The church is God s family.

God s People Share What They Have Lesson 13 Bible Point The church is God s family. Bible Verse Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone especially to those in the family of faith (Galatians 6:10). Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n learn that they are part of several groups, one of which may be God s family; n find that God wants Christians to share with one another; and n understand that God wants them to let others see how good it is to be part of God s family. Teacher Enrichment The Bible Basis n God s people share what they have. Acts 4:32-37 The unity displayed by the Christians in today s passage seems amazing to us today, when congregations have trouble agreeing on what color to paint the sanctuary walls! People with money gave it to help people who didn t have any. People with houses and land actually sold them, reducing their own net worth to provide for someone who was needy. This was a people who took their faith seriously! This giving spirit was not a requirement but grew out of the hearts of people who had been changed by God. It s important to note that this kind of generosity was not common in that day, even in the Jewish culture. Jewish law held requirements for taking care of the poor, but those laws were often ignored in Jesus day. Apparently this new way of caring for one another didn t go unnoticed. It was likely responsible for the openness and favor that these early Christians experienced from others around them. And it may have contributed to the power and effectiveness of the apostles message. (See Acts 4:33.) The mention of Barnabas here highlights him as an example of the kind of generosity that was common in the Christian community. And it also served to introduce Barnabas to readers of Acts; this same Barnabas would later become Paul s missionary companion (Acts 13:1-4). Prayer Read Acts 5:1-11. How does this story contrast with Barnabas example? How generous are you in giving of your money, your time, and your energy for others? Pray: Lord, help me be more giving in these areas in which I struggle... 153

Lesson 13 Before the Lesson n Collect items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed in the chart. n Make photocopies of the Growing Together handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for your students and for God s direction in teaching the lesson. This Lesson at a Glance What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Welcome Welcome! Receive a warm welcome from the teacher, and make name tags. Family Name Tags (p. 128), markers, scissors, tape or safety pins Attention Grabber Bible Exploration & Application Module Review Discuss how obeying parents and caring for family are ways to show love to God. Big Group, Small Group Play a game to learn that everyone belongs to many different groups, and discover that everyone s been invited to join one group: God s family. The Church Shares Share a snack as they learn from Acts 4:32-37 how the early Christians shared. Help When It s Needed Listen to Galatians 6:2, 10; carry each other; and learn that people in the church work to support and help one another. Transparent tape Bible, angel food cake, napkins, cups, drinks Bibles Object Lessons Shine Our Lights Do an experiment and learn that people in God s family are lights that will bring others closer to Jesus so his family can grow. Paper clips Closing God s Family Art Create pictures that show that the church family includes all kinds of different people. Paper, markers 154

God s People Share What They Have Welcome SUPPLIES: Family Name Tags (p. 128), scissors, markers, tape or safety pins Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. Thank each child for coming to class today. As children arrive, ask them about last week s lesson and Growing Together discussion. Use questions such as What kinds of rules did your parents have as children? How do yours compare? and Why should we obey our parents? Say: Today we re going to learn that the church is God s family. Help children attach the name tags they made during Lesson 10 to their clothing. If some of the name tags were damaged, or if children weren t in class previously, have them make new name tags using the photocopiable handout. Tell children that the attention-getting signal you ll use during this lesson is clicking the creature clicker three times. Ask children to respond to the signal by snapping their fingers as they stop talking and focus their attention on you. Rehearse the signal with the children, telling them to respond quickly so you ll have plenty of time for all the fun activities planned for this lesson. n Module Review Use the casual interaction time at the start of class to ask the following modulereview questions: How do members of your family care for each other? How does God show he loves you, no matter what? How have you seen God s love in the past two weeks? When is it hard to obey your parents? What can make obeying easier? How have you quickly obeyed your parents in the past week? What s your favorite thing we ve learned in class during the past few weeks? It s important to say the Bible Point just as it s written in each activity. Repeating the Bible Point over and over will help children remember it and apply it to their lives. Attention Grabber n Big Group, Small Group SUPPLIES: transparent tape Separate enough pieces of mega confetti for each child to have a piece. Choose some pieces with curved edges and others with straight edges or with both curved and straight edges. Also choose pieces of about four colors, such as red, blue, yellow, and green. As children arrive, tape a confetti piece to the back of each child s hand. Have the children stand in a circle. Say: I ll call out different descriptions of confetti pieces. For example, I might call out red confetti, confetti with curved edges, and yellow confetti. If the piece taped on your hand matches any of those descriptions, hop to the middle of the circle, and exchange high fives 155

