All through the New Testament we hear, “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness,” but you know what? It’s not that easy to live up to that kind of faith. Abraham’s life, (well lets just say) “its complicated.”
Sofa Sunday School-Deuteronomy 6:1-9, Love the Lord
I don’t usually start this out with a memory verse but I loved ours today.
I will think about your precepts
and examine all your paths.
16 I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget what you have said.
Lesson Snapshot
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn that God’s word should be a part of every day life.
KEY PASSAGE:
Deuteronomy 6:1-9, Love the Lord
SUMMARY:
God’s word is not supposed to be something we just learn about at church once a week. It is meant to be a part of our everyday lives: something we study, something we talk about with others, something that we think about and try to live out every day.
A Song to Live By
Object Lesson
ITEMS NEEDED:
A wristwatch
Do you see this watch ticking away? Every detective knows that the clock never stops ticking on crime. The school day ends for you at a certain time. The work day for most of your parents does too. But detectives know that they can be on call any time of any day. In fact, the moment a crime is discovered, the clock is already ticking for them. Detectives are always on the case, and the sooner they can get to the scene, gather evidence, and look for clues, the better chance they have of cracking the case.
Church begins and ends at a certain time every Sunday, but our time with God should last all week. God is there for us 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so why should we be satisfied with a few hours on Sunday? Like true detectives, true Christians are always working out their faith. Sunday through Saturday, day and night, we can grow our faith by studying God’s Word and praying to Him every chance we get.
This watch will keep ticking every day of the week. Let’s keep our faith growing every day as well.
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
ICEBREAKER:
What is the best book you ever read?
MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:
Psalm 119:15-16
Ask the kids what they think the writer was trying to say when he wrote these words. Then ask them how this verse is connected to today’s story.
SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY:
Have each of the kids pair up, introduce themselves to someone new, and share three interesting facts about themselves with that person.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Read Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Why does Moses want the people to remember God’s Word?
How can the Bible help us in our daily lives?
How many of you are already reading your Bible more than one day a week?
Why is it important to read the Bible every day?
How many of you will try reading your Bibles every day this week?
God’s Vision for the Garden Fully Realized
The Book of Genesis open’s with God’s preferred vision of the cosmos beginning in a Garden. Human kinds failure to trust God’s definition of good and evil short circuits God’s plan, but God’s will won’t be frustrated. In the revelation of John, God’s vision is finally fully realized.
Scripture references 1Corinthians 15, Hebrews 11, and Revelation 22
Sofa Sunday School
Judges 7:1-22, Gideon Defeats the Midianites
Lesson Snapshot
BOTTOM LINE:
God wants us to follow Him!
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn that when we follow God’s instructions we will succeed.
KEY PASSAGE:
Judges 7:1-22, Gideon Defeats the Midianites
MEMORY VERSE:
“The grass dries up. The flowers fall to the ground. But what our God says will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8 (NIrV)
SUMMARY:
In the Old West, when a criminal was on the loose, the sheriff would round up a posse of the strongest and bravest men to go after him. When Gideon went up against the Midianites, God gave him some strange instructions on who would be in his posse. When the small band of 300 Israelites defeated the Midianites, it displayed God’s power for all to see.
Object Lesson
ITEMS NEEDED:
A preschool toy used to teach children to fit the correct shapes in correct holes
How many of you remember playing with a toy like this as a small child? At your age, I’m sure this looks like a pretty boring toy, but this was one of the most educational toys you ever played with. Watch a baby with a toy like this, and you’ll be amazed at how hard they will try to put the wrong shapes in the wrong holes. It’s only when they learn to match the square to the square, the triangle to the triangle, that they learn an important lesson. If you want things to work right, you have to put the proper pieces in the proper place.
When we resist God’s will, we are like an infant trying to jam a square into a rounded hole, but when we commit ourselves to obeying God, the pieces will fall in place. God wants us to not only learn His Word but obey His Word. When we are obedient to God and follow Him, we will always succeed.
