Sunday School

Books of the Bible

The first Sunday of the month is an all age service, when the children stay in the service all the time.

On other Sundays, the children go into the back room while the preacher gives the message.

We look at different subjects depending upon the children who come in.  One of our activities has been to look at different books of the Bible in a creative and imaginative way.

The vision for this series came after a recognition that the children were being given Bible stories to listen to, often without knowing from what part of the Bible they came from. Some lessons covered ground that the children had covered before, but never covered many of the books of the Bible which had beneficial lessons to learn.

It also has the vision of building up the children’s knowledge in a way that they owned what they had covered through the completion of their own ‘Bible Box’. The bible box was filled up each week with a folded card containing details of the book they have studied that week.

It also has the vision of engaging the children in the study with some practical involvement such as a craft.

The repeated use of the ‘Books of the Bible Song’ is used to re-inforce the studies and help them memorise the books of the Bible off by heart.

Books of the Old Testament

Genesis

GENESIS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To understand the story of creation.

Ice Breaker

Uncover a mobile phone on the table.
Ask – “How did it get here?”
Let everyone state their opinion.

Then ask – “Did it manage to get here out of nothing?”

When the children conclude that the phone had been put there by someone and that it had been made, ask the following:
– Is this world we live in more complicated than a phone?
– Are you not more wonderfully made than a phone?
– Did you arrive here by chance?
– Did you develop out of nothing?

Many people believe that you did.
The Bible says that we have been created by God and that you have been made for a purpose.

Bible Card

  • Author: Moses
  • Type: Law
  • Written: 1450-1410 BC
  • No. Chapters: 50
  • O.T. Book No.: 1

Study

Read the following from Genesis Chapter 1 verses 1 to 3.

In the beginning there was nothing. There were no people, no animals, not even light. Then God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light, day and night.
That was the first day.

Next God put water in the sea and the sky to make clouds.
That was the second day.

Then God made dry land with hills and valleys and rivers.
That was the third day.

Then God put the sun in the sky and made the moon and stars.
That was the fourth day.

Next God filled the sky with birds and flying creatures. He also filled the sea with fish.
That was the fifth day.

Then God made animals of all kings and the first man, Adam.
That was the sixth day.

God was very pleased with what he made. Then he rested.
That was the seventh day.

Discuss the way God created the world and that it is a good world.

Craft

Make a ‘Creation Wheel’ to show the days of creation.

Colour in the pictures, cut them out and join them with a split pin.

Then re-tell the story using a wheel a child has made.

Note. The original template can be downloaded from here.

Exodus

EXODUS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To see that God has a plan.

Ice Breaker

Have a puzzle that need instructions to solve.

See if any of the children can solve it.

Hand out the instructions and let them see if they can solve them.

Bible Card

  • Author: Moses
  • Type: Law
  • Written: 1440-1400 BC
  • No. Chapters: 40
  • O.T. Book No.: 2

Study

God had promised to make a nation of the Hebrews in Israel.

God wanted to give them laws to live by in their own land.
Instead they were enslaved by the Egyptians. Anything else seemed impossible.

God had a plan.
It starts with a baby. Click here to listen to the story

Exodus Chapter 2 verses 1 to 10.

How did Moses being brought up in Pharoah’s household help Moses to be the leader he became?

Consider his education.
Consider his contacts and influence.

God will work his purposes out in ways we may not be able to imagine. We need to trust Him, even though things may be difficult.

Craft

Make a Moses basket.
Hand out pieces of card with the following template.

Cut out the circle. Make cuts toward the middle and cut out the strips.

Push the circle into a Ramekin dish or equivalent making sure that the card is pushed into the base, then tape around the top.

Pull out the basket shape and weave the cut strips of card into the basket.

Make a baby out of playdough. Put a leaf then the baby into the basket.

Leviticus

LEVITICUS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective BE HOLY

Ice Breaker FIND THE ANIMALS
Hide lots of toy sheep and goats and cows etc around the room.
Let the children see how many they can get.

Bible Card

  • Author: Moses
  • Type: Law
  • Written: 1446-1406 BC
  • No. Chapters: 27
  • O.T. Book No.: 3

Study
A key verse in Leviticus is chapter 19v2, where we are told to be holy because God is holy.

The book of Leviticus, literally ‘The book of the Levites’ is the part of the law dealing with the function of the priests who were of the tribe of Levi. It tells the people and the priests how they should conduct themselves and these ‘laws’ covered a wide variety of areas.

19v3 – Respecting your parents
19v10 – Caring for those in need
19v11 – Respecting others
19v14 – Not being mean

Also covering areas such as haircuts v27, diet v26, being fair v27 and many, many other things.

In Leviticus chapter 16 v 15 for example, there are rules about sacrificing animals.

In the New Testament, in Hebrews 9v22, we read that in the law, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. In Hebrews 10v4, we read that the blood of animals cannot forgive sins. It goes on to say how Jesus Christ became our sacrifice to forgive sins.

Read John 1v29. “Look, the Lamb of God”. He takes away the sins of the world.
Ask to see if the children understand what this is saying.

Craft MAKE A PICTURE.

Need:
For the background:
– Green and Blue Card for the sky and land.
– 2 lollipop sticks for the cross.
For a sheep:
– Cotton wool
– Glue
– Cut out black card in the shape of a sheep’s head and feet
– Paper plate
– 2 googly eyes.
– Stapler

Make the background by putting the sky on the grass and sticking on the cross.

Glue the wool on to the plate.
Glue on the black sheep head, feet and googly eyes.
Staple the ‘sheep’ to the background.

Write on the right hand side write John 1v29. “Look, the Lamb of God”. He takes away the sins of the world.

Numbers

NUMBERS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To see the how Jesus came to be lifted up on the cross save us through the picture of Moses lifting the snake.

Ice Breaker
'Beware of the snakes'

Cut out lots of snakes and put them all over the floor.
Put ‘Beware Snakes’ posters on the door.

The children have to get to their seat without standing on a snake.
 

Eah snakes head has either a number of 1 to 4 or the word ‘Bite’.  The children can pick up snakes adding tbe numbers up.  But if tbey get a ‘Bite’ snake, they are out.  The highest total wins.  Normally there is only 1 person that survives.

 

Bible Card

  • Author: Moses
  • Type: Law
  • Written: 1446-1406 BC
  • No. Chapters: 36
  • O.T. Book No.: 4

Study
Today we are doing a book in the bible.

See if you can guess what it is by giving you a clue:
Then say some numbers like 216, 73, 2, 16 etc. Hopefully someone will say ‘Numbers’.

Read the story of the bronze snake from Numbers 21 v 5-9.

If you can, put a giant snake on a stick as a visual aid, then ask why there is this strange story in the bible.

Then read John 3 v 14-16 and compare the 2 stories.

The snakes represent sin.

See how sin leads to death.

Jesus became our sin so that we might be saved.

See how by calling on Jesus to be saved, we can receive forgiveness and salvation.

Craft

Let each child cut out a snake, colour it in and attach it to a stick.

 

 

An alternative craft is to make a cross out of a snake, and do it while telling the  story.

 

Deuteronomy

DEUTERONOMY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To understand that God wants us to love Him with all of our heart.

Ice Breaker

Give the children a game of solitaire (or an equivalent) without any instructions and ask them to complete it.  Then when they struggle, tell them the instructions on how it should be played and how to complete it.

Compare this to life.  We need help to know how to live it.  The bible is our guide-book.

Bible Card

  • Author: Moses and an anonymous author
  • Type: Law
  • Written: 1406 BC
  • No. Chapters: 34
  • O.T. Book No.: 5

Study

What did Jesus say was the great commandment?

Matthew 22 v36-40

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Where do we find this?
Read:
a) Look up Deuteronomy 6v6
b) Look up Leviticus 19v18.

Is there more than this?

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS

Read Deuteronomy 5v7-21
Consider this: God gave Moses 2 tablets of stone with the ’10 Commandments’ that they should keep.

Can anyone see at this stage why there might be 2 tablets?

Look at the first tablet: The first 5 commands focus on Man’s relationship with God.

Look at the second tablet: The second 5 commands focus on Man’s relationship with Man.

How does this relate to the Great Commandment Jesus mentioned?

THE LAW IN THE HEART

Consider Jeremiah 31v33.

God wants us to have God’s law in our hearts.  He also wants to love Him with all our heart

What goes on in your heart?

Craft

Give each child 2 white porcelain bathroom tiles.

Then give out two cutout of the first five and the second five commands to stick on each tile.

 

 

Joshua

JOSHUA SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To trust God and do things God’s way.

Ice Breaker

Sometimes a problem seems really difficult until you know the answer.

For example, how to get an ice cube into a bottle without breaking it into pieces. In this example melt the ice into the bottle.
How difficult is the problem is now?

Sometimes the problems are about life. How do I get home from church when the car has broken down? Someone else gives you a lift.

How can I solve my homework problem when I don’t understand it?  Ask the teacher for some help.

Can you think of any problems that need solving?

In life, we have problems. As Christians, we can get help from God to help us with those problems. We get the help when we do things God’s way. This is what happened to Joshua.

Bible Card

  • Author: Joshua
  • Type: History
  • Written: Between 1550 and 1404BC
  • No. Chapters: 24
  • O.T. Book No.: 6

Study

The lesson is to trust God and do things His way.

Teach this song and show this video:

JOSHUA FOUGHT THE BATTLE OF JERICHO

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho.
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho.
And the walls came tumbling down!

You may talk about your men of Gideon.
You may talk about your men of Saul.
But there’s none like good old Joshua.
And the battle of Jericho!

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho.
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho.
And the walls came tumbling down!

Right up to the walls of Jericho.
They marched with spear in hand.
“Go blow them ram horns”, Joshua cried.
“Cause the battle is in my hand”.

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho.
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho.
And the walls came tumbling down!

Then the lamb, ram, sheep horns began to blow.
And the trumpets began to sound.
Joshua told the children to shout that morning.
And the walls came tumbling down!

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho.
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho.
And the walls came tumbling down!
And the walls came tumbling dooooown!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3QUS4B0iaM

Joshua led the people of Israel into the promised land.  They had left Egypt, spent 40 years in the wilderness and now they were coming to the place that God had promised them.
But, there was a giant city in the way, with big walls and lots of scary people in it.

Build the walls of Jericho with foam bricks.

How would they feel?
How would you feel attacking those big wall?
Would many get killed?

Yes, it was scary, but on the way, someone met Joshua.
Read Joshua chapter 5 v13,14.

God then told Joshua what to do.  Read Joshua chapter 6 v3-5, 10.

Make the craft below – horns.

For 6 days, march around once.  Get everyone to march round the walls once.

On the 7th day, they marched around the walls 7 times.  Do this with the children, then blow the trumpets and shout and the walls will fall.   They have a victory without getting killed.  Note.  This bit is a bit noisy!

Craft

Make a trumpet using a cardboard inner tube such as used in kitchen rolls. Cut a hole in the bottom of the cup and stick it on the end.
Blow out a party blower and tape into the tube.
Write on the paper “We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him. Joshua 24v24″ and stick it to the trumpet.

Have a load of foam bricks, and everyone helps make a round wall.
Then get the children to march around the wall seven times. Then shout, blow the trumpets and knock the walls down.

Judges

JUDGES SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
a) To look at a strong woman in a prominent role in the bible. To build up the girls.
b) To learn to wait on God and act.

Ice Breaker
The Palm Tree game. A variation of the “Tumblin’ Monkeys” game.
Here you have decide which straws to remove in order to get the most monkeys.

Say that the point of the game is that you are having to make decisions under the palm tree.

Who else did that?

Bible Card

  • Author: Samuel plus others
  • Type: History
  • Written: Approx 1000 BC
  • No. Chapters: 21
  • O.T. Book No.: 7

Study

When we covered the book of Ruth , it was in a time of peace.

What happened to make this peace, as there were often times of war.

Boaz’s Mum was someone else in the lineage of Jesus.  Does anyone know who it was? See Matthew 1v6, and it was Rahab who saved the spies.  Ruth was also mentioned in this verse.   They were important people in Christ’s lineage and they were women.  There was peace in the land at that time because of another woman, Deborah.

It wasn’t always like that.  Read Judges 4v1-3.  Sisera, the commander of the Canaan army, with 900 chariots was very cruel to the people of Israel for 30 years.  The Jews asked God for help.

Read Judges 4v4,5 Deborah sat under a palm tree called the ‘Palm Tree of Deborah’.

She was a prophetess, and a judge for the people of Israel.

Can you image her sitting there, listening to their arguments, looking to God for wisdom and explaining the will of God.

One day, she had a command from God for a man called Barak and a prophesy.  Read Judges 4v6-10.

Barak insisted Deborah came with him.  She agreed, but then said that the cruel man would die by the hand of a woman.

This is exactly what happened as explained in the rest of chapter 5.   Chapter 6 contains a song that Deborah and Barak sang in victory, with the last verse saying that they had peace for 40 years.

So what do we learn about Deborah?  She was a great woman of God who waited on God and was not afraid to say what God wanted her to say.  May we all learn from the life of Deborah.

Craft

Make Deborah under the Palm.

Need

  • Paper Plate
  • Rolled up paper
  • Cut out palm leaves
  • Body cut-out shape
  • Pens to draw a
  • face on the shape
  • Dress made from a folded strip of felt with a cut in the top for the head.
  • Notice with a summary of the verse such as:

Judges 4v4,5 The prophetess  Deborah sat under a palm tree to judge the Israelites.

Ruth

RUTH SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To trust God to make a way when there seems to be no way.

Ice Breaker

Play a peg board game where the answer is not clear, then show how it is done.

There is a way when there seems no way.

Bible Card

  • Author: Unknown, possibly Samuel
  • Type: History
  • Written: 1011 to 931 BC
  • No. Chapters: 4
  • O.T. Book No.: 8

Study

The book of Ruth is a story of how trusting God resulted in His guidance.

Sing the chorus of the Don Moen song, God will make a way:

God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way
The study and the craft go together.

Craft

We are going to make a story.

Have a lego house in Bethlehem.

There was a famine so Naomi, her husband Elimelech and her two boys Mahlon and Kilion went to Moab to find food.

Eilimelech died.

Mahlon and Kilion married Orpah and Ruth.

Mahon and Kilion died.

