Theology Group Time Question: Who is God? (part 1) Please keep in mind that these skits are guidelines. Feel free to ad lib and interact with the kids--don t hesitate to add personal experience or shared experience to help engage the kids or illustrate the lesson. Leave room for the Holy Spirit to speak specifically to your kids if He has something important to say! Prep/Materials: A large magnifying glass, or a cardboard magnifying glass that can be taped to Zeke s hand or placed near him. MONDAY: Sometimes He feels too big! Teacher: Hi there, everyone! It s fun to see you all today. I can t wait to talk to Zeke, but first let s go over our ground rules. [Review ground rules] Great. Now that that is taken care of, let s wake Zeke up and get him out here! (To the kids) Who wants to knock on his door? (Allow kids to respond, choose a kid to knock on Zeke s door) Zeke: (still hidden) Who s there? (Allow the kids to have a dialogue with Zeke, prompt them to respond with their name and with telling Zeke to wake up and come out!) Teacher: Zeke, we are all here waiting for you! Are you coming? Zeke: Oh I m coming! (Pops up) Good morning everyone! Happy Monday. Teacher: (Noticing the magnifying glass) Hey Zeke, what is that thing? Zeke: Oh this thing!? That is my Super Searcher! Teacher: Your Super Searcher? What is a Super Searcher? Zeke: It helps me look for things AND it helps me see things better! Teacher: Oh good! Are you planning to look for anything soon? Zeke: Well yes of course. You are about to ask me about this week s question I can just feel it and I am going to use my Super Searcher to help me find the answer! Teacher: All right, we will see how that works out. But does that mean you are ready for this week s question? Zeke: I am ready [teacher]. Teacher: Alright, well we have been talking about the most important book ever, do you remember what it is called? Zeke: The Bible! -1-
_ Question: Who _ is _ God? Teacher: Right, but this week we aren t going to be talking about the Bible. This week we are going to be talking about GOD. Zeke: GOD! Like the God in the Bible? The one who wrote the Bible? Teacher: Yup, that s the one! Zeke: Well what in the world are we going to be able to learn about God? Teacher: A lot of things Zeke! He has told us a lot about Himself in the Bible, and for the next three weeks we are going to be talking about the question, Who is God? Zeke: Who is God!? That sounds like a really big question. Teacher: It is a really big question Zeke, that s why we are going to talk about three different answers! Zeke: Oh wow! This is going to be good! Teacher: It is. Well ok Zeke, what do you think? Who is God? Zeke: Well [teacher], I am going to use my SUPER SEARCHER to help me answer that! (Zeke can either lift the magnifying glass, or ask another teacher or a kid to help him). Hmmm hmm let s see who is God. [teacher]! Teacher: Yes Zeke? Zeke: I don t know! It seems like God is TOO BIG for me to see! I can t find Him with my SUPER SEARCHER! Teacher: Oh God is too big? Sometimes God can seem too big BUT He s not too big for us to know about! The Bible tells us that God is Father. Zeke: Father!? Like a dad? Teacher: Yes, God is Father just like a dad! Zeke: Well whose dad is He? Teacher: Well the Bible tells us that God created everything even you and I and it tells us that He is OUR Father. Zeke: Wow, ok, ok. What does it mean exactly that God is Father? Teacher: Well it means that He has the job of a Father we can think of the jobs our dads have! It means that He takes care of us, and He loves us, and He helps us learn how to live rightly. The job of a dad is really important. Zeke: And God does all of those things too? Teacher: He does! God does all of those things too! Zeke: Wow that is pretty incredible. Teacher: It is! Zeke: It seems like a lot for my brain to understand. -2-
