Church Is Session 1 Lessons for the Leader Have you ever been a part of a building project? How did you decide what to build, how large to build, and who would do the work? Consider the building program of the tabernacle. Read Exodus 35:4-29. What phrase do you see repeated through the verses? What does it mean "everyone whose heart prompted him"? When was the last time you felt prompted to do something for God? How did you respond? Read 35:30 36:7. When was the last time people in your church were asked to stop giving? Do people in your church have a sense of giving as an expression of worship or "religious duty"? Read 36:8 39:31. Why do you think God desired for the construction details to be included in this passage? Why did Moses (the writer of Exodus) not simply say, "the people built the tabernacle and the items for it"? How important are the items used in your worship? Read 39:32-43. How do you think the people felt as Moses inspected the items? In what ways do you think the people worshiped as they created the items? Read 40:1-33. Notice the details described in preparation for worship. How do you prepare yourself for worship? Read 40:34-38. God's glory was represented in a cloud. The Israelites knew when God was present. How do you know God is present in your worship? In what ways does feeling God's presence impact your worship? Think about how the children in your ministry define worship. How do they experience worship? How can you lead children to worship at church? What do these symbols mean? Application Activities Format: 1t Follow the numbers with arrows for a 30-minute, large group plus 20-minute Application Activities format. Large Group Format: 1 Follow all the numbers for a 45- to 60-minute large group only format. A Place to Worship Focus Passage: Exodus 35:4 40:38 Key Bible Verse: Psalm 100:2 Life Application I can worship with other people at church. Session at a Glance Introduction to Worship (8 minutes) Greet the Children Run a Relay Race Worship (30 minutes/45 minutes) Call to Worship Sing "Our God" Sing "New Doxology" Define Worship Sing "Awesome in This Place"/Receive Offering/Pray Introduce the Bible Story Tell the Bible Story Review the Bible Story Make Life Application Read and Apply the Key Bible Verse Sing "Our Love Is Loud" Show "All Access Irwin" Video Application Activities (20 minutes) Wrap-Up (10 minutes) OK to copy. Page 1 of 15
Introduction to Worship 1t Greet the Children Print and copy "Church Is Parent Connection" (CD) (1 per child). Distribute "Church Is Parent Connection" to parents as they arrive with their children. 2 Run a Relay Race Pool noodles (2 per team), cardboard boxes (1 per team), chairs Place a chair for each team at the end of the area. Form teams of six to eight players. Distribute noodles and boxes. Say: "In this relay race, two members of your team will work together to carry the box on the pool noodles around the chair and back." Demonstrate how to place two noodles parallel to each other on the floor. Place the box on the noodles. Instruct the children to carry the box, holding the ends of the noodles. Play the game. Say: "Transporting an important item is part of today's Bible story. Would you have carried the box differently if I told you the box and the things inside it were very valuable? Why?" Worship 3 Call to Worship (1 minute) Select a volunteer to read aloud Psalm 29:2. 4tSing "Our God" (DVD, 3 minutes) 5 Sing "New Doxology" (DVD, 3 minutes) 6tDefine Worship (5 minutes) Worship Guides, pencils, poster board, marker Write on the poster board: Worship is "focusing on God; enjoying God's presence." Distribute Worship Guides and pencils. Call attention to "Worship What's That?" Invite the children to write their definitions of worship. Select several volunteers to share their definitions of worship. Display the worship definition poster. Select a volunteer to read aloud the definition. Compare and contrast the definition to what the children wrote. Ask: "What are some ways we worship God at church? Why is it important for us to worship God? Can we worship God when we are not at church?" 7t Sing "Awesome in This Place" (DVD, 4 minutes)/receive Offering/Pray Say: "We just worshiped God in three ways (singing, giving offerings, and praying). Let's learn how the Israelites built a place to gather for worship." 8tIntroduce the Bible Story (2 minutes) Select a volunteer to read aloud "The Tabernacle" on the Worship Guides. Say: "Let's discover how the people built the tabernacle." Guide the children to open their Bibles to Exodus 35. 