Sticking with God: Knowing His Hope

Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope

Week 11: We Show Hope by Giving Our Worries to God

This includes:

Leader Preparation

Lesson Guide

LEADER PREPARATION

BIBLE BASIS

In this passage, Jesus tells us not to worry because it won’t help us with our problems. Jesus reminds us that he takes care of us and gives us everything we need. When we trust him, we spread hope to others because then they know they can trust Jesus, too. This lesson will help kids discover the hope that God gives us when we trust him with our worries. Use it to help kids see that worry is useless but God is powerful.

DISCOVERY POINT

We show hope by giving our worries to God.

BIBLE FOCUS

Luke 12:22-32

KEY VERSE

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7).

TEACHING PREP

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

Supplies You’ll Need: Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD, LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD, CD player, TV/DVD player, “No Pressure” handout, paper, markers, and modeling clay

Before This Lesson

• Print the “No Pressure” handout. You’ll need one copy per crew of four kids.

• Assemble Bible Exploration Kits (one per four kids): Bibles, “No Pressure” handout, paper, markers, and modeling clay (enough for each child to have a palm-sized lump).

• Review Luke 12:22-32.

• Cue"Into the Bible"(Track 1) on the Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD or(Quarter 7/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.

Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope

Week 11: We Show Hope by Giving Our Worries to God

LESSON GUIDE

WELCOME!

Supplies: Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD, LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD, CD player, TV/DVD player

1. Play “Into the Bible” (Track 1) from the Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD or (Quarter 7/Track 1) from the LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD as 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. SAY: Are you feeling strong today? I hope so, because we’re going to play a game to see how much you can hold. Let’s warm up for this challenge! Ask kids to take a few moments to demonstrate their favorite stretches.

Have kids spread out around the room. Explain that when you yell “Go!” they’re to walk around and pick up as much stuff around the room as they can carry, and continue to walk around the room. For example, a coat, a Bible, or a CD.

SAY: Ready? Go! As kids play the game, play upbeat praise music from the Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD. When you stop the music, have kids share one thing they worry about for each thing they’re carrying. If kids drop an item, they or someone else has to pick it up right away. Continue to play the game until everyone has a chance to share worries.

3. SAY: You did a great job trying to juggle all this stuff! Let’s clean up, and then we’ll talk about what we just experienced. Ask kids to put everything back where they found it. Then SAY: I’m so glad you’re all here today! Thank you for helping me clean up. It would’ve been an overwhelming job if I had to do it myself.

ASK:

• What does it mean to worry, and what does it feel like when we have a lot of worries?

• How is that like or unlike the game we just played when we were trying to carry all the objects?

• What was it like when your friends picked up some of the things you dropped or when you picked up some of the things for your friends?

SAY: In the game, you had to carry everything around. When I asked you to pick up more, it became even harder to carry all that stuff. In life, we can have so many worries that it becomes too much to handle. It might make us feel sad, or angry, or scared. We may have a hard time seeing the good things going on in life because we’re so worried. But God has an answer. God wants to take our worries from us so we don’t have to carry them around—just like some of your friends picked up the things you were carrying when you couldn’t carry them anymore. Today we’re going to discover how we show hope by giving our worries to God.

LET’S EXPLORE!

Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits, LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD, TV/DVD player

1. Start the “3-D Countdown” (Quarter 7/Countdown Track 1), and turn the volume way up. Lead kids in counting along. Then SAY: Let’s look at today’s Scripture, Luke 12:22-32. As you listen to the Scripture passage, demonstrate different “worried” faces as you hear the different worries being mentioned.

Have kids form Bible Crews of four and take the Bibles out of their Bible Exploration Kits. Ask a child in each crew to read the passage aloud while kids listen and make their worried faces.

When crews have finished,

ASK:

• What are some of the worries mentioned in the Scripture you just heard?

• In verse 31, what does it mean to “seek the Kingdom of God above all else”?

• According to the Scripture, how can God help us with our worries?

2. SAY: God wants us to trust him with our worries because he can handle them. In this passage, God says we should focus on him and not worry about anything else. But what if we don’t do that? Let’s explore what worries can do to us if we don’t give them to God.

Have kids find the “No Pressure!” handout in their Bible Exploration Kits. Instruct crews to read the Key Verse, 1 Peter 5:7, and use the paper, markers, and modeling clay in their Bible Exploration Kits to complete the activity.

When crews have finished,

ASK:

• What was it like when you looked at the list of all your worries?

• What was it like when you flattened your clay person with all your worries?

• Tell about a time you felt like you worries were too much to handle and explain how you dealt with that.

• How can following the instructions in 1 Peter 5:7 help us with worry?

SAY: When we worry, it can bring us down. It can make us feel “heavy,” like we have all those worries on our shoulders. God doesn’t want us to feel that way. God wants to take those worries off our shoulders. We show hope by giving our worries to God. When we trust God to take our worries, we’re showing our hope in God.