Teacher: It is a lot to understand Zeke, and you don t have to get it all right now. Why don t you think about it and we can talk more about it tomorrow morning. Zeke: That sounds good. My SUPER SEARCHER and I will see you in the morning! Teacher: All right, see you later Zeke! (Teacher closes in prayer) TUESDAY: Sometimes He feels really far away! Teacher: Hey everyone! Let go over our ground rules and we can get started. [Review ground rules] You guys are getting so good at that! Let s go ahead and wake up Zeke! Good morning Zeke! Zeke: (pops up) Good morning! Teacher: Zeke! How are you today? Zeke: I m doing well [teacher]! Teacher: Oh good, I am so glad to see you this morning Zeke! Zeke: I m glad to see you guys! Teacher: Zeke, are you ready to get down to business today? Zeke: I am ready! Teacher: Do you have your SUPER SEARCHER? Zeke: I do! Teacher: Wonderful. Zeke, remember about how we ve been talking about a really important book? Zeke: Yes! We ve been talking about the Bible! Teacher: You are right. We have been talking about the Bible! But now we are going to spend some time talking about God. Zeke: Oh yes, God! The God who wrote the Bible? Teacher: Yes! Zeke: And the God who the Bible is about? Teacher: Yup! Zeke: Oh good. I am tracking with you [teacher]! Teacher: This week we are talking about a REALLY big question. -3-
Zeke: How big is REALLY big? Teacher: It is so big that it has three different answers. So we are going to be talking about it for three weeks! Zeke: Three weeks is a really long time Teacher: It is, but we are going to learn a lot! Zeke: I am ready! Teacher: Well then here we go! Zeke, who is God? Zeke: Wow that s a big question. I am going to use my SUPER SEARCHER to help me figure it out! (Zeke should hum some theme song music. ex. pink panther theme song or something sleuth-like while using his magnifying glass) Zeke: Ah-ha! Teacher: Ah-ha!? Do you have any ideas? Zeke: Well no. Teacher: What do you mean no? Zeke: I mean, I used my SUPER SEARCHER and I didn t find anything out about God! Sometimes God feels too far away. Teacher: OOOOOH, I see. You are right. Sometimes God does feel too far away. But even though sometimes God feels far away we can look in the Bible to see what it says about who God is. Zeke: Oh! Well what does the Bible say? Who is God? Teacher: The Bible says that God is Father. Zeke: God is Father? Teacher: Yes! God is Father. Zeke: Like a dad? Teacher: Yes Zeke, just like a dad. Can you help me think of some of the jobs that a dad has? Zeke: Well dads take care of us. Teacher: They do! What else do Dads do? Zeke: And dads love us. Teacher: They love us so much! Zeke: And dads help show us how to live! Teacher: They sure do! And guess what? -4-
Zeke: What? Teacher: God is the best dad ever. Zeke: Ever!? Teacher: Yes, ever! You see Zeke, most of our dads do a really good job at being Dads but they aren t perfect. Zeke: dads aren t perfect? Teacher: Nope, dads make mistakes. Just like teachers aren t perfect either. Zeke: Teachers don t do everything right?! Teacher: Nope, not even teachers do everything right. They make mistakes too. But God does everything right! Zeke: He does!? Teacher: He does! God is perfect, which means He is a perfect Father! Zeke: Wow, that s pretty amazing. Teacher: It is pretty amazing. Zeke: I am feeling a little sad that my SUPER SEARCHER couldn t help me figure that out. Teacher: It s ok, we can keep trying. But I am glad we have the Bible to help us answer these questions! Zeke: Me too! Teacher: All right Zeke, you and I can keep talking about this more tomorrow, but these kids have to get to school! Zeke: Sounds good [teacher], I will see you guys tomorrow! (Teacher closes in prayer) WEDNESDAY: Sometimes I don t understand Him! Teacher: Good morning everyone! It s good to see you. Let s go over our ground rules before we get started. [Review ground rules] Great! Zeke, we are ready for you! Zeke: (pops up) I am ready for you! Teacher: Whew! Good thing. You look ready Zeke. Zeke: I am feeling awake and ready to go! Teacher: I am so glad. -5-