9tTell the Bible Story (6 minutes) Scissors, tape Print "Tabernacle" Teaching Picture (CD). Display. Print "Tabernacle Items" (CD). Copy and cut apart. Ensure each child has an item. Distribute "Tabernacle Items" and tape loops. Direct: "Listen carefully for these items in the Bible story. When you hear your item, bring it to the front and tape it to the wall." Open your Bible to Exodus 35. Tell the Bible story in your own words. The Tabernacle Based on Exodus 35:4 40:38 Moses gathered all the Israelites together. He told them that God commanded them to take up an offering. Everyone who felt led to do so brought their offering to help in the construction of the tabernacle. People brought gold, silver, bronze, fine linens, goat hair, and wood. Some of the people even brought blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and skilled women spun goat hair into materials for the tabernacle. Stones, spices, A Place to Worship Page 2 of 15
and oil were collected. The people were excited and brought a variety of things for building the tabernacle. Moses challenged the skilled craftsmen to help make everything God commanded. In turn, many men came to work on the tabernacle. Moses said, "Bezalel (BEHZ uh lehl) has been called by God to prepare all the offerings and direct the building of the tabernacle. God has given Bezalel wisdom and knowledge to complete the project." Many men came to work on the tabernacle. So many items were brought that Moses had to tell people to stop bringing offerings! Bezalel and the workers made many things, like curtains, clasps, walls for the tabernacle, pillars, the ark and the poles to carry it, lamps, and decorations for the tabernacle. When Bezalel and the men were finished, Moses inspected everything. Moses blessed the men for completing the work God commanded. God spoke to Moses and gave him specific instructions for setting up the tabernacle. Moses placed the Ten Commandments in the ark as God instructed. Once Moses completed the work God commanded, the tabernacle was finished. When God's presence filled the tabernacle, a cloud rested on it. When the cloud was not on the tabernacle, the Israelites would carefully disassemble the tabernacle (created to be portable) and move it with them from one place to another. However, when the cloud was present, the people did not move. The cloud could be seen by all the Israelites through their journey. 10 Review the Bible Story (3 minutes) Call attention to the items on the wall. Ask: "What were some of the items the people brought? Why did they bring them? What did Bezalel do with the items?" Continue: "Why did the people build the tabernacle? How did the people know when God's presence was with them?" Ask: "Which of these ways do we see at church? Why is worship important?" 12t Read and Apply the Key Bible Verse (3 minutes) Guide the children to locate Psalm 100:2 in their Bibles. Select a volunteer to read aloud the verse. Ask: "What does it mean to serve God? How do we serve God? What type of attitude should we have when serving God? Why is having a positive attitude important? What are some joyful songs we can sing?" Pretend to sing a joyful song with a very unhappy tone of voice. Continue: "How does this song sound when I sing like this? Does it change the message of the song?" Sing a joyful song with an upbeat and happy tune. Reread Psalm 100:2. Challenge the children to say the verse with you. 13 Sing "Our Love Is Loud" (DVD, 3 minutes) 14tShow "All Access Irwin" Video (DVD, 8 minutes) Say: "As we watch the video, pay attention to the different places people worship. Also, listen for why it is important that we worship together." Show the video. Ask: "In what ways were the people worshiping? How do the locations of these churches differ from ours? Why don't we have to be in a church building to worship?" Continue: "Bobby asked why it is important to get together with other people to worship. What reason did Pastor Tim give Bobby for worshiping with other people?" 15t Transition to Application Activities or Wrap-Up 11tMake Life Application (5 minutes) Guide children to complete "Ways to Worship" on the Worship Guides. Discuss each method of worship. Church Is Session 1 Page 3 of 15
Wrap-Up (Large Group Only Format) Wrap-Up (Application Activities Format) 16 Sing "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)" (DVD, 3 minutes) 17 Play "Toss and Tell" (5 minutes) Giant Game Floor Mat*, construction paper, beanbag, scissors, tape Print "Worship Letters" (CD). Cut apart the letters. Place randomly in the mat pockets. Print "Toss and Tell Questions" (CD). Place a construction paper sheet in each mat pocket (covering the letters). Form two teams. Say: "Hidden in some of the mat pockets are the letters to spell the word worship. Let's see how many questions we must answer to find all the letters." Select a team to begin. Say: "I will ask your team a question. If you answer correctly, one