Getting to Know God: Who God Is

Getting to Know God: Who God Is

Week 8: God Is the Only God

This includes:

Leader Preparation

Lesson Guide

LEADER PREPARATION

BIBLE BASIS

It’s easy for us to say that there’s only one God. Do we live in a way that shows we truly believe it? What does that look like? God wants to be first in our lives—before our worries, our failures, our successes, our friends, and everything else, for that matter. What would it be like if we worshipped God instead of our jobs or accomplishments? What would it be like if we worshipped God instead of our appearance or our belongings? What would this world be like if God was our one and only God?

DISCOVERY POINT

God is the only God.

BIBLE FOCUS

Exodus 32:1-8

KEY VERSE

“Jesus replied, ‘The most important commandment is this: “Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord” ’ ” (Mark 12:29).

TEACHING PREP

The short overview below is designed to help you prepare for your lesson.

Supplies You’ll Need: Getting to Know God: Who God Is (Year 2/Quarter 5) CD, LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD, CD player, TV/DVD player,Bibles, pennies, “A Penny for Your Thoughts” handouts, “Top Dog” handout, 12x18-inch sheets of paper, newspapers, and washable markers

Before This Lesson

• Print and cut apart the “Top Dog” handout.You’ll need one half of a copy per team of four kids.

• Print the “A Penny for Your Thoughts” handout. You’ll need one for each Bible Crew plus one for the whole group to use.

• Assemble Bible Exploration Kits (one per four kids): one Bible, one “A Penny for Your Thoughts” handout, one “Top Dog” handout, 24 pennies, one 12x18-inch sheet of paper, newspapers, markers.

• Review Exodus 32:1-8.

• Cue"Into the Bible"(Track 1) on Getting to Know God: Who God Is (Year 2/Quarter 5) CD or(Quarter 5/Track 1) on the LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD.

• Huddle briefly with your volunteers beforehand. Answer any questions they have. Encourage them and pray.

PARENT EMAIL

We’ve provided you with a “Family Devotion” handout to send the Bible learning and faith discovery home. When kids and parents have faith discussions regularly, kids’ faith multiplies.

So we’ve given you two options:

Print the “Family Devotion” handout and make enough copies for each child to take one home.
Email the “Family Devotion” to families before or after the actual lesson.

Or why not do both? That way you’ll double the opportunities for parents to actually get the handout.

Getting to Know God: Who God Is

Week 8: God Is the Only God

LESSON GUIDE

WELCOME!

Supplies: Getting to Know God: Who God Is(Year 2/Quarter 5)CD,LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2)DVD, CD player, TV/DVD player

1. Play “Into the Bible” (Track 1) from the Getting to Know God: Who God Is(Year 2/Quarter 5)CD or (Quarter 5/Track 1) from the LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2)DVDas kids arrive.

• “Into the Bible”

Makes me wanna jump!

Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!

Makes me wanna sing! Hallelujah!

It’s the greatest book.

Come and take a look.

Makes me wanna shout!

Shout! Shout! Shout! Shout!

So that everyone will see

I’m getting into the Bible

And the Bible...is getting into me!

We’re discovering a brand-new world

As we dig a little deeper (deeper),

Finding out about who God is.

Open it up and see it (see it)!

There’s nothin’ like

God’s Word, and I get

So excited.

It makes me wanna,

Makes me,

Makes me wanna jump!

Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!

Makes me wanna sing! Hallelujah!

It’s the greatest book.

Come and take a look.

Makes me wanna shout!

Shout! Shout! Shout! Shout!

So that everyone will see

I’m getting into the Bible

And the Bible...is getting into me!

2. Form Bible Crews of four. Ask each crew to decide on a fun song that they all know and then change the words so it’s a song to themselves and how they are “number one.” They should also design motions to help explain their song. For example, if they choose the song “Happy Birthday to You,” they might change the words to “I’m number one to me. I’m number one to you. I’m number one, everyone; I’m number one, everyone.”

3. When everyone has arrived and crews have completed their songs, let them perform for each other with loud voices, much enthusiasm, and large motions.

4. SAY: These are very creative songs. I had no idea just how important you all are! Today we’re going to talk about what’s number one according to Jesus. He says that God is the only God. Help me with the countdown, and we’ll look into this number-one thing some more.

