REMEMBER & CELEBRATE Remembering & Celebrating God as Faithful: Feast of Trumpets Based on TRUMINISTRY / 1ST, 2ND, 3RD, 4TH, AND 5TH PREPARED BY AT IMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH
Leader Preparation Each week you ll find Inspire, Equip, and Support articles that will help you take time for yourself before you begin your prep. The Inspire article contains personal stories of how God has worked in our lives as fellow ministry leaders, along with insights into that week s God Statement. The Equip article gives perspective and context as it introduces the lesson s Bible passage. The Support article provides a time of reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God s Word as you prepare your heart to present the lesson to the kids in your ministry. FURTHER RESOURCES For detailed information about how to play ZONK!, including a list of necessary supplies, refer to the How It Works document. Download the following resources to help you plan and lead TruStory lessons: Customizable copy of Lesson 6 2015 16 Scope and Sequence TruStory How it Works document If you have questions about Tru curriculum or are looking for great training, blogs and other support resources visit truministry.com. Spiritual Parenting Digital Curriculum Resource To help resource the families in your ministry, click the following links to receive a copy of the Spiritual Parenting Facilitator's Guide and Spiritual Parenting Video Session 1. (!) Allergy Alert When you see a (!) listed next to a resource or activity, note that potential allergens are 2 of 17
suggested that may affect children with particular sensitivities. Please check with parents before their children participate. CHANGES COMING Starting in the Summer quarter, we will no longer be providing customizable Word documents for Tru lessons. To learn more about this change and how you will be able to customize Tru lessons in the future, please refer to the How It Works document for the Spring quarter. Inspire God is faithful. He teaches me this lesson just about every day. One day my wife s car breaks down, and the next week she gets a new one. Another time, our washing machine breaks, and that weekend someone gives us a new one. We re short on money one month, and that exact amount shows up in the mail. That kind of thing happens all the time. The members of our faith community surround us, and God uses them in miraculous ways. But, one time, our faith was stretched and our trust in God s faithfulness was pushed to the limit. Our five-week-old son wasn t gaining weight. Though he would eat, the food wouldn t stay down. After several weeks my wife took him to the doctor. I expected to hear that this was normal and would pass. But when I got the call to rush to the hospital because they were taking my child into emergency surgery, I was floored. That was when the true test whether or not I actually believed in God s faithfulness hit home. When I got to the hospital and held my son s tiny body in my arms, I couldn t imagine a surgeon cutting into him. I knew that God never promised freedom from sickness or disease, but this was my baby! God had to come through, I thought. I prayed and spread the word. Folks all over the country were praying within a matter of minutes. My son came through the surgery just fine. The experience stretched our faith, but God sustained us. Our faith community stood with us. I m so thankful for how God grows our faith and that He s faithful. Jeff Carter Director of HaDavar Ministries, Irvine, Calif. 3 of 17
Equip Every 6th and 13th lesson, we pause to REMEMBER & CELEBRATE, just as God instructed His people to do. FEAST OF TRUMPETS This feast is the first of the fall feasts. The Jewish people call this feast Rosh Hashanah, which literally means head of the year, as it is observed as the start of the civil year (in contrast with the religious year, which starts with Passover) on the Jewish calendar. This celebration consisted of a time of rest, an offering made by fire, and the blowing of the trumpets. The Feast of Trumpets would occur at the new moon when only the slightest crescent would be visible. Watchfulness was a critical ingredient of this feast. This need for watchfulness and preparedness is echoed throughout the New Testament, specifically in connection with the Lord s second coming. OLD TESTAMENT SIGNIFICANCE Several times a year, the Israelites gathered for a festival. In Leviticus 23, the Lord said to Moses, Speak to the Israelites and say to them: These are my appointed festivals which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. The seven annual festivals are Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of First Fruits, the Feast of Harvest, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths). In addition, the Israelites celebrated the Festival of Jubilee on the 50th year, the year following seven cycles of seven Sabbatical years. They also gathered weekly to celebrate the Sabbath. During these celebrations, the Israelites took time to remember what God had done