member of your team may toss the beanbag on to the mat. I will then remove the construction paper from the pocket. If there is a letter in the pocket, we will place the letter on the wall." Read aloud a question. Post letters as revealed. Continue until the word worship is spelled. Thank the children for playing. Review the definition of worship (focusing on God; enjoying God's presence). Say: "We learned how we can worship with people at church, but we can also worship God at home, school, work, or wherever we go. This week, let's try to worship God everywhere we go." 16t Sing "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)" (DVD, 3 minutes) 17tShare Application Activities (5 minutes) Invite the children to share their Application Activity experiences. ttarts and Crafts Tabernacle Model ttdramatic Play Ways to Worship ttgames Worship/Not Worship ttexploration and Discovery Worship Service 18tPray (2 minutes) 19tDismiss the Children to Their Parents Play "B-I-B-L-E from Memory" (DVD) as parents arrive. 18 Pray (2 minutes) 19 Dismiss the Children to Their Parents Play "B-I-B-L-E from Memory" (DVD) as parents arrive. Church Is Session 1 Worship KidStyle Children s Edition Leader Guide, Volume 1 2013 LifeWay. Page 4 of 15
Application Activities Select from the following choices. Each choice is designed for 20 minutes of small group time. 24-by-48-inch sheet of Styrofoam ; large craft sticks; craft glue; scissors; non-cracking modeling clay; blue, purple, scarlet, and tan felt Print "Tabernacle Model" (CD). Teacher Tips Premark the locations to insert the craft sticks. Precut the felt pieces to the proper sizes. Assign children different tasks to speed the construction of the tabernacle. Keep the tabernacle to use in later sessions. Worship Through Arts and Crafts Tabernacle Model Say: "God wants us to worship Him. We can worship God individually at home, school, and other places. When we come to church, we worship God with other people. How did the people in our Bible story worship God?" Explain: "One of the ways the people worshiped was by giving the things needed to build the tabernacle. Let's work together to build a model of the tabernacle." Distribute the craft supplies and guide the children to follow the directions on "Tabernacle Model" to make a model of the tabernacle. Review the Bible story as the children work. Say: "The Israelites worshiped God at the tabernacle. We come to church to worship God with other people. What are some other places we can worship God with people?" Select a child to read aloud Psalm 100:2. Pray, thanking God for the church and the privilege to worship Him. Display the completed tabernacle for parents to observe. Scissors, scrap paper, tape, markers, paper, chenille stems, play dough, timer Print "Ways to Worship" (CD). Assemble the cube. Cut apart cards. Stack the cards facedown on a table. Worship Through Dramatic Play Ways to Worship Say: "People worship God in many ways. Let's discover some ways we can worship God." Explain: "One person will select a card and roll the cube to discover how to show us the way to worship named on the card. The ways include: acting, drawing, or shaping. If you get 'shaping,' you must use these chenille stems or play dough to form a shape of the way to worship. You will have up to 30 seconds to get the group to correctly guess your action." Select a child to begin. Guide the child to roll the cube and select a card. Assist as needed in demonstrating this form of worship. Continue as time permits. Review the cards and how the actions can be used to worship. Say: "God wants us to worship Him. We can worship God individually at home, school, and other places. When we come to church, we worship God with other people. How did the people in our Bible story worship God?" Review the Bible story. Say: "The Israelites worshiped God at the tabernacle. We come to church to worship God with other people. What are some other places we can worship God with people?" Select a child to read aloud Psalm 100:2. Pray, thanking God for the church and the privilege to worship Him. Church Is Session 1 Page 5 of 15
