March 12, 2017 Let s Talk (Lent 2)...about New Life Beginner (Ages 4-6) Focus Scripture John 3:1 17 PURPOSE To go with Nicodemus to meet Jesus. Lesson Preparation q Read John 3:1-17 and biblical background for March 12. q Prepare the worship table with a purple cloth, a Bible, a candle, Unit 5 logo and the offering basket. Bring matches and a candle snuffer. q Bring Lori, and Jesus figure from last week. q Bring the class Lenten Conversations Book from last week and prepare the second page (see option A). Alternative: Bring a large Bible. q Make a copy of activity sheet Nicodemus Paper Bag Puppet and follow instructions on the resource sheet Puppet Instructions to make a puppet. q Option A: Bring the Lenten Conversations Books started last week. Bring self-stick stars, glow-in-the-dark stars and moons, glue sticks, and crayons. Bring verse for March 12 from activity sheet Lenten Conversations Book #1. (See week 1). q Option B: Make copies of activity sheet Nicodemus Paper Bag Puppet. Precut puppet and bring small flat-bottomed paper bags, glue-sticks and crayons. Read the instructions on the resource sheet Puppet Instructions. q Option C: Bring a sheet of construction paper for each child with God s Spirit is like the wind printed across the middle of each sheet. Reinforce the back top edge with masking tape for punching holes. Bring strips of coloured crepe paper, string or yarn, and a hole punch. q Check the birthday list. q Pray for openness to be a learner with the children this week. 1 Opening Invite a child to light the candle as you say, We light this candle to remind us that God is always with us. Welcome each child by name. Spend a few minutes in conversation. Talk about walking outside at night, looking at the stars, what it feels like, etc. (Look at Unit Logo) Who might the people in this picture be? What do you think they might be talking about? Decide who will be Lori s special friend. Remind the children that we are in the Season of Lent. Lent is a time to ask questions and learn more about how God wants us to live. Opening Song: Season of Lent (tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb) Now we are in the Season of Lent, Season of Lent, Season of Lent, Now we are in the Season of Lent, We ll take a trip to Easter. Jesus is leading us on the way, on the way, on the way, Jesus is leading us on the way, On our way to Easter. Suggested Actions: Verse 1 Join hands and sing slowly as you walk in a circle, then walk in opposite direction. Verse 2 Invite a child to hold the Jesus figure as all follow the child in a procession around the room as you sing. Birthdays, Offering Prayer: (children repeat after you) God of the morning, God of the noon, God of the night and day, We come to listen. We come to talk. We come to sing and pray. Amen. March 12, 2017 The Whole People of God 1
March 12, 2017 Beginner continued 2 Introducing the theme Learning New Things We are learning and sharing new things every day. What are some of the things you are learning? (Allow time for responses e.g. how to count, how to ride a bicycle, print name, etc.) Adults like to learn new things too. I wonder if anyone has something they can teach me today? (Allow time for the children to respond. If necessary, suggest that the children teach you a favorite rhyme or song. Emphasize the excitement of learning.) 3 Exploring the Theme (Hold the Lenten Conversations Book or the Bible) Last week we heard a story about Adam and Eve and their conversation with God in the garden. Today we have a new story about a man named Nicodemus and his conversation with Jesus. Listen. Listen. Hear their story. They talk to us in Lent. Story: Nicodemus Learns from Jesus (See Story Resource Sheet) Sing: Nicodemus (tune: Frère Jacques) Nicodemus, Nicodemus Where are you? Where are you? Gone to talk to Jesus, (Hold up puppet) Gone to talk to Jesus Late at night. Late at night. Responding to the Story Look again at the unit logo; imagine these people talking about the story. n If Jesus came into this room today, what would you like to ask him or say to him? n What do you think that Nicodemus did after his conversation with Jesus? 