Lesson 7 God Is Faithful Based on: Genesis 27:41 28:17; 32 33 Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 TruStory CRE: 1st 2nd Grade Lesson Prepared by Bill Stahler Tru Sun, Wedgwood Baptist Chuch
2 Leader Preparation Each week you'll find a list of resources along with encouraging articles that help you prepare your heart to present the lesson. Further Resources A Small Group Enhancement is available for this lesson. A Storytelling video is available for this lesson. Download the following resources to help you plan and lead TruStory lessons: Customizable copy of Lesson 7 2016 17 Scope and Sequence TruStory How It Works document HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 7 is provided for this lesson. The weekly for the next lesson to be sent home for preteaching by parents is found in BLESS. If you have questions about Tru curriculum or are looking for great training, blogs, and other support resources, visit truministry.com. (!) Allergy Alert When you see a (!) listed next to a resource or activity, note that potential allergens are suggested that may affect children with particular sensitivities. Please check with parents before their children participate. Inspire Shares personal stories from fellow ministry leaders about how God has worked in their lives My dad is an attorney and a natural fighter with an ability to wiggle his way out of sticky
3 situations. In the past, when he got himself into trouble because of his fiery personality, my dad charmed his way out of it or, at least, escaped. However, all along he has loved God. My dad has always awakened before the sun to pray and underline the pages of his Bible over and over until they tear. He has approached his relationship with God with the same energy and determination he applies to everything else in his life. Though many people might say my dad has a difficult personality, God has changed him over time. I used to avoid confrontation with him because he always won any argument out of sheer force. Now I don't hesitate to speak with him about anything. My dad responds with grace and humility traits he wouldn't have without God in his life. God faithfully travelled with my dad on his journey and lovingly formed him to be more like Him. God continues to be faithful to finish the work He began in my dad, and He will be faithful to walk with me and with you. Tori Funkhouser TruStory Team Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson's Bible passage God's faithfulness in Jacob's life didn't always take the form we might expect. In Genesis 32:26 28, Jacob wrestled with God all night. God took on the form of a man, and Jacob struggled and struggled until the man asked Jacob to let him go. Jacob refused, saying he wouldn't let go until the man blessed him. Then the man asked his name, and after Jacob responded, the man changed Jacob's name to Israel. Why did God ask for Jacob's name right after Jacob said he wouldn't let God go until He blessed him? Some biblical scholars suggest this question parallels the one his father Isaac asked him many years before. When Isaac asked Jacob for his name, he said, "I am Esau." Then he used his brother's name to steal the blessing. In today's passage, God came to redeem Jacob of what his name symbolized. (Remember, Jacob means "deceiver.") Obviously, God knew Jacob's name. Perhaps God asked him for his name because He wanted to know if Jacob knew it. When Jacob answered, "My name is Jacob," he acknowledged his true self.
4 After many years of running away, Jacob finally faced his sins, repented, and was changed by God. God even changed Jacob's name to Israel, which means "one who strives with God." God's plan for Jacob's life was greater than Jacob could imagine. God prevailed in Jacob's life, blessed him, and made him into a great nation. God is faithful to complete what He begins. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God's Word It seems like just about every major character in the Bible has had a "desert experience" a time when God worked through trying circumstances to form and shape him into the kind of person He wanted him to be. Moses had his 40 years in the desert. Joseph was sold into slavery and spent time in jail. David spent his time in the wilderness being chased by Saul. Even Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan. Jacob also had his time of testing and trials. He was gone from his home for 20 years all the while being deceived by his uncle Laban. God eventually blessed him and brought him home, but that time away served to mature and grow him into the person God wanted him to be. Think back over your life and what sorts of desert experiences you have gone through. What have been the most significant times when God has used life experiences to really get your attention? What was God teaching you through these times? How has God shown Himself to be faithful? As you prepare this week to serve God and serve the children you will lead, meditate on how God has been faithful in your life. Then let this gratitude for God's goodness flow over into the lesson you will teach.
5 10 minutes CONNECT Children develop relationships with their leaders and one another through simple activities and conversation starters. Choose and Share Supplies -Pick up sticks game (1 stick per child) -Box or dark bag -Optional: paper (1 sheet of each: blue, green, yellow, red), scissors After Jacob left home, he found himself alone as he traveled. But he wasn't alone for long, because God came to Him. Today, invite your kids to share a bit about what they like to do when they're alone. Set Up Separate the pick up sticks by color and put one of the colors aside. Put the rest of the sticks in the box or bag. Take one stick from the color set aside and also put it in the box. You'll want one stick to be a color that's different from every other stick in the box. Optional: Instead of using sticks, cut the paper into strips about an inch wide. Place all the strips of three colors in the box. For the fourth color, place only one strip in the box. You will need one strip per child. Relate CONNECT QUESTION: Welcome and greet children. Open your time by asking this question: If you could choose one person to hang out with for an entire week, whom would you choose and why? Have the children sit in a circle. Pass around the box or bag of sticks (or paper strips) and have each child choose one without looking. The child who chooses the one differently colored stick
6 will share with the group what she likes to do when she's by herself read, draw, play video games, etc. Then have kids put their sticks back into the box and pass it around to play again. Keep playing as long as time permits.