Lesson 13 with everyone else in the middle. Then hop back, and stand in one of the empty spots in the circle. Call out colors and shapes in different combinations for two or three minutes. Here are several possible combinations: green confetti, confetti with curved edges, yellow confetti confetti with straight edges red confetti, confetti with curved edges, orange confetti yellow confetti, red confetti, blue confetti green confetti, confetti with straight edges confetti with curved edges blue confetti, green confetti red confetti yellow confetti, confetti with straight edges After every three combinations, change the actions kids do. For example, after they exchange high fives, have them shake hands or bump elbows. After every child has hopped to the middle of the circle several times, have the children throw away their confetti pieces. Gather the children, and sit with them on the floor. Say: In this game, each of you was part of the large circle, but you were also grouped in lots of different small groups. Ask: What kinds of groups do you belong to in real life? (Church; school; family; Boy Scouts; Brownies.) What s good about belonging to a group? (Everyone likes you; you belong to it; you know everyone in it; you all like to do the same things; you get to go on fun camping trips.) Say: Not everyone in the class was part of each small group that hopped to the middle of our circle. In the same way, not everyone we know is part of every group we belong to. For example, not everyone in your class at school is in your class at church. Not all of your neighborhood friends are in your class at school. But today we re going to talk about a group that everyone can belong to. That group is a great big family known as the church. The church is God s family, and God invites everyone to join it. Bible Exploration & Application n The Church Shares SUPPLIES: Bible, angel food cake or similar snack, napkins, cups, drinks Direct children to wash their hands and join you in a circle. Open your Bible to Acts 4:32-37, and show the passage to the children. Ask: What are some things a family does together? (They help each other; they go on vacation; they love each other; they play games.) How do family members treat each other? (They make each other feel better when they re sick or sad; they pick on each other; they share with each other; they take care of the other members.) 156

God s People Share What They Have Say: Our Bible story tells us about how early Christians shared with one another like a family. Listen as I tell you about the family of God. While I tell the story, we ll find ways we can share with each other. After Jesus went to heaven, the group of people who believed in him grew and grew. They worked as a team as if they were a great big family. In fact, they were a family; they were all part of the church, which is the family of God. And because we are a part of the family of God, too, we re going to share like the early Christian family did. One way we can share is by serving others. Ask a volunteer to serve by distributing napkins. Ask another volunteer to serve by distributing paper cups. While napkins and cups are being distributed, say: The early church family all had the same goal: to teach others about Jesus. These early Christians told everyone the wonderful news that Jesus had come back to life. Many people believed the message and joined the Christian family. They met together to learn how to follow God. These early Christians shared everything they had so no one was ever in need. If someone in the family was hungry, someone who had food would share. If someone needed a coat, someone who had an extra coat would give it away. Sometimes a member of God s family would sell a field or a house and would bring the money back to the church leaders. Then the money would be given to whoever needed it. I happen to have some food today that I would like to share with you. Ask a volunteer to serve the angel food cake, giving each child a fair piece. Ask another volunteer to carefully pour a drink into each child s cup. Have kids wait to eat their snacks. Say: While our friends are serving us, I d like to tell you more about the church family we were talking about. One of the Christians was named Joseph. He was also called Barnabas, a name that meant he encouraged people. Barnabas sold a field he owned and gave the money to the church leaders. Barnabas and the others shared what they had with God s family. Ask: What are some things God s family does together? (Encourage each other; give things to people if they need them; share with each other.) How have we shared this morning? (We served each other; we shared the food you brought for us.) How is that like how the early church family shared? (They shared their food; they gave what they had to God s family.) Thank God for the blessing of the food and for his family, and then tell the children they can start eating. While they re enjoying the snack, ask: How does our church family share? (We collect an offering; we have potluck dinners; people share hymnals when they sing; they give food to my family when my dad doesn t have a job; we share angel food cake.) How does your family at home share? (We share our toys; we share candy; we share the television.) Why do families share? (To show they love each other; because their things belong to everyone; because that s what makes God happy.) What would it be like to be part of a family that didn t share? (I wouldn t like it because everyone would be mean to each other; it wouldn t be much fun; I wouldn t have to let my little sister play with my stuff.) Bible Insight Barnabas, whose original name was Joseph, was a Levite born in Cyprus. His conversion is unrecorded, but he showed his generous nature in the early church by not only selling a field and donating the profits but also befriending Saul and convincing others that Saul s conversion was real. 157