3. Have crews share in their groups some of the worries that were on their lists from the “No Pressure!” handout. Instruct crews to pick one worry and create a short skit that shows how God can help someone with that worry. Plan on two or three minutes for each crew to act out a skit. When crews have finished, congratulate everyone on a job well done.

ASK:

• How did the skits change how you feel about your worries?

• What can happen when we trust God with our worries?

• How can you trust God with one of the worries on your list this week?

SAY: Worrying doesn’t do us any good—it only makes us feel flattened and discouraged. But when we give our worries to God, he takes care of them and we don’t have to carry them anymore. We show hope by giving our worries to God. When we give our worries to God, not only are we happier, but other people will learn from our example. They see that God can be trusted with all the worries of life because they see us trusting God to take care of us.

LET’S PRAISE!

Supplies: worry lists from Let’s Explore, Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD, LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD, CD player, TV/DVD player

1. SAY: In our Key Verse, 1 Peter 5:7, God tells us to give him our worries because he cares about us. Let’s do that right now!

Instruct crews to find the Key Verse, 1 Peter 5:7, in their Bibles. Then have them use their worry lists from Let’s Explore! as a bookmark for the verse. Ask a child from each crew to bring the Bible with the lists to the front and stack one on top of the other. Then have everyone join together in a time of praise.

2. Set up the Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD or the LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD. PLAY:

• “The Spirit Gives Me Life” (Romans 8:10) (CD Track 4) (DVD Quarter 7/Track 4)

God is with me wherever I go.
Christ is in me, and I know that I know
’Cause he gave his life.
He lived and died.
(Chorus)
And now the Spirit gives me life, it gives me life, it gives me life
Because I have been made right, I’ve been made right with God.
The Spirit gives me life, it gives me life, it gives me life
Because I have been made right, I’ve been made right with God. Yeah!
The Spirit gives me life.
God is with me wherever I go.
Christ is in me, and I know that I know
’Cause he gave his life.
He lived and died.
(Repeat chorus.)

“The Spirit Gives Me Life” (Romans 8:10b) by Jay Stocker. © 2007 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to use lyrics granted for local church use only. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

• “I Will Never Fail You” (Hebrews 13:5) (CD Track 2) (DVD Quarter 7/Track 2)

God has given you everything

You will need,

And you don’t have to worry.

Be satisfied.

Don’t even try to get more,

For God has said,

I will never fail you

Or abandon you.

I will never fail you

Or abandon you.

(Repeat.)

I will never fail you

Or abandon you.

I will never fail you

Or abandon you.

“I Will Never Fail You” (Hebrews 13:5b) by Wallace and Rachel Fa’agutu and Jay Stocker. © 2006 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to use lyrics granted for local church use only. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

• “Use Your Whole Body” (Romans 6:13) (CD Track 3) (DVD Quarter 7/Track 3)

So use your whole body as an instrument
To do what is right for the glory of God.
Everybody’s got one, now whatcha gonna do with it?
Are you gonna use it for good, for the glory of God?
Come on, everybody, let’s do this right;
Clap your hands, and keep it tight.
Come on, everybody, let’s move your feet;
Stomp ‘em real hard, stomp ‘em right on beat.
Come on, everybody, let’s do both things;
Do it for the glory of our great King.
So use your whole body as an instrument;
To do what is right for the glory of God.
Everybody’s got one, now whatcha gonna do with it?
Are you gonna use it for good, for the glory of God?
O-o-oh, o-o-o-o-oh (echo)
O-o-oh, o-o-o-o-oh (echo)
Yea-h-h-h-h (echo)
Ah, ah, ah, ai-oh (echo)
Come on, everybody, let’s do this right;
Clap your hands, and keep it tight.
Come on, everybody, let’s move your feet;
Stomp ‘em real hard, stomp ‘em right on beat.
Come on, everybody, let’s do both things;
Do it for the glory of our great King.
So use your whole body as an instrument
To do what is right for the glory of God.
Everybody’s got one, now whatcha gonna do with it?
Are you gonna use it for good, for the glory of God?
Are you gonna use it for good, for the glory of God?

“Use Your Whole Body” (Romans 6:13) by Jay Stocker. © 2011 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to use lyrics granted for local church use only. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

LET’S PRAY!

Supplies: Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD, CD player

1. Have kids sit in a circle facing each other, and play the instrumental version of “I Will Never Fail You” (Hebrews 13:5) (Track 10) from the Sticking With God: Knowing His Hope (Year 2/Quarter 7) CD softly in the background. Ask kids to bow their heads.

SAY: When we’re dealing with a tough situation, worry only makes it worse. Worry is just plain useless. Even though trusting our worries to God doesn’t always make them go away, God always makes it easier for us to deal with them because we’re not alone. We’ve got God helping us, so we’re not carrying those worries on our own.