7 30 minutes GATHER Children experience and learn more about God through memorizing Scripture, storytelling from The Big God Story, prayer, and discussion. Remember Verse Supplies -Lessons 6 9 Remember Verse Image: Phil 1:6 TruStory Year 1 Fall Each week children will spend time memorizing a portion of Scripture together. The Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that's highlighted in today's portion of The Big God Story. Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesu. Philippians 1:6 Game: Remember Verse Stairway Supplies -Construction paper (3 or 4 sheets, any color) -Marker -Tape Prepare Ahead Cut each sheet of construction paper into three or four strips. Write different parts of the Remember Verse and the verse reference on the strips of construction paper with printing large enough to be read from a distance. Set Up
8 Tape all of the Remember Verse parts to the wall so they're stair-stepped like a stairway. Relate Gather your kids and point to each "step" on the Remember Verse stairway, guiding everyone to read the verse together. Go through the verse a few times. Then, remove a step of the verse and have the children repeat the entire verse. When the students finish reciting the verse, remove another step and have the kids repeat it again. Continue until children are able to recite the entire verse without any help. Storytelling Supplies -Bibles -Stackable blocks (about 10) -Lesson 7 Investigate TruStory 1st 6th CRE Year 1 Fall Bible Passage: Genesis 27:41 28:17; 32 33 Storytelling Technique: Actions and Objects God Is Faithful Optional Storytelling Video Relate Have any of you ever gotten into a fight with your brother and sister or a friend and had to say, "I'm sorry"? Allow responses. Why is "sorry" sometimes hard to say? Allow responses. A couple of weeks ago in The Big God Story we heard about twin brothers who didn't get along. What were their names? Allow responses. Yes, Jacob and Esau. Let's pray and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us through The Big God Story today. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. You may remember that before Jacob and Esau were born, God told their parents, Isaac and Rebekah, that Jacob, the younger brother, would receive the blessing the special honor that belonged to Esau as the firstborn son. Instead of
9 trusting God's timing, Jacob and his mother tricked Esau out of his blessing. How did Esau feel about that? Allow responses. Esau was angry so angry he wanted to kill his brother! So Jacob fled to his uncle's home. But God never left Jacob. God was faithful to Jacob and knew Jacob was part of the promise God had made to Abraham to bless the whole world through his family. What does faithful mean? Allow responses. It means doing what you say you will do. God is always faithful, and we can trust Him. One night, while Jacob was traveling, God gave him a dream. In the dream, Jacob saw a stairway to heaven with angels on it. At the top of the stairway was God Himself. Choose a child or two to quickly build a stairway out of blocks. Instruct them to put four blocks on the bottom, then three blocks on top of that, then two blocks, and then one block, aligning the blocks along one edge to resemble a stairwa. In the dream, God reminded Jacob of who He was and the covenant He'd made with Jacob's grandfather, Abraham. Have the kids open their Bibles to Genesis 28 and follow along as you read verses 13 15 aloud. God knew everything about Jacob and told Jacob what He planned to do through Jacob's life. Through this amazing experience, Jacob came to know God and recognized that God had been with him all along even when he hadn't realized it! God is faithful. To remember this, Jacob took a stone and created an altar to the Lord. He called the place "Bethel," and it remained a special place to Jacob throughout his life. After Jacob arrived at his uncle's house, Jacob worked for his uncle for 20 years. There he got married, raised a family, and made a home for himself. One day, God called Jacob to return to his homeland. So Jacob packed up his family and headed home. He knew he would see his brother Esau on the way. How do you think Jacob felt knowing he would see his brother? Allow responses. Yes. He probably felt a little nervous, even scared. Have kids make a nervous face. It had been many years since Jacob had seen his brother, and Esau had been very angry when Jacob left. Jacob sent messengers to Esau to tell him he was coming. When the messengers returned to Jacob, they told him Esau was coming and bringing 400 men with him! Jacob became even more afraid. Have kids make a scared face. He divided up his people and flocks of animals, hoping some would be saved if his brother attacked them. Then Jacob prayed and asked God to protect him. Jacob knew God and had witnessed His faithfulness in his life. He knew God would take care of him. Jacob also sent ahead many gifts to Esau hoping he would accept them and be glad to see
