United Church of God An International Association SABBATH S CHOOL Preteen Sabbath Instruction Program Teacher s Outline Level K Unit 1 Week 1 GOD S HOLY DAYS OBJECTIVE: To teach the children that God s special feast days show us that He has a plan for all people. His plan is like a road map with special steps to take which help us to get where God wants us to go. ATTENTION GETTER: Where have you gone to keep the Feast of Tabernacles? Has anyone gone a long distance from home? When we travel to the Feast or when we go on a family vacation, someone has to make plans. Your mom and dad probably use a map so they know how to get to their planned destination. What kind of plans do you and your parents make before going on a trip? God makes plans. He has a wonderful plan of salvation that is very important for us. Briefly explain the word salvation. His plan tells us both what has happened in the past, a long time ago, and what will happen to us in the future. His plan is like stepping stones in a garden. His stepping stones take us to a very special place that God has prepared. Not everyone in this world understands His plan, but His people do. We do! We are going to learn about His plan today. BIBLE LESSON: Materials: Map (see end of lesson) Sheet of paper with symbols on stepping stones for the seven feast days (see end of lesson) Markers Page 1
Glue or glue sticks Scissors Prepare: Before class, cut out sets of the seven symbols, making sure you have a set for each child. These symbols will be passed out to the children for them to glue onto the map as you go through the lesson. Open the Bible and show them Leviticus 23 where God s plan is explained. In the Bible, Moses told God s people, the Israelites, all about God s plan. His plan has seven parts. His plan is pictured by God s seven annual feasts. Today we will go through the seven parts. I will give you a map and some stepping stones with special pictures on them to help you remember God s plan. Give each child a copy of the map and the first stepping stone with the picture of the lamb. This stone is for the feast time called Passover. The lamb on the stone is to help us remember that Jesus died for our sins Have students glue the stepping stone where the number 1 is on the road map. Let s move on to the second step in God s plan. Hand out the stepping stone with bread on it. Look closely at this stepping stone. What do you see? Yes, bread is on the stepping stone. There are actually two kinds of bread. Can any of you tell me what special feast is represented by bread? Yes, the Days of Unleavened Bread. This feast lasts seven days and two of the days are Holy Days. Leaven puffs up bread. Leaven also spreads. It is like sin disobeying God. Have students glue the second stepping stone on the map. God wants us to get leaven out of our homes and eat unleavened bread to remind us not to sin. Pass out the third stepping stone with flames and the number 50. Our third stepping stone is for the feast called Pentecost. Pentecost means the 50th. Can you count to 50? Page 2
God tells us to count 50 days from the day after the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread. This brings us to Pentecost. After Jesus died, His followers were meeting together on Pentecost. Something very special and unusual happened to these people on this Pentecost. God sent His Holy Spirit to help His people. It looked like fire on the people s heads. Have students glue the third stepping stone on the map. We, too, can have God s Holy Spirit to help us obey God, but it doesn t appear as fire as it did that Pentecost. Hand out the fourth stepping stone with the trumpets. What is on this fourth stone? Do you know which Holy Day it is for? Yes, it is for the Feast of Trumpets. What kind of sound do trumpets make? There will be a time when a loud trumpet will be blown. Have you heard sirens warning of a fire truck or ambulance? This loud sound is a warning. The trumpets in the future will be a warning. It will tell us that Jesus Christ is returning to earth. Everyone who obeys God will be made a spirit being and be with Him forever. Some of His people will be alive to see Him come. Others, who have died and are asleep, will wake up and be with Christ. Have students glue the fourth stepping stone on the map. This will be a wonderful time. This is what the Feast of Trumpets is about. Pass out the fifth stone with the picture of a ball and chain and an empty glass. Have you ever seen pictures of people locked up in a prison or with a ball and chain on their leg to keep them from moving? The Day of Atonement looks forward to when someone very, very bad will be locked up. This will happen after Christ returns to the earth. Who is very bad and causes people to do bad things? Who needs to be locked up so he can t hurt people? Yes, Satan. We will be glad when he is locked up. Have students glue the fifth stepping stone on the map. Page 3
On the Day of Atonement your mom and dad do not eat or drink. This is called fasting. We do this, making our bodies weak, to help us know how much we need God. Give the sixth stone with the tent on it. The sixth stone is for the Feast of Tabernacles. We keep it for seven days. Tabernacle means tent or temporary dwelling. When we go to the Feast we stay in temporary homes like a motel. Have students glue stepping stone on the map. We go to the Feast to learn what our lives will be like when Christ returns. Give the seventh stone with the crown. The last stone the final step in God s plan is the Last Great Day. Does anyone remember when we celebrate the Last Great Day? Yes, the day after the Feast of Tabernacles. This day tells us that God will give all people who have ever lived a chance to learn about God s way of life and choose to be part of God s kingdom. Have students glue on stepping stone. This is the wonderful plan of God. We are very blessed to understand these days and observe them. God is happy when we do so. LESSON APPLICATION: Give each child a marker to trace the road to each of the stepping stones on their map. Do it together and have the children say the names of each Holy Day as you get to it. MUSIC: Sing to the tune of This Is the Way We Wash Our Clothes. This is the way we remember God s plan, Remember God s plan, Remember God s plan. This is the way we remember God s plan, By keeping God s Holy Days. This is the time we keep the feasts, Page 4
Keep the feasts, Keep the feasts. This is the time we keep the feasts, From sunset to sunset. This is the way we praise our God, Praise our God, Praise our God. This is the way we praise our God, By joining in the singing. MEMORY: Learn God s festivals: Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. Page 5
family activity THE POINT: God has a wonderful plan. By learning about His feasts, we understand His plan. The feasts are like stepping stones leading us to the Kingdom of God. ASK ME What does eating unleavened bread remind us of? How many days do we count to know when Pentecost is? Who is so bad that God will lock him away from us? What does the word tabernacle mean? FAMILY TOGETHER TIME: Go over the seven stepping stones with your child. Talk about how blessed we are to understand the plan of God. Discuss the upcoming fall Holy Days and discuss the symbols on the stepping stones. Start planning for the Feast of Tabernacles. Look on a real map and show your child where you will be traveling to. Make a list of things you will need to do before leaving for the Feast. Plan some activities you would like to do as a family. MEMORY: The memory assignment is to learn God s festivals: Passover Days of Unleavened Bread Pentecost Feast of Trumpets Day of Atonement Feast of Tabernacles Last Great Day. Page 6
SYMBOLS ON STEPPING STONES Make a copy for each student and cut them out prior to class. Have students glue them on to their map in the right order. Page 7
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