4 Integrating the Theme Option A: Lenten Conversations Book (an ongoing project throughout Unit 5) Everybody is still learning: children, ministers, teachers, priests, pastors, parents. Nicodemus went at night to meet Jesus and learn from him. Work on page 2 in the book started last week. Hand out the verse for the second page. Read it to them and invite them to glue it on the page, and colour it. Decorate the rest of the page with self-stick stars, and glow-in-the-dark stars, moon etc. Option B: Nicodemus Paper Bag Puppet Nicodemus was a teacher who went to Jesus to learn. Give each child a prepared bag to make into a Nicodemus Puppet. Colour the face and glue onto bag as shown. Encourage children to tell the story with their puppet. Practice saying some of Nicodemus conversation such as: My name is Nicodemus. I went to talk to Jesus. He told me about God s love. I feel like a new person full of God s love. Option C: God s Spirit Windsock Give each child a prepared sheet of construction paper and encourage them to decorate it with markers. Read them what it says. Have the children glue strips of crepe paper around the bottom edge. Then bend into a cylinder and staple sides together (see illus.). To hang, punch 4 holes at the top and thread string or yarn through each hole. Tie the 4 loose ends together. 5 Closing Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for Bible stories like the story of Nicodemus that helps us know how much you love us, Amen 2 The Whole People of God March 12, 2017
March 12, 2017 Beginner Activity Sheet Nicodemus Paper Bag Puppet March 12, 2017 Whole People of God 3
March 12, 2017 Beginner Resource Sheet Puppet Instructions Instructions Before Class Make a copy for each child and cut out. Line up the lower jaw along the edge of the folded bag bottom by using the little line on the lower jaw. Once into place, glue it down. Now line up the face so the upper lip or teeth just touch or slightly overlap the teeth of the lower jaw. Once in position trace the outline of the face onto the bag. Put glue inside the tracing marks and glue the face on the bag. Staple the edge on each side of top flap. (This makes it easier for a small hand to move the flap without having the bag open.) During Class Have children colour the face and the bag. Show them how to move the flap of the bag to make Nicodemus "talk." 4 Whole People of God March 12, 2017
Story: Nicodemus Learns from Jesus March 12, 2017 Beginner Story Resource Sheet (Use a Nicodemus paper bag puppet to tell the story; open and close the flap of the paper bag to make Nicodemus puppet look as though he is talking.) My name is Nicodemus. I love to walk at night. When I look up at the stars I think of many things. I think of how God made the stars. Thank you, God, for the stars and the moon, I say do you ever ask yourself questions? I do, lots of times. Sometimes when I look up at the sky at night. I wonder how the stars stay in the sky. When I see the birds, I wonder how they fly. I love to read the scriptures, the stories of God s people, to learn new things. Lately I ve been wondering about a lot of things. I m a religious leader and I m supposed to have answers. Sometimes people come to me with questions I can t answer. They want to know about a man named Jesus who is traveling around teaching people about God s love. They want to know if he is God s special one, the one we ve been waiting for. Sometimes I wonder about Jesus too. I ve talked to some of the other religious leaders but they don t agree with some thing Jesus says. So I didn t say anything more about Jesus to them. I knew Jesus was in town. All week I heard him speak to large crowds. I liked what he said and I wanted to ask Jesus some questions. I didn t want to talk to him in the daytime when all the people were around. I decided to find Jesus after dark when the crowds had gone home. Last night after it got dark, I quietly left the house. I knew where Jesus was staying so I quickly walked there. When Jesus came to the door he said, Welcome, Nicodemus. I was surprised that he knew my name. And he knew that I am a teacher. It was almost as if he was expecting me. Teacher, I said to Jesus. I know that you come from God because you do things that only someone blessed by God can do. We talked and talked for a long time. Jesus gave me lots to think about. Jesus told me that God s spirit is like the wind. (Blow so the children can hear and feel your breath.) We can hear the wind. We can feel the wind. But we can t see the wind. We don t know where it comes from or where it will go next. Jesus said that if I am filled with God s spirit it will be like breathing in new life and beginning my life all over again. I didn t understand. Jesus said that God loves me very much. If I let that love grow inside me then I will become a new kind of person loving and caring and always open to discovering new things. I m glad I went last night to meet Jesus. Jesus helped me to see God in a new way. I always thought of God as a strict God who would punish me if I didn t follow all the rules. But Jesus told me how much God loves me. Jesus helped me by answering my questions and talking with me. It was nice talking to you today. Bye! (Put puppet aside.) (Holding the Lenten Conversations Book or the Bible say the following chant and then close the book.) We listen in Lent to Nicodemus who wanted to learn from Jesus. March 12, 2017 Whole People of God 5