LESSON SNAPSHOT BOTTOM LINE: God is always looking out for us. OBJECTIVE: Kids will learn that God s eye is already on them, protecting them. KEY PASSAGE: Genesis 37:12-36, Joseph Sold Into Slavery MEMORY VERSE: I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIrV) SUMMARY: Sometimes we think we have to be a grown up for God to see us. But kids will learn that God is there protecting and providing for them right now. SIMPLE PRAYER: Dear God, Keep your watchful eye on us, and guard our hearts from danger. In Jesus name, Amen
MEMORY VERSE I can do all things through him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIV) I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIrV) LARGE GROUP: Divide the room between girls and boys. Have the boys read the verse aloud, then have the girls read it aloud. Who can read the loudest? SMALL GROUP: Put each word of the memory verse on a card. Have the kids rearrange the cards and put the words in order.
SKIT WHAT IF GOD SAW US? ITEMS NEEDED: None CHARACTER BREAKDOWN: 3M CHARACTERS: Jacob- Joseph s father Dan and Gad- Two of Joseph s brothers Jacob, Dan, and Gad enter, sobbing and wailing. JACOB: My boy, my poor, poor boy! DAN: Dadgummit, Joe! JACOB: Why did it have to be my Little Joe? GAD: Poor Little Joe! DAN: Dadgummit, Joe! JACOB: Oh, Lord, please watch over my poor Little Joe. GAD: We love you, Little Joe! DAN: Dadgummit, Joe! Jacob walks off wailing. Gad and Dan wave to him, sobbing and wailing. As soon as Jacob s out of sight, they stop crying. DAN: He s gone.
SKIT GAD: And so is Little Joe! DAN: You know it! They high five. GAD: Where do you think that troublemaker is now? DAN: Who cares? Far, far away, never to return. GAD: No more Little Joe, no more coat of many colors, no more dreams about us bowing down to him. Like that would ever happen! DAN: Did you hear him as they were dragging him out into the desert? No! Please! I don t even speak Egyptian!! They laugh out loud. Then Gad stops. GAD: Hey, wait. What if nah. DAN: What if what? GAD: No, it s a silly thought. DAN: What s a silly thought? GAD: You don t suppose God heard him? DAN: Who, Joe? GAD: No, Dad. When he prayed for Little Joe. You don t think God knows where Little Joe is, do you? DAN: N-n-n-no. No way. Why would he? He s little. GAD: And it s Joe. DAN: He s like number eleven in this family. GAD: Twelve, counting our sister. DAN: God s not watching him. He couldn t be. He has too many better things to do.
SKIT GAD: Like what? DAN: Like, uh, like watching the rivers, or elephants. You know, big things. GAD: Yeah, big things. God watches the big things. DAN: He doesn t have time for little things. Like Little Joe. GAD: Not at all. Long pause. DAN: Because if he does, we re in big trouble. GAD: Yes we are.
OBJECT LESSON OR KIDS SERMON ITEMS NEEDED: A microscope with a slide of human skin cells Invite a few of the kids up to look at the slide. Can they identify what they see? What you saw in the microscope is human skin cells. You can t see them just looking on your hand. You need an instrument to give you such a close look at such a tiny part of your body. I showed you that slide to tell you this: as tiny as those skin cells are, they are not too tiny for God to see. God s eyes are on you, on every part of you. He knows you inside out. He knows every one of you even better than you know yourselves. God doesn t miss a thing. Nothing is too little, and no one is too small. God is always looking out for you. He knows when you are in need before you know. And he knows how to keep you safe. Trust God to look out for you. When you re sad, lonely, or sick, God is still watching you. He will never leave you. He will always be there for you.
LARGE GROUP GAME WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN CONTEST ITEMS NEEDED: Walk Like an Egyptian soundtrack by the Bangles INSTRUCTIONS: Since Joseph was taken to Egypt as a slave, have a few of the kids come up to have an Egyptian dance contest. Play the song, and have the kids do their best Egyptian walk/ dance. The winner, chosen by applause, gets a prize. VARIATION: Another way to do this game is to pit adults vs. kids. Pick a team of adult leaders to go first (show how it s done), then let the kids go next. Let the audience pick the winner, which will probably be the kids. WHAT S POINT? God was always watching and protecting Joseph, even as a slave in Egypt.
LARGE GROUP LESSON BOTTOM LINE: God is always looking out for us. OBJECTIVE: Kids will learn that God s eye is already on them, protecting them. KEY PASSAGE: Genesis 37:12-36, Joseph Sold Into Slavery INTRO Isn t it frustrating being small? Being small is really limiting. There are many things you can t do because you are small. When you re small, it limits your options at the theme park. You can ride all the kiddie rides, and you can ride all the boring stuff like carousels and antique cars. But what about the Pirate Ship? What about the roller coasters? What about ferris wheels, or that tower that takes you a hundred feet in the air and drops you straight down? Being small means it s harder to shoot hoops in basketball. Being small means you can t reach the good snacks and the good cereals your parents hide up on the top shelves. Being small means you have to ask for help all the time. Let s face it, sometimes being small stinks. But even as small as you are, you are not so small that you don t matter to God. The Bible tells us that God s eye is on the sparrow, on the smallest of birds. God is always watching over his creation, and if he s watching the little birds, he s watching all of us. Today s kid from the Bible is Joseph, a boy who had big dreams. He also had big brothers who didn t care for his big dreams. One day, his brothers did something terrible to him - something I certainly hope your siblings would never, ever do to you!
