date: Bible Passage: Matthew 12:1 14 (Sabbath) God Is the Lord of the Sabbath REMEMBER VERSE Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children s ministry leaders. All rights reserved.
Tru Mission Statement Tru helps kids and their families connect to God, find their place in His big story, and respond to Him through the power of the Holy Spirit. Lesson Path: Seeing the Mission Statement in a Tru Lesson Connecting leaders to God... Connects kids and their families to God His big story And invites them to respond to Him Through the power of the Holy Spirit. Inspire, Equip, and Support HomeFront Weekly Anticipate Celebrate Respond Bless Navigating Lesson Below you will find additional information to enhance lesson sections as needed. Anticipate Celebrate Respond Bless Stay in Line Activity The more intersecting lines on your taped floor grid, the easier the game will be for the kids. Be careful to remove tape lines promptly after the service so the floor does not become marked or sticky. True Colors Activity Consider testing different brands of non-permanent black markers ahead of time, in order to choose a black marker that separates into the most colors. Crayola markers work well. Small Group Enhancements Twenty Questions activities are available for this lesson. Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users may access this resource in the Resource Files. HomeFront Magazine: A Spiritual Parenting Resource This magazine gives families ideas for creating fun, spiritually forming times in their homes setting aside a sacred space for family in the midst of their active, everyday lives! As the new issue becomes available each month, you may choose to print it for families or encourage them to visit www.homefrontmag.com to subscribe to have the magazine sent directly to their inboxes. HomeFront is also available as an app for iphone, ipad, or Android devices. 2
Anticipate// 5 10 min. Option 1: Stay in Line (for Younger Kids) The religious leaders in Jesus time created strict man-made laws that forced people to shoulder burdens that God never intended for them to carry. Jesus revealed Himself as Lord of the Sabbath and acted outside of the enforced rules of the day in order to show what God really desires of us. With this activity, children will play tag while being forced to stay on the lines you ve laid out for them. masking tape Use the tape to create a large square on the floor, and in the square, make a grid pattern with about one square foot for each child. Invite the children to stand on the lines of the grid, spaced out around the square. Explain that for this game, everyone must walk along the lines. Pick a volunteer to be It. This person will try to tag the rest of the kids. When someone gets tagged, she must sit down immediately and form a block in the grid. Also, if someone moves off the line or jumps to another line, he too must sit down and become a block. Only It can jump from line to line to move around the grid. The last person standing gets to be It for the next round. Option 2: Nonsense Rules (for Older Kids) God created the Sabbath day of rest for His people. But, over time, religious leaders added so many rules about how to rest on the Sabbath that the rules stopped making much sense. Nonsense Rules (see Resource Files) tape whiteboard and dry erase markers Print the Nonsense Rules sheets and display them in the room. Point out the Nonsense Rules around the room and invite the kids to act them out. Or, as one big group, choose a Nonsense Rule for everyone to act out together at once. Also encourage the children to make up their own Nonsense Rules and write them on the board. 3
Respond// 15 20 min. Reflect: God Is Lord of the Sabbath The religious leaders of Jesus day made up many rules that they thought would help them follow God s law on the Sabbath. In reality, these man-made rules made keeping the Sabbath much harder. God cares about our actions, but He cares more about our hearts. Encourage the kids to open their Bibles and read the suggested passages. Questions for Younger Kids Why did God give His people a Sabbath day? Genesis 2:2 3 How did the religious leaders change the Sabbath day? Matthew 12:1 2 What do you think it means that Jesus looks at our hearts? Luke 6:43-45 Why do you think it s more important to God that we have hearts that follow after Him? 1 Samuel 16:7 Questions for Older Kids Why did God give His people a Sabbath day? What does this tell us about God? Genesis 2:2 3 How did the religious leaders change the Sabbath day? Matthew 12:1 2 Why were the religious leaders angry with Jesus when His disciples picked the grain on the Sabbath? Matthew 12:2 Why didn t the religious leaders want Jesus to heal the man on the Sabbath? Luke 13:14 What does it tell us about Jesus that He healed the man even though the law said not to do it on the Sabbath? Matthew 15:1 9 What do you think it means that Jesus looks at our hearts? Luke 6:43-45 Why do you think it s more important to God that we have hearts that follow after Him? 1 Samuel 16:7 Engage: True Colors cone coffee filters (2 per child and 2 per leader, white) clear disposable cups (1 per child and 1 per leader) water permanent black markers (3 4) nonpermanent black markers (3 4) disposable tablecloth or tarp optional: colored markers, additional coffee filters Cover the work area with the tablecloth or tarp. Fill each cup one-third full with water. The religious leaders added many rules to the keeping of the Sabbath. Even if they did this because they thought the rules would be helpful, it still wasn t what God intended. God wants us to have hearts that desire Him, not just outward actions that simply obey the rules. God is the Lord of the Sabbath, and He sees everything, including why we do what we do. Today, let s do a science experiment that shows how what we see on the outside may not be what s really on the inside. Sometimes we call what s on the inside our true colors. Demonstrate the experiment for your group. First, write Lord along the bottom of each coffee filter using the permanent marker for one filter and the nonpermanent marker for the other filter. Then pause to discuss the differences between how Jesus and the religious leaders acted on the Sabbath. In what ways did Jesus show He is Lord? Then, fold each coffee filter in half and then in half again, keeping the word visible. Place the bottom of both coffee filters in the cup of water and wait for the colors to be revealed. Because God is Lord of everything, He sees everything, and we can trust Him to give us rest. Now help each child to perform the experiment. You could also perform additional experiments using colored markers instead of black ones. 7
Bless// 5 min. Open a Bible and read Mark 12:33: To love [God] with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. Read the verse again while performing the following actions, and invite the kids to make the actions along with you. To love [God] with all your heart: Fold hands over heart. with all your understanding: Touch temples. and with all your strength: Do muscle pose. and to love your neighbor as yourself: Put hand on friend s shoulder. is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices: Pretend to pick up ashes cupped in hands, bring hands to mouth, and blow ashes away. Invite the children to hold their hands in front of them, palms up, in a posture of receiving. Then speak the following blessing over the group. May you know the One who rules over everything. May your words and your heart honor the Lord of the Sabbath. May your love for Him overflow into how you care for others. WEEKLY Be sure to send home the HomeFront Weekly for next week s lesson! This preteaching tool for parents encourages families to spend time in God s Word together before children arrive at church. 8