10 Jacob. That night, something strange happened. Jacob didn't sleep because he spent the entire night wrestling with God! God took the form of a man and wrestled Jacob. The man touched Jacob's hip and it came out of its socket! The wrestling continued until the morning. Read Genesis 32:26 29 while the kids follow along. After their wrestling match, God gave Jacob a new name: Israel. Israel means "one who strives with God." God knew Jacob, and Jacob was learning to know God more. He had put his trust in the Lord and was choosing to listen to God and follow Him with his life. The next morning, Jacob went to meet Esau. What do you think Esau did or said to Jacob? Allow responses. Invite two volunteers to be Jacob and Esau and act out what they think might have happened when they met. Good thoughts. Read Genesis 33:4 to your group Wow! Can you believe these were the same two brothers who never got along and hadn't seen each other in 20 years after Jacob took Esau's blessing? Jacob made mistakes in his life. Though God had promised that the blessing would go to the younger brother, Jacob chose to make his own plan and steal the blessing rather than wait for God's timing. But God never gave up on him. God had even changed Esau too. God was faithful to continue working in these brothers and also showed Himself to be faithful to His promises. Knowing God and having a relationship with Him changed Jacob forever, and God can do the same for us. He is the faithful God who knows everything about us and still wants a relationship with us, even when we make mistakes. He will never leave us or give up on us. He is faithful, and we can trust Him more and more each day. Share about a time you saw God's faithfulness in your own life. Discussion Questions - What did Jacob see in his dream? Genesis 28:12 13 - Why was Jacob never alone? Genesis 28:15 - What does faithful mean? - How was God faithful to Jacob in his life?
11 15 minutes RESPOND Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond to God through creative activities and games. God Is Faithful, So Supplies -Butcher paper (9') -Scissors -Markers -Tape -"Remain," TruWorship Sincerely Yours God was faithful to watch over Jacob throughout his life. Even when Jacob saw nobody else around, God was always with him. Invite your children to spend some time reflecting on God's faithfulness in their own lives. Prepare Ahead Cut the butcher paper into three sections, each about three feet long. On each section write one of the following phrases: "God is faithful to give me what I need, so I can ", "God is faithful to hear my prayers, so I want to ", and "God is faithful to watch over me, so I can " Set Up Tape the sections of butcher paper to the walls around the room. Place several markers underneath each section. Relate God knew Jacob and revealed Himself to him. Just like God knew Jacob, God
12 knows us too, and He reveals Himself to us. In what ways has God helped you to know Him better? Allow responses. Read aloud the three different "God is faithful, so " statements written on the three sections of butcher paper. As you go through each statement, give your class a few moments to consider how they would respond to each statement. You may also want to offer example statements, such as "God is faithful to watch over me, so I can go to sleep without being afraid." Then encourage the children to visit the three statements and draw or write their response to each one. As they respond, play "Remain." Leave the posters in your room to remind everyone of God's faithfulness. The children may even want to add to the posters in the coming weeks. (Optional) Hopscotch Supplies -Masking tape or sidewalk chalk -Beanbags or small, flat stones (1 per child) When Jacob was alone in the desert, he dreamed about a giant stairway going up to heaven. Today, lead your kids in a game of hopscotch during which each child gets to hop through a stairway on the ground. Set Up Create a hopscotch grid on the ground. If you're playing inside, use masking tape; if you're outside, use sidewalk chalk. Number each box one through 10. Relate Have kids line up behind the hopscotch grid. The first child will throw her beanbag or stone onto the hopscotch grid, aiming for a square. Then she will hop on her feet through the grid, skipping the square where her beanbag or stone landed. Make sure kids know they can only have one foot in each square as they hop. When a child gets to the end of the grid he will turn around and hop back to the starting line, picking up his beanbag or stone before he finishes. Then it will be the next child's turn. Continue until each child gets a turn. Developmentally Speaking First and second graders are full of energy but are often clumsy due to growth spurts and lack of
13 coordination. Hopscotch is a good game to help develop balance and coordination. If a child messes up and becomes frustrated with herself, encourage her to try again.
14 5 minutes BLESS Supplies -Bible -Lessons 6 9 Remember Verse Cards: Phil 1:6 TruStory Year 1 Fall -Lesson 8 HomeFront Weekly TruStory Year 1 Fall Children receive a blessing from their leaders and sometimes one another. A blessing may be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. Relate Before you dismiss your children today, lead them in a time of blessing by reading Psalm 121:7 8: The LORD will keep you from all harm he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Now have the children stand together in a circle as leaders go to each child individually, asking each one about something important coming up this week. It could be a test at school or a soccer game. Once kids share, have leaders bless each child, specifically addressing what's coming up this week. Then bless your group with the following words: May you see God's faithfulness in your life. May you praise Him for His goodness and love. Send home Remember Verse cards and the HomeFront Weekly with your kids.
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