Lesson 13 Say: The church is God s family. God s family loves and shares, just as our families at home try to love and share. God is pleased when the m e m b e r s of his family get along with one another and share what they have. Let s find out more from the Bible about God s family. Have kids throw away their napkins. It may not be possible to form same-sex pairs or trios in your class; that s OK. If boys and girls don t want to be paired together, form same-sex groups and have them take turns helping each other across the room. HANDS-ON BIBLE You ll need several magazines, one shoe box per child, and enough scissors and glue to share. Say: Ever since the first day of creation, family has been important to God. That s why he created both Adam and Eve so we would have someone to keep us company. Have kids open their Hands-On Bibles to Genesis 25. Say: I m going to give you a chance to create a place to save all your memories and things you value about your family. Help kids follow the instructions for the Let s Make a Deal activity in Genesis 25 of their Hands-On Bibles. Ask: What is one thing about your family that you value? (I like eating TV dinners with them; I like playing cards with my family; I like when my dad reads me bedtime stories.) Say: Find a friend to pray with. Help them find partners. I want you to pray for each other s families. First, thank God for your friend s family, and then pray that God will help them always remember to share and to love each other. Take turns praying, starting with the shortest person in your pair. Give kids about a minute to take turns praying. n Help When It s Needed SUPPLIES: Bibles Have kids form same-sex pairs. Make sure each pair has at least one Bible. Help kids find Galatians 6:2 in their Bibles, and ask the person in each pair with the longest hair to read the passage. When kids have finished reading, have them switch so the other person can read Galatians 6:10: Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone especially to those in the family of faith. Ask: How can we help each other with our troubles? (By being kind when my teacher is sad; by helping my friend do something hard; by loving everyone; by listening when my friend has had a bad day.) Why do people help each other? (Because they care about each other; because God wants them to; the Bible says to help each other.) Say: The church is God s family. And one way we show love within God s family is to work together to help each other through difficult times. Let s play a game to see how that works. 158

