Jesus Chooses Us to Follow Him


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January 2-3, 2016 Older Blessings Lesson

Older Blessings Lesson Calling of the Apostles Luke 5:1–11

Week 1 REMEMBER VERSE

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Psalm 25:4

Ponder Point:

Jesus Chooses Us to Follow Him SERVICE SCHEDULE Explore Welcome & Engage 10–15 minutes

Discover & Respond Large Group 25-30 minutes

Respond & Bless Small Group 25 minutes

Jesus chose to intentionally invest in 12 men during His earthly ministry. He taught and mentored these men in order to prepare them to “go and tell” the rest of the world about Him after He was gone. Jesus called each one individually into a relationship with Him. Today, He calls each of us into a relationship as well.

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January 2-3, 2016 Older Blessings Lesson

Lesson Overview: Luke 2:8-20 Experience

Time

Summary

Supplies/Prepare

EXPLORE Welcome & Engage

20–25 min.

Exploration stations create space for children to engage in hands-on activities as they begin their time of worship.

Activity 1: Let’s Go Fishing SUPPLIES • paper fish • hole punch • paper clips • magnetic fishing pole

DISCOVER Large Group

20–25 min.

Facilitate interactive games, songs, and storytelling, allowing children to participate in discovering God’s Word.

Jesus Chooses Us to Follow Him Worship songs Mail Time/Remember Verse Hamilton’s Treasure Box/ What’s It: Fish The Big God Story  Today in the Big God Story we learn how Jesus chose and taught the 12 disciples. Worship through response

20-30 min.

Further process the story through discussion and interaction with others and respond to God in worship through creative expression.

Respond Large Group RESPOND Review/Bless/ Connect

Bless the children that they may experience God fully.

Review Questions/Snack Connect: Activity 1: Stuffed Fish SUPPLIES • duplicated fish page • crayons • glue or stapler • stuffing or cotton balls • tape • optional: hole punch, yarn or pipe cleaner

Family First Parent Resource

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January 2-3, 2016 Older Blessings Lesson

Explore 15–20 min. Activity 1: Let’s Go Fishing SUPPLIES • paper fish • hole punch • paper clips • magnetic fishing pole PREPARE You can either purchase paper fish die cuts or create your own fish. Punch a hole in the nose of the fish and attach paper clip in the hole. You can make your own fishing pole by attaching a string with a magnet at the end to a wooden dowel, or purchase one from a classroom supply store. Note: Encourage the children to be careful with their poles and not hit anyone else. ENGAGE Some of Jesus’ friends would go fishing every day. In The Big God Story today, Jesus’ friends did not catch very many fish. We are going to take turns going fishing and see how many fish we can catch. After a child has a turn fishing, say: How many fish did you catch? Let’s count them together. What color is your fish?

Clean up/Move to Large Group 5 min. A CD with clean up music will be played. At this time, please encourage and assist the kids with clean up and proceed to the large group programming area. Be sure to model for the kid’s large group behavior. Please participate in all aspects of today’s large group time.

LARGE Group Discover: Children move into a large group setting and participate in discovering God’s Word through storytelling, worship, and interactive experiences.

Ponder Point

Jesus Chooses Us to Follow Him

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January 2-3, 2016 Older Blessings Lesson

Open Large Group-Rules

(2 minutes)

Each week children will begin their large group time with the rules of your preschool program. This is a time for simple reminders about how to be a part of a loving community by respecting each other. SUPPLIES • worship music (on cd) ENGAGE Welcome children as they’re entering the large group meeting area. Direct the children to sit with their leaders in the designated area on the floor. Let’s go over our today’s rules so we can have fun and be safe as we celebrate God! Be Kind and be safe! –  

 

Here is our special line, the teacher stays on this side of the line and the kids stay on that side of the line. Jesus made our hands to be kind to our friends, show me your hands (have kids wave their hands). Remember we can use our hands to clap and have fun, but never to hit or hurt our friends. Show me your feet (have kids stomp their feet). We can use our feet to dance and have fun, but we never use or feet to kick or hurt our friends or our church. Another way we can be kind is when teacher “___” is speaking, you are listening. Show me your ears (have kids wiggle their ears). We can listen with our ears and zip our lips when I’m talking. Add any other rules that specifically work for your room. Preschoolers do better when they know their expectations.

