peanut for each child Bubbles: Bubble solution Bubble wands Pipe cleaners Circle Time: None Snack Time: Red licorice strings Fruit circle cereal Craft: Clear contact paper String Shiny items such as sequins, confetti, glitter Scissors Hole Punch Game: Hula hoops Activity Page: A copy for each child Creative Play: None 11 *Denotes item available in optional kit from RiversEC.com