Are you trying to force something on your own? It’s time to stop riding your own trail and follow God.
Sing/Dance & Shout
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, boreh p’ri hagafen.
Blessed are You, God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
Genesis 4-11- Despicable Me!
Genesis 4-11 recounts the downward spiral of humanities decision to choose for themselves what is good and what is not good, all leading to disharmony, to violence, and to death. But there is hope!
Sofa Sunday School-The Showdown at Mt. Carmel
Elijah Versus The Prophets of Baal
Lesson Snapshot
BOTTOM LINE:
God wants to be number one in our hearts.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn that we should worship God alone.
KEY PASSAGE:
1 Kings 18:16-39, Elijah Versus The Prophets of Baal
MEMORY VERSE:
“The grass dries up. The flowers fall to the ground. But what our God says will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8 (NIrV)
SUMMARY:
When enemies confront each other in a Wild West town, you might hear the phrase, “This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.” Someone had to go. The people of Israel were trying to worship the false idols of Baal. Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal to show once and for all that there is only one true God worthy of our worship and praise.
Object Lesson
ITEMS NEEDED:
A Snuggie blanket if you can find one
Blankets are ideal for sharing. Especially if you’re a kid. If you have a big, cozy blanket, you can fit two or three people underneath that blanket when you huddle up to watch
a movie on the couch. The one exception to this rule is the Snuggie. A few years ago, a clever inventor came up with the Snuggie as a way of making blankets personal. A Snuggie is a blanket, but it also has sleeves, making it a blanket you can also wear. It’s very cozy, especially on a cold night, but it’s not designed for sharing. There are only two arm holes in a Snuggie, and while a couple of kids could still share one, using one arm hole each, the Snuggie was designed just for one.
Our hearts only have room for one God, and the God who created the universe and sent fire from Heaven for Elijah wants to be the only God in that space. God is the only one who can save us from sins. He is the only one who can give us Heaven. Of all the gods worshipped in the world today and throughout history, He is the only one who lives, who listens, and who loves you.
There’s no room in our hearts for more than one God. Open your heart to the one true God, and He will be your Savior!
Craft Activity
Have the kids make a road sign for their hearts, like the signs outside of an old western town, using popsicle sticks as wooden boards. Use 2 vertical popsicle sticks as the legs and then 2 horizontal popsicle sticks for the sign. The kids will name their towns after their heart, as in “John’s Heart” or “Kathy’s Heart.” Below the town name, write
“Population: 1 God.”
If time allows kids could color the background of their sign before writing the information on the popsicle sticks. You can see an example from a similar craft on Pinterest here https://www.pinterest.com/pin/61994932346909260/
Test Your Knowledge
Genesis 3 Adam & Eve- God hatches a plan to rescue
The story of Adam & Eve is one of the most familiar stories in the entire Bible, but one that we often get very wrong. Generally referred to as “the fall,” I believe should better be titled “God hatches a plan to rescue.”
Sofa Sunday School – Balaam & His Donkey
Flashbacks of Bullwinkle & Rocky the Squirrel
Lesson Snapshot
BOTTOM LINE:
God wants us to follow the Bible.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn that we should listen and obey God’s Word.
KEY PASSAGE:
Numbers 22:21-38, Balaam’s Donkey
MEMORY VERSE:
“The grass dries up. The flowers fall to the ground. But what our God says will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8 (NIrV)
SUMMARY:
It might get lonely for a cowboy in the Old West, just him and his horse. He might even start talking to his horse. While Balaam traveled by donkey, the donkey started talking to him. And what he said showed Balaam that he had been disobedient and gone his own way.
Craft
Have the kids make talking donkey puppets using brown paper bags and brown construction paper. Draw, cut out, and color the top half of the head of the donkey with the construction paper, and glue it to the bottom of the paper bag to make the puppet.
You can find an example of a craft like this here
https://arrowskidsclub.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/donkey-paper-bag-puppet.jpg
Puppet Song