Pool noodles, utility knife (adult use only), permanent marker, 2 large hoops, masking tape, measuring tape Cut the noodles into 8-inch lengths. Write 1 of the statements on each noodle piece. Reading the Bible, praying, singing, giving offerings, playing a musical instrument, kneeling, lifting your hands, clapping your hands, taking notes, sleeping, passing notes during church, talking with your friend, reading a school book, not focusing on God, and daydreaming Make a tossing line. Place the hoops about 6 feet from the tossing line. Church bulletins, paper, pencils, hymnals Teacher Tips Talk with the children about what takes place during worship if your church does not provide worship bulletins. Invite the worship leader of your church to visit. Allow the children to interview him regarding how he plans and leads worship. Worship Through Games Worship/Not Worship Ask: "Why was it important for the people to build the tabernacle? Why is it important for us to worship God with other people?" Continue: "What are ways you worship or observe people worshiping?" Display noodles. Form two teams. Say: "Let's play 'Worship/Not Worship.' Written on these noodles are some actions. Your task is to decide if the action is a way to worship God or not. If it is a way to worship, toss the noodle into your team's goal. If it is not a way to worship, toss the noodle into the other team's goal. The team with the most ways to worship is the winning team." Continue: "When you toss the noodle, at least half of it must land inside the goal, or it does not count." Select a team to begin. Show the first noodle and allow a player to toss it to the correct goal. Continue for each noodle. Review the behaviors. Ask: "Why were these good behaviors for worship? Why were the other behaviors not good actions during worship?" Review the Bible story. Say: "The Israelites worshiped God at the tabernacle. We come to church to worship God with other people. What are some other places we can worship God with people?" Select a child to read aloud Psalm 100:2. Pray, thanking God for the church and the privilege to worship Him. Worship Through Exploration and Discovery Worship Service Ask: "If you had the responsibility of planning a worship service for our church, what would you include? What would you not include? Why?" Distribute bulletins, hymnals, pencils, and paper. Guide each child to select a partner. Say: "Let's plan a worship service." Invite the children to name elements, terms, and actions to include in the worship service. Guide the children to consider what songs to sing, who would pray, and how to invite people to respond to God. Direct the children to work with their partners to plan an order of worship. Invite the children to share their orders of worship. Review the Bible story. Say: "The Israelites worshiped God at the tabernacle. We come to church to worship God with other people. In what ways is our worship similar to the Israelites? How is it different?" Select a child to read aloud Psalm 100:2. Ask: "Do we have to be at church to worship? No, we can worship God anywhere, but when we come to church we should worship with people." Discuss actions and attitudes important to worship. Pray, thanking God for the church and the privilege to worship Him. Worship KidStyle Children s Edition Leader Guide, Volume 1 2013 LifeWay. OK to copy. Page 6 of 15
The Tabernacle (Exodus 35:4 40:38) Church Is Session 1 Worship KidStyle Children's Edition, Volume 1 Corbert Gauthier Page 7 of 15
Worship KidStyle Children's Edition Parent Connection Parents: Check out what your child is learning in Worship KidStyle! The information on this page will help you carry out your role as your child's primary spiritual developer by continuing the discussion we have in class throughout the week. Church Is This unit will help boys and girls understand what church is all about and what they can expect to see during a church worship service. Session 1: A Place to Worship The Big Idea: I can worship with other people at church. The Bible Story: The Tabernacle (Exodus 35:4 40:38) Key Bible Verse: Psalm 100:2 Connecting Points: Provide building materials, such as interlocking blocks, marshmallows and toothpicks, or craft sticks, and work together to build a structure that looks like a church building. As you are building, ask: "What is worship? (Worship can be defined as "focusing on God; enjoying God's presence.") What are some ways we worship God at church?" Say: "One reason we go to church is to worship God with other people, but we can worship God anywhere." Pray, thanking God for the church and the privilege of worshiping Him. Session 2: A Place to Pray The Big Idea: I can pray with other people at church. The Bible Story: Solomon Dedicated the Temple (1 Kings 8) Key Bible Verse: Psalm 145:18 Connecting Points: Ask: "What is prayer?" Say: "God wants us to talk to and listen to Him. We can pray by ourselves, but we can also pray with other people, like with our family or at church." Explain that there are four types of prayer: adoration (praising God for who He is), confession (telling God the things you have done), thanksgiving (thanking God for the things He does for you and for what He provides), and supplication (asking God for the things you need and praying for other people). Say: "The word ACTS can help us remember these types of