for His people and to celebrate His goodness. The entire faith community gathered without the burden of work to simply worship and celebrate. They ate, danced, sang, played instruments, prayed, and offered sacrifices to God. NEW TESTAMENT SIGNIFICANCE The Feast of Passover was fulfilled by the death of the Messiah, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was fulfilled by His sinless sacrifice, and the Feast of First Fruits was fulfilled by His resurrection. The Feast of Harvest began with a great harvest of three thousand souls by the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, who continues to harvest souls today. The Feast of Trumpets will announce Christ s return, the Day of Atonement will usher in His judgment of the nations, the Feast of Tabernacles will begin the journey to our new home in a new heaven and earth, and the Feast of Jubilee symbolizes our eternity 4 of 17
in heaven with our Lord and Savior living in perfection, free from the debt of sin. Support What are your stories of God s faithfulness? How has God used the faith community to rally around you in times of need? How has God orchestrated events so that the right help came just when you needed it? When did that much-needed listening ear, exact amount of money, or perfectly-timed event arrive at exactly the right time, in ways you knew could only come from God s faithful hand? Think back on your life and remember these stories. Write them down. Tell them to a trusted family member or friend. Whether we re in times of trial or rejoicing, the stories of God s faithfulness remind us of the way God has shown Himself to be real. He is our strength, the hope of our life, and the One who loves us. As you remember God s faithfulness in your life, praise Him for His love. Praise Him for His mercies that are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22 23). ANTICIPATE 5 10 min. SMALL GROUP SECTION Small Group Leaders Children engage in fun, creative activities designed to pique their curiosity about the day s biblical feast or festival. The Moon God commanded His people to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashanah. Through this fall feast, God s people celebrated His faithfulness. Because the Feast of Trumpets was celebrated when the tiniest sliver of a moon could be seen, Jewish people watched the sky very closely, looking for the crescent moon to appear. Today s 5 of 17
ANTICIPATE celebrates the idea of watching and waiting for the crescent moon by encouraging children to engage with games and activities centered on the cycles of the moon. Option 1: Moon Phases (for Younger Kids) Moon Phase templates Optional: Moon Questions Disposable plates (1 per child) Scissors (1 pair per child) Markers and colored pencils Optional: pebbles, dried pasta (!), sand, crumpled paper, or other items to resemble the "craggy" surface of the moon Optional: glue sticks Optional: dowel (3'-4' long) Optional: string (12"-24" per child) Help children create the phases of the moon by cutting them out of disposable plates. Using the Moon Phase templates, each child can choose to create a crescent moon, half moon, gibbous moon, or full moon (a whole, uncut plate). They can decorate their moons by creating craggy surfaces with pebbles, dried pasta, sand, crumpled paper, etc. Once kids finish their moon phases, arrange them on a table, waxing to waning (crescent to full and back to crescent). If you d like, hang the phases of the moon from strings tied to the dowel, waxing to waning. Once you have the phases of the moon in order, talk with the kids about this. Ask them if they notice that the moon changes from a slim toenail clipping to a full circle. You might also go over the Moon Questions and ask kids which ones they like best. Option 2: Earth and Moon Mobile (for Younger and Older Kids) Optional: Star template Optional: Moon Questions Card stock (1 2 sheets per child) Scissors (1 pair per child) Pens or pencils Markers Foam balls (3 per child, white) Tape 6 of 17
String (24 per child) PREPARE AHEAD Optional: Print the Moon Questions and the Star template. Help each child draw a spiral on a square piece of card stock and cut out the spiral. Meanwhile, draw stars onto card stock (or use the Star template as a guide) and let the kids cut those out too. Also have each child color one foam ball green and blue to create an earth and another foam ball yellow to create the sun. To create the moon, each child can leave a foam ball white or draw craters on it. If you want, have the kids paint one side of the moon black, because that side never sees the sun. Talk about what it might be like to be on the dark side of the moon! Help each child tape a piece of string to his earth, moon, sun, and star(s). Then help him tape the strings to his spiral. Discuss how the moon orbits (circles) the earth and how the earth orbits the sun. You might also go over the Moon Questions and ask the kids which questions they like best. Option 3: Moon Charades (for Older Kids) Moon Questions Optional: stopwatch or timer, tape PREPARE AHEAD Print the Moon Questions. Optional: Cut the sheets in half, and tape each question and answer on the wall (with the question on top of the answer). Group kids into teams of two to four and play a game of Reverse Charades. To play, fold the question and answer sheets so the questions are on top. Have one child in each team pick up a folded sheet, looking only at the question. Have her hold up the paper so the rest of her team can see the answer. Then have her read the question out loud, and let 7 of 17