They hear that the famine in Bethlehem had finished, so Naomi wanted to go back home.

Give everyone an empy pot container.  I used a small cake decoration container.

 

Naomi told Orpah and Ruth to go back to their parents and perhaps they can marry again.  She basically said that it was a hopeless situation.

Orpah left but Ruth said she would stay with Naomi.

Read Ruth 1v16,17.

Give each child a small piece of string.  Let them tie a knot in it and put it on their pot.

This represents a strong family tie and a strong tie with God.

Ruth trusted God to find a way when things looked hopeless.

They returned to Bethlehem and Ruth worked hard gleaning grain.

Spill a pot of grain on the table and ask the children to pick up the grain and put them in the pot.

She worked in Boaz’s field, who was a relative of Naomi’s husband.  He was kind to Ruth.

Boaz and Ruth wanted to marry.

Put some hearts on the table and let the children put a heart in the pot.

In order to marry, according to their culture, a closer relative had to have first choice.

He chose not to in order to protect his situation and handed Boaz his sandle.

Put a small cut-out of a foam sandle into the pot.

Then Ruth and Boaz got married and had a baby and called him Obed.  Everyone was happy.

Let the children put a Jelly Baby into the pot.

Read Matthew 1v5 and 1v16.  You can see how Ruth, a foreigner and a woman, is mentioned in the lineage of Jesus.

Look how God found a way that seemed hopeless.

Can we be like Ruth, who trusts God and supports their family even when things are difficult.

Sing the song again.

 

Story of Ruth pot.
1 Samuel

1 SAMUEL SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective: To learn about prayer through the life of Hannah

Ice Breaker

Put animal names on yellow sticky pad on put on some children’s foreheads.

By asking questions, they have to guess who they are.

Thought: Need to keep asking God to get the answer.

Bible Card

  • Author: Samuel
  • Type: History
  • Written: 1000 to 900 BC
  • No. Chapters: 31
  • O.T. Book No.: 9

Study

(i) Find out first what the children know about the story of Hannah.

(ii) Then give some background.

a) The story of Hannah is found in the 1st Book of Samuel.  As an answer to Hannah’s prayer, Samuel was born, who became the last of the Judges of Israel.

b) When Joshua conquered Israel, the ‘Tent of Meeting’ was set up in a place called Shiloh.  Read Joshua 18v1.

c)  For 450 years, the Judges managed things (Acts 13 v 19) and the ‘Tent of Meeting’ remained at Shiloh.

(iii) Tell the story about Hannah praying and Samuel being born.

Read 1 Samuel 1 v 1,2.  Hannah had no children.

Read 1 Samuel 1 v 1, 6-8.  Peninnah would upset Hannah.  That’s was not kind. Her husband tried to comfort her.

Where were they? 1,7 – In Shiloh.

Read 1 Samuel 1v9-18.   What did Hannah do?  She prayed very hard.

Where did she pray?  In the ‘Tent of Meeting’. Some versions say the temple.  Note. The temple in Jerusalem was not built yet (Samuel anointed David, who became the father of Solomon who built the temple in Jerusalem).  A temple is a place where God dwells and it also used to describe Jesus and also a Christian later in the bible.  So Hannah was praying in the presence of God.

How did Hannah pray?  Silently.  God hears our prayers even if they are said without words.  Can you pray without speaking?  Nehemiah also prayed a silent prayer.  (Nehemiah 1 v 4)

How did Hannah feel after she prayed? 1 Samuel 1 v 18.

Do you feel a peace and happier after you have prayed and asked God to help?  I do.

What happened next? 1 Samuel 1v20 – A baby boy called Samuel was born.

She later had 5 more children (1 Samuel 2v21).  God answered her prayer.

Do you have any prayers for God?

(iv) Hannah’s Second Prayer

Hannah prayed some more.  Look at 1 Samuel 2 v 1-2.

How did Hannah see God?

How is God a rock? God being a rock is talked about a lot in the bible.  Moses in answer to prayer caused water to flow from rock in the desert. (Numbers 20v11).

In 1 Cor 10v4, the rock represents Jesus, and the water that flows from the rock represents God’s Holy Spirit.

We can bring our prayers to God as well.

Craft

When we did Acts on prayer, we made our prayer rocks.

This time we are looking at bring our prayers to God.

Write out prayers and put them in a helium balloon.  This can be our silent prayers.

Blow up and tie up the balloon, then write on the balloon things like ‘God answers prayer’.

2 Samuel

2 SAMUEL SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective To learn that God has a plan for us and that we too should plan.

Ice Breaker

Play some games of ‘Tip Over’.
Here you have to plan how to get the person to the exit brick.

Then think about planning.
Does God have a plan for you?
Should we have plans?
We shall find out more this study.

Bible Card

  • Author: Samuel with Nathan and Gad
  • Type: History
  • Written: Somewhere between 1000 to 900 BC
  • No. Chapters: 24
  • O.T. Book No.: 10

Study

Read 2 Samuel 7 v1-5, 12,13, 16,17.

David thought of a plan. He wanted to build a temple for God.
David asked Nathan the prophet, who said go-ahead.
Then God spoke to Nathan the prophet saying no, but David’s son will build a temple.
Then God said that David’s kingdom will rule through his family for ever.

What things can we learn from this?

  • That it was good for David to make plans, even though God did not agree
  • God has a plan
  • David’s kingdom lasts forever.  How is this?

Read Luke 1v 31 to 33.  See how Jesus is from the line of David, and His kingdom never ends.

What an amazing plan God has, and we see how it was worked out.

Look also at Jeremiah 17v9 – I know the plans I have for you.

God has a good plan for us.  His desire is that we come to know Jesus as our Saviour and that we follow Him in our lives.

Craft

Give a ‘Twinkl’ weekly planning template to each child.

What do you think God would like you to do this week?

Pray about it and add it to your weekly plan.

1 Kings

1 KINGS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To see that we should pray for wisdom

Ice Breaker
Play the ‘5 Second Rule’ game.
In this game, each turn, a card is read out, and you have 5 seconds to read out the answer.
It might be 3 things that are red.

This games tests what we know, but if we would like real wisdom, this is something God can give us and help us learn.

Bible Card

  • Author: Jeremiah
  • Type: History
  • Written: 560 to 540 BC
  • No. Chapters: 22
  • O.T. Book No.: 11

Study
The book of 1 Kings tells the history of the kings of Israel from the death of King David to the divided kingdom where Jehosephat ruled Judah and Ahaziah ruled Israel.

It tells of many stories of good and bad kings. Some who followed in the ways of God and some who went after idols and did bad things.
It tells many stories such as the wisdom of Solomon, the visit of the Queen of Sheba, of the evil Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel and the great prophet Elijah.

It is very hard to be a good leader.
When Solomon became king, he went to Gibeon to sacrifice and pray.
What did God ask him? Read 1 Kings 3 v5.
If God asked you for what you wanted, what would you ask for?

What did Solomon ask for?
Read 1 Kings 3 v7-9.
Solomon saw himself as like a child compared to his great father David.
He realised he didn’t know what to do.
He prayed for wisdom and the ability to tell right from wrong.

Was God pleased with the answer? Yes. Read v 10 to 13.
Not only did God say he would give him wisdom, but also the things he didn’t ask for but could have done such as success over his enemies and great riches.

Then Solomon did many great and wonderful things and his wisdom was spoken of across the world.
He still made mistakes as well.

The bible tells us that we should ask God for wisdom.
Read James 1v5
Verse 6 also reminds us that we must ask God with faith.

When you have found wisdom, it is really good.
Not only do you have a solution to the problem, you have direction to go which gives your purpose and fulfilment, which makes you happy.
Read Proverbs 3v13.

Do you have a problem which you are struggling with?
Name the issues.
Then have a prayer, where we ask God for wisdom.

Craft
Wisdom Owls

The wise old own sat in the oak, the more she saw, the less she spoke. The less she spoke, the more she heard. Why can’t we all be like that wise old bird?
Today we are going to make wisdom owls. The inspiration for this came from https://faithfullittlehands.com/wisdom-owls-bible-craft/

You need a piece of kitchen roll. Cut a piece off at about 6 inches in length.
Then make 2 cuts in each side for the wings.
Press in the 2 sides at the top to make a head.

Draw on some sticky paper such as address labels, ‘PRAY FOR WISDOM” and a pair of eyes. We made the eyes by folding the paper first and then cutting out the eyes.

Peel off the back of the paper and attach to the front of the owl.

Draw on a brow, beak, pupils and eye-lashes.
If time, add feathers and colours.

2 Kings

2 KINGS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To see that believing faith is shown by actions.

Ice Breaker
Make a sausage dog from a bendy balloon.
This shows how things are changed through actions.
Draw on the balloon, God changes things. Also read 2 Cor 5v17.

Bible Card

    • Author: Jeremiah
    • Type: History
    • Written: Around 550 BC
    • No. Chapters: 25
    • O.T. Book No.: 12

Study
2 Kings is a continuation of 1 Kings, looking at the kings of Judah and Israel from the death of Ahab to the Exile of Judah. The stories also include the story of the final days of Elijah and the ministry of Elisha.

Both of these prophets helped and were helped by those who were of Jewish and foreign descent showing that God cares for Gentiles as well as Jews. Look at what Jesus said about Naaman in Luke 4v27.

Let us look at the story of Naaman the Syrian.

Read 2 Kings 5v10-14.

Talk about the story. Naaman was a great warrior, yet to be healed, he needed to be humble and wash himself in the river Jordan. The same river where John and Jesus baptised. Leprosy is a picture of what sin does to people. This is a story of where healing comes through faith.

The things Naaman did:

– Believed God’s healing by coming to Elisha
– Obeyed God’s command for healing by washing in the Jordan
– Chose to worship God after being healed.

Remember, Jesus commended Naaman for believing the prophet.
Believing faith is shown by actions.
Discuss why Naaman’s actions showed he had believing faith.

Craft
Make a Naaman Pop Up Craft after buying a template from Danielles Place Store.

https://daniellesplacestore.com/downloads/naaman-pop-up-craft/

1 Chronicles

1 CHRONICLES SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective 

To learn about worship.

Ice Breaker
Ice Breaker
How do you show someone that you appreciate them?
Ask children for examples of how they appreciated their Mum or Dad or someone special in their life.
Pick out things they say, like giving presents, saying please and thank you and maybe even saying sorry.
Did you know that worship is like this?
Today we are going to look at how David worshipped God at the end of his life in the book of 1 Chronicles.

Bible Card

  • Author:  Ezra
  • Type: History
  • Written: 5th Century BC
  • No. Chapters: 29
  • O.T. Book No.: 13

Study

The disciples once asked Jesus, ‘Lord, teach us how to pray?’.
What did the Lord Jesus tell them? See if any of the children know ‘The Lord’s Prayer’. This prayer helped the disciples to know how to pray. Pick out examples of the prayer and how they can pray like this.

There are other famous prayers in the bible that we can learn from to help us pray.

At the end of King David’s life, the throne was passed to his son Solomon.

We read in 1 Chronicles 29 that David wasn’t allowed to build God’s temple, but made provision for his son Solomn to build it.

Many other people gave freely as well.  Do you think giving generously helped the people to worship God? o; Do you think giving to God is like an act of worship?

David prayed a famous prayer found in 1 Chronicles 29 v 10-20.  Read it out.

Many people use the word (called an acronym) ‘ACTS’ to pray with:

A stands for Adore – To worship God

C stands for Confess – To say sorry

T stands for Thanks – To be grateful

S stands for Supplication – To ask for things.

Ask the children to look at the verses and ask:

Can you a verse that is used to praise, or Adore God?

Can you see a verse that is used to Confess? Look at verse 15.

Can you see a verse that is used to say Thank You?  Look at verse 13.

Can you see a verse this is used for Supplication or asking? Look at verse 19.

We are going to make a booklet now that looks at this prayer and we can use it to help us write out own prayer.

Craft – Making a Prayer Booklet.

Make an A5 booklet using 6 pieces of coloured paper. Staple them together and hand the booklets out.

As an example of how to do this, look at this Youtube video:

Make the title page as “David’s Prayer 1 Chronicles 29 verses 10-20”.

Cut out each of the 11 verses for the children to stick in the book.

Have prepared stickers for the younger age group or for an older age group, write a prayer underneath selected pages in your own words.

 

2 Chronicles

2 CHRONICLES SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To know that God helps those who trust in him.

Ice Breaker

Play naughts and crosses.

Show how having a strategy enables you to never lose.

Bible Card

    • Author: Ezra
    • Type: History
    • Written: 430 BC
    • No. Chapters: 36
    • O.T. Book No.: 14

Study

Today we are looking at a king called Jehosaphat (Joe for short).

He was a king who decided to trust and obey God and in doing so won a great battle without having to fight.

Read 2 Chronicles chapter 20 and ask the children what happened and in particular what did Jehosaphat do?

  • verse 3 – He prayed
  • verse 18 – on hearing the answer, he worshipped
  • verse 20 – he obeyed
  • verse 21 – he listened to advice and sent singers before the marching army.

Was Jehosaphat afraid at first?  Yes.

But he took strength in God and became bold.

The key verses are verse 15.  Don’t be afraid, the battle is God’s, and the end of verse 17, Don’t be discouraged, the Lord is with you.

God has said the same thing many times in the bible. Here are some examples:

  • Joshua 1v9
  • Judges 6v12
  • Isaiah 41v10
  • Psalm 23v4
  • Zephaniah 3v17
  • Matthew 28v20
  • Hebrews 13v5
  • Romans 8v18-39

Craft

Make badges with a phrase about trusting God.

Ezra

EZRA SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective:  To work together.

Ice Breaker

Have a load of foam bricks with 4 laid out on the floor as a foundation.  Ask the children to build on the foundation in turn.  If the tower falls then that person is out.

Then ask to do the same thing, but work together this time.

The point is that if people work together on a building, then the building is stronger.

Bible Card

    • Author: Ezra
    • Type: History
    • Written: 450 – 400 BC
    • No. Chapters: 10
    • O.T. Book No.: 15

Study

Ezra’s book starts with the Persian king Cyrus gave permission to rebuild the temple.  The Jewish people started to return and the foundations of the temple were rebuilt.  But the building was stopped by the enemies writing to the new king of Persia, Xerxes, to stop it.  The building was stopped for a long time until Haggai and Zechariah encouraged them to start again when Darius became king of Persia.  Read Ezra 5v1,2.

