primary leader/teacher guide · carole smith, chesapeake conference, ... samuel speaks for god ......

Primary Leader/Teacher Guide www.gracelink.netA Sabbath School Resource for Leaders/Teachers of Primary ChildrenGraceLink Sabbath School Curriculum

Year B, First Quarter

EDITOR Falvo FowlerASSOCIATE EDITOR Faith A. HunterWORLD SABBATH SCHOOL DIRECTORS Duane McKey, Ramon CanalsGENERAL CONFERENCE ADVISOR Ted N. C. WilsonCONSULTING EDITOR Artur SteleCOPY EDITOR Ida CavilILLUSTRATOR Kim JustinenELECTRONIC MAKEUP Tonya BallSUBSCRIBER SERVICES Rebecca Hilde

A Publication of the Sabbath School and Personal Ministries DepartmentGeneral Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists®

12501 Old Columbia PikeSilver Spring, MD 20904-6600, U.S.A.

Unless otherwise noted, Bible texts are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scriptures credited to ICB are from the International Children’s Bible, New Century Version, copyright © 1986, 1988 by Word Publishing, Dallas, Texas 75039. Used by permission.

Texts credited to NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Bible texts credited to RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971, by Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by per-mission.

Primary Sabbath School Leader/Teacher Guide (USPS 015-569). Vol. 83, No. 1, First Quarter 2017. Published for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists® by the Pacific Press® Publishing Association, 1350 N. Kings Road, Nampa, ID 83687, U.S.A. Text copyrighted © 2016 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®. All rights reserved. No part of the Primary Sabbath School Leader/Teacher Guide may be edited, altered, modified, adapted, translated, reproduced, or published by any person or entity without prior written authorization from the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®. The division offices of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists® are authorized to arrange for translation of the Primary Sabbath School Leader/Teacher Guide, under specific guidelines. Copyright of such translations and their publication shall remain with the General Conference. “Seventh-day Adventist,” “Adventist,” and the flame logo are registered trademarks of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists® and may not be used without prior authorization from the General Conference. Art copyrighted © 2003 by Pacific Press® Publishing Association. Periodical postage paid at Nampa, Idaho, U.S.A.: single copy, US$9.79; one year, US$24.72; One year subscription to countries outside U.S.A., US$31.72. Prices subject to change without notice.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Primary Leader/Teacher Guide, Pacific Press® Publishing Association, 1350 North Kings Road, Nampa, ID 83687-3193, U.S.A.

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www.gracelink.net/primary 1

The Writers (at the time of writing)

Emmanuel O. Abbey, North Ghana Mission in West Africa.Audrey Boyle Andersson, Yxe, Sweden.Hilary Baatjies, South Africa.Carlyle Bayne, Abijan, Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa.Jackie Bishop, Rocky Mountain Conference, Denver, Colorado.Iryna Bolotnikov, Zaoksky Theological Seminary, Tula Region, Russia.DeeAnn Bragaw, Colorado.Linda Porter Carlyle, Medford, Oregon.Verna Chuah, Chinese Union Mission in Hong Kong.Sarah Coleman Kelnhofer, Andrews University.May-Ellen Colon, General Conference.James Dittes, Tennessee.René Alexenko Evans, Tennessee.Douglas Hosking, Quebec, Canada.

Patricia Humphrey, Texas.Nancy Beck Irland, Oregon.Noelene Johnsson, North American Division.Birthe Kendel, Trans-European Division, England.Barbara Manspeaker, Maryland.Vikki Montgomery, Maryland.Edwina Neely, Maryland.Lydia Neikours, Euro-Asia Division, Russia.Rebecca Gibbs O’Ffill, Maryland.Carole Smith, Chesapeake Conference, Maryland.Aileen Andres Sox, Pacific Press® Publishing Association, Nampa, Idaho.Miriam Tumangday, Southern-Asia Pacific Division.Denise Valenzuela, Columbia Union Conference, Maryland.Eileen Dahl Vermeer, Ontario, Canada.June Zeeman, South Africa.

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Contents

SERVICE: God calls us to serve others.

1. The First Skyscraper (January 7) ...........................................................................................10

2. A Long, Long Walk (January 14) ..........................................................................................20

3. Abram to the Rescue (January 21) .......................................................................................30

4. Heavenly Visitors (January 28) ..............................................................................................40

GRACE: God’s grace is good news for us.

5. Samuel Speaks for God (February 4) ..................................................................................50

6. God Wins! (February 11) .........................................................................................................60

7. The Lion and the Bear (February 18) .................................................................................70

8. God Wins Again! (February 25) .............................................................................................80

WORSHIP: Worship makes us joyful every day.

9. The Rock and the Sand (March 4) ........................................................................................90

10. Dead or Alive? (March 11)................................................................................................... 100

11. Where Are the Nine? (March 18) ....................................................................................... 110

12. The Bright Light (March 25) ................................................................................................ 120


Bible Study Guide Overview

Lessons nine through twelve focus on how worship makes us joyful every day.• We are joyful when we build our lives on Jesus.• We worship a God who gives eternal life.• We worship God when we are thankful.• Worship is rejoicing in God’s presence.

Lessons one through four are about God calling us to serve others.• God wants us to help people. • We listen when God calls us.• We serve others because we love God.• God wants me to speak out for others.

Lessons five through eight tell us about God’s great love for us.• God is glad He made us His children.• God rescues us from Satan.• We can’t save ourselves; Jesus saves us.• When God wins, we win.

God’s grace. Grace is a word that helps explain God’s love in action toward people who don’t deserve it.

• Grace is God’s love providing Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for our sins.

• Grace is God’s love encouraging us to accept that sacrifice.

• Grace is God’s love inspiring us to respond in praise and worship.

• Grace is God’s love giving us the wisdom and strength to treat one another with love and respect, just the way He treats us.

So God’s grace is power. It’s the unlimited, for-sure, forever power that finds you and fills you up with everything you need to live

a full and wonderful life in Him.


To the leaders/teachers,

These guides were developed to:

A. Introduce the lesson on Sab-bath, inspiring students to study that same lesson throughout the following week.

B. Focus the entire Sabbath School time on one message, one point about God’s grace, the response of worship we make to that grace, or how that grace empowers our loving relationships with one another and our service to a world God’s love created and sustains.

The Bible

Lesson lets you teach the students

the content in a way that involves them. This section

appeals to the analytical learners, who ask the question, “What

do I need to learn?”

Applying the Lesson gives the students a chance to explore how the lesson can be applied in a practical way in their daily lives. This section appeals to commonsense learners, who ask, “How does it

work in my life?”

Sharing the Lesson gives

the students a chance to develop ways that they

can teach their new concept to others. This section appeals

to dynamic learners, who ask, “What can this become? What can

I do to share this idea with others?”

The ReadinessActivities give the students a reason to want to learn the lesson. This sec-tion appeals to imaginative learners, who ask, “Why should I learn this?”

The Prayer and Praise section is the time-honored “business”

of Sabbath School and may be used at any point during the lesson;

however, it is recommended that you begin with Readiness

Activities, even while some students are

still arriving.

1

2

3

4

C. Give students active learning experiences so they can more readily internalize the truths being presented. These experiences are followed by debriefing sessions in which you ask questions that lead the students to reflect on what they experience, inter-pret the experience, and apply that information to their lives.

D. Reach each student in the way he or she learns best. By following the natural learning sequence on which these lesson outlines were based, you will also connect students with “the message” for the week in a way that will capture each one’s attention and imagination.


E. Involve the adult Sabbath School staff in new and flexible ways. A very small Sabbath School can be man-aged by one adult.

A larger Sabbath School can be managed by one leader/ teacher with other adult volun-teers to facilitate the small group interaction. This gives small group

facilitators a maximum involvement with the students and their dynamic learning while requiring a minimum of preparation on the facilitator’s part.

A creative alternative is to enlist leaders/teachers with different personal learning styles to lead different segments of the program.

(For more detailed information about the natural learning sequence, the learn-ing styles, and other dynamics of teach-ing and learning, contact your conference Sabbath School or Children’s Ministries director.)

To use this guide . . . Try to follow the natural learning sequence outlined, but adapt activities as neces-

sary to make the program work in your particular situation.Look ahead at the Program Overview for each week so you can be prepared with

the simple materials suggested.

Always have available regularly used supplies such as:

• aluminum foil• art supplies (glue sticks, fabric glue,

glitter sticks, craft sticks, etc.)• bags (paper, plastic, sealable plastic;

large and small)• balloons• baskets, bowls, jars for collecting

offering• beanbags• Bibles• blindfolds• boxes, large and small• cassette tape and/or CD player• chalkboard or dry erase board• cotton balls or fiberfill• costumes (Bible-times: robes, head

dress, sandals, rope or heavy yarn, large T-shirts)

• cups (disposable, paper/plastic/Styrofoam)

• electrical extension cord• flashlight• gifts (small, inexpensive)• hole punch• index cards

• Jesus stickers and pictures• magazines and catalogs (old—for cut-

ting)• magnets• nature specimens• paper clips (steel)• paper plates, large and small• papers, large and small (newsprint,

rolls of brown paper, posterboard, construction paper [various colors], lined and unlined)

• pencils, pens, markers, crayons, col-ored pencils

• ribbon• rhythm instruments• rubber bands• scissors• self-stick notes (Post-it notes)• stapler and staples• stickers• string • tape (masking, cellophane, double-

stick)• yarn (several colors)


Lesson 1• 12 paper “bricks”• measuring stick or tape measure• paper or Styrofoam cups and/or bowls• empty tissue or shoe boxes

Lesson 2• eight paper footprints• trash bags

Lesson 3• objects (see Readiness Activity B)• copy of scenario for each group• tithe envelopes• copies of certificate (see p. 37)

Lesson 4• large index cards or sheets of heavy paper • pictures (see Readiness Activity B)• Prayer Promise pledge cards (see p. 47)

Lesson 5• grocery bag containing breakable items• “crown bowl” (see Prayer and Praise Activity)• raindrop-shaped small pieces of paper• glass bowl• spray bottle with clean water• adhesive bandage• clean jacket • dirty jacket

Lesson 6• six-foot (approximately) ladder• pillows

• shield- or helmet-shaped container

• balloon for each child

Lesson 7• two pairs of sandals• sheep pattern (see p. 130)• table setting for one• bowl or basket covered with

wool material• large cardboard box (for

example, appliance box) • wide tape• shepherd’s staff • sling• smooth round stones• rock shapes cut from construc-

tion paper• spray paint

Lesson 8• small gifts• small stones• heavy objects (see Readiness

Activity B)• prayer diary• 2" x 8" blue ribbon or blue

construction paper

Lesson 9• empty appliance boxes or

grocery boxes• wide duct tape • small tent or blankets and

chairs

Additional Supplies Required for This Quarter


• carpenter or handyman with building materials

• small house-shaped box with slit on top• flat rock• medium-sized rock• sticky papers• prayer diary• 4" x 6" index cards• plastic dishpan with a brick or flat stone• sand• spray paint• spray clear shellac (optional)

Lesson 10• modeling clay or sheets of aluminum foil• prayer diary• bell or other noisemaker

Lesson 11• masking tape or bandages• balls or wadded paper

• list of ways to say “Thank you”• prayer diary• cloth bandage or toilet paper• poster with Psalm 103:2, 3 in

large letters• postage stamps• picture signs

Lesson 12• two mirrors• candle and matches• small ball covered in

aluminum foil• flashlight• prayer diary• white sheet• bright floodlight• recorded “voice of God”• whistle• combs • wax paper or tissue paper


Lesson Bible Story References Memory Verse Message Materials

SERVICE: God calls us to serve others.

Lesson 1January 7

Lesson 2January 14

Lesson 3January 21

Lesson 4January 28

Lesson 5February 4

Lesson 6February 11

Lesson 7February 18

Lesson 8February 25

Lesson 9March 4

Lesson 10March 11

Lesson 11March 18

Lesson 12March 25

The Tower of Babel

Abram goes from Ur to Canaan

Abram and Melchizedek

Abraham pleads for Sodom

Samuel speaks for God

Winning with God

David the shep-herd boy

David shares the victory

The houses on rock and sand

Jesus heals Jairus’s daughter

The 10 lepers

The Transfiguration

Genesis 11:1-9; PP 117-124

Genesis 12:1-7; PP 125-131

Genesis 14; PP 134-136

Genesis 18:20-33; PP 132-144

1 Samuel 12; PP 603-615

1 Samuel 13: 16-22; 14:1-23; PP 616-626

1 Samuel 16; 17:13-36; Psalm 23; PP 637-648

1 Samuel 29; 30: 1-25; PP 690-694

Matthew 7:12-29; MB 147-152

Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-42; DA 342, 343

Luke 17:11-19; DA 262-266, 348

Matthew 17:1-13; DA 419-425

Acts 10:34, 35

Isaiah 6:8

Galatians 5:13

Philippians 2:4

1 Samuel 12:22

1 Samuel 14:6

Psalm 23:1, 2

Psalm 23:6

Psalm 18:2

John 11:25

Psalm 103:2, 3

Philippians 4:4

We serve God when we help people who are different from us.

I will listen when God calls me to serve Him.

I will serve others out of love.

God wants me to speak out for others.

God is glad He made me His child.

God gives me the victory.

I can’t save myself; Jesus saves me.

When God wins, we are winners.

I am joyful when I build my life on Jesus.

We worship a God who gives eternal life.

We worship God when we thank Him.

Worship is rejoicing in God’s presence.

See p. 11

See p. 21

See p. 31

See p. 41

See p. 51

See p. 61

See p. 71

See p. 81

See p. 91

See p. 101

See p. 111

See p. 121

GRACE: God’s grace is good news for us.

WORSHIP: Worship makes us joyful every day.


ReferencesGenesis 11:1-9;

Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 117-124

Memory Verse“God does not show

favoritism butaccepts from

every nation the one who fears him and does

what is right.”(Acts 10:34, 35).

Objectives The children will:

Know that Godwants us to learn

about other peoples.Feel willing to

accept differences.Respond by trying tounderstand and help

someone who is different.

The MessageWe serve God whenwe help people who

are different from us.

The First SkyscraperMonthly Theme

God calls us to serve others.

The Bible Lesson at a GlanceAfter the Flood, God tells Noah and his family to have children

and spread out over the earth. As time goes by, ungodly people decide to build a tower, to protect themselves from another flood. God stops them by confounding their language. They then separate according to language and spread out around the earth.

This is a lesson about service.Even though people sometimes choose to not listen to God,

He is always there to help them so they can find their way home. Serving others requires us to understand their needs. People may be different from us, but they still need to know that God loves them and wants us to help them do what is good.

Teacher Enrichment“God’s original plan called for men to spread over the face of

the earth and to cultivate the soil. The building of cities represented opposition to this plan” (The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 284). God used the language confusion to scatter them and to populate the whole earth. Today there are approximately 7,000 different lan-guages spoken in more than 200 countries.

“The Tower of Babel represented doubt of God’s Word and defiance of His will” (The SDA Bible Commentary, vol 1, p. 285). “The dwellers on the plain of Shinar disbelieved God’s covenant that He would not again bring a flood upon the earth. Many of them denied the existence of God and attributed the Flood to the opera-tion of natural causes. . . . One object before them in the erection of the tower was to secure their own safety in case of another del-uge. . . . The whole undertaking was designed to exalt still further the pride of its projectors and to turn the minds of future genera-tions away from God and lead them into idolatry” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 119).

Room DecorationsFor this month, emphasize working together to build some-

thing. Use pictures of construction workers, tools, buildings under construction, etc. If possible, have a “building corner” where chil-dren may use boxes, blocks, etc., to construct things.

LESSON ONE

10 LESSON ONE www.gracelink.net/primary

Program Overview Lesson Section Minutes Activities Materials Needed

*Prayer and Praise may be used at any time during the program.

1

Any

Time

2

3

4

SERVICE

Welcome ongoing Greet students at none door; hear pleased/ troubled_________________________________________________________________________________ Readiness Options up to 10 A. What Am I? none B. Walking Differences none_________________________________________________________________________________ Prayer and Praise* up to 10 Fellowship none Songbook Sing for Joy Mission Children’s Mission Offering offering container Prayer none_________________________________________________________________________________ Bible Lesson up to 20 Experiencing the Story Bible-times costumes (optional) Memory Verse Bible, 12 paper “bricks” Bible Study Bibles_________________________________________________________________________________ Applying the up to 15 Tower Power measuring stick or tape measure; Lesson building materials, such as blocks, paper or Styrofoam cups and/or bowls, empty tissue or shoe boxes_________________________________________________________________________________ Sharing the up to 15 Grug none Lesson

www.gracelink.net/primary LESSON ONE 11

WelcomeWelcome children at the door. Ask how their week has been—what they

are pleased/troubled about. Have them begin the readiness activity of your choice.

Readiness Activities Select the activity most appropriate for your situation.

A. What Am I?Whisper the name of an animal to each child. Make sure to name at least two of

each animal. Say: When I count to three, make a noise like your animal. There are at least two of each animal. Look for others who are making the same ani-mal sound you make. When you find the others in your animal group, sit down together.

DebriefingAllow response time as you ask: Was it easy or hard to find the other animals

in your group? Why? Why do you think God created different animals? (He likes variety.) What do you think about people who are different from you in some way? How do you think God feels about people who are different from you in some way?

When we help people who are different from us, we are serving God, and that’s what He wants us to do. Today’s message tells us:

WE SERVE GOD WHEN WE HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENT FROM US.

Say that with me.

B. Walking DifferencesSay: When I give you the signal, stand up and walk like the person I name.

Keep walking until I tell you to stop. Ready? Stand up.Call these examples one at a time: • toddler • person with leg in a cast • soldier • woman in high heelsAs the children parade around the room, choose one child who imitates that walk

well. Repeat the procedure for several different examples. Keep near you the child you chose for each walk; ask everyone else to sit. Have the children demonstrate one by one the walk for which they were chosen. Have the others guess which walk it was and explain why that particular example tends to walk that way.

DebriefingSay: People walk differently because they need to for some reason. Why

do you think an elderly person walks slowly? (afraid of falling, can’t see well, etc.) Allow response time, then say: God wants us to notice special needs and under-stand them. Maybe there is something someone needs us to help them with.

1

TEACHING THE LESSON


Prayer and PraiseFellowship

Report the children’s joys and sorrows (pleased and troubled) as reported to you at the door (as appropriate). Review last week’s memory verse and invite children who have some-thing to share to do so at this time. Give a special warm greeting to visitors and introduce each by name. Acknowledge birthdays or special events.

Suggested Songs“We Are His Hands” (Sing for Joy, no. 129)“This Little Light of Mine” (Sing for Joy, no. 134) Add verses as follows: “These little hands of mine; I’m gonna let them help. These little hands of mine; I’m gonna let them help. Let them help, let them help, let them help. Gonna help those who are diff-er-ent; I’m gonna be a help. Gonna help those who are diff-er-ent, I’m gonna be a help. Gonna help, gonna help, gonna help.”

“Give Me Oil in My Lamp” (Sing for Joy, no. 132) Add the following verse: “Give me oil in my lamp, keep me helping, Give me oil in my lamp, I pray. Give me oil in my lamp, keep me helping, Keep me helping others every day.”

MissionUse Children’s Mission. Say: All over the world, people in other countries are helping

others too. Today’s mission story tells about helpers in one part of the world.

OfferingSay: Jesus has made us all different. One way we can serve Him

is by giving our money to help people who are different from us learn more about Him.

PrayerInvite the children to name someone who is different from them in some way, then pray

for those they mention.

What help might the person with one leg in a cast need? Allow response time.Today’s message is:


Say that with me.

Any

Time

You Need:• offering

container


Bible LessonExperiencing the Story

Introduce the story by saying: Do you know why people speak differ-ent languages? It all started with the Tower of Babel. Today we are going to pretend that you are old enough to help build the tower.

If you choose to have the children dress up, help them put on the Bible-times costumes.

Form four groups. The children will pretend to work with all the other groups to build a tower. Assign one of the words (see below) to each group. When they hear you say their word, they make the appropriate sound and/or do the action described. To begin, all the children are together in one large group.

Words: Actions:hammers Tap sticks on an empty box, or pound their fists

together. bricks Shake gravel or beans in a box, or tap two pieces of brick (or two rocks) together.tar Clap or use quarterlies as “brushes” on chair.water Shout, “Splish, Splash.”

Read or tell the story.A long time ago some people thought

they needed to build a tower that would reach way up into the sky. So they made some bricks. They collected tar in big buckets. They gathered all the ham-mers they could find, and asked some people to collect water and bring it to the building place. And they went to work! They thought that if they built a city, they wouldn't be scattered or separated.

God saw what they were doing, and it made Him sad. After the Flood, He had told them to spread out to live all over the earth. So He did something about it. He mixed up their language. When the people tried to talk to one another, their words got mixed up. They couldn’t under-stand each other.

“I need more bricks,” a worker may have called to someone nearby. His helper, not understanding, may have called to the men on the ground, “Send up a load of tar!”

“Right! Water!” the men on the ground may have replied. “We’re sending up some water!”

When the water arrives, the boss’s helper is puzzled. “I didn’t ask for water,” he yells. “The boss wants tar. Don’t you understand? Tar! The black stuff.” And he jabs his finger into the black tar.

“Oh, hammers,” the carrier says. “Why didn’t you say so! We’ll be right back with hammers.” And the carrier turns and runs to the edge of the tower. Leaning way out, he calls to the men on the ground. “Be quick down there, and send up two loads of hammers!”

When the hammers arrive, the workers are even more puzzled. Can you imagine how upset the workers felt? Each one must have thought the others were going crazy. Soon all the workers are arguing.

“But I said bricks!”“No, you said tar!”“I did not!”“Yes, you did! I heard it myself. You

said tar!”“I thought he said water!”“No, I heard him say hammers.”Finally, they figure it out. Those

who agree that tar means bricks come together. They all gather around to figure

2

You Need:• Bible-times

costumes (optional)


out what to do. (Children who have been assigned “tar” get together in a group.)

“Let them build the tower by them-selves!” they say, pointing at the other people. “We’re sick of this. It’s so crowded on that pile of bricks! There’s a nice, quiet valley just over the mountains. Let’s load up our stuff and our families and go there!”

Soon all the water people gather together and decide to leave too. (“Water” group walks away from larger group.)

Then all the hammers people get together and do the same. And so do the bricks people.

(The children form groups and walk away.)

And so before long, everyone has gone. The tower is just a big reminder of their mistake. When they find new places to live, they settle down.

(Children sit on the floor in groups.)And they become new nations, each

with a different language and different ways of living.

And God knows where they are. He understands their language. He knows what they need. God still helps the differ-ent people of every nation. And (say the message together) . . .


DebriefingAs helpers remove costumes (if used),

ask:How do you think the people felt

when they could no longer under-stand one another? (troubled, confused, upset, unsure of what to do, etc.) How do you feel when you don’t under-stand what someone is saying to you? (uncertain, upset, etc.) What do you think you should do when people don’t understand each other? (Help

them. Get things for them. Be kind to them.)

You’re right. Let’s remember our message for today:


Memory VerseIn advance, write one word of the

memory verse on each paper “brick.” Don’t forget the reference.

Open your Bible to Acts 10:34, 35 and read the verse aloud. “God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right” (Acts 10:34, 35).

Mix up the paper “bricks” and have the children try to put them in the right order, then read the verse. Remove one brick and have the children read or say the verse again. Continue removing one brick until all are removed and the chil-dren know the verse.

Or mix up the bricks several times and have the children place them in the correct order until they know the verse.

Or use the following motions as you teach the verse:

God Point upward.

does not Shake your head.

show favoritism Beckon to the children.

but accepts Open arms wide.

from every Point to severalnation the one children in turn.who fears him anddoes what is right.

Acts 10:34, 35 Palms together, then open.

You Need:• Bible• 12 paper

“bricks”


Applying the LessonTower Power

Form groups of not more than four. Say: When you receive the materials, your group will have four minutes to build the tallest possible tower. You may not say any words, but you may make other sounds. Remember, no talking! Distribute materials.

When time is up, make a big display of measuring their structures and give a round of applause for each.

DebriefingAsk: What happened when you

tried to build without talking to one another? (couldn’t understand each other; confusion; hard to help each other) How did you feel when you couldn’t understand one another? (didn’t like it; frustrated; confused; uncertain; etc.) What does this teach us about people who are different from us? (might get frustrated with us; don’t always under-stand each other; have to find a way to communicate, etc.) How might God want you to treat people who are different from you this week? Allow response time, then say the message together:


3

You Need:• measuring stick

or tape mea-sure

• building mate-rials, such as blocks, paper or Styrofoam cups and/or bowls, empty tissue or shoe boxes

Bible StudyHelp the children find Genesis 9:1.

Have someone read the text aloud. Ask: What did God tell Noah and his family to do after the Flood? (be fruitful, multi-ply, fill the earth)

Help the children turn to Genesis 11:1-9. Ask the children to follow along as you read (or someone else reads) the verses. Read the text in its entirety, then ask:

Why did the people want to build a tower? (to make a name for them-selves; so they wouldn’t be scattered all over the earth)

Explain: The people were Noah’s relatives—maybe his grandchildren

or great-grandchildren. What did God want them to do? (fill the earth with people) Were they doing as God had asked? (No. They had many children, but they were all staying in the same place.) What did God do about that? (mixed up their speech, caused them to form groups and move away from each other) And that is why we have many different nations and languages today. But God loves all the people in the world and He still wants us to work together, to help each other. (Say the message together.)


You Need:• Bibles


Sharing the LessonGrug

(A grug is a group hug.) In one large group or several smaller

ones, have children gather in a circle and join hands.

Join them in the circle, then say: I am going to count to three. On three, take one step toward the center of the circle. Ready? One–two–three! Now, put your hands on the shoulders of the people standing on either side of you and take another step. One—two—three.

Keep repeating until everyone is squeezed into a grug. Then ask the chil-dren to move back or sit down.

DebriefingSay: How do you feel about a

grug? (silly, OK, liked it, didn’t like it, etc.) I liked the feeling that everyone

included me in the group. It’s no fun being left out. Think for a minute of someone you know who might feel left out. What can you do to help them feel like they belong?

Have children share their thoughts with a partner. Then ask three people to share their ideas with the whole group. Encourage children to follow through by helping that person during the week.

ClosingClose with prayer, asking God to help

the children as they try to make people feel included.

Remind the children to use their Bible study guides every day and to do the daily activities.

4


The First SkyscraperHave you ever met someone and could

not understand the words the were speak-ing? That may be because they were speak-ing a different language. A long time ago, everyone spoke the same language. Then some people disobeyed God. That changed everything.

Long ago, after God created the earth, everyone spoke the same language. They used the same names for everything they had or did. No matter where they lived or where they moved, they could talk to one another and understand each other. As some people moved farther away, they found a beautiful plain called Shinar and decided to live there.

The people of Shinar made bricks and baked them to make them hard. So they used bricks for building instead of stones and tar to hold the bricks together.

One day someone said, “Let’s build for ourselves a city and a tower. And let’s

make the top of the tower reach high into the sky.”

Someone else may have said, “We will become famous. We will be able to live in our city forever and will not be scattered all over the earth.”

So people began to gather the mate-rials they needed. They got the bricks and the tar, and they began to build.

All day the people worked hard. They passed the bricks and tar from worker to worker until they reached the bricklayers at the top. Soon the tower grew higher and higher. The people felt very clever.

God watched them build. He was not pleased. At Creation He had told Adam and Eve and He told Noah after the Flood, “Have many children. Fill the earth.” This meant He wanted their descendants to live all over the earth and not just in one place. But the people at Shinar weren’t listening to God. They wanted to live in one place. They wanted to do their own thing. They thought they knew better than God, so they disobeyed.

But even though the people were disobeying God, He still cared about them. Each one was still special to Him.

And because He loved them so much, God made a plan to help them do the right thing. He caused the people to use different words for the same thing. He changed their one language to many languages.

“I need more bricks,” a workman may have called. His helper, not understanding him, may have called to the men on the ground, “Send up a load of tar.”

“Water!” the men on the ground may have replied. “We’re sending up water!”

Can you imagine how angry the workers at the top were when the water arrived?

Soon all the workers began to argue and fight. They could not finish their tower. In fact, they couldn’t understand each other well enough to live in the same city.

STUDENT MATERIAL


Patriarchs and Prophets,

pp. 117-124

Memory Verse“God does not

show favoritism but accepts from every

nation the one who fears him and does what is right”

(Acts 10:34, 35).

The MessageWe serve God when we help

people who are different from us.


Daily ActivitiesSabbath

• With a family member, go near a very tall build-ing, if possible. Or with adult supervision, climb up a ladder or a tree. Imagine that you are look-ing up at the Tower of Babel. Later, find a quiet place and read the lesson story together. Also, read the memory verse from the Bible (Acts 10:34, 35).

Sunday• In your Bible, find Genesis 11:1-9 and read

about the Tower of Babel. If all those people had been allowed to live in the tower, what problems might they have had with food, water, cleanliness, and daily living?

• Look through a newspaper or magazine and cut out pictures of tall buildings. Glue them across the bottom of a big piece of paper. Save the paper for tomorrow.

• Say your memory verse to an adult.Monday

• Ask a family member to read Acts 17:26. Tell in your own words what this verse means. Tell an adult how you might feel if someone spoke another language in front of you.

• Look through a newspaper or magazine and cut out pictures of people who might speak a language different from yours. Glue the pictures to the paper you started yesterday. Show your picture to someone in your family and tell them about it.

Tuesday• Imagine what the Tower of Babel looked like.

Make one Tower of Babel cutout for each word of the memory verse. Write each word of the memory verse on a different cutout. Mix the cutouts and put them in order. Save them.