Mail Time (4 minutes) Each week children will receive mail in the mailbox you’ve created. Written on the mail is the month’s Remember Verse from the Bible. It’s important for children to associate the message written on the “mail” as words from the Bible, so be sure to have a Bible visible for reference. SUPPLIES • Remember Verse printed on cardstock, put in mailbox • Bibles (your personal or a large children’s Bible) • mailbox SET UP Invite a child to come up on the stage to help you open today’s mail. ENGAGE After the child opens the mailbox and retrieves the mail, ask your volunteer to be seated with their small group. The Storyteller will then read the enclosed Remember Verse. Talk about the meaning of the verse while interacting with the children and other leaders onstage with you. Define any unfamiliar words for the children. The Storyteller should lead the large group in reciting the Remember Verse several times together using a variety of engaging methods. Using the hand motions listed below, go over the verse two or three times with the kids. Use as much excitement and enthusiasm as you can! Treat this as a celebration—an exciting time of introducing your children to God’s Word. Applaud them for a job well done!

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January 2-3, 2016 Older Blessings Lesson

Remember Verse Motions Show me: Use both index fingers to point at eyes, then extend arms out. your ways LORD: Using right hand, make an L with index finger and thumb. Begin on left shoulder, crossing over front of body, and end on right hip. teach me your paths: Place hands in front of body, palms facing each other. Move hands parallel away from body as if making an imaginary path. Psalm 25:4

Remember Verse Definition One of the joys of leading preschool is helping children build vocabulary and learn new concepts related to God. Don’t feel like you have to use all the definitions every week. Instead, focus on one or two definitions at a time. You may be surprised at how much your children understand by the end of their four weeks with each Remember Verse.

Remember Verse Motions (Teacher Tip: Take your time, go slowly, break it down and explain the words as you go…)

Worship Song: “In His Hands” (3 minutes) Storyteller Invite the kids to stand and sing with you, using motions

Cue the worship song on the cd.

Treasure Box with Hamilton the Hedgehog (5 minutes) The Treasure Box is a fun and interactive entrance point into God’s story. Each week a new object called a What’s It, which is connected to and sometimes used in The Big God Story, is hidden in the treasure box.

What’s It: Fish SUPPLIES: • Treasure Chest • Hamilton the Hedgehog • What’s It: Fish Do you know who else likes to be a part of The Big God Story? That’s right! Hamilton the Hedgehog! Shall we call him and ask him to join us? (The children will answer.) On the count of three, let’s call him together. Are you ready? One, two, three. Hamilton, where are you? (Encourage kids to call for Hamilton.) Hmm … I wonder what he is doing. Let’s try again. Hamilton, where are you? (find Hamilton in the Treasure Box).

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January 2-3, 2016 Older Blessings Lesson Hi, Hamilton! Hamilton, do you have something to share from our treasure box today. (Have Hamilton whisper in the Storyteller’s ear.) Friends, Hamilton gave me a clue to today’s “what’s it”. Let’s see if you can guess what is in our treasure box. (Have Hamilton whisper in your ear and give you some clues.) You can come up with some easy clues to help the kids guess what is in the treasure box. We found a fish in our Treasure Box today. I wonder how this fits into today’s portion of The Big God Story. I think it’s time to find out because … do you know what time it is?

The Big God Story

(5 – 8 minutes)

Jesus Chooses Us to Follow Him – week 1 Luke 5:1-11 SUPPLIES • Big God Story pictures • What’s It – Fish Okay, friends. Before we get started, let’s all pray together and ask God to teach us. (Lead the kids in a Prayer of Release as you prepare to hear God’s Word.) Today in The Big God Story, we are going to hear about God’s Son, Jesus, and how He chose some of His friends to become His apostles. An apostle is a very special friend who tells other people about Jesus. One day, Jesus was at a lake and lots of people were listening to Him as He was talking about God. (Show picture Jesus teaching.) There were so many people that it was getting crowded, so Jesus decided to climb into a boat so that everyone could hear Him with their ears. Children, can you touch your ears? Very good. Jesus also wanted them to see Him with their eyes. Children, can you touch your eyes? Good job. Now, boys and girls, let’s pretend we are climbing into a boat too, just like Jesus did. (Have children stand and pretend to climb into an imaginary boat.) Good job! Okay, now you can sit back down and put your hands in your laps. When Jesus was done teaching all the people, He asked one of His new friends, Peter, to throw out his fishing net to catch some fish. (Picture of Peter and net.) Peter told Jesus that they had worked very hard all night trying to catch fish and they didn’t catch even one fish! Jesus told them to put their nets back in the water even though they had already tried. Guess what happened, boys and girls! When their nets went back in the water, they filled up with so many fish that the nets started to break! (Picture of Peter/fish.) Peter then asked his friends to come and help, and they filled their boats full of so many more fish that they started to sink. Isn’t that amazing? Just then, Peter fell down on his knees in front of Jesus. He was so happy to know Jesus. Then Jesus said, “From now on, you will be fishers of people.” Jesus wanted them to go and tell everyone about how much He loves them. So Peter and the rest of Jesus’ apostles left their boats and went out and told everyone they could about Jesus. Boys and girls, did you know that you can know and follow Jesus too? You can! Let’s all say together, “I can know and follow Jesus”! I’m so excited that we got to learn another part of The Big God Story. It is so important for us to remember that Jesus chooses us to follow Him.

