Middle/High Schl Sunday Schl Lessns by r fur.rg Year 2: Sessin 1 Putting Gd First Class 1: 2 Samuel 6:1-5; 12-23 King David Dances CONCEPTS that will be cvered in the lessn Because this is the first lessn f the year, explanatins f the different cmpnents f the lessn and the reasns fr them are embedded in the lessn (fr teachers and students alike) Prvide brief backgrund abut King David and the Ark f the Cvenant Explre / discuss the pwer f the feeling f embarrassment Lk at hw David isn t wrried abut being embarrassed by his expressin f feelings abut and fr Gd because he trusts that he wn t lse Gd s lve. Tie this freedm that cmes with belnging and lve (instead f peer pressure t fit in) t the class, teachers, and upcming schl year Materials needed: Vide clip (available n rfur.rg) frm 10 Things I Hate Abut Yu Electrnics that shw the vide clip Cut ut the list f wrds fr charades (at end f lessn) and have a bwl r hat t put the cut ut wrds int Optinal: A way t display the picture f the ark lcated at end f this lessn THE LESSON OPENING PRAYER OPENING QUESTION This is ur first class f a new year And what yu ll start t see is that the class has a certain rhythm t it. We d a lt f the same things every class. One f the things we d every class is ask and answer an pening questin at the beginning f class because it helps us 1. Learn mre abut each ther and 2. Helps warm us up fr sme f the ideas in the upcming lessn. S we re ging t d that nw. I [the teacher] will ask the questin and then t give yu sme time t think f an answer, I will answer first. Once I answer the questin, we ll g arund the circle and each f us will answer. When it s yur turn, start with yur name and then answer the questin t the best f yur ability. 1 This material is the cpyrighted prperty f rfur.rg. It is als free. Please use, imprve and share this material. But d nt ever pay
Here s this week s questin: What s smething that a family member (WHO IS NOT IN THE ROOM) has dne r still des that embarrasses yu? [Nte t teachers: When yu are answering the questin, it ll be better t use a current day example, nt ne frm the past] (Optinal) INTRODUCING THE NEW YEAR It s the start f a new schl year and there are a few things that we need t cver -- (share yur expectatins & schedule fr the year and whatever else yu feel is pertinent) TRANSITION t MOVIE CLIP Our lessns this year will be rganized by sessins. A sessin will cnsist f 3 classes gruped tgether by a shared idea fund in the three Bible stries that we ll be reading during thse 3 classes in that ne sessin. S ur first sessin is ging t be abut lking at characters in Bible stries wh Put Gd First. And then ur secnd sessin will be lking at characters in Bible stries wh Put Gd Nt-First S t get started with tday s lessn, the next thing we re ging t d is watch a mvie clip. We usually watch a mvie clip every class. The mvie clip is meant t help us see hw at least ne f the themes that we ll see in the Bible stry (that we ll read in class) is still alive and well in the stries we pay attentin t in the here-and-nw. Smetimes we ll watch the clip after the pening questin, smetimes near the end f class. Tday, bviusly, we re ging t watch the mvie clip after the pening questin. Tday s mvie clip is frm the mvie, 10 Things I Hate Abut Yu. The mvie is frm the late 90s and this particular scene is meant t be a little bit funny, but it is als a little cringeinducing as a high schl by very publicly expresses his feelings fr a high schl girl. (Nte: They DO have a little bit f a histry s it s nt like a cmplete stranger is singing a sng t a lng distance crush. They at least knw each ther) (if needed: Yes, that IS Heath Ledger wh later n went t play the Jker in the Batman mvie, The Dark Knight ) Let s see what happens WATCH MOVIE CLIP ASK TELL Hw did the by express his feelings fr the girl? (by singing them) D yu think he put sme planning int it? (a little bit, especially since he paid the drum majr t have the marching band played alng) Culd yu ever see yurself ding what the by character did? D yu think the girl character appreciated the display f affectin r nt? (kind f hard t tell frm the clip she desn t seem t embarrassed r upset thugh) If smene did that fr/t yu, what d yu think yur respnse wuld be? Hw we appear t ther peple is kind f a big deal We want t be liked and we want t belng, s there s a strng pressure t be like everyne else and fit in. 2 This material is the cpyrighted prperty f rfur.rg. It is als free. Please use, imprve and share this material. But d nt ever pay