• With a family member, read Isaiah 58:10. Tell what this verse means. Then take a walk in your community. Think of some things people in your neighborhood need. Decide how you and your family can help with one of those needs. Ask God to help you do it this week.

Wednesday• As you think about your plan to help someone

in your community, sing, hum, play, or listen to “We Are His Hands” (Sing for Joy, no. 129).

• Using your memory verse cutouts, say your memory verse to your family.

• Find some empty boxes, blocks, or cartons and build a tower. How high can you make it before it falls? When you finish, measure its height. With a family member, read Genesis 11:4. How high did the builders plan to build their tower?

Thursday• At what other time in the Bible did people

suddenly start to speak in other languages? See Acts 2:4. Ask an adult to explain this verse.

• Try to say Hello in at least one foreign language.• Say your memory verse to at least two people.

Friday• At worship, do a charade of the Tower of Babel

story. Say your memory verse. • Ask a family member to read or tell a story

about a missionary in a country where your lan-guage is not spoken.

• Read together 1 John 4:8. With your family, decide how you might tell someone who speaks another language about Jesus and His love. How might you say “Jesus loves you” without actually saying anything?

• Tell how it made you feel to help someone this week. Together, sing a song about God’s love.

So some people moved to the east and some to the west. Some went north and others south. They spread out all over the world in groups that could understand each other. And that is how people speaking different languages came to be. Today there are many different people all over the world. But:

“God does not show favoritism” (Acts 10:34). He loves and helps everyone, and we should too!



Patriarchs andProphets, pp. 125-131

Memory Verse“Then I heard the voice

of the Lord saying,‘Whom shall I send?

And who will go for us?’And I said, ‘Here am I.

Send me!’ ” (Isaiah 6:8).


Know that Godneeds them to listen

when He calls them to serve.Feel willing to serve

where God calls them.Respond by participating

in a simple service activity.

The MessageI will listen when Godcalls me to serve Him.

A Long, Long WalkMonthly Theme


The Bible Lesson at a GlanceGod speaks to Abram and tells him to leave his home in Ur

and move to a place where He will lead him. God promises to give Abram many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Abram listens to God. He has his servants pack all their belong-ings, gather all the animals, and begin the long journey. God leads them to Canaan, the Promised Land. Abram builds an altar of stones and worships God.

This is a lesson about service.Abram was willing to go where God wanted him to go

even though it meant leaving home and traveling a long way. Sometimes we think it is not convenient to serve God. But when we listen to God’s voice and do as He asks, He will bless us. Children can hear God’s voice as they learn to listen to Him through the Bible, through nature, and through the adults who care for them and lead them.

Teacher EnrichmentUr was the capital city of Mesopotamia during Abram’s time.

It was the greatest trading city at that time (according to archae-ologists). The distance from Ur to Egypt is about 900 miles (1,269 kilometers). Abram could not travel across the desert, but had to follow the watered route. He traveled in a northwesterly direction along either the Euphrates or the Tigris rivers to Haran, then in a southwesterly direction to Shechem along the Orontes and the Jordan rivers. This meant that Abram traveled about 1,300 miles (1,820 kilometers) from Ur to Shechem.

The great tree of Moreh at Shechem was a famous landmark. Many trees were considered to be sacred in Palestine at the time, and this great oak was one of them. It was an object and a place of worship among the ancient Semites.

The traveling party was quite large. Abram had at least 318 male servants (see Genesis 14:14).

Room DecorationsSee Lesson 1.

LESSON TWO

20 LESSON TWO www.gracelink.net/primary



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Any

Time

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Welcome ongoing Greet students at none door; hear pleased/ troubled_________________________________________________________________________________ Readiness Options up to 10 A. I Can’t Hear You none B. Blind Walk blindfolds_________________________________________________________________________________ Prayer and Praise* up to 10 Fellowship none Songbook Sing for Joy Mission Children’s Mission Offering offering container Prayer none_________________________________________________________________________________ Bible Lesson up to 20 Experiencing the Story adult Bible-times costume, adult male, something to make a tent Memory Verse eight paper footprints Bible Study Bibles_________________________________________________________________________________ Applying the up to 15 Listen and Serve paper, pen or pencil Lesson_________________________________________________________________________________ Sharing the up to 15 Neighborhood Cleanup pieces of paper; trash bags Lesson

SERVICE

www.gracelink.net/primary LESSON TWO 21




A. I Can’t Hear YouForm pairs. Say: When I give the signal, I want you to put your fingers in your

ears and imagine that you are deaf. Then say something to your partner and see if they can understand you. Allow each child several turns.

DebriefingAsk: Was it easy to understand the other person? Why? Has your mom or

dad ever called you, and you didn’t hear them? Why? (too busy doing something, too far away, didn’t want to hear) Sometimes, when God speaks to us, we are too busy doing other things, so we don’t hear. Today we are going to learn about someone who listened when God called. God still calls people to serve Him. We want to serve Him too. Today’s message is:

I WILL LISTEN WHEN GOD CALLS ME TO SERVE HIM.

Say that with me.

B. Blind WalkForm pairs. Blindfold one child in each pair. Then scatter the chairs around the

room. Say: If you aren’t blindfolded, you are to guide your partner across the room. If you are wearing a blindfold, your partner will guide you. The chairs have been moved around, so listen carefully to your guide. Guides may not touch the “blind” person; just tell them where to go. Have several pairs cross the room at the same time. Repeat until everyone has had an opportunity to be “blind.”

DebriefingAsk: What was it like to have to rely on someone to guide you? (OK, unsure,

afraid) How hard was it to hear directions? (It was confusing because several people talked at the same time; it was easy, difficult, etc.) In today’s lesson we will learn about someone who was listening when God called him. God still calls people to serve Him. We want to serve God too. Our message says:


Say that with me.

1

TEACHING THE LESSON

You Need:• blindfolds



Report the children’s joys and sorrows (pleased and troubled) as reported to you at the door (as appropriate). Review last week’s memory verse and hear comments about last week’s lesson. Greet and introduce visitors. Mention birthdays or special events.

Suggested Songs“God Calls Us” (Sing for Joy, no. 130)“This Little Light of Mine” (Sing for Joy, no. 134)“I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” (Sing for Joy, no. 119)“I Want to Be” (Sing for Joy, no. 124)

MissionSay: People in other parts of the world help others too. Today we will hear about

people living in a faraway place. Use a story from Children’s Mission.

OfferingUse the same container you used last week. Say: When we give

our offering, we help those who serve God and go to teach others about God’s love.

PrayerEncourage them to think of people who serve God as missionaries in other countries as

they build. Pray for those people.

Any

Time


container



Setting the scene:Have “Abram” dressed in a Bible-

times costume ready to tell the story. Have a hidden adult ready to read aloud God’s words. Tell the children to pretend they are traveling with Abram as he talks about his journey. (He will lead them around the room, finally stopping at his tent.) Explain the following:

When you say: They do:listen, listened Put hand behind

an ear, palm facing outward.

prayer, pray Fold hands in prayer.

God, friend Point upward.

Have Abram read or tell the story.My name is Abram. And God [point

upward] is my best friend [point upward]. I live in that tent over there, beneath the great trees of Moreh. Every day I pray [fold hands in prayer]. I tell God [point upward] everything that makes me happy and things that make me sad. I listen [put hand behind an ear] carefully, and God [point upward] tells me what to do. I hope you pray [fold hands in prayer] every day too. God [point upward] wants to be your best friend [point upward] too.

I haven’t always lived here. I used to live on the other side of the desert in a place called Ur. One day God [point upward] spoke to me:

[Hidden voice]: “Abram, it is time for you to leave Ur. I have a better place for you. I will bless you with children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, too. You will be blessed, and your family

will be a great nation.”I didn’t know why God [point upward]

told me to leave my homeland and go to a place that He would show me. Ur is hundreds of miles across the desert from where I live now. But that didn’t matter; I trusted God [point upward]. As I listened [put hand behind an ear], I became more and more excited, so I went and told my wife, Sarai, and our servants to start pack-ing.

It was hard, for us to believe that our children would be a great nation. At that time Sarai and I did not have any chil-dren. We were too old to raise a family. We just had to trust God’s [point upward] word.

My nephew, Lot, decided to come with us. All of our servants had to get ready. We had big flocks of sheep and goats to think about, too. When we were finally ready, we started on our way.

The shortest way was through the desert, but there was no food and water there. We might have tried to go straight across, but God [point upward] knew we would need water. So He led us from one watering place to another until we reached this land.

When we got here, to Shechem, in this land where the Canaanites live, we set up camp there by that forest of trees. One of the first things I did was to build an altar to God [point upward]. I pray [fold hands in prayer] there regularly for myself, my family and servants, and the Canaanite people. And it was here that God [point upward] spoke to me again.

[Hidden voice:] “Look around you, Abram. This is the land that I am going to give you and all your family.”

Well, we looked. And it is a nice place, isn’t it? But farther back in the forest there are Canaanite idols. Idols

2

You Need:• adult male• adult Bible-

times costume• hidden adult• something to

make a tent


make me sad. They can’t hear, they can’t help the people who live here. God [point upward] is the only one who can hear us when we pray [fold hands in prayer]. He is the only one I will listen [put hand behind an ear] to. He brought us safely here, and I know I can always trust Him.

And when you pray [fold hands in prayer], God [point upward] will show you what to do. You have to listen [put hand behind an ear] to what God [point upward] is saying to your mind as you kneel before Him. He is always ready to lead you.

DebriefingAllow response time as you ask:

How do you think Abram felt when God told him to leave Ur? (excited, fear-ful, eager, ready to go) How would you have felt? Why was Abram able to hear God speaking to him? (He prayed every day; he asked God to guide him; he listened to God when he prayed.) Raise your hand if you want to listen to God. How can we listen for God to speak to us? (Pray often; keep our minds open to thoughts He gives us; study His Word, the Bible; listen to our pastor, etc.) If you really mean it, say today’s mes-sage with me:


Memory VerseIn advance, write

the memory verse phrases that follow, one to a footprint. Mix up the footprints and have the chil-dren place them in the right order and read the verse. Mix the phrases again and repeat until the children know the verse.

Then I heardthe voice of the Lord saying,“Whom shall I send?And who will go for us?”And I said,“Here am I.Send me!”Isaiah 6:8.

Bible StudyHelp the children find Genesis 12:1-

7 in their Bibles. Ask a child who reads well to read the texts to the group. Have another person find and read Hebrews 11:8-12.

DebriefingAsk the following questions:1. Name the city where Abram

started the journey. (Ur)2. What do we call the country

that God promised Abram? (Canaan, [Israel today], the Promised Land)

3. Who went with Abram? (Sarai, his wife; his servants and their families; all Abram’s flocks; his father, Terah; his nephew Lot; all his animals)

4. Did God keep His promise to Abram? Read the text that tells. (Yes; Hebrews 11:12)

5. What did Abram do that God wants us to do? (Listen and obey Him.)

6. What will you do when God asks you to serve Him?

Let’s say our message together:


You Need:• Bibles

You Need:• eight large

paper foot-prints


or police We serve God when we help someone who is hurt.

baby or Someone needs help orchild crying comfort.

Call an adult to help this baby or child.

We serve God when we comfort/help little ones.

parent saying: Brush them now. “Time to God wants me to listen brush your to my parents. teeth.” We serve God when we care for our bodies.

Debriefing

Say: Sounds around us and sounds in nature can help us hear God's mes-sages. How can you know that a mes-sage is from God? (It won't go against the Bible.) How else can we hear God's voice with his messages? (When we read the Bible; when we listen to parents, teachers, and pastors who are following Jesus.) When you pray, tell God that you want to hear His voice more and more. He will help you know His voice, and He will help you obey what He tells you to do. Help the children say the memory verse:

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ ”

Ask: What will you do when God calls you? Let’s say our message together again:


Applying the LessonListen and Serve

In advance, write the sounds below on slips of paper, one to each paper. Possible responses are given to help you teach this activity.

Say: When Abram prayed, he lis-tened and waited for God to answer his prayers. Let’s listen to some sounds together and see how God might talk to us through these sounds.

Distribute the papers to volunteers. Have them make the sounds, or listen to these sound effects on a listening device one at a time. After each, ask: How does this remind us to serve God?

Sounds: Possible Message From God:a bird call I love you; I care for you like I care for the birds. You can help care for things I have created.

raindrops, I care for your needs.running water Crops will grow; you will have food. We can serve others by sharing food with people in need.

cat or dog I give you pets because I love you. I want you to enjoy animals. We serve God when we care for animals He created.siren, I am sending someone toambulance help you.

3

You Need:• slips of paper• pen or pencil


Sharing the LessonNeighborhood Cleanup

Ask for a few volunteers to stand one behind the other, an arm’s length from each other. Have them follow you around the room. As you walk, drop papers you are carrying (one at a time) without say-ing anything. Those who “listen” to the message will pick up the papers.

Stop and ask: Why did (child’s name) pick up the paper I dropped? What happens when we drop paper or other things and don’t pick them up? (It spoils the environment; makes a mess; doesn’t look nice.) Let’s do something about that right now. Let’s take a trash bag and go outside and pick up any lit-ter we find in the next five minutes.

Lead the children around the church yard, parking lot, etc., for a short walk to pick up any litter. Return to the room for debriefing.

DebriefingAllow response time as you ask: Did

we find a lot of litter? How did we serve God when we were outside? Why should we keep things clean around our church? Where are you likely to notice things that people have dropped? (along the highway, on the playground, around the house, etc.) What will you do when God shows you something that needs to be done this week? Let’s say our message together:


ClosingClose with prayer, asking God to help

the children as they listen for His voice to tell them how they can serve Him and others. Pray that they will always be open to listen for God’s “voice” in Scripture and that they will be ready to obey His call to serve others.

4

You Need:• pieces of paper• trash bags


A Long, Long Walk“I don’t want to move,” Mika groaned.“Neither do I,” Anya replied. “Dad said

he felt the Lord wanted him to take the new job. I wonder how he knows what God wants?”

“Let’s ask him,” Mika suggested.“We need to ask you something, Dad,”

Anya whispered, tugging at his dad’s shirt. “How can you be sure God wants us to move?”

“That’s probably the same question someone asked Abram when God told him to move,” Dad said. “Let me tell you a story.”

Abram loved God. He talked with God many times each day. He wanted to do whatever God said.

One day God spoke to Abram. “It’s time for you to leave Ur, Abram. You must leave all your friends and go to a place that I will show you.”

Abram must have been speechless. Why would God want him to leave his home and go someplace else to live?

God continued, “I will bless you, Abram. I will give you children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Your family will grow into a mighty nation. You will be greatly blessed.”

Now, that must have really made Abram wonder, for he and his wife, Sarai, did not have even one child.

Nevertheless, Abram and Sarai chose to obey God. They packed up all their belongings. Abram’s servants folded and packed all the tents. The time had come to leave.

Abram called together all those who would go with them. Lot, Abram’s nephew, joined the group. All the people who worked in Abram’s house and the people whom Abram had taught to worship God also got ready to go. They loaded their donkeys and their camels and began their long journey.

Abram, Sarai, their family mem-bers and their servants walked the dusty road day after day. The sun

was hot. But through it all, God pro-vided for them.

Finally, the caravan reached the land of Canaan. But still Abram and Sarai, their people, their don-keys, and their camels traveled on. When would they stop? Where was God leading them?

In Shechem, a place where many Canaanites lived, there was a forest of trees called the Great Trees of Moreh. When Abram reached the forest of Moreh, he called to his servants, “Halt! Set up

camp here.”As the servants prepared the

camp, God appeared and spoke to Abram. “Look around you, Abram,” God said. “This is the land that I am going to give you and your family.”

Abram looked around. He saw

STUDENT MATERIAL



pp. 125-131

Memory Verse“Then I heard the voice of the Lord

saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And

who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ ”

(Isaiah 6:8).

The MessageI will listen when

God calls meto serve Him.



• With your family, find a quiet place and listen for sounds. What do you hear? Make a list.

• Read the lesson story together. Talk about it. What does it mean to your family? Then read the memory verse together and talk about it. Pray that God will help you always to listen to His voice.

Sunday• Sit quietly in a room by yourself for five min-

utes. What do you hear? Thank God for the gift of hearing.

• Make a poster or a bookmark with the message: “I will listen when God calls me to serve Him.” Show it to your family during worship today. Then put it where you will see it every morning.

• Review the memory verse together.Monday

• For worship today, find Genesis 12:1-7 and read about Abram and Sarai.

• Ask your family to tell about a time they had to move. Ask them to tell about a time they believed God asked them to do something.

• Draw around your foot and cut out enough footprints to write one word of the memory verse on each. Practice putting the words in order. Ask God to help you use your feet to take you to places where you can serve Him.

Tuesday• Make a picture story of Abram’s call and his

journey. Show the pictures and tell the story for family worship today. Ask: What promises did God give Abram? How did God keep His

promises? What promises has God made to our family?

• Make a booklet and write some of your family’s favorite promises on each page. Thank God for keeping His promises.

• Put your memory verse footprints in order and say the verse for your family.

Wednesday• During family worship, ask: How do you know

when God is speaking to you? How do you lis-ten for His voice? Say “hello” and try to sound surprised, happy, sad, and angry. Ask: What kind of voice does God use when He speaks to us?

• Say the memory verse together. Thank God for speaking to you every day.

Thursday• Next time your family eats together, see how

long you can go without speaking. How do you ask your family for things? How do you sound when you speak to them?

• Say the memory verse for your family. Tell them what you think this verse says about God. Thank God for the gift of speech.

Friday• During family worship, read Genesis 12:1-7

again. Ask: Why did Abram build an altar? Do we need a family altar today? Why?

• Create a memory book of God’s goodness: ask an older member of your family to take notes while everyone tells about a time God took care of them. After all the notes are written in the book, offer a prayer of thanksgiving and praise for God’s care.

a wide, grassy valley with softly rolling hills. He saw olive trees, fig trees, and springs of cool water every-where. But Abram also saw something that made him very sad. Among the trees he saw altars that were used to worship idols.

Abram immediately gathered stones to build an altar. He wanted to worship God and thank Him for being with them during their journey. He wanted to tell God that he was willing to go anywhere God wanted. He was willing to do whatever God asked him to do.

“And so,” Dad told Anya and Mika, “we need to be willing to listen to God—just as Abram was. God spoke words directly to Abram. Today He may speak to us directly; through His Word, the Bible; or through the counsel of people who are following Him. Your mother and I are glad to serve where God sends us. And when we are willing, God lets us know what He wants. He gives us understanding and helps us know in our hearts what He wants us to do.”


ReferencesGenesis 14;

Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 134-136

Memory Verse“Serve one

another . . . in love”(Galatians 5:13).


Know that God wantsthem to serve

others withoutaccepting a reward.

Feel the satisfactionof selfless service.

Respond by doing something spe-cial for somebody every day.

The MessageI will serve others

out of love.

Abram to the RescueMonthly Theme


The Bible Lesson at a GlanceWhen Abram learns that his nephew Lot and Lot’s family have

been captured by enemies, he takes 318 men with him and goes after the enemies. He prepares for a surprise attack at night. The enemies are frightened away, leaving behind their camp, their pris-oners, and all the things they had taken from the city of Sodom. Abram and his men free the prisoners, collect the things that had been stolen, and go back to Sodom. They are met by Melchizedek, king of Salem and a priest of God, and by the king of Sodom. Abram gives Melchizedek a tenth of all they had recovered. Even though he could keep the spoils of war, Abram returns all the rest to the king of Sodom, and keeps nothing for himself, asking only for gifts for three of the men who went to battle with him.

This is a lesson about service.Abram willingly went to the rescue of those captured by

enemies, a selfless act of service to his neighbors and relatives. Abram’s unselfish nature is further demonstrated when he gives a tenth of the spoils to Melchizedek and returns the other nine tenths to the king of Sodom. Children, too, can perform simple acts of service without expecting or accepting a reward.

Teacher EnrichmentThe Valley of Siddim was low and full of tar pits—like great

holes full of asphalt. The river Jordan flowed into this valley and gradually filled it with water until it became the Salt Sea, known today as the Dead Sea, the lowest point of the earth’s surface, about 1,500 feet (395 meters) below sea level.

Archaeologists believe that Sodom and Gomorrah are under the southern end of the Dead Sea. Lumps of asphalt (tar or slime) are seen today, floating on the surface of the southern end of the Dead Sea.

Salem, the city where Melchizedek was king, later became known as Jerusalem, the city of God. Melchizedek, whose name means “my king is righteousness,” was both a priest and a king.


LESSON THREE

30 LESSON THREE www.gracelink.net/primary



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Welcome ongoing Greet students at none door; hear pleased/ troubled_________________________________________________________________________________ Readiness Options up to 10 A. Just for You Bible B. Service With a Smile paper bags, assorted objects, Bible C. Pass It On Bible_________________________________________________________________________________ Prayer and Praise* up to 10 Fellowship none Songbook Sing for Joy, He Is Our Song Mission Children’s Mission Offering offering container Prayer “Into My Heart”_________________________________________________________________________________ Bible Lesson up to 20 Experiencing the Story adult Bible-times costume, adult male Memory Verse Bibles Bible Study Bibles_________________________________________________________________________________ Applying the up to 15 A. What Can You Do? copy of scenario for each group Lesson B. Returning God’s Tithe tithe envelopes_________________________________________________________________________________ Sharing the up to 15 Neighborly Love copies of certificate on p. 37 Lesson

SERVICE

www.gracelink.net/primary LESSON THREE 31




A. Just for YouSay: Without talking about it, think of something you got for free this week,

something you had or used that you didn’t have to pay for. Allow time. Got it? Pick a partner and tell what it was and why it was free. For example, you might say that you found a coin, and it was free because you found it. Allow time for sharing. Then read James 1:17 aloud.

DebriefingAllow response time as you ask: If God gives us so many things for free, what

do you think He wants us to do with them? (He wants us to share with others.) And when we share God’s gifts with others, we call it serving. God wants us to serve others out of love. That leads me to today’s message:

I WILL SERVE OTHERS OUT OF LOVE.

Say that with me.

B. Service With a Smile In advance, place a common, simple item in each paper bag.Form small groups and give each group a bag. (Small class: give each child a bag.)

Say: You are to look in the bag, but don’t show what you see to the rest of the class. Think of a way to show the rest of the class how you can use what’s in the bag to serve others. Allow time, then have each group demonstrate their idea. Ask the class: How did this group serve others?

DebriefingRead Galatians 5:13 (the memory verse) to the class. Ask: How do you feel when

someone helps you? How do you feel when you can help someone else? Why does Jesus want us to serve others? (to show them His love) God shows us His love in many ways. We show His love to others when we serve them. And that’s what our message says:


Say that with me.

C. Pass It OnForm small groups. (Small class, each child works separately.)

1

TEACHING THE LESSON

You Need:• paper bags• simple objects

(pen, book, tool, paper cup, towel, etc.)

• Bible

You Need:• Bible


Say: Close your eyes and think of something nice you can do for someone right now. If necessary, give suggestions such as hugs, smiles, compliments, kind words, back rubs, etc. You have three minutes to see how many times you can give your gift to people in the room. Each time you give it to someone, say: “God loves you. Pass it on.” Allow time.

DebriefingRead Galatians 5:13 (the memory verse) aloud. Ask: What happened? (I was

busy; I gave away ___; people smiled, laughed; it was fun, etc.) You were showing God’s love to one another. You were serving one another. How does it feel to serve others out of love?

When we give away God’s gift of love, we are doing God’s will. Will you give away God’s love to others this week? Our message says:


Say that with me.


Report the children’s joys and sorrows (pleased and troubled) as reported to you at the door (as appropriate). Review last week’s memory verse. Give a special warm greeting to visi-tors and introduce each by name. Acknowledge birthdays or special events.

Suggested Songs“We Are His Hands” (Sing for Joy, no. 129)“Make Me a Servant” (He Is Our Song, no. 126)“Father, Accept This Gift” (Sing for Joy, no. 147)“This Little Light of Mine” (Sing for Joy, no. 134)

MissionUse a story from Children’s Mission.

OfferingTalk about stewardship, especially relating to Abram. Discuss tithe

and offerings as important in the Christian life. Use the same container you used last week.

PrayerBefore prayer, sing “Into My Heart” (Sing for Joy, no. 125).Ask the children how they have helped others recently. Pray that God will bless each

child as they look for ways to serve Him and others.

Any

Time


container

You Need:• Bible



Ask an adult male to act the part of Abram. Have the children practice the fol-lowing before the story is told:

When they hear: They do:four kings/cities Hold up four fingers.five kings/cities Hold up five fingers.God Point upward.prisoners Cross hands at wrists.

Have an adult male read or tell the story.Hello, boys and girls. My name is

Abram. God [point upward] has been with me and blessed me in many ways. Let me tell you about a time God [point upward] helped me to serve my neighbors.

It all began when four great kings [hold up four fingers] decided to attack five small cities [hold up five fingers]. The kings of the five small cities [hold up five fingers] drew up a battle plan to save their five cities [hold up five fingers]. But it didn’t work! Soon they were running for their lives! Many of their soldiers and people became lost.

Soon the four great kings [hold up four fingers] reached the city of Sodom, where my nephew Lot lived. They captured the city and took many prisoners [cross hands at wrists], including my nephew, as well as many animals and treasures.

One of the prisoners [cross hands at wrists] escaped and told me what had happened. I quickly gathered my 318 servants who were trained to do battle, and we hurried after the four great kings [hold up four fingers]. I invited some

other leaders to help us. As we all chased those four kings [hold up four fingers], I prayed constantly.

We finally caught up with the four great kings [hold up four fingers] and their armies in the north at a place called Dan. That night we launched a surprise attack. The four kings [hold up four fingers] were sure that there was a great army surrounding them. They dropped everything and ran! They left behind their prisoners [cross hands at wrists] and everything they had captured. They even left their own things behind!

Soon we were all marching home. Everyone from the five small cities [hold up five fingers] was greatly relieved and happy to be safe again.

On the way home we met the king of Sodom. He was so pleased that we had succeeded where the five kings [hold up five fingers] had failed. We also met Melchizedek, the king of Salem, who also served God [point upward] as a priest. He gave us food and drink, and a special blessing from God [point upward].

I knew that God [point upward] had given us the victory, so I gave the king-priest God’s [point upward] tithe on everything that we had captured. The king of Sodom said I could keep the rest, but I said no. I gave everything back to those people who had suffered so much at the hands of the four kings [hold up four fingers]. I was just glad God has helped me to serve others.


How do you think Lot and the others felt when they were captured? What would you have done if you had been one of those captured? How do you think Abram felt when he heard that

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You Need:• adult Bible-

times costume• adult male


all those people had been taken captive? What did Abram do as he chased the four great kings? Who really won the battle? (God did!) Why did Abram give a tenth of everything to Melchizedek? (Melchizedek was God’s priest; everything belongs to God; it was God’s tithe.) Why didn’t Abram keep anything for himself? What do you think the king of Sodom thought when Abram refused to keep anything? Let’s read Genesis 15:1. Allow time. Did Abraham receive a reward? (Yes, God was with him.) Do you think God will be with you when you serve others? Abram served his neighbors out of love. When we serve others out of love, we make God happy. And that reminds us of our message for today. Say it with me.


Memory VerseHelp the chil-

dren find Galatians 5:13 in their Bibles. Read the verse aloud: “Serve one another . . . in love” (Galatians 5:13). Use the following to teach the verse. Repeat until the children know it.

Serve Bow to one another.one another Point to one another.. . . in love. Cross arms over chest.Galatians Palms together, then5:13 open

Bible StudyHelp the children

find Genesis 14. Adult helpers assist as needed. Read and discuss texts as follows:

Verses 1-9. Ask the children to count the kings as you read. Then ask: What

was the cause of the war between these two groups of kings? (See verse 4. Rebellion against Kedorlaomer, who had ruled over the five kings for 12 years.) The children will enjoy learning to say Kedorlao mer, if you choose to have them do so.

Verses 10-12. Ask: What was the result of the battle described here? (The four great kings won; the five kings of the little cities lost. The great kings took from Sodom various goods and all the food; and they captured many people, including Lot and his family.)

Verses 13-16. Ask: What did Abram do to help his nephew Lot? (He went to battle the four great enemy kings; planned a surprise nighttime attack; rescued Lot and all the others, etc.)

Verses 17-20. Ask: Who really won the battle? (God) How do you know? (Melchizedek’s blessing says so.) What did Abram give to Melchizedek? (a tenth of everything) Why did he do that? (He was thankful that God had been with him, had blessed him.) What do we call the tenth today? (tithe) Why do we give tithe to God? (Because He gives us all we have, blesses us, provides for our needs, takes care of us, etc.)

Verses 21-24. Say: Abram had recovered all the things the four great kings took from Sodom. By the rules of war they were his. What did he choose to keep? (Nothing. He gave a tenth to Melchizedek and everything else to the king of Sodom.) Abram asked the king of Sodom to do something. What was it? (Give a share to the three men who went with him.) All during this time, whom was Abram thinking about? (his nephew Lot, others, his friends, his helpers, etc.) Why do you think Abram served oth-ers without wanting a reward? (He cared about them; they were his friends, his servants.)

You Need:• Bibles

You Need:• Bibles


Applying the LessonA. What Can You Do?

Form small groups. Give each group one of the following written scenarios and ask them to think of a solution to share with the class. (Small class: Give one to each child.)

A. Your neighbor is sick. Their yard is getting overgrown. How can you serve them?

B. Your neighbor wants to give you some money for taking care of their dog while they are away. What can you do?

C. A new person has joined your class. Others are not including them. You don’t want to stand out from your friends; they might laugh at you. What can you do?

D. Your parents have been at work all day. Now at home, they are working hard to get everything ready for Sabbath. What can you do?