5.Play the “Python Countdown” (Quarter 5/Countdown Track 2) on theLIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2)DVD, and encourage the kids to shout along.

LET’S EXPLORE!

Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits, Getting to Know God: Who God Is(Year 2/Quarter 5)CD, CD player, one extra “A Penny for Your Thoughts” handout

1. Distribute Bible Exploration Kits. SAY: Take your “Top Dog” handout from your Bible Exploration Kits. As a crew, do the first part of the activity, including the “Think It Over” questions. Then bring your most valuable object to the front of the room, and sing your “number one” song to your most valuable object.

2. When everyone has finished,

ASK:

• What was it like making something so silly number one?

• What makes something important enough to be called number one?

• Why would you or wouldn’t you really want to worship these things?

SAY: It has happened. People have worshipped things like these. Turn just a few pages and find Exodus 32:1-8. In your Bible Crews, have one volunteer read the Scripture and another read the questions at the bottom of your “A Penny for Your Thoughts” handout. Everyone in your group will answer the questions and lay down pennies. Stand up when you’ve finished.

3. When everyone’s standing, SAY: Let’s see what takes up most of our time. Each of you take a couple of stacks of your pennies and place them on the words on the “A Penny for Your Thoughts” handout I’ve set up here. If you have eight pennies on sleeping, put them on sleeping up here. I’ll need your help stacking the pennies in sets of 20.

4. SAY: How we spend our time is one way we show what is important to us. We know that eating and sleeping are necessary to stay alive and healthy.

ASK:

• According to our pennies, what else is most important to us?

• Why does or doesn’t this show what is most important to you?

• How do you think God feels about how you spend your time?

• How do you feel about God’s importance in your life?

5. SAY: In your Bible Crews, turn to Mark 12:29 in your Bibles, and have someone read it aloud. You’ll be reading Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees when they asked what the most important commandment is. Give crews a minute to read, and then ask these questions, letting Bible Crews discuss each one.

ASK:

• What makes God more important than everything else?

• How did Jesus follow this commandment?

• Why would or wouldn’t Jesus say that you show others God is the only God?

Ask several crews to share their ideas, then SAY: Somewhere on your handout, list ways we’re like and unlike the Israelites from the Scripture today. After several minutes, ask crews to share their discoveries, and then

ASK:

• What keeps people from putting God first?

• How can you put God first this week?

SAY: With your crew, talk about how we can show others that God is the only God every day.

6. Have Bible Crews report, and then SAY: In Old Testament times, banners were carried to show allegiance to a king. Let’s make banners to show that God is the only God. Take out the large paper and markers from your Bible Exploration Kits. Put the paper on the newspapers to protect the floor. Then, together as a crew, create a banner that shows that God is the only God. You can use symbols or words or drawings—whatever you’d like. When you’ve finished, we’ll use them for our praise time.

Play the instrumental version of “The One and Only Lord” (Mark 12:29) (Track 10) from the Getting to Know God: Who God Is(Year 2/Quarter 5)CDwhile kids work. Let crews show and explain their banners when they’ve finished.

LET’S PRAISE!

Supplies: banners from Let’s Explore!, Getting to Know God: Who God Is(Year 2/Quarter 5)CD or LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2)DVD, CD player or TV/DVD player

1. Ask each Bible Crew to join hands to make a line with the middle two kids holding their banner instead of hands. SAY: We’re going to praise God in our Bible Crews today. After each song, I’ll give you a minute so you can let different members of your crew stand in the middle of your group and hold your banner. While we sing, you can move together to the music. You can walk or stand still, put your hands up or down, or do whatever you’d like that’ll show that you and your crew believe that God is the only God.

2.Set up the Getting to Know God: Who God Is(Year 2/Quarter 5)CD or the LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2)DVD. PLAY:

•“The One and Only Lord” (Mark 12:29) (CD Track 2) (DVD Quarter 5/Track 2)

(Verse)

Listen (echo),

O, Israel! (echo)

Listen (echo),

O, Israel! (echo)

(Chorus)

The Lord our God is the one and only Lord (clap) (clap).

The one and only (clap) (clap) Lord.

