May 26, 2019 REMEMBER & CELEBRATE Remembering and Celebrating God s Righteousness Day of Atonement Schedule CONNECT REMEMBER CELEBRATE 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 Festival Investigation is available for this lesson. Download the following resources to help you plan and lead TruStory lessons: Customizable copy of Lesson 13 2016 17 Scope and Sequence TruStory How It Works document HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 13 is provided for this lesson. The weekly for the next lesson to be sent home for preteaching by parents is found in BLESS. For more information regarding the Old and New Testament significance of the biblical Feasts and Festivals, visit truministry.com. Inspire Shares personal stories from fellow ministry leaders about how God has worked in their lives Crunch. It s a terrible feeling that moment you realize you ve backed into another car. Pulling out of my friend s driveway in reverse, I hadn t even noticed the blue car parked on the street. My stomach dropped as I got out of my car and saw her neighbor looking at his car and assessing the damage: a pumpkin-sized dent in the door. Sir, I am so sorry, I said. I ll pay for everything. He looked at his car for a few moments. Then he turned to me and said, You know what? Don t worry about it. These things happen. We ve been thinking about getting a new car anyway. My jaw dropped. I protested there was nothing wrong with his car, and he could certainly sell it for good money. But he refused, assuring me that it was okay. I drove away that day shaking my head. The dent had been my fault, but I had left the situation scot-free. My car hadn t even been damaged. That situation comes back to me when I think about God s grace toward me, a sinner. I deserved the consequences of my sin the punishment it should have brought. But through the atoning sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, God washed all of my sins away and calls me righteous! Praise Him for His plan to atone for the sins of the world through Jesus. Kelly Goddard HRock Church Equip Every 6th and 13th lesson, we pause to remember and celebrate, just as God instructed His people to do. Day of Atonement: A Festival Celebrating God s Righteousness This reflective and often solemn festival consisted of fasting, prayer, and repentance. The festival celebrated God s righteousness and lasted 25 hours. Today it s known as Yom Kippur. During this time, the Israelites 2
rededicated the temple to the Lord and repented of their sins. The high priest passed through the veil of the Holy of Holies with sacrificial blood to make atonement for the sins of the people. The New Testament significance lies in Christ, our High Priest, who shed His blood once and for all to make atonement for our sins before God. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God's Word Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we re forgiven. His sacrifice gives us a restored relationship with our holy God. Spend some time meditating on the following passages: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Psalm 51:1 2 [He] canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:14 What is God speaking to your heart through these verses? Thank Him for making the way for you to be declared righteous before Him. Close your time in reflective celebration as you trust in the righteousness of God. CONNECT// 10 min. Children are invited to eat together with their parents and engage with the day's biblical feast or festival. Day of Atonement Festival Banner (see Resources) Scissors Tape Food, drinks, plates, cups, utensils, and napkins Name tags (1 per child) Markers PREPARE AHEAD Encourage families to bring festival-themed goodies to the feast. Invite them to create the foods found on the Recipe cards passed out the previous week. Print, cut out, and assemble the Festival Banner. SET UP Tape the banner in a prominent place. Place the food, drinks, and other supplies on the feasting table. Put the name tags and markers near the entrance to the room. The Day of Atonement is the second of three fall holidays that the Israelites celebrated. It was a time of 3
fasting, repentance, and rest. It was a solemn holiday and the one time of the year when the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies and made atonement for all of the sins of Israel as God had commanded. The Day of Atonement was the time each year when Israel remembered God s righteousness and holiness. The people were grateful for God s forgiveness and His willingness to take away their sins. Today Jewish people still observe the Day of Atonement (often known as Yom Kippur) as a day of fasting and prayer. They consider this day the most important holiday of the year. Invite everyone to put on a name tag and then work together to set up the feast. Give the children, leaders, and parents separate jobs. For example, allow the kids to set the table while leaders fill the cups with water and parents set out the food. Reassign the jobs for each Remember & Celebrate gathering so everyone gets to be involved in a different part of the feast preparation. Together, engage in the activities found in the following section. These conversation starters and activities will help your kids and parents connect with old friends and get