if i had a hammer2e5c56655e875dafe37d-48a52a64848943a9d3cbdaeb9a4ec05f.r35.… · 9/2/2018 ·...

SUNDAY MORNINGS September 2, 2018, Week 1 Grade: Kinder

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If I Had a Hammer

Bible: If I Had a Hammer (Nehemiah Hears about the Wall) • Nehemiah 1:1–2:9 Bottom Line: Be on the lookout for what needs to be done. Memory Verse: “Work at everything you do with all your heart. Work as if you were working for the Lord.” Colossians 3:23a, NIrV Life App: Initiative—Seeing what needs to be done and doing it Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.

Social: Setting the Tone for the Experience (9:00, 10:15, 11:30) 9:00 & 11:30 What’s Different?

• “Spot the Differences” Activity Page; one for each kid • “Spot the Differences Key” Activity Page; one for each small group • Pencils

10:15 Early Arriver

• LEGO® bricks Bible: Communicating God’s Truth in Engaging Ways (9:15, 10:30, 11:45)

• Bible Presentation in Large Group Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (9:40, 10:55, 12:10) 9:00 & 11:30 SEEING Comes First

• Pipe cleaners; two for each child • “Jobs” cards; one set for each small group • Painter’s or masking tape

10:15 Motions for Memory

• Bibles Prayer (9:50, 11:05, 12:20)

• No supplies needed Dismiss (10:00, 11:15, 12:30)


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If I Had a Hammer Bible: If I Had a Hammer (Nehemiah Hears about the Wall) • Nehemiah 1:1–2:9 Bottom Line: Be on the lookout for what needs to be done. Memory Verse: “Work at everything you do with all your heart. Work as if you were working for the Lord.” Colossians 3:23a, NIrV Life App: Initiative—Seeing what needs to be done and doing it Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.

Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction (Small Groups, 15 minutes) Before kids arrive, take a few moments to pray for them. Ask God to give kids hearts that are willing to do what needs to be done. Pray that kids’ eyes would be open to the tasks around them and that they would be a blessing to others by taking initiative to do those things. 9:00 & 11:30 What’s Different? What You Need: “Spot the Differences” Activity Page, “Spot the Differences Key” Activity Page, pencils What You Do:

• Pass out the Activity Page to each child. • Encourage them to circle the ten differences between the two pictures. • See if you can spot them as well before looking at the Key!

What You Say: “Great job, friends! You had to be on the lookout to find the differences between these two pictures. [Transition] Today we’ll hear about someone from the Bible who was on the lookout too. Let’s go find out what happened.” Lead your group to the Large Group area. 10:15 Early Arriver Idea What You Need: LEGO® bricks, Jenga® blocks, dominos, or Lincoln Logs® What You Do:

• Greet the children as they arrive. • Set out the building items provided and encourage the children to build whatever they choose. • As they’re working, ASK:

o What is one good thing and one not-so-good thing that happened this week? o Have you ever built something? What did you build? Who helped you build it? o What’s your favorite thing to build with?

Lead your group to the Large Group area.


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If I Had a Hammer


Bible: Communicating God’s Truth in Engaging Ways (Large Group, 25 minutes)

GETTING READY 1. Opener/Closer What You Need:

• Host 2. Bible Truth What You Need:

• Historyteller • Bible • Six decorated, gray boxes

3. Worship What You Need:

• Power Praise Team Music and Sound Effects (SFX):

• “At the Top of My Lungs” • “Living Inside Out” • “Sons & Daughters”


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If I Had a Hammer


Bible: Communicating God’s Truth in Engaging Ways (Large Group, 25 minutes) Engage kids’ hearts through a dynamic and interactive Bible Truth, worship, and prayer experience in a Large Group setting. CG: 10 Second Count Down CG: Theme Slide

Host is on stage, welcoming the kids as they enter. Opener HOST: “Hey, hey, friends! It’s another awesome day in The Treehouse, and I’m so glad you’re here! My name is [Host’s name], and today is going to be super fun. Do me a favor. If you like having fun with friends, look at the person sitting beside you, give them a high-five, and say, ‘Let’s do this!’” HOST and KIDS: (High-five someone in the audience.) “Let’s do this!” HOST: “I love it! “Raise your hand if you’ve ever seen some trash on the floor or the ground and you’ve thrown it away. (Pause for response.) “Okay, how about this? How many of you have seen one of your favorite toys or games where it isn’t supposed to be, and you picked it up and put it away? (Pause for response.) “All right, all right. Let’s do one more. How many of you have seen a person sitting alone or playing alone and you went and hung out with them? (Pause for response.) That’s great! See? A lot of you are already taking initiative. “It’s not always easy to see what needs to be done and do it. You might get distracted. You might think, ‘Someone else will do it.’ Or maybe the thing that needs to be done is just plain icky. There are a lot of dirty jobs around you every day—like throwing your dirty clothes in the hamper or clearing your dishes from the table. YOU can take initiative and make them happen. “Right now, I want us to take the initiative to welcome the Power Praise team in here!”