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January 2-3, 2016 Older Blessings Lesson

Respond: Children have the opportunity to respond to God as they celebrate Him within the faith community.

Songs of Celebration:  

“Give Your Heart to Jesus” (3 minutes) “My Best Friend” (3 minutes)

Cue the worship songs in the playlist

Large Group Blessing: (2 minutes) Tell your group that you would like everyone to hold hands (you might suggest standing in a circle), once everyone is quiet, take your Bible and read this blessing over your kids. (Leaders will still want to do their blessing in small group.) Open a Bible and use the provided Blessing Card: Children, Jesus loves you so, so, so much, may you follow Jesus every day.

I will follow you wherever you go.

Matthew 8:19b

Dismiss the kids to their small groups.

Small Group Respond 20 min. Snack/Bible Story Review Questions SUPPLIES (per small group) • The Big God Story Review Pages • Hand Sanitizer, Graham crackers Settle your kids back on the small group blanket; use hand sanitizer and pass out crackers. Read the Review Pages provided in your small group bin. Discuss the following questions with the children. Questions are meant to prompt further conversation about what children have been experiencing. They also invite children to ponder this truth and dwell with the wonder of God.

When Reviewing the Story: While using the Review pages, discuss what happened in the story with your group. Look at the pages and point out a few key sentences. Get your kids talking, too! Ask questions while you look at the pictures.

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January 2-3, 2016 Older Blessings Lesson Jesus chose to intentionally invest in 12 men during His earthly ministry. He taught and mentored these men in order to prepare them to “go and tell” the rest of the world about Him after He was gone. Jesus called each one individually into a relationship with Him.   

What did Jesus tell Peter to throw out of his boat, a life preserver or a fishing net? Even though Peter and his friends hadn’t caught any fish all day, what happened next? Did Jesus tell the men that they would be carpenters or “fishers of men”?

Bless: Open a Bible and use the provided Blessing Card: Children, Jesus loves you so, so, so much. Go around your group and say this to all of the children using their names. Then bless the group: Children may you follow Jesus every day.

I will follow you wherever you go.

Matthew 8:19b

Connect: Activity 1:

Stuffed Fish

SUPPLIES • duplicated fish page • crayons • glue or stapler • stuffing or cotton balls • tape • optional: hole punch, yarn or pipe cleaner PREPARE Cut out a fish pattern for each child. Fold fish over and tape or glue the majority of the fish together, leaving the end of the fish open to stuff later. ENGAGE In The Big God Story we heard Jesus tell His friends to throw their nets into the water to catch fish. We are going to make a fish to remind us of today’s story. Let kids color their fish (on both sides), help them put a SMALL AMOUNT of stuffing or cotton balls in their fish. Tape the end of the fish so stuffing does not fall out. If time allows, punch a hole in the fish and add a piece of yarn or pipe cleaner to hold the fish. Kids can go home and re-tell today’s story.

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January 2-3, 2016 Older Blessings Lesson

Extra Activity/Remember Verse: If extra time allows, please play a quick game, do puzzles or coloring sheets until parents arrive. Please do not allow kids to return to playing with the toys. This is also a good time to review your Remember Verse. Pass out “Family First” cards to parents.

Remember Verse Motions Show me: Use both index fingers to point at eyes, then extend arms out. your ways LORD: Using right hand, make an L with index finger and thumb. Begin on left shoulder, crossing over front of body, and end on right hip.

teach me your paths: Place hands in front of body, palms facing each other. Move hands parallel away from body as if making an imaginary path. Psalm 25:4

Family First Look Cards Be sure to hand out this week’s Family First Look to the parents as they pick up their child. This resource will help parents review this week’s lesson with their child and look ahead to next week’s lesson. It also has this week’s Blessing and the current Remember Verse their kids are learning.

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