UNIT 2. GOD CHANGES PEOPLE / ELEMENTARY SESSION 1 - ABRAM BIBLE PASSAGE: Genesis 15 16 LIFE POINT: Een when people make wrong choices, God always has a plan. CHRIST FOCUS: Jesus took the punishment for our sins when He died on the cross. BIBLE VERSE: If you loe Me, you will keep My commands. John 14:15 (HCSB) If ye loe me, keep my commandments. John 14:15 (KJV) If you loe me, you will obey what I command. John 14:15 (NIV) I f you loe me, you will keep my commandments. John 14:15 (ESV) I f you loe Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15 (NKJV) Production Notes p From simple to inoled, you can tailor Worship For Life to your kids and leaders: Short on supplies and leaders? For an easy prep, enlist a host, a music leader, and prepare the Connection Point game. Then show the ideos for the worship songs and other segments. Do you hae musicians who would like to lead worship songs? Check out the lead sheets on the DVD-ROM or substitute your songs! Hae some actors who would loe to prepare a short drama? Print the True 2 Life drama from the DVD-ROM! Use this drama instead of the Mayflower ideo. Need help with easy stage decorations? See theme-related tips on page 2! This symbol denotes that the segment or song is aailable on ideo. h This symbol indicates props needed for today s session. 1
UNIT 2. GOD CHANGES PEOPLE DECORATING TIPS Create a fun learning enironment for your kids. The road sign can remind kids that people should follow God s plans, not their own. Note: Build and use these freestanding walls for both units, just simply change the cross to a road sign for unit 2. Disassemble pallet boards and attach to a 4-foot-by-8-foot sheet of particle board. Use 1/2-inch insulation board to create a road sign. You can paint with any water-base paint. Extend boards at aried lengths past edge of particle board to add interest. Attach some boards at different widths. 2
Schedule and Props This symbol indicates that a ideo is proided on the DVD-ROM. p This symbol indicates that the actiity is host or leader-led no ideo for this actiity. Huddle Ups (Optional) p People: Small Group Leaders Props: beanbag Backstage Intro 1-2 minutes People: Stage Manager Props: clipboard, headset p Countdown and Welcome 1-5 minutes People: Host Props: recipe book Worship Song 3 minutes People: Worship Leader and/or Worship Team Connection Point Game 5-10 minutes People: Host, 2-4 groups of 4 kids (depending on space), 2-4 leaders Props: flag (bandana or strip of crepe paper) for each group Set-up p Host 1-2 minutes People: Host Props: none Video or True 2 Life Mayflower Drama 5-7 minutes People for Drama: Kate, Tyler (preteen best friends) Props for Drama: none Song Worship 3 minutes People: Worship Leader and/or Worship Team Story Bible 8 minutes People: Storyteller Props: Bible, recipe book, car manual Song Worship 3 minutes People: Worship Leader and/or Worship Team in Real Life Video Worship 3-4 minutes People: none p Closing 2 minutes People: Host Props: recipe book 3
Outro Backstage 1-2 minutes People: Stage Manager Props: clipboard, headset Ups (Optional) p Huddle People: Small Group Leaders Missions: paper, colored pencils or crayons t TECH Video and/or audio capabilities Microphones for singers Lights (optional) Optional sound effects aailable (see sound effects file) m music All About Jesus We Will Go Jesus Came Your Loe Changes Me God Has a Plan Holy God (Holy, Holy, Holy) Need help planning your session? Additional training for Worship for Life: Kids is aailable at ministrygrid.com/web/worshipforlife. 4
p HUDDLE UPS (OPTIONAL) Huddle ups are for churches that hae a drop-off time before the session begins. There are multiple ideas for interaction during this time, such as simple games that children can play on the floor or within whateer arrangements you gather your kids. Leaders can ask get-to-know-you questions after welcoming kids into their groups. (Print the following for your small group leaders.) Make a Choice Welcome kids and explain that they will be playing a game about choices. Inite kids to sit in a circle. Ask one of the following questions and toss a beanbag to a child. Allow the child to answer the question and gie a reason for his choice. Encourage the child to toss the beanbag to a friend and allow her to answer the same question and gie a reason for her choice. Ask a different question and continue playing as time allows. Use the following suggestions for game play: Would you choose to Sing on stage or play in the orchestra? Swim across the ocean or bicycle across the country? Order anilla ice cream or hot chocolate? Read a book or go to a moie? Hae a pet giraffe or a pet monkey? Vacation where it s hot and rainy or cold and sunny? Watch a game or play a game? Meet the president or be the president? Commend the children for their choices. Explain that today s choices were neither right nor wrong. Howeer, sometimes kids will face hard decisions when they hae to decide which choice is the right one. Comment that een when we make wrong choices, God always has a plan. Tell kids to be listening today for the name of someone for whom God had a plan. 5