Power Praise team enters as Host joins the audience.


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Worship SFX: “At the Top of My Lungs” SFX: “Living Inside Out” SFX: “Sons & Daughters”

Power Praise Team exits. Historyteller enters. SETTING UP THE BIBLE TRUTH HISTORYTELLER: “Hey, everyone! I’m [Historyteller’s name], and I can’t wait to tell you about a man who knew all about initiative. (Hold up Bible.) His name was Nehemiah. “The first thing you need to know was that Nehemiah had a pretty interesting job. His job was to be the drink tester for the king of Susa. This king had an interesting name: Artaxerxes. We’ll just call him king Art. Is that cool? “So Nehemiah was living in Susa, but that’s not where his family had come from. They were from a town called Jerusalem. But something pretty sad had happened to Jerusalem. “The city had been completely ruined—totally destroyed! Most of the people who lived there had to leave. When our Bible Truth starts, a few of them had been allowed to return to Jerusalem, but the city was in really bad shape.” HANANI VISITS NEHEMIAH STORTYELLER: “One day, Nehemiah’s brother visited him. Nehemiah’s brother had another name you don’t hear a lot nowadays. His name was Hanani. Hanani had come to tell Nehemiah some really bad news.

Walk to the scattered boxes and point.

“The wall that had been built around Jerusalem had been completely torn down, and its gates had been burned by fire. In other words, the wall that kept them safe was not a wall anymore.

Nudge a box toward the center of the stage. “That meant that ANYONE at ANY TIME could come into Jerusalem and hurt the people who were there building the temple. “Hanani told Nehemiah that the people were ashamed. That means they were deeply embarrassed. They were having a very hard time, because the wall that was supposed to keep them safe was broken. NEHEMIAH HAS A PLAN HISTORYTELLER: “Nehemiah was so sad to hear this about the people in his family’s hometown. The Bible says he cried for days. He couldn’t even eat. Then he prayed to God. “Listen to what Nehemiah said to God.


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Open the Bible to Nehemiah 1:5, 11 and read. “LORD, you are the God of heaven. You are a great and wonderful God. . . . Lord, please pay careful attention to my prayer. Listen to the prayers of all of us. We take delight in bringing honor to your name. Give me success today when I bring my request to King Artaxerxes, (NIrV).

Walk to the box you kicked and pick it up. “Nehemiah knew SOMETHING had to be done. So he took initiative. He decided to do something about it.”

Place the box center stage.

NEHEMIAH APPROACHES THE KING HISTORYTELLER: “Nehemiah decided to ask King Art if he could go to Jerusalem. When Nehemiah went to the king, the king could tell that Nehemiah was sad. And Nehemiah had never been sad in front of King Art before.

Pick up another box and place it beside the first box. “The king asked Nehemiah if he was sick. Nehemiah was really afraid, but he told the king why he looked so sad.

Pick up another box and place it beside the second box. (You should have three in a row now.)

“Nehemiah told him the terrible story about the city’s wall. Nehemiah said: If it pleases you . . . Let me go to the city of Jerusalem. . . . I want to rebuild it (Nehemiah 2:4, NIrV).

Pick up another box and place it on top of the first one.

“Nehemiah also asked King Art for letters that would help him get to Jerusalem safely.

Pick up another box and place it on top of the second one. “AND he asked King Art for logs to build the wall. Nehemiah must have really trusted God to answer his prayer!”

Pick up another box and hold onto it. WRAPPING UP THE BIBLE TRUTH HISTORYTELLER: “What do you think King Art said? If you think he said no, hold up a thumbs-down. If you think he said yes, hold up a thumbs-up. (Pause for everyone to respond.) “Well . . .

Place the last box on top of the third box, completing a mini-wall.


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“King Art said yes! He even ordered army officers and men riding horses to travel with Nehemiah to keep him safe. “Nehemiah was someone who took initiative in a HUGE way. He saw what needed to be done and he did it. He heard about the broken-down walls of Jerusalem, and he was brave enough to ask the king to let him go help. (Point to the mini-wall.) At this point he hadn’t built anything yet. BUT he could see that rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was what God wanted him to do. We’ll see in the next few weeks if he was able to do it! “So, what does that mean for us? CG: Bottom Line Slide “Just like Nehemiah, we need to [Bottom Line] be on the lookout for what needs to be done. “We need to keep our eyes open so we can see what needs to be done—at home, in our neighborhoods, or at school. Then we can decide to do something about it! “Let’s pray together.” CG: Blank Bottom Line Slide Pray HISTORYTELLER: “God, Nehemiah’s life story is pretty amazing. He was scared to take initiative, but he did it anyway. He prayed and trusted You to help him. We pray that You would make us more like him. Please help us to be on the lookout for what needs to be done, and please give us the courage to do it. We love you and we pray in Jesus’ name, amen.” “If you have an offering with you today, raise your hand and we will bring the bucket over to you.”

Historyteller exits as Host enters.