God s People Share What They Have Designate a starting line and a finish line about 20 feet apart, if possible. Say: Pretend that your partner has a broken leg and needs your help. The partner wearing the most black will have the broken leg first. To denote which partner is the injured one, clip a linking heart or star to his or her collar or a buttonhole. Say: If you re the partner with the broken leg, lift your right foot behind you and put your arm around your partner s shoulder. If you re the helping partner, put your arm around your partner s waist. Help your partner to the finish line. Then switch roles, and have your partner help you back to the starting line. Be sure to switch the heart or star, too. Allow as many pairs to go at once as you have room for. Tell them they have 30 seconds to carefully deliver their precious cargo safely across the room. When the children have returned to the starting line, collect the linking hearts and stars, and say: This was kind of hard. You all are growing quickly and getting bigger all the time. It takes a lot to help a person across the room. Now we re going to see a way to make it easier. Have kids form same-sex teams of three. Designate the person in each team with the fewest pockets to be the one with the broken leg first. Again, denote that person by clipping a linking heart or star to his or her clothing. Have teams stand at the starting line facing forward, with the person with the broken leg in the middle. Have the middle person put his or her arms around the shoulders of the other two, and have the other two put their inside arms around the waist of the person in the middle. Have each team help the person with the broken leg to the finish line. Then switch members within teams, and repeat the exercise until all children have been helped as the injured person. Gather the children, collect the linking hearts and stars, and ask: As injured people, which experience was better for you? Why? (It was easier being helped by two people; one person helped me just fine because I m small.) As helpers, what made it easier to help your injured friend the second time? (Someone else helped; I didn t have to do it all by myself; we worked together.) Did you have any problems the second time? Explain. (Yes, my partner wanted to walk faster than I did; we were laughing too hard to be able to go very far; no, it worked much easier this time.) Say: God wants us to help and support each other, just as we helped the people with broken legs in this game. The easiest way to do that is to work together with other members of God s family. Ask: How can we work together to help other people in the church? (We can give money to people who need it; we can be kind to people who have problems; we can share food with people who are hungry.) What kinds of problems can we help with as a class? (We can bring food for people who don t have enough; we can pick up trash and paper around the church; we can be friendly to kids who don t have many friends.) Say: There are lots of ways children can help each other as part of God s family. And it pleases God when we do those things. Lead your children on a walk around the church to pick up trash as an active example of something they can do. 159

Lesson 13 Say: Another thing we can do that pleases God is tell others about him so they can become part of God s family, too. Jesus taught about being a light to the world so others can get to know Jesus, too. Read Matthew 5:14-16, and ask: What does it mean to be lights of the world? (It means people will see the good things we do; it means to tell other people about Jesus; when people see us, they will want to praise God, too.) What are some good deeds we can do for our families? (I can wash dishes for my mom; I can obey my parents right away; I can share with my brother when he wants to play with my favorite toy.) What are some good deeds we can do for our friends? (I can help my friend with her homework; I can send my friend a card when he s sick; I should make sure my friend s included when I play at recess.) How can these good deeds help others know Jesus? (They will know God loves them when I m nice to them; I can tell them about Jesus when I m doing a good deed; they will see that I know Jesus by the way I act.) How are you going to be a light to someone this week? (I m going to always be nice to the boy who picks on me at school; I m going to take my Bible to school and read it at lunch; I m going to invite my friend to church.) Object Lessons Warning! This activity uses magnets. Swallowed magnets can attract each other through opposing intestine walls, causing serious infection or even death. Seek immediate medical attention if magnets are swallowed or inhaled. n Shine Our Lights SUPPLIES: paper clips Have kids gather in a circle on the floor. Say: The church is God s family. All of us who are part of God s family can shine like lights, showing the world around us how great it is to be part of that family. Let s do an experiment to see what happens when we shine like lights for others to see. Set the paper clips and bar magnets on the floor in front of you. Pick up a bar magnet, and hold it to the paper clips. When the paper clips attach to the magnet, ask: What happened to the paper clips? (They moved to the magnet; the magnet attracted them.) How is that like what happens when we shine our light for others to see? (They will want to come to Jesus; they will be attracted by Jesus.) Say: We are like this magnet when we shine our lights. When we follow Jesus and live the way he wants us to, we are like lights so others can see who Jesus is. We help people know Jesus. When they see our lights, they ll want to follow Jesus and be a part of God s family. Think about one way you can be a light to someone this week, like being nice to a specific person or inviting a friend to church. When you think of one way you ll be a light, come up to the magnets. Pick up as many paper clips as you can at one time while you ask God to help you shine your light. Give students time to make commitments and pray. Then put the bar magnets back in the Bible Discovery Pak. 160