E. Your grandparents have sent you some money for your birthday. How can you show your thanks to God?

DebriefingRead aloud Romans 15:2: “Each of

us should please our neighbors for

their good, to build them up.” Then ask: What do you think about serving oth-ers? How does it make you feel? How does it make them feel? What does God think when we serve others? Do you want to serve others? Why? Let’s say our message together:


B. Returning God’s Tithe

Distribute tithe envelopes (use those designed for children if you have them) and talk to the children about showing their thanks to God by returning to Him one tenth of all the money they earn or are given.

Provide coins and let the children tell how to figure God’s tithe. Have a volunteer demonstrate how to count the coins and put the tithe in a tithe envelope and write their name in the right place. Encourage the children to bring tithe next week. Until they get accustomed to tith-ing, they can give the tithe in Sabbath School. That way you can continue to encourage faithfulness.

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You Need:• scenario

copies

DebriefingSay: Did Abram receive a reward?

Let’s find out by reading the first verse of the next chapter. Have Genesis 15:1 read aloud, then ask: What was God’s message to Abram? (“Do not be afraid . . . I am your shield, your . . .

reward.”) Having God with them, what a wonderful reward!

Let’s say today’s message together:


You Need:• tithe

envelopes


Sharing the LessonNeighborly Love

Read aloud Genesis 14:23. Say: Abram knew that the victory over the four enemy kings was God’s gift to him. When he gave the king of Sodom the things he had recovered after the battle, it was like not accepting pay-ment for serving (helping) others.

Talk with the children about things they can do to share love with their neighbors (walk the dog, sweep the walk, rake leaves, fold clothes, take out trash, draw a picture, sing a song, give a hug, say a memory verse, smile, wave, etc.). Remind them that there are some things they should not do without the neigh-bor’s permission.

Distribute the Neighborly Love certifi-cates and say: You can take this home

with you and share it with a neighbor. Ask that person to check something you can do to help them, then decide together when you will do it.

DebriefingAsk: To whom will you give your

certificate? What will you say when you give it to them? Encourage each child to respond. Help them as necessary. Why do you want to help them? Be ready to share your experiences with us next Sabbath. Let’s say our message again:


ClosingOffer a prayer of thanks for each

child and ask God to help them find ways to serve others without expecting to be rewarded.

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Neighborly Love Certificate“Serve one another . . . in love.” Galatians 5:13, NIV.

This certificate is good for one of the following gifts of love (choose from the list below) ________________________. This service will be performed without charge, at your convenience.

Signed__________________________________________________________________________

Date__________________________________

• Say a memory verse. • Sweep the walk. • Sing a song. • Rake the leaves.

• Carry groceries. • Walk the dog. • Take out trash. • Draw a picture.

You Need:• copy of

Neighborly Love certificate for each child


Abram to the RescueWhen elderly Mr. Gomez became sick

and had to spend a long time in the hospital, Rani, Cameron, Aiden, and Ariana decided to help Mrs. Gomez. Without saying a word, they cut her grass and cleaned her yard . . . and would not accept any money.

All the way home they felt as if they were walking on air. And that must have been exactly the feeling that Abram had the day he met Melchizedek.

It all started when four great enemy kings led their huge army to war against five little cities. One of the little cities was Sodom. Abram’s nephew Lot lived in Sodom. The kings of the five little cities took their armies into the Valley of Siddim.

“We can surprise the four great enemy kings,” they said. “Let us stop their army and save our cities.”

And so King Bera of Sodom led the way. It didn’t go as planned. They got lost among the huge tar pits in the valley. Many of the soldiers fell into the tar.

The four great enemy kings knew their way around the tar pits. They soon got to the city of Sodom. Enemy soldiers captured the people, including Lot. They carried the people and many of their animals and other things away.

One captive escaped and ran to tell Abram what had happened. “The four great enemy kings attacked us. Your

nephew Lot is captured, along with all his family,” the man reported.

At once Abram called his 318 men who were trained to fight. He also asked three of his neighbors who were leaders to join with him. Together they hurried after the four great enemy kings.

Imagine Abram and his little band chasing after four great enemy kings and their thousands of trained soldiers. Surely they would destroy Abram’s little group.

But Abram had God on his side. Surely Abram prayed for God’s help all the way north to Dan, where he caught up with the four great enemy kings.

During the night Abram and his men

made a surprise attack. The four great enemy kings thought that they were completely sur-rounded by a huge army. They dropped everything and ran. They left the captives, all the stolen things

from Sodom, and their own things. The

frightened soldiers ran all the way north past Damascus, to Hobah.

Lot and the other captives from Sodom were soon set free. Everyone began gath-ering up the things left by the defeated enemy kings. Soon they began traveling back toward Sodom. How happy Abram was—God had used him to save Lot and all the families from Sodom.

On the way home, Abram’s band entered the Valley of Shaveh, not far from where Jerusalem is today. There the king of Sodom came out to meet them. Imagine how impressed this king must have been. Abram, his herdsmen, and his

STUDENT MATERIAL

ReferencesGenesis 14;


pp. 134-136

Memory Verse“Serve one another

. . . in love” (Galatians 5:13).

The MessageI will serve others

out of love.



• Find a quiet place and read your lesson story with your family. Why did Abram go after the enemy kings? What can we do when someone in our family is in trouble?

• Teach the memory verse to your family.• Pray for all those affected by war.

Sunday• Read and discuss Genesis 14:8-24 with your

family. Compare it to your Bible lesson story. What did you learn from the Bible that wasn’t in the lesson story?

• Think about a time someone outside your family helped you. Make a thank-you card and deliver or mail it to them today. Thank Jesus for that person.

Monday• Review the lesson story by reading Genesis

14:8-24. In your own words, tell the story for family worship. Ask your family how you can help each other today.

• Say the memory verse together. Then pray for opportunities to help others.

Tuesday• With your family, read and discuss Genesis

14:18-20. Ask: Who was Melchizedek? Why did he come out to meet Abram and his men? What did Abram give to Melchizedek? Why?

• Say the memory verse together. Then pray for the rulers of your country and those who pro-tect it.

Wednesday• During family worship, read and discuss

Malachi 3:6-12. Ask: How does someone rob God? If you had 10 coins, all alike, how many would you give as tithe? How many would you give as an offering? What is the difference between tithe and an offering?

• Ask God to help your family to be faithful in giving tithes and offerings. Thank Him that you have something to give.

Thursday• Make a picture of things for which you are

grateful. Show and tell about it during worship.• Read and discuss Genesis 14:21-24 with your

family. Ask: Why was the king of Sodom grateful to Abram? Why didn’t Abram keep the things he brought back from the war? Ask family members to tell about a time they were grateful to God for something special. Write these down in the memory book of God’s goodness that you started last week.

• Sing a thank-you worship song, then thank God for all the things He has given your family.

Friday• Say the memory verse for your family during

worship. Tell them why you want to do nice things for other people. Tell about something you did today.

• Ask your family to help you do something nice for a neighbor. Make a plan and do it. Will you expect a reward?

• Sing a song about helping others. Then pray for your neighbors.

three neighbors had, with God’s help, done what five kings could not.Melchizedek, king of Salem and a priest who served God, also came to welcome

Abram and the others. Melchizedek brought food and drink for Abram and his men. The kingly priest prayed over Abram and blessed him, saying: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth . . . who delivered your enemies into your hand” (Genesis 14:19, 20).

Abram knew that God gave him the victory, so he gladly counted out all the silver and gold and flocks that he brought back. He gave the kingly priest God’s tithe of everything—one of every 10 animals, pieces of silver, and pieces of gold.

The king of Sodom saw all the things Abram gave as tithe. Gratefully, he told Abram to keep for himself all the rest. “Give me the people and keep the goods” (verse 21), he said. But Abram would not take anything for himself. He asked only for the share that the neighbors who had helped him were owed. Abram was happy to serve others just for the love of helping them.



Patriarchs andProphets, pp. 132-144

Memory Verse“Not looking to

your own interestsbut each of you to theinterests of the others”

(Philippians 2:4).

ObjectivesThe children will:

Know that Godwants us to speak

out for others.Feel a concern for people,

including those whodo not yet know Jesus.

Respond by thinking of ways that they can speak out for God.

The MessageGod wants me to

speak out for others.

Heavenly VisitorsMonthly Theme


The Bible Lesson at a GlanceAbraham invites three travelers to stop for food and water. As

they eat, Sarah is inside the tent listening. When one visitor says Sarah will have a baby, she laughs. One traveler says, “Why did Sarah laugh? Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Then Abraham and Sarah know their guest is the Lord. When the Lord tells Abraham that Sodom will be destroyed, Abraham pleads for the people there and begs God to spare them.

This is a lesson about service.When Abraham begged God to spare Sodom, he was speak-

ing out on behalf of those people who lived there. Speaking out for others is a part of the Christian life. When we see people being mistreated or in need, it is a Christian service to speak for those people to the authorities or others who can help. Children should be encouraged to tell an adult when they see someone in need.

Teacher EnrichmentLot, the son of Abraham’s brother Haran, settled in Sodom.

The people of Sodom and its twin city Gomorrah were very wicked and lived as though there was no God. Though Lot lived in Sodom, he did not do the wicked things that other people did. Abraham, by speaking out for the people of Sodom, saved Lot and his family from the fire that destroyed the city.

“And the man of faith pleaded for the inhabitants of Sodom. Once he had saved them by his sword, now he endeavored to save them by prayer” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 139).


LESSON FOUR

40 LESSON FOUR www.gracelink.net/primary



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Welcome ongoing Greet students at none door; hear pleased/ troubled_________________________________________________________________________________ Readiness Options up to 10 A. Thumbs-up none B. What Would You Do? large index cards or sheets of heavy paper, pencils, pictures (see activity)_________________________________________________________________________________ Prayer and Praise* up to 10 Fellowship none Songbook Sing for Joy Mission Children’s Mission Offering offering container Prayer none_________________________________________________________________________________ Bible Lesson up to 20 Experiencing the Story striped sheet, green cloth pieces, Bible-times costumes, bowl, tray of food, jug of water, cups (see activity) Memory Verse Bible Bible Study Bibles_________________________________________________________________________________ Applying the up to 15 Say It! Pray It! chalkboard or whiteboard, Lesson chalk or marker, Bibles_________________________________________________________________________________ Sharing the up to 15 Prayer Promise Prayer Promise pledge cards Lesson (see p. 47), pens or pencils

SERVICE

www.gracelink.net/primary LESSON FOUR 41

WelcomeWelcome children at the door. Ask how their week has been—what

they’re pleased/troubled about. Ask if they wish to share something from the daily activities completed during the previous week. Have them begin the readiness activity of your choice.

Readiness ActivitiesSelect the activity most appropriate for your situation.

A. Thumbs-upAsk children to give a thumbs-up sign or a thumbs-down as you read the following

scenarios. They should give a thumbs-up if the main character is looking out for others.1. The new student is sitting all by himself in the cafeteria. Tariq goes over and

starts a conversation. Thumbs-up or thumbs-down for Tariq?2. Taylor’s friends are making fun of one of their classmates because of the

clothes she wears. Taylor doesn’t join in the teasing, but she laughs at their jokes. Thumbs-up or thumbs-down for Taylor?

3. Some older students take a ball from a first grader and throw it back and forth to each other, way over his head. Tahlia gets another ball and plays catch with the first grader for a while. Thumbs-up or thumbs-down for Tahlia?

DebriefingTo debrief, ask: How do you think the new student, Taylor’s classmate, and the

first-grade student felt? (lonely, sad, upset) Do you think Taylor was looking out for others? Why or why not? Is it OK to keep silent or just laugh while others are being teased as long as you are not teasing the person also?

Jesus loves us, and He wants us to love each other. Part of loving others is speaking out for them when they are being mistreated in some way. Our mes-sage today tells us:

GOD WANTS ME TO SPEAK OUT FOR OTHERS.

Say that with me.

B. What Would You Do?Ahead of time, prepare large blank index cards by gluing pictures (some graphics

may be available at www.gracelink.net/primary) or drawings on one side. The pictures should be of people who might need someone to speak out for them. For example, pictures could be of someone being teased, someone sitting alone, someone who did not get an invitation that everyone else got, someone who is injured, someone with a broken pencil, etc. Invite students to share how they could speak up for the person pictured in one of the cards. Give each student a card of the person he or she would choose to help. (Make enough cards so that each student in your class can get one. You can have more than one card showing the same picture.) After students have chosen their cards, have them draw on the other side how they feel when they have spoken up for others.

1

TEACHING THE LESSON

You Need:• large index

cards or sheets of heavy paper

• pencils• pictures (see

activity)



Report the children’s joys and sorrows (pleased and troubled) as reported to you at the door (as appropriate). Review last week’s memory verse. Invite children who have something to share to do so at this time. Greet and introduce visitors. Acknowledge birthdays or special events.

Suggested Songs“Wonderful, Wonderful” (Sing for Joy, no. 39)“Jesus Keeps His Promises” (Sing for Joy, no. 41)“Teach Me, Lord” (Sing for Joy, no. 110)“The Lord Hears Me” (Sing for Joy, no. 105) Begin the last verse singing twice: “The Lord hears me when I speak out for Him.”

MissionSay: All over the world people are speaking out for Jesus, telling others about

His love. Our story today tells about a child who lives far, far away. Use a story from Children’s Mission.

OfferingUse a container that represents the part of the world where offerings

will go this quarter.

PrayerAsk the children what they did during the week to help someone else. Did they expect

a reward? Did they receive a reward? In your prayer, express thanks for their willingness to serve others without expecting a reward.

DebriefingSay: How do you feel when you see people being mistreated or in danger?

(sorry for them, frightened, sad) Did Jesus speak out for people when He was here on earth? (Yes, for children, women, people being treated unfairly) Whose example are we following when we speak out for others? (Jesus’ example) Can you name some other people who have spoken out for others? (Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, a local hero) Today’s message will help us to remember to speak out for others. It says:


Say that with me.

Any

Time


container



Characters: Abraham, Sarah, the three guests, all in Bible-times costumes

Props: mixing bowl, pita bread, a tray of food, a jug of water, cups, the tent, lengths of green cloth

Setting the scene:Drape a striped sheet over some

chairs (or a table) so it looks like a tent. Leave one corner of the sheet free so that “Sarah” can enter the tent. Ask some children to be the great trees of Mamre and to hold up pieces of green cloth to cast shade near Abraham’s tent. Explain to them that they are to “sway” in the breeze and provide shade as indicated throughout the story. Ask an adult to help the “actors” “act” at the right times.

Say: As I read the story, Abraham, Sarah, and their three guests will pan-tomime, move about, and do what the story says.

Read or tell the story.One warm day Abraham was sitting

at the entrance to his tent. He looked up and saw three men walking on the road. He got up and ran to meet them.

“Please, stay awhile at my tent,” Abraham invited. “I will give you water to wash with and some food to eat. You can sit in the shade of the trees and rest awhile.”

“Thank you, we will,” the men agreed. And so they turned back and rested in the shade of the trees. [The trees sway and cast their shade. The guests sit near the trees.]

Abraham hurried to the tent. “Sarah,”

he called, “get some flour. Bake some bread for our guests.” [Sarah kneels, mixes in a bowl, and “bakes” real pita bread over an imaginary fire.]

Abraham hurried to get food for his servant to cook. When the food was ready, Abraham served his guests. [Abraham carries a tray of food to the guests.]

While the guests ate, Abraham stood in the shade and watched. Sarah stayed just inside the tent, listening.

“Where is Sarah, your wife?” one of the guests asked.

“She’s in the tent,” Abraham answered.“Next year at this time she will have

a son,” the guest announced. Back in the tent Sarah chuckled. [Sarah laughs.] Imagine having a son at her age!

One of the guests frowned. [A “guest” frowns.] “Why did Sarah laugh?” he asked. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

Suddenly both Abraham and Sarah knew that their guest was the Lord.

The guests finished eating and stood up to leave. Abraham walked with them out past the trees. The Lord stopped to talk to Abraham [the same “guest” stops by Abraham as the others walk away], but the others continued on their way.

“I have heard how very wicked Sodom is,” the Lord said. “So I have come to see for Myself.”

Oh, no! Abraham knows Sodom is an evil city. His nephew Lot lives there with his family. Abraham loves Lot’s family. Abraham also feels concern for all the people of Sodom.

“Lord,” Abraham said, “are You going to destroy the good people of Sodom along with the wicked? Suppose there are 50 good people in Sodom. Will You not save the city?”

“Oh, yes,” God answered. “If I find 50 good people in Sodom, I will not destroy it.”

Abraham thought some more. His

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You Need:• striped sheet• green cloth• Bible-times

costumes • mixing bowl• bread• tray of food• jug of water• cups


kind heart made him ask the Lord again, “What if there are only 45 good people?”

“I will not destroy Sodom if there are 45 good people,” God replied.

Still Abraham was not satisfied. “What if there are just 40?”

“I will not do it if there are 40,” God said.“For 30?” Abraham asked.“No, not for 30,” God said.“What if there are only 20?” Abraham

pleaded.“Not even for 20,” God assured him. “Don’t be angry with me, Lord,”

Abraham begged, “but let me ask one more time. Will You save the city for just 10 good people?”

The Lord answered, “For the sake of 10 good people I will not destroy the city.”

Then the Lord left to go on to Sodom and Abraham returned to his tent, satis-fied. He had done all he could to speak out for the people of Sodom.


Did Abraham know who his visitors were? (not in the beginning) When did Abraham realize that he was talking to the Lord? (When the Lord asked why Sarah laughed.) How many times did Abraham ask God to consider the num-ber of good people living in Sodom? (six) Why did Abraham speak out for the people of Sodom? (He loved Lot; he cared about the people living there; he didn’t want them to die.) We can be like Abraham and speak out for people in need. Remember our message . . .


Say that with me.

Memory VerseOpen your Bible to Philippians 2:4

and read the verse aloud: “Not look-ing to your own interests but each

of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:4). Repeat the following activity until the children know the verse:

Not looking Hold hand above eyes.

to your own Shake head no.interests but each Point to self.of you to the Point to others.interests of the others. Philippians 2:4 Palms together,

then open.

Bible StudyForm five small groups, each with

one adult helper. Assign the following Bible references, one to each group.

Exodus 7:2-7 (Moses and Aaron speak to Pharaoh)

2 Samuel 12:7-10 (Nathan speaks to David)

Acts 2:14-21, 41 (Peter speaks at Pentecost)

Acts 8:26-35 (Philip and the Ethiopian)Acts 9:10-19 (Ananias speaks to Saul)Say: Read the text assigned to

your group and discover what the message from God was and who delivered it to whom. Allow time for reading and reporting.

DebriefingSay: Does God expect us to preach

to large crowds? (yes, no, maybe when I’m an adult) Does God want us to tell people when they have done wrong to others? (sometimes, maybe, depends on the situation) What message does God want us to deliver to those around us? (Jesus is coming again, Jesus loves you, Jesus is our friend, etc.) Why? (God wants everyone to know about Jesus and to be ready when Jesus comes.) Let’s remem-ber our message:


Say that with me.

You Need:• Bibles

You Need:• Bible


Applying the LessonSay It! Pray It!

Read the items below aloud, one at a time, and ask the children to think of how they might speak out for those involved. List their ideas where all may see.

1. You are on the playground at school. You see a big boy taking a ball away from one of the little boys.

2. Your mother is talking on the phone with your grandmother. She has just learned that your grandfather is very sick and is in the hospital. She starts to cry.

3. You are watching a soccer game at school. The red team beats the blue team. They start teasing the kids on the blue team and are calling them losers.

4. Your best friend is upset because her parents are getting a divorce.

5. Two girls in your class are making unkind remarks about the way another girl dresses. The other girl turns away with tears in her eyes.

6. Your pastor is having surgery next week.

DebriefingHelp the children find and read

Philippians 2:4 in their Bibles. Read the text aloud: “Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the inter-ests of the others.”

Say: Let’s look at the list of your ideas. Do these show that you are speaking out in concern for the inter-ests of others?

What is the one thing that most of you thought of? (prayer) That’s right. Prayer is the first thing we should do to help others. We should ask God to show us the best way to help that person. If there is nothing else we can do, we should keep praying. Abraham wanted to help the people who lived in Sodom, so what did he do? (He asked the Lord to spare the city for the sake of the few good people who lived there.) And sometimes that’s all we can do too. We can pray for people and let them know that we care. Let’s remember our message:


Say that with me.

3

You Need:• chalkboard or

whiteboard• chalk or marker• Bibles


Sharing the LessonPrayer Promise

Distribute two copies of the prayer pledge below to each child. Say: We have been talking about speaking out for others, asking God to help them. Think of someone you know that you want to “speak out for.” What do you want God to do for that person? Do you want them to know more about Jesus? Do they need something—food, a job, a place to live, to give up smoking?

When we pray and ask God to do something for another person, we want to tell God just what we want Him to do. This is called “intercessory prayer,” because we are interceding with God on someone's behalf. Another way to say it is that we are asking God to help someone. On both of your prayer pledge papers, write that per-son’s name and what you want God to do for them. Adults assist as needed.

DebriefingSay: What do you think about ask-

ing God to do something special for someone else? Do you think God will hear your prayer? Take the pledges home with you and put one where you will see it every day. Sometime this week, you can give or send the other to the person you are praying for. This will tell them that you really do care about them. How do you think they will feel when they know you are praying for them? How will you feel? Let’s say our message together again:


ClosingInvite two children to pray, asking

God to give the group courage to speak out for others who need His help. Close with your own prayer, thanking God for being with each child as they speak out for others and for Him.

4You Need:• two copies of

prayer pledge for each child

• pens or pencils

Because I care about _________________________, I promise to

pray every day and ask God to show His love for them too. I

want God to _________________________________. I believe God

will hear my prayer because He cares about my friend too.

Signed:______________________________________

Date:________________________________________


Heavenly VisitorsDo you talk to God when someone you

care about needs help? Do you ask God to do something for them? Even when people are bad, we can speak out for them. A long time ago, Abraham bargained with God for some people. It happened like this . . .

One hot day Abraham sat in the shade of his tent, looking out upon the valley where he lived. A movement caught his eye. Three men stood just beyond his camp talking together.

Abraham jumped up, ran to meet them, and bowed low.

“Please, stay awhile at my tent. I will give you water and some food to eat. You can sit in the shade of the trees and rest.”

“Thank you, we will,” the men agreed. “Go and do as you said.”

Abraham hurried back to the camp and into his tent.

“Sarah,” he called to his wife, “we have guests. Please bake some bread for them.” Then Abraham hurried to get food for his servant to cook. Soon the

food was ready. Abraham himself served his guests. While they ate he stood in the shade of a tree nearby. Sarah stayed just inside the tent, where she could listen to the men.

“Where is Sarah, your wife?” one of the guests asked.

“She’s in the tent,” Abraham answered.

“Next year at this time she will have a son,” the guest said.

Back in the tent Sarah chuckled. Imagine having a son at her age!

“Why did Sarah laugh?” the stranger asked. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

Now both Abraham and Sarah knew that their guest was the Lord Himself.

When Abraham’s guests finished their meal, they got up to leave. As was the custom, Abraham walked a short distance with them. The Lord stopped to talk to Abraham as the others walked on.

“I have heard how very wicked Sodom is,” the Lord said.

Abraham had heard of evil things that people did in Sodom. He thought of Lot and his family who lived there.

Abraham loved his nephew’s family. He was sure Lot was not wicked, but Abraham worried about the people of Sodom. Many of them did not yet know God.

“Lord,” Abraham said, “are You going to destroy the good people of Sodom along with the wicked?

Suppose there are 50 good people in Sodom. Will You not save the city?”

The Lord answered, “If I find 50 righteous [good] people in Sodom, I will not destroy it.”

Abraham thought some more. His kind heart made him ask the

Lord again, “What if there are only 45 good people?”

“I will not destroy Sodom, if there are 45 good people.”

STUDENT MATERIAL



pp. 132-144

Memory Verse“Not looking to

your own interests but each of you to the interests

of the others” (Philippians 2:4).

The MessageGod wants me

to speak outfor others.



• If possible, go with your family to sit outdoors under a shady tree or draw a picture of a tree. Read and discuss Genesis 18:20-33 together. Talk about the great trees at Mamre and how they gave shade to Abraham’s visitors. Then thank God for trees.

• Read the memory verse together. Ask your family what it means.

Sunday• Read the lesson story for family worship today.

Why did Abraham care what happened to the people in Sodom? Who cares about us?

• Draw a picture of something that especially interests you. Is your interest something that God is interested in? Why? Ask God to help you use your interest for Him.

• Use the motions learned in Sabbath School to teach the memory verse to your family.

Monday• With your family, think of another story you

know about Abraham helping people. (Hint: See Genesis 14.) Why did Abraham help those people? Did Abraham receive a reward? Should people receive a reward for helping others?

• Share the prayer pledge made in Sabbath School with the person of your choice. Tell them how much you care about them. Remember to pray for them every day.

Tuesday• During worship today, count out 50 small

stones (or dried beans or rice grains) and pretend that they are the people of Sodom. Remove stones as you read the lesson story together, until only 10 stones are left. Does

God still care about 10 people? About one person? How did Abraham help the people of Sodom?

• Are there bad people in your town? Does Jesus love them? How do you know? (See Romans 5:8.) How can you help them? Pray for people in your town who do not know Jesus.

Wednesday• With your family, read and discuss Isaiah 58:7.

What needs are found in that verse? How can your family help someone with those needs? Make a plan and do it.

• Sing a song about helping others. Then pray that God will help you to help people in need.

Thursday• With your family’s help, make a list of five peo-

ple you know who need to know Jesus. List one interest you think each person has. How might your family “look to their interests”? Ask God to show you a way to help one of them today. Save your list for tomorrow.

• Ask your family to say the memory verse with you.

Friday• Act out the lesson story during family worship

tonight. Or read about the lesson in Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 138-140.

• Ask each family member to choose a person from the list you made yesterday. Think of something of interest to that person that could help you tell them more about Jesus. Then send a card (one you make is best) or a Bible verse to them. Tell them that you care about them.

• Sing about God’s love for people. Then pray for the people you care about.

Still Abraham was not satisfied. Three more times he asked the Lord to save the city. The sixth time Abraham begged the Lord, “Don’t be angry with me, Lord, but let me ask one more time. Will You save the city for just 10 good people?”

The Lord answered, “For the sake of 10 good people I will not destroy the city.”Then the Lord went on to Sodom, and Abraham went back to his tent knowing that God would do what

was right and what was good.


References1 Samuel 12;

Patriarchs and Prophets,pp. 603-615

Memory Verse “For the sake of his

great name theLord . . . was pleased

to make you his own”(1 Samuel 12:22).


Know that grace isthe good news

that Jesus loves them.Feel awe that God

made them His child.Respond by thinking what great

things God has done for them.

The MessageGod is glad He made

me His child.

Samuel Speaks for GodMonthly Theme

God’s grace is good news for us.

The Bible Lesson at a GlanceSamuel is getting old. At their request God gives the people a

king, and Samuel makes a speech, reminding them of the good things God did in the past. He asks the Lord to send thunder and rain to impress the people that they did wrong in asking for a king. During the storm they are frightened and admit their mis-take. God says that He is still glad that they are His children.

This is a lesson about grace.Because God loves His people, He forgives their past mistakes

and invites them to start over. When they choose to identify them-selves as His children, the Lord is very pleased and will give them power to stay that way.

Teacher Enrichment“At the time of wheat harvest, in May and June, no rain fell in

the East. . . . So violent a storm at this season filled all hearts with fear” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 615).

Samuel is not retiring from being the prophet when he pre-sents Israel’s king. He will continue to be God’s mouthpiece to the people and the new king. See also 1 Samuel 12:23, 24 and Nehemiah 9:17.

Room DecorationsPrepare an outdoor setting with trees, rocks, tents, battle

shields, etc. Put some “sheep” a distance away from the tents and the battle shields. Or make a bulletin board on this theme.

LESSON F IVE

50 LESSON FIVE www.gracelink.net/primary



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Welcome ongoing Greet students at none door; hear pleased/ troubled_________________________________________________________________________________ Readiness Options up to 10 A. How Bad? grocery bag containing breakable items such as a glass, bowl, clock, etc., Bibles B. Love for Me Bibles_________________________________________________________________________________ Prayer and Praise* up to 10 Fellowship none Songbook Sing for Joy Mission Children’s Mission Offering “crown bowl” (see activity) Prayer raindrop-shaped small pieces of paper, glass bowl_________________________________________________________________________________ Bible Lesson up to 20 Experiencing the Story spray bottle filled with clean water, Bible-times costumes, Bible Memory Verse 10 raindrop-shaped papers, pen, Bible Bible Study Bibles, chalkboard or white board, chalk or marker_________________________________________________________________________________ Applying the up to 15 Ungrateful Role-Play adhesive bandage, pens, tissue, Lesson clean jacket, dirty jacket

_________________________________________________________________________________ Sharing the up to 15 Ask Me colored construction paper, Lesson scissors, paper cups, markers or crayons

GRACE

www.gracelink.net/primary LESSON FIVE 51

TEACHING THE LESSON

WelcomeWelcome children personally at the door. Ask how their week has

been—what they’re pleased/troubled about. Have them begin the readiness activity of your choice.


A. How Bad?Place in a large paper bag several things that children could drop and break, such

as a drinking glass, glass bowl, clock, framed picture, etc.Select children to gently take something (one at a time) from the bag and hold it

up for all to see. With each item, ask: Would Mom and Dad say that to break this is: 1. Bad? 2. Quite bad? 3. VERY bad?

DebriefingMoms and dads are sad when you break something. They might even get angry,

but they still love you. God is even more loving than moms and dads. He never, ever stops being glad that He chose you to be His child. Let’s take our Bibles and find 1 Samuel 12:22. Allow time, then read the text together. This is today’s memory verse. It tells us that even though we do something wrong, we can still know that . . .