Closer HOST: “If you think about it, it must have been really tough for Nehemiah to go to the king the way he did. He was afraid to ask the king for such a BIG favor. But he knew that it wasn’t okay for Jerusalem to be in ruins; he knew that God wanted him to rebuild it. He [Basic Truth] made the wise choice and asked the king to let him help, because he trusted God. “God can give YOU the courage you need to do what needs to be done—just like He did for Nehemiah. You can look and listen for things that need to be done. You can think of ways you can help. And you can ask God to help you. CG: Bottom Line Slide [Bottom Line] “Be on the lookout for what needs to be done. “You might not be building any city walls anytime soon, but you can take initiative ANYWHERE. You can help your parents with the laundry. You can clear your dishes after meals. You can pick up trash


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when you see it and throw it away. You can [Bottom Line] be on the lookout for what needs to be done. “You’ll talk some more in Small Group about how YOU can take initiative. Have fun!”

Dismiss children to their Small Groups. CG: Small Group Slide


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If I Had a Hammer


Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (10 minutes) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible Truth applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. 9:00 & 11:30 SEEING Comes First What You Need: Pipe cleaners, “Jobs” Activity Pages, painter’s tape What You Do:

• Use the tape to tape the “Jobs” Activity Pages to the wall in your Small Group space while leaving as much space as possible between the pictures.

• If you do not have the wall space, place the pages on the floor around your Small Group area. • Show the kids how to use each pipe cleaner to form the lens and earpiece of a pair of

eyeglasses. • Use one pipe cleaner for the left lens and earpiece and the other for the right lens and earpiece

and then twist together in the center (where the glasses rest on the bridge of the nose). • Once finished, encourage the kids to put on their special glasses. • Walk as a group to the first “JOB” picture. • Let kids identify the job that needs to be done and then pantomime how they would complete

that job. • Repeat with the remaining jobs around your small group area.

What You Say: “Remember, initiative is SEEING what needs to be done and doing it. Seeing comes FIRST. Even though the glasses make it more fun, you don’t actually NEED special glasses to see what needs to be done. When you see a job like this that needs to be done, just get busy! Let’s remember to [Bottom Line] be on the lookout for what needs to be done this week.”


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10:15 Motions for Memory What You Need: Bibles What You Do:

• Use the navigation tips below to look up Colossians 3:23a as a group. Finding verses with kindergartners: Guide children to open the Bibles to the marked page. Point to the word Colossians at the top of the page as you say “Colossians” aloud. Then guide children to find the big number 3 on the page. Explain that this is the chapter number. Finally, guide them to look under the big 3 for the little 23; this is the verse number. Tell them to leave their finger on the verse as you read the verse aloud. Then lead everyone to say the verse together.

• Read the verse aloud several times together. • Teach the following motions to the kids to help them learn the verse from memory. (These

motions were designed specifically for the NIrV; adjust as necessary to fit your preferred translation of the verse.)

o Work – tap fists together o At everything you do – motion out in a semi-circle with arms o With all your heart – place both hands over your heart o Work – tap fists together o As if you – point to self o Were working – tap fists together o For the Lord – point up. o Colossians 3:23a – open hands like a book

• Repeat several times with motions. What You Say: “When it comes to showing initiative, we need to work at everything we do with all our hearts. We need to give the task in front of us our full attention and know that God sees it when we choose to do a job well! Remember this week to [Bottom Line] be on the lookout for what needs to be done.”


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All Service Times Pray and Dismiss (10 minutes) What You Need: 9:00 & 11:30 Only Pipe cleaner glasses from earlier activity What You Do:

• Encourage the kids to put on the glasses they made. (9:00 & 11:30 Only) • Let the kids take turns naming some jobs that typically need to be done at home or at school. • Close in prayer, with their glasses on and eyes open, asking God to help them be on the lookout

this week for the things that need to be done. What You Say: “Dear God, we know we can talk to You anytime, anywhere, and that our eyes don’t even have to be closed! Help us to keep our eyes open this week so we can [Bottom Line] be on the lookout for what needs to be done. And when we see a job in front of us, help us to get busy right away. Thanks for giving us arms and legs and hands and feet and eyes and ears to see what needs to be done so we can get busy doing it! In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.” As adults arrive to pick up, encourage the kids to show off their pipe cleaner glasses and talk about what it means to [Bottom Line] be on the lookout for what needs to be done this week.

What to Do:Print one for each kid.

©2018 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved.September 2018, Week 1, Small Group K-1

Spot the Differences

There are 10 di�erences between these two pictures. See if you can spot them all! Circle them when you find them.

What to Do:Print one for each small group leader.


Spot the Differences Key

There are 10 di�erences between these two pictures. See if you can spot them all! Circle them when you find them.

What to Do:Make one set of pictures (four total) for each small group.


Jobs 1/4



Jobs 2/4



Jobs 3/4



Jobs 4/4

if i had a hammer2e5c56655e875dafe37d-48a52a64848943a9d3cbdaeb9a4ec05f.r35.… · 9/2/2018 ·...

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