July 1, 2018 God Gives Wisdom DATE PONDER POINT For the Lord is good and his love endures forever. 1 Kings 2 3 Solomon Asks for Wisdom THE BIG GOD STORY Psalm 100:5a REMEMBER VERSE Welcome & Rules (4 minutes): Begins class creating an inviting atmosphere for kids to feel welcome and to worship in song. Worship & Connect (12 minutes): Establishes community and engages kids, drawing them in and preparing them to hear God s word. The Big God Story Pt 1 (6 minutes): Creates space for children to hear God s word. Mail Time & Worship (7 minutes): Breaks up the Big God Story to keep kids engaged and teaches the importance of memorizing scripture. The Big God Story Pt 2 (6 minutes): Children continue to hear God s word. Small Groups (20 minutes): Kids respond in small groups to what they heard in the Big God Story. Remember Verse & Bless (3 minutes): Allows children to practice their memory verse and be sent out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others. (See page 8 for 10:15 schedule and rotations.) 1
GOAL: Worship & welcome is all about engaging kids and helping them enter into worship, letting them know that class has begun preparing their minds for what they are going to hear. Establishes community and engages kids, drawing them in and preparing them to hear God s word. WELCOME & RULES - 4 minutes (Host) IMAGE: Welcome We are so glad you are here at Critter Land today. Personalize your welcome. Relate to what s happening such as holidays, school year, church camp, etc. Pique the curiosity about today s Ponder Point/Story, tell a joke, do something to draw in the attending of the kids and mention any announcements! RULES VIDEO: Chloe s Rules Backyard Video WORSHIP - 3 minutes (Worship Leader/Host) If you brought offering, go put it in the squirrel feeder while we worship! VIDEO: Jesus By My Side (Direct kids to get with their groups and circle up with their small group leader before sitting down) SMALL GROUP CONNECT QUESTIONS - 4 minutes (Host) VIDEO: 4 minute countdown Where is your favorite place to go to have fun? What do you want to be when you grow up? If God told you that you could ask Him for anything, what would you want? WARDROBE OF WONDER - 5 minutes (Host) What sit: 4 wrapped presents VIDEO: Wardrobe of Wonder Intro Choose 1 volunteer. Volunteer picks two hats from wardrobe one for himself, one for host. Tell other kids to put on their imaginary thinking caps. Volunteer peeks in the What s It box. Host gives 3 clues, kids get to vote on what they think it is. Then as host you say. If you think our clue is a, raise your hand. If you think our clue is a, raise your hand. If you think our clue is a, raise your hand. Let the child volunteer tell which answer is correct! ASK What did you find in the Wardrobe of Wonder today? Children will answer. What do you think is inside these boxes? How do you think the four presents fit into the part of The Big God Story we ll hear today? Children respond; interact with their answers. We ll find out soon, because it s time for 2
Point out that what kids are about to hear is true and is recorded in the Bible. Open your Bible to the passage and leave it open and visible throughout The Big God Story. Invite kids to open their Bibles and follow along as you storytell. Children respond to what the Holy Spirit is teaching them as they reflect on the day s portion of The Big God Story. The Prayer of Release allows children and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet their hearts and minds. Before you pray, you might ask the kids to hold out their hands, palms up, in a spirit of releasing their worries and distractions in order to better receive what the Holy Spirit might have for them today. Then encourage the kids to quiet their voices, take a seat, and pray with you. The Big God Story: STORYTELLING - PART 1-6 minutes (Storyteller) Video: The Big Story Intro Hello, friends. Let s stop and ask our good God to teach us today. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. Tech: Cue Temple image. What do you see in this picture? Children respond. This is a temple. King David wanted to show God how much he loved Him by building a special place for people to gather and worship God. Remember last week? But God told David he would not build the temple, but God would give David a gift..does anyone remember what that was? David would always have someone from his family be a king. Can you make a crown with your hands and put it on your head with me? (Have kids do so.) So David s son, and his grandson, and his great grandson and his great, great grandson..on and on would be kings until a very special King was born The King of Kings.. Jesus.! They would all be part of David s family. Wow what a wonderful gift. David wanted to build the temple but God had a different plan. God is wise; He knows everything! God decided that David s son, Solomon, would build the new place of worship instead. Although King David was a very good king, the time came when David needed to give this job to his son, Solomon. He was to be the king of Israel just like his dad had been! Put crown on head. Have kids pretend to put crown on head. Can you all put on your pretend crowns with me? David knew that to be a good king, he must follow our wise and good God and love Him with all of his 3