BACKSTAGE INTRO c Estimated time: 1-2 minutes Tech: Video option aailable, t Session Title slide p People: Stage Manager h Props: clipboard, headset (Show ideo or act out the following.) STAGE MANAGER (speaking into headset) Oh, no! Well, how did that happen? OK, just use the red one, and we ll order what we need for next week. (acknowledging kids) Oh, hi there. BOY, did I mess up! Things had been going so well around here lately that I thought I d gie eeryone a break. I canceled our rehearsal yesterday. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but things haen t turned out so well. Eeryone is in a panic trying to find what they need and fix little things that usually aren t a big deal. I know now that skipping rehearsal was a really bad idea. And, I feel bad because the team counts on me to be a good leader. I made a wrong choice, and now eeryone is totally stressed out. (speaking into headset) OK, I ll be right there. (speaking to kids) I m sorry, guys. I e got another problem to take care of. Why don t you head on out and find a seat. I ll catch back up with you in a while. (walking offstage and speaking into headset) All right, team. I m on my way. 6
COUNTDOWN AND WELCOME c Estimated time: 1-5 minutes Tech: Countdown ideo, Life t Point slide, Bible Verse slide p People: Host h Props: recipe book HOST (Play Countdown ideo. Host walks out at around 30 seconds.) Hey, eeryone! I m so glad you chose to worship Jesus together today! Let s get to our feet and count down to a great start! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Great job, kids! I brought something with me today that I think you ll like! It s a recipe book! What do you usually find inside a recipe book? (allow for responses) That s right! Usually, you find instructions on how to make all kinds of good things to eat. But, THIS is no ordinary recipe book. Want to know why? I thought you might! THIS recipe book has my ery special instructions for making the BEST chocolate chip cookies AND there is a secret ingredient! Can anyone guess the secret thing I use to make my cookies taste so amazing? (allow kids to guess) Well, I guess because we re all friends, I can trust you not to tell. My secret ingredient is broccoli! What? You don t think that s a good choice for a cookie recipe? Guess what? I don t think it s a ery good choice either. Who would put broccoli in chocolate chip cookies? My REAL secret ingredient is peanut butter. That sounds like a better choice, doesn t it? Today we will be learning all about making choices. Sometimes we make right choices, and sometimes we make wrong ones like putting broccoli in chocolate chip cookies! Howeer, we can know that een when people make wrong choices, God always has a plan. (Show Life Point slide.) Let s say that together: Een when people make wrong choices, God always has a plan. I know that each of you want to make choices that please God and follow His plan. Our Bible erse today helps us know how to do that. Let s read it together. (Show Bible Verse slide select preferred ersion.) If you loe Me, you will keep My commands. John 14:15 (HCSB) If you loe me, you will keep my commandments. John 14:15 (ESV) If ye loe me, keep my commandments. John 14:15 (KJV) If you loe Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15 (NKJV) If you loe me, you will obey what I command. John 14:15 (NIV) (Host leaes as worship team gets in place.) 7
WORSHIP SONG c Estimated time: 3 minutes Music or lyric ideo, mics t fortech:singers, lights (optional) People: Worship Leader p and/or Worship Team h Props: none Music: Your Loe Changes Me m (lead sheet aailable on DVD-ROM) or worship song of your choice (Show ideo or gie the following to your worship leader.) WORSHIP LEADER I loe hearing you guys say that erse! It reminds us that we show God how much we loe Him by how well we obey Him. You know, one of God s commands is that we would worship only Him. Let s obey that command now as we worship together! (Show the music or lyric ideo.) (Lead kids to sit as song ends.) Now, let s get ready for Connection Point! 8
