The Shema Bible Verse Your word is a lamp before my feet and a light for my journey. (Psalm 119:105) Session 9 August 2 Bible Story Deuteronomy 6:4-8 Leap of Faith I can learn and share God s Word. Before You Begin Deuteronomy 6:4-8 is called the Shema (shuh-mah). The word Shema means to hear and begins the most important prayer in Judaism. The whole Shema prayer is spoken daily in the Jewish tradition. The Shema is an affirmation of faith, stating that there is one and only one God. The Shema prayer was so influential and important that Jesus used it as the beginning of his answer to the greatest commandment question in Mark 12:28-30. Even today, Christians can look to the words of the Shema as a wonderful expression that the LORD is the one true God. As we acknowledge God s lordship, our response remains to hear and to love God with all our heart, soul, and might, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. When God said to write the words of the prayer on the doorposts of your house, the Jewish people took God literally. The prayer is written on a piece of parchment paper, rolled up, and placed into a protective case, called a mezuzah (muh-zoo-zuh). The mezuzah is attached to the upper third of the doorpost of the house s front door. It is tilted so that the top slants toward the house. When coming and going through the door, family members touch the mezuzah to show respect and to remember God s commands. Children who attend worship may be familiar with the expression affirmation of faith. Whether your church uses the traditional Apostles Creed or a different version, the congregation is stating what it believes about God, about Jesus, about the Holy Spirit, and about the church. In this Jewish affirmation, the people are stating their belief that there is only one God. This was particularly important because in the cultures surrounding them, many people had multiple gods. This statement truly set the Jewish people apart. This statement of faith also reminds us who is in charge. TIP Check out Grow Proclaim Serve.com/ leaders to connect with other leaders, download additional content for the quarter, and read weekly articles. Requires preparation. Summer 2015 Session 9 GrowProclaimServe.com 79
Grow Together The following activities may be done in interest centers as the children arrive or may be done with the entire group. Welcome Supplies: Attendance Stickers and Chart (Resource Pak pp. 12 & 13, 23), Bible, offering basket, CD player, CD-ROM Greet each parent and child. Play music (CD-ROM). Show the children where to place their offerings on the worship table. Have the Bible open to Deuteronomy 6:4-8 on the worship table. Give each child the Sticker of the scroll to put on the attendance chart. Fun Pak Center Supplies: Fun Pak 9, blue crayons, clear tape or glue sticks Punch out the mezuzah (muh-zoo-zuh) and the Shema (shuh-mah) for each child. Invite the child to color the mezuzah blue. Show the child how to fold the mezuzah to make a container. Help the child tape or glue the sides together as well as the bottom, leaving the top flap open. Read the Shema aloud. Tell the children that this is a very important passage in the Bible because it tells us that the most important thing we can do is to love God with all our heart, all our being, and all our strength. SAY: Israel, listen! Our God is the Lord! Only the Lord! Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Coloring/Activity Page Center Supplies: Bible Story Pak 9, glue sticks, crayons or markers, safety scissors Activity A: Help the child find the correct word, cut it out, and glue it to its match on the Shema. SAY: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). Activity B: Send Activity B home with the children and encourage their parents or guardians to do the family activity suggested. 80 August 2 GROW Proclaim Serve Preschool Leader s Guide
Bible Scroll Center Supplies: wrapping paper on a tube, glue sticks, 2 empty wrapping paper cardboard tubes, precut pictures of Bible stories from the Bible Story Paks used so far this summer, masking tape, length of yarn or ribbon SAY: In Bible times the words that are in our Bible today were written on scrolls. Let s make a scroll. Place the back of a long sheet of wrapping paper on the floor. Show the child the unused pictures of this quarter s Bible stories from the Bible Story Paks. Let the children use glue sticks to glue the pictures on the back of the wrapping paper. Tape one empty cardboard tube to each end of the wrapping paper. Talk with the children about the pictures on the scroll. Remind the children that all these stories come from the Bible. Roll the two long cardboard tubes toward the center to make a scroll, and tie yarn or ribbon around the middle of the scroll. Love God Center Supplies: Reproducible 9a, Bible Verse Sticker, construction paper, scissors, tape, glue sticks, pencil (for leader) Use the pattern on Reproducible 9a to trace hearts onto construction paper. (One heart for every child.) Cut out the interior of each heart about 11/2-inch in from the side. Invite the child to glue the heart-shape frame onto a piece of construction paper. Let the children color the heart-shaped frame if they wish to do so. Give each child one of the heart-shaped Stickers of the Shema, and invite the child to put the Sticker inside the heart-shaped frame. SAY the entire Bible verse with the child: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). TIP To make cutting easier, fold the heart in half, then cut out the interior about 11/2-inches in from the side. Come Together Time Supplies: none Sing and dance your way around the room, inviting every child, one by one, to follow behind you in a line. Encourage the children to copy your words and movements. SING: (to the tune of B-I-N-G-O) Oh, won t you come along with me? We ll dance around the whole room. Clap, clap, stomp, stomp, stomp. Clap, clap, stomp, stomp, stomp. Clap, clap, stomp, stomp, stomp. Now sit and hear the story. Summer 2015 Session 9 GrowProclaimServe.com 81