GOD IS GLAD HE MADE ME HIS CHILD.

Say that with me.

B. Love for MeSay: The people who love us show their love in many ways. Let’s think of all

the ways they do. I will start. Someone shows love for me by—hugging me. The next person says, “Someone shows love for me by hugging me and [add some thing else].” Continue around the group, each person stating what was already said and adding to it. (Large class: Form groups of six to eight with adult helpers.)

DebriefingSay: We are really loved a lot! Let’s read 1 Samuel 12:22. Help the children find

the text, then read it aloud together. “Make you His own” means to make you His child. If God is pleased to make you His child, how does He feel about you? (He likes you a lot; He loves you.) Who are some of the people who love you? Do they love you even if you do something wrong? (Of course. They may get angry, but they still love you.) Who loves you most of all? (God, Jesus) And how do we know that God never stops loving us? We just read about it in the Bible. Our message for today reminds us that God loves us. It says:


Say that with me.

1

TEACHING THE LESSON

You Need:• large paper bag• several small

breakable objects

• Bibles

You Need:• Bibles



Report the children’s joys and sorrows (pleased and troubled) as reported to you at the door (as appropriate). Review last week’s memory verse and allow time for sharing experi-ences from last week’s lesson study. Give a special warm greeting to visitors and introduce each by name. Acknowledge birthdays or special events.

Suggested Songs“The Lord Hears Me” (Sing for Joy, no. 105)(Change words to “The Lord loves me.”)“God Is So Good” (Sing for Joy, no. 13)“Lord, We Praise You” (Sing for Joy, no. 17)“Father, I Adore You” (Sing for Joy, no. 21)


OfferingUse a bowl decorated to look like a crown to collect the offering.

Ask each child to name one thing they think God may do with the money they are giving.

PrayerHave a raindrop prayer. Ask each child to write (or draw) on a

raindrop-shaped paper one great thing God has done for them and for which they want to thank Him. Have the children come forward and drop the raindrops in a glass bowl. As they stand around the bowl, encourage those who want to pray to do so. Close with a prayer of your own in which you thank God for His love and that we are all His children.

Any

Time

You Need:• “crown bowl”

You Need:• raindrop-

shaped papers for each child

• glass bowl



Dress the children in Bible-times cos-tumes. Before beginning the story, have the children practice lightly drumming their fingers on their chairs to make the sound of rain.

When you get to the appropriate place in the story, read 1 Samuel 12:16-18 while the children produce the sound effects. Spray a fine mist over the group at that time.

Read or tell the story.Have you ever wanted to do some-

thing, even if it made your mom, dad, or teachers sad? I hope not. The people of Israel did that to Samuel. They wanted a king to lead them instead of God.

So Samuel talked to God, and God gave them King Saul. When the king led Israel and they won a great battle, the people were ready to celebrate their king.

“Let us go to Gilgal,” Samuel suggest-ed. “There we will crown the king and sacrifice to the Lord.”

So Samuel, King Saul, and all the people gathered in Gilgal for a big cele-bration. They sacrificed animals and wor-shipped the Lord. Then Samuel, now a very old man, called for quiet and began to make a speech.

“God has done as you asked,” Samuel said. “He has given you a king to lead you. And what about me? I was your leader since my youth. Tell me: Have I ever cheated you? Have I ever stolen from you?”

“No,” the people answered. “You've never cheated us. You've never hurt us.”

“Good,” Samuel replied. “Now lis-ten to me and think about all the good

things God has done for you and your fathers and grandfathers when the Lord was your king.”

Samuel reminded them of how God had sent Moses and Aaron to lead the people from Egypt. “Remember how Israel forgot about the Lord and wor-shipped idols?” Samuel continued. “The Lord allowed them to become the slaves of Sisera. What did the people do then?”

“They asked the Lord to save them,” some of the people said.

“They promised to serve the Lord again,” others replied.

“This happened again and again,” Samuel reminded them. “Many times Israel forgot the Lord. Each time they said, ‘We did wrong; we are sorry. We will serve You, Lord.’ And each time the Lord forgave them and saved them.

“Now,” Samuel continued, “you have asked for a king, and the Lord has given one to you. You will not always like what your king asks you to do. Respect your king but always be faithful to God.”

(Read 1 Samuel 12:16-18; while the children produce the sound effects, spray the children with water.)

The people huddled together, cold, wet, and frightened. “Save us,” they cried to Samuel. “We were wrong to ask for a king.”

“Don’t be afraid,” Samuel tenderly replied. “For the sake of his great name the Lord . . . was pleased to make you his own” (1 Samuel 12:22).

“You did wrong,” Samuel continued, “but you are still God’s people. I will pray for you, and I will still be here to help you. Don’t worship idols, and remember, always to serve the Lord with all your heart.”

God’s chosen people felt better. And once again they determined always to remember the good things God had done for them.

2

You Need:• spray bottle

filled with clean water

• Bible-times costumes

• Bible


DebriefingAsk: If you had been listening to

Samuel make his speech, how would you have felt?

Read aloud 1 Samuel 12:20. Ask: Who is the most powerful person you know? (the leader of your country; the commander-in-chief of your army; a war hero) How does that person compare with God? (They are all weak compared to God.) How do you feel about serv-ing such a powerful God “with all your heart”? (scared, glad, warm, special, fortunate, etc.) How do you think God feels about you? (He loves me.)

Our message says:


Say that with me.

Memory VerseIn advance, write

one word or phrase of the memory verse on each of the rain-drop-shaped papers as outlined below.

Help the chil-dren find 1 Samuel 12:22. Read the verse aloud and explain it if necessary.

Mix the raindrop-shaped papers. Ask one child at a time to choose a raindrop and place it where they think it should be in the word order. Repeat the activity until the children know the verse. (Large class: Form small groups and give each a set of papers. Have an adult supervise each group.)

For the sake of his great name the Lord . . . was pleased to make you his own. 1 Samuel 12:22

Bible StudyRead aloud 1 Samuel 12, as noted

below. Read or have one child read Samuel’s part, and the rest of the children read the people’s response. Choose one child to read the narration in verse 18. Go from left to right on each line:

Samuel’s People’sPart Response Narration verses 1-3 verse 4verse 5a verse 5bverses 6-17 verse 18 verse 19verses 20-25

DebriefingAsk: What are some of the good

things God did for His people? (verses 8, 11) How did God get the people’s atten-tion when they forgot Him? (verse 9)

Draw a circle big enough for everyone to see. Say: God’s people and God did some things over and over. Let’s look in our Bibles and write these things on this circle. What are they? (verse 8—peo-ple asked God to save them, God helped them; verse 9—people forgot God, God allowed problems to come; verse 10—people repented and asked God to save them; verse 11—God helped them, etc.)

Why does God sometimes let bad things happen to us? Acknowledge the children’s answers. Then say: God doesn’t want any of His children to suffer. But God loves us so much that He gave us all the power to choose. Unfortunately, some people choose to do evil things that hurt other people. And sometimes bad things happen in nature. But God tells us in His word that “in everything God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28, ICB). So we can be certain that whatever bad things happen to us, if we will trust God He will make good things come out of those bad circumstances. Let’s say our message together.


You Need:• Bibles• chalkboard or

whiteboard• chalk

or marker

You Need:• 10 raindrop-

shaped papers• pen or marker• Bible


Applying the LessonUngrateful Role-Play

Perform this drama with one child. Never once do you say thank you.

You fall and scrape your knee—child gives you a bandage.

Your pen runs out of ink—child shares his/hers.

You sneeze—child gives you a tissue.You are cold—child offers to share a

clean jacket. This time you rudely refuse the jacket and select an old, dirty one instead.

When the child invites you to sit by him or her, you refuse.

DebriefingAsk: What did you think when I

did not say thank you? How do you feel when people do not thank you?

Say: Think about this, but do not answer: Do you sometimes forget to be thankful for God’s gifts?

Have someone read 1 Samuel 12:22 (this week’s memory verse). Say: This verse is saying that even though we don’t act like God’s children, He is glad He made us His people. He loves us because He is God, and that’s the way He is. So what will you remember today? God loves me and (have the chil-dren repeat the message) . . .


3

You Need:• adhesive

bandage• two pens• box of tissues• neat, clean

jacket• old, dirty jacket


Sharing the LessonAsk Me

Have the children draw around a paper cup to make a circle on construction paper. Then cut out the circle to make a “button” on which they write, “ASK ME!”

Tape your “but-ton” to your chest. Say:

[Child’s name,] please come up and ask me.

Child: “Ask you what?” (Point to your button.)

Lead the child to say: “Tell me about your button.”

Answer: GOD IS GLAD HE MADE ME HIS CHILD. Explain: When you

wear your buttons, you need to be prepared. People will ask you about them. You can tell them today’s mes-sage. They might also ask WHY God is glad He made you His child.

Find a partner and practice say-ing today’s message and telling how you know God is glad that you are His child. (Because He loves me so much; I just know He feels that way about me; it says so in the Bible.)

DebriefingAsk the children: What will you

do with the button you are making today? Where will you wear it? Who might ask you about it? What will you say? Let’s say the message again:


4

You Need:• colored

construction paper

• scissors• paper cups• markers or

crayons

ClosingAsk someone to pray and thank God for making us His children.


Samuel Speaks for God

Have you ever wanted to do something, even if it made your mom, dad, or teachers sad? The people of Israel did that to God.

The people of Israel decided that they wanted a king to lead them instead of God. They wanted to be like everyone else around them. So they went to Samuel and asked him to let God know they wanted a king.

Samuel talked to God. And God gave them Saul. When Saul led Israel to a vic-tory in battle, the people were ready to celebrate having their king.

“Let us go to Gilgal,” Samuel said to all the people. “We can crown the king and make a sacrifice to the Lord.”

So Samuel, King Saul, and all the people gathered for the celebration. They sacrificed offerings and worshipped the Lord. Then Samuel, now an old man with

gray

hair, called for quiet and began his speech.“God has done as you asked,” Samuel

said. “He has given you a king to be your leader. And what about me? I was your leader since my youth. Tell me: Have I ever cheated you? Have I ever stolen from you?”

“No,” the people answered. “We can honestly say that you did not cheat us or hurt us.”

“Good,” Samuel replied. “Now stand here and listen. I am going to remind you of all the good things God did for you and your fathers and grandfathers when the Lord was your king.”

Samuel reminded them of how God had sent Moses and Aaron to lead the people from Egypt. And the people remembered.

“Remember how Israel forgot about the Lord and worshipped idols?” Samuel continued. “The Lord allowed them to become the slaves of Sisera. What did the people do then?”

“They asked the Lord to save them,” some of the people said.

“They promised to serve the Lord,” others replied.

“This happened again and again,” Samuel reminded them. “Many times Israel forgot the Lord and worshipped idols and became slaves. Each time they said, ‘We did wrong; we are sorry. We will serve You, Lord.’ And each time the Lord forgave them and saved them.

“Now,” Samuel continued, “you have asked for a king. And the Lord has given one to you. You will not always like what your king asks you to do. Respect your king, but always be faithful to God.

“Now look and see what the Lord is about to do. It is harvesttime. I will pray to God for thunder and rain. This is to show you what an evil thing you did when you asked for a king instead of letting God lead you.”

Samuel called out to the Lord. That same day the thunder rolled overhead and

STUDENT MATERIAL

References1 Samuel 12; Patriarchs and

Prophets, pp. 603-615

Memory Verse“For the sake of his great name

the Lord . . . was pleased to make

you his own”(1 Samuel 12:22).

The MessageGod is glad He

made me His child.



• With your family, read the Bible lesson story together. Imagine that you are standing in the rain and can feel it falling on you. Read aloud the memory verse from the Bible (1 Samuel 12:22).

• Thank God that you are His child.Sunday

• With a family member, read and discuss 1 Samuel 12:6-25.

• Make one cloud-shaped cutout for each word of the memory verse. Write each word of the memory verse on a different cutout. Mix up the “clouds,” then try to put them in order. Save the cloud words for another day.

• Make a chart and record the weather each day this week.

• Thank God for rain.Monday

• Put your cloud-shaped memory verse words in the right order and say the memory verse.

• With a family member, read what Samuel said in your lesson story (1 Samuel 12:1-3, 5a, 6-17, 20-25).

• Tell your family about three great things that God has done for you. Thank Him for doing them.

Tuesday• During worship today, read together what the

people said to Samuel (1 Samuel 12:4, 5b, 19). Who was Israel’s first king (before Saul)? (See 1 Samuel 12:12.)

• Think of five great names for Jesus, such as King of kings. Play, sing, hum, or listen to “King of Kings” (He Is Our Song, no. 69). Put your cloud-shaped memory verse words in the right order. Then try to say the verse to a fam-ily member without looking at the words.

• Ask God to help you remember that you are His child.

Wednesday• During family worship, read together

1 Samuel 12:9 and 12. List the names of Israel’s enemies. Do you have any enemies?

• Discuss with your family how God can help you deal with enemies. Pray for someone who has been unkind to you.

• Say your memory verse together.Thursday

• Say your memory verse to a friend. In your own words, tell them what it means.

• During family worship, read together Samuel’s weather forecast in 1 Samuel 12:16-18. Was it good or bad for the rain to come at wheat harvest? Why? (See 1 Samuel 12:17.) Draw a picture of wheat and some foods made from wheat.

• Thank God for good food.Friday

• During family worship tonight, use your mem-ory verse clouds to teach the verse to your family. Explain the verse and tell how it makes you feel.

• Tell your family three things that you remember from your lesson story. What big lesson did you learn? Together, read 1 Samuel 12:22, 23 and Nehemiah 9:17. What does God want you to do about people who hurt your feelings?

• Sing “God Is So Good” (Sing for Joy, no. 13), then thank Him for His goodness to your fam-ily.

the rain fell in great sheets. The people huddled together, cold, wet, and frightened. “Save us,” they cried to Samuel. “We were wrong to ask for a king.”“Don’t be afraid,” Samuel tenderly replied. “For the sake of his great name the Lord

. . . was pleased to make you his own” (1 Samuel 12:22).The people began to feel better. Just knowing that God was glad He chose them to

be His people made them feel warm inside.“You did wrong,” Samuel said, “but you are still God’s people. I will pray for you.

And I will still be here to teach you how to follow ‘the way that is good.’ Remember always to serve the Lord with all your heart. Don’t worship idols.”

Then God’s chosen people felt better. They promised again to remember the good things God had done for them.


References1 Samuel 13:16-22;

14:1-23; Patriarchs andProphets, pp. 616-626

Memory Verse“Nothing can hinder

the Lord from saving”(1 Samuel 14:6).


Know that grace isGod’s gift of love

that rescues them from Satan.Feel confident that Jesus saves.

Respond by giving Godthe credit for rescuing them.

The MessageGod gives me

the victory.

God Wins!Monthly Theme


The Bible Lesson at a GlanceAn immense Philistine garrison is stationed in the pass at

Michmash to ravage and fight Israel. Israelite soldiers are afraid and hide in caves and pits. Jonathan and his armor bearer secret-ly climb to the Philistine fortress, surprising and defeating the Philistine guards. As the earth trembles, mass panic occurs within the Philistine army. The Israelites come out of hiding and work havoc on the Philistines. The Lord rescues Israel.

This is a lesson about grace.God is eager to find someone to be a channel through whom

to pour out His blessings to people. Even though there was fear and unbelief among His people, through Jonathan God rescued the whole unbelieving nation. God will give the victory to those who will cooperate with Him. He’s just waiting to do it.

Teacher EnrichmentAhijah the priest, grandson of the high priest Eli, wearing the

ephod with the Urim and Thummin stones, also was with Saul’s army. “Withdraw your hand” (1 Samuel 14:19) “refers to the use of the Urim and Thummin. They were withdrawn from the linen ephod (vest) as a way to determine God’s will. . . . Saul was rush-ing the formalities of getting an answer from God so he could hurry and get into battle to take advantage of the confusion of the Philistines” (Life Application Bible [NIV], p. 451).


LESSON S IX

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Welcome ongoing Greet students at none door; hear pleased/ troubled_________________________________________________________________________________ Readiness Options up to 10 A. Can You Climb It? approx. six-foot ladder, pillows B. Crossing Death Chasm chalk or tape to mark a six-foot (two-meter) line_________________________________________________________________________________ Prayer and Praise* up to 10 Fellowship none Songbook Sing for Joy Mission Children’s Mission Offering shield- or helmet-shaped container Prayer none_________________________________________________________________________________ Bible Lesson up to 20 Experiencing the Story adult Bible-times costume Memory Verse Bibles Bible Study Bibles_________________________________________________________________________________ Applying the up to 15 Giving God Credit large piece of wood or cardboard, Lesson chalkboard and chalk or posterboard and marker, beanbag, chair or tall stool_________________________________________________________________________________ Sharing the up to 15 Nothing Can Stop the art supplies, construction paper; Lesson Lord or balloon for each child, felt-tip marker or pen, envelopes

GRACE

www.gracelink.net/primary LESSON SIX 61

WelcomeWelcome children personally at the door. Ask how their week has

been—what they’re pleased/troubled about. Ask if they have anything they would like to share about their lesson activities this week. Have them begin the readiness activity of your choice.


A. Can You Climb It?Have an adult stand nearby and encourage the children to try climbing the ladder.

When they reach the top, affirm their effort, and encourage them to look around at the room before coming down the ladder.

DebriefingAsk: Was it harder to climb up or down? Why do some people find it harder

to come down? When you are climbing up, you tend to look up, and you know that the next rung is close; when you are climbing down, you look down all the way and get scared. Trusting God is like looking up. We can trust God in every situation. Our message says:

GOD GIVES ME THE VICTORY.

Say that with me.

B. Crossing Death ChasmForm two equal groups of six to eight children. Have the groups line up facing

each other, one group at each end of a six-foot (two meter) straight line marked on the floor or ground.

Say: We are going to pretend that the line in front of you is your only way over Death Chasm. One misstep, and you will plunge 100 feet into the water below. If you fall off (step off the line), you must go back to the end of the line and try again. One person from each group must cross at the same time. (The scorekeeper records the pairs who successfully cross the chasm.)

DebriefingAsk the scorekeeper to declare the winners—the pairs who completed the crossing.

Ask: How did you feel when you were trying to cross the chasm? How did you feel when you stepped off the line? (disappointed, like I failed, let the other person down, etc.) If you were successful, who should get the credit for your successful crossing? (my partner) When we get into difficult situations or are tempted to do wrong, who can we always count on to help us? (God, Jesus) Read aloud 1 Samuel 14:6. Our memory verse today says, “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving.” Be sure the children understand the word hinder. Our message today reminds us that God always helps us. It says:

1

TEACHING THE LESSON

You Need:• ladder, about

six feet (two meters) tall

• pillows for safety

You Need:• a six-foot (two-

meter) straight line marked on the floor or ground for each six to eight children

• an adult to keep score

• an adult to supervise the activity



Report the children’s joys and sorrows (pleased and troubled) as reported to you at the door (as appropriate). Review last week’s memory verse. Allow time for sharing experiences from last week’s lesson study. Give a special warm greeting to visitors and introduce each by name. Acknowledge birthdays or special events.

Suggested Songs “God Is So Good” (Sing for Joy, no. 13)“He’s Able” (Sing for Joy, no. 40)”His Banner Over Me Is Love” (Sing for Joy, no. 25)”Trust and Obey” (Sing for Joy, no. 113)


OfferingCollect the offering in a container made to look like a shield or hel-

met. Remind children that the offering will be used to help Jesus win the battle against Satan and sin.

PrayerAfter taking prayer requests, have children stand at parade rest, as they would if they

were in the army, while you pray.

Any

Time

You Need:• shield- or

helmet-shaped container


Say that with me.



Dress (or have another adult dress) as a person from Bible times. Tell the story as if you were there and saw it all.

Read or tell the story.(Huff and puff as if you have run from

the battle scene.)God be praised! I know, I know! You

heard that nothing was happening at the battlefront.

Well, that’s true. Our soldiers went into hiding in caves and wells. The enemy had thousands of chariots, and it seemed that their well-armed soldiers were as many as the sand on the sea-shore. They all had swords or spears.

None of our soldiers had a sword or spear. Only Saul and Jonathan had them. All our soldiers had were plows, hoes, axes, and sickles. And everybody knows that you don’t win wars with farm tools! Many of our soldiers hid. But not Jonathan, the son of King Saul. He alone believed that God could win the battle.

One day Jonathan whispered to his armor bearer, “Come with me.” This armor bearer was the officer who car-ried Jonathan’s shield. He realized at once that Jonathan had a secret plan. So he quickly got dressed and followed Jonathan out of the camp. Nobody heard them leave.

“We can get to the Philistine lookout if we take the pass between the moun-tains,” Jonathan explained. “God will get us past the guards and give us victory. Nothing can stop God from saving us, whether He uses the whole army or just us two.”

“You lead the way,” the officer said. “I’ll be right behind you.”

“Let’s go now,” Jonathan said, start-ing toward the pass. “If, when they see us, they tell us to wait for them to come down, we will wait. But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will know that this is our sign that the Lord will give us victory over them.”

Slowly they went into the deep gorge toward the pass. At the pass they boldly stepped forward in full view of the Philistine guards.

“Look!” one of the guards cried out. “The Hebrews are crawling out of their holes!”

Another shouted, “Come on up so we can teach you a lesson!”

“That’s our sign!” Jonathan whis-pered. “God has given them into our hands.” So the two began climbing up that steep cliff face. When they got to the top, Jonathan walked forward [take several steps]. His armor bearer was right behind him. About 20 Philistine guards were waiting to attack in just a small space. Jonathan and the officer were con-fident of God’s victory, and God helped them defeat the guards.

Other guards watching from the tops of the cliffs panicked and became con-fused when they saw what happened. They shouted down to the soldiers in the Philistine camp—and they panicked. Even the chariot drivers panicked. Soon they were all rushing to get out of the way. They began to push and fight one another. The ground shook as if a great army with horsemen and chariots were coming. Both Jonathan and the Philistines knew that God was helping Israel.

When King Saul and his 600 sol-diers came upon the scene, there stood Jonathan and his armor bearer watching the Philistines run. The soldiers of Israel knew it had been a day of grace. “This day the Lord has rescued us,” they said.

2


times costume


Jonathan and his armor bearer agreed. The Lord had won a great vic-tory. “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving” (1 Samuel 14:6).

Say: I don’t know about you, but I want to remember that verse. I am going to remember it the next time I face the enemy. Learn it with me.

DebriefingAsk: Was it possible for Jonathan

to win that battle on his own? (no) Did God want to help Israel? (Yes, He wants His people to be free from fear.) Who or what are your enemies? (fear, Satan, sin, temptations, bad habits, etc.) Does God want your enemies to win? (no) Can you win against sin on your own? (no) But God will always help us to win against sin. Let’s remember our message:


Say that with me.

Memory VerseHelp the children find

and read aloud 1 Samuel 14:6, today’s memory verse. Use the following to teach the verse. Repeat until the children know the verse.

Nothing can Shake head.

hinder Hold up hand in stop signal.

the Lord Point upward.

from saving. Thumbs-up.

1 Samuel 14:6 Palms together, then open.

Bible StudyHelp the children find 1 Samuel 14.

Pair readers with nonreaders or have adults help as needed.

Say: Let’s read about this story as it is recorded in the Bible. Have someone read verses 13-15. Ask: What is panic? (extreme fear, to be terrified, greatly afraid)

Now let’s look at verse 15 again and see why the Philistine army panicked. Who sent the panic? (God) What happened when the Philistines began to panic? Let’s read verses 20-22 to find out. (The Philistines ran away, and the Israelites were saved.) Who won the victory for the Israelites? (God)

DebriefingAsk: Is there anything that can

keep God from helping us? (no) What does our memory verse tell us? Read or say the verse together. “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving.”

God saves us because He loves us. Is there anything that can come between God’s love and us? Let’s read Romans 8:38, 39 to find out. (Nothing can separate us from God.) We can be certain that God is always on our side against Satan and sin. Let’s remember our message:


Say that with me.

You Need:• Bibles

You Need:• Bibles


Applying the LessonGiving God Credit

In advance, draw a large grid similar to tic-tac-toe on the wood or cardboard. (If wood or cardboard are not available, use a large sheet of posterboard.) (See drawing.)

In each of the nine spaces, write one of the following categories:

music school friendshipfun person clothes familyhelpfulness sports computer skills Put the board on the floor.Form two groups, team A and team

B. Have the teams take turns. To begin, a child from team A tosses the beanbag onto the board. When the beanbag lands on the board, team members name a way that God has given victory or blessed them in that area. For example, “friend-ship”—God helped me overcome shyness or God has blessed me with many good friends.

Team B responds by naming people who have contributed to the child’s char-acteristic. For example, his parents are

friendly; his brother/sister is friendly; the kids he plays with are friendly, etc.

Give each child a turn at tossing the beanbag. Encourage the other children to be positive in their comments.

DebriefingAsk: Who gave the Israelites the

victory over the Philistines? (God) Who helps us to do the best we can, to be a good person, to win the victory over sin? (God and the people He uses to help us.) To whom should we give credit for those victories? (God and the people He uses to help us.) What does our memory verse say about God’s help? (“Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving.”)

Do you have to be the first or the best for God to give you victory? (No, you have to know that you can’t do it yourself; you have to trust in God.) Does God give victories only in big, impor-tant things? (No, He helps us improve, grow, and stay faithful in little things too.) We can have confidence that God will always help us. Let’s say our message together:


3

You Need:• large piece

of wood or cardboard, big enough to draw large tic-tac-toe on it

• chalkboard and chalk (or posterboard and marker)

• beanbag (or wadded paper to throw)

• a chair or tall stool

music school friendship

fun person clothes family

helpfulness sports computer skills


Sharing the LessonNothing Can Stop the Lord

Help the children make two items on which they will write the following mes-sage to share with others: Nothing can stop the Lord.

If you choose to make bookmarks or door hangers, distribute art supplies.

Or write the message on inflated bal-loons, then deflate the balloons and put them in an envelope.

Have the children make two items of their choice. While they are busy, encour-age the children to think of someone with whom to share today’s lesson—a friend, neighbor, family member, or someone in church today. Allow time to complete the activity.

DebriefingAsk: What does “Nothing can

stop the Lord” mean to you? How will you explain it to someone else? Allow time. Keep one of the things

you made and put it where you will see it every day. Give the other to someone with whom you want to share the message. Find a partner right now and tell them about the person you want to share with and what you will say to that person. Allow time.

There are different ways to say the same thing. You will share it in the words you wrote just now. Our memory verse says it another way. And the message from today’s lesson is another way. Let’s say our message together one more time:


ClosingAs you gather the children for closing

prayer, invite two or three volunteers to pray and thank God for rescuing all of us from Satan. After their prayers, close with your own, thanking God for His care and asking Him to continue it throughout the coming week.

4

You Need:• art supplies• construction

paper or• balloon for

each child• felt-tip marker

or pen• envelopes


God Wins!“I can’t! I can’t! I just can’t do it!” Have

you ever felt that way? When things are too hard, whom do you ask for help? Jonathan knew who to ask. Here’s his story . . .

King Saul’s army was camped under a tree near Gibeah. The Philistines were camped nearby in a narrow pass in the mountains. Every day the Philistines sent out soldiers to harm the Israelites and steal from them.

The Philistines had hundreds of chariots and thousands of well-armed soldiers. The Israelite army of 600 men was small and afraid.

None of the Israelite soldiers had swords or spears. Only Saul and Jonathan had them. The Israelite soldiers had plows, hoes, axes, and sickles for weap-ons. But you don’t win wars with farm

tools! Because of this, many of the Israelite

soldiers were afraid, so they hid in holes and behind rocks. But not

Jonathan, the son of King Saul. He alone thought that God could win the battle.

One day Jonathan whispered to the soldier

who carried his heavy shield, “Come with me.”

The armor bearer knew at once that

Jonathan had a secret plan. He quickly dressed and followed Jonathan out of the camp. Nobody heard them leave.

“We can get to the Philistine lookout if we take the pass between the mountains,” Jonathan explained. “God will get us past the guards and give us victory. Nothing can stop God from saving us.”

“You lead the way,” the armor bearer said. “I’ll be right behind you.”

“Let’s go,” Jonathan said, starting toward the pass. “If when they see us, they tell us to wait for them to come down, we will wait. But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will know that this is the sign that the Lord will give us a victory.”

After a slow, hard hike, Jonathan and his armor bearer reached the pass. Boldly they stepped forward in full view of the Philistine guards.

“Look!” one of the guards cried out. “The Israelites are crawling out of their holes!”

“Come on up so we can teach you a lesson!” another shouted.

“That’s our sign!” Jonathan whispered. “God has given them into our hands.” So the two began climbing up that steep cliff. When they got to the top, Jonathan walked forward. His armor bearer was right behind him. Twenty Philistine guards suddenly attacked in just a small space. But Jonathan and his armor bearer knew God would help them. The Philistines were quickly defeated.

Other guards watching from the tops of the cliffs panicked and became confused when they saw what happened. They shouted down to tell the soldiers in the Philistine camp. And those soldiers panicked. Even the chariot drivers panicked. In their confusion they began to push and fight one another as they ran in every direction. The ground shook as if a great army with horsemen and chariots were coming. Jonathan, his armor bearer, and the Philistines knew that God was helping Israel.

STUDENT MATERIAL

References1 Samuel 13:16-

22; 14:1-23; Patriarchs and

Prophets, pp. 616-626

Memory Verse“Nothing can hin-der the Lord from saving” (1 Samuel

14:6).

The MessageGod gives me the

victory.



• If possible, hike up a big hill with your family. At one of your rest stops, read the Bible les-son story together. Imagine that you are with Jonathan climbing the tall cliff to the Philistine camp. Thank God that you can walk and climb.