p CONNECTION POINT GAME c Estimated time: 5-10 minutes Tech: Connection Point slide, t Connection Point theme music eople: Host, 2-4 groups of 4 kids p P(depending on space), 2-4 leaders Props: flag (bandana or strip of h crepe paper) for each group Game Instructions: Each game of Triangle Tag uses four kids. One child will be It, and the other three kids will hold hands in a triangle. Each triangle of three kids will choose a child to carry the flag and tuck the flag lightly into the waist of the protected child. It will try to circle around the triangle and grab the flag. The triangle of kids will try to turn away from It to protect the flag. Encourage leaders (one for each group of kids) to superise closely and not allow rough play. When It gets the flag, the group will sit down. Continue the game until all groups sit down. Congratulate the It who got the flag first and the triangle group who kept its flag the longest. Option: Enlist new groups to play or repeat the game, letting a different child be It. Host (Play Connection Point theme music and show Connection Point slide.) Hello, eeryone! Hae you eer played tag? We need olunteers to play Triangle Tag. (Quickly choose two to four groups of four kids each. Introduce the olunteers.) Three kids will hold hands in a triangle. One of those three kids will carry the flag by tucking the flag into the back of his waistband. The fourth child will be It and stand outside the group. (Assign a leader to each group to help them choose It, place the flag, and superise.) Do not let go of each others hands. When the game starts, It will run around your group and try to get the flag. The triangle s job is to circle to the left and the right trying to protect the flag. When It gets the flag, all four of you will sit down. Any questions? On your mark, get set, go! (Play fun music while the kids are racing. Encourage the audience to cheer on the players.) That was pretty exciting! (Substitute name) was really fast. He was the first It to get the flag! And these three protected their flag for the longest time. Good job! Let s gie them a hand. The kids in each triangle planned to protect their flags. They turned left, and they swieled to the right. They did a great job. But at some point they turned the wrong way, and It grabbed the flag. This week our Bible story is about Abram. He followed God, but sometimes Abram made wrong choices. He learned that een when he chose to go the wrong way, God had a plan. Let s hear more about Abram. (Theme music/slide to transition. Host leads into next segment.) 9
p HOST SET-UP c Estimated time: 1-2 minutes t Tech: Session Title slide p People: Host h Props: none HOST (Show Session Title slide.) Wow! You guys had to make some quick choices to protect your flags! As long as the team made the right choice, the flag was safe. But, what happened when the team made a wrong choice? (allow kids to respond) When a team made a wrong choice it was game oer. There were no second chances. You know, we all hae choices to make, but, unfortunately, sometimes we make the wrong ones. The good news is that een when we make a wrong choice, God still has a plan. Today we will learn about a man named Abram who made a really bad decision. Most of us would probably think that it was game oer for Abram; howeer, God had other ideas. We ll hear all about God s plan for Abram in just a few minutes, but first let s see what s up with the Mayflower kids (or our True 2 Life team) and spend some more time praising God. (Host exits.) 10
MAYFLOWER VIDEO OR TRUE 2 LIFE DRAMA c Estimated time: 5-7 minutes t Tech: Mayflower ideo People for Drama: Kate, Tyler p (preteen best friends) h Props for Drama: none (NOTE: After the host set-up, there are two options proided: a ideo or a skit. If you choose to show the ideo, play the Mayflower ideo. If you choose the drama, act out the following.) True 2 life Drama Kate and Tyler enter from opposite sides of the stage. Tyler enters with drooped shoulders and lowered head. Kate: Hey, Tyler. Tyler: (solemnly) Hey, Kate. Kate: I heard what happened. Tyler: You did? I guess eeryone knows. Kate: Not eeryone. My parents didn t know. When I mentioned the accident to them, they were surprised. They didn t een know that there had been an accident. Tyler: You mean, the accident I caused. Kate: It wasn t your fault. Tyler: You weren t there. Kate: But, I know you. And I know that you weren t the only one inoled. Tyler: I should hae stayed in the park. I shouldn t hae skated in the street. Kate: It is safer in the park. Tyler: And that s where my parents expect me to skate. I chose to go out into the street. Kate: Which would hae been fine if the other car was watching. Tyler: No. It s illegal to skate on the road. That s why they built the skate park. Kate: Oh. I guess you should hae stayed in the park. At least no one got hurt. Tyler: No, but when that man driing the SUV moed oer so he wouldn t hit me, he hit that street sign. He s going to hae to get his SUV repaired and painted. Kate: Yeah. Now I see why you re wishing you hadn t chosen to skate in the street. 11