Proclaim the Word Visit Leaper s Pointe Supplies: DVD player, Grow! DVD (Ages 3-6), Leader s Guide p. 127 Play the theme song Talkin bout Faith on the DVD, and encourage the children to do the motions. The words are on p. 127 of this Leader s Guide. SAY: Harley is helping the mayor place mezuzahs holding the Shema on the doorposts of all the homes in Leaper s Pointe. Show the children the GROW, Proclaim, Serve video for today s session. Learn the Bible Verse Supplies: Bible Verse Poster (Resource Pak p. 2), tape, (Optional: Grow! DVD, Ages 3 6) Point to the Bible Verse Poster (Resource Pak p. 2), and SAY the Bible verse with the children: Your word is a lamp before my feet and a light for my journey (Psalm 119:105). Teach the children the American Sign Language for the words: God (Your), Word, and Light (Lamp). Encourage the children to sign the Bible verse as you say it with them. Play the Bible verse section of the DVD. Hear the Bible Story Supplies: Bible Story Pak 9 Pass out and read Bible Story Pak 9 to the children. At the end of the story, say short sections of the Bible verse, and let the children guess what word goes in the blank. SAY: Love the Lord your with all your, all your, and all your. (answers: God, heart, being, strength) GOD Point the index finger of your right hand, with the other fingers curled down. Bring the hand down and open the palm. WORD Hold the left index finger up with the palm facing right. Place the thumb and index finger of the right hand against the left finger. Play this game until all the children can guess the word that goes in each blank. Experience the Bible Story Supplies: beach ball, CD player, CD-ROM Invite the children to sit in a circle. Play the CD-ROM while the beach ball is being passed around. When you stop the music, everyone should say the Shema together: Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). Some of the younger children might have trouble remembering all the words of the Shema, but after it is said several times, they will catch on. LIGHT (LAMP) Hold your hand above your shoulder with your fingers pointing down. Open your fingers apart one time. 82 August 2 GROW Proclaim Serve Preschool Leader s Guide
Serve With Love Deuteronomy 6:5 Supplies: Reproducible 9b, Bible Verse Sticker, crayons or markers During this quarter, the children will make a Bible Verse Book. Each week the children will add the Bible verse they have learned that week to the book. This week, the children learned about the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5.) Make a copy of Reproducible 9b for every child. Locate the heart-shaped Sticker ( Love the Lord your God ). Give every child Reproducible 9b, and invite him or her to color the bubble letters. Give each child the second heart-shaped Sticker of the Shema, and encourage her or him to stick it on the Bible verse page. Write the child s name on his or her paper. Put the papers in a safe place where they will not get lost or destroyed during the coming week. SAY: This week you have learned a very important Bible verse. We will save it, and each week we will make a new Bible verse page. When we have finished making all our Bible verses pages, we will put them together in a book. All Your Heart Supplies: Reproducible 9c, construction paper, sharp scissors (for leader), mirror Photocopy Reproducible 9c onto different colors of construction paper. Cut out the hearts. Then cut them in half following the cut line. Hide one half of each construction paper heart in the room. (One half for each child.) Keep the other halves. SAY: Hidden around the room are halves of hearts. (Show the children the other half of one of the hearts.) Look for a half of a heart and bring it to the Story Circle. As the children bring their heart halves, invite them to sit in a circle and ASK: Where is the other half of your heart? Listen to the children s responses. SAY: God wants us to love Him with our whole heart. Give each child his or her other half of the heart. Hold a mirror in front of each child and have the child say: I love God with all my heart. Scroll Snack Supplies: one baked crescent roll for every child, napkins Bake crescent rolls before class. Make sure there is one roll for each child. Have the children wash and dry their hands. Let one child pass out two napkins to every seated child. Give each child a baked crescent roll. Point out to the children that the crescent rolls look like rolled scrolls. PRAY Dear God, thank You for being here with us today. Help us remember to love You with our whole hearts, our whole beings, and all our strength. Amen. Summer 2015 Session 9 GrowProclaimServe.com 83
Worship Grassy Meadow Mural Supplies: Grassy Meadow Mural (Resource Pak pp. 8, 9 & 16, 17), loop of tape Gather the children around the Grassy Meadow Mural that has been posted on a wall or bulletin board. SAY: Each week we add a sheep to our Grassy Meadow Mural to remind us of that week s Bible story. The mural and sheep remind us that God loves us and takes care of us just as if we were his own little sheep. This week we add the sheep with the scroll on it to remind us of the Bible verse we learned this week: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). Sing and Pray Supplies: CD-ROM and CD player, or Grow! DVD (Ages 3-6) and DVD player Play Love One Another on the CD-ROM or DVD. Let the children lie down and listen to the song. After the children have listened to the song once through, encourage them to sing along with the song. If they would like, let them dance to the music. Gather the children into a prayer circle. Pray for each child by name. PRAY: Dear God, be with (child s name) this week. Help him (or her) to love you with all his (or her) heart, mind, and strength. Amen. TIP For the words of the song Love One Another see Leader s Guide p. 126. Plan for Next Week Next week you will introduce the children to Psalm 23. Photocopy: Use the pattern on Reproducible 10a to trace shepherd s crooks from brown construction paper and to photocopy the geometric shapes onto white paper. Cut out the crooks and the three geometric shapes for each child. The children will add another page to their Bible Verse Books. Make a copy of Reproducible 10b for every child. Locate the sun Sticker. Photocopy Reproducible 10c for every child. Pour glue onto small paper plates. Provide plenty of cotton balls. Each child will need five for this activity, and additional cotton balls to use with Activity A of the Bible Story Book. Coloring Page/Activity Center: Provide more cotton balls; small bowls of glue; black markers (non-permanent) or black crayons. Love God Center: Provide old, clean sheets for the children to lie on outside. Sheep Snack: Bring pretzel sticks, marshmallows (large and miniature), and napkins. 84 August 2 GROW Proclaim Serve Preschool Leader s Guide