Oct. 29, 2017 God Leads the Way DATE PONDER POINT Remember Verse Joshua 1, 3 4 (The People Enter the Promised Land) As for me, I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Psalm 55:16 THE BIG GOD STORY REMEMBER VERSE Welcome (6 minutes): Begins class creating an inviting atmosphere for kids to feel welcome and to worship in song. Worship & Connect (17 minutes): Establishes community and engages kids, drawing them in and preparing them to hear God s word. The Big God Story (15 minutes): Creates space for children 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. New Memory Verse 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. WELCOME - 3 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: Sherriff Hawk with Kids Church Rules MAIL TIME - 3 minutes (Host) VIDEO: Mail Time Intro IMAGE: Remember Verse As for me, I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Psalm 55:16 Motions: As for me: Both hands in fists, point thumbs toward chest. I call to God: Look up, cupping hands around mouth. and the LORD saves me: Extend both arms out to sides, palms up. 2
GOAL: Establishes community and engages kids, drawing them in and preparing them to hear God s word. Kids get to participate in various worship elements such as offering, scripture memorization and their curiosity is peaked as they discover what will be in the wardrobe of wonder. WORSHIP - 7 minutes (Worship Leader) If you brought offering, go put it in the squirrel feeder while we worship! VIDEO: (9:00 & 11:30) Jesus By My Side (10:15) Hosanna Rock VIDEO: (9:00 & 11:30) God OF Love (10:15) Jesus I Will Follow (Direct kids to get with their groups and circle up with their small group leader before sitting down) SMALL GROUP CONNECT QUESTIONS - 5 minutes (Host) VIDEO: 4 minute countdown Have you ever thought about being a spy? Do you like to lead, and be the leader or follow? When you are afraid, do you think God is with you? WARDROBE OF WONDER - 5 minutes (Host) What sit: 9:00 - Large Stone 10:15 - Arrow 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 If you think our clue is a If you think our clue is a, raise your hand., raise your hand., raise your hand. Let the child volunteer tell which answer is correct! ASK: 9:00 What is this we ve found in the Wardrobe of Wonder today? Children answer. Why do you think the What s It is a big stone? Ponder some possible reasons with the children and interact with their suggestions. Well, I think it s time we find out how the What sit is a part of The Big God Story do you know what time it is? Allow children to answer. ASK: 10:15- What s this? Children answer. It s an arrow, that s right. Where do we see arrows? Interact with responses. Yes. There are so many places we find arrows. Arrows can be used to point us in the right direction and show us the way to go. This arrow can help remind us that God leads the way. 3
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 - 15 minutes (Storyteller) Video: The Big Story Intro RELATE Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. Hello, friends! I m so happy to see you here. Today we re going to talk about an exciting part of The Big God Story the part where God leads His people, the Israelites, to the special land He d promised them! The Israelites followed (hold one palm flat and move index finger and middle finger of opposite hand up and down on open palm as if walking; invite children to repeat action after word follow ) God through the desert as He led them to their new home. Even though some Israelites were stubborn and didn t want to follow (walk fingers) God, many did follow (walk fingers) Him because He was their God and they were His people! God chose a man named Moses to guide the Israelites in what He wanted them to do and where they should go. The Israelites followed (walk fingers) Moses, and Moses followed (walk fingers) God. For 40 years, Moses and the Israelites followed (walk fingers) God s lead while they traveled in the wilderness. That s such a long time! Moses became very old, and his time leading God s people was over. God chose a man named Joshua to take Moses place. Joshua had seen all the amazing things God did through Moses and had learned from him. God told Joshua that He was going to perform a miracle. God wanted to be sure the Israelites knew that Joshua was their new 4
leader. The Israelites were getting really close to the Promised Land, but first they had to cross a huge river called the Jordan! How were the people going to cross the river? Children answer. They d been traveling through the desert, so they didn t have any boats. They wouldn t be able to swim well carrying all their things with them. Plus, they had animals and babies! Do you think they just gave up? No! God had a plan. He was going to lead the way. Let s all stand and pretend we re the Israelites! Imagine these sheets are the Jordan River. Leaders holding sheets begin to shake them up and down, causing fabric to roll like water. Invite children to make river sounds (such as swish, swish and gurgle, gurgle ). Look at how fast the water is moving. It s much too high for us to safely cross! It would be dangerous to even try! What do you think the people did? Children answer. God was going to lead the way! He was going to show them a miracle. God told Joshua to have the priests put their feet in the river first. Pretend to be priest and start walking toward river. Now, can you guess what happened when their feet touched the river? Wait for children to answer. Leaders holding fabric pieces step apart, creating path down middle of river. Just like that, the water parted! The Israelites had a dry path to walk across just like when they left Egypt all those years before! Let s walk across this river together. Kids line up to walk through and hop over rocks. Wow, wouldn t that have been a miracle to see? Let s all have a seat. That s what God did for the Israelites. For the second time, He parted a huge body of water so they could walk through. This time, right into the Promised Land! God led the way all the way! To celebrate, the people gathered 12 huge stones from the middle of the river. Joshua took the stones and set them on top of one another in a huge pile as a way to remember God. From that day forward, every time the people would see the rocks they would remember. When their children would ask, Why are there stones next to the river? the moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, and uncles would be able to tell stories of everything God had done. Just as God was with His people leading them so long ago, He is leading us today. God can lead us by using our moms and dads, grandmas, grandpas, teachers, or even our friends in our lives. He leads us in the best way to live when we read His Word from the Bible, or when we pray and talk and listen to Him. No matter how He chooses, we know that we can trust God to always lead the way! 5