The enemies tried to stop them again but couldn’t and the temple was rebuilt encouraged by Haggai and Zechariah.  Read Ezra 6v14.

Note.  I am emphasising Haggai as this was the study we did last week.

The next king of Persia, Artaxerxes, gave a letter to Ezra to allow people to return to Jerusalem.  Read Ezra 7v13.  It is amazing how God worked through the kings of Persia to allow the temple to be rebuilt and the people to return and later the building of the walls through Nehemiah.

Read Ezra 5v8 to see what was said about the work.

Even if captivity, in difficult times, God worked through men and women like Ezra and Esther to bring about his purposes where there was real prayer and trust.

One important aspect of these books is to see how the people worked together.

In the New Testament, we read how God is building a spiritual temple with people, like living stones, being built on the foundation of Jesus Christ.  Read 1 Peter 2v5,6.

Craft

Clay people bricks.

Making clay bricks with names on it, built into a building.

Start with a clay tile with ‘Jesus’ written on it to be the foundation.

Also making a person made of clay to represent themselves and add to the building.

Nehemiah

NEHEMIAH SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To identify ways of understanding the bible better.

To know that the joy of the Lord gives strength.

Ice Breaker
1. Riddles
Write the two riddles and see if the children can understand them. Then give them the answers.

11 was a racehorse
12 was 12 (12 was one too)
111 a race (11 won a race)
12112 (12 won one too)

F U N E M ? (Have you any ham?)
S, V F M (Yes, we have ham)
F U N E X ? (Have you any eggs?)
S, V F X (Yes, we have eggs)
OK, M N X (OK, ham and eggs).

2. Activity
Build a wall and a temple out of bricks.

Bible Card

  • Author: Nehemiah
  • Type: History
  • Written: 400BC
  • No. Chapters: 13
  • O.T. Book No.: 16

Study

The people had just rebuilt a wall around Jerusalem.

The temple and the wall was knocked down by the Babylonians and they had spent 70 years in a foreign country. In the book of Ezra we read how God helped the people rebuild the temple. In the first 7 chapters of Nehemiah we read how God helped build the wall.

a) Understanding the bible.

Did you understand the riddles when they were first read out?
They were easy to understand once they had been explained.

Do you sometimes find it hard to understand the bible when it is read?
What do you do in those situations?

Let see what the people did in the time of Nehemiah.

Read Nehemiah 8 v 1-8

Look at v3.  How did they listen?  Carefully.

So we need to listen carefully to what has been said.

Look at v6.  What was their attitude?  Prayerful and worshipful.
So we can ask God to make things clear. If time, read James 1v5.

Look at v8.  How was it read?  In such a way that people could understand it, explaining what it means.
Sometimes it is difficult to understand and we need things explaining.

b) Rejoicing in God

Have you ever done anything good for God?
Have you read anything from the bible that helped you?
How did it make you feel?

There is a real joy in serving the Lord and it can strengthen your faith and it can strengthen you as a person.

Let us read Nehemiah chapter 8 v 9-12.

What did they do as a result of understanding what God had said?
They rejoiced.

What made them strong?
The joy of the Lord.

Craft

Make a fridge magnet with the verse: Nehemiah 8v10b.  “The joy of the Lord will make you strong.”

Esther

ESTHER SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To be ready when you are called to serve God. ‘For such a time as this’.

Ice Breaker

Tell the story of Esther using cut-out characters on sticks.
Key characters to have are:

  • King
  • Vashti
  • Esther
  • Mordecai
  • Haman

Bible Card

  • Author: Mordecai
  • Type: History
  • Written: 483-474 BC
  • No. Chapters: 10
  • O.T. Book No.: 17

Study

Read key verse: Esther 4v14

God’s people were still in Persia. This is after the influence of Daniel.
God is not mentioned in the book, but it is clear that God was looking after the people.
Esther was in a very difficult position, but she needed to do something.
How would she feel?
She saw what happened to Vashti.
She knew what sort of horrible person Haman was.
She knew the king was unpredictable.

But she was very brave and very clever and acted after much prayer and fasting.

God was with her and helped her through this time, turning a terrible situation into a good situation.
No wonder the Jews celebrated.

Will you be ready to do what God has prepared something for you to do?

Craft
Make a ‘Gragger’ which is a sort of Jewish tabourine.
Get 2 paper plates and some peas.
On the paper plates draw 2 faces, Haman and Esther.
Make the plates look attractive.
Put the peas between the plates, and staple the plates together.

Then practice with a song such as ‘My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my cannot do – bash, bash!’ etc.

Job

JOB SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To learn about patience.

Ice Breaker

Have a game where a you have to guess when a drip of water is going to drop.
You can only call out ‘Now’ once per drip.
If you call after the drip has dropped, then you are too late.
The person who calls out last before the drip gets the point.
The first one to 5 wins.

Ask if you needed to be patient in order to guess when the drip was going to drop (or the drop was going to drip).

Bible Card

    • Author: Unknown
    • Type: Wisdom
    • Written: 6th century BC
    • No. Chapters: 42
    • O.T. Book No.: 18

Study
Job was known for his patience.
Read James 5v10,11.

Job had a lot of problems in his life and he was very patient to see the Lord sort them out.

Job was a good man and very rich, but his children were naughty.
Talk about how Job’s children died while having a bad party, and how he lost his riches through bad things that happened.

Say how the rest of the book is about Job very sadly talking about his problems with his friends.
In the end God answers and Job’s fortunes were restored, although his first children still died and he would always be sad about that. Read Job 42 v12-13.

Ask “Are you patient when things go wrong?”.

Craft/Activity

Act out the story with bricks and plastic animals in fields.

Psalms

PSALMS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To start every morning with Jesus

Ice Breaker

Have one or two ‘Etch a Sketch’ toys.  Get them all to contribute to a picture of day while telling a story from getting up on a sunny day, going for a walk in the park, having tea then going to bed.

Then start a new day and clear the screen.    This day is stormy and they go to school with an umbrella. You have a teacher talking about something boring.  Then coming home, having tea and going to bed.

Then clear the screen.

The point is, every day we can start again with a clean sheet.

Bible Card

  • Author: David, Moses, Korah, Solomon and many others.
  • Type: Wisdom
  • Written: 1407 to 586 BC
  • No. Chapters: 150
  • O.T. Book No.: 19

Study

Read Psalm 90 (or sectios of).

Who wrote Psalm 90?

Think of the 4 time periods mentioned:

a) Verse 2: God is from eternity to eternity

b) Verse 4: A thousand years is like yesterday.  Jesus wlking with us was like 2 days ago to God.

c) Verse 10: We live to 70 or 80 if we are strong and the days are full of hard work and sorrow.

d) Verses 12 and 14: Every morning start with God that we may make most of each day and that they may have song and rejoicing.

Draw a ‘Time Perspective’ picture on a whiteboard.

First a line from end to end showing God from eternity to eternity.

Then a cross to show when Christ lived.

A man after 2 thousand years (as it were 2 days)

A tombstone 80 years later.

Then ask what our life is like from verse 10.

How should we live this life?

What did Moses pray in verse 12 and 14?

For us to value every day and to start each day with His love that we might sing and rejoice all of our lives.

Play the song ‘Morning has broken’ from the Cat Stevens album ‘Teaser and the Firecat’ side 2.  The words were written by a Christian poet and the piano played by Rick Wakeman.

 

Craft

Make a card rotatory to illustrate starting each day with Jesus.

Cut out 2 circles of card.  The second has a piece cut out of it.

Click here to download shape template

In the lower half of the circle, colour it black.

In the upper half draw a sun rising.

Join them together in the centre with a split pin.  The shape should rotate showing darkness and the morning.

Then write on the top piece, Psalm 90 v 14 going around the outside, and in the middle write ‘Start every morning with Jesus’.
I

Proverbs

PROVERBS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To learn wise sayings and in particular, children honouring their parents.

Ice Breaker

Ask the children if they know any sayings such as:

  • A stitch in time saves nine
  • The early bird catches the worm
  • A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
  • Many hands make light work
  • Too many cooks spoin the broth

Then ask what the meaning to the sayings are.

Bible Card

    • Author: Solomon (chapters 1-29), Agur (chapter 30 and king Lemuel (chapter 31)
    • Type: Wisdom
    • Written: 1000 to 600 BC
    • No. Chapters: 31
    • O.T. Book No.: 20

Study

Proverbs is a book of wise sayings, mainly written by a wise man called Solomon.

Following them it makes us wiser people.

Read proverbs 1v1-9 and consider the importance of being wise, heeding God and listening to your parents teaching.

Discuss what these proverbs mean:

  • Proverbs 15v22: Plans fail without good advice
  • Proverbs 15v28: Good people think before they answer
  • Proverbs 3v5: Trust in the Lord with all your heart
  • Proverbs 3v27: Whenever you are able, do good to people who need help
  • Proverbs 3v7: Don’t depend on your own wisdom
  • Proverbs 4v13: Always remember what you have been taught.  Don’t let go of it.
  • Proverbs 12v1: Anyone who loves learning accepts being corrected
  • Proverbs 13v4: THe lazy person will not get what he wants.

 

Craft

We have 2 crafts:

a) To make a spinner containing the proverbs sayings.

Use the template and fold to make the chooser  .

 

Proverbs chooser template

b) To make ‘Forget Me Not’ bookmarks.

  

In the summer I went and pressed some ‘Forget Me Not’ flowers.

Write out Proverbs 1v8,9 onto a piece of card:

“My child. Listen to you father’s teaching and do not forget your mother’s advice.  Their teaching will beautify your life.  It will be like flowers in your hair or a chain around your neck.”

Stick the ‘Forget Me Not’ flower onto the other side.

Lamenate the bookmarks, cut them out and puch a hold in the top.  It might be worth doing this before the study.

Cut out a label for the children to add their comments.  With a piece of ribbon, let them tie their label to the bookmark.

Ecclesiastes

ECCLESIASTES SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
There is a right time for everything.

Ice Breaker
Play a game where timing is important.

Bible Card

  • Author: Solomon
  • Type: Wisdom
  • Written: 450 BC
  • No. Chapters: 10
  • O.T. Book No.: 21

Study
Read Ecclesiastes 3v1-8

What different times are there?
A time to play?
A time to go to church?
A time to get up?
A time to laugh and a time to cry.

The things we do need to be appropriate for the time.

If someone tells a joke, you can laugh.
For example, tell this joke. There was a very emotional wedding. Even the cake was in tiers (tears).

If someone is upset, do you try to comfort them or laugh?
In this case, it would be inappropriate to laugh.

We need to be wise and do the things that need to be done at the right time. Make good choices.

Use your time well, not just for yourself, but for God and others.

Need time for:
– Getting enough sleep. Psalm 127v2
– Prayer and meditation
– Working hard
– Exercise and looking after the body
– Eating and drinking healthy food.
– A good shower.
– Looking after your appearance.
– Listen to and read good things
– Focus on good friendships and quality relationships.
– Do good things.
– Play (not out of proportion).

Play ‘The Seekers’ song. For every season, turn, turn, turn. A time for every purpose under heaven. I play it on an old record player.

Craft
Make a clock and add activities to the numbers.
Write on it – “There is a time for everything. Eccl 3v1”.

Song Of Solomon

SONG OF SOLOMON SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective 

To realise that we need to catch ‘little’ sins before they become a problem

Ice Breaker

Play the game ‘Jitter Bugs’ where the children have to catch bugs with a magnetic fishing rod.

Those bugs need to be caught before they eat the flowers.

We need to catch problems before they cause damage.

Bible Card

Author: Solomon
Type: Wisdom
Written: 971 – 931 BC
No. Chapters: 8
O.T. Book No.: 22

Study

The Song of Solomon is a love story. It tells the story of a bridegroom and a bride going through different experiences that strengthen or damage their love. It is very poetical and uses picture language to explain their experiences.

One of those experiences was of little sins called foxes. If they were not caught, they would prevent their love being as fruitful as it should be.

Read Song of Solomon 2v14-15.

She was hiding from her husband and the foxes needed to be caught.

The picture language can be used to reflect the relationship between Jesus (the bridegroom) and the church (the bride).

Read Ephesians 5v27.

What can damage the relationship between Jesus and us.

Little foxes! Sins that if left unchecked, will grow and ruin our fruitfulness.

Craft

Make a door mural using sticky back stickers.

The key to the craft is a “Walplus AY 221 fox tree height measure” that can be provided by several suppliers.  Add to this some grapes and a sticky back verse that can be coloured in.

Isaiah

ISAIAH SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To see the Lord Jesus in the Isaiah

Ice Breaker

Jig Saw.  Have a relatively easy jigsaw.

Before the study, write on the back : “The new is in the old concealed; the old is in the new revealed”.

Do the jig-saw on a piece of card.  When the puzzle is finished, put another piece of card on top, and turn the whole thing over.  The read the message.

By putting together the puzzle, the message is revealed.  In the same way, we need to put the messages of the old testament together to reveal Jesus.

Bible Card

    • Author: Isaiah
    • Type: Major Prophet
    • Written: 739 – 681 BC
    • No. Chapters: 66
    • O.T. Book No.: 23

Study and Craft

This week, we do the craft and th study together.

Have a piece of card with 5 jigsaw pieces drawn on them with the letters JESUS on it.

Get the children to cut out the puzzle.

On the back, we take each letter and see a message.

First of all, write on the bottom, ‘The new is in the old concelaed’.

Then go through the pairs of verses explaining how the old reveals the new.

J is for Jesus is born.

In Isaiah we read this in Isaiah 7v14.

In the new we read the message of ‘God with us’ in Matthew 1 v 22.

 

E is for Educates

Isaiah 9v1,2 : A light has dawned on the people living in darkness

Matthew 4v13-16: Same verses.  Emphasise that they are the same words, the old prophesying the new.

 

S is for Suffers

Isaiah 53v4 : He bore the pain and suffering for us.

Matthew 8v17

 

U is for Under ground

Isaiah 53v9 : Assigned a grave

Matthew 27 v60

 

is for Saves

Isaiah 53v11 : He will save (justify) many and will bear their sins.