• Read aloud the memory verse from the Bible (1 Samuel 14:6).

Sunday• During family worship, read the lesson story in

the Bible (1 Samuel 14:1-23).• Then read the memory verse. Write down a big

number and the smallest number you know. Can God win using this many people or this few? How do you know? (See 1 Samuel 14:6.) Thank God for His power to win our battles.

• Draw a big zero on a piece of construction paper. In the center of the zero, write the words of your memory verse.

• Decorate your memory verse reminder and put it where you will see it every day. Thank God for taking good care of you.

Monday• Show your “zero” memory verse poster to your

family, then say your memory verse without looking.

• With your family, read 1 Samuel 14:2, 3, 18. What did Saul have with him to help him win? What was the most important thing that Saul did not have? Talk about it together. Ask God to help you trust Him more.

Tuesday• Say your memory verse. Try to put it to music,

then sing it for family worship. • Think of another Bible story that tells about a

time when God rescued His people. Ask a fam-ily member to help you to find and read about it in the Bible.

• Thank God for His protection every day.

Wednesday• Say your memory verse during family worship.

Tell what it means to you. Ask your family to tell about a time God rescued them or gave them special help. Add this to the memory book of God’s goodness you began in lesson 2.

• Read Psalm 34:7 together. Think of a Bible story about angels helping people. (For example, see Daniel 6:22.) How does this story give you courage?

• Sing a song about God’s care; then thank Him for it.

Thursday• Tell your family the story of the victory that

God gave Jonathan. Include your memory verse.

• Together, look at pictures of mountains in books, etc. Discover names of a few of the world’s most famous mountain ranges. Thank God for the beauty of the mountains.

• Draw a mountain scene. Ask someone to help you read Psalm 121:1, 2. Write the verses on your drawing.

Friday• For family worship tonight, try some of the fol-

lowing ideas:• Say your memory verse. Say it again, replac-

ing “nothing” with a word like “floods,” “fire,” “storms,” “war,” etc.; “can” with “cannot”; and place your name after “saving.” (For instance: Floods cannot hinder the Lord from saving me.) Invite your family members to do the same. Write the verse like that on a piece of paper and keep it in your Bible.

• Do a charade of this week’s Bible story.• Read a favorite Bible promise that gives you

courage (for example, Joshua 1:5).• Sing as many songs as you can think of about

being in the Lord’s army.• Thank God for always watching over your

family.

When King Saul and his 600 soldiers came upon the scene, Jonathan and his armor bearer stood quietly watching the Philistines run away. The soldiers of Israel knew they had won because God had won the battle for them. “This day the Lord has rescued us,” they said.

Jonathan and his armor bearer agreed. The Lord had won a great victory. Nothing had stopped God from saving them.


References1 Samuel 16; 17:33-36;

Psalm 23; Patriarchsand Prophets, pp. 637-648

Memory Verse“The Lord is myshepherd, I lack

nothing. He makesme lie down in green

pastures” (Psalm 23:1, 2).

Objectives The children will:Know that they

cannot savethemselves from sin.

Feel assured thatJesus can save them.Respond by praisingGod for saving them.

The MessageI can’t save myself;

Jesus saves me.

The Lion and the BearMonthly Theme


The Bible Lesson at a GlanceDavid, the shepherd boy, cares for his father’s sheep full-time—

guiding them, caring for their needs, and protecting them from danger. He often plays his harp and sings praises to God, who helps him to save his helpless sheep from a lion and a bear. He fears no evil, for he knows that God is with him.

This is a lesson about grace.God’s people are like sheep, helpless and wayward. Like a

shepherd, Jesus provides for their needs. He willingly and lovingly puts His life on the line to save them from the roaring lion, Satan. Without the Good Shepherd, His human sheep would perish, for they cannot save themselves.

Teacher EnrichmentIn Bible times many wild animals came from the dense growth

surrounding the Jordan River. Bears and lions were common. Shepherds used a heavy club and a sling for weapons. The club is called a “rod” in Psalm 23:4. Flints or nails were often embedded into its heavy “working end” to make it more effective. Shepherds also had a staff (about six feet [two meters] long, sometimes with a crook) that was used to help the shepherd get around in hilly country, and to control the sheep. (See Ralph Gower, The New Manners and Customs of Bible Times, pp. 135–138.)


LESSON SEVEN

70 LESSON SEVEN www.gracelink.net/primary



1

Any

Time

2

3

4

Welcome ongoing Greet students at none door; hear pleased/ troubled_________________________________________________________________________________ Readiness Options up to 10 A. Rescue Mission two pairs of sandals B. Sheep Make sheep pattern (see p. 130), glue, fiberfill or cotton balls C. The Banquet Table table setting for one (tablecloth, fork, knife, cup, plate, etc.), drawing paper, pencils, crayons, scissors_________________________________________________________________________________ Prayer and Praise* up to 10 Fellowship none Songbook Sing for Joy, Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal Mission Children’s Mission Offering bowl or basket covered with wool material Prayer none_________________________________________________________________________________ Bible Lesson up to 20 Experiencing the Story adult in Bible-times costume, shepherd’s staff, sling, smooth round stones Memory Verse Bibles Bible Study Bibles_________________________________________________________________________________ Applying the up to 15 A Way Out large cardboard box, wide tape Lesson_________________________________________________________________________________ Sharing the up to 15 Hope Rocks smooth rocks or rock shapes cut Lesson from construction paper, spray paint, markers

GRACE

www.gracelink.net/primary LESSON SEVEN 71


they’re pleased/troubled about. Have them begin the readiness activity of your choice.


A. Rescue MissionForm two teams for a relay race. The child at the front of each line puts on the

sandals, runs to a given place in the room and back, removes the sandals, giving them to the next person in line. Say: This contest is for silence as well as speed. Real shepherds were both silent and fast.

DebriefingAsk: Why do you think shepherds had to be quiet? (because of lions, bears,

etc.) What enemy is like a lion that wants to hurt us? Accept reasonable answers. In your Bibles, find 1 Peter 5:8. Read the text with the children.“Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Ask: Can you save yourself from a lion’s attack? (no) Can you save yourself from the devil or from sin? (no) Are you scared? (Accept reasonable answers.) But the good news of God’s grace is this . . .

I CAN’T SAVE MYSELF; JESUS SAVES ME.

Say that with me.

B. Sheep MakeHave the children glue fiberfill or cotton balls to the pattern provided to make their

own sheep.After children write their names on their sheep, collect and save them for the les-

son study.

DebriefingInvite a child to read Psalm 23:1, 2. “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He

makes me lie down in green pastures.”Ask: Who takes care of sheep? (a shepherd) What does he do to care for them?

(He protects them, makes sure they have food, etc.) Why do sheep like green pas-tures? (There is plenty of grass to eat; they can lie down and rest there.) From what does the shepherd protect his sheep? (wild animals, bad weather, etc.) Who is our Shepherd? (God, Jesus, the Lord) From whom does God protect us? (Satan) We call that God’s grace. The good news about God’s grace is this: Jesus saves us. How do you feel about that? Allow response time. Our message for today tells us:


Say that with me.

1

TEACHING THE LESSON

You Need:• two pairs of

sandals

You Need:• sheep pattern

(see p. 130)• glue• fiberfill or

cotton balls



Report the children’s joys and sorrows (pleased and troubled) as reported to you at the door (as appropriate). Review last week’s memory verse. Allow time for sharing experiences from last week’s lesson study. Give a special warm greeting to visitors and introduce each by name. Acknowledge birthdays or special events.

Suggested Songs“Trust and Obey” (Sing for Joy, no. 113)“Deep and Wide” (Sing for Joy, no. 64)“The Lord’s My Shepherd” (Brother James’ Air) (Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, no. 546)“The Lord Is My Shepherd” (Sing for Joy, no. 48)“Thank You, Jesus” (Sing for Joy, no. 101)


OfferingUse an offering basket or bowl covered with wool material to col-

lect the offering. Invite a child to tell how the money will be used to help God take care of His “sheep” all over the world.

PrayerTry a popcorn prayer. Form a circle. Ask the children to close their eyes and say one

word to tell God what they think of Him as a shepherd (kind, caring, loving, etc.). Have them do this like popcorn popping—speaking out from anywhere in the circle at any time. In clos-ing, pray that the children will stay safe in the Shepherd’s care.

Any

Time

You Need:• offering basket

or bowl covered with wool material

C. The Banquet Table On a table where all can see, arrange one table setting (tablecloth, fork, knife, cup,

plate, etc.). Ask the children to draw, color, and cut out pictures of food they would want to eat and drink at a fancy feast. Let them put their food cutouts on the plate or in the cup and name the food each picture represents.

DebriefingRead aloud Psalm 23:5, first part. Say: Sheep usually do not eat when an

enemy is near, because they are afraid. So what might David be trying to say when he says that he will eat in the presence of enemies? (He is not afraid of his enemies because God is near.) Jesus is your Shepherd, too; He saves you from Satan. Isn’t that good news! Today’s message is:


Say that with me.

You Need:• table setting• art supplies• scissors• old magazines



Children act the part of sheep as you tell the story. An adult can play the part of David.

Read or tell the story.David was a shepherd boy. He

looked over the flock of sheep that dotted the field. (Have the children crouch like sheep around the shepherd.) These woolly animals were his friends. Every night David slept outside (shiver) with them. During the day he led them in green fields of grass and beside quiet pools of water where they could drink in safety. (Touch the sheep protectively.)

David did not feel afraid or alone, because God was there with him. Just as David took good care of the sheep (touch the sheep) and knew them by name, God, the Great Shepherd, was taking special care of David.

“I must stay alert!” David told himself when he felt like napping. “A little lamb might stray from the flock if I sleep.” (Signal two or three children to move away from the flock.)

To keep himself awake, David often sat on a high rock and strummed softly on the harp he carried with him. (Pretend to play a harp.) With a clear voice he sang, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing” (Psalm 23:1).

If David saw a movement out of the corner of his eye, he dropped his harp and grabbed his sling. (Show the sling-shot.) He had smooth round stones (show stones), ready for anything that might threaten the sheep.

One day David saw a golden-brown lion crouching in the thicket at the edge

of the water. The huge animal had a lamb in its mouth. Chasing after the lion, David released a stone from his sling.

Zing! The stone flew through the air, hitting the lion. Then David fought the lion with his bare hands until he knew the lion could no longer hurt the sheep.

Quickly David cared for the wounded lamb. He tucked his sling into his shep-herd’s pouch and walked among the sheep, counting them carefully (count the sheep) and making sure that everything was all right. David was glad that the Lord had helped him to rescue the sheep from the lion.

Soon David sat on his rock again, playing his harp. This time he sang, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (verse 4).

Another day David decided to lead the sheep into the hills to find new grass. But danger lurked in the hills. Bears liv-ing in hidden dens often wandered out in search of food.

David, carefully watching the lambs, noticed movement in the tall grass nearby. Instantly he was alert! A huge brown beast was approaching one of his lambs. A paw reached forward and scooped up the woolly bundle.

“Oh, no!” David cried as he quickly loaded his sling, took aim, and let go.

Wham! The stone hit the bear so hard that it fell and never got up again. Once again the Lord had helped David to save his sheep.

That evening as David led the sheep home to the sheepfold, he might have sung, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for-ever” (verse 6).

2

You Need:• adult in Bible-

times costume• shepherd’s

staff• a real sling• smooth round

stones


DebriefingAsk: Who is the Good Shepherd in

the Bible? (God) Who are God’s lambs? (We are.) Where do you fit in this story? (I am God’s lamb—or God’s child.) Some primaries may not see themselves in the story, but other children will. What is the good news about God’s love and grace in this story? (Jesus saves us and takes care of us.) Let’s say our message together:

I CANNOT SAVE MYSELF; JESUS SAVES ME.


and read together Psalm 23:1. Then form four groups and have them stand or sit in a square formation. Assign one phrase of the memory verse as out-lined below to each group. Allow time for each group to become familiar with their phrase. Then have each group call out their phrase in the correct order, going around the square as fast as possible. The entire group then calls out the refer-ence. After four times around the square, reassign the phrases and repeat the activ-ity. Continue reassigning phrases until all can say the complete verse, including the reference. (Small class: Assign a phrase to each child.)

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.He makes me lie downin green pastures. All together, say: Psalm 23:1, 2.

Bible StudySay: The Bible has many verses

that compare us with sheep. Let’s look in our Bibles to find some of them.

Use the list below and help the chil-dren find and read the same verse silently. Ask for volunteers to read each verse aloud. Discuss the meaning of each verse as it is read.

Psalm 100:3 Isaiah 53:6 Ezekiel 34:11 John 10:27 1 Peter 2:25

DebriefingAsk: What do these verses tell

us about how God feels about us? (He loves us. He cares for us. Nothing can separate us from Him. He has done everything so that we can be happy and be with Him.) How does it make you feel to know that God loves you so much? (happy, safe, etc.) How can this help us when we are tempted to do wrong or when we are in trouble? (We know that God has already found a way out for us; He is with us in all things, at all times.) Let’s remember our message:

I CANNOT SAVE MYSELF; JESUS SAVES ME.

Say that with me.

You Need:• Bibles

You Need:• Bibles


Applying the LessonA Way Out

Ask for a volunteer who is not afraid of being in a small space or the dark. Have the child climb into the box. Ahead of time you may put a small hole in each side for air circulation. Explain to the child that you are going to close the lid and put some tape on it but that you will be standing by the box the whole time. Gently close the lid, then put some wide tape across the flap or just press gently on the flaps with your hands. Then ask the child to get out. After the child has pushed on the lid a few times, three to five seconds, ask the class how will their classmate get out. (Somebody has to help him.) At that point, tear away the tape (or remove your hand) and help him or her out. Have one or two other children try, if time permits.

DebriefingAsk the class: What happened? (He

couldn’t get out.) Ask the child: How did you feel? (helpless, frustrated, OK) What is the only way you could get out? (Somebody had to help me.) Who in today's Bible story needed help? (the sheep, David) When might you need to call for help? (in distress, every day, not only when trouble comes) Why can we be sure that God is ready to help us? (Have someone read Isaiah 65:24.) The good news is that God is always ready to help.


Say that with me.

3

You Need:• a large card-

board box (for example, an appliance box)

• wide tape


Sharing the LessonHope Rocks

In advance, spray-paint the top of the rocks. (Do not have children spray them.) Have the students use markers to write one word of their choice, such as “Trust,” “Faith,” “Saved,” “Safe,” etc., on the rock or rock shape.

DebriefingAsk the children to show their rock

and tell why they chose the word they wrote. Challenge the children to share a

rock with somebody and tell them the good news that Jesus saves them from Satan and sin. Encourage them to tell the person a personal experience about a time Jesus helped them. Remind them to share the message:


ClosingAsk a child to pray and thank God

for saving us. Sing “Thank You, Lord” or another song of thanks after the prayer.

4

You Need:• smooth rocks

or rock shapes cut from construction paper, more than one per child

• spray paint for tops of rocks

• markers


The Lion and the BearWhen he had to write a report about

sheep, Jamie remembered something his mother had read to him from the Bible. This is what he recalled . . .

David looked over the flock of sheep that dotted the field. These woolly animals were his friends, and he was their shepherd. He walked with the sheep by the still pools of water in the heat of the day. He led them to green fields of grass. He was usually by himself, but David did not feel afraid or alone. He knew that God was with him. Just as David took good care of the sheep, God, his Shepherd, was taking special care of him.

“I must stay alert!” David reminded himself when he felt like napping. “A little lamb might stray from the flock while I sleep.” To keep himself awake, he often sat on a high rock and strummed softly on the harp he carried with him. Then in a clear voice he sang, “The Lord is my shep-herd, I lack nothing” (Psalm 23:1).

One day David saw a movement

out of the corner of his eye. He dropped his harp and grabbed his sling. He

always car-ried smooth round stones, ready for anything

that might try to hurt the sheep.A golden-brown lion crouched in a

thicket at the edge of the water. Just as the huge lion was ready to spring on a sheep, David released the stone. Zing! The stone flew through the air and hit the lion. Then David fought the lion until he knew the lion could no longer hurt the sheep. Quickly David laid down his sling and walked among the sheep, counting them carefully. They were all there, and none were hurt! The Lord had helped him protect the sheep.

Soon David sat on his rock again, playing his harp. This time he sang, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (verse 4).

Another day David decided to lead the sheep into the hills. Here the sheep could graze on new grass. But danger lurked in the hills. Bears lived in dens in the hillsides and often wandered out searching for food.

David carefully watched the lambs. Suddenly he saw something move in the tall grass nearby. Instantly, he was alert! A huge brown beast moved in the grass near the lambs. Suddenly it rushed forward!

Quickly David loaded his sling, swung it, and let go. The stone hit the bear so hard that it fell and never got up again. Once more God had helped David save his sheep.

That evening, as David led the sheep home, he might have sung, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (verse 6).

Like the sheep, we need someone to watch over us. We need Jesus, the Good Shepherd. We can’t save ourselves, but Jesus can. Only Jesus saves us.

STUDENT MATERIAL

References1 Samuel 16;

17:33-36; Psalm 23; Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 637-

648

Memory Verse “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack

nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:1, 2).

The MessageI can’t save myself;

Jesus saves me.



• With your family, find a grassy place near a quiet river, pond, or lake, if possible. Imagine David and his sheep all around you while you read your lesson story together. Thank God for giving you people to look after you.

• Find and read Psalm 23:1, then draw a picture about it. Use it to begin a “Psalm 23” booklet. Add a picture to your booklet each day this week.

Sunday • During family worship, read all of Psalm 23

together. Memorize and draw a picture of Psalm 23:2 for your “Psalm 23” booklet. Ask God to bless people who take care of animals.

• Draw a sheep shape. Cut it out and add cotton balls to make it feel “woolly.”

Monday• Read Psalm 23 with your family for worship

today. As you read, count the good things the Shepherd does for His sheep. Write the num-ber here: _____. Tell about two good things Jesus has done for you. Then thank Him for it.

• Make a cutout shaped like a shepherd’s staff and write your memory verse on it. Use it to teach the verse to your family.

• Memorize and draw a picture of Psalm 23:3 for your “Psalm 23” booklet.

Tuesday• With your family, read and discuss 1 Samuel

17:34-37. Who is the “Philistine” that David is talking about? Tell about a time God helped you when you were in trouble. Add this to the memory book from lesson 2.

• Sing a “Thank-You, Lord” song, then thank God for helping you when you were in trou-ble.


Wednesday• Read Psalm 23:5 and Luke 10:34 during

family worship. What did you learn about oil? In Bible times, olive oil was used on sheep’s wounds. Also, Israel’s kings were anointed with oil to show that they were cho-sen by God. Read Exodus 30:22-25 for a recipe for anointing oil. Ask if you may smell some olive oil—if there is some in your house.

• Ask an adult to anoint your forehead as you tell God that you want to be His child.

Thursday• During worship, read Psalm 23 with your family.

Ask them to help you match the words below by drawing a line to the word(s) that mean the same thing:

pastures sorrow be in want doing right righteousness thick stick darkest valley fields rod walking stick staff need something


Friday• Make a cover for your “Psalm 23” booklet and

put it together. Be ready to show it during wor-ship. Say the verses for or with your family. Then tell the lesson story in your own words.

• Review Psalm 23:4 together. Then turn off the lights and hug together as a family. Talk about how you feel in the dark. Read Psalm 32:7; Psalm 34:4, 6, 7, 17, 19 together. What do these verses mean to you and your family?

• Thank Jesus for keeping your family safe and happy.

Answers:

Answers: pastures–fields; be in want–need some-thing; righteousness–doing right; darkest valley–sorrow; rod–thick stick; staff–walking stick


References1 Samuel 29; 30:1-25;Patriarchs and Prophets,

pp. 690-694

Memory Verse“Surely your goodness

and love will follow meall the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the houseof the Lord forever”

(Psalm 23:6).

Objectives The children will: Know when

God wins the battle,we are winners.

Feel thankful for theirshare in God’s victory.

Respond by givingpraise for God’s victory.

The MessageWhen God wins, we are winners.

God Wins Again!Monthly Theme


The Bible Lesson at a GlanceDavid and his soldiers go to help King Achish fight a battle.

The Philistine princes don’t want their help, so David and his army return home to Ziklag. When they arrive, they find their city burned and their wives and children gone. They pursue the raiding Amalekites and recover all the captives and much bounty. David shares the bounty with all 600 of his men, even with 200 of them who had not fought in the actual battle because they were too exhausted.

This is a lesson about grace.After his great victory over the Amalekites, David shared the

bounty equally with all his soldiers, including those who were too exhausted to fight the battle. God has won a great victory over Satan. He shares the result of His victory—salvation—equally with everyone who will accept it. This salvation is not earned by what we do; it is God’s gift to us.

Teacher EnrichmentAs Ziklag lay in ruins, “David seemed to be cut off from every

human support. All that he held dear on earth had been swept from him. . . . In this hour of utmost extremity David, instead of permitting his mind to dwell upon these painful circumstances, looked earnestly to God for help. He ‘encouraged himself in the Lord.’ He reviewed his past eventful life. Wherein had the Lord ever forsaken him? His soul was refreshed in recalling the many evidences of God’s favor. . . . Though he himself could not discern a way out of the difficulty, God could see it, and would teach him what to do” (Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 692, 693).


LESSON E IGHT

80 LESSON EIGHT www.gracelink.net/primary



1

Any

Time

2

3

4

Welcome ongoing Greet students at none door; hear pleased/ troubled_________________________________________________________________________________ Readiness Options up to 10 A. Happy Hunting small gifts (stickers, markers pencils, etc.), small stones, Bibles B. Something for heavy objects, such as books Everyone and chairs, small gifts (stickers, bookmarks, etc.), Bibles_________________________________________________________________________________ Prayer and Praise* up to 10 Fellowship none Songbook Sing for Joy Mission Children’s Mission Offering offering container Prayer prayer diary_________________________________________________________________________________ Bible Lesson up to 20 Experiencing the Story Bible-times costumes Memory Verse beanbag or paper, Bibles, chalkboard and chalk Bible Study Bibles_________________________________________________________________________________ Applying the up to 15 What Will You Do? none Lesson_________________________________________________________________________________ Sharing the Lesson up to 15 I’m a Winner 2" x 8" blue ribbon or piece of blue construction paper, markers

GRACE

www.gracelink.net/primary LESSON EIGHT 81


they’re pleased/troubled about. Ask if they have anything they would like to share about their Bible lesson this week. Have them begin the readiness activity of your choice.


A. Happy HuntingIn advance, hide the small stones around the room.Say: I have hidden some small stones around the room. On the count of

three, you have three minutes to see how many you can find. The person who finds the most will get a small prize. Allow time, then have the children count their stones. Give a small prize (sticker, bookmark, etc.) to each child without comment.

DebriefingAllow response time as you ask: Who found the most stones? Affirm that

child. Say to the other children, How did you feel when you knew others had found more than you? (disappointed; knew I wouldn’t get the prize; didn’t care; OK) What did you think when everyone got a prize? Allow time for discus-sion. In our lesson today, we will learn that David treated all his soldiers the same. Help the children find and read 1 Samuel 30:23, 24. Emphasize the last part of verse 24. (“The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.”) The Bible teaches that when God wins, we all win. And that leads us to our mes-sage for today:

WHEN GOD WINS, WE ARE WINNERS.

Say that with me.

B. Something for EveryoneAsk for three volunteers to help you carry something heavy (books, chairs, etc.)

across the classroom. After they have helped you, affirm them for the great job and give them and the entire class a small gift (sticker, bookmark, etc.). Treat every child in the same way.

DebriefingAsk: What just happened? (Three volunteers did the work, but everyone got a

reward.) Is that fair? (Those who did the work will think it isn’t.) If you helped me only to get a reward, it would not seem fair. But if you helped me out of a desire to be helpful, you didn’t expect a reward. So you shouldn’t mind if I want to share with everyone. Ask the rest of the class how they feel about it. They will probably agree that it was fair. And that is how David felt in today’s Bible story. God won a great victory for David and his men. Some thought that only the

1

TEACHING THE LESSON

You Need:• small gift for

each child• small stones• Bibles

You Need:• heavy objects,

such as books, chairs, etc.

• small gift for each child

• Bibles



Report the children’s joys and sorrows (pleased and troubled) as reported to you at the door (as appropriate). Review last week’s memory verse. Allow time for sharing experiences from last week’s lesson study. Greet and introduce visitors. Acknowledge birthdays or special events.

Suggested Songs“I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” (Sing for Joy, no. 119)“I’m So Happy” (Sing for Joy, no. 65)“Redeemed!” (Sing for Joy, no. 68)“God Is So Good” (Sing for Joy, no. 13)“His Banner Over Me Is Love” (Sing for Joy, no. 25)“This Little Light of Mine” (Sing for Joy, no. 134)


OfferingSay: Through Jesus’ death we are all winners. Many people still

do not know that. Our offerings will help others learn about Jesus and how they can be winners too.

PrayerAsk the children to share some worries and concerns for prayer.

Write these concerns in a class prayer diary. Entitle a left page “Problems, Worries, Concerns.” Entitle the opposite right page “Victories From God.” Later, when God gives them a victory over a problem, write the answer opposite the request, and date it. To get started, ask a child to share a past victory that God gave in answer to prayer. Write the problem and the answer on the appropriate pages of the prayer diary. Pray about the current worries and concerns as you stand in a circle, holding hands. Use the diary each week until the end of the quarter.

fighting men should be rewarded. Let’s read what David said. Help the children find and read aloud 1 Samuel 30:23, 24.

Why did David want to share? (God gave the victory, so no part of David’s army could claim a greater share of the bounty than any other.) This teaches us that . . .


Say that with me.

Any

Time


container

You Need:• prayer diary

(notebook)


when they reached a very steep hill, they stopped. Two hundred soldiers were too tired to go any farther. So David left them there to rest and guard the supplies. (Some of the group sits on the floor.) The rest marched on. (Continue marching.)

A little farther on they found an Egyptian lying in a field. (The Egyptian crawls to David.) He was weak from hun-ger and thirst. David and his men gave him some water and food. (The Egyptian pretends to eat and drink.)

“Can you help us find the Amalekites?” David asked. The Egyptian walked ahead, leading the way.

“There they are!” the Egyptian said, pointing to some tents. (David and his men crouch low and stare at the camp.) The Amalekites were celebrating their great victory at Ziklag. They were eating and drinking and having a good time.

David and his men attacked the Amalekites at sunset. The battle lasted all night and the next day. When it was over, the Amalekites were defeated. Only 400 men escaped on their camels. David’s little army took back all the cattle and people that the Amalekites had stolen from Ziklag.

“We won!” the men shouted. (Wave arms as if cheering.)

“No, God won the battle for us,” David reminded them.

David and the soldiers collected their people and the things captured from the Amalekites. They began the long walk back home to Ziklag.

As they neared the steep hill, the 200 men came out to meet them. (The seated children jump up.) But some of David’s weary soldiers were not happy to see how rested their friends looked.

“We did all the work!” they com-plained. “You can have your wives and chil-dren, but nothing more. You didn’t help us win; so you don’t share in anything else.”


Characters: David; David’s soldiers; Egyptian (have the Egyptian sit in a cor-ner on the floor)

Read or tell the story.David and all his men marched

(David and his men march clockwise around the room) from Ziklag to help King Achish, a Philistine king, fight a battle. But the other Philistine kings would not let David and his men help. So they turned around (children march back) and marched all the way back to Ziklag.

As the city appeared in the distance, the men were horrified to see smoke ris-ing. While they were gone, enemies had burned Ziklag to the ground. Their wives, children, and cattle were all gone!

“It’s all your fault, David,” the men accused. “You should have left soldiers here to take care of our families.”

David was upset too. He had lost his family. And the men were blaming him. What should he do? David’s first thought was to turn to God. God would show him what to do.

“Bring the ephod,” he told Abiathar the priest.

“Shall we go after the Amalekites?” David asked the Lord. “Will we reach them and get our families back?”

The ephod had two large gemstones on it. When the priest asked a question of God, one of the stones would glow if the answer was yes. And that is what hap-pened. “Go,” the priest said. “You will reach them and get everything back again.”

So David and his 600 soldiers set out to find the Amalekites. (Children march counterclockwise around the room.) But

2

You Need:• Bible-times

costumes


“Wait!” David said, waving his arms. “Who won this battle? We didn’t win; the Lord did. He gave us this victory. He pro-tected us. So all will share alike.”

And that’s the good news of God’s grace. When God wins the battle, He shares the victory and makes us all win-ners.

DebriefingSay: Choose a partner. Now make

believe that you were in the group of David’s soldiers that fought the Amalekites. How do you think you would have felt when you met the 200 rested soldiers who stayed behind? Tell your partner. Allow time.

Say: Now imagine that you were in the group of David’s soldiers who stayed behind. How did you feel when the 400 soldiers complained? How did you feel when David commanded that all share alike? Tell your partner. Allow time.

Ask: Who in our story was like our generous God? (David) Let’s say today’s message together with excitement:

WHEN GOD WINS, WE ARE WINNERS!

Memory VerseHelp the children

find and read Psalm 23:6 (the memory verse). “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6). Write the verse where all may see.

Have the children stand in a circle. Say the first word of the verse, then toss the beanbag or wadded paper ball ran-domly to a child. The child says the next

word, then tosses the beanbag or paper ball to another child, who says the next word, and so on. Continue until the verse has been said three times, then erase two or three words at a time as all say the verse together several times. Repeat until the children know the verse.

Bible StudySay: At the beginning of today’s

Bible story David is with the Philistines. Let’s find out why he was with them. Help the children find 1 Samuel 27:1-3. Have someone read the verses aloud. (David was hiding from King Saul.)