(Repeat from beginning.)

“The One and Only Lord” (Mark 12:29) by Jay Stocker. © 2005 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to use lyrics granted for local church use only. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

• “Nothing Is Impossible” (Luke 1:37) (CD Track 3) (DVD Quarter 5/Track 3)

Sometimes when you don’t know what to do,

It feels like you don’t even have a clue.

That is when you’ve got to turn to God,

Because you know that he can do anything!

Nothing is impossible with God!

Nothing is impossible with God! Yeah!

(Repeat from the beginning.)

“Nothing Is Impossible” (Luke 1:37) by Jay Stocker. © 2005, 2008, 2011 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to use lyrics granted for local church use only. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

• “We Can Trust Him” (Psalm 33:4) (CD Track 5) (DVD Quarter 5/Track 5)

We can trust him. Yeah!
If there’s one thing we can count on,
It’s that God will never let us down, and
We can trust everything he does.
He keeps his promises.
We know because
Yeah, the Word of the Lord holds true.
We can trust him.
We can trust him.
Yeah, the Word of the Lord holds true.
We can trust him.
We can trust him .
Yeah, the Word of the Lord holds true.
We can trust him.
We can trust him.
Yeah, the Word of the Lord holds true.
We can trust him.
We can trust him.
We can trust him.
We can trust him.

“We Can Trust Him” (Psalm 33:4) by Jay Stocker. © 2007, 2009 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to use lyrics granted for local church use only. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

LET’S PRAY!

Supplies: Getting to Know God: Who God Is(Year 2/Quarter 5)CD,CD player

1. SAY: Ever since Old Testament times, bowing has been a sign of honor. Let’s bow today to show honor to God. Let’s sit in our Bible Crews and bow our heads to show that God is the only God. I’ll play our praise music quietly while you pray silently to God. If you believe that God is the only God, be sure to say so. Tell God, too, how you plan to live your life to show it. When you raise your head, I’ll know you’ve finished praying.

2.Play the instrumental version of “The One and Only Lord” (Mark 12:29) (Track 10) from the Getting to Know God: Who God Is(Year 2/Quarter 5)CDwhile kids pray.

HIGH FIVES

Supplies: none

SAY: Christian athletes in most professional sports have figured out ways to show that God is number one in their lives when they make a score or do something well. Some point to heaven, some make a cross, others kneel on one knee. In God’s eyes, you’re as important as any professional athlete. How are you going to show that God is the only God in your life? Decide on your sign, and then show it to me and to your friends as you leave today as your high five. Maybe you’ll want to use it many times every day as a small way to show that God is the only God.

FOR-EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITIES

Who’s Leaving Whom Out?

Supplies: none

One person in each crew is “It.” The rest of the crew should form a circle by holding hands to keep It out. It can try to get in any way possible without causing bodily harm to a crew member. When It gets in, It chooses someone to take his or her place on the outside of the circle. After playing for several minutes, have Bible Crews talk about how it felt to be left out. How do we leave God out of our lives? How does God feel about that?

First Things First

Supplies: none

In their Bible Crews, ask kids to create scenarios of times we don’t put God first, then ways we can put God first in each of those situations. Talk about how things work when we put God first compared to when we don’t. Is it always a happy ending? Is God doing the right thing even when it looks like things didn’t work out the way they should? What is God most concerned about?

Hiding It in Your Heart

Supplies: none

Have Bible Crews create a rap or a stomp with two verses and a chorus that is repeated after each verse. The chorus should be Mark 12:29. (It could be paraphrased.) The verses should either explain the meaning of the Scripture or give examples of living out the Scripture.

Create a Bible Dictionary

Supplies: paper, markers, dictionary, CD player, Getting to Know God: Who God Is(Year 2/Quarter 5)CD

Ask kids to create one or more pages, each with a new word, for a Bible dictionary. Have kids suggest words from today’s lesson—idol and commandment are two suggestions. Have them write each word on a sheet of paper in fun letters, add a definition, list Scripture references, and make illustrations. Play “The Books of the Bible Song” (Track 8), from theGetting to Know God: Who God Is(Year 2/Quarter 5)CD while kids work. Add each page to a three-ring binder, and watch the dictionary grow!