heart. He wanted his son Solomon to love God too. When Solomon became the king, he wanted to be a good king just like his father. Take crown off head; leave throne and sit closer to children. One night while Solomon was sleeping, God came to him in a dream. God said something amazing to Solomon. Do you know what God said to Solomon? You are going to find out in a little bit, but now we are going to take a break from the story and do our mail time! MAIL TIME & WORSHIP - 7 minutes (Host/Worship Leader) VIDEO: Mail Time Intro IMAGE: Remember Verse For the Lord is good and his love endures forever. Psalm 100:5a REMEMBER VERSE DEFINITIONS Endures: to last or stay the same REMEMBER VERSE MOTIONS For the Lord: Make L with right hand. Cross right hand over front of body from left shoulder to right hip. is good: Place fingertips of open palm on chin. Move hand forward as if blowing a kiss. and his love: Cross arms over chest. endures forever: Point index finger, move finger in large circular motion. Host: Way to say your verse! Now let s all keep standing and sing a song! WORSHIP VIDEO: Super Wonderful God Host: Great job singing! Let s all sit down and listen really carefully to find out what happens next in our Big God Story! STORYTELLING - PART 2-6 minutes (Storyteller) One night while Solomon was sleeping, God came to him in a dream. God said something amazing to Solomon. Do you know what God said to Solomon? He said (open Bible and read 1 Kings 3:5b). Ask for whatever you want me to give you. Wow! God told Solo mon to ask for whatever he wanted! I wonder what Solomon asked of God? Do you think Solomon asked God for money? (thumbs up or thumbs down?) Did He ask God to live a long life and never get sick (thumbs up or thumbs down) Did He ask God for his favorite baseball team to win the World Series? (thumbs up or thumbs down) No. Solomon asked God for Wisdom. Wisdom is a big word, let s learn what wisdom means. Watch this video. Tech Cue : Wisdom video short The new king wanted to be a good king! Solomon wanted to help the people follow God, so he asked God for wisdom. God was happy that Solomon asked for wisdom and not money 4
(hold up paper money), fame (hold up famous person picture), or a long life (hold up elderly person picture). He was pleased that Solomon wanted to do what was best for His people, so He gave Solomon wisdom (hold up WISDOM sign). Not only did God give him wisdom, He made sure that Solomon was a rich and famous king! God told Solomon that if he obeyed God s commands like his father David did, Solomon would live for a long time (1 Kings 3:10 14). Friends, the Bible tells us that if we need wisdom, we can ask God. He will give generously (James 1:5)! Solomon asked God for wisdom, and God blessed him with lots and lots of wisdom! The Lord helped him create fair laws, make wise decisions about living peacefully with his enemies, and bring the people closer in their walk with God. We can have wisdom too. All we have to do is ask God for it. Let s be like Solomon and ask God for Wisdom! DISMISS TO SMALL GROUPS (Host) 5
GOAL: Kids respond in small groups to what they heard in the Big God Story. Wisdom is Better than Gold Solomon asked God for wisdom so he could be a good king and lead his people in a way that pleased God. Solomon could have asked God for Gold, money, fame, but he didn t because Solomon knew Wisdom was better than all those things. SUPPLIES Pot of Gold Coloring sheet Gold dot stickers for gold to placed in their pot Crayons to color their Pot. ENGAGE Friends, in today s part of The Big God Story, we heard how King Solomon asked God for wisdom to take good care of His people. God was pleased with what Solomon asked and gave him wisdom! Being wise is being able to make right choices. Can you think of a time when you made a wise choice? Children respond; interact with their answers. Share about a time when you made a wise choice. One of things King Solomon will write in the Bible is Proverbs 16:16 it says Wisdom is better than gold. Let s color our page and fill our pot with gold, and remember that Wisdom is better than all the gold or money in the world. Pass out papers and make sure kids get help putting their name on their paper. Pass out gold dots and explain that these can be their gold Allow them to place the stickers on their paper. Then let them color. While they work, ask the following Wonder Questions. I wonder Why did Solomon choose wisdom instead of other things (riches, death to enemies, long life)? I wonder What would I have asked for from God? I wonder How did God feel when Solomon chose wisdom? I wonder What wisdom does God want to give me today? 6
Review the Remember Verse: Review the Remember Verse: For the Lord is good and his love endures forever. Psalm 100:5a REMEMBER VERSE DEFINITIONS Endures: to last or stay the same REMEMBER VERSE MOTIONS For the Lord: Make L with right hand. Cross right hand over front of body from left shoulder to right hip. is good: Place fingertips of open palm on chin. Move hand forward as if blowing a kiss. and his love: Cross arms over chest. endures forever: Point index finger, move finger in large circular motion. BLESSING BLESSING Today, close your time with a prayer of blessing. Invite children to close their eyes hold out their hands as you speak the following over them: Friends, the Bible says that when we ask God for wisdom, He will give it to us generously (James 1:5)! Let s ask God for wisdom now. God, please give us Your wisdom. Allow children to repeat these words as a group. Children can open their eyes and gather around you for the final blessing. Children, may you know that God gives wisdom when we ask for it. May you follow His commands. May you praise Him forever (reference Psalm 111:10). VIDEO: In This Life 7