GOAL: Kids respond in small groups to what they heard in the Big God Story. Create: My Remember Rocks SUPPLIES (per table/small group) rock paper (1 per child) markers newspaper or recycled office paper stapler or tape SET UP Place all the materials on the table. At each child s place put a brown paper lunch bag. Note: For larger classes or to just save time, make the stones ahead of time. Or, let the children write on real stones. ENGAGE Invite children to join you at the table and ask what they heard today in The Big God Story. Interact with their answers. God wanted His people to remember that He is God and He would be their leader. Just as the people had stones to remember the Lord God, today we re going to create our own Remember Rocks. Allow children to decorate their rock (brown paper bag) with markers. As children are decorating, ask: How do you feel about God right now? What do you know about God? What do you always want to remember about Him? Help children write their answers on their rocks. Then have children open their brown paper bag and fill it with newspaper or recycled paper. When the bag is halfway to three-quarters full, encourage kids to close the bag by twisting the top. Then tape or staple the twisted top to the body of the bag. When all the rocks have been completed, children can come together and create a memorial to God with their rocks. I Wonder...Which river did the Israelites have to cross to enter the Promised Land? I wonder..what did the Priests carry when they crossed the Jordan River? The ark of the covenant I Wonder.What happened to the rushing water of the Jordan when the priests stepped into it? I Wonder..What did the Israelites pick up from the middle of the Jordan River? 12 stones 6
GOAL: Kids respond in small groups to what they heard in the Big God Story. Follow The Leader SUPPLIES Coloring page crayons RELATE Have you ever played the game Follow the Leader? When the leader does something, like claps her hands, you copy them and do the same thing. Teacher should lead the children and encourage kids to take turns leading the group on a journey through The Big God Story: striking a rock as you walk, scooping up manna, walking through the Red Sea, jogging through the Jordan, marching through the desert, etc. IF time allows bring children back to the table and have them color a coloring sheet while you ask them the Wonder Questions, below. Today in The Big God Story we saw how God led His people to the Promised Land. Throughout the journey God was with His people and performed many wonderful miracles. The people piled 12 large stones together as a way to remember God and tell His stories to their children. I wonder How many children have seen those stones and heard the stories of God? I wonder What are some stories of God I remember most? I wonder What stories of God can I tell others? 7
Review the Remember Verse: As for me, I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Psalm 55:16 Remember Verse Motions As for me: Both hands in fists, point thumbs toward chest. I call to God: Look up, cupping hands around mouth. and the LORD saves me: Extend both arms out to sides, palms up. BLESSING While the children are still gathered and seated around their pile of Remember Rocks, invite them to place their hands out in front of themselves, palms up as if cupping them together to hold water. Read the Remember Verse over children: As for me, I call to God, and the LORD saves me (Psalm 55:16). Encourage them to repeat it after you with their eyes closed. Children, God will always save you. He will show you how to follow Him. He is your God and He loves you. He will always show you the way to go (reference Psalm 143:10). Close with a final blessing: Children, may you always listen to the Lord s voice. He will lead the way for you. VIDEO: In This Life 8
I decided to follow Jesus shortly after my 18th birthday. Unfortunately, I didn t have anyone in my life to show me how. In my mind, Christianity was all about maintaining a good set of morals striving to maintain a sinless life all on my own. I was emotionally and spiritually exhausted. I suddenly found myself resigned to the fact that I couldn t be perfect, so I turned and walked in the opposite direction. Old habits bad habits resurfaced and I collected a few new ones along the way. My life became a tangled mess parties during the week and Sunday services with God. I knew my life was absolutely broken. Then one day my life flipped upside down. Everything that I was comfortable in was stripped away. Looking back, I can see how the things that were taken away had been standing between God and me. God surrounded me with an amazing community of believers. For the first time, I saw people actually living their faith. These people were so enthralled with God that their souls longed to follow Him. As God led them, they were leading me. God strengthened, blessed, and taught me. He led the way. As I learned, others were able to see Christ in me. Erika Abdelatif ROCKHARBOR Church God is constantly at work leading His people through others. Joshua 1 opens with God abruptly recognizing Moses death and commanding the Israelites to cross the Jordan River. Highlighting the new leader links Joshua to the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible, the books of the law). There is no doubt the torch has been passed from Moses to Joshua. Throughout Exodus and Numbers, we see Joshua worked closely with Moses. In Exodus 24:13, he is referred to as Moses aide his right-hand man. Moses continuously made prophetic hints toward Joshua s future as a leader. Prior to Numbers 13:16, Joshua was known as Hoshea, which means salvation. However, Moses changed his name to Yhowshuwa (Joshua), which means Yahweh saves in Hebrew. This is appropriate to the call God placed on the life of Joshua. He was to be a witness to God s saving power as he led God s people into the Promised Land, reminding them at all times to trust, obey, and follow the Lord God. When Moses laid hands on Joshua, the transition of leadership was complete. Joshua became filled with the spirit of wisdom (Deuteronomy 34:9), drawing Moses life of leadership to a close. Joshua was prepared to follow God s leading, and in turn model godly living for the nation of Israel. 9
The spiritual life is a journey not unlike that of the Israelites. Sometimes we may feel like we re wandering in the wilderness. Other times, like the Israelites we re on the brink of something grand God has planned for us. God leads and we follow. Read through the first chapter of Joshua. Note the number of times God calls Joshua and the Israelites to remain strong and courageous. What step of faith in your spiritual journey is God asking you to take next? Have you hit a barrier you need to cross over? It may look impossible from this side, but nothing is impossible with God. Spend some time praying and meditating on God s Word in Joshua 1:9. Confess your fears and frustrations to God. Ask Him to fill you with the strength and courage you need. Pray that He would help you be dependent and trust Him fully. Then, thank Him for faithfully leading the way. 10