Tyler: I made a bad choice. No one got physically hurt, but I know my parents are hurt because I didn t obey them. And I kinda hurt the man who is going to hae to get his SUV fixed. Kate: (pause) What are you going to do? Tyler: I won t be skating. My parents took my board away. Kate: Oh. Tyler: And I e got to write a letter to the man in the SUV, telling him I m sorry and asking if I can do anything to help him. Kate: It could be worse. Tyler: I guess so. I plan on obeying my parents. I know they care about me and want me to be safe. Kate: Obeying your parents is a good choice. (pause) Tyler, I m glad you re OK. (They exit.) (END SCENE) 12
WORSHIP SONG c Estimated time: 3 minutes Music or lyric ideo, mics t fortech:singers, lights (optional) People: Worship Leader p and/or Worship Team h Props: none Music: Holy God (Holy, Holy, Holy) m (lead sheet aailable on DVD-ROM) or worship song of your choice (Show ideo or gie the following to your worship leader.) WORSHIP LEADER (Music begins.) James 1:5 tells us that if any of us needs wisdom, we should ask God and He will gie it to us! That means if we hae a hard choice to make, we can ask God for help. God is so good to always take care of us and to help us! Let s sing to Him now. (Show the music or lyric ideo.) (Kids rise to sing.) 13
BIBLE STORY c Estimated time: 8 minutes Tech: Christ Focus slide, Bible t Story slide, Bible Story ideo p People: Storyteller Props: Bible, recipe h book, car manual (Play the Bible Story ideo or tell the following Bible story.) STORYTELLER (Show Bible Story slide.) Hi, kids. I m so glad you are here today! As we start, I want to talk about these books. (Place books in a stack on a table.) There are so many different types of books. Some books tell stories, some gie information, some are funny, and some are sad. The books that I hae today can help us follow a plan. So, if I wanted to bake chocolate chip cookies, which book would gie me a plan? Yes, a recipe book. (Hold up recipe book.) Excellent. If I wanted to refill the wiper fluid in my car, which book would gie me a step-by-step plan on how to do it? That s right! (Hold up car manual.) A car manual would show me where to put the fluid. You are getting the idea! OK, the only Book left here is a Bible. Let s open it to Genesis 15 and read a story about a man named Abram and God s plan for his life. (Open the Bible and read Genesis 15:1-3.) After these eents, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a ision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be ery great. But Abram said, LORD GOD, what can You gie me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? Abram continued, Look, You hae gien me no offspring, so a slae born in my house will be my heir. People belieed that haing children was a way that God blessed and rewarded them. Since Abram did not hae any kids, he did not understand how he could still receie God s blessing. Let s read a little further. (Read Genesis 15:4-6.) Now the word of the LORD came to him: This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir. He took him outside and said, Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them. Then He said to him, Your offspring will be that numerous. Abram belieed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness. Hae you eer tried to count the stars in the sky? Eery night when there are no clouds, we can see more stars than we could eer count. God had a plan to bless Abram with a ery big family! Abram was married to a woman named Sarai. Een though Abram had seen thousands of stars in the sky, they still did not hae any children. So Sarai came up with a plan her own plan. She decided to gie her maid named Hagar to Abram as a wife. Hagar became pregnant, and she told Sarai about the baby. Sarai became jealous and angry. Sarai was so jealous that she treated Hagar ery badly. 14