2 Corinthians 5v2

 

It is tempting to make this week’s sunday school class too detailed, so try to keep this as simple as you can so that the children can understand it.

Jeremiah

JEREMIAH SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To help the children stand up for what is right.

Ice Breaker
Play a game where someone has to be bold to point out that you are doing something wrong. eg. a game where you have to double a number each time. If you can’t do it you are out. But sneakily, but so you can be seen, have the numbers written down.
ie 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256. 512, 1024…
Hopefully one of the children will challenge you for having them written down. Congratulate them for doing this, which is the point of the game. Standing up for what is right.

Bible Card

  • Author: Jeremiah
  • Type: Major Prophet
  • Written: 630 – 580 BC
  • No. Chapters: 52
  • O.T. Book No.: 24

Study

Read Jeremiah 38 v1-13 then act it out with fluffy toys representing:
– Jeremiah the prophet,
– Zedekiah the King
– Ebed-Melek, an African man called a Cushite.
– Officials and guards if you have enough.

Then get some rags and a bucket and rescue Jeremiah from the muddy pit using the rags.

Discuss:
– Did Jeremiah do right to warn the people?
– Was Ebed-Melek very brave as well?
– Was the king wrong?

Why did God let Jeremiah suffer?

Then look at Jeremiah 39v15-18.

Even though it is very hard to stand up for what is right, even though you might have problems because of it, God will bless those who do what is right. It is the right thing to stand up for the truth, even if it makes you unpopular.

Craft
Make 2 figures out of pipe-cleaners and with some rags, make a collage to illustrate Jeremiah being resued.
Write on the verse: Jeremiah 39v 18 I will save you …. because you trust in me, declares the Lord.’”

Lamentations

LAMENTATIONS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To have hope in times of sadness.
Ice Breaker

Try making a pyramid of cards.
Even when they fall down, you hope you can build it into a tower.

Bible Card

    • Author: Jeremiah
    • Type: Major Prophet
    • Written: 586-520 BC
    • No. Chapters: 5
    • O.T. Book No.: 24

Study
Do you know any poems?

There are many types of poems. Some are silly, some tell a story, some are just pretty.
Lamentations is a book of sad poems.
Lamentations means crying and talking about all of the sad things that have happened.
The form of poetry used is called ACROSTICS.
This means you take every letter of the alphabet and start the next line of your peom with that letter.
Here is a silly poem I wrote as an example.

Always have a tissue handy in case your nose runs.
Because if you don’t, it might dribble into your mouth.
Causing you to cough your nose dribble everywhere.
Dribbling down the wall, on the floor,
Eeverywhere you can think of!

In the Hebrew alphabet there are 22 letters.

Lamentations chapters 1, 2 and 4 have 22 acrostic verses.
Chapter 3 has 66 acrostic verses, 3 verses for each letter.

Why is the letter so sad? Becasue Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians and the temple was destroyed in AS 587/586. Many of the survivors have been taken into slavery. They had been punished for their sins and the enemy was happy.

However, in the middle of the sadness, there are some verses of HOPE.
Hope looks beyond sadness. Read Lamentations Chapter 3 v 21-26.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.

Craft
The tears of the prophet Jeremiah.
The hope of the prophet Jeremiah.

Make a picture, on one side have 6 tear drops filled in with (for example):
1. Jerusalem is empty
2. Jerusalem is now a slave
3. Jerusalem’s friends have become their enemies
4. The people are captive in a foreign land
5. Everyone is sad
6. Enemies enjoying seeing the Jews being punished for their sins.

On the other side, put on reasons to have hope from Lamentations 3v21-26.

Ezekiel

EZEKIEL SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To know that God turns hearts of stone into hearts of flesh.

Ice Breaker

Turning balls of yellow into balls of pink.

Play a trick of changing 4 fluffy yellow balls into 4 fluffy pink balls.

  

I like to tell the children how tricks are done so that there is no illusion of magic involved.

Bible Card

    • Author: Ezekiel
    • Type: Major Prophet
    • Written: 593 -571 BC
    • No. Chapters: 48
    • O.T. Book No.: 26

Study 

Look at body parts as the link.

a) Eyes and Ears

Ezekiel was a prophet who lived in Jerusalem before he was exiled into Babylon.

While he was in Jerusalem, he prophesied to the people that because they were rebellious, they would be judged.

Read Ezekiel 12 v 1,2.  What did he says about their eyes and ears?  They saw but did not see.  They heard but did not hear.

After the exile, God spoke words of encouragement using other parts of the human body to explain.

b) Heart

Read Ezekiel 36 v 24-28 and read verses 25 and 26 again.

After God cleanses a person, what does He do to the heart?

He removes the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh.

Have you ever heard of a ‘hard hearted’ person.  It is a person who doesn’t care about how others feel.  In other words, lacking in love.

c) Bones

Read Ezekiel 37 v 1-14.  See how the dry bones came to life.  I played the ‘Dem Bones’ song by the Delta Rhthm Boys.

This is what God do.  He can change people who are like dry bones into spiritually alive people.  Make sure you avoid ‘Zombie’ talk, but talk about new life in Christ and how our sities are spiritually full of dry bones.  May God raise up a spiritual army of people dedicated to serve Him.

Craft

a) Hearts of Flesh

  1. Cut out a heart shape (or let the children cout out) for each child from pink foam using a heart shaped pastry cutterto draw around.   Write on it using a biro, ‘Heart of Flesh’ Ezekiel 36v27.
  2. Let the children roll out some modelling clay to about 1 cm in thickness.  Using the same pastry cutter, cut out heart shapes.   Then etch into the heart using an appropriate pen ‘Heart of Stone’.
  3. Let the children using modelling glue to glue the back of the foam and the stone together.
  4. Leave to dry.

b) Skeleton to Life.

Use a Jointed Person Kit to make a jointed person and colour it in.

Our children seemed to enjoy making this more than the heart.

Daniel

DANIEL SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To see that God answers prayer

Ice Breaker
There are a couple of ice breakers suggested here to show demonstrate success with protection.

a) Pushing cars through obstacles.
Set up the room with obstacles across the floor. Challenge the children with 1 push (no throwing or moving with the car) to get the car to the other end. When we did this, no-one achieved this, partly because of the rubbish cars we were using! Then, get an empty carpet tube (we used 2 joined together), slide the cars down the tube to the other side.
The illustration here is that with the protection of the tube, the other side could be reached. In the same way, Daniel with prayer and God’s angel, survived the lion’s den.

b) Buzzer machine.
Use an electronic current machine to see how far people can get without setting off the buzzer..

Then put tape around the hoop and people can get to the end.

The idea of this game is to represent that life is dangerous, but we protect ourselves with prayer.

Bible Card

  • Author: Daniel
  • Type: Major Prophet
  • Written: 656-606 BC
  • No. Chapters: 12
  • O.T. Book No.: 27

Study

Read Daniel Chapter 6 and/or show the presentation found on this page: https://bibleforchildren.org/PDFs/english/Daniel_and_the_Lions_Den_English.pdf

Downloaded the pdf before the class, then show it as a presentation.

Ask the children what we can learn from this story.

One of the things is that we should pray and trust God in difficult times.

Do you know that Satan is described like a roaring lion. What are we meant to do when he roars at us?

Read 1 Peter 5v8,9. We are to stand strong in our faith, just like Daniel did. Is Satan roaring at you at the moment? Be strong. Trust God and pray. Ask for help if you need it.

Because it is a long story, manage the reading the story and talking about it so that it doesn’t takes up all of the study time.

Craft

Make a Lion’s den and act out the story.

Hosea

HOSEA SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To know that God cares about you even if things get messed up.

Note. You may need to adapt this study to make it appropriate, as some of the content could be difficult for some children.

Ice Breaker
The idea of this ice breaker is to start making something. Then it gets messed up, but instead of starting over again, use the mess-up to make it into something else. This does depend on you and your class talents. This could be a brush painting, a clay pot or a play-dough figure for example.

So you don’t end up with what you said you were going to make, but you end up with something else which is still good.

Ask, should we have given up when it went wrong?
No, because something good was made anyway.

Then say sometimes things don’t work out the way you want them to, and sometimes your life goes wrong somewhere. But this doesn’t mean that God will give up on you. He can use even your mistakes to make it into something good if you let Him.

Bible Card

  • Author: Hosea
  • Type: Minor Prophet
  • Written: 740 BC
  • No. Chapters: 14
  • O.T. Book No.: 28

Study

Ask if any children know the story of the ‘Prodigal Son’? If so, get them to relate it to the class, otherwise give a brief overview.

The book of Hosea contains a story about a ‘Prodigal Wife’.
Hosea got married to Gomer who was unfaithful and went out with other men and had 3 children with them and then got trapped by them.

Read Hosea Chapter 3v1-3. God told Hosea to go and bring Gomer back even though she has been unfaithful.

The story is a picture of Israel. How they were unfaithful to God, yet God brought them back again.
Read Hosea 3v5 how the Israelites will return to God.
Then the second part of Hosea 14v8. God watches over you and answers prayers.

Tell the story of little Jimmy who made a boat. He sailed it across a lake. When he went to the other side of the lake to collect it, it wasn’t there. He was very sad about this.
One day, he was passing by a shop and saw his boat in a window. He went it and said it was his. The shop-keeper said that he had bought it but Jimmy could have it back if he paid £5 for it.
So Jimmy saved up his pocket money until finally he went to the shop and bought it back.

Then Jimmy said, this boat is twice mine. I made it and I bought it.

In the same we belong to the Lord twice. We have been made by God and Jesus paid the price for us on the cross.

God can buy you back if you will accept Him as your saviour.

Craft

Buy a model airplane kit for each child and help then make their own plane.
The idea of the plane is to reflect the thought of God watching over you.
Have stickers to put on the planes.
Underneath: “I Made You” and ‘I Bought You”
On Top:
Hosea 14v8b “I the Lord and the one who answers your prayers”.
Hosea 14v8c “I am the one who watches over you”.

 

Joel

JOEL SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To understand that those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

Ice Breaker

One of the children brought in some stick insects and showed them around and gave one to another child.  I was as a backup going to buy some locusts from a pet shop to show what they looked at.

Bible Card

  • Author: Joel
  • Type: Minor Prophet
  • Written: 609-586 BC
  • No. Chapters: 3
  • O.T. Book No.: 29

Study

Read Joel 1v4,7,10

Show a video on locusts.  Discuss how a plague of locusts can destroy all of the vegetaion in an area.  It is called a plague.

Look at the prophesies of judgement for that time, for the time Jesus comes and for final judgement in Joel 2v25, Joel 2v28-32 and Acts 2v17-21.

Key verse Joel 2v32:  “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”.

Discuss what it means to call on the Lord.

Craft

Make a locust.

Use pipecleaners and a clothes peg and some googley eyes to make the locust.

Get the childen to write out the verse Joel 2v32 onto the peg or a piece of paper to stick on.

Amos

AMOS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To see that the bible is the standard to measure right from wrong.

Ice Breaker

Hand out the a series of foam bricks and ask the children to build a tall straight tower each.

Then measure them with a weight on a string and declare the winner.  I used a fishing weight.

Bible Card

  • Author: Amos
  • Type: Minor Prophet
  • Written: 760 – 750 BC
  • No. Chapters: 9
  • O.T. Book No.: 30

Study

Question: How do you know if something is right or wrong?

Consider the different answers.

Read Amos 5 v 25, 27

“Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?
You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god which you made for yourselves. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.

They had been worshipping other Gods.  Why was that wrong?  Because God said He was the one they should worship.  They were not doing what God said.

Then read Acts 7 v 42-43.  Stephen quoted this very passage.  The bible said it so it must be right.

Now read about the ‘Plumb Line’ in Amos 7 v 7,8

 This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand.  And the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”“A plumb line,” I replied.  Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.

Asks them how you spell ‘Plumb Line’ and then ask them what is it for.

Explain how a Plump Line is used in construction to make sure that a building is vertical.  It is a sure standard of a vertical measure (so long as the wind isn’t blowing).

 

Read Isaiah 28 v17 I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.  The ch

What 2 things were used by God to measure?  Justice and Righteousness.

God used a plumb line to show that the people had done wrong.

The bible’s 66 books are called ‘The canon of scrupture’.  The word ‘canon’ is from a Greek word meaning rule or measuring stick.   What we do can be measured against what the bible says.

The bible says love others as you love yourself.  Do you do that?  The bible can reveal selfishness which is not right.  We can use the bible as a plumb line.

Craft

Make a Plumb Line.

Blow up a balloon for each child and attach a nylon line as with a plastic weight. 

On one side of the weight, let the children write ‘Justice’ and on the other side ‘Righteousness’.

On the balloon write ‘God used a plumb line to show Amos that people were doing wrong things’.  On the other side write ‘The bible is a plumb line’.

Obadiah

OBADIAH SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
The lesson today is to teach is not to look down on people and how the proud fall.

Ice Breaker
Play a game of ‘Tumbling Monkeys’ and see how the monkeys fall.

Bible Card

    • Author: Obadiah
    • Type: Minor Prophet
    • Written: 586 BC
    • No. Chapters: 1
    • O.T. Book No.:31

Study
Read the story of the Pharisee and the tak collector in Luke 18 v9-14

What do you think about this story?
Who did God listen to? The humble tax collector.

Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC
Read Obadiah verses 12-15

Edom was of the people of Esau, the brother of Jacob.
The Edomites were happy at the destruction, but they should not have been. God judged them as well.

How should we behave?
Read 1 Peter 5v5 and Proverbs 3v34
With humility.

Proverbs 16v18 tells us that pride comes before a fall.
Craft

Create ‘Humpty Dumpties’.
See who knows the nursery rhyme ‘Humpty Dumpty’.
One explanation of the rhyme King Richard iii was a proud ruthless hunchback (humpty) king who died in the battle of Bosworth Moor in Leicestershire in 1485. Pride came before a fall, and none of the kings horses or men could put him back together again. In 2012 his remains were discovered, and it was found he had severe scoliosis of the spine and also had a roundworm infection in his tummy.

Before the meeting, clean and blow some eggs. This is done by using an awl to make a hole at both end of the eggs, and after cleaning, blowing the contents out then cleaning the egg.

Make arms, legs and tummy from card. Draw on a face and sit him on the wall.
Write on the wall ‘Pride comes before a fall’.