to know new friends. They will also help your faith community interact with the day s festival. Optional: As your parents and kids eat and talk, invite them to decorate the Festival Banner before hanging it in the room. Connect Games Find the Chair Connect Questions cards (see Resources) Card stock Chair Blindfolds (4) Spoons (4) PREPARE AHEAD Print the Connect Questions cards onto card stock and cut them apart. Place the spoons on the chair. Invite four volunteers to come stand next to the chair. Invite the rest of the group to make a large circle around the volunteers. Tie the blindfolds around the volunteers eyes so they can t see. Give each volunteer a spoon. Help the volunteers take three steps backward, and then spin them around once. On your signal, the four volunteers should race to be the first person to get back to the chair and place their spoon on it. If they run into the circle of people, the other kids can shout directions to them. The first person to get her spoon back to the chair gets to answer a Connect question. Play a few rounds with new volunteers every time. Connect Questions When was a time you felt really hungry? What is the best book you ve ever read? Why? What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend? What is your favorite piece of clothing that you own? Why? When was a time you forgave somebody? REMEMBER// 30 min. 4
Children reflect on what they've learned about God in The Big God Story, who He is, and what He's doing in their own lives. Remember Verse Spend time remembering the previous weeks Remember Verses. Encourage the children to stand and say the verses together. The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. Psalm 145:8 I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. John 11:25 26a Remembering God in Our Family Bibles In Leviticus 23, God commanded His people to celebrate festivals throughout the year. During each festival, the Israelites stopped to remember what God had done for them and to celebrate His goodness to them. The Day of Atonement gave the people an opportunity to remember and celebrate the righteousness of God during their fall celebrations. This feast was a time of fasting, prayer, and rest as the priest atoned for the sins of the people. Sins were symbolically placed on the scapegoat and sent out into the desert because God s righteous character cannot stand sin. In the New Testament, Jesus fulfilled this holiday by being the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. What does the word righteous mean? Explain that the word righteous means perfect, holy, and without guilt or sin. If someone is righteous, it means that he is committed to truth and follows after God s holiness. What comes to mind when I say, God is righteous? Leaders and parents, feel free to share examples from your own lives. God has proven Himself righteous throughout the Bible and throughout history and in our lives and the lives of those around us. God has an amazing track record of taking care of His people and showing His righteousness through the way He has acted. The festivals and feasts gave God s people time to remember and celebrate the righteousness of God. God set up these feasts to bring back memories of His righteousness and to call people to righteous lives in the next year. Describe some events or passages from the Bible that show God s righteousness. Leaders, feel free to give some brief examples to get the conversation started. 5
Describe a time when you saw God show His righteousness to you or your family. Leaders and parents, feel free to share examples from your own lives. Our Faith Community Bibles Props: coat, small cross, loaf of bread (sliced), spray bottle filled with water, blindfold Spend some time during this section helping your kids remember and celebrate some of what they ve experienced and learned about God. The questions below will help the kids remember what they learned about God and how it affected their daily lives. Lesson 6, Jesus Is King: Matthew 21:1 11; John 12:12 19 During Passover, Jesus sent His disciples to find a donkey for Him. Many years before, God gave His people a prophecy saying that the Savior would ride on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). As Jesus entered Jerusalem, a large crowd came to meet Him. The people put palm branches and even their own coats on the road as He came past them. Ask a volunteer to come up and hold the coat. People shouted, Hosanna! That means Save us! They also said, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! and Blessed is the king of Israel! (John 12:13). The people wanted Jesus to be just an earthly king, but He is so much more than that. He is the Creator of the universe, and He is the King of everything. He sacrificed Himself to save people from sin and death. He is the King of Kings! How have you worshipped Jesus as king lately? Lesson 7, The Big God Story: Genesis Revelation Ask a volunteer to come up and hold the cross. During Easter week, we went through all of The Big God Story. What are some of the things we talked about in The Big God Story? Invite responses. Yes, we talked about the garden of Eden and how people first sinned and broke our relationship with God. We learned about how God chose a man named Abraham and gave him a family through whom He would