Because if we stick ut f the grup t much then maybe we wn t be allwed back in r maybe it ll just be bvius t everyne that we never belnged at all. Which is why in the mvie clip, the risk that the Heath Ledger character tk t stand ut s far frm everyne else can feel a little uncmfrtable t watch In tday s scripture stry, a similar scene takes place. Except, instead f a by singing t a girl, a king King David is ging t dance in frnt f Gd. But, ne f his wives wants King David t behave mre like a king and less like Heath Ledger. But befre we see what happens in the stry, here s sme backgrund n what we re abut t read: King David lived arund 1000 BC. He was the secnd king f Israel. The ark f the Lrd is nt like Nah s ark. It is nt a bat. Instead, it s what the Israelites used t carry arund the 10 Cmmandments when they were in the wilderness (we ll talk abut sme f thse stries later in the year). T see ne artist s renditin f what the ark may have lked like, here s a picture (shw the picture lcated at the end f the lessn) The ark f the Lrd (als knwn as Ark f the Cvenant) was stlen a few times, mved arund a few times and even frgtten fr awhile. In tday s stry, due t King David s desire t shw Gd is at the center f Israel, the ark was brught t the capital f Israel t stay. Let s see what happens Nte abut the year: Every class we d will have a Bible stry in it. And we will read it just like we re ging t read it nw: Outlud, ne student per verse, frm the Bibles in the classrm. READ 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 14-23 (recmmend class reads it ut lud; ne persn per verse) 1 King David gathered the best trps in all f Israel - thirty divisins f them. 2 Tgether with his sldiers, David headed fr Balla t recver the ark f the Lrd. 3 They placed the ark n a brand-new xcart and remved it frm Abe s huse n the hill. Use and Ohi, Abe s sns, were driving the new cart 4 laded with the ark, Ohi in the lead and Use alngside. 5 David and the whle cmpany f Israel were in the parade, singing at the tp f their lungs and playing mandlins, harps, tamburines, castanets, and cymbals. 14 David, ceremnially dressed in priest's linen, danced with great abandn befre Gd. 15 S David and all the huse f Israel brught up the ark f the Lrd with shuting, and with the sund f the trumpet. 16 As the ark f the Lrd came int the city f David (aka Jerusalem), Michal, ne f David s wives, and the daughter f Saul (David s predecessr) lked ut f the windw, and saw King David leaping and dancing befre the Lrd; and she despised him in her heart. 17 They brught in the ark f the Lrd, and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched fr it; and David ffered burnt fferings and fferings f well-being befre the Lrd. 18 When David had finished ffering the burnt fferings and the fferings f wellbeing, he blessed the peple in the name f the Lrd f hsts, 19 and distributed fd amng all the peple, the whle multitude f Israel, bth men and wmen, t each a cake f bread, a prtin f meat, and a cake f raisins. Then all the peple went back t their hmes. 20 David returned t bless his husehld. But Michal the daughter f Saul came ut t meet David, and said sarcastically, "Hw the king f Israel hnred himself tday, uncvering himself tday befre the eyes f his servants' maids, as any vulgar fellw might shamelessly uncver himself!" 21 David said t Michal, "It was befre the LORD that I danced. The LORD wh chse me in place f yur father and all his husehld and appinted me as prince ver Israel. 22 I will make myself yet mre cntemptible than this, and I will be abased in my wn eyes befre the LORD; but there are thers wh wrship the LORD and by them I shall be held in hnr. 3 This material is the cpyrighted prperty f rfur.rg. It is als free. Please use, imprve and share this material. But d nt ever pay