Zeke: And I am ready to get talking. What are we talking about today [teacher]? My SUPER SEARCHER and I are ready to go! Teacher: Good thing! Well then let s go! Zeke: All right, what is our question this week? Teacher: Well this week we have been talking about that REALLY big question remember? Zeke: Oh yes! The really big question! what was it again? Teacher: Who is God? Zeke: Who is God!? Oh man, I forgot how big of a question that is. But good thing I have my SUPER SEARCHER! (Zeke should ask for help to use his magnifying glass) Let me see wow! Things look so much bigger when you look through these things [teacher] Teacher: Yes Zeke? Zeke: I don t know who God is and sometimes I don t understand Him. I can t see anything through this thing. Maybe my SUPER SEARCHER is broken Teacher: Oh I don t know if it s broken Zeke! I think that you just have to know where to look. Zeke: Well where do you think I should look? Teacher: I think that we should look in the Bible to tell us who God is! Zeke: What does the Bible say? Who is God? Teacher: The Bible says that God is Father! Zeke: God is Father? Like a dad? God is like a dad? Teacher: Yes Zeke, that s what it means! God is kind of like a dad. Dads have special jobs, can you think of any special jobs that dads have? Zeke: Well dads take care of us Teacher: They do! Zeke: And dads keep us safe Teacher: They do that too! Zeke: And dads love us! Teacher: You are right Zeke! Those are some of the wonderful jobs that dads do! God is a Father also, and that means that He does those jobs too! -6-
Zeke: He does those jobs for us? Teacher: He does! God takes care of us, God keeps us safe, and God loves us very much! Zeke: Wow, that is pretty amazing! I had no idea that God takes care of us like a dad does. Teacher: It is really pretty amazing. I always know that God is there for me and that I can talk to Him whenever I need to. He is the best Father around! Zeke: Sounds like it! Teacher: Well Zeke, this is a pretty big idea so I am going to let you think about it for a little bit and we will talk more tomorrow. Zeke: Sounds good [teacher]! See you soon! Teacher: Bye Zeke! (Teacher closes in prayer) THURSDAY: I can t see Him! Teacher: Happy Thursday everyone! It is good to see you all. Let s go over our ground rules. [Review ground rules] Wonderful, Zeke you can come out now! Zeke: (pops up) Hellllooooooooo! Teacher: Hi Zeke! How are you? Zeke: I m happy to be with you all this morning [teacher]! Teacher: We are happy to be with you too, Zeke! Zeke: Let s get started! Teacher: All right Zeke, let s get right to it! This week we have been talking about God! Zeke: RIGHT! And we have been asking our REALLY big question. Teacher: Yes! We have been asking the question Who is God? Zeke: Oh right! Yes Who is God? It is such a big question! Teacher: It is. So big that we are going to take a couple of weeks to talk about it! Zeke: Good thing, because I don t know if we would be able to answer that question in one week! Teacher: It s true. But today we are just going to start with one part of our answer so what do you think about this weeks question Zeke? Who is God? -7-
Zeke: Well I am going to use my SUPER SEARCHER to see if I can figure it out. (Zeke should have some help with his magnifying glass, as he looks around the rooms have him humming a song) [Teacher] I have decided something Teacher: What have you decided Zeke? Zeke: I ve decided that I just don t know who God it is. Teacher: Is your SUPER SEARCHER not working today either? Zeke: It s not. I m looking and I m looking and I just can t seem to find God! I can t see Him, so I don t know who He is! Teacher: Oh so because you can t see Him you don t know who He is. Zeke: Yes! If I could see Him then I could tell you who He is! Teacher: Well Zeke, while I really like your SUPER SEARCHER, I think you are looking in the wrong place to learn about who God is! We can learn about who God is by looking in our Bibles! Zeke: Our Bibles!? How do I keep forgetting this? Teacher: I don t know but you ll get the hang of it. We are learning this week that God is Father. Zeke: God is FATHER! Oh yes! He is Father and does all the things that dads do right? Teacher: He does do all of the things that dads do! He takes care of us, He helps us know the best way to live, and He loves us very much. But that s not all! Zeke: It s not? Teacher: No! God is a perfect FATHER and so He does all of those things perfectly! Which is just crazy to think about. Zeke: That is a little crazy to think about. Teacher: I don t even understand what it means sometimes that God is a perfect Father. Zeke: I would like to learn. Teacher: I would like to learn too. Let s pray about that together before you leave us today what do you think about that? Zeke: I think that sounds great. Teacher: Ok friends, let s all pray together. Dear God, Thanks for teaching us in the Bible that you are a perfect Father. Please teach us what that means so that we can know that you are a good dad! Amen -8-