LARGE GROUP LESSON READ GENESIS 37:12-36 MAIN POINT Joseph s brothers hated him so much, they almost killed him. Instead, they sold him into slavery. They made a few bucks off of their brother, dipped his favorite coat in some goat s blood, and told their father this horrible story that he was dead. Joseph was out of sight and out of mind to his brothers, but he was never beyond the sight of the Lord. God s eyes never left young Joseph. God was watching when Joseph went into the house of the rich Egyptian man, Potiphar. God s eyes were on Joseph when he went to prison. God s eyes were on him when he met the servants of Pharaoh. God kept Joseph safe. He saw to it that Joseph learned the language and culture of Egypt. Why? Because one day, when the time was right, Joseph became Pharaoh s right hand man. God used Joseph to save Egypt from starvation, and in doing so, Joseph also saved his family, including his wicked brothers. God s eyes are always on us. Even when we feel alone, he is always watching, always on guard, always protecting us. DRIVE IT HOME It s important to learn this lesson now, because as you grow older, it will be comforting to know that you are never alone. God is always watching us. He was there in the crib when you were just babies. He was there when you took your first steps. He was there when you went off on your first day of school. Every day God is looking out for us, protecting us from harm, keeping us close to his heart. Sometimes you may feel like God has abandoned you, just as Joseph probably felt when he was sold into slavery. But God always has a plan, and he will never let you go through more than you can handle. If God allows you to go through some hard times, it s with a purpose. God allowed Joseph to go through slavery and prison so he could save his family. God will use hard times to prepare you to do something equally great. God doesn t just watch grown ups. He doesn t just watch pastors. He watches the oldest saints and the tiniest babies. God is here with us now, and he s watching every one of you. He loves you, and he will never take his eyes off of you for a second. If you re feeling alone this morning, then talk to God. Pray and ask God to reveal himself to you. Come forward and let us pray with you. Whatever you re going through, God understands. He will never leave you, and he will give you comfort. Young or old, big or small, the Lord is watching us all. Let s thank God for his amazing love, and let s ask him to continue to protect us all our days.
LARGE GROUP LESSON CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER Dear God, Keep your watchful eye on us, and guard our hearts from danger. In Jesus name, Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND) ICEBREAKER What s one thing you are now big enough to do that you couldn t do a few years ago? MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY Philippians 4:13 Put each word of the memory verse on a card. Have the kids rearrange the cards and put the words in order. SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY As you re-read today s story, have the kids pose in freeze frame snapshots. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Read Genesis 37:12-36 At the beginning of the story, what did Joseph s brothers do to him? Why do you think Joseph s brothers were mean to him? What did Joseph s brothers tell their father, Jacob, about Joseph? What were some of the other bad things that happened to Joseph? Where was God when Joseph went through all these lonely times? SIMPLE PRAYER Dear God, Thank you for your love, and for looking out for kids like us. Keep us safe, and protect us from harm. In Jesus name, Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3-5TH) ICEBREAKER What s one thing you are now big enough to do that you couldn t a few years ago? MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY Philippians 4:13 Put each word of the memory verse on a card. Have the kids rearrange the cards and put the words in order. SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY Have the kids act out today s story in a skit they create. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Read Genesis 37:12-36 What did Joseph s brothers do to him? What did Joseph s brothers tell their father, Jacob, about Joseph? Where was God when Joseph went through all these lonely times? Why did God allow Joseph to go through all those trials? How do we know that God is watching us and protecting us? SIMPLE PRAYER Dear God, Thank you for your love, and for looking out for kids like us. Keep us safe, and protect us from harm. In Jesus name, Amen
POWERPOINT REVIEW GAME True or False. Joseph was the oldest of twelve brothers. FALSE Joseph s brothers all loved him. FALSE Joseph s brothers sold him into slavery. TRUE God abandoned Joseph when he became a slave. FALSE God is always watching us, no matter how small we are. TRUE
5 Simple Ways You Can Make This Lesson Stick With Your Kids THIS WEEK S LESSON: JOSEPH IN CAR: Ask your child what they learned about this week on the drive home: Sometimes we think we have to be a grown up for God to see us. But kids will learn that God is there protecting and providing for them right now. Genesis 37:12-36, Joseph Sold Into Slavery HANGING OUT: Make this week s lesson real: What small things are you always watching in your house? Bring those to your kids attention, and see if they start to notice them. How is that like the way God watches over us? AT DINNER: Here are some great discussion starters: - Why did Joseph s brothers sell him as a slave? - How did God protect and watch over Joseph in Egypt? - How do we know that God is watching over each one of us? AT BEDTIME: Quiz your child on this week s memory verse: I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIrV) PARENT TIME: What you need to know: In good times and in bad, God is always watching out for us. Pray for your kids to trust God in the bad times, knowing that God will work all things out for good.
I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIrV) I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIrV) I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIrV) I can do all this by the power of Christ. He gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIrV) CUT ON DASHED LINE
CRAFT ACTIVITY Make a pair of handcuffs by cutting strips of construction paper and taping them into links, with large loops on the outside. Let them serve as a reminder that God was watching Joseph, even when he was in chains in prison.