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
Genesis 2-Creation Redux
A matter of perspective
Hey everyone, I did something a little different this week. I wanted to create a worship experience that more closely reflected our typical live worship experience, so I attached our three worship songs up front like normal. If you want to bypass the worship (which I don’t recommend) the sermon begins about 14 1/2 minutes in.
Genesis chapter 2 seeks to retell the story of creation found in the first chapter of Genesis, but does so in a much different way. So the question becomes “what do these stories collectively tell us about God and our relationship with one another?”
Worship Music & Video credits are as follows.
Graves into Gardens-Brandon Lake courtesy of Elevation Worship
Evidence-Josh Baldwin courtesy of Bethel Music
Your Promises-Gary McDufee courtesy of Elevation Worship
So I Will-courtesy of Hillsong Worship
Sofa Sunday School-The Day the Sun Stood Still
Based on Joshua 10:1-15
Lesson Snapshot
BOTTOM LINE:
God can make the impossible possible.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn that God can do what seems impossible to us.
KEY PASSAGE:
Joshua 10:1-15, The Sun Stands Still
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, the final shootout often took place at “high noon” when the sun was highest in the sky. When the five kings of the Amorites came against the Israelites, it would take a miracle for the people of God to defeat them before the sun went down. So God provided a miracle and stopped the sun in the sky until Joshua and his men had the victory.
Object Lesson
ITEMS NEEDED:
A cell phone or tablet
In 1860 if you wanted to send a letter quickly, there was no UPS, no FedEx. The only way to move mail quickly was by Pony Express. The Pony Express was a network of young men on very, very fast horses who would hand off those letters from one rider to another, galloping as fast as they could through the blazing desert and hostile territory. It was a very dangerous job, riding for the Pony Express, but the Pony Express could carry mail faster than ever before – from Missouri to California, 1800 miles, in only 10 days!
I can only imagine what a Pony Express rider would think about a modern phone. If you asked a Pony Express rider if it was possible to send a letter from Missouri to California the same day, they probably would have said it was impossible, but we do the impossible to them every day. You open the mail app, type your message, and send it. From Missouri to California in a fraction of a second.
We worship a God who specializes in doing the impossible. God can heal the sick, bring hope to the hopeless, and even make the sun stand still. Our God spoke the world into existence, and there’s nothing he cannot do for those who love Him.
If God tells you to do the impossible, expect the impossible to happen. Nothing is impossible for God.
Test Your Knowledge
Craft Activity
Using orange, yellow, and blue construction paper, have the kids cut the papers into small squares and glue the squares to another piece of black construction paper to make a sun mosaic like the one shown here
https://www.ehow.com/how_7761919_make-roman-mosaics-kids.html
Move & Freeze
Genesis 2-Sabbath
Work is not to be life’s aim, God is… This sermon seeks to answer the question what’s the deal with this special day (Sabbath), why Jesus, and why the Church. Is this Old Testament command something that is abolished in the New Testament? Join me and see.
Sofa Sunday School-Moses and the 10 Plagues
Lesson Snapshot
BOTTOM LINE:
Listen to God, and do as He says.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn that there are consequences for not living God’s way.
KEY PASSAGE:
Exodus 8, The Plagues of Frogs, Gnats, and Flies
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 lawlessness ran amok, a new sheriff would ride in to clean up the Wild West town. The Pharaoh of Egypt mistreated and abused the Israelites who lived there, so God sent in Moses and Aaron to set things right. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he would not acknowledge the awesome power of God.
Object Lesson
ITEMS NEEDED:
A small chair
How many of you have a time out chair at home? When was the last time you had to do time out? In the old west, most towns had a sheriff’s office with a tiny jail cell where ruffians and outlaws would often get a “time out” in the hopes that they would cool down and start following the law. If people didn’t get the message and caused more trouble, they could find themselves shipped off to prison or worse, depending on what their crime was.
God gave us the Bible so we’d know how to live right. He also let us know that there are consequences for not obeying His word. Some consequences are earthly – like sitting in time out or in the sheriff’s jail. Some consequences can be eternal.
God wants us all to choose to live His way. He wants us to follow Christ, so He can spare us from the eternal consequence of sin. Don’t ignore the warning signs when you start to stray from God’s way. Listen to God, and He will make your path straight.
Moses gives Pharaoh a Time Out!
Sing & Act
Craft Activity
Kids can decorate the included sheriff’s badge coloring page to remind themselves of today’s lesson.
Come and See-Gospel of John
Pastor, professor, friend and theologian Michael Lodahl-Guest Speaker. Professor Lodahl ties our previous series “When Love Bends Down” together citing several passages from the gospel of John.
Sofa Sunday School-Jacob get’s Isaac’s Blessing
Lesson Snapshot
BOTTOM LINE:
God wants us to be honest at all times.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn that dishonesty can destroy the good things God has given us.
KEY PASSAGE:
Genesis 27:1-35, 41-45, Jacob Gets Isaac’s Blessing
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, two bad guys might team up or be “in cahoots” together. When Jacob wanted his father’s blessings, he teamed up with his mother to trick the blessing out of Isaac. Jacob’s trickery ended up tearing his family apart and forcing Jacob to run away to save his life.
Object Lesson
ITEMS NEEDED:
A frozen TV dinner with corn and a brownie
Frozen TV dinners can be quick and convenient. They can also be frustrating for people who don’t like their food to touch. The photos on the package make this TV dinner appear to be perfect for such picky eaters. The meat, veggies, and dessert all have their own individual pocket. No problem, right? Then you open the box and see that contents have shifted in transit. That corn tends to go everywhere, and it only takes one piece of corn to RUIN that sweet, chocolatey brownie.
It only takes one lie, one time being in cahoots with someone who is being deceptive, to ruin your good reputation. It may be tempting in the moment to be dishonest to avoid trouble or to try and get ahead, but it’s not worth the risk to your reputation and to your relationships, especially your family.
God wants us to be honest with Him and with others, no matter what it may cost us, because God knows the price we will pay for dishonesty. Don’t let one little lie ruin your reputation. Do the right thing, and tell the truth!
Trivia Pursuit
Craft
Have the kids make fake beards, like the one Jacob used to trick his father, out of craft materials – cotton balls glued to paper cut in the shape of a beard works well.
You could also glue or tape long pieces of yarn to a piece of paper cut out in the shape of a beard. These beards are a reminder that there are consequences when we lie and when we deceive others.
Sing and Dance