Also Obadiah 4: You fly high like an eagle. You make your nest among the stars. But I will bring you down from there, says the Lord.

Jonah

JONAH SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON


Objective: Realise that God is in  control

Ice Breaker

Have a challenge to get a toy person into a basket.

After seeing the children struggling, introduce 2 carpet tubes with the children holding them up.  Make the person slide.down the first tube in 1 direction then plop into the other tube which finishes.up in the basket.

Jonah got to where God wanted him to go to even though he set off in the wrong direction.

Bible Card

  • Author: Jonah
  • Type: Minor Prophet
  • Written: Approx 750BC
  • No. Chapters: 4
  • O.T. Book No.: 32

Study

What do we know about Jonah?

He was a prophet – one through whom God spoke.  Read Jonah 1v1  and 2 Kings 14v25.

Jonah was from Gath-hepher, which was near Nazareth, in the area known later as Galilee.

He was told to prophesy against a place called Ninevah.  Did he want to go?  No.

Read Jonah 1v1,2.  He went in the opposite direction because, not because he was afraid, but because he wanted Ninevah to be destroyed, and not be saved because they listened and asked for  forgiveness when they heart his teaching.

Sometimes God wants us to do things that we might not want to do.  God wanted to show kindness, but Jonah didn’t!

But God changed everything around.

See what the children know about the story.  If they don’t know, give an outline of how Jonah was asleep in a storm where they were all going to die.  They storm quietened when he was thrown overboard.  A large fish swallowed up Jonah for 3 days where he trusted God and was delivered to Ninevah where he preached and the city was saved.

What did Jesus say about Jonah?

Read Matthew 12v38-41

Jesus prophesied that Jonah’s 3 days in the belly of the fish would represent how he would spend 3 days in the heart of the earth at his burial and then he would be raised from the dead.  The Ninevah people would repent and be saved at the preaching of Jonah and how we are saved when we repent and turn to Jesus for salvation.

What other similarities are there? Look at Jonah 1v4-12.

  • Jonah was asleep in the boat.   Jesus slept in a boat during the storm.
  • Jesus caused the storm to still at his command.  Jonah obeyed God and the storm was quietened.
  • Jonah allowed himself to be thrown overboard.  Jesus allowed the soldiers to kill him.
  • The fish gave up Jonah to life.  The tomb gave up Jesus to new life.
  • Jonah is one of the few prophets sent to the Gentiles.  After the resurrection, Jesus said the the gospel will be proclaimed to the Gentiles after it was preached to the Jews.

Craft

Make a picture showing these similarities with Jonah on one side and Jesus on the other.

Micah

MICAH SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective 

To see prophesies in the Old Testament fulfilled in the New Testament

Ice Breaker

Have pictures that show one thing, but if you look hard at them you can see something else.  I used pictures from ‘Magic Eye’ by N.E. Thing Enterprises.

Look closely and see if you can see the heart:

Bible Card

  • Author: Micah
  • Type: Minor Prophet
  • Written: 750 – 700 BC
  • No. Chapters: 7
  • O.T. Book No.: 33

Study

Read Micah 5v2

What did Micah say would happen?

A king would be born in Bethlehem who would be from ancient times.

What happened hundreds of years later?

Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

Read Matthew 2 v 1-6

It was recognised by the scribes that it was prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

There are over 200 prophesies in the Old Testament that you find fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is possible there are 456 such prophesies. It is a real encouragement to your faith when you read them.

But there is even more to a prophesy when you dig into it. Take for example, Bethlehem. Why Bethlehem? It is a very important place in the bible.

1. Genesis 35:19-20 Where Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin which means ‘Son of the right hand’. If time, see also Jer 31v15 and Matthew 2v18.

2. Ruth 1v1,2.  Ruth came from Bethlehem.

3. 1 Samuel 16v1. David chosen from Bethlehem.

4. Luke 2v4-6. Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to register because they were of the line of David.

5. John 7:42. Key Verse: “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”

The bible fits together in a wonderful way over hundreds of years. God has a plan that is revealed in both the Old and the New Testament.

Augustus once said: “The New is in the Old Concealed, the Old is in the New Revealed”. We can see this through prophesy in scripture, of which Micah 5v2 is an example.

Craft

Have pieces of card that when scratched shows rainbow patterns underneath.  I used the book “Rainbow Magical Scratch Pad”  (containing 24 sheets and 2 scratch pens, although Kebab sticks make great scratch pens as well).

Write out the words:

The New is in the Old Concealed, the Old is in the New Revealed

Nahum

NAHUM SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective 

To compare God’s protection with God’s judgement

Ice Breaker

Have a line of dominoes that will fall when you push the first one.

When God acts in judgement, the walls fall down,

Bible Card

  • Author: Nahum
  • Written: 612 BC
  • Type: Minor Prophet
  • No. Chapters: 3
  • O.T. Book No.: 34

Study

Read Nahum 1v1,2

Nahum is writing a prophesy to the city of Ninevah that God will punish the city, because of their wickedness and endless cruelty.  (Nahum 3v19).

Nahum came from Elkosh, a town in Northern Israel and was aware of the great power of Assyria of which Ninevah was its capital.

In Jonah, 2 books back, written 150 years earlier, God was going to punish them then, but at the preaching of Jonah, they repented.  Read Jonah 3v5.

But they did evil once more.  100 years earlier, in 709 BC under the leadership of the evil Sennacherib, the Assyrians first attached Samaria and captured the people.  Then they attacked Hezekiah in Jerusalem, and Hezekiah prayed to God.  In 2 Kings 19:35,36 we read how God protected the people and destroyed the Assyrian host. That is because Hezekiah trusted God and God protected him.

They continued to practice evil, and finally Nahum prophesied against them and then they were destroyed by the Babylonians.  We did not hear of them repenting this time.

God will punish wicked people and protect those who trust Him.

Read Nahum 1v7.

God knows those who trust in Him and does provide protection.

It wasn’t until evil kings ruled in Judah that Jerusalem was destroyed.

Craft

In the RSV version of the bible, Nahum 1v7 says:

The Lord is good,
    a stronghold in the day of trouble;
    he knows those who take refuge in him.

Make a stronghold out of a cardboard box.

Turn the flaps and bend them in (I stapled them as well) so that ‘people’ can stand on the battlements.  You might want to use fluffy toys as people.  I cut out pictures of soldiers, attached them to lollypop sticks and pushed them into the box   Cut out ‘Cranels’ (gaps in the battlements) and draw on a portcullis and windows.  Draw on stones and decorate.

Then write on the castle this verse.

Remind the children to look to God for protection.

Habakkuk

HABAKKUK SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To see things from God’s perspective

Ice Breaker

Get out an appropriate children’s card game with the cards in an order that favours the leader. Deal the cards out and play the game, making it obvious that you have dealt yourself the best cards.

See how the children react!! Does wrong doing prosper? Not before God, nor with your Sunday School children!.

Bible Card

  • Author: Habakkuk
  • Type: Minor Prophet
  • Written: 605 BC
  • No. Chapters: 3
  • O.T. Book No.: 35

Study

Read Habakkuk Chapter 1 verses 2 to 4.

What do these verses say? Habakkuk is complaining about a lot of bad things that were going on.

God replies in verse 5. Watch. The Babylonians will sweep across the earth.

Read Habakkuk Chapter 1 v 12,13. Habakkuk complains again – why should
these evil men be allowed to do this?

Read Habakkuk Chapter 2 v 1.

Habakkuk climbs the watchtower to see God’s answer.

Bring out or build a watchtower made out of lego. Let one of the youngest make Habakkuk climb to the top.

What do Habakkuk see and learn?

Read Habakkuk chapter 3 verses 17-19

Even though lots of bad things may happen, he will rejoice and be glad because God is his saviour and he will look after him.

When things look bad what should you do?

a) Pray and look to God

b) See what God is saying

c) Rejoice in your salvation even though there is trouble.

d) Trust God for the strength to keep you through the trouble.

Key verses Habakkuk Chapter 3 v 18,19.

Craft

Make a telescope with 3 pieces of interlocking cardboard tube.

On the end, tape a piece of clear film.

On the film draw a cross.

On the side of the cardboard, attach a sticker with the words ‘Focus on God’.
  

Zephaniah

ZEPHANIAH SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective: To know that God rejoices over His people.

Ice Breaker

Bible Card

  • Author: Zephaniah
  • Type: Minor Prophet
  • Written: 641-612 BC
  • No. Chapters: 3
  • O.T. Book No.: 36

Study

Zephaniah is a book of judgement.

The judgement of Judah and Israel was coming because of the disobedience of the people of God.  Indeed, there was a judgement of the nations of that time.  There is also reference to ‘The day of the Lord’ of a future judgement to come to the world.  At the end of the book there is hope as a remnant will survive who will honour God.  God will rejoice in those people.

For the judgement of Judah, read Zephaniah 1 v 4-6.

For future judgement, read Zephaniah 1v18.

For God’s rejoicing in those who honour Him, read Zephaniah 3v17.

God will:

  • Be with his people
  • Save his people
  • Be happy with us
  • We will rest in His love
  • God will sing and be joyful about us.

Can you imagine God singing for joy for His people?

Can you imaging God being happy with you?

Do you know what it is to be saved and to rest in His love?

Can anything separate us from God’s love?

Look at Romans 8 v 35-38

God’s children are loved by Him, no matter what happens in life.  Let us rest in that love.

Craft

Make a musical instrument with which to praise the Lord.

I used 2 paper plates stapled opposite each other with rice inside with ‘Praise the Lord’ written on it.  Provide materials for the children to make their instruments.

Afterwards, sing ‘Praise the name of Jesus’ together, using the musical instruments to accompany you.

Haggai

HAGGAI SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To encourage generosity and to know God blesses those who bless Him.

Ice Breaker
Build a temple out of lego bricks on a foundation.

Bible Card

  • Author: Haggai
  • Type: Minor Prophet
  • Written: 520BC
  • No. Chapters: 2
  • O.T. Book No.: 37

Study
Haggai was a young boy when Jerusalem was beaten, the temple destroyed and the people taken away to Babylon. Read Haggai 2v5 of how Haggai remembered how beautiful the temple was.

59 years later, Zerubabbel was appointed Governer of the first few people that returned and with Ezra took 2 years to lay the foundations of the temple, but it got no further for 17 years.

Haggai was an old prophet now and told them that they were not being blessed because they had not finished rebuilding the temple.

Read Haggai 1v3. It is time to restart the building. They were living in fancy houses while the temple was in ruins.
Read Haggai 1v9. They were not being blessed because of this.

So they started working on rebuilding the temple.
God said the new temple would be more beautiful than the last and peace would be given. Read Haggai 2v9

At the end of the book, Haggai told Zerubabbel that he would be like God’s signet ring because he was chosen. Read Haggai 2v23.

Explain that a signet ring was used to put a seal of their owner in wax on letters to prove who it came from. God worked powerfully through that leader. He wasn’t a king of Israel, but he was God’s chosen leader through whom he blessed Jerusalem.

If you are able to, give an example of a seal on plastercine or clay or paper, that would be helpful. In 1 Kings 21v8 Jezebel sealed letters on behalf of Ahab and in Esther, Haman sealed letters for the king.

Read Matthew 28 v18,19 – Jesus sends us with his power and authority.

Craft

The aim is to stamp baggage labels with each child’s name and with ‘Go in my name. Matthew 28v18,19 ).

Just as Zerubabbel went as God’s signet ring with God’s authority and under his governorship the temple and walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. So we are sent under by the Lord Jesus Christ who has all authority.

The baggage label with your name on it represents being sent.

Zechariah

ZECHARIAH SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

Ice Breaker

Have a child ride on a wheeled wooden donkey through the Sunday School class through rows of children putting flowers or leaves or bits of cloth in the way.

Bible Card

    • Author: Zechariah
    • Type: Minor Prophet
    • Written: around 518 to 520 BC
    • No. Chapters: 14
    • O.T. Book No.: 38

Study

Zechariah was written around the time the temple of Jerusalem was being rebuilt and the people of Israel were returning after bsiing exiled in Babylon for 70 years. Zechariah made a number of prophesies. Some relating to that time of restoration, but others like this one, were about the future.

Read Zechariah 9v9 (ICB) “Rejoice, people of Jesusalem. Shout for joy, people of Jerusalem.
Your king is coming to you. He does what is right, and he saves.
He is gentle and riding on a donkey. He is on the colt of a donkey.”

520 years is a long time. It is about that long ago that Columbus discovered America.
A lot has happened since then.

The Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament.
Look at this prophesy.
a) It is a joyful occassion with lots of shouting
b) It is in Jerusalem
c) A king arrives who does what is right and saves
d) He is gentle or humble
e) He is riding on a donkey.

Who do you think this prophesy is talking about?

Read John 12v12-15 and if time, Luke 19v28-40, Mark 11v1-10, Matthew 21v1-11.

It is wonderful to see the prophesy and the actual event fitting together.

As well as the prophesy, can we see any other lessons from the story?
– Jerusalem did continue as a city, while Babylon did not.
– Jesus is the king
– Jesus is humble and gentle
– Jesus is a righteous saviour

What a wonderful Lord we have.

Craft

Make a Palm leaf from a cut out of a hand in a tube.

Malachi

MALACHI SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To look at the prophesy of Jesus’ coming, in the light of John the Baptist’s ministry.

Ice Breaker

Play the repeat game. First child sings, “I went to the market and bought a ..”.
The second child repeats what the first child said and adds another word.
Keep going until someone gets it wrong.

Bible Card

  • Author: Malachi
  • Type: Minor Prophet
  • Written: 450 BC
  • No. Chapters: 4
  • O.T. Book No.: 39

Study

What did you learn about the game?

The aim is to show that no matter how hard you try, you will eventually get it wrong.
That is like trying to keep all of the law of Moses or trying to get to God by your own good deeds.
No-one is good enough. That is why we all need Jesus to save us.

1. Failure to keep the law.
Malachi wrote the book after the return from exile.
After everything that had happened, the people of Israel were still unable to keep to the law.
Read Malachi 1v13. They were bringing unacceptable sacrifices such as lame animals.

2. John the Baptist – Looking forward – Hope.
Read Malachi 3v1-3 – A messenger wil be sent to prepare the way for a purifyer who will help you offer right sacrifices.
Read Malachi 4v5 – Elijah the prohet will be sent.

