Saturday, October 29, 2011

Oct. 29-30 Lessons: The Promised Land, Jesus Heals Two "Daughters" and God's "Golden Rule"

In Saturday night's preschool worship, Sunday's 9 a.m. Worship and Wonder and Sunday's 11 a.m. 3s and 4s Worship and Wonder, the children learned about ...

The Promised Land
This story can be found in Joshua 1-4. This is the story of God keeping the promise he made to Abraham all those years earlier: Abraham's descendants were given the land God had promised. Some questions you can ask your child ...
  1. I wonder how the people felt when Joshua told them to get ready to go into the Promised Land?
  2. I wonder how it felt when God led them through the water into the Promised Land?
  3. I wonder what the people of God will do, now that they are in the Promised Land?
In Sunday's kindergarten Worship and Wonder at 11 a.m., the children are learning from the Following Jesus curriculum. This weekend's lesson ...

Jesus Heals Two "Daughters"

This story can be found in Mark 5:21-43. It is the story of the healing of Jairus' daughter and of the woman who was healed from bleeding when she reached out from the crowd and touched Jesus' clothes. Here are some questions you can ask your child ...

... about Jairus' daughter ...
  1. I wonder how the girl felt once she was well again?
  2. I wonder how the girl felt as she was dying?
  3. I wonder how the girl's mother and father felt as she was dying?
  4. I wonder why Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, would ask Jesus to heal his daughter?
  5. I wonder how Jairus feels when he hears that his daughter is dead?
  6. I wonder how Jairus feels when Jesus feels Jesus says, "Don't be afraid. Believe."?
  7. I wonder why Jesus would heal the daughter of a ruler of the synagogue when the scribes of the synagogue didn't like Jesus?
  8. I wonder what Jairus will say to the scribes?

... about the woman in the crowd ...
  1. I wonder how this woman felt for 12 years when no one would touch her, or hug her or even be near her? (In their culture, they could not touch her because as long as she was bleeding, she was considered unclean.)
  2. I wonder how she feels now that she is healed?
  3. I wonder who will hug her now?
  4. I wonder what the crowd thought when Jesus called her "daughter"?
  5. I wonder what both "daughters" will do now that they are healed?
  6. I wonder how the people feel about Jesus?

In Sunday School and in elementary worship on Saturday night and Sunday at 11 a.m., the children learned ...

God's "Golden Rule":  Lot and Abram Divide the Land

You can find this story in Genesis 13:1-18. In it, we learn a lesson in putting others first. Memorizing the following Bible verse together will help keep this lesson in mind: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:31. (The Golden Rule.)

Some questions to discuss with your child:
  1. How can God's "Golden Rule" change the way you treat people?
  2. What kinds of things do you like others to do for you?
  3. When have you treated others the way you wanted to be treated yourself?
  4. How can you practice God's "Golden Rule" at school? At home?
  5. When have you treated someone kindly and then had that person treat you the same way?
  6. What are other ways our actions can return to us?
  7. Why do you think the Golden Rule is important to God?
  8. Why do you think people who don't even read the Bible know about God's "Golden Rule"?
  9. How can treating others as we want to be treated help us leat others know about Jesus?
  10. What's one way you can treat a friend as you want to be treated?

Sunday, October 23, 2011

10 Best Ways to Live, Jesus and the Storm, Not THAT Abraham

On Saturday night and 9 a.m. Sunday morning, the children who attend Worship and Wonder learn the same lesson as the 3s and 4s in 11 a.m. Worship and Wonder. This week, that lesson is ...

The 10 Best Ways to Live
This Moses story can be found in Exodus 19 & 20 and Deuteronomy 6:4-6
This is the story of the Israelite's exodus from slavery in Egypt and the 10 Commandments. Those "10 Best Ways to Live" include 4 best ways to love God and 6 best ways to love people.
Here are some questions you can ask your child
1. I wonder how it feels to be free, to be able to do anything you want to?
2. I wonder how it feels to be able to do anything you want, but you don't know what to do?
3. I wonder if it is hard to be free?
4. I wonder how Moses felt going up the holy mountain?
5. I wonder what Moses and God talked about?
6. I wonder if it's hard to love God and love people?

At 11 a.m. Sunday, the kindergarteners learn from the "Following Jesus" Worship and Wonder curriculum. Their lesson today ...

Jesus and the Storm
The story of Jesus calming the storm can be found in Mark 4:35-41.
Here are some questions you can ask your child:
1. I wonder what it was like to be in such a great storm?
2. I wonder how Jesus was able to sleep during the storm?
3. I wonder how the wind feels blowing the sea?
4. I wonder how the sea feels being rough and wild?
5. I wonder why the wind and sea did what Jesus said?
6. I wonder how the sea feels being calm?
7. I wonder how the disciples feel?
8. I wonder why the disciples are following Jesus?
9. I wonder if they would keep following Jesus if He were not doing amazing things?
10. I wonder what they told their families and friends when they came ashore?

Not THAT Abraham
For the next few weeks, the Sunday School lesson and elementary worship lesson (on Saturday night and Sunday morning) is about Abram (who became Abraham.) For as long as I can remember, whenever I've mentioned Abraham to a group of children they -- in unison -- shout "Abraham Lincoln." So, attending our 11 a.m. Sunday elementary worship for these lessons is an Abraham Lincoln bobblehead. Every time they guess "Abraham Lincoln," the bobblehead will shake his head "No."
Our first lesson is titled "We Can Follow God" and can be found in Genesis 12:1-8.
Some questions you can ask your child about today's lesson:
1. How does God guide us through life?
2. How can you guide others to know Jesus?
3. How do you chose which people you'll follow at school? At church?
4. What challenges do you think Abram might have had when he followed God?
5. What's one way you can follow God this week?
6. In what ways can following God be hard?
7. Are there times you find it hard to follow God? How can you be encouraged to continue following Him?
8. How can you find God's directions for you?
9. What do you think it means to follow God?

Are you wondering what we do here?

I bet this happens to you; I know it happened to me. I'd pick up my kids from school and ask:
"What did you learn today."
"Nothin'," was the usual -- and frustrating -- reply.
We have struggled with the best way to include parents in what your children are learning on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings. We've tried various forms of handouts, but we know how it is. They get left behind at church in the struggle to gather the coat and favorite toy or they end up lining the floor of your van.
So, we've decided to blog each week's lessons in hopes that the blog will help you talk with your children about what they learned in Sunday School and children's church on Saturday and Sunday each week. We'll include questions from the lessons that can help you start those conversations. We'll also include some Scripture that your family can read together. (Let your elementary children help you look those passages up, because we're working on developing those types of skills.)
We hope this blog helps you, and we look forward to your feedback.
Check back each Sunday.