Say: How did the battle between David’s men and the Amalekites end? (David’s men recovered everything.) Let’s read 1 Samuel 30:21-24 to find out what happened after the battle. (All received a share of the spoils.) Why did David insist on sharing everything with all 600 of his men? (God won the battle; they didn’t.)

Say: Let’s read a story Jesus told in Matthew 20:1-15. Assign verses and have the story read aloud. How are these two stories alike? (Everyone got the same reward regardless of their efforts.)


What is the biggest battle that we all have to fight? (the battle against sin and Satan) How do we know that we can win? (Jesus won the battle when He died for us; He has made us winners.) The good news of God’s grace is that Jesus has already won the battle for us. When God saves us, everyone is a winner. Let’s say today’s message together:

WHEN GOD WINS, WE ARE WINNERS!

You Need:• Bibles

You Need:• beanbag or wad-

ded paper ball• Bibles• chalkboard or

whiteboard• chalk or marker


Applying the LessonWhat Will You Do?

Form three groups. Give each group one of the following. (Add or substitute scenarios that are more appropriate to your situation.)

Say: Here are some different situ-ations in which you might find your-self. How might you act to help others understand that with God everyone is a winner? Allow time for each group to discuss and report to the class.

1. Your teacher asks you to pick classmates for a soccer team. You already have some good players. It is your turn to choose again. You see a classmate that is not good at sports and is always picked last. If you pick that person, the others might be angry. What will you do? Why?

2. Your mother helps you bake some cookies. You plan to share some with your friends. Your brother comes in and

wants some to share with his friends. What do you say to him? Why?

3. You win a prize for your essay and receive a box of chocolates. You plan to take them home and eat them all yourself. A classmate also entered an essay, but did not receive a prize. What will you do? Why?

DebriefingAllow discussion time as you ask:

What do you think about these ideas? Why does God want the stronger person to help the weaker? (Because He helps us all; He wants us to be like Him, etc.) What is the good news about God’s grace? (He loves and saves all of us. He has already saved us. All of us can be winners because Jesus already paid the price.) Let’s remember our message:


Say that with me.

3


WINNER

#1

Optional song: “Winner for the Lord.” Sing the following to the tune of “I May Never March in the Infantry.” (See below.)

“David was a winner for the Lord,Winner for the Lord, winner for the

Lord.He took his sling and he took his

sword,And he shared the vic-tor-y.He shared the victory, he shared the

victory.David was a winner for the Lord.He shared the vic-tor-ry.”

ClosingAs you gather the children for the

closing prayer, invite a volunteer to thank Jesus for helping us become winners. Then close with your own prayer, praying for the people who will be asking about the “winner ribbons” during the coming week.

Sharing the LessonI’m a Winner

Help the children make first-place ribbons as a witness to the victory that Jesus gained for them. (See the illustra-tion.) Have them write the word WINNER on their ribbon or paper.

Debriefing Challenge the children to wear the

ribbon with pride, remembering that Jesus has defeated the enemy for them. Ask: What will you say when someone asks you what you won? (Explain that Jesus won the victory over sin and made me a winner.)

Form pairs and invite the children to practice asking each other about their ribbon and explaining their victory. They might say, “Jesus won the victory over sin. And

WHEN GOD WINS, WE ARE WINNERS.”

4You Need:• blue ribbon or

blue construc-tion paper, cut into 2" x 8" strips

• markers

I’m in the Lord’s ArmyFI’m too young to march in the infantry, C 7Ride in the cavalry, FShoot the artillery, FAnd I’m too young to fly o’er the enemy, C 7But I’m in the Lord’s army

Chorus: F B F B FI’m in the Lord’s army! I’m in the Lord’s army!(Repeat verse)


God Wins Again!“I won! I won!” Mikhail shouted. “I

made the final point!” His teammates frowned and turned away. Recess was over. It was time for Bible class. Here’s the story they studied. What do you think Mikhail might have learned?

David and his 600 men marched from the city of Ziklag to help Achish, the Philistine king, fight a battle. But the Philistine princes would not let David and his men help. So they had to turn around and march all the way back to Ziklag.

As Ziklag appeared in the distance, the men were shocked to see smoke rising. While they were gone, the Amalekites had attacked and burned their city to the ground! Their wives, children, and cattle were all gone. All that was left was smoke and ashes.

“It’s all your fault, David,” the men accused. “You should have left soldiers here to take care of our families.”

David was upset too. He had lost some of his own family.

Now the men were

blaming him. What should he do? David’s first thought was to turn to God. He knew God would show him what to do.

“Bring the ephod,” he told Abiathar the priest. “Shall we go after the Amalekites?” David asked the Lord. “Will we reach them and get our families back?”

The ephod had two large gemstones on it. When the priest asked a question of God, one of the stones would glow if the answer was yes. And that is what happened. “Go,” the priest said. “You will reach them and get everything back again.”

So David and his 600 soldiers set out to find the Amalekites. But when they reached the Besor Ravine, they stopped. Two hundred soldiers were just too tired to go any farther. So David left them there to rest and guard the supplies.

A little farther on, David and his men found an Egyptian lying in a field. A slave to one of the Amalekites, he had been abandoned because of illness. He was weak from hunger and thirst. David and his men gave him some water and food and then asked the man to help them find the Amalekites. So the Egyptian led David to the Amalekite camp.

From a distance they watched the Amalekites eating and drinking,

celebrating their victory.David and his men attacked the

Amalekites at sunset. The battle lasted all night and the next day. When it was over, the Amalekites were defeated. Only 400 men escaped on their camels. David and his men rescued everything and every person that had been stolen from Ziklag.

David and the soldiers collected their families, their possessions, and their animals. They gathered things they had captured from the

Amalekites and began the long walk back home.As they neared the Besor Ravine, the

STUDENT MATERIAL

References1 Samuel 29; 30:1-

25; Patriarchs and Prophets,

pp. 690-694

Memory Verse“Surely your good-ness and love will follow me all the

days of my life, and I will dwell in the

house of the Lord forever” (Psalm

23:6).

The MessageWhen God wins, we are winners.



• If possible, go with your family to a high place and climb to the top. Imagine seeing smoke and burning buildings in the distance. Read the Bible lesson together. Talk about how David and his men felt when they saw that their homes had been destroyed.

• Review Psalm 23 together. Thank God for His protection today.

Sunday• For family worship today, read and discuss

1 Samuel 30:1-3. How would you feel if a great fire destroyed your town? How would you feel if a fire destroyed your home? Discuss with your family what you would do in the event of a fire. Ask your parents to tell you about the emer-gency plan. If your family does not have one, encourage them to make one.

• If possible, visit a fire station. Thank the firefighters for all they do to protect your town.

• Sing songs about God’s care, then thank Him for it.

Monday• With your family, read and discuss 1 Samuel

30:4-6. Talk about sad times your family has had. If all is well now, praise God. If not, ask Him for help. Ask: Can we know God’s goodness and love even in times of sadness? (What does your memory verse say?) Read Psalm 23:4 together. For what will you thank God today?

Tuesday• Read and discuss 1 Samuel 30:6 for family

worship. What did David’s men want to do? Why? Read the last sentence of the verse. Put your name in place of David’s.

• Ask your family: How do you feel when some-

one is angry with you? What do you do about it?

• Sing “I’ve Got Peace Like a River” (Sing for Joy, no. 108). Then ask God to give you His peace today and thank Him for it.

Wednesday• For family worship today, read and discuss

1 Samuel 30:7, 8. Ask: What did David do before going into battle? What was God’s answer to him? How can David’s experience help our family?

• Whom do you talk to first when you have a problem? Why?

• Say your memory verse together. How does it make you feel?

• Sing a song about trusting God, then ask Him to help you trust Him more.

Thursday• Say your memory verse together to start

worship today. Then read and discuss 1 Samuel 30:9-25. In your own words, tell how God turned David’s sadness into victory. Tell about a time God gave you the victory over some sin or sadness.

• Sing about God’s help. Then thank Him for giv-ing you the victory over sin and sadness.

Friday• Do charades or act out your lesson story with

your family for worship today.• Read 1 Samuel 30:22-24 together and discuss

what you can learn from David about sharing. How can your family share what God has given you with someone today? tomorrow? Make a plan and do it. What good news will you share?

• Sing together “Redeemed!” (Sing for Joy, no. 68), then thank God for His redeeming love. Thank Him for sending Jesus to win the victory for you.

200 men who had stayed behind came out to meet them. But some of David’s weary soldiers were not glad to see how rested their friends looked.

“We’ll give these men back their wives and children,” they grumbled, “but nothing else. They didn’t help us win, so they shouldn’t share the goods.”

“Wait!” David said. “Who won this battle? We didn’t win; the Lord did. He gave us this victory. He protected us. So all will share alike.”

And that’s the good news of God’s grace. When God wins the battle, He shares the victory. We are all winners because Jesus won the victory over sin and Satan.


ReferencesMatthew 7:12-29;Thoughts From theMount of Blessing,

pp. 147-152

Memory Verse“My God is my rock,

in whom I take refuge”(Psalm 18:2).


Know that weworship God byliving for Jesus.

Feel a desire to live for Jesus.Respond by resolving to

daily build their life on Jesus.

The MessageI am joyful when I

build my life on Jesus.

The Rock and the SandMonthly Theme

Worship makes us joyful every day.

The Bible Lesson at a GlanceJesus tells a story to a crowd about two houses and two build-

ers. One builder builds his house on a rock, which gives it a firm foundation. During the rainy season the winds and floods come, but the house has a strong foundation, so it is safe. Another man builds his house on the sand. When the storms come, his house is washed away because the foundation is not good.

This is a story about worship.When we obey His Word, we are building our lives on Jesus.

We joyfully do what Jesus says in response to His extravagant gift of love and grace. This is an act of worship.

Teacher EnrichmentIn Palestine the builder must think ahead. Many gullies that

were pleasant sandy hollows in summer become raging torrents of rushing water in winter. The house built there would disintegrate. It was tempting to begin building on the smoothed-over sand, and not bother to dig down to the shelf of rock below.

The houses in Jesus’ day were not as sturdy as today’s houses. Thieves were able to dig through the walls (Matthew 6:19). The roof of earth or grass could easily be opened up (Mark 2:4). Everything, therefore, depended on the foundation.

Room DecorationsPrepare an outdoor scene. Include palm trees and a toy don-

key. If possible, prepare bulletin boards showing:

• What houses were like in Bible times.• A house built on a rock and one being swept away by

water.• A village with Jesus and His disciples outside one of the

houses. Show a donkey nearby.

LESSON NINE

90 LESSON NINE www.gracelink.net/primary



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Any

Time

2

3

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Welcome ongoing Greet students at none door; hear pleased/ troubled_________________________________________________________________________________ Readiness Options up to 10 A. House Building empty appliance boxes or grocery boxes and lots of wide duct tape, or small tent or blankets and chairs B. Building Right carpenter or handyman with wood, nails, and hammer_________________________________________________________________________________ Prayer and Praise* up to 10 Fellowship none Songbook Sing for Joy Mission Children’s Mission Offering small house-shaped box with a slit on top, flat rock Prayer medium-sized rock, pencils or pens, sticky papers, prayer diary_________________________________________________________________________________ Bible Lesson up to 20 Experiencing the Story adult Bible-times costume, hammer, Bible, chair Memory Verse Bibles Bible Study Bibles_________________________________________________________________________________ Applying the up to 15 Rock, Sand, and Water for each group of five children: two Lesson Test 4" x 6" index cards, pencils, water, clear tape, a large plastic dishpan with a brick or flat stone, sand_________________________________________________________________________________ Sharing the up to 15 A. Paper Weights rocks, markers, spray paint, clear Lesson shellac in a spray can (optional) B. Refrigerator Magnet cup, construction paper, scissors, art supplies, glue, magnetic tape or cellophane tape

WORSHIP

www.gracelink.net/primary LESSON NINE 91


they’re pleased/troubled about. Ask what they especially enjoyed about their Bible lesson this week. Have them begin the readiness activity of your choice.


A. House BuildingSay: Some people actually live in boxes. Challenge the children to fashion a

house in the next five to 10 minutes, using the empty appliance boxes or grocery boxes and lots of wide duct tape. Option: Provide a small tent to pitch inside or blan-kets to drape over chairs. Or divide the children into two groups, with one group work-ing on the box house and the other on the tent. Test their houses for comfort and durability by seeing how many children can sleep in each house.

DebriefingAllow response time as you ask: What would you think about living in a card-

board box or a tent all the time? Which would be better? Why? What is your house made of? Jesus told some people that hearing and doing His word is like building a strong house. Let’s read what He said in Matthew 7:24. Help the children find and read the text. What do you think Jesus meant? (If we make Jesus and His Word the most important in our lives, we will enjoy good times and have strength for the bad times.) Every day we are building important things in our lives, our char-acters. Everything we do decides what kind of person we are building. If we build our lives on Jesus and what He tells us in the Bible, it is like having a good, strong foundation. Today’s message tells us what the results will be:

I AM JOYFUL WHEN I BUILD MY LIFE ON JESUS.

Say that with me.

B. Building RightInvite a carpenter, builder, or handyman to visit your class. Ask him or her to bring

wood, nails, and a hammer to teach the children how to pound a nail in straight. Have him or her show some tools and explain their use, then explain why a house should be built on a firm foundation. If you can’t find someone, demonstrate and supervise the hammering yourself.

DebriefingAllow response time as you ask: What did you just learn about building a

house? Why is a good foundation important? (To be sure the building will stand all kinds of weather.) When we make decisions, we need to have a good foundation. Who could be a strong foundation for us? (Jesus) If we build our lives on Jesus, we will enjoy good times and have strength for the bad times. Our message today tells us what will happen if we build our lives on Him.

1

TEACHING THE LESSON

You Need:• guest

carpenter or handyman

• hammer, nails, wood

You Need:• empty appli-

ance boxes or grocery boxes

• wide duct tape • small tent or

blankets to drape over chairs



Report the children’s joys and sorrows (pleased and troubled) as reported to you at the door (as appropriate). Allow time for sharing from last week’s lesson study. Give a special warm greeting to visitors and introduce each by name. Acknowledge birthdays or special events.

Suggested Songs“The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” (Sing for Joy, no. 62)“Sandy Land” (Sing for Joy, no. 121)“Trust and Obey” (Sing for Joy, no. 113)“His Banner Over Me Is Love” (Sing for Joy, no. 25) (last verse)


OfferingUse a house-shaped small box with a slit on top to collect the offer-

ing. Place the house on a flat rock. Ask a child to pray that the offer-ing will be used wisely to help people in __________ (the part of the world designated to receive the offering) to learn about Jesus, the Best Foundation.

PrayerAsk the children if there are any answers or requests to write in the

class prayer diary started last week. Place a medium-sized rock up front to represent Jesus. Have the

children write on a sticky paper (or use paper and cellophane tape) the name of someone they know whose life is not built on the Rock, Jesus. Invite them to come up and stick their paper on the rock. Then make a circle with everyone holding hands, and invite those who stuck a paper on the rock to mention the name of the person written on their paper. Pray that these people will start building their lives on Jesus. Close by thanking Jesus that He is a firm foundation.

Any

Time

You Need:• house-shaped

box• large flat rock

You Need:• medium-size

rock• prayer diary• sticky papers• pencils or pens



Say that with me.


Invite a man to dress in a Bible-times costume and tell the story as if he had been there and heard Jesus speak.

Instructions to storyteller: Invite some children to come forward and be the house as it is being built. Large group: Use one group to make one house and a second group to make the second house. Small group: Use all the children to build both houses.

Begin the story by strolling up front, head down, thoughtfully stroking your chin with one hand and clutching the hammer in the other. Turn to face the children. Put the hammer down, push your sleeves up, and then look around as if seeing the audience for the first time.

Read or tell the story.Oh, excuse me. I didn’t know you

were there. I just saw and heard the most amazing thing. And I can’t quite figure out what it means.

It started with a crowd of people seated on a hillside in the middle of the day. I mean, all those people had work to do. Like me; I build houses. [Hold up the hammer.] But not on this particular day. I joined those people sitting on the hill.

Jesus was there. He was telling stories and teaching the people. His voice carried so that we all could hear Him. And here’s what puzzled me: He told about a house. Here, let me tell you the story.

Once a man decided to build a house, like me. [Hold up the hammer, and then put the hammer down.] The man chose a rocky ledge, well above water level, on which to build his house. The man worked hard carrying the building materials. [Take two children by the hand

and lead them up front.] Pretend you are my building materials. [Stand the two children about three feet (one meter) apart.]

So the man carried the materials [grab two more children for the other two corners] all the way up onto the rock. [Bring up children to fill in the walls as you continue talking.] Here the house would be safe and the foundation strong.

At last the roof was finished. [The children stretch their arms forward for the flat roof.] When the rainy season came, the wind blew and blew. [Get the teach-ers and any remaining children to blow up a storm.] The streams grew bigger and bigger, overflowing their banks. Now there was flooding to worry about. [Stand on a chair to get out of the water.] But the house was safe. The man had built it on a strong, firm foundation of solid rock.

That makes sense, doesn’t it? The people thought so. They all nodded and said, “Amen.” [Get everyone to shout “Amen.”] And Jesus told them, “If you lis-ten to God’s Word and live for Him you are building your house on the Rock.”

Does that make sense, building on rock? Yes, it does, so say “Amen” again. [Put your hand to your ears to encourage the “Amen.” Then applaud the people who made the house. They can return to their seats.]

But then Jesus told about another man who built a house. [Begin bringing up children to build a similar house a few feet away from the last.] This man chose to build his house on the sand at the water’s edge. He probably built a strong house, too. He probably worked very hard at it.

At last the roof was finished. [The chil-dren stretch their arms forward for the flat roof.] When the rainy season came, the wind blew and blew. [Get the teachers and any remaining children to blow up a storm.] The streams grew bigger and bigger,

2


times costume• hammer• Bible• chair


overflowing their banks. Now there was flooding to worry about. [Stand on a chair to get out of the water.]

But the house tottered and fell. [The children representing the house collapse. Affirm them for a great job and ask them to return to their seats.]

What went wrong? [Look puzzled.] Why did the house fall? [Accept their responses.] The man had built the house on sand. And the flood washed the sand away. The foundation was no good.

This is what Jesus said about it. [Read Matthew 7:26.] I think Jesus was saying something very important. I wonder what He meant. [Pick up your hammer, put your head down, and stroke your chin as you leave by the way you came.]

DebriefingHave a teacher other than the story-

teller ask the children: 1. What is the Rock in this story?

Read aloud Psalm 18:2. (my God) 2. How do you build on the Rock?

Read aloud Matthew 7:26. (hear Jesus’ words and put them into practice)

3. How do you think the wise builder felt after the storm? (happy that his house did not fall)

This story helps us understand today’s message. Say it with me.



and read aloud Psalm 18:2. “My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge” (Psalm 18:2). Then proceed to teach the verse as follows. Repeat the activity until the children know the verse.

My Point to self.God Point upward.is my Point to self.rock, Pound one fist

with the other.in whom I Point to self.take refuge. Cover face with

hands.Psalm 18:2 Palms together,

then apart.

Bible StudySay: The story of the two houses

is at the end of a wonderful sermon that Jesus preached. Find it in your Bibles in Matthew 7:24-27. Allow time. The beginning of this sermon is found in Matthew 5:1, 2. Let’s read that text together. Adult helpers assist as needed. Ask: Where was Jesus when He preached this sermon? (on a mountain-side) That’s probably why we call this sermon “The Sermon on the Mount.”

Ahead of time, write the references listed below on pieces of paper—one reference on each piece of paper. Divide your class into as many teams as there are papers. If possible, make groups of no more than four. For a small class, each child will get a text. Say: Jesus told us that when we hear His words and put them in practice it is like building on a rock. Therefore, we can say that the Bible—God’s Word—is like a rock. So we are going to have an activity called “Rock Solid.” When I call out a refer-ence, check to see if that is the one you are holding. If it is, then work with your team to find the verse quickly and read it together or have one per-son read it. Every time a verse is read, everyone is to shout “Rock Solid!” to remind us that when we hear and do God’s Word, it’s like building on a rock. Are you ready? Let’s go! Call out the references in an enthusiastic voice and remind the children to shout “Rock Solid!” after each verse is read.

Exodus 17:6 Psalm 18:2Exodus 33:21-23 Psalm 40:2Numbers 20:8 Isaiah 26:42 Samuel 22:2 Matthew 16:18

You Need:• Bibles

You Need:• Bibles


You Need:for each group:• two 4" x 6"

index cards• pencils or

markers• pitcher of

water• cellophane

tape• large dishpan• brick or large

flat stone• sand for

dishpan

Applying the LessonRock, Sand, and Water Test

Form groups of not more than five children. Have the children draw a door and windows on each index card, then make a fold across the bottom of the card. Use cellophane tape on the fold to secure one card to the brick or stone and the other to the sand.

Say: This index-card house repre-sents your life. Let’s see what happens to your life when problems arise. Hold up the pitcher of water and say: This water represents problems that come to our lives. Pour water just in front of each house, not directly on them. Say: This is a test. It will tell us how strong the foundation is.


What happened to the house built on

the sand? (The sand washed away; the foundation washed away; the house fell down.) What happened to the house on the rock (or brick)? (It was safe; it stood firm; it didn’t wash away.) What will happen if you build your life on Jesus, our Rock? (We won’t be destroyed when problems come; when trouble comes our way, we will trust in Jesus.) How can we keep our foundation firm and anchor our lives in Jesus? (Choose to love Jesus. Stay close to Jesus. Ask Jesus to keep us close and help us. Read the Bible and pray.) If we do that, what will our lives be like? (happy, joy-ful, glad, good and strong when the bad times come.)

How does loving and obeying Jesus bring us joy? (We know we can trust Jesus; Jesus cares for us; we don’t have to worry about things.) Let’s say our message together again:


3

DebriefingAsk: Why do Bible writers say that

God is like a rock? (He is a shelter, a place to run to; He protects us.) What came out of the rock when Moses hit it? (water) By telling Moses to speak to the rock to get water, God was trying to teach the Israelites that He could supply all their needs. Jesus supplies all our needs too. When we build our lives on Jesus, we know that He will always care for us. Even

when bad things happen, we can trust Him to give us strength to get through it. Sometimes God even makes something good come from something bad. Nothing can shake us. And how will this make us feel? Our message tells us:


Say that with me.


Sharing the LessonA. Paper weights

In advance, spray paint the rocks.

Give each child a rock and say: In our lesson today, we learned that Jesus is our Rock, our Protector. We want others to know about that, so we are going to make something to give them. Our rocks will become paper-weights that we can give to someone. On the rock, write “Jesus is our Rock. He never fails.” Allow time. If desired, spray the rocks with clear shellac to make them shine.

DebriefingAsk: What are paperweights used

for? (to keep things in place) How does that remind you of Jesus? (He keeps me safe; He helps me keep my life in order; etc.)

Think of someone you want to share your paperweight with, some-one you want to know that Jesus keeps them safe too. How can you explain what it means when we say Jesus is our Rock?

Allow time for discussion, then form pairs and have the children practice explaining with a partner. Say: We can have real joy only when we build our lives on Jesus, our Rock. Let’s say our message together again.


B. Refrigerator MagnetDistribute the supplies and give the

following directions:Use the bigger end of the cup to

draw a circle on the paper. Cut out the circle.

Draw a house inside the circle and make some music notes around it.

On the house, write the words “Building on the Rock.”

Glue some magnetic tape (or a loop of cellophane tape) to the back.

Allow time.

DebriefingAsk: Who is the rock on which

you are building your life? (God, Jesus) Why do you want to do that? (So I will be safe; so I will have a happy life; so I will have strength for the bad times, etc.) How will you explain this magnet to someone who wants to know what it means? Allow discussion time. When someone asks about it, you can share today’s lesson story and today’s mes-sage with them. Let’s say our message together again.


ClosingSing together the third verse of “His

Banner Over Me Is Love” (Sing for Joy, no. 25) (“Jesus is the Rock of my salvation,” etc.). Ask the children to raise their hand if they want to build their lives on Jesus. Then ask them to pray silently and thank Jesus for being their Rock. Close with a short prayer.

4

You Need:• rocks• markers• spray paint• clear shellac

in a spray can (optional)

You Need:• large paper or

Styrofoam cup• construction

paper• scissors• art supplies• glue• magnetic or

cellophane tape


The Rock and the Sand

Have you ever built a sand castle on the beach? Even though you build it high and you pat the sand until it is firm, what happens when the foamy waves wash around it? A long time ago Jesus told a story about that.

One day Jesus sat on the side of a hill, talking to hundreds of people seated on the grass in front of Him. Jesus knew about storms and floods. So did the people seated around Him. Many of them had lived near the Sea of Galilee all of their lives. When they were children, they probably played at the water’s edge.

Jesus loved the people so much. He wanted them to understand about God. He wanted them to understand how to be joyful. Maybe a story about building at the water’s edge would help them understand. And so Jesus told this story.

“Once a man decided to build a house. He chose a high,

rocky ledge on which to build it.

Water

wouldn’t flood his house. His house would be safe and the foundation strong.

“The man worked hard carrying the building materials all the way up onto the rock. After the house was finished, the rains came down. The wind blew and blew. The streams grew bigger and bigger, overflowing their banks. Now there was flooding to worry about. But the house was safe. The man had built it on a strong, firm foundation of solid rock.”

That makes sense, doesn’t it? The people thought so. They may have nod-ded their heads in agreement. And Jesus told them, “If you listen to God and live for Me, you are building your house on the Rock.”

And all the people may have nodded in agreement again, because building on rock made sense.

Then Jesus continued. His story was not done.

“Another man built himself a house. This man chose to build his house on the sand at the water’s edge. He probably built a strong house too. And he probably worked very hard at it.

“After the house was finished, the rains came and pounded it. The wind blew and blew. The streams rose higher and higher and overflowed their banks. Soon they flooded the house. The waves beat and beat against the house, washing away the sand underneath it. And the house fell in with a mighty crash because there was no deep, firm foundation supporting

the walls.”What a foolish man! the people

may have thought. He should have known better. And so he should have.

But listen to what Jesus said next.“When people listen to My words

but do not do anything about them, they are as foolish as that man. They cannot expect to be joyful and strong. The wise person not only lis-

tens, but is willing to do what I say.”The people opened their eyes in

STUDENT MATERIAL

ReferencesMatthew 7:12-29; Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing,

pp. 147-152

Memory Verse“My God is my

rock, in whom I take refuge”

(Psalm 18:2).

The MessageI am joyful when I build my life on

Jesus.



• Go with your family to sit on a big rock or on a sandy beach. Read the Bible lesson story together. Sing “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” (Sing for Joy, no. 62).

• Read aloud Psalm 18:2. Review the part that is your memory verse.

Sunday• Together with your family, read and discuss

Matthew 7:24-29.• Find 11 small, flat rocks. With a marker, write

one word of your memory verse on each rock. (Don’t forget the reference.) Or, use rock cutouts from paper.

• If possible, visit a construction site with your parents. Notice the foundation.

Monday• Arrange your memory verse rocks in the correct

order.• From the list below, circle the words that

describe what a rock is like. STRONG HEAVY WEAK UNCHANGING STEADY ANGRY SOFT HARD• Compare the words you circled to Jesus. Do any of those words also describe who Jesus

is? Which ones? Choose one of the words that you used to describe a rock. Make an acrostic using words that describe Jesus. Remember that an acrostic is a poem where the first let-ter of each line spells a word. So, for example, you chose the word strong. Your first word in the poem would begin with S—Savior. Then the next word would begin with T, the next with R and so on.

Tuesday• At worship time, look for pictures of walls,

roads, and other things made from rock. People use rock because it is strong and pro-vides good protection. How is Jesus like a rock? Read 2 Samuel 22:2 together.

• Put your memory verse rocks in the right order, then say your memory verse without looking.

Wednesday• Say your memory verse together during family

worship. Then review Psalm 23 together. • Look for a verse from Psalm 23 that has a

close meaning to the memory verse.• Sing “A Shelter in the Time of Storm”

(Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, no. 528).Thursday

• During worship today, read Matthew 7:24. • Place a pile of sand (or sugar or salt) on a dish.

On another dish, place a flat rock. Add drops of water, one at a time, to each dish. What hap-pens when the water hits the sand? the rock? Can anything sink into a rock? Jesus is steady and strong like a rock.*

• Review your memory verse with your family.Friday• For family worship, sing your family’s favorite

“rock” songs from Sing for Joy or The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal.

• Memorizing Scripture and doing what it says is a great way to build your house on the Rock and to worship God. Try to say for your family all the memory verses you have learned so far this quarter.

• Bring a large rock to worship and sign your name on it with a marker. Invite your family members to do this too. Read Isaiah 26:4 out loud. Then ask everyone to put their hands on the rock and ask God to help them always to remember that He is strong and that they can count on Him to take care of them. Thank God for being your Rock forever.†

* Adapted from Kathie Reimer, 1001 Ways to Help Your Child Walk With God (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1994), p. 85.

† Adapted from Lisa Flinn and Barbara Younger, Making Scripture Stick (Loveland, Colo.: Group Books, 1992), p. 127.

amazement as they listened to Jesus. His teaching was very different from the teachers of the law they usually heard. Some of the people may even have remembered what David said in Psalm 18:2: “My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.”

I wonder how many people who heard Jesus that day were willing to build their lives on Jesus. How many wanted to study and live by God’s Word? How about you?


ReferencesMatthew 9:18-26;

Mark 5:21-42; TheDesire of Ages,pp. 342, 343

Memory Verse“Jesus said . . . ‘I am

the resurrectionand the life’ ”(John 11:25).


Know that weworship a God who

gives and sustains life.Feel joyful and certain

that God wants themto have life here and forever.Respond by giving God their

fears concerning deathand separation from family.

The Message We worship a God

who gives eternal life.