3. Gap
Ask ‘When was Malachi written?’.
A huge gap, waiting for the promise to be fulfilled.

4. John the Baptist Arrives
Game: Spot the difference quiz. Ask the children to find the spot the difference between 2 pictures.
Spot the difference between John the baptist an Elijah.
Turn the page of the bible, and look an Matthew chapter 3v4. Then look at 2 Kings 1v8.

The read Matthew 11v14.

What did you learn about John the Baptist?

Look at Luke 3v10-16 What happened?
John the Baptist prepared people for Jesus.

Books of the New Testament

Matthew

MATTHEW SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To look forward to Jesus return in an active way.

Ice Breaker

Play the ‘Catch a fish’ game.  This is a game where you need to wait for the right moment for the fish to come and then catch the fish.  The point is that you need to be ready.  If you aren’t, you won’t catch the fish.

Bible Card

  • Author: Matthew
  • Type: Gospel
  • Written: AD 80 to AD 90
  • No. Chapters: 28
  • N.T. Book No.: 1

Study

Often in scripture, we have several passages coming together to compliment a particular message such as the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son.

Matthew 25 contains 3 sections:

  1. The 10 bridesmaids
  2. The 3 traders
  3. The sheep and the goats

The 10 Bridesmaids. Matthew 25v1-13.  LADIES

The use of street lighting was first recorded in the city of Antioch from the 4th century.

Individuals needed their own lights to be able to see.

Act out the story after giving the volunteer bridesmaids battery lamps: some lamps that will not turn on and lamps that will (don’t tell them that some will not turn on).  Show how a working one will turn on.  Let the bridesmaids pretend they have fallen asleep.  Get one child to shout out that the bridegroom is coming and say quick, quick, turn on your lights.  The panic caused makes it all very real.

They all slept. The foolish maidens had no spare oil (batteries), ask to share their oil (battery) and have to go looking for another and are locked out.  The oil represents the Holy Spirit, without whom no-one can be saved. He draws us to Christ and when we believe, dwells in the believer.

Why could they not share their oil?  Each person must find the Lord for herself.

Will your light shine?

The 3 Traders: Matthew 25v14-30. MEN The third trader hid and did not use what was given to him.

Ask what the lesson tells us.  We need to use what we have been given and not hide.  One day we will be judged for what the Lord has given us.

Each of us has different gifts. We need to use the gifts that we have been given well.

Sheep and Goats: Matthew 25v31-46

Read relevant sections from the passage.

Ask how are we to treat other people?

Will you be inviting the stranger, clothing the poor, look after the sick or visit those in prisons. Not just the prisons for incarceration, but the prisons of addiction, loneliness, grief or rejection.

When you do so, try to remember that by doing this you are also doing it for Jesus.

Conclusion:  Will you:

  • Keep your light shining
  • Use your gifts
  • Care for the needy as if you were serving the Lord Himself.

Craft

Decorate a lamp and put on the message, “Let your light shine’.

Mark

MARK SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective To see the glory of Jesus.

Ice Breaker
Use a prism to shone light through to make rainbows, showing that there is more to things than we see at first sight.

Bible Card

  • Author: Mark
  • Type: Jesus and the Church
  • Written: 66 – 70 AD
  • No. Chapters: 16
  • N.T. Book No.: 2

Study The Mount of Transfiguration.

This story is told in 3 of the gospel, alluded to in the fourth and in 1 John 1 and other places. It is an important story.
Read Mark 9v1-9.

Consider verse 1. Jesus said some would not die until they see the kingdom of God coming with power. What Jesus prophesised happened a week later. The transfiguration meant that the Kingdom of God had come with Power with Jesus.
Verses like this can seem confusing when seen in isolation

Ask the children about the key points in this story which is discussed in 3 gospels and alluded to in the other.

– Jesus shone – amazingly changed. His true nature revealed. Shining bright.
– Moses and Elijah appeared – people who had lived hundreds of years before. Death is not the end.
– They were frightened
– Peter was wrong in wanting to put Jesus as an equal to Moses and Elijah. Jesus is God’s son.
– God spoke in the same way he spoke at Jesus baptism. This is my Son, Look at Mark 1v11.
– They weren’t to tell anyone what had happened. That was a hard thing to hold in.

Wouldn’t this have been an amazing thing to see? So many things happened.

Craft
To make a model that transforms.
Have for each child:
– A cardboard person cut-out
– A cheap light/torch to be attached to the cardboard cut-out.
– A piece of linen cloth to wrap around the body as cloths that shine with the torch on.
– Cellotape to attach the torch to the body.
– Pens to draw a face.
– A piece of card saying ‘This is my Son’.

– Make the model, with the light showing up Jesus cloths and the voice of God speaking.

 

Luke

LUKE SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

Ice Breaker

Have some honey and breadsticks or teaspoons and have a tasting session.

Talk about how honey was used in the old days to sweeten foods and make them taste nice.  Honey was considered to be a health food.

If you have any honeycomb, show it to the children.

Bible Card

    • Author: Luke
    • Type: Gospel
    • Written: AD 60
    • No. Chapters: 24
    • N.T. Book No.: 3

Study

Jesus was known for speaking wise words.  Sometimes they were encouraging, sometimes rebuking, but all meant for good.

Read Luke 4 v16-22 Look at what the people said in verse 22.  “All the people praised Jesus. They were amazed at the beautiful words he spoke. ICB (International Children’s Bible).

Jesus was declaring before the people he grew up with that he was the person that was being talked about in Isaiah.  That was a marvelous revelation.   What wonderful words he spoke.

(Then he told them off and they were unhappy with that.)

The bible says that the bible’s words are very valuable and also sweeter than the best honey.  Read Psalm 19 v7-11.  In particular look at verse 10.

We too are encouraged to use ‘Pleasant Words’ and how like honey, they can really help people.  Read Proverbs 16v24.

Also look at Colossians 4v6.  “When you talk, you should always be kind and wise…”.  There are other verses like this that encourage us to use good and pleasant words.

What pleasant words can you use to help people?

They can be words from the bible or just plain pleasant words.

Craft

Honeycomb Craft.

Buy some packs of honeycomb paper balls and give one to each child.

Cut out some paper rectangles with ‘Pleasant Words’ on each one.

Here is an example you can download.

Leave some blank for the children to write their own.  Make sure you include some verses from the bible.

Roll up the filled in paper rectangles long ways, and insert each one into a separate honeycomb hole.  They will slighly unfold sealing themselves into the honeycomb.

  

Attach a bee with Proverbs 16v24 on it.

“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb.  They make a person happy and healthy.” Proverbs 16v24 ICB

John

JOHN SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To see how Jesus claimed to be the ‘I AM’ life giver.

Ice Breaker
Ask questions to the others about each child in turn to see how much people know about them:

What is your favourite colour?
Do you like custard?
Which of these 3 characters do you like best?
a) Winnie the Pooh
b) Iron Man
c) Thomas the Tank Engine?

See how many people got them right?
Add your own questions to make it fun.

How much do we know about each other?
Often we only know if we tell people.
Jesus told us a lot about himself in John’s Gospel.

Bible Card

    • Author: John
    • Type: Gospel
    • Written: AD 65-85
    • No. Chapters: 21
    • N.T. Book No.: 4

Study and Craft
I took some holiday pictures to look at most of the ‘I AM’s in John.
Make a poster of all of the I AM’s explaining each one in turn.

You need:
– A large piece of card
– Photos of the subject
– A piece of card to highlight the I AM. I used razor fish shells.
– A piece of card explaining what it means.

As you go through each verse, highlight each attribute of Jesus and how each verse shows how Jesus give us life.

Let the children make the poster.  I found it helped if I made up the materials before the lesson and let them put the poster together.

John 8v58 : Explain that Jesus is the I AM, which is the name which God called himself when he spoke with Moses at the burning bush.  It expresses the eternal present nature of God, even before Abraham was born.

John 14v6: I AM the way, the truth and the LIFE

John 8v12: I AM the light of the world.  Whoever believes in me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of LIFE

John 6v25: I AM the bread of LIFE

John 11v25: I AM the resurrection and the LIFE

John 15v5: I AM the vine, you are the branches… bearing much FRUIT

John 10v11: I AM the good shepherd who lays his LIFE down for the sheep.

John 10v9,10: I AM the gate … I have come that they may have abundant LIFE.

Consider who Jesus claimed to be and how he said he could save people that the may have LIFE.

Acts

ACTS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective 

To learn about prayer

Ice Breaker

Bring in some worms and talk about different types of worms.

In olden times, worms used to live in pigs and if you ate pork not properly cooked, you could get nasty tummy worms.

By not eating pork, Jews were unlikely to get tummy worms,

Bible Card

    • Author: Luke
    • Type: Jesus and the Church
    • Written: 80-90 AD
    • No. of Chapters: 28
    • N.T. Book No.: 5

Study

Read all of Acts 12.

Herod Agrippa, also known as Herod or Agrippa I , was a King of Judea from 41 to 44 AD.

He order James to be killed.

He put Peter in Jail.

After Peter was resued by and angel he killed his guards.

He did not give God the glory and he died from worms after an angel punished him.

If you have an older group, you could refer to a historian who of the time,  Josephus, in Antiquities 19.8.2 343-361 also speaks of Herod’s death where he describes the angel as an owl and he had “A severe pain arose in his belly, striking with a most violent intensity” and he took 5 days to die in agony.

How did the church react to these bad things? – wait for an answer.  They prayed.

They did not fight, form a resistance movement or cause trouble.

Read Acts 12v12.  They were praying for Peter’s release, but he had to keep knocking to be let in.

God works in wonderful ways in answer to prayer, and we don’t always recognise it.

Later on in Acts, we read about Paul talking to Herod’s son, King Herod Agrippa II.

He had a different attitude and was challenged to become a Christian.

What did Paul pray?  Read Acts 26v28 to 29  He prayed for all people as well as the king to be saved, except for the chains.

For older children: Some people used the acronym ACTS to remember how to pray.  Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication, which is a common format for prayers in the New Testament.

Craft

Prayer rocks.

Get rocks and draw prayers on them with ‘sharpies’ which are a type of pen that can be used to draw on ceramics and rocks.
Let the children be creative.

Romans

ROMANS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To make the children realise that what they do is important.

Ice Breaker

Parts of the body quiz or play the ‘Operation’ game or play ‘Twister’.

Bible Card

    • Author: Paul
    • Type: Letter
    • Written: AD 57-58
    • No. of Chapters: 16
    • N.T. Book No.: 6

Study

Readings: Romans 12v4-8 and if time, the whole of Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12v21-31

As we go through the readings, note the different parts of the body and different spiritual gifts described on a whiteboard.  For example:

  • Prophesy
  • Serve
  • Teach
  • Encourage
  • Give
  • Lead
  • Being kind

Get the children to explain this illustration.

Consider how each part of the body is important and how we all need each other to play the part that God has given them to do.

Is what a child can do as important as what a grown up can do?  Why?

Consider how every person is important and each role/gift matters.

Craft

Jig-saw person.

Have a jig-saw puzzle in the shape of a body for each child.

Explain that this is going to help explain the body of the church where everyone, I mean every one, has a role to play in it.

Have a foot missing on one of them and think about the impact of one part of the church body not being there .

On one side, let them draw a picture of themselves.
On the other side, get them to write on the body different roles that a Christian has.

    

Then ask them to colour in the gift that most matched their ability.

1 Corinthians

1 CORINTHIANS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To learn the Love is the greatest thing.

Ice Breaker
Use a block dropper to see how a block appears to move down a chain without actually moving.

Bible Card

    • Author: Paul
    • Type: Letter from Paul
    • Written: AD 53-57
    • Number of Chapters: 16
    • N.T. Book No.: 7

Study

Use the study found at https://www.biblefunforkids.com/2013/05/34-love-in-1-corinthians-13.html

Craft
Create a 1 Corinthians 13 Concertina using lollipop sticks.
Use labels to stitch alternate sides together.

2 Corinthians

2 CORINTHIANS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To see how becoming a Christian is a new start.

Ice Breaker

Bring in some caterpillars or butterflies and talk about how they change.

Introduce the word metamorphosis and explain how changes take place.

Then ask what changes that takes place when a person becomes a Christian?

Bible Card

    • Author: Paul
    • Type: Letters of Paul
    • Written: AD 55
    • No. of Chapters: 13
    • N.T. Book No.: 8

Study

Read 2 Cor 5v14-17,21

Write on a whiteboard the key changes that happens when a person becomes a Christian from this passage:

v14 – The love for Christ compels us.  He becomes Lord and we want to do things for Jesus out of our love for Him

v15 – We no longer live for ourselves, but for Jesus who died for us.

v16 – We see people differently.  We see Jesus differently.

v17 – A Christian is a ‘new creation’.  Note.  We are still ourselves, but we live differently.

v21 – Jesus took our sin, so that we might be made right with God.  Note in v20, this comes from being ‘reconciled’ with God.  We believe and are saved.

Craft

Get a clothes peg, cotton ball, foam butterfly wing shapes and a pipe cleaner.

Stick the balls along the top of the clothes peg and wrap the shortened pipe cleaner around the top to make the caterpillar.

Cut out a version of 2 Corinthians 5v17 and stick to the foam wings.

Decorate the wings.

Slot the wings into the clothes peg to make the butterfly.

Galatians

GALATIANS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To realise that we need to help each other.

Ice Breaker

Ask for a volunteer.
Ask the child to see how much they can hold. Ask them to put out ther hands and say you will be putting things on their hands, but if they need any help, they must say.

Bring out a bag of sugar. Say this bag of sugar represents some responsibility such as doing their homework and put it on their hands.
Bring out a box of icing sugar. Add this to their hands and say this represents a chore that you have been asked to do this week, which is clearing up the breakfast pots.

When they say they need some help, ask for a volunteer who can put their hands underneath the first child’s hands. Then add another weight. See if you can get a few children to help.

Then take the bags away.

Ask the children about the experience and how the first child how it felt when you got help.

Then get a child to read the verse: Galatians 6:2
What does it mean to share your burden’s?

Hand out the bible card.