the rest of the team act out the answer. She must then guess the answer based upon the kids actions. If she guesses correctly, she gets a point. REMEMBER & CELEBRATE 25 40 min. LARGE GROUP SECTION Host/Worship Leader/Storyteller Children pause and look back at what they ve discovered about God during the past several weeks in The Big God Story. For more information on Traditions or any aspect of the lesson please see the How It Works document for Large Group/Small Group in the Resources. Welcome and Traditions Offered twice per quarter, REMEMBER & CELEBRATE lessons invite children and their parents to pause and look back at all they ve discovered about God and the ways they ve experienced Him in the past weeks. Each lesson focuses on a biblical festival and explores the origin of the festival and what it shows us about God. Take this time to remember the awesomeness of our God and celebrate who He is! After everyone gathers as a large group, open with Traditions. During Traditions, you re helping the children work toward a common goal and giving them mementos to celebrate accomplishments such as memorizing the Remember Verse, or inviting friends to church. Once children receive their mementos, have them put the objects in the designated container. Once kids fill the container, hold a celebration. Mementos can be any object, but some examples include rocks, marbles, gumballs, and connecting blocks. Once the children receive their mementos, have them put the objects into a clear container or add them to a structure they re building. If you have multiple services, use separate containers or building stations for each service. Once the kids fill their container or finish their structure, hold a celebration! 8 of 17
Connect Connect gives children time to laugh, play, and enjoy one another s company. Engaging questions, energizing games, and creative activities encourage the members of your community to get to know one another. (For the Connect Question slide, see Resources.) QUESTION What s your favorite thing about fall? Activity: Paper Bag Relay Connect Activity slide Game Actions Paper lunch bags (1 for every 5 10 children) Scissors PREPARE AHEAD Print a copy of the Game Actions for every five to ten kids and cut the actions into strips. (Feel free to add some actions of your own.) Place each set of actions in a bag. Form groups of five to ten kids. Explain that at your signal each group should search through their bag for action one. As a group, they should complete that action, then search for action two. They should continue until they ve completed every action in the bag. The first group to complete all the actions wins! Remember and Play At the Jewish feasts and festivals, the people would eat special foods, see special people, and engage in special dances and ceremonies. It s easy to imagine that the Jewish children might have been so excited about the upcoming festivals that they couldn t sleep for days in anticipation. The feasts and festivals were both fun and meaningful. God s people reveled in how good it was to be together as they remembered what God had done in their lives. During 9 of 17
this time, we will seek to remember in a spirit of fun and celebration making the experience exciting and interesting as well as meaningful, community building, and spiritually forming. Engage the children by playing the game of ZONK! to help them remember what they ve discovered during the past several weeks. For instructions on how to play ZONK! and a list of supplies, see Resources. ZONK! Questions ZONK! Instructions and Supplies ZONK! Question and Answer slides 1) John the Baptist was a man who: a. Ate locusts and honey b. Prepared the way for Jesus ministry c. All of the above d. None of the above ANSWER: C 2) True or False: John baptized Jesus even though he didn t think he should. ANSWER: True. Jesus was sinless, so John didn t think Jesus needed to be baptized! But he did it anyway because Jesus had asked him to. 3) While Martha was busy in the kitchen, her sister, Mary, was: a. Out of town b. Helping her c. Sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to Him like a disciple would d. Walking in circles ANSWER: C 4) Why did Mary sit at Jesus feet and listen to His teaching? a. She knew that He is worthy, and she wanted to follow Him and learn from Him like His disciples. b. Martha told her to sit there. c. She thought Jesus was funny. d. She was just part of the crowd. ANSWER: A 5) Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a. ANSWER: Donkey. Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, which was the fulfillment of a 500-year-old prophecy. 6) When Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, what did it show about Him? a. He really likes animals. b. He didn t have a lot of money for a chariot. c. He is the 10 of 17