Dead or Alive?Monthly Theme


The Bible Lesson at a GlanceJairus, the ruler of the synagogue and an elder, humbly asks

Jesus to heal his dying daughter. Jesus heads to Jairus’ house, but is delayed by all the needs on the way. A messenger reports that the child is dead. When they arrive at Jairus’ house, Jesus sends away the hired mourners and goes into the girl’s room with her parents and three disciples. He tells the girl to get up, and she comes to life!

This is a lesson about worship.Jesus is the giver and sustainer of life. He assures us that He

wants us to have abundant life here and in the world to come. Because of Him, we don’t have to fear death. As Jairus’ family was grateful to Jesus for giving them their daughter back, we also worship Him because of these gifts.

Teacher EnrichmentJairus was the ruler of the synagogue. He was responsible for

good management of the synagogue and was one of the most important and respected men in the community.

Jewish mourning customs were vivid and detailed. Immediately after death a loud wailing was set up to inform everyone of the death. The mourners tore their garments until the skin was exposed. Fathers and mothers tore on the left side (over the heart), and all others on the right side.


LESSON TEN

100 LESSON TEN www.gracelink.net/primary



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Any

Time

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4

Welcome ongoing Greet students at none door; hear pleased/ troubled_________________________________________________________________________________ Readiness Options up to 10 A. Scariest Sculptures modeling clay or sheets of aluminum foil B. What Happened? Bible_________________________________________________________________________________ Prayer and Praise* up to 10 Fellowship none Songbook Sing for Joy Mission Children’s Mission Offering offering container Prayer prayer diary_________________________________________________________________________________ Bible Lesson up to 20 Experiencing the Story none Memory Verse Bibles Bible Study Bibles_________________________________________________________________________________ Applying the up to 15 Top Five bell or other noisemaker, chalk- Lesson board and chalk or whiteboard and marker, paper and pencils, Bible_________________________________________________________________________________ Sharing the up to 15 No Fear Pennant felt, pellon, or construction paper, Lesson markers (optional: dowels, stapler, or glue), rulers

WORSHIP

www.gracelink.net/primary LESSON TEN 101


they’re pleased/troubled about. Ask them if they would like to share any-thing from their Bible lesson this past week. Have them begin the readiness activity of your choice.


A. Scariest SculpturesAs the children arrive, give each person a lump of modeling clay or a sheet of alu-

minum foil. Ask them to think of something they are afraid of and then make some-thing to represent that fear. Assure them that it doesn’t have to look exactly like the real thing, but just enough like it so everyone can guess what it is. When everyone is finished, have them show and tell about their scary sculptures.

DebriefingAs each child shows his or her sculpture to the entire group, ask: What does this

look like? Ask the child: Did your classmates guess right about your fear? Explain how your sculpture looks like the thing that scares you or what it tells about what you are afraid of.

Say: It’s normal to feel scared of things that you can’t control. But our God is big enough to help us through scary times. And He will stay close to us. You can trust Him, for He is so powerful that He created life. Today’s message tells us more:

WE WORSHIP A GOD WHO GIVES ETERNAL LIFE.

Say that with me.

B. What Happened?Ask a volunteer to come up front and close his or her eyes. While his or her eyes

are shut, ask several children to switch places. Then call out, “Wake up, _____!” Ask the child to identify what changed in the classroom. Repeat the game several times. (Each time, change something different, such as something about your clothes, something obvious on the wall, turning the lights on/off, etc.)

DebriefingAsk: How do you feel when you discover changes that you didn’t know were

going to happen? (OK; like change; don’t like change) How do you feel when you have to go to sleep? (OK; don’t like it) What can change while you are asleep? (almost anything) How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? (sleepy, rested, happy, grumpy, etc.)

Read aloud 1 Corinthians 15:51. Say: This verse tells us that death is just like sleep. Will everyone experience death? (No. Some will still be living when Jesus comes again.) What will happen to some of those who do not experience the sleep of death? (They will be changed when Jesus comes; they will have eternal life.)

1

TEACHING THE LESSON

You Need:• modeling clay or• sheets of

aluminum foil

You Need:• Bible



Report the children’s joys and sorrows (pleased and troubled) as reported to you at the door (as appropriate). Review last week’s memory verse and allow time for sharing favorite experiences from last week’s lesson study. Give a special warm greeting to visitors and intro-duce each by name. Acknowledge birthdays or special events.

Suggested Songs“When He Cometh” (Sing for Joy, no. 93)“Soon and Very Soon” (Sing for Joy, no. 89)“God Is So Good” (Sing for Joy, no. 13)“Anywhere With Jesus” (Sing for Joy, no. 45)

MissionSay: “Missionary” means sent. Jesus was the best missionary ever. He was sent

from heaven to show and tell us about the God who gives life now and forever. Today we will hear about other missionaries here on earth. Use a story from Children’s Mission.

Offering

Say: You don’t need to have any special reason for giving an offering. You can give it just because you are thankful to be alive. Giving an offering is an expression of praise and thanks.

Prayer

Ask if there are any problems, worries, concerns or victories from God to write in the class prayer diary. Make a prayer circle, standing and holding hands. Address your prayer to the Life-giver. Encourage each child to add a prayer sentence praising God for one thing.

Any

Time


container


from previous weeks


When Jesus lived on earth, He brought some people back to life. And He will do that when He comes again. In today’s story we will learn more about this. Our message tells us that . . .


Say that with me.


Say: During this story, when you hear certain words, I want you to do or say something. Let’s practice.

When they hear: They do:Jairus Thumbs-up.love, loved, loving Hug themselves.death, dying, dead Wipe eyes as if

wiping tears away.Jesus Point upward.

Practice these responses a few times, then proceed with the story. (It might be helpful to have an adult lead the actions.)

Read or tell the story.Jairus [thumbs-up] was a religious

leader who lived at the time of Jesus. [Point upward.] Now Jairus [thumbs-up] had a 12-year-old daughter whom he loved [children hug themselves] dearly. One day the girl became sick. Jairus [thumbs-up] did everything he could think of to show his love [children hug them-selves] and help his daughter get well. But she only grew weaker. Jairus [thumbs-up] hated to leave her bedside. So he sent his servants to call doctors and nurses. But nobody could help.

Then Jairus [thumbs-up] thought of Jesus [point upward]. Jesus [point upward] was their last hope. So after one last whispered word of love [children hug themselves] for his daughter, Jairus [thumbs-up] hurried as fast as he could to Matthew’s house.

“My only daughter, whom I love [chil-dren hug themselves] is desperately sick. Please come to my house and put Your hands on her,” Jairus [thumbs-up] told Jesus [point upward]. “Then she will get well.”

Jairus’ [thumbs-up] faith made Jesus [point upward] happy. Jesus [point upward] immediately turned to leave with Jairus [thumbs-up]. His disciples followed. But a large crowd was waiting outside for Jesus [point upward]. The people crowded around Jesus [point upward] as He walked. Everyone wanted to be near Him. They may have even pushed and shoved one another.

Suddenly Jesus [point upward] stopped. “Who touched Me?” He asked.

“With all these people, Lord, You’re asking us who touched You?” Peter couldn’t believe Jesus [point upward] had asked such a question.

Jesus [point upward] looked around at the faces in the crowd. Finally a woman stepped forward.

“I am the one who touched You,” she said, weeping softly. “I have been sick a very long time. I have spent all my money trying to get well. I thought if I could only touch You, I would be healed.”

Of course, Jesus [point upward] was happy that the woman had such strong faith in Him. He couldn’t rush away from her. So Jesus [point upward] offered some gentle words of love [children hug them-selves].

“Daughter, your faith has healed you,” Jesus [point upward] told her. “Go and enjoy your life. You are free from sickness.”

As he watched Jesus [point upward] heal the woman, Jairus [thumbs-up] became very excited. He was certain now that Jesus [point upward] would heal his daughter.

But just then one of Jairus’ [thumbs-up] servants pushed through the crowd.

“Don’t bother Jesus [point upward] anymore,” he said. “Your daughter is dead” [wipe eyes]. Poor Jairus! [thumbs-up]. How sad and shocked he felt. But

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Jesus [point upward] turned to Jairus [thumbs-up]. “Don’t worry,” Jesus [point upward] said. “Just have faith.”

Again, Jairus [thumbs-up] thought of the woman who had just been healed. He remembered Jesus’ [point upward] words: “Your faith has healed you.” And Jairus [thumbs-up] stopped being afraid, and believed that Jesus [point upward] would heal his daughter.

Jesus [point upward] told Peter, James, and John to follow Him. Now He began hurrying to Jairus’ [thumbs-up] home.

The house was full of people, all mourning the dead [wipe eyes] girl. Some of them did not even know the girl, but they were hired to wail for the dead [wipe eyes].

“Send the mourners away,” Jesus [point upward] commanded. “Your daughter isn’t dead [wipe eyes]. She’s only sleeping.”

The people laughed when they heard that; they knew when a person was dead! [wipe eyes]. But ignoring their lack of faith, Jesus [point upward] took Peter, James, and John into the house, along with Jairus [thumbs-up] and his wife.

In the girl’s room Jesus [point upward] stood by the bed and reached for the girl’s hand. “Child, wake up,” Jesus [point upward] said.

The little girl opened her eyes, smiled at Jesus [point upward], and sat up. She probably smiled a huge smile when she looked into Jesus’ [point upward] happy eyes.

“You should give her something to eat,” Jesus [point upward] told her joyful parents. Jairus’ [thumbs-up] daughter was well and strong again.

Not only was Jesus [point upward] happy to heal sick people—He was delighted to give people life again. “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), He said. Jesus [point upward] came to earth to save us, too, from death [wipe eyes] and give us life. We worship a God who gives eternal life. Don’t you love [hug themselves] Jesus? [Point upward.]

DebriefingAsk: Why do you think Jesus let

Jairus’ daughter die? (So people would know that sometimes bad things hap-pen to us; so people would know that He is God and can give life.) Who needed to understand that Jesus is the Life-giver? (His disciples, Jairus, the mourn-ers, everybody) What do you think the mourners thought when they saw the little girl after Jesus raised her from the dead? (They were seeing a ghost; they shouldn’t have laughed at Jesus; Jesus was really powerful.)

Memory Verse Help the children find and read John

11:25: “I am the resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25). Ask: Who said these words? (Jesus) We want to remember who said them and what they mean.

Use the following to teach the memory verse. Repeat until the children can say the verse without help.

Jesus said, Point upward, then to mouth.

“I am the Crouch down, then resurrection, slowly stand up.

and the life.” Stand on tiptoes and stretch arms upward.

John 11:25 Palms together, then open. Bible Study

Say: Our Bible story this week is really two stories in one. Let’s look at them now. Help the children find Mark 5:22-29. Ask some of your good readers to read a few verses each.

Ask: What two stories are here? Why do you think Mark interrupted Jairus’ story to tell the story of the woman who touched Jesus? (It was actually part of Jairus’ story, because if

You Need:• Bibles

You Need:• Bibles


You Need:• bell or other

noisemaker• chalkboard or

whiteboard• chalk or

marker• paper and

pencils• Bible

Applying the LessonTop Five

Where all may see, write the numbers 1-5, one beneath the other. Then distribute paper and pencils and ask everyone to list the five things that scare them most.

Invite two children to stand beside you. Say: I have a list of the five top fears children your age have. Let’s see if you know what they are. We will start with the fears you wrote about.

Have the child standing on your right begin. If that child names a fear that is on the top five list, ring the bell or sound the noisemaker. Then have the child name another fear. If the child says something not on the list, the second child gets to try. List the fears they agree with as the children say them, but put them in the same order they appear in the following list so everyone will eventually see the top five fears. When one child exhausts his/her list, invite another to take his/her place. The top five fears for chil-dren their age are as follows:

1. Their own death2. Parents’ divorce3. Parent dying

4. The dark5. Dogs

DebriefingRead aloud John 14:6. Say: When

someone dies, people sometimes ask why and blame God for it. What do you think? Should God be blamed for death? (No, God gives life, not death; life comes from God.)

God warned Adam and Eve that they would die if they touched one tree in the Garden of Eden. Satan told Eve a lie. Let’s read about it in Genesis 3:4. (Read the verse aloud.) Eventually Adam and Eve did die for believing Satan’s lie. But God found a way to give eternal life to Adam and Eve and all people by sending Jesus to die on the cross. People who truly love God will live for Him and don’t need to be afraid of death. When Jesus comes, He will bring us eternal life; we will live with Him forever. Just remember:


Say that with me.

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Jesus hadn’t stopped or been stopped by the woman and others, Jairus’ daughter might not have died. There would have been no resurrection story.)

DebriefingAsk: How did Jesus give the

woman a new life? (He healed her from an illness she had lived with for many years.) If you have been sick for years and suddenly were healthy, it would be like having a new life.

The Bible tells us of another time people will be changed instantly. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52. Allow

time to find and read the verses aloud. This tells us about something that will happen when Jesus comes again. If we are alive, we will be changed instantly, just as this woman was healed instantly. We worship a God who can do anything. If we love Him and give ourselves to Him, He promis-es to change us and give us eternal life when He comes again. Let’s remember our message:

WE WORSHIP A GOD WHO GIVES ETERNAL LIFE

Say that with me.


4Sharing the Lesson

No Fear PennantHave the children make a pennant.

Help them cut a triangle 5" x 12" x 12" from felt, pellon, or construction paper. On one side help them write “HAVE NO FEAR.” On the other side, write “JESUS IS LIFE.” If desired, help them attach their banners to a dowel with glue or a stapler.

DebriefingSay: What will you say when

someone asks you about your pen-nant? Allow time for discussion. Form pairs and have the children tell each other what they would say. After church today, show your banner to some-one and tell them we don’t have to

be afraid of death, because we wor-ship a God who gives eternal life. Tell them about Jairus’ daughter and how Jesus brought her back to life. Share today’s message with them. Let’s say it together one more time.


ClosingPray. Thank God again that He is

the Life-giver. Ask Him to take away the children’s fear of death and to put in its place trust in Him.

Have the children repeat the mes-sage individually and wave their banners as they leave.

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You Need:• felt, pellon, or

construction paper

• markers• optional:

dowels, stapler, or glue

• rulers


Dead or Alive?Have you ever been really, really sick?

So sick that you were too weak to get out of bed? Maybe the doctor gave you medicine or a shot or hooked you up to machines to help you breathe. We’re going to read about a girl who needed more than a doctor to make her well.

Jairus’ 12-year-old daughter had been sick for some time. Her parents did everything they could think of to help their daughter get well. But she only grew weaker.

Good parents love their children and will do anything to help them get well. So imagine how upset Jairus felt when his only child was so sick. He didn’t want to leave her side. Again and again he sent for doctors and other people known to help sick children. But nobody could help.

Then Jarius thought of Jesus, the Master Teacher, from Galilee. Everyone was talking about His miracles. Jesus was Jairus’ last hope. Jairus whispered to his daughter, “I’m going to find help.” Then

Jairus left home and hurried as fast as he could to Matthew’s house.

He knew that he would find Jesus there.

“My only daughter is very sick. She

may be dying. I need You to come to my house and put Your hands on her. Then

she will get well,” Jairus told Jesus.

Jairus’ faith pleased Jesus. At once He started to leave with Jairus.

But a large crowd had gathered, waiting for Jesus to come out of

Matthew’s house. The people crowded Jesus as He walked along. Everyone was anxious to be near Him. They pushed and shoved one another. Often they bumped against Jesus as well.

Suddenly Jesus stopped. “Who touched Me?” He asked.

“With all these people, Lord, You’re asking us who touched You?” Peter couldn’t believe Jesus had asked such a question.

Jesus continued to look around. Finally a woman stepped up to Him.

“I touched You,” she said, weeping softly. “I have been sick a very long time. For 12 years I have been trying to get well. I thought if I could only touch You, I would be healed.”

Jesus felt happy because the woman had such strong faith in Him. He couldn’t just rush away.

“Be happy,” Jesus told her. “You are healed because you had faith in Me. Go and enjoy your life.”

Before Jesus and Jairus could continue, one of Jairus’ servants pushed through the crowd. “It’s no use to bother the Teacher anymore,” he told Jairus. “Your little girl is dead.” Poor Jairus! His loving father's heart must have felt heavy with sadness.

But Jesus turned to Jairus. “Don’t be afraid,” He said. “Just believe.”

Jesus called Peter, James, and John to follow Him. Together they hurried to Jairus’ home.

Jairus’ house was full of people, all wailing and crying loudly. Some of them did not even know Jairus, but they showed sympathy by crying together.

“Send the mourners away,” Jesus commanded. “Your daughter isn’t dead. She’s only sleeping.” When the people heard this, they laughed at Him.

Jesus told all the people to leave. Then He took the three disciples into the house along with Jairus and his wife.

In the girl’s room Jesus stood by the bed and reached for her hand. “Child, get up,” He said.

STUDENT MATERIAL

ReferencesMatthew 9:18-26;

Mark 5:21-42; The Desire of Ages, pp. 342, 343

Memory Verse“Jesus said . . . ‘I am

the resurrectionand the life’ ”(John 11:25).

The MessageWe worship a God who gives eternal

life.



• If possible, go to a cemetery with your family and read your lesson story. Imagine what that place will be like when Jesus comes again.

• Read John 11:25 in your Bible. Will some peo-ple die first before they live forever?

• Sing the following words to the tune of “Jesus Loves Me”:

“Christ is coming, this I know,He Himself has told me so.John fourteen and one, two, three,Read yourself and there you’ll see.Yes, He is coming, Yes, He is coming, Yes, He is coming. The Bible tells me so.”

Sunday• With your family taking turns, read and discuss

the lesson story in Mark 5:21-42. In what way is death like sleep? (See verse 39.)

• Talk about the kinds of life on this earth. Cut out pictures from magazines of plants, ani-mals, birds, fish, and people. Glue them to a posterboard. Write on top: “All life comes from God.”

• Write your memory verse on a card and deco-rate it. Practice saying it. Then thank God for the gift of life.

Monday• With your family, talk about waiting. Have you

ever had to wait for someone? How did you feel about waiting? How do you think Jairus felt having to wait for Jesus?

• Read Psalm 27:14. Pray and ask Jesus to help you wait for important things. Ask Him to come soon.

• Say your memory verse together.

Tuesday• Can you remember a time you were very sick?

What did it feel like?• During worship, ask your family members to

tell you about a time they were sick and got well again. Read Psalm 103:1-3 together, then pray and thank God for giving you life and health.

• Make up a tune for your memory verse and sing it for worship. Then pray for someone who is sick.

Wednesday• During worship today, read Mark 5:25-29

together. Draw a picture of the woman touch-ing Jesus’ robe. Show what Jairus was doing at the same time. Ask Jesus to help you to believe the way the woman did.

• Show your memory verse card, then sing or say your memory verse.

Thursday• With your family, make a get-well card for some-

one you know who is sick. Write John 10:10, the last part, on your card. Ask someone to help you mail it. As a family, make plans to visit that person soon. Plan to say your memory verse for them.

Friday• During worship, read Matthew’s version of your

lesson story in Matthew 9:18-26. • Ask your family to help you act out the story

of Jairus’ daughter. You might want to include the story of the woman who touched Jesus’ clothes.

• Sing your memory verse to your family. Teach them to sing it too. Thank God for Bible stories that help us to know Him better.

The little girl opened her eyes and sat up. Imagine how she must have felt when she looked into Jesus’ happy eyes.

“Give her something to eat,” Jesus told her joyful parents. Jairus’ daughter was well and strong again.

Not only did Jesus love to heal sick people—He was delighted to give people life again. “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), He said. He came to earth to save us, too, from death and to give us life. We worship a God who gives eternal life. Don’t you love Him!


References

Luke 17:11-19; TheDesire of Ages,

pp. 262-266, 348

Memory Verse “Praise the Lord,

my soul, and forgetnot all his benefits—

who forgives all your sinsand heals all your diseases”

(Psalm 103:2, 3).


Know that weworship God by being

thankful to Him.Feel a desire to let God

hear their praise.Respond by telling whatGod has done for them.

The Message We worship God

when we thank Him.

Where Are the Nine?Monthly Theme


The Bible Lesson at a GlanceTen lepers call out to Jesus for mercy and healing as He enters

a village. He tells them to go and show themselves to the priests. They act in faith and follow Jesus’ instructions, resulting in their healing on the way to the priests. Only one of them, a Samaritan, goes back to thank Jesus for healing him. Jesus is happy and sad—happy that one former leper remembers to give glory to God, and sad that the other nine do not.

This is a lesson about worship.Worship is a response to God’s grace and power. All of the

lepers partook of God’s grace and healing power. Only one responded directly to God’s grace by worshiping Him with thank-fulness and praise.

Teacher Enrichment“The lepers stood far off.” At least one authority states that,

when he was windward of a healthy person, the leper should stand at least 50 yards (62 meters) away. Nothing could better show the utter isolation in which lepers lived.

When the Samaritan returned, Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well” (or “your faith has saved you”). (See Matthew 9:22; Luke 7:50; 8:48 for other instances in which Jesus used this phrase.) This phrase suggests that in addition to physical healing that all 10 received, the Samaritan also experienced salvation.


LESSON ELEVEN

110 LESSON ELEVEN www.gracelink.net/primary



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Any

Time

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3

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Welcome ongoing Greet students at none door; hear pleased/ troubled_________________________________________________________________________________ Readiness Options up to 10 A. Thank You in Any list of ways to say “Thank you” Language written where all may see B. No Thumbs Relay masking tape or bandages, balls or wadded paper, pens, paper_________________________________________________________________________________ Prayer and Praise* up to 10 Fellowship none Songbook Sing for Joy Mission Children’s Mission Offering offering container Prayer He Is Our Song, no. 148; prayer diary_________________________________________________________________________________ Bible Lesson up to 20 Experiencing the Story cloth bandage or toilet paper, scissors Memory Verse Bibles, shakers or rhythm instruments, memory verse written where all can see Bible Study Bibles_________________________________________________________________________________ Applying the up to 15 A. Thankfulness Circle poster with Psalm 103:2, 3 written Lesson in large letters B. Role-Play Situations none_________________________________________________________________________________ Sharing the up to 15 Thank You, Jesus rhythm instruments, paper, pencils, Lesson Sing for Joy songbook, large sheets of drawing paper, markers, crayons, envelopes and postage stamps, lined paper, picture signs

WORSHIP

www.gracelink.net/primary LESSON ELEVEN 111




A. Thank You in Any LanguageSay: There are many ways to say “Thank you” in actions and in words. Let’s

try to say “Thank you” in some other languages. Help the children read the list.English Thank youBornese Tremacassi Spanish Gracias Hindi (India) Dhan-nya-wadh (dun-ya-vahd)French MerciAfrikaans DankiePhilippines Selemat poJapanese Arigat GozaimasuGerman Danke (dahn-ka)

DebriefingSay: God is accustomed to hearing “Thank You” in all kinds of languages. You

just heard a sample of what He must experience. Be sure that you often let God hear your praise in your language.

To conclude: Sing “Praise Him, Praise Him,” changing the words so as to sing one form of thank you after another. For example:

“Thank You, merci, gracias, tremacassi.Danke, God. Dhan-nya-wadh.Thank You, merci, gracias, tremacassi.Arigat, selemat po.”

Say: Today’s message says . . .

WE WORSHIP GOD WHEN WE THANK HIM.

B. No-Thumbs RelayAsk the children to pair off and tape their partner’s thumbs to their palms. (Adults

assist as needed.) They then form teams for the relay. Each team has a team leader. If the children say the relay is too easy, have them keep one hand behind their backs.

Paper wad relay: The team leaders throw the balls or wadded paper to the first per-son in line. The person catches and throws the object back to the leader, then crouches down or runs to the back of the line. The leader repeats with the next person and so on, until the last person has thrown back to the leader.

1

TEACHING THE LESSON

You Need:• masking tape

or bandages• balls or wadded

paper• pencil and

paper for each team

You Need:• list of ways

to say “Thank you” where all may see



Report the children’s joys and sorrows (pleased and troubled) as reported to you at the door (as appropriate). Review last week’s memory verse and allow time for sharing favorite experiences from last week’s lesson study. Give a special warm greeting to visitors and intro-duce each by name. Acknowledge birthdays or special events.

Suggested Songs“Father, We Thank Thee” (Sing for Joy, no. 100)“Seek Ye First” (Sing for Joy, no. 67)“Clap Your Hands” (Sing for Joy, no. 4)“God Made Our Hands” (Sing for Joy, no. 57)


OfferingOffer prayer, asking God to use this money to teach others about

God so that they can be thankful as your class is.

PrayerRecord any requests or problems solved in the class prayer diary.

(See Lesson 8.) Sing “Lord, Be Glorified” (He Is Our Song, no. 148), then say the words together as a prayer. Encourage children to offer a sen-tence prayer thanking God for something special.

Paper signing race: With thumbs still taped, the team leaders write their name and then pass the pencil and the paper to the next person in line. Each person in turn signs the paper. The last person takes the paper to the teacher.

Repeat the relays with the thumbs untaped.

DebriefingAsk: How does it feel to have the use of your thumbs again? Say: Lepers

often lose fingers and toes. Leprosy attacks them, robbing them of all feeling, so they may hurt a finger or toe and not realize it. Sores forming in a wound even-tually eat away part of a finger or toe. How would a leper feel who lost a finger? Imagine how it would feel to get the use of his hands back again. Allow discus-sion. What do you have to praise God for today? Praise is a great way to wor-ship God. Read aloud Psalm 9:1, 2. That is what our message for today is about.


Say that with me.

Any

Time


container



color of the skin and numbs all feeling. It starts in the fingers and toes and some-times even on the face. Because lepers [raise hand; shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”] do not feel anything, they often hurt their fingers and toes. Then bad sores grow in the wounds and eat away the flesh. And back then all the lepers [raise hand; shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”] could do was to bandage their hands. [Raise your ban-daged hand.]

Nobody wanted to be near a leper [raise hand; shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”] for fear of catching leprosy. [Raise hand; shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”] So lepers [raise hand; shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”] had to call out “Unclean!” to warn people to stay away.

The unhappy sight of these 10 lep-ers [raise hand; shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”] touched Jesus’ loving heart. So He called to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests!” [Put bandaged hands behind back.]

For just a moment the men may have been disappointed in Jesus. Why did He not walk over and heal them on the spot? But then they realized why He was sending them to the priest.

The lepers [raise hand; shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”] knew that the ancient law of Moses required healed lepers [raise hand; shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”] to show themselves to a priest. If the priest declared them healed, everyone else would welcome them back into the vil-lage. They could live with their families once again.

“What are we waiting for?” they may have asked each other. They turned and hobbled toward the nearest synagogue. The rags fluttered from their bandaged hands. [raise your bandaged hand.]

As they ran, the feeling came back into their hands and feet again. They tore the rags off their bandaged hands. [Wait for everyone to tear off the paper from their


In preparation for this interactive story, wrap one of your own hands in a cloth bandage or toilet paper. Give the children a length of toilet paper or ban-dage to wrap around one of their hands, securing it with their thumb. When talk-ing about Jesus, put the bandaged arm behind your back and have the children do the same.

Explain that when they hear the fol-lowing words, they respond as listed:

When they hear: They do:bandaged hands Hold up their “bandaged”

hands.leper or leprosy Raise the “bandaged” hand; shout “Unclean! Unclean!”

Read or tell the story.One day as Jesus was approaching a

village with His disciples, 10 men called to Him. The men raised their bandaged hands [raise your bandaged hand] and cried, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” [Encourage the children to echo you.]

[Put bandaged hands behind back.] Jesus looked around and saw the 10 men. He saw their bandaged hands. [Raise your bandaged hand.] In the dis-tance Jesus also noticed miserable shacks where the men lived. The people with Jesus noticed these things too. “Lepers” [raise hand; shout,“Unclean! Unclean!”], the disciples murmured. And they waited to see what Jesus would do. [Put bandaged hands behind back.]

Leprosy [raise hand; shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”] is a disease that changes the

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You Need:• roll of toilet

paper or roll of cloth bandage

• scissors


hands.] They were truly healed! Seeing this, the men ran even faster. But one man slowed to a stop. Then he turned and ran back toward Jesus.

Now, this man was a Samaritan. He was twice unhappy. He was treated as an outcast because he was a hated Samaritan, and he had been treated as an outcast because he was a leper. [raise hand; shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”] That’s right, the Samaritan was considered unclean in two ways.

As much as the Samaritan wanted to reach the priest and be declared whole just like everyone else, he had turned around and come back to Jesus. He knelt at Jesus’ feet.

“Thank You,” he may have whispered. Then, louder, “Thank You, Thank You. Thank You!”

Jesus’ eyes sparkled. So few people stayed to share their thankfulness with Him. So few let Him hear their joyful praise and worship when they were healed.

“Were not 10 men cleansed?” Jesus asked. “Where are the other nine? Is the Samaritan the only one who can thank and praise God?”

Then Jesus said, “Get up and go. Because of your great faith, you have been made well.” Joy flooded the Samaritan’s heart. With a thankful heart he worshipped God.

DebriefingSay: How had the Samaritan leper

been treated by the village people? (as if he were dirty, and they could not touch him)

When you are sick, what does your mom do for you? (feels forehead, takes temperature, tucks into bed, fixes tray of food) What would your life have been like if you had had leprosy back then? (no feeling; no touching; you would have had to look after yourself)

Who in our society today gets treated as if they are unclean and

untouchable? (very poor people, AIDS patients, HIV—positive children, street people, children who do not dress like us, etc.)

How would you feel if something that made you seem like an untouch-able was taken away and you could be like everyone else? What would you feel like doing? (laughing, celebrat-ing, praising God)

God is so good to us. He has saved us from sin. Sin is worse than leprosy. What would you like to do about God’s love for you? Allow discussion time. Say our message with me.