Bible Card

  • Author: Paul
  • Type: Letter
  • Written: 49 AD
  • No. Chapters: 6
  • N.T. Book No.: 9

Study
Some people think that to live the Christian life, you need to be strong like Sir Lancelot or Maid Marrian. You need to put on your armour, fight the good fight and win the day in the strength of God.

But this view overlooks the fact that we need each other. The church is described as body with different parts. Each part has a part to play and each one needs to do their part for the church to function properly.

Let a child read Galatians 6 v 1-10.
On a Whiteboard, write out things that these verses say:
– We need to be gently restored when we make a mistake
– We need to help with each other’s burdens
– Don’t think of yourself more highly than you should
– Share good things
– You reap what you sow
– Don’t get tired about doing good things.
– You do have your own load to bear
– You will get a reward for keeping going.
– Do good when you have the opportunity.

See if they can give examples of when they can do these things.

Look at some other verses:
Phillippians 2:4
1 Thessalonians 5:11
John 15:13

Read the story of Moses needing help from Hur and Aaron raising his hands in Exodus 17 v 10-13

Craft

Read Ecclesiastes 4v12.
We are like chords and together we are stronger.

Teach the children how to plait.
In pairs, make a cross by plaiting 3 chords.

You will need a strong stapler, a cross cut out, a background piece of card and a frame.

Ephesians

EPHESIANS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To be a light for Jesus

Ice Breaker
Get a model or a picture of a light house and show how they save sailors from the rocks and show the sailors the safe way into the harbour.

Bible Card

  • Author: Paul
  • Type: Letter of Paul
  • Written: AD 62
  • No. Chapters: 6
  • N.T. Book No.:10

Study
Joke: Ephesians is what you say (instead of cheese) when you have a photograph taken.
Read Ephesians 5v-16

This passage tells us that we were once living in darkness.
This means that without knowing Jesus, we did not see the real purpose of life.
By trusting Jesus, we can see what really matters in life.

Then it says we are lights for Jesus.
How do we shine for Jesus?
By living as Jesus would want us to live and telling people about the real meaning to life.

Jesus said we are children of light? How is this? Because we have been born again from the light of the world who is Jesus.

What does being a light mean?
– Find out what pleases Jesus
– Have nothing to do with bad things
– Don’t even talk about these bad things
– Show up lies, hurting and nastiness for what they are. Sharing what the bible says is a help.
– Be wise how you live
– Make the most of every opportunity.

Jesus said we are lights to the world. Read Matthew 5v14-16

Craft
By being a lighthouse, we can show people where the rocks are and the safe way to the harbour, which is Jesus.

Today we are making a lighthouse.
Need:
– Cardboard tube
– Small plastic cup
– Tilly light
– Clay
– Shells
– Black Tape
– White Paper
– Tile
– Printed verse Ephesians 5v8

1) Stick the tilly light on top of the tube.
2) Fasten one part of the cup with tape over the top so that you can cover the light. Make sure the switch is on the other side of the tape fastening.
3) Cover the tube with paper.
4) Make stripes down the lighthouse with the tape
5) Put the clay on the tile, with the lighthouse stuck in the middle
6) Put the shells over the clay to look like rocks.
7) If you have a little model person, you can put the person in the lighthouse with the light.

On the tile, stick on the verse Ephesians 5v8.

Philippians

PHILIPPIANS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To encourage the children to shine instead of being grumpy.

Ice Breaker
Play a game of snap in this way.
Turn cards over and the person who says snap if the card matches get the cards.
After a bit, be a bit sneaky and peek as the card is being turned over so you win a few.
See how the children respond. Ask if they think I’m being a bit mean and ask how it feels.
Then let them play properly until the game ends (lose if you can).

Bible Card

  • Author: Paul
  • Type: Letter
  • Written: AD 49-51
  • No. Chapters: 4
  • N.T. Book No.: 11

Study

Read Philippians 2 v 14,15 : Do everything without complaining or arguing.  Then you will be innocent and without anything wrong in you.  You will be God’s children without fault.  But you are living with crooked and mean people all around you.  Among them you shine like stars in a dark world.

There are lots of mean people around us.  Are we meant to be like them?

No, we are to be like stars shining in a dark world.

What do you feel like when someone is mean to you?
How did you feel when I was being mean in the game?

a) Try not to complain or argue so you can be blameless

b) So you can shine like stars  in a dark world.

Do you ever look up at night into the sky on a clear night?  What do you see?  Stars.

I notice no-one said darkness.  You don’t see the darkness, but you see the stars.

Craft

Make a ‘Grumpy Box’.

For this, you need a shoe box, a cheap torch, grumpy notes (click here) and a piece of black card.

Pierce holes in the card.

In one end of the box, make a hole for the torch.

In the other end, cut out a section and stick in the card.

When you light the torch, you should see light like stars which you can shine on the wall. Take care of the children getting giddy if the lights get turned out!

Now get the children to:
a) Write ‘Grumpy Box’ on the box lid.
b) Write out Philippians 2 v 14,15 on the box and if you like use these cutouts.

c) Write things that they are grumpy about on the notes.

d) Put the notes into the box and leave them there
e) Shine your light so you can shine like stars instead of being grumpy.

Colossians

COLOSSIANS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To encourage the children to ‘put on’ good things

Ice Breaker

Ask ‘Why do we put on clothes?’
What clothes do you like to wear.
Today we are going to look at what spiritual clothes a Christian should wear.

Bible Card

  • Author: Paul
  • Type: Letter
  • Written: 80 AD
  • No. Chapters: 5
  • N.T. Book No.: 12

Study

Reading: Colossians 3 v 8-17

Go through each item of spiritual clothing:

  • Compassion
  • Kindness
  • Humility
  • Gentleness
  • Patience
  • Bear with each other
  • Forgive one another
  • Love
  • Let peace rule in your hearts
  • Be thankful
  • Message dwelling richly
  • Teach and admonish in all wisdom
  • Sing songs with gladness
  • Do all things in the neame of Jesus

Read Colossians 3v8-9.
Look at things we don’t want to wear:

  • Anger
  • Rage
  • Malice
  • Slander
  • Filthy language from their lips
  • Lies

Read colossians 3v23.
We need to wholeheartedly serve the Lord.

Craft

Provide each child with a child’s plastic mac.
Depending on their age, let them write their own stickers or give them prepared stickers with each of the good attributes written on.

Let the children put the macs on and clothe themselves with the stickers.

Talk about what they have just done and how they can do these things in their lives.

1 Thessalonians

1 THESSALONIANS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To think about the second coming of Jesus and where you will be.

Ice Breaker

Ask questions:

Do you look forward to anything?  Birthday? Christmas?

Do you get excited by it?

There is one thing that Christians look forward to?  Do you know what it is?

Jesus coming again.

Bible Card

  • Author: Paul
  • Type: Letter
  • Written: AD59 to AD61
  • No. of Chapters: 5
  • N.T. Book No.: 13

Study

After Jesus rose from the dead, what happened?

Talk the children to the ascention.

Read Act 1 v9-11.  What will happen one day in the future?

Jesus will come back again in the same way that he left.

When will that be?  No-one knows, but we have been given some clues.

Read 1 Thessalonians 4v16-18.

We will meet in the clouds.  Ask who will be there?

If time, look up the following:

Coming in the clouds

  • Revelation 1v7: Behold, he is comingwith the clouds
  • Daniels 7v13 In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.
  • Matthew 24v30: when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory
  • ACT 1v11: Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven
  • 1 THESSALONIANS 4:17: After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Craft

Have a large group collage of Jesus coming in the clouds and draw on people who may be there as well.

Prepare the paper with a blue screen wash.

Have pre-pared cut-out figures such as Hesus on a cloud and an ange blowing a trumpet.

Glue on cotton wool and draw figurs on them and write names on.

2 Thessalonians

2 THESSALONIANS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To think about making good use of your time.

Ice Breaker
Ask what the children would like to do when they grow up.
Think about careers as well as occupations.
Include looking after children and caring.

Bible Card

    • Author: Paul
    • Type: Letter
    • Written: 51-52 AD
    • No. of Chapters: 3
    • N.T. Book No.: 14

Study
Thessalonica was the second city in Europe where Paul helped build a church.

Both of the books to the Thessalonians addressed worries about what happens when you die.
Jesus is coming back one day.
2 Thessalonians tells us what we should be doing while we are waiting and to use their time well.
Read 2 Thessalonians 3 v11-13.

Have a general discussion about being a ‘lazy bones’.

Craft

Look at the ant in Proverbs 6v6-11.

Make an ant out of card, pipe cleaners and googly eyes.
On a piece of card for the mouth, let the children think of good things they can do and write an approriate message on the other side.

 

1 Timothy

1 TIMOTHY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective To Pray for all people.

Ice Breaker
Play a game of pairs using the royal cards of a pack of cards.
Say the the royal cards represents the leaders and the number cards represents the workers.
Then ask is it important to pray for leaders as well as the workers.

Bible Card

    • Author: Paul
    • Type: Letter of Paul
    • Written :AD 62
    • Book No.: 6
    • N.T. Book No.: 15

Study
Read 1 Timothy 2 v1-6.

This passage asks us to pray for all people and that God wants all people to be saved, which can only be through Jesus Christ.

Read verse 1 again. Who are we asked to pray for? All people.
a) For the things people need
b) We are also to be thankful.

Get suggestions as to what we can pray for people.

Read verse 2 again. Who especially do we need to pray for? We are asked to pray for leaders.
Ask if they know who the leaders are? e.g. The Queen, Theresa May.
This benefits us in that we can have quiet and peaceful lives and not get interfered with.
Think about what we can pray for them?

Read verse 3 again. How does God feel about our prayers? It pleases Him.

Read verse 4 again. Who does God want to be saved? All people. This is through Jesus Christ.
So we can pray that people will get saved.
We can also say thank you to our Lord Jesus for paying for our sins on the cross.

Craft
Make a prayer pot.
Write on lolly sticks these different prayers and decorate a cup to put them in.

2 Timothy

2 TIMOTHY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To trust the bible.

Ice Breaker

Play the maze game.

To keep going and get past the obstacles.

Bible Card

    • Author: Paul
    • Type: Letter of Paul
    • Written: AD 62
    • No. of Chapters: 4
    • N.T. Book No.: 16

Study

Read 2 Timothy 3 v 14-16

These are the key points:  (see if the children can spot them)

  • Keep following the teachings v14
  • You know the teachings are true v14
  • You can trust your teachers v14
  • You have know the scriptures since a child v15 (It is good to know the bible as a child)
  • The scriptures make you wise v15
  • Wisdom leads to salvation in Christ Jesus v15
  • All scripture is given by God v16
  • Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking (tells off), correction and training.
  • Scriptures equip you for doing good work.

Why do we believe the bible is true?

  • Jesus, Paul, Peter and John as well as others tell us that the bible is the inspired word of God.  Matt 5v17-20
  • We can see how many prophesies came true
  • They were eyewitness accounts 1 John 1v4, 2 Peter 1v10
  • Because of the accuracy of translations.
  • Because there is no better explanation as to the meaning of life.

Craft

Making a bible compass, equipping us for good works.  You need a map and a compass to get to places.  We need a bible to tell us how to live.

We will need:

  • a paper plate
  • a cardboard ‘Compass Needle’ shape.
  • crayons
  • paper fasteners.

On the ‘Compass Needle’ write on 2 Timothy 3 v 16.

In the North, East, South, West positions write:

Teach, Rebuke (tells off), Correct, Train in big letters.

Below each title write things that relate to it:

Teach: 10 commandments; Sermon on the Mount; History lessons

Rebuke: Repent; Turn from sin; Conviction

Correct: Sorry; Forgiveness; Put things right

Train: Fruit of the Spirit; Gifts of the Spirit; Armour of God

Put the paper fastener through the plate and pretend to us it as a compass with the bible as a map.

Titus

TITUS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective: Encourage to tell the truth

Ice Breaker: Blindfold – find the apple

Blindfold a child, and you need to direct them to where it is, but you must say the opposite directions to what is the truth.  It will show how difficult it is to do what it right when the wrong thing is being said.

Bible Card

  • Author: Paul
  • Type: Letter from Paul
  • Written: AD 65
  • No. of Chapters:  3
  • N.T. Book No.: 17

Study

How do you know what to do when you don’t know whether the person who is talking to you is telling the truth or not?

Crete

Do you know about Greek Mythology?

Do you know where Crete is? Show where it is on a map.

Crete is the largest island in Greece and has been the backdrop for a number of stories of ancient Greek mythology.

  • Zeus, the king of gods and men, was born in a cave in Greece and was raised by a goat.
  • When Crete was attacked by a giant lizard, Zeus defended the island and threw a lightning bolt against it, turning the beast to stone and into an island that is now called Dia.
  • In Crete the palace of King Minos (the son of Zeus) was located, under which Daedalus had built the labyrinth, in order to house the Minotaur, a monster formed from the union of Minos’ wife, Pasiphae, and a bull. Daedalus and his son Icarus were kept captive here, but managed to escape by creating wings made of feathers and wax; however, Icarus flew too close to the sun, the wax melted and he fell to his doom. It was here that Theseus was brought in order to kill the Minotaur.
  • After his death King Minos became one of the three judges of the dead in the underworld.

And everybody believed these lies and worshipped Zeus and the other false gods.

Telling lies causes major problems and in many cases leads people away from God.

What is the 8th commandment? You shall not lie. Exodus 20v16.

Paradox

A paradox is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly, but which may include a hidden truth.

Examples:

  • Nobody goes to the Arndale anymore — it’s too crowded.”
  • I am nobody.
  • He is a wise fool
  • Shakespeare: Hamlet said: “I must be cruel to be kind.”
  • Wordsworth: In his short lyric “My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold,” “The child is father of the man…”
  • George Orwell: Animal Farm: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”

The Epimenides paradox written in 600 BC was “All Cretans are liars.”, and Epimenides was a Cretan.

What did Paul say about this in Titus 1v10 ?

How can you tell what is the truth when you are being told so many lies?
Read Titus 1 v 9

Put people in charge who are known to truthful and hold firmly to the bible. Rebuke liars, so they will be sound in their faith.

In the armour of God, what it the Belt of truth? Gal 6v14. Note: It holds the sword and keeps the trousers up.

If you lie, you will find it difficult to use the bible and you will be unprotected from Satan.

Craft

Belt of truth.

Philemon

PHILEMON SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To see how Christianity helped in slavery.