(Read Genesis 16:6-11.) Sarai mistreated Hagar so much that she ran away from her. The Angel of the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. He said, Hagar, slae of Sarai, where hae you come from and where are you going? She replied, I m running away from my mistress Sarai. Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, You must go back to your mistress and submit to her mistreatment. The Angel of the LORD also said to her, I will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to count. Then the Angel of the LORD said to her: You hae conceied and will hae a son. You will name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction. Hagar was thankful and realized that God had seen her and would take care of her. Later, Hagar gae birth to Abram s son. Abram named the boy Ishmael. Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael was born. Raise your hand if you think God had a plan for Abram. What about Sarai? Did God hae a plan for Hagar? What about Ishmael? The answer for all of them is yes! God had a plan for all of them. (Show Christ Focus slide.) Let me ask you a few questions. What would happen to my chocolate chip cookies if I left out two of the ingredients? (Allow kids to respond.) They would not taste good, and they probably would not look good. What would happen to my car if I filled the gas tank with windshield washer fluid? (Allow kids to respond.) It would ruin my car, and it would not run. If you make a wrong choice or mess up one of these things, then things won t turn out the way that you planned. But what does God say about our wrong choices? The Bible tells us that God loes and forgies people. In fact, God loes people enough to proide forgieness for sin. Eeryone makes mistakes and eeryone has made wrong choices. So when you or I or anyone else messes up, God still has a plan. He loes us and will forgie us if we ask. Let s pray. Dear God, We loe You, and we are so thankful that You loe us. We are sorry for the wrong choices that we make. Thank You for Your forgieness and for always haing a plan for us when we mess up. Help us to keep Your commands. In Jesus name, amen. 15
WORSHIP SONG c Estimated time: 3 minutes Music or lyric ideo, mics t fortech:singers, lights (optional) People: Worship Leader p and/or Worship Team h Props: none Music: God Has a Plan (lead m sheet aailable on DVD-ROM) or worship song of your choice (Show ideo or gie the following to your worship leader.) WORSHIP LEADER (Music begins.) God ALWAYS has a plan. He had a plan for Abram. He had a plan for Hagar. And, He has a plan for YOU! God s plans for us are always for our good. Let s praise God for His plans. (Show the music or lyric ideo.) (Kids rise to sing.) WORSHIP IN REAL LIFE VIDEO c Estimated time: 3-4 minutes t Tech: Video p People: none h Props: none (Show Worship in Real Life ideo.) 16
p CLOSING c Estimated time: 2 minutes Tech: Session Title slide, Life t Point, and Bible Verse slides p People: Host h Props: recipe book HOST (Show Session Title slide.) Do any of you remember my secret cookie ingredient? (allow for responses) That s right, peanut butter! What do you think would happen if I chose not to follow the plan for my cookie recipe and really did use broccoli instead of peanut butter? (allow for responses) The problem with using broccoli instead of peanut butter is that my cookie wouldn t taste as well as it should. In fact, it would probably be pretty yucky! That s kind of what happened in our Bible story today. God had a really great plan for Abram, but because he didn t follow God s plan, life got pretty yucky. Abram got impatient. Sarai got jealous. Hagar got upset. Don t you think things would hae gone a lot better if each of them had just chosen to follow God s plan in the first place? The good news is that God can forgie our wrong choices. God thinks of eerything, doesn t He? He een has a plan for when we mess up! That plan is Jesus! God loes us so much that He planned to send Jesus to die on the cross. God knew that all of us would make wrong choices, and He knew that we needed a way to be forgien. Jesus came so that we can hae forgieness when we choose not to follow His plan. (Show Life Point slide.) Een when people make wrong choices, God always has a plan. Let s say that together. Een when people make wrong choices, God always has a plan. Optional Giing Segment: How do we know what God s plans are? One way is by reading His Word. In the Bible, God explains how we can make choices that please Him. One choice we can make is to gie an offering to God. The money you gie helps our church make sure that people all oer the world know about God s plan for them. If you d like to gie today, (Gie your own directions for how the kids can gie to God. Perhaps you hae buckets in the back of the room, a chest up front, or an enelope that each small group leader passes.) (Show Bible Verse slide select preferred ersion.) If you loe Me, you will keep My commands. John 14:15 (HCSB) If you loe me, you will keep my commandments. John 14:15 (ESV) If ye loe me, keep my commandments. John 14:15 (KJV) If you loe Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15 (NKJV) If you loe me, you will obey what I command. John 14:15 (NIV) 17