King of Kings, who came not to save His people from Roman rule, but to save His people from their sins. d. He forgot His shoes that day. ANSWER: C 7) When Simon Peter got to Jesus tomb, why did he see the stone rolled away and strips of linen lying there? a. The guards had moved Jesus body. b. Jesus was no longer in the tomb because He had risen from the dead! Jesus is alive! c. Peter had gone to the wrong tomb. d. Peter was just dreaming. ANSWER: B. 8) The main character in The Big God Story is. ANSWER: God 9) In the parable of the wise and foolish builders, the foolish man built his house on: a. Bricks b. Sand c. Bread d. Pillows ANSWER: B. The foolish man built his house on sand, which wasn t a firm foundation 10) The wise man built his house on rock. What does the rock represent? a. A loaf of bread b. Being mean to others c. Sculpting a statue d. Obeying God ANSWER: D. Jesus said that when we hear His words and obey them, we build our lives on a firm foundation that can t be shaken. RESPOND 25 35 min. LARGE GROUP SECTION Host/Worship Leader/Storyteller Children gather as a faith community and celebrate who God is and what He has done. They participate in storytelling and connect through fun and engaging worship. The Feast of Trumpets was a giant celebration of God s faithfulness. It was the beginning of a new year and the end of a harvest season. It marked the start of 10 days 11 of 17
for the people of Israel to prepare themselves and repent before the Day of Atonement. The Feast of Trumpets was a yearly feast to remind Israel that God had not forsaken them, that God had kept His covenant to them, that God had led them, and that God had provided for them and forgiven their sins. Even though these people had so often fallen short of God s perfect law, God kept His covenant to them because He is faithful. Remembering My Experience with God Bibles Worship Response and Create/Engage pieces from previous weeks PREPARE AHEAD From the WORSHIP RESPONSE and CREATE/ENGAGE pieces, choose three or so you might want to discuss, and have them available. Talk and pray about this with your team, and choose the pieces that most impacted your group. SETUP Set up the WORSHIP RESPONSE and CREATE/ENGAGE pieces in lesson order around the room. Invite children to look back at how they ve experienced God during the past several lessons. WORSHIP RESPONSE Lesson 1: The God of the universe loves us as His children and calls us His own. How does it make you feel to know nothing can separate you from the love of God? Lesson 2: Jesus is worthy of our devotion and our worship, and He invites us to sit at His feet, learn from Him, and be in relationship with Him. What word did you write on your fabric strip? Why do you love to worship God for being that way? Lesson 3: Jesus is the King of Kings who came to save the world from its sins. What area of your life did you invite Jesus to be King over? How does it feel knowing that 12 of 17
Jesus is King of Kings over everything in the universe? Lesson 4: Since the beginning of The Big God Story, God planned to send a Redeemer, Jesus, to be the sacrifice for our sins. This is the biggest news ever! How has Jesus, God s Redeemer, changed your life or the lives of those you know? Lesson 5: Jesus doesn t just want us to hear His words; He wants us to obey them. But we don t have to do it alone. How does God help us obey Him? CREATE/ENGAGE Lesson 1: You are God s beloved child. How have you seen God show His love to you? Lesson 2: Because of Jesus amazing power and love, we can trust Him to lead us. Tell about a time when you saw Jesus lead you through something in your life when you felt unsure or worried. Lesson 3: The people cried out, Hosanna! Save us! as Jesus entered Jerusalem. He came to be King of Kings, who saved the world from sin. Have you asked Jesus to save you? How does it feel knowing that Jesus came to be our Savior? Lesson 4: During this lesson you played a Bingo game to remind yourself of some really cool parts of The Big God Story. What s your favorite part? Lesson 5: Weather vanes tell us when a bad storm is on the way. In our lives, sometimes we go through storms too. But we don t need to fear them. We can stand firm as we obey God and His words. How can obeying God s words protect us? QUESTIONS ABOUT GOD AS FAITHFUL: What does faithful mean? How can someone be faithful? How has God been faithful to you? Storytelling Optional: Campfire video; sound effects such as crackling fire, crickets, etc.; wood Bibles 13 of 17