God s People Share What They Have Closing n God s Family Art SUPPLIES: paper, markers Have the children sit around a table. Give each child a sheet of paper and a marker. Try to give everyone a different-colored marker. Say: Now we re going to take a quick look at how we all shine like stars together as God s family. Have each child quickly draw a large shape that reminds him or her of the church family. For example, kids might draw a church building, a cross, a circle, or a group of people. Encourage the children to draw outlines with lots of space inside. Tell them to draw quickly and not put much detail on the inside because they re going to fill up the inside of the pictures with something else. Give the children 30 seconds to complete their shapes. Then say: Now everyone pass your paper to the person on your right. Take your neighbor s paper, and put little stars all over the inside of the drawing. You can also draw little hearts to represent God s love. You ll have 10 seconds. Every 10 seconds, have the children pass the papers to the right. Tell the children to continue drawing hearts and stars on the papers until their own drawings return to them. Say: Look at all the different hearts and stars on your drawing of the church family. This paper will remind you that the church isn t just a building; the church is God s family, and it s made up of lots of different people. Each one of us is different, and we show love and shine like stars in different ways. But God wants us to help each other and to spread the message of God s love to the world so everyone has an opportunity to become a member of God s family. Think of something you can contribute to God s family. For instance, you might be able to say nice things to a friend who is sad or give money to help a needy family. Then turn to the person to your left, and tell him or her what you can do. When the person to your right tells you what he or she can do, give some words of encouragement such as I know you can do it with God s help. Give everyone a minute to talk. Then have volunteers tell their ideas to the rest of the class. Say: When we give ourselves and our talents to God s family, we become shining stars. And the church God s family becomes beautiful and colorful, just like your pictures. Let s thank God for the chance to be in his family. Pray: God, thank you for wanting us to be part of your family. Teach us to use all of our abilities to make the church more beautiful. Help us work together to invite everyone to be part of your family. In Jesus name, amen. If you have enough linking hearts and stars for all class members, let children take them home as reminders that they can be shining stars and show everyone God s love as part of God s family. If your children don t know how to draw stars, just have them make small asterisks or X s. 161

Lesson 13 Want even more activity ideas for this lesson? Check out HandsOnBible.com/tips. Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Growing Together handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your children. Encourage children and parents to use the handout to plan meaningful activities on this week s topic. Follow up the Growing Together activities next week by asking children what their families did together. 162

Families 13: The church is God s family. Bible Story God s people share what they have (Acts 4:32-37). Bible Verse Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone especially to those in the family of faith (Galatians 6:10). One for All Today your child learned that Christians are part of God s family. Christians should love, share, and take care of one another in the same way that members of our families at home do. The children learned that God wants us to shine like stars to let others see what it means to be part of God s family. Use these activities to encourage your child to be a faithful, servant-hearted member of God s family. Shining Stars Serve this fun meal as your family discusses what it means to share at home and at church. Buy a round loaf of bread, and slice it horizontally like a hamburger bun. Form one to two pounds of ground beef into one large patty, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and broil it until it s cooked all the way through. Drain the patty, and put it on the bottom slice of bread. Add your favorite hamburger fixings, and top it with the other slice of bread. Slice it like a pie, and serve it with raw vegetables and dip for a healthful supper. Talk about how you are sharing your food as the early Christians did. Family Volunteers Investigate what your church does to share with those who are less fortunate. Your church may collect money for a deacon s fund or stock a closet with food and clothes for people in need. Volunteer with your child to contribute time to some type of service. You might stock shelves, pick up donations, arrange food baskets, or deliver gifts. Be sure to pitch in food, clothing, or money from your own family. Read Philippians 2:15 with your child before you begin this craft project. You ll need glitter and a 2-inch-wide white candle. Carefully wrap a hot, damp towel around the candle for a minute or so until the wax softens slightly. Sprinkle glitter on a cookie sheet, and roll the candle in the glitter. When the wax is cool, light the candle, turn off the lights, and talk about how you and your child can shine brightly in a dark world. Different Tastes Set out small portions of salt, sugar, instant coffee, and lemon juice. Show your child how different areas of the tongue are sensitive to different tastes. Place a tiny bit of each of the items, one by one, on the tip, sides, and back of your child s tongue. Then enjoy a snack together, such as peanut butter on crackers and juice. Talk about how all your taste buds are different but when they work together, you enjoy how food tastes. Compare that to the differences between people in the church nobody has the same abilities as anyone else, yet when everyone works together, the church can do great things. Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO 80539. HandsOnBible.com 163