bless the whole world. We learned about the nation of Israel how God rescued them from slavery and brought them into their own land. Then came King David. Eventually, Jesus was born from David's family line. Jesus ministered to people and taught them about God. But then Jesus died on a cross. He died for our sins to restore our relationship with God. And the great news is that He rose from the dead three days later! And now He invites us to be a part of His story! What is your favorite part of The Big God Story? Why? Lesson 8, God Is Love: John 2:23 25; 3:1 21 Ask a volunteer to come up and read John 3:16 aloud. In this part of The Big God Story, we heard the conversation between Jesus and a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Jesus told Nicodemus about God s love and that he had to be born again to enter God s kingdom. What does it mean to be born again? Invite answers. Yes! When we are sorry for our sin and accept Jesus gift of salvation, we are born again! When we're born again, the Holy Spirit lives in us and changes us. Jesus came so that we could be a part of His kingdom. He came to offer the world eternal life and to save His people through Himself. God loves the world so much that He wants us to live forever with Him. God is love! What has God done because of His love for us? 6
Lesson 9, Jesus Is Compassionate: Matthew 14:13 21; John 6:1 15 Remember the amazing miracle that Jesus did for a group of people who were hungry? Many people listened to Jesus teach all day, and when evening came, they needed food. Jesus wanted to feed the people who were there more than five thousand! The disciples only had five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus took that food, and He thanked God. Then He began to pass it out. Ask a volunteer to come up and pass out pieces of the bread. Be aware of any food allergies the kids may have. Jesus passed out the food until everyone had eaten. In fact, there were 12 baskets of leftovers! Jesus did an amazing miracle and fed those hungry people. Jesus had compassion on the people who came to see Him. He healed them, taught them, and fed them. Jesus is compassionate! What are some ways Jesus has been compassionate to you? How can you show compassion to others? Lesson 10, God Is Near: Matthew 14:22 36; John 6:16 21 After Jesus fed five thousand people, He went to pray on a mountain. The disciples went back across the lake in a boat. While they were on the lake, a storm started. Gently spray above the children with the water. There were waves everywhere, and it was dark out because it was night. The disciples didn t know what to do. Suddenly, they looked out and saw a man walking on the water it was Jesus. Peter called out to Jesus. Peter said he wanted to come out to Jesus on the water. Peter began walking on the water, but then he doubted and began to sink. Jesus reached out and caught him. He asked Peter why he had ever doubted. Jesus was in that scary storm with the disciples. Sometimes we go through hard things in our lives. Jesus doesn t always take those hard times away, but He is always with us. God is near! When have you felt God near to you? Lesson 11, Jesus Restores: John 9 All throughout The Big God Story, God has worked to restore our relationship with Him. He wants to restore every area of our lives! Sometimes Jesus restored others by healing them. Invite a volunteer to come up and put the blindfold around her eyes. Encourage her to attempt to walk a few steps. There was a man who was born blind who was begging along the side of the road. Jesus put mud on the man s eyes and told him to go wash in a pool. When the man did, he could see! Some of the religious leaders were upset about this. They thought the man was lying about being blind. But the man said that Jesus had healed him! Jesus found the man and asked if he believed in Him. Jesus said that the man had seen God s Messiah with his very own eyes. Jesus restores us too. He died on the cross so that He could restore our relationship with God and make us whole again! What do you think the man felt when Jesus gave him sight? What are some ways Jesus has restored us? Lesson 12, Jesus Is Life: John 11 Invite two girls and a boy to come sit up front. Do you remember a time in The Big God Story when Jesus interacted with two sisters and a brother? Invite answers. Yes! Jesus knew Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. One day, Lazarus died, and Mary and Martha were very sad. Jesus was sad too the Bible says that He wept. But Jesus promised Martha that something amazing was going to happen. Lazarus was going to rise because Jesus is life! Jesus asked that the stone be removed from his tomb. Jesus then prayed and thanked God for what He would do. Then Jesus called for Lazarus to come out, and he did! Jesus later showed power over death again when He rose from the dead Himself! Nothing 7