PREPARE AHEAD Pick one or two of the storytelling options listed below. Gather stories from your faith community, or invite kids and families to start thinking of stories they may want to share. Storytelling allows members of the community to tell stories about what God has been doing in their hearts at church and at home. You and your kids and parents can share stories in various forms videos, emails, written or spoken stories, etc. As you tell stories, encourage children to be respectful of their friends and leaders by listening quietly while others speak. Also, whether you choose to experience storytelling with high energy or in a more restful way, remember to continue in a spirit of celebration for what God has done in the lives of your kids, leaders, church, and families. Optional: Set up your storytelling time like an experience of telling stories around a campfire. Have kids sit in a giant circle. Be creative with ways to create the sense of being around a campfire by playing the Campfire video or playing sound effects (crackling fire, crickets, etc.), setting out wood, and more. STORYTELLING IDEAS Set up open mics around the room and allow kids to tell their stories. How God answered their prayers How God used the Remember Verse in their lives What God did in their hearts during the last few weeks (such as what they learned about God and how that changed them) How they saw God with their families or outside of church Gather stories from the community. Ask parents for stories about their experiences with God at home with their children Ask parents to email pictures of spiritual experiences with their children (such as a baptism) Take pictures of family church experiences Show a video or picture collage gathered during the last few weeks Interview someone about what he experienced, discovered, or learned about God. Someone who has recently come home from a mission trip A parent who had a God 14 of 17
experience with his child, or a child who experienced God with her family Someone who recently accepted Christ Celebrate by Breaking Bread Food, drinks, plates, utensils, cups, and napkins (!) PREPARE AHEAD Ask parents to bring food or drinks. SET UP Set out the food, drinks, and other supplies. Explain that eating together is one of the ways people celebrate today and one of the ways the Israelites celebrated together during their festivals. You can break bread many ways. Here are some options: Have parents bring food and come to eat with kids either on both Remember & Celebrate weekends or on the last weekend of the quarter. Have a potluck after church. Parents, leaders, and kids can make food and bring it to church and then eat together after the service. Celebrate with Music Worship music (suggestion: Celebrate, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) Construction paper (1 sheet per child) Tape Have children roll their paper into a cone shape. Encourage them to leave a small 15 of 17
opening at the small end of the cone. Tape the paper, so that it stays cone-shaped. Divide the room into four sections. Have everyone put their trumpet to their mouth and make a trumpeting sound. Then, practice having each section of the room take turns using their cone as a trumpet. After a few rounds, turn on worship music and encourage everyone to continue trumpeting as they worship together. Celebration Station Rocks (1 per person) Permanent markers Rocks are a symbol of remembrance in Scripture (for example, Samuel setting up an Ebenezer pile of stones for remembrance). At this station (used only during REMEMBER & CELEBRATE weekends), kids and parents write a word or phrase they want to celebrate (for example, new job, God is faithful, God has a plan for my life, etc.) on the rocks. You can find an image and instructions for building your own Celebration Station in the How It Works resource in the Resources. BLESS 5 min. SMALL GROUP SECTION Small Group Leaders Children are blessed through a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words of encouragement and guidance. 16 of 17
Lesson 7 HomeFront Weekly Bible For this experience, have the small groups gather together. Spend time praying over kids in your small group and think of a short blessing for each child. A blessing can be a phrase such as I pray you have peace ; I pray God blesses you at home, at school, etc., this week ; or I pray God gives you joy. Have children lie down and pretend to sleep. Then, when you say Morning, have children pretend to wake up. Have them stand up and say, Great is your faithfulness! Practice a couple times, then have children do the motions as you read Lamentations 3:22 23: Because of the Lord s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Child s name), God s love for you stretches from the earth all the way up to heaven. His faithfulness to you reaches the sky. HomeFront Weekly is provided as a parent resource with each week s lesson (see Resources) and can be emailed or printed and distributed. This preteaching tool encourages families to spend time in God s Word together before children arrive at church. The best part is that parents are first to introduce their kids to the Bible content they ll hear at church. In this way, the church is supporting families as they spiritually nurture their children. 17 of 17