Ice Breaker

Bible Card

  • Author: Paul
  • Type: Letter of Paul
  • Written: AD 61
  • No. Chapters: 1
  • N.T. Book No.: 18

Study
We know that in 1 Peter 2v18-20, we were told that slaves should obey their masters, giving the example of Jesus who pressed on even in difficult situations, so follow in His footsteps.
Also in Galatians 3v28, there is neither slave nor free in Christ.

We have this story of Philemon, the master, having a useless slave called Onesimus. Onesimus helped Paul and was sent back to Philemon encouraging him to treat Onesimus as a brother.

Look in Colossians 4v9 how Onesimus had a useful roll.

Cut out strips of paper and then staple them into chains.
Let the children put their hands and feet into the chains.

THen together say, ‘Jesus sets me free’ and break the chains together.

Craft

Hebrews

HEBREWS SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To see that the ‘Old’ is by the ‘New’ revealed.
Ice Breaker

Play the card game ‘Pairs’. All the cards are turned upside down, and the picture is revealed when you turn it over and you can match them up.

So also, you can match the old testament up with the new testament when the meanings are revealed.

Bible Card

    • Author: Paul
    • Type: Letter
    • Written: 65-70 AD
    • No. Chapters: 13
    • N.T. Book No.: 19

Study
We looked in Isaiah how the ‘New’ is in the ‘Old’ concealed.
Here we can see a book where the ‘Old’ is by the ‘New’ revealed.

We are going to use the example of a priest.

What is a priest?
Look at Hebrews chapter 5v1 – Someone who represents people before God.

Look at Hebrews 4v14-16 – Jesus is our high priest.

Give a bit of background of the high priest in the old testament.
Aaron, Moses brother was the first Jewish high priest (Exodus 28v1) who was to represent the Jewish people before God.

However, there was a high priest mentioned earlier in the bible. Read Genesis 14v16-18.
Melchizedek who:
– Brought bread and wine
– Blessed Abram
– Received a tithe from Abram.
Look also at Psalm 110v4, Hebrews 5v6 and Hebrews 5v10.
Jesus is our high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
So the ‘Old’ is by the ‘New’ revealed.

Craft
Do a scratch art which reveals colour as you scratch out the word ‘Jesus’.

James

JAMES SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To appreciate that God lifts up the humble.

Ice Breaker

Bounce balloons around and see how long you can keep them up without one touching the ground.

Bible Card

  • Author: James the half-brother of Jesus
  • Type: Letter
  • Written: AD 46 – 49
  • No. Chapters: 5
  • N.T. Book No.: 20

Study

Let us look at different ways God helps or lifts-up people.

1. Praying for help. Read James 1v5. If you don’t know what to do, what should you do? Pray. But how should you pray in verse 6? With believing and not with doubting prayer. We need to be trusting God in our prayers.

2. God’s teaching is not accepted by the proud. Sin needs to be taken out of our lives by humbly accepting and obeying God’s teaching that leads to Salvation. Read James 1v21.

3. Don’t think you are more important than other people. Read James 2v1

4. Do good things without being proud. Read James 3v13.

5. Trust God for the future. Don’t be proud in your assumptions. Read James 4v14,15

6. What is God’s attitude to the proud and the humble? Read James 4v6 and then James 4v10 in the King James version. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

Will you be proud or humble ?

Craft

Make a James 4v10 kite.
The thinking is that God lifts up the humble in the same way as the wind lifts up the kite.

You can make a kite or use bought ones We used bought ones as it could take a long time to make the kite from scratch and manage the children at the same time. In the UK, they are £1 each.

On the kite, write on ‘God lifts up the humble’. James 4v10. You can choose your own words. Remember that the kites may be flown in public places so make sure that any message is clear and helpful.

1 Peter

1 PETER SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

  • Objective
    To follow in the footsteps of Jesus, especially in difficult times.

Ice Breaker

Print off some dot to dot pictures and get the children to follow the dots.

This will help the children think about following.

Bible Card

    • Author: Peter
    • Type: Letter
    • Written: AD 64
    • No. Chapters: 5
    • N.T. Book No.: 21

Study
Read 1 Peter 2 v 21 in the NIV about following in the footsteps of Jesus.

Ask when it means to follow in someone’s footsteps.

It means that you are able to walk in the same places.
It means there is clear direction.
In the case of difficult ground, the way is made easier.

However, let us read the verse with the other verses from 1 Peter 2 v 18-25.
Peter is advising slaves who are being mistreated how to behave.

Does anyone know what it meant to be a slave? To be owned by another person and having to do what they say.

What if the owner isn’t kind and is hurtful.
It has hard to bear.

Peter points them to Jesus, how He suffered for us even though he had done nothing wrong.

There are times in our lives when we suffer even though we did nothing wrong to deserve it.
In those times, how should we react?
People of the world react badly. We are encouraged to trust God in that situation.

There are other times when Jesus asks people to follow him such as in Matthew 4:19, so that we might be used of God.

But there are certain times when going through hard times that we need to follow very closely.

Look at Hebrews 12 v 1-5.

Here we are asked to follow Jesus to help us in difficult times.

Craft

Footsteps Illustration.

Have a roll of paper with large footsteps on it.

Get some children to stand on wet paint in welly boots and make footsteps next to the big steps.

Warning:  This can get messy.  Reduce mess by spreading out newspaper.

Write the verse 1 Peter 2 v 21 with ‘Follow in Christ’s footsteps, especially in difficult times’.

2 Peter

2 PETER SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To encourage the children to grow spiritually.

Ice Breaker

Ask the children if they have read the book ‘The very hungry caterpillar’ by Eric Carle?

Ask what is it about?

If you have one, bring in a caterpillar cage.

Ask about the life cycle of the caterpillar.

Bible Card

  • Author: Peter
  • Type: Letter
  • Written: Between 65 and 68 AD
  • No. Chapters: 3
  • N.T. Book No.:22

Study

Read 2 Peter 1v5-8

Look how each quality builds onto the next.
What must the Christian life start with? Faith.
Why is faith the start of the Christian life, and it cannot start without it?

Look how the ‘Christian Caterpillar’ grows:

  • Faith
  • Goodness
  • Knowledge
  • Self Control
  • Endurance or Perseverance
  • Godliness
  • Christian Affection or Brotherly Kindness
  • Love.

Explain each one in turn.

See how they can make you grow by helping you be active and effective in knowing Jesus.

Craft

Make a hungry caterpillar.

Give out a kit to each child:
Leaf (to cut out or pre-prepared)
Flags (qualities) to cut out and stick to cocktail sticks.

Verse to cut out
Small cakes to hand out. (Note. My wife is an excellent cook!!)
Put the flags in each cake and grow the caterpillar.
The first cake, Faith, is the head. Decorate with strawberry lace of squeezy icing.
Small tray to put the caterpillar in.

1 John

1 JOHN SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

We learn that we love because God first loved us.

Ice Breaker

Get a bowl and towel. Take your shoes and socks of and ask if anyone want to wash my sweaty feet.

Bring out some muddy shoes, a shoe brush and polish and see if anyone wants to clean the shoes.

Ask them why not?

Jesus, who was at God’s right hand, came to earth and lived among us and served.
At the last supper, he insisted on washing all of the disciples feet.
He said that he came to serve and not to be served.
He loved his disciples to the end.
He has shown his great love for us by dying for our sins that we might be made right with God.

Bible Card

  • Author: John
  • Type: Letter
  • Written: Between 60 and 95 AD
  • No. Chapters: 5
  • N.T. Book No.:23

Study
What is the most famous verse in the bible? John 3v16.
But have you read 1 John 3v16. Have one of the children read it out.
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”

Also get someone else to read 1 John 4v19. “We love because He first loved us.”

We learned from Zephaniah’s lesson that We are loved from God.
From 1 John, we learn that we love others as a result of being loved by God.

How do we show our love to others?
Get suggestions from the children.

Also look at 1 John 1v7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” Explore what does this verse means.

Craft

Make a ‘Hands on Heart’ Collage.
Draw a giant heart on a large piece of card.
Put out different colours of poster paint and brushes.

Let the children paint the hands and let them all put their own hand print on the heart.
  
Write phrases such as ‘Be Kind’ on the poster.

On the poster, paint in coloured letters and paste on: “1 John 4 v 19: We love because God loved us first”. This version is from the children’s bible that I use.

2 John

2 JOHN SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective
To consider what it means to live a life of love.

Ice Breaker

Give each child a piece of paper and divide out a ruler, a black pencil, blue and red crayons.  Each child should have only one of these.

Then have a race to draw the best flag as fast as you cen.

See how the children co-operate to draw the flag.

When they have finished, review how they co-operated to draw the flag.  Did they act in ‘love’ to share what they had?

Bible Card

    • Author: Paul
    • Type: Letter
    • Written: AD 60-95
    • No. Chapters: 1
    • N.T. Book No.: 24

Study

Read out 2 John v6 The children’s bible I use says ‘And loving means living the way he commanded us to live.  And God’s command is this: that you live a life of love.  You have heard this command from the beginning.

Ask what does it mean to live a life of love.

Ask the children what stories of Jesus did they know.

Write suggestions on a board as they are made.

Then go through each one and ask how Jesus acted in love in each situation.

Have a child read 1 Corinthians 13v4-7.

Who lived a life of love?  Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Craft

Give each child a write band and draw on WWJD.    If room, put on 2John v6 ‘Live a life of love’. 

3 John

3 JOHN SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

See how living a life of love has a positive impact on others.

Ice Breaker

Think of situations where people helping you kept you going and made you happy.

I related how the children at Sunday School and the work we did together kept me encouraged when I was going through cancer treatement.

Bible Card

    • Author: Paul
    • Type: Letter
    • Written: AD 60-95
    • No. of Chapter: 1
    • N.T. Book No.: 25

Study

Read 3 John v1-5

Notice how John in verse 2 prayed that Gaius would be kept in good health. That was a good thing to pray for his dear friend. Do we pray different things for each other. Think of things wwe can pray for each other. If appropriate have some prayers.

Read v4 again and consider what impact that living a life of love has on Paul
Mention that the ‘children’ here are children of faith, but real children also bring joy to their parents in the same way.

Read Phillipians 1v3-7: See how the Phillippians caused Paul to give thanks for them every time he prayed. Why? Because of the help they gave and kept on giving.

Craft

The idea of a frizby comes from handing a frizby onto other people is like handing on happiness to another person.

Decorate a frizby with ‘You make me happy’ and 3 John 4: It always give me the greatest joy when I hear that my children are following the way of truth. The frizbies can be coloured with special pens that make the frizby’s their own.

Jude

JUDE SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To encourage the children to build up their faith.

Ice Breaker

Play the ‘Head Butt’ game. Children through felt balls at the leader and see if they stick to the velcro cap on the head.

Bible Card

  • Author: Jude
  • Type: Letter
  • Written: 64-66 AD
  • No. Chapters: 1
  • N.T. Book No.: 26

Study

Reading: Jude 17-19
In the last days, what will some people try to do?

Reading: 2 Timothy 3:1-10
Discuss if the children recognise any of these things.

We are in the last days now before Jesus returns.

What are we to do?
In the game we played earlier, the leader had felt balls thrown at the velcro. How can you protect yourself.

Reading: Jude 20-22

  • Build yourself up in your faith
  • Praying
  • Keep in God’s love
  • Wait for Jesus
  • Save others

Give out a Christian booklet that the children could read to build them up.

Read Ephesians 6v17: Taking the shield of faith.

Craft

Create the shield craft and fill in the segments with things that you can protect yourself with.

Revelation

REVELATION SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Objective

To look at the prophesy of Jesus’ return and to overview the bible with the tree of life illustration.

Starting Questions

  • What book are we doing today?
  • How many book are there in the bible?
  • What book number is Revelation?
  • How many books are in the New Testament?
  • Who wrote Revelation?

Bible Card

  • Author: John
  • Type: Prophesy
  • Written: AD 95-96
  • No. Chapters: 22
  • N.T. Book No.: 27

Study

Last week we had our Harvest Thanksgiving service.
In the end times of this earth, there will be another harvest.
Read Revelation 14v14-16
– Jesus returns on a cloud with a golden crown and a sickle to harvest the earth.
– Read 1 Thessalonians 4 v 16-18 and remind them of this study, meeting Jesus in the clouds.

Read Revelation 21v1-4: There will be a new heaven and new earth for those who have trusted in Jesus as their saviour.
Read Revelation 22v1-2: There will be a crystal river (water of life) with the tree of life on either side, with 12 fruits to eat and leaves for healing.

Read Genesis 2v9: Talk about the 2 trees. The tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Draw diagram with key points:

  • 2 trees – Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
  • This led to a separation from God
  • Read Romans 6v23. Sin earns death, but Jesus gives eternal life. Discuss what this means.
  • Through Jesus Christ, we can receive forgiveness and salvation to be brought back to God, and eat of the tree of life in heaven.


Craft

Fold a piece of green card in half (A4 to A5), and unfold.
Cut down from top end to the fold multiple times to create strips.

Roll up tree and the place the tree base into a cut down cardboard tube.
Write ‘Tree of Life’ on white sticker and stick to the tube.
Decorate the tree with fruit stickers. Put 12 different fruit stickers on the tree.

Place all of the children’s trees around a crystal river made of stone crystals or equivalent.

Extra Time Craft

We had extra time to make trees of the knowledge of good and evil.
This is made by drawing around a child’s hand on brown card.
Cut out the card and fold into a cut down cardboard tube.
Staple leaves onto the finger branches and stick fruit onto the tree.

We also use a bible chart to see where the book appeared in history.

This is to get a better understanding of the context of the book being studied.

The vision for this series came after a recognition that the children were being given bible stories to listen to, often without knowing from what part of the bible they came from. Some lessons covered ground that the children had covered before, but never covered many of the books of the bible which had beneficial lessons to learn.

It also has the vision of building up the children’s knowledge in a way that they owned what they had covered through the completion of their own ‘Bible Box’. The bible box was filled up each week with a folded card containing details of the book they have studied that week.

It also has the vision of engaging the children in the study with some practical involvement such as a craft.

We marked off on a chart the progress we made:

We found the series so successful, that we decided to publish what we have done on our website.

All of our content is free to use and we would be delighted with any feedback you might give.