BACKSTAGE OUTRO c Estimated time: 1-2 minutes Tech: Video option aailable, t Session Title slide p People: Stage Manager h Props: clipboard, headset (Show ideo or act out the following.) STAGE MANAGER (speaking in headset) Thanks, team! I m sorry today was so stressful. You all did a great job pulling together. (speaking to kids) Whew! Well, we made it, and I will NOT be making the choice to skip rehearsal EVER again. But, you know what? Een though I made a bad choice, it turns out that something good happened. One of our team members said that in the middle of all the craziness she learned a great lesson about God. She stopped right in the middle of the mess and thanked God for reminding her to always depend on Him for help. So, een though I made a bad choice that stressed eeryone out, God was still able to use it to remind my friend of His care for her. Isn t that cool? I m so glad that een though we sometimes make mistakes, God still has a plan. Don t forget to grab a One Conersation page on your way out today. It will help you talk to your family about what you e learned and will remind you to make good choices throughout the week! I ll see you next time! 18
p HUDDLE UPS (OPTIONAL) This time is designed for churches that hae a pick-up time from a large room as parents arrie. It s a great time for follow-up conersations and questions from small group leaders about the session s content. You also can use the missions emphasis (below). (Print the following for your small group leaders.) Why did God say Abram would be blessed and rewarded? (for his faithfulness) Who was Abram s wife? (Sarai) Who was Sarai s maid? (Hagar) What happened when Hagar told Sarai she was going to hae a baby? (Sarai was jealous and treated her badly.) Where did Hagar go? (She ran into the wilderness.) Who isited Hagar in the wilderness? (an angel of the Lord) What name did Abram gie to Hagar s baby boy? (Ishmael) MISSIONS EMPHASIS (OPTIONAL) Prior to the session gather a map of Africa that shows Uganda and Sudan. Read the missions story. Show the map of Uganda and Sudan. Distribute paper and colored pencils or crayons. Suggest kids draw a picture of something they remember about the story such as a warrior in colorful clothes, people beating drums, or a herd of goats or sheep. Lead kids to write Karamojong on their papers. Encourage kids to take their pictures home as reminders to pray for the missionaries and the Karamojong people in Uganda and South Sudan. Missions Story Uganda and South Sudan: The Karamojong Jeremy Taliaferro and Robert Lane are missionaries in Uganda and South Sudan. These two men and their families minister to a group of people called the Karamojong (ke-rah-moh-jong). Three words describe what life is like for the Karamojong: War: The Karamojong are warlike. They lie in a country where people and groups fight against one another. 19
Famine: The Karamojong know what it is like to be hungry. They are unable to grow enough food for themseles. Suffer: The Karamojong are shepherds. Their lies reole around cows, goats, and sheep. They work hard, but they are almost always hungry and worried about war. Three facts describe what life is like for missionaries to the Karamojong: Missionaries can often obsere people in colorful clothes working with their cattle. They hear Karamojong beating drums and see them dancing. Missionaries homes are ery simple. They use solar panels for electricity and hand pumps for water. When conditions are right, they get an hour or two of Internet access each week. Missionaries are not building churches or hiring pastors or een preaching sermons. They simply lie among the Karamojong, loing people and sharing Jesus with anyone who is willing to listen. Missionaries to the Karamojong would like for you to pray: that the Karamojong will not be afraid of God. that the missionaries will be able to share about God in a way that the Karamojong can understand. that short-term missionaries will come to help minister to the Karamojong. 20