ASK Verse 1-5 Bringing the ark t Jerusalem seems t be a big deal! What clues/hints in these first few verses tell us that this is a big deal? TELL Verse 14 What is David ding in this verse? (dancing like a crazy fl!) Why d yu think he is ding this? (because this is a big deal and he s excited abut it and celebrating!) Wh des nt like David s dancing? (ne f his wives, Michal) Verse 17-19 What ther ways d King David and the peple f Israel celebrate the bringing f the ark t Jerusalem? (by giving fferings t Gd and distributing fd amng all the peple) D yu think the peple f Israel minded David s dancing? (hard t tell, prbably nt as much as Michal, thugh) Verse 20 What des Michal tell David is the prblem with his actins? (basically that he was embarrassing. Nte: Due t the descriptin earlier in the passage vs what Michal is saying, it s tugh t knw if David was actually dancing naked r nt but if he was naked that prbably WOULD be embarrassing at least a little bit -- dn t yu think?). What d yu think, des Michal have a pint? Verse 21 Wh des David say he was dancing fr/befre? (Gd) S d yu think Gd had the same reactin as Michelle did abut David s dancing? Why? Verse 22 Des David say he ll stp dancing? (Npe, in fact, he ll d things fr Gd that will be even mre embarrassing, he says) First a little bit mre abut the Ark The ark is where the Israelites cvenant with Gd, aka the 10 cmmandments, were stred. This meant the Israelites thught f the Ark as their symblic hme fr Gd. They knew that the Ark was nt where Gd actually lived, but it was definitely a fcus pint and reminder that Gd was with them. S t bring Gd s symblic hme and their cvenant with Gd t the center/capital f their cuntry was a ptent symbl and message f putting Gd at the center f their lives Basically, this is a stry where the peple f Israel are saying, Gd is t be at the center f ur cuntry. And, they think this is a gd thing -- thus, the big party. Secnd King David s dancing tells us that he s NOT trying t impress anyne. Because Michal is right his dancing is NOT kingly behavir. Instead, what he is ding is expressing/cnveying his feelings fr Gd, much like hw the Heath Ledger character was expressing his feelings fr the Julia Styles character in the mvie clip we watched. Third at least in this stry, King David understands his psitin in life. We knw this 1. By the dancing, but then 2. By the title he gives himself in verse 21 the title f Prince. David recgnizes that Gd is first that Gd is king and that he, David, rules under Gd s rule. And furth David cares mre abut what is imprtant t and abut Gd than David cares abut what his citizens and even his wife/wives think. David is putting Gd first and it affects his actins. Nte, even if his actins are embarrassing, his actins are generus t the peple f Israel it was quite the party!. TRANSITION TO ACTIVITY S what des this have t d with us? 4 This material is the cpyrighted prperty f rfur.rg. It is als free. Please use, imprve and share this material. But d nt ever pay
Well, basically, the stry is a reminder that shuld we express lve r appreciatin r lyalty t Gd then we will prbably experience being put n the utside f what SOME peple think is cl r acceptable behavir. But, this stry is ALSO a reminder that we dn t have t be cl and awesme and well-put tgether t be lved by Gd and t belng t Gd s family. In fact, we see that putting Gd at the center f the Israelite s cuntry was the cause fr a huge party! S as a way t start the year we, the teachers, want t be very clear that we welcme yu and lve yu (even if we dn t knw yu very well, yet) and we are very happy t have yu here regardless f hw yu fit in r dn t fit in at schl, with friends, at hme, etc. This means that we dn t have t wrry abut being perfect and well-put tgether when we re here. We dn t have t wrry abut always saying the right thing r wearing the right clthes Nw, this desn t mean that we can just d whatever we want while we are here because there are certain ways we need t wrk tgether t make the class wrk best fr everyne. T wrap up the class and help drive this pint hme that we dn t need t always be perfect And, t hnr bth the Heath Ledger and King David characters as