January 8th, 2017

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Play time as the children arrive – please make sure every child has a nametag assuring that their parents

have checked them in. You may want to have praise music on and open the

morning by learning a new song together.

Bible Concept: 12 Spies go to Canaan and the wall of Jericho Scripture: Numbers 13; Joshua 5:13-6:27

Story-telling Method:

Interactive story-telling with

pictures and building blocks

Trumpet

Please pick up snack on the shelf in the CM office

January 8th, 2017

12 Spies go to Canaan + the Wall of Jericho

Numbers 13; Joshua 5:13-6:27

January 8th, 2017

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12 Spies go to Canaan & The Wall of Jericho

Items Needed: pictures of grapes, fig + pomegranate, milk + honey, toy insect, building blocks

Learning Objective: God keeps his promises!

Lesson Time: To begin today’s lesson, get the children settled using this rhyme to help:

Stamp, stamp, stamp. Clap, clap, clap. Fold your hands and Put them in your lap.

Intro

Friends, I’m so glad we can learn and play together. Right now, let’s pray and ask God to help us quiet our minds and hearts so we can hear what He wants to teach us. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds.

God’s people lived in Egypt as slaves for many years. He did mighty and incredible things to bring them out of Egypt. God promised His people that He had a wonderful new home for them, called the Promised Land, where they would be free to worship Him. They traveled to this Promised Land. But God’s people didn’t know what this land was like. So they decided to send in 12 men as spies to find out about this new land.

When the 12 men returned, they brought back signs of all the amazing things they found. I have a few things with me that can help us picture what they brought back. First, the spies brought back clusters of grapes so big they had to be tied to poles and carried by more than one person. Begin by passing the grapes to the child to your right. Interact by asking questions and listening to observations as the children look at the items. They brought back other fruit called pomegranates and figs. Pass these fruits to your left; continue to alternate which direction things are passed. If you don’t have the actual fruit, describe how special pomegranates and figs are.

The men also said the land was flowing with milk and honey. Pass around the pictures. Allow time to interact with the items before continuing. Collect the items and place them behind you when everyone has seen them.

Their new home had everything they needed, just like God promised! But the spies also told about the people who were already living in the land. The spies said there were giant people who lived in cities with giant walls. These people were so big the spies felt as small as grasshoppers compared to them. Hold the toy insect. Ask a child to stand and compare his size to the toy. This made God’s people very afraid.

Only two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, trusted God and still wanted to go into the Promised Land. Caleb and Joshua knew that if God was with them, it didn’t matter how big or strong anyone else was.

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Even when God’s people are slow to trust Him, God always loves them and keeps His promises to them. Eventually God used Joshua to lead His people into the Promised Land.

One of the cities in the land was called Jericho. Jericho had a huge wall around it. Stack up blocks to make a wall. How were Joshua and the people going to get into the city? God had a plan. God told Joshua to have the people march around the city. He didn’t say hit the wall or break down the gates; God told them to just walk around the wall of the city. The people walked around the city once a day for six days. Then on the seventh day, God instructed them to walk around the city seven times. When they heard a long blast on the trumpets, they were to all give a loud shout and watch the wall of the city fall apart. The people trusted God and did as He said.

They marched around the city just as God commanded. When the priests sounded the trumpets, Joshua instructed, “Shout!” (Joshua 6:16). The people shouted and the wall fell down! Knock over the blocks (or have kids knock them over). The giant wall just crumbled to the ground. God did everything He promised. He brought the people to their new home, and He was with them every step of the way. God always keeps His promises. That’s who God is, and He will never change. No matter what we do or don’t do, God loves us and will keep His promises to us. We can trust Him to be with us and to give us what we need.

Today in The Big God Story, we heard that God is a promise keeper. And we saw how He kept all His promises to His people as He led them into the new land. I wonder … What did God’s people think when the walls of Jericho fell down? I wonder … How does it feel to know God will always keep His promises? I wonder … What are some promises God has made to me?

Music Time:

Repeat the chorus to help the children remember.

Craft:

Trumpet out of construction paper – kids can decorate the trumpet with ribbons, stickers, etc. and then roll it up and staple the sides to make the trumpet – give each child a label that says “God keep His promises – Joshua 6”