prayers." Encourage family members to take turns voicing one-sentence prayers of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Session 3: A Place to Give Offerings The Big Idea: I can worship God by giving offerings at church. The Bible Story: Joash and the People Gave Offerings (2 Chronicles 24:1-14) Key Bible Verse: Psalm 96:8 Connecting Points: Invite family members to collect spare change they have and to place it with the change you gathered. Ask: "What is an offering?" (a gift or present) What kinds of offerings do people make? (money, time, help, etc.) Why does God want us to give our offerings?" Say: "God wants us to give a tithe of what we receive. According to the Bible, a tithe is 10 percent." As a family, count the change you collected and determine what the tithe amount would be. Set aside the tithe to give to your church and use the remainder of the money to buy a special treat for the family, such as candy bars or a movie (from a bargain bin). Note that God expects us to give to Him first from what we receive, not from what we have left over. Pray, thanking God that we can worship Him by giving our offerings. Session 4: A Place to Sing The Big Idea: I can worship God by singing at church. The Bible Story: The People Sang (Ezra 2:1,68-70; 3:1-13) Key Bible Verse: Psalm 66:2 Connecting Points: Ask: "How do we celebrate the things God does for us? Why do you think singing is an important part of our worship time?" Say: Singing with people is an act of worship that is pleasing to God. When we sing, we can think about who God is, what He does for us, and how much He loves us." Encourage family members to suggest songs of praise they like to sing, then sing! Pray, thanking God for the opportunity to worship Him through song. Church Is Parent Connection (Church Is Session 1) Worship KidStyle Children's Edition, Volume 1 Page 8 of 15
Tabernacle Items Silver and bronze Gold Goat hair Wood Blue yarn Purple yarn Scarlet yarn Stones Spices Oil Fine linens Tabernacle Items (Church Is Session 1) Worship KidStyle Children s Edition, Volume 1 Page 9 of 15
W O R S Worship Letters (Church Is Session 1) Worship KidStyle Children s Edition, Volume 1 Page 10 of 15
H I P Worship Letters (Church Is Session 1) Worship KidStyle Children s Edition, Volume 1 Page 11 of 15
Toss and Tell Questions What is worship? (focusing on God; enjoying God's presence) Name the leader of the Israelites. (Moses) Moses said God had commanded them to do what? (take an offering) Name three items the people gave. (gold; silver; bronze; fine linens; goat hair; wood; blue, purple, and scarlet material or yarn; stones; spices; oil) Who was the person Moses put in charge of the construction? (Bezalel) What were the people building? (the tabernacle) Who inspected the tabernacle when it was completed? (Moses) What did Moses place in the ark of the covenant? (the Ten Commandments) How did the people know God's presence was with them? (a cloud rested on the tabernacle) What happened when the cloud was not present? (the people knew it was time to move) How are the tabernacle and a church similar? (Answers will vary.) Quote Psalm 100:2. What can we learn from Moses and the Israelites giving their offerings to God? (Answers will vary.) Name three places we can worship. (Answers will vary.) Why is it important to worship God? (Answers will vary.) Toss and Tell Questions (Church Is Session 1) Worship KidStyle Children s Edition, Volume 1 Page 12 of 15
Tabernacle Supplies needed: 24-by-48-inch sheet of Styrofoam ; large craft sticks; craft glue; scissors; non-cracking modeling clay; blue, purple, scarlet, and tan felt 1. Gather all the materials. 2. Insert craft sticks around the outside edges of the foam. Ensure flat sides of the sticks face out. 3. Cut tan and purple felt strips ½ inch shorter than the inserted craft sticks. Glue to the sides of the craft sticks. 4. Cut and decorate additional felt pieces for the front outer wall. 5. Create 5 tent wall frames as shown. 6. Create tent front as shown. Glue felt to the backside of the craft sticks. 7. Insert wall frames in place. 8. Cover the tent wall frames with felt. 9. Use clay to create an altar and basin. Tabernacle Model (Church Is Session 1) Worship KidStyle Children s Edition, Volume 1 Page 13 of 15
Act It Out! Draw It! Draw It! 1. Cut along the dotted lines. 2. Fold on the solid lines. 3. Fill with scrap paper. 4. Tape closed. Act It Out! Shape It! Shape It! Ways to Worship (Church Is Session 1) Worship KidStyle Children s Edition, Volume 1 Page 14 of 15
Pray Read the Bible Sing Lift your hands Clap your hands Give offerings Play a musical instrument Kneel in prayer Ways to Worship (Church Is Session 1) Worship KidStyle Children s Edition, Volume 1 Page 15 of 15