can defeat our God He is all-powerful and even has power over death. Jesus is life! Why is it important to know that Jesus is life? My Life Ponder Point pennants (see Resources) Blank Pennant cutout (see Resources) Scissors Markers or colored pencils Tape PREPARE AHEAD Print a Blank Pennant cutout for each child and cut it out. Print the Ponder Point pennants and cut them out. Optional: Tape RESPOND pieces from past lessons around the room. Show the children and parents each of the triangular Ponder Point pennants. Each Ponder Point highlights God and one of the things He was doing in that part of The Big God Story. Use these banners to help kids remember and celebrate. As you show the Ponder Point pennants, tape each one to the bottom of the Festival Banner and ask questions, such as: What has God done in your life? Then, give the children a chance to respond to what they ve learned about God and how it s affected their lives. Encourage the kids to write stories or draw responses to God on a Blank Pennant. For example, kids might write, God, thank You for Your gift of love, or they might draw themselves and an event that reminds them of God s love in their lives. After children have a chance to respond to God in this way, encourage them to tape the triangular banners like bunting to the bottom of the Festival Banner. CELEBRATE// 15 min. Through interactive games and activities, children will retell portions of The Big God Story together. Remember Roundup During Remember Roundup, kids will round up the people in The Big God Story whom they heard about during the past several weeks. 1st 6th: Scene Charades The Big God Story scenes (see Resources) Scissors Bowl SET UP Print and cut out The Big God Story scenes. Put the cutouts in a bowl. 8
Split the group into two teams. Have two kids from each team come up. (You may want to partner younger kids with older ones.) Allow each pair to pick one scene from the bowl. On your signal, the pair will begin to act out the scene they drew from the bowl. Their team will try to guess the scene they re creating. Once a team guesses correctly, have two more kids from each team come up and pick scenes from the bowl. Keep playing until all the scenes have been guessed. Then invite everyone to gather in a circle and look at the scenes. Encourage them to share what they remember about the people or parts of The Big God Story. Festival Games Invite your children to play these fun and engaging games as they celebrate what they ve heard in The Big God Story recently. 1st and 2nd: Pop Tag Festival Games questions (see Resources) String (2½' per person) Balloons (2 colors, 1 balloon per child) Scissors Optional: candy prizes SET UP Print the Festival Games questions. Blow up the balloons. Cut the string into two-and-a-half foot pieces, one piece per child. Tie each piece of string to a balloon, leaving the other end of the string dangling. Invite the kids to split into two groups. Tie one color of balloons around each child s ankle on one team. Tie the other color of balloons around the ankles of the children on the other team. Once everyone has a balloon, invite the kids to play a version of tag. Their goal will be to stomp on a balloon of a kid from the other team in order to pop it. As soon as the children hear a balloon pop, they must all freeze. The child who popped a balloon gets to answer one of the questions. If she gets it right, she gets a point for her team. Continue playing until all the balloons have been popped and all the questions answered. Consider giving candy prizes to the winning team. 3rd 6th: Marshmallow Face-Off Festival Games questions (see Resources) Straws (1 per child) Miniature marshmallows (at least 5 per child) Bowls (medium-size, 3) Optional: candy prizes SET UP Print the Festival Games questions. Place five marshmallows in one of the bowls and five marshmallows in a second bowl. Set both of the marshmallow bowls next to the empty bowl. Invite the kids to split into two teams. Ask a volunteer from each team to come kneel before a bowl of 9
marshmallows. Their goal will be to use only a straw and attempt to move the marshmallows from their own bowl to the empty one. They cannot use their hands only the suction from the straws. The first child to transfer all five of his marshmallows to the empty bowl gets to answer a question. If he gets it right, he gets a point for his team. Play until all children have had a chance to play the game and answer a question. Make sure children all play with only their own straws so they do not pass germs around. Consider giving candy prizes to the winning team. 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. HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 1 (see Resources) Bible During Remember & Celebrate lessons, encourage the parents to bless their children. Also encourage them to invite kids whose parents aren t present to join their groups. Invite the parents to pray the written blessing over their child and also to pray a special blessing over them in their own words. Place a hand on the shoulder or hand of your child. (Child s name), the LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love (Psalm 33:5). Our God is righteous and good. His love for you will never fail. After the parents and leaders have blessed the kids individually, encourage a parent to read the blessing over the group from Nehemiah 9:33a: In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully. End with the following blessing over the entire group. May you rest in the knowledge that God protects you, forgives you, and calls you His own. May He fill you with His praise and remind you of His righteousness this week. Send home the HomeFront Weekly with your kids. 10