well as have sme fun urselves, we re ging t d the fllwing activity ASK We typically have an activity where we get t d smething as a class that helps us think abut ne f the ideas that we see in the Bible stry that we read. Usually the activity happens near the end f class. And that s what we re ging t d nw S, we re ging t get int tw teams (tw teams that are equal in number) A teacher will be n each team. The first team up will have their teacher cme up frnt The teacher will pull a slip f paper with a wrd n it frm this bwl/hat/cup The teacher will then act ut the wrd withut talking r mving their lips. The first team must then try t crrectly guess what is being acted ut in 30 secnds r less. The team may make as many guesses as yu want. If yu guess crrectly, yu get 2 pints. If, after 30 secnds, the first team desn t guess crrectly, then ther team gets ONE fficial guess. If guessed crrectly, the 2nd team gets 1 pint. Play then ges t the ther team, where their teacher teammate ges first. The persn wh is t act ut the clue can rtate yu dn t HAVE t be the charades persn but we really hpe that yu give it a try. If n ne wants t, then the teacher will keep be the charades persn. But we hpe yu give it a try. Again, the persn acting ut the clue may nt say ANYTHING r make ANY nises nt even muthing f wrds DO ACTIVITY f charades (see list f wrds at bttm f this page) TELL If we trust that we are lved, then we can live int the freedm that cmes with nt being afraid f lsing that lve. S nt nly did David get t dance in the middle f the street because he trusted that Gd lved him, but we als get t play charades in class and all srts f ther things because we can trust that Gd lves us and that as a family created and built n Gd s lve, we dn t need t be perfect t belng t it. 5 This material is the cpyrighted prperty f rfur.rg. It is als free. Please use, imprve and share this material. But d nt ever pay
It s ging t be a gd year and we re very happy t have yu here and t be part f the class! See yu next week! CLOSING PRAYER List f wrds t print ut and cut ut fr charades Hide & seek Diaper Taking a shwer Artist Rller caster Swing Ballerina Wrm Slw mtin Magnifying glass Santa Claus Pg stick Skunk Snwball fight Kite Finger-painting Weight-lifter Dentist Tarzan Pin the tail n the dnkey Hula dancer Cttn candy Earthquake Vampire Bumper cars Hme Run Tug f war Rller blading Make-up Grcery Shpping Harder nes: Setting an alarm clck Watching a ftball game Getting yur nse pierced Baby sitting Clthes pin Electric fan Snw Spaghetti Sprinkler Suspicius Celebratin 6 This material is the cpyrighted prperty f rfur.rg. It is als free. Please use, imprve and share this material. But d nt ever pay
One example f what the Ark f the Lrd may have lked like Sme mre Ark inf: Gd made a cvenant/agreement with the peple f Israel at Munt Sinai after leading them ut f Egypt. This is when Gd gave Mses the Ten Cmmandments. Gd als gave Mses instructins t make a chest r bx f acacia wd with ples in which t stre these Ten Cmmandments (which were written n tw stne tablets). The ark was t be set behind the inner curtain in the mst hly place inside the sacred tent (Exd 26:34; 40:3,21). Gd wuld meet with the peple by the sacred chest and tell them what t d (Exd 25:10-22). The sacred chest was called Ark f the Cvenant because it held the tablets f the Ten Cmmandments and symblized the presence f Gd. The Levities (the priests f Israel) carried the Ark by the ples n their shulders (Deut 10:8). It went with the peple during their desert wanderings (Num 10:17,33). It was carried with them int battle (Jshua 6), was captured by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4), and was returned t Kiriath-Jearim where it stayed fr twenty years (1Sam 5:1-7:2). David had it brught t Jerusalem and set under a tent (2 Sam 6:1-19 - which we just read). Slmn (the king after David) mved it t the newly built temple (1 Kgs 8:1-21). The Ark f the Cvenant was n lnger heard f after the fall f Jerusalem and the destructin f the first temple in 587 B.C. 7 This material is the cpyrighted prperty f rfur.rg. It is als free. Please use, imprve and share this material. But d nt ever pay