Memory VerseSay: One of the ways we praise

and worship God is through music. Our memory verse today comes from a psalm or song of praise. We are not going to sing it, but we are going to shake/beat out the rhythm of the words as we say the verse together.

Beat the rhythm as you read the verse aloud: “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:2, 3).

Have the children beat the rhythm as they say the verse several times. Then cover or erase a word and do it again. Repeat the action, removing one word at a time, until all words are gone.

Bible StudyChoose three children (or adults if

children are not able to read) to read the lesson story in Luke 17:11-19, assigning reading parts as follows:

Child 1 The parts of the verses that narrate events: verses 11, 12, 13a, 14a, 14c, 15, 16, 17a, 19a

You Need:• Bibles

You Need:• shakers or

rhythm instruments

• memory verse written where all may see

• Bibles


Applying the LessonA. Thankfulness Circle

Ask everyone to find a partner and then sit in a circle around you. (Large group option: The children make circles around their adult helpers.) Read Psalm 103:2, 3 together.

The adult says the first word of Psalm 103:2, 3. Then go clockwise around the circle, each person adding the next word. If someone misses their word, the teacher prompts him or her and the group has to start over. Play until a group completes the verse.

Go around the circle one more time. This time, each person tells the person to their left something that they appreciate or admire about them. The person who has been complimented then expresses their thankfulness to Jesus for helping them or giving them that quality.

For example:Person A: I like the way Kelly is so

good at soccer. Kelly: I thank God for giving me

strong legs and a dad who teaches me how to kick straight.

DebriefingAsk the children to commit to thank-

ing people and to giving God the credit when people compliment them. Let’s remember the message and say it together:


B. Role-Play SituationsHelp your class to act out the follow-

ing situations:1. Say: You come in from out-

side, all hot and thirsty. Your teacher offers you a drink. What do you do? (drink it; say thank you) Ask: Who really provided the water? Do we need to thank Jesus, too?

2. Say: You see your good score on a spelling test for the first time. Your friends are all pleased with their scores. As you congratulate each other, what will you say? (Thank you; I had help studying; Jesus helped me.)

DebriefingSay: Every good thing that hap-

pens to you gives you a chance to worship God. Always remember to thank Him each time, because . . .


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You Need:• poster with

Psalm 103:2, 3 written in large letters

Child 2 What the lepers said: verse 13b

Child 3 What Jesus said: verses 14b, 17, 18, 19b

DebriefingSay: How do you feel when some-

one says Thank you to you? (good, happy that they recognized what I had done, pleased, etc.) How do you

think God feels when you thank Him for something? (happy, pleased, etc.) What are some ways we can thank God? (prayer, songs, by our actions) What does our message tell us? Let’s remember it:


Say that with me.


Sharing the LessonThank You, Jesus

Designate three areas in the room where the children can do something to praise the Lord. On the wall near each area, tape a picture sign that names the activity (see box below). Have an adult helper assist at each place.

Say: We want others to thank the Lord for what He does for them too. So decide which activity you want to do, then go to the adult helper in the area of your choice and they will help you get started. As you work, think of someone you want to share your thanks with and tell the others in your group about it.

DebriefingWhen time is up, have everyone

gather to show and share their praise. Read aloud Psalm 103:2, 3 (the memory verse) and have the children say it with you.

Say: Worshipping with praise makes us feel joyful. God enjoys our praise. Praise is telling God how thankful we are. Praise is worship. We want others to praise God too. So let’s share what we have made with someone this week. Today we have learned that


Let’s say that together again.

ClosingClose with prayer, thanking God

for specific blessings enjoyed in today’s Sabbath School time.

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You Need:• picture signs• rhythm

instruments• paper, plain

and lined• art supplies• envelopes and

postage stamps• Sing for Joy

songbook

Picture Sign Materials Activitymusic notes rhythm instruments, Children make up a praise song paper, pencils, Sing for based on Psalm 9:1, 2 set to the tune Joy songbook “Praise Him, Praise Him” (Sing for Joy,

no. 12). crayons large sheets of Children make decorative posters to drawing paper, hang in the church hallway. The markers, crayons posters feature “thank You” to God for what He has done for them.

postage stamp pencils, lined paper, Children write letters telling a friend envelopes, postage or relative about what God stamps has done for them.


Where Are the Nine?Have you had chicken pox? If so, you

probably had to stay home from school for a long while. If you had gone to school some other children might have caught the disease from you. That’s because chicken pox is contagious—people can easily catch it. In today’s lesson we will read about 10 men who had a contagious disease.

One day Jesus and the disciples were

walking to Jerusalem. They traveled a road on the border between Galilee and Samaria. Just as they were entering a village, 10 men called, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

Jesus looked around. He saw lepers’ shacks built outside the village. He saw men dressed in ragged clothing. He saw bandages wound around their feet and hands. Instantly Jesus knew that these men were lepers.

Jesus felt very sad when He saw the lepers. He knew how much they wanted to be well again.

Long before Jesus lived on earth, Moses had given some rules about lep-rosy: when the first sores of leprosy appeared on a leper’s skin, he or she had to show them to the priest. The priest would look very closely at the sores and then send the person away. After a set time, the leper returned to the priest. If the sores had not healed, the priest would say the person was unclean because he or she had leprosy.

Lepers had to live outside the village. They were not allowed to return to their families unless the sores healed. And though lepers hoped and hoped, leprosy did not heal.

Nine of these lepers were Jews and one was a Samaritan. They had heard of Jesus. They held their arms out to Jesus and begged Him to help them.

“Go, show yourselves to the priests,” Jesus called.

For just a moment the lepers may have been disappointed. But then they understood. They knew why Jesus was sending them to the priest.

The lepers knew they would have to show themselves to a priest. If the priest said they were healed, everyone else would welcome them back into the village. They could go home and

live with their families again. “What are we waiting for?” they

probably asked as they hurried to find the priest. As they ran, the feeling returned to their feet and hands. The sores went away. They were truly healed!

As much as the Samaritan wanted to reach the priest with the others, he stopped. He turned around and ran back to Jesus. Praising and thanking God, the man fell at Jesus’ feet.

“Thank You,” he whispered. Then, louder, “Thank You, Thank You. Thank You!”

STUDENT MATERIAL

ReferencesLuke 17:11-19; The

Desire of Ages,pp. 262-266, 348

Memory Verse“Praise the Lord,

my soul, and forget not all his

benefits—who for-gives all your sins and heals all your

diseases” (Psalm 103:2, 3).

The MessageWe worship God when we thank

Him.



• With a family member, walk some distance away from your house or apartment but to where you can still see it. Imagine what it would be like to live away from your family. Read the lesson story “Where Are the Nine?” If possible, share the story with a sick person.

• Try to tell the story in your own words and read the memory verse from the Bible to some-one in your family.

Sunday• During family worship today, read the lesson

story in Luke 17:11-19.• Make or find a small gift for a sick person. Make

some wrapping paper with pretty pictures. Write your memory verse on the wrapping paper. Plan to deliver or mail the gift.

• Play, sing, hum, or listen to “God Made Our Hands” (Sing for Joy, no. 57).

• Thank God for your health.Monday

• During worship, read Luke 17:15, 16. Why do you think Luke mentioned that the tenth leper was a Samaritan? Read Acts 10:34, 35.

• Do you have a friend from another country? Who is it? Find his/her country on a map. Pray for them today.

• Draw around your hand or foot and cut out the drawing. Write your memory verse on the cutout, then use it to teach the verse to your family.

Tuesday• Ask your family to help you make a flute. Find

a cardboard tube (toilet paper tube, etc.). Fasten a piece of waxed paper to one end with a rubber band. Hum one of your favorite praise songs into your flute. Ask your family to read the memory verse while you “play” the flute.

• Read Romans 1:21, 22. What can happen to one who forgets to thank God for His bless-

ings? What blessings did you enjoy today? Thank God for them.

Wednesday• During family worship, tell about a time you

were very sick. In what ways was your illness like or unlike leprosy? Who helped you get well? When you pray, thank God for medical care and the gift of health.

• Write your name without using your thumb. Then thank Jesus for the way you are made.

• Use your hand or foot cutout and review your memory verse.

Thursday• With your family, read Luke 17:17. Why do

you think nine lepers did not thank Jesus? Write below three things for which you are thankful:

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

• Thank Jesus right now. Imagine that you are at Jesus’ feet just like the grateful leper.

Friday• For family worship, have a praise marathon.

Sing praise songs without stopping. Take turns thinking of a song. Try to start the next song as soon as the last one ends. Keep going until you run out of new songs. Read Psalms 138:1 and 145:1, 2 as a prayer.

• Start a family “blessings book.” Every Friday evening, write in blessings that your family has enjoyed during the past week. Hold hands and thank Jesus for these blessings.

• Lead your family in saying your memory verse.

Jesus’ eyes sparkled. So few people He helped were truly thankful.He looked down the road at the nine Jews hurrying on their way.“Were not 10 lepers cleansed?” Jesus sadly asked. “Where are the other nine? Is

the Samaritan the only one who will thank and praise God?”Then Jesus turned to the Samaritan and said, “Get up and go. Because of your

great faith, you have been made well.” Joy filled the man’s heart. With a thankful heart, he worshipped God.


ReferencesMatthew 17:1-13;The Desire of Ages,

pp. 419-425

Memory Verse“Rejoice in the Lord

always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).


Know that worship is rejoicing in

God’s presence. Feel the joy of worship.

Respond by expressing the joy of worship in their own way.

The Message Worship is

rejoicing in God’s presence.

The Bright LightMonthly Theme


The Bible Lesson at a GlanceJesus leads Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, where

Jesus is transfigured in (covered with) dazzling light before the three disciples. Moses and Elijah appear and talk with Jesus. Peter is so excited that he offers to build three shelters—one each for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. God’s voice is heard in a bright cloud, frightening the disciples, who fall to the ground. Before long, the light fades, and Jesus is alone with His disciples again. As they go back down the mountain, Jesus tells them not to tell what they have seen until after His resurrection.

This is a lesson about worship.The Transfiguration was a brief glimpse of who Jesus really

was: Almighty God. It was an awesome affirmation from God the Father of what Jesus had done and was about to do for the human race. Reverent, joyous worship is the only adequate human response to God’s presence and love.

Teacher Enrichment“Just as God’s voice in the cloud over Mount Sinai gave author-

ity to his law (Exodus 19:9), God’s voice at the transfiguration gave authority to Jesus’ words” (Life Application Bible [NIV], p. 1569).

The appearance of both Elijah and Moses was consistent with the messianic expectations of the Jews, who believed that Elijah would appear, accompanied by Moses.

“The disciples are confident that Moses and Elijah have been sent to protect their Master, and to establish His authority as king.

“But before the crown must come the cross. Not the inauguration of Christ as king, but the decease to be accomplished at Jerusalem, is the subject of their conference with Jesus. . . . Heaven had sent its messengers to Jesus; not angels, but men who had endured suffering and sorrow, and who could sympathize with the Savior. . . . Moses and Elijah . . . had shared His longing for the salvation of men. . . . These men, chosen above every angel around the throne, had come to commune with Jesus concerning the scenes of His suffering, and to comfort Him with the assurance of the sympathy of heaven. The hope of the world, the salvation of every human being, was the burden of their interview” (The Desire of Ages, pp. 422-425).


LESSON TWELVE

120 LESSON TWELVE www.gracelink.net/primary



1

Any

Time

2

3

4

Welcome ongoing Greet students at none door; hear pleased/ troubled_________________________________________________________________________________ Readiness Options up to 10 A. Millions of Lights two mirrors, candle, matches, Bible B. Shining in the Dark small ball covered in aluminum foil, flashlight, Bible_________________________________________________________________________________ Prayer and Praise* up to 10 Fellowship none Songbook Sing for Joy Mission Story Children’s Mission Offering candle and/or flashlight, matches, container representing where offering goes Prayer prayer diary, candle and matches, flashlight _________________________________________________________________________________ Bible Lesson up to 20 Experiencing the Story white sheet on line or frame, three Bible-times costumes, bright floodlight, recorded “voice of God” Memory Verse Bible Bible Study Bibles_________________________________________________________________________________ Applying the up to 15 A. Shhh! Listen! whistle, cassette tape or CD of quiet Lesson worship music, cassette or CD player, Bible B. Joy in Worship small comb and 4" x 4" piece of Response waxed paper or tissue paper for each child_________________________________________________________________________________ Sharing the up to 15 “I Worship God” Mobile small paper plate or six-inch circle Lesson of heavy paper per student, string or yarn, construction paper, markers, scissors

WORSHIP

www.gracelink.net/primary LESSON TWELVE 121




A. Millions of LightsSet the mirrors perpendicular to each other and turn off the lights. Light the candle

and hold it near the mirrors. Enjoy the multiple reflections that will appear in the mir-rors. Unless the mirrors are quite large, the children may need to sit so they can look into one or both of the mirrors.

DebriefingRead aloud Psalm 89:15, 16. What would the mirror look like if the candle

wasn’t lit? (dark) How do you feel when you see all the lights? (brighter, happy, like it) What can we learn about God and ourselves and worship from this activity? (God is the light; when we worship Him, we enjoy Jesus’ light; light makes us rejoice.) Our story today tells about a time Jesus’ disciples saw a very bright light that brought them great joy. Today’s message is . . .

WORSHIP IS REJOICING IN GOD’S PRESENCE.

Say that with me.

B. Shining in the DarkCover the ball with aluminum foil. Turn off all the lights and look at the ball. Say:

Is it glowing? (no) Say: But when you shine the flashlight on it, it reflects the light around the room. Demonstrate.

DebriefingSay: We cannot reflect light (unless we are wearing special clothes that can do

that) but we can reflect God's glory. What is God's glory? Let's read Exodus 33:18, 19. You read or have someone read. So God's glory is His goodness and His pres-ence. Can you give me some examples of God's goodness? (He made beautiful things, He provides for us, He heals us, He helps us to be good, He forgives us.) What about God's presence? We can't see God or spend time with Him, so how can we be in His presence? (read the Bible, pray) Now let's read 2 Corinthians 3:18. Ask: What happens when we contemplate (think deeply about) God's glory? (We get changed into His image by His Spirit, which lives inside us; or to put it more simply, the Holy Spirit helps us to be more and more like Jesus.) Read aloud Philippians 4:4. Being in God's presence causes us to rejoice. So if we are to rejoice all the time,

1

TEACHING THE LESSON

You Need:• two mirrors• one candle• matches• Bible

You Need:• small ball• aluminum foil• flashlight• Bible



Report the children’s joys and sorrows (pleased and troubled) as reported to you at the door (as appropriate). Review the memory verse and allow time for sharing favorite experi-ences from last week’s lesson study. Give a special warm greeting to visitors and introduce each by name. Acknowledge birthdays or special events.

Suggested Songs“Praise Him, Praise Him” (Sing for Joy, no. 12)“Come Into His Presence” (Sing for Joy, no. 14)“Philippians 4:4 [Rejoice in the Lord Always]” (Sing for Joy, no. 23)“Alleluia” (Sing for Joy, no. 16)“His Banner Over Me Is Love” (Sing for Joy, no. 25)


OfferingCollect the offering in a container that represents the part of the

world where the offering is going this quarter. Keep a candle burning through offering time. Say: We can help God spread the light of His love by giving our offering to support missions.

PrayerBefore prayer, discuss the children’s need to let Jesus make their

lives shine as His did. Light a candle (eyes open!) or turn on a flash-light as you pray. Write in your class prayer diary requests, concerns, and answers. Then invite the children to take turns praying for some-one whose life is in darkness now.

Any

Time

You Need:• offering container• flashlight or candle

and matches

You Need:• prayer diary• candle and

matches or flashlight


what else will we also be doing at the same time? (worshipping) Our story today tells about a time Jesus’ disciples saw a very bright light that brought them great joy. Today’s message is . . .


Say that with me.


Characters: Jesus, Moses, Elijah, voice of God

Setting the scene: Stretch out a white sheet on a line or frame up front, two yards (two meters) from the wall. Dress the three people who will stand behind the sheet. Position a bright flood-light to shine behind them, throwing their silhouette on the sheet. Turn the light on and off at the appropriate place in the story.

Prerecord the voice, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5).

Read or tell the story.Once Jesus was with His disciples.

Then He said something to only Peter, James, and John. “Come, go with Me up the mountain,” He says.

Would you go? Of course. So you fol-low Jesus up the mountain.

At the top, you wonder why Jesus brought you here. But suddenly you stare at Jesus. [Gesture toward the sheet.] You forget everything else as Jesus changes before your eyes [floodlight on].

A dazzling light from heaven falls on Jesus. His face glows as bright as sunlight bouncing off a piece of glass. His clothes look like brand-new satin robes, fit for a king. The shadows of the folds glow with rainbow colors. The light is so bright that you cannot move. You dare not blink for fear of missing something.

And then, you see two men, also bright with light. They just stand there talking with Jesus. Somehow you think you know who they are.

“Elijah? Moses?” you murmur in

wonder. Then you know without a doubt that indeed Elijah and Moses have come. They talk to Jesus.

What a strange and wonderful thing is happening right before your staring eyes! It’s so wonderful that it is too good to be true! Peter feels that he will burst if he doesn’t do something to celebrate. What can he do to express his joy?

“Lord, it’s good to be here!” Peter’s voice is breathless with excitement. “Do You want us to build three shelters? One for You, one for Elijah, and one for Moses?”

While he is speaking, a bright cloud comes down over everything. Brilliant light turns the moisture droplets of the cloud into a million diamonds. They dance with rainbow lights. And out of this dazzling beauty the voice of God speaks. [Play prerecorded “voice of God.”]

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5). The voice is loud and deep. It shakes the mountain.

You disciples fall to the ground, frightened. You shut your eyes. [Turn floodlight off.]

But the next thing you know, Jesus is touching you lightly. [Walk among the children; touch each one on the shoulder.]

“Get up,” Jesus says. “There’s noth-ing to be afraid of.” [Children stand, look around.]

You sit up and rub your eyes. Peter and John are getting up. Moses and Elijah are gone. The light has faded. Jesus leads you back down the mountain.

“Don’t tell anyone what you saw—not until after I am risen from the dead,” Jesus tells you.

As you walk back to meet the other disciples, you know that as long as you live, you will never forget the glory of Jesus’ transfiguration, when He stood in the bright light. You will always remember

2

You Need:• three adults or

teens, recorded “voice of God”

• a white sheet on a line or frame

• three Bible-times costumes

• a bright flood-light


the glory you witnessed and how thrilled you were to be in God’s presence.


Why do you think Jesus took only three disciples up the mountain? (He didn’t want that many people to know.) Have someone read Mark 14:32, 33. The three He chose—Peter, James, and John—would witness His struggle in Gethsemane. The memory of the Transfiguration would comfort them then (see The Desire of Ages, p. 420).

How would you feel if you met two famous people? (excited, OK, blessed, shy) Why would Peter want to build shelters? (to remember the event by, to do some-thing special for the visitors) Being in God’s presence leads us to rejoice and to want to do something special. How do we show these feelings? (sing, pray, tell oth-ers, help others, give offerings, etc.) Let’s remember our message:


Say that with me.

Memory VerseForm two groups

and teach the mem-ory verse as outlined below. Option: Teach

or use the song “Philippians 4:4 [Rejoice in the Lord Always]” (Sing for Joy, no. 23) sung as a round.

All RejoiceGroup 1 in the Lord always.Group 2 I will say it again:All Rejoice!All Philippians 4:4

Bible StudySay: Today is Sabbath, a special

day set aside by God for you to wor-

ship Him along with others who also love God. You have come to church, a special place set aside for you to worship God. God has given you this special day and place so that you can really listen to Him and concentrate on the joy of worshipping Him.

When we worship God, we will be joyful, sometimes silent, and always reverent. (“Reverent” means “showing honor or respect.”) Let’s use our Bibles to learn some more about how to worship God.

Form four groups with an adult helper for each. Assign the following Bible references, one to each group.

Hebrews 12:28Worship God with thankfulness, reverence, and awe.

Psalms 16:11; 21:6; 89:15, 16King David finds joy in God’s presence.

Habakkuk 2:20; Psalm 46:10Keep silence in God’s presence.

Leviticus 19:30; 26:2Observe God’s Sabbath and respect his church.

DebriefingAsk: When you worship God, how

can you be joyful, silent, and reverent at the same time? (These are all parts of worshipping God. For example, in church we joyfully praise Him by singing dur-ing part of the worship service. We also have a listening time when we open our minds to hear what He wants to tell us through the Scripture reading and ser-mon. Throughout the whole worship time we are reverent, knowing that we are in the presence of an awesome God.) Let’s remember our message:


You Need:• Bibles


You Need:• Bibles

Applying the LessonA. Shhh! Listen!

Divide the children into three groups. Whisper secret instructions to each group. Tell the first group to sing “If You’re Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands,” or something similar, as loudly as they can; tell the second group to talk loudly about their favor-ite food; tell the third group to do 30 jumping jacks (or jump up and down), counting loudly while they jump. Then shout “Go!” and let the chaos begin. After 30 seconds, blow your whistle and call time.

DebriefingAsk: Can anyone in groups one

and three tell me what the people in group two were talking about? (Most children won’t know.) Why can’t you tell me what they were saying? (There was too much other noise.)

Ask someone to read aloud Matthew 17:5. Say: This verse tells us to listen to Jesus. What must we do to listen to Jesus, our God? Let’s read Psalm 46:10 together. Allow time to find the text. Adult helpers assist as needed. Yes, we must be still (quiet) to listen for God. We are often too busy talking and doing other things to listen to Him. Right now we are going to take some quiet time for God.

Find a place in this room where you can be alone. Sit down, close your eyes, and say, “Be quiet and know that I am God.” I’ll play soft music to help you concentrate on our wonderful God. Think about

how happy you are that He is with you right now. When the music stops, come back here.

When the children have settled down, play two to three minutes of worshipful music. Then stop the music and call the children back together. (Adapted from Lisa Flinn and Barbara Younger, Making Scripture Stick [Loveland, Colo.: Group Books, 1992], pp. 114, 115.)

DebriefingAsk: How did you feel while spend-

ing quiet time in God’s presence? Were you happy? Where can you spend quiet time with God when you are home? Allow response time. How could you spend quiet time with God when you are at school? Is it always necessary to be alone to praise God? When might you want to worship God with your family? with your friends? If you were happy in your quiet place, you were worshipping God, for . . .


Say that with me.

B. Joy in Worship Response

Distribute the combs and the 4" x 4" pieces of waxed paper to cover the top and sides of each comb.

Ask the children to hum the tune “Philippians 4:4 [Rejoice in the Lord Always]” (Sing for Joy, no. 23) through their comb instruments. When they know the tune, suggest that they

3

You Need:• a small comb

for each child• 4" x 4" piece of

waxed paper or tissue paper for each comb

You Need:• a whistle• a cassette tape

or CD of quiet worship music

• a cassette or CD player

• Bible


DebriefingAsk: How many of you know

someone who needs more joy in their lives? Ask for a show of hands. What can you do to bring joy to those people this week, so that they can also enjoy Jesus’ presence as you do?

Encourage the children to find moments this coming week to sing and pray and share the joyful actions dis-played on their mobile with the person(s) they thought of.

Say: As you go to the worship service now (or go home), remember that . . . (Say the message together.)


ClosingStand in a circle, holding hands,

and sing the following prayer to God: “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” (Sing for Joy, no. 1). Then pray that all pres-ent will reverently worship God with joy and listen for His words in the church service.

Sharing the Lesson“I Worship God” Mobile

Give a paper plate or a six-inch (15-centimeter) circle cut from heavy paper or light cardboard to each child. Help them write “I Worship God” on the plate/circle. Have the children cut six smaller circles or triangles on which they write action words that tell what they do when they worship, such as: sing, pray, listen, rejoice, be thankful, express love, be kind, etc. Attach the small circles/trian-gles to the paper plate or cardboard with string or yarn and let the children take the mobiles home.

Older students can take the mobile a step further by attaching another shape to the small circles/triangles. On these can be written specific ways to do the action. For example, they could add to “sing”—hymns, prayers; to “pray”–praise, requests, thanks, confession; to “listen”–sermons, God, authorities; to “rejoice”–sing, clap, smile; to “be thankful”–to God, to family, to friends; to “be kind”–to people, to pets, to the unloved.

4You Need:• small paper

plate or six-inch circle of heavy paper per student

• string or yarn• construction

paper• markers• scissors

should always praise God for the good He will bring out of our problems. We should praise Him for being with us while we are going through our prob-lems.) Let’s rejoice that He is always with us, no matter what. Remember today’s message? Say it with me:


sing it, adapting the words to fit today’s memory verse (Philippians 4:4).

When they know the song well enough, play the combs and sing it as a round.

DebriefingSay: How can you rejoice in the

Lord always? Does that mean that if you get hurt, you should say, “Praise the Lord, I am hurt”? (No, but we


The Bright LightHave you ever seen a light so bright

that you would notice it even in the day-time? Once three of Jesus' disciples saw a very bright light and Peter got really excited about it. Let's find out why . . .

Once Jesus said to Peter, James, and John, “Come, go with Me up the moun-tain.” And He led His three friends to the top of a nearby mountain.

The disciples may have wondered Why just us three? But suddenly they were staring at Jesus. They forgot everything else as they saw Him change right before their eyes.

A dazzling light from heaven fell on Jesus. His face glowed as bright as sunlight bouncing off a piece of glass. His clothes looked like brand-new satin

robes, fit for a king. The light was so bright that the three disciples could not move.

And then, they saw two men, also brightly lit, standing with Jesus. Maybe one was wearing a leather purse as Elijah had worn. Maybe the other carried a rod, as Moses did when leading the Israelites through the Red Sea.

“Elijah? Moses?” the disciples said in wonder. Then they knew without a doubt that indeed Elijah and Moses had come to encourage Jesus.

What a strange and wonderful thing was happening. It seemed too good to be true. Elijah and Moses had come to talk with Jesus! Peter felt that he would burst if he didn’t tell someone. What could he do to celebrate his joy for Jesus?

“Lord, it’s good to be here!” Peter’s voice was breathless with excitement. “Do You want us to build three shelters? One for You, one for Elijah, and one for Moses?”

Just then a bright cloud came over all of them. The cloud seemed as bright as a million diamonds dancing in vibrant colors.

And out of this dazzling beauty the voice of God spoke. “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5). The voice, loud and deep, shook the mountain.

The three disciples fell to the ground. They may have thought, Sinners like us do not belong in the presence of God. And just like any human might, they shut their eyes tightly. What might happen in the presence of their holy God?

The next thing they knew, Jesus was touching them gently. “Get up,” He said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Peter, James, and John sat up and looked around. Moses and Elijah were gone. The light had faded. Jesus was tell-ing them to walk with Him back down the mountain.

STUDENT MATERIAL

ReferencesMatthew 17:1-13; The Desire of Ages,

pp. 419-425

Memory Verse“Rejoice in the Lord

always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

The MessageWorship is rejoicing

in God’s presence.



• With your family, sit under a bright lamp in your house or out in the sun (if it isn't too hot) and read the Bible lesson.

• Read the memory verse from the Bible (Philippians 4:4), then sing together “Rejoice in the Lord Always.”

• Talk about ways you can have God’s presence with you every day. Then thank Him for it.

Sunday• During worship today, read and discuss

Matthew 17:1-8. Then read 2 Corinthians 3:18. Talk about ways you can “reflect the Lord’s glory” this week.

• Sing together “Jesus Bids Us Shine” (Sing for Joy, no. 133). Pray that God will help you reflect His glory.

• Make 12 mountain peak-shaped cutouts. Color some light at the top of each. Write one word of your memory verse on each. Mix them up and try to put them in order. Save the “moun-tains” for another day.

Monday• With your family, read Matthew 17:4 for wor-

ship today. How did Peter feel about being on the mountain with Jesus? Why do you think Peter wanted to build three shelters?

• Draw a picture of a beautiful church that you would like to build for God. Write your memory verse at the bottom. Thank God for your church.

• Start planning a special Friday night joyful fam-ily worship.

Tuesday• During worship, ask each family member to

tell about two things they are happy for. Read Matthew 17:5 together. What other time did God say these words about His Son? (See Matthew 3:17.)

• Continue planning for Friday evening’s joyful worship.

• Sing the memory verse as a round. Find an instrument to play or spoons to tap together as you sing. Then thank God for happy family times.

Wednesday• Tell the lesson story to your family during wor-

ship today. Arrange your mountain peak cut-outs and say your memory verse. Tell about a time you saw beautiful clouds (sunset, sunrise, etc.).

• Count the lights in your home. Then thank God for light.

Thursday• During worship today, read Matthew 17:1-3

together. Ask a family member to tell about a time Moses and Elijah were rejected. What might they have said to Jesus to encourage Him as He faced the cross? What can your family learn from Moses and Elijah? Ask each person to find a way to encourage someone today.

• Arrange your mountain peak cutouts and say your memory verse. Then sing it together.

• Finish planning for tomorrow’s joyful family worship.

Friday• Lead out in the joyful family worship that

you have planned. Include saying or singing your memory verse and presenting your lesson story. Talk about what you will do to find joy in tomorrow’s church worship service.

• Read Psalm 126:3 together. Write something in the “blessings book” that you started dur-ing last Friday evening’s worship. Then sing “Rejoice in the Lord Always” and thank God for those blessings.

Maybe the disciples began to discuss what they had seen. But Jesus told them not to talk about it. “Don't tell anyone what you have seen,” He said, “until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead” (verse 9).

As they walked back to meet the other disciples, they asked Jesus many questions. He explained to them some of the things they did not understand. As long as they lived, they would never forget the glory they saw that time. They would always remember the joy and awe they felt. They would never forget that they had been in God’s presence.


primary leader/teacher guide · carole smith, chesapeake conference, ... samuel speaks for god ......

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