Thanks for praying with us Zeke. Have a great day and we will see you again tomorrow! Zeke: Bye everyone! FRIDAY: He seems too important for me! Teacher: Hi friends! Let s review our ground rules and we can get started. [Review ground rules] Wonderful! Let s wake up Zeke. Can you all help me? On the count of three let s yell, Zeke wake up!. 1 2 3 All: ZEKE WAKE UP! Zeke: (pops up) Good morning! The fun has arrived! Teacher: (laughing) Zeke you are silly. Are you trying to say that you are the fun? Zeke: Well yes I am fun! And I am here! Teacher: Well that you are! We are happy to have you here Zeke. Zeke: What are we talking about today [teacher]? Teacher: Remember? All week long we have been talking about our really big question! Zeke: Oh right, our REALLY big question what was it again? Teacher: Our question this week is Who is God? Zeke: Oh yes! Who is God! And I have been using my SUPER SEARCHER to try and figure it out. Teacher: You have been using your super searcher but I hate to say it hasn t been working very well Zeke: It s true it hasn t been working very well. Teacher: What do you think, should we try it one more day? Zeke: Well I seem to remember that you have been telling me that I have been looking in the wrong place! I should be looking in the Bible! Is that right [teacher]? Teacher: Zeke! That is right! I can t believe it! Zeke: That I am right? Teacher: Well it normally just takes a week for that to happen. Zeke: Well I finally figured it out! We should be looking in the Bible to learn about who God is! Teacher: True Zeke. Well what do you think the Bible says? Who is God? Zeke: I think I might need your help on this question [teacher]. Teacher: It s ok Zeke, I would be happy to help! We have been learning that God is Father! -9-
Zeke: Oh right! God is Father and He is a like a perfect dad! Teacher: He sure is! Zeke: [Teacher], I ve been thinking about something Teacher: What is it Zeke? Zeke: Well I have been thinking about how important God is. Teacher: He is pretty important. Zeke: I have been thinking that maybe He is too important to be a dad... Teacher: Oh Zeke! God is important, but the Bible tells us that one of His favorite things is to be a Father! Zeke: Really? Teacher: Really! God is never to busy or too important to talk to and be with us! Do you remember all the jobs that we have been talking about this week? Zeke: You mean all of the jobs that a dad has? Teacher: Yes those. Do you remember them? Zeke: I do! It is a dad s job to take care of us, and a dad s job to show us how to live, and a dad s job to love us very much! Teacher: You are so right! And because God is Father, and He is perfect at it, it means He is REALLY good at doing all of those things! Zeke: And He isn t too important? Teacher: No Zeke! Doing those things are some of God s favorite things to do. He loves all of us so much! Zeke: Wow that is really cool. Teacher: It is really cool. It is so cool that sometimes it makes us stop and think about God. And when we stop and think about God we can thank Him for all the ways He takes cares of us! Zeke: Oh that is a great idea [teacher]! Saying thank you to God! Teacher: Let s practice Zeke! On the count of three we are all going to say THANK YOU GOD 1 2 3 All: THANK YOU GOD! Teacher: Whew! Good work. All right Zeke, it s been really fun talking to you this week about how God is Father. You have a great weekend and we will see you later! Zeke: Sounds good! Goodbye everybody! (Teacher closes in prayer) -10-