Host will welcome kids to Critter Land. Worship Leader will lead kids in a time of worship and allow kids to give offering. Video 1: Hosanna Rock Video 2: Jesus I Will Follow Owls Play (114) BGS (113*) 11:15 Host will pray a blessing over the kids before parents pick up. If time allows worship leader will lead the closing song. Video 3:In This Life MW (115) Play (114) Transition Video: Jungle Beat 10:25-10:39 10:40-10:54 10:55-11:15 Play (114) BGS (113*) MW (115) Bunnies MW (116) Turtles MW (115) Frogs MW (116) Snails BGS (113*) Squirrels MW (116) Play Station (Play) Kids will have time to play and enjoy each others company. Different play options will be provided. Big God Story (BGS) The storyteller will present the Bible lesson and point to ponder. *BGS may be moved to room 114 when there is a storytelling video and play station would move to 113. Memory Work (MW) The small group leaders will teach and practice the remember verse below and a wonder coloring page will be provided. Great time to take kids to the restroom. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever. Psalm 100:5a REMEMBER VERSE DEFINITIONS Endures: to last or stay the same REMEMBER VERSE MOTIONS For the Lord: Make L with right hand. Cross right hand over front of body from left shoulder to right hip. is good: Place fingertips of open palm on chin. Move hand forward as if blowing a kiss. and his love: Cross arms over chest. endures forever: Point index finger, move finger in large circular motion. 8
Last year at this time, I was thinking about getting married. I prayed adamantly for God s discernment in our relationship. Unexpectedly, my soul felt unsettled. It was frustrating because it didn t make sense to me. Yet the more I prayed for God s wisdom and direction in our relationship, the more the restlessness grew. I explained to my boyfriend how I felt God was leading me; God s wisdom didn t provide for our relationship ending in marriage. I learned two things from this experience. First, God generously gives His wisdom to those who seek Him. Second, God s wisdom may seem like foolishness to the world. It can be countercultural. We were in love, and our community was strongly encouraging us. But when I sought the Lord for wisdom, I found the path I thought was so clear wasn t what God had planned for my life. Even now, I think we could ve had a strong and successful marriage. However, I ve seen God work powerfully through my singleness, through circumstances that couldn t exist in marriage. Through this process, I ve learned to respect that the Lord gives wisdom generously. I rejoice in that fact. Erika Abdelatif ROCKHARBOR Church The Lord gives wisdom, but we must seek Him. In the third chapter of 1 Kings, King Solomon is revealed as a leader with a duality of heart. In his early years, Solomon followed the structure and path his father, David, had set before him. He showed a desire to reign over the Israelites with justice. As his kingship began, God approached Solomon in a dream. In this dream, God told Solomon He would provide whatever Solomon requested. Rather than requesting fame, wealth, or long life, Solomon s only desire was wisdom. He asked God for a discerning heart to govern (v. 9). He desired keen judgment and to rule justly. God was pleased and blessed Solomon with wisdom. But Solomon s heart soon became divided. As king, Solomon began to engage in practices that ultimately led his heart away from God. In Deuteronomy, God gave His people specific laws for the way they were to interact while in Egypt. He warned them against intermarrying with the Egyptians, as they didn t worship the one true God and had the potential to lead the Israelites hearts astray. He was trying to shield them from being lured into worshipping false gods from these alliances through marriage. But many years later, King Solomon didn t follow what God had proscribed. Chapter 3 begins by announcing that he arranged to marry Pharaoh s daughter. Furthermore, Solomon didn t destroy the high places (which the people of that region used to worship and make sacrifices to false gods), as was instructed in Deuteronomy. Instead, he made sacrifices to God at the pagan altars of worship. God granted Solomon wisdom. He also told Solomon, If you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life (v. 14). Despite the great gift God had given, Solomon ultimately chose not to obey the ways of the Lord. His life stands as a warning to each of us to keep our hearts focused solely on God and His commands, in order to not fall away from the fervent call upon our lives. 9
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James 1:5). This week, ask God for His wisdom. Begin by spending a moment asking God to search your heart. Are there things preventing you from hearing His voice? Do you avoid quiet because you re fearful of what He might say? Ask Him to reveal and remove these obstacles. Then, begin to ask God if there are areas of your life causing you to diverge from the path He s put you on. Pray that God would give you His wisdom and intelligence in handling these circumstances. Pray and ask for His discernment and judgment. Pray for His wisdom to direct you in wise choices. 10