13 minute read
Lesson 3: Sin Enters God’s World
Bible Discovery
God always loves us! (Wow, God!) Hold up a Bible. Today our Bible story tells
Advertisement
about something sad God’s first friends, Adam and Eve, did. But he still loved them.
●
Get comfy and sit in knee-to-knee circles with Connect Crews. Tell about a good friend God’s given you. Invite Crew Guides to share first. ●
Crew Guides give thumbs-up when everyone has shared.
God is a good friend to us—no matter what. God always loves us. (Wow, God!)
But our story today begins with a sneaky snake who pretended to be friends with Adam and Eve.
● Make hissing sounds.
Place arms together and move like snakes. Tell about a snake you’ve seen. ●
Welcome a few responses from the whole group.
Read aloud Genesis 3:1-2.
God hadn’t told Adam and Eve they couldn’t eat any of the yummy fruit; he
gave them plenty to eat because God always loves us. (Wow, God!) God told
them not to eat the fruit from one tree. Let’s think about fruit we love. Do what I do!
● Pretend to pick fruit from trees. Take turns telling the colors of fruits while others guess what they are. For example, “This fruit is red!” Show the Bible Story poster.
God gave them plenty of yummy fruit. But the snake said, “The fruit God told you not to eat will make you extra smart and special, like God.” So Eve ate some and she gave some to Adam. They disobeyed God, but God still loved
them. Even when we do what we want to do instead of what God wants, God always loves us. (Wow, God!)
Supplies
• Bible • “Sin Enters God’s
World” Bible Story poster • crayons
We call helpers Crew Guides. If you lead a small class, you can be the Crew Guide. Simply gather kids in a cozy circle around you. If you have helpers, form smaller groups so each child can be known— and so kids can befriend your helpers, too!
Read the verse from the Bible. You’re showing kids that God’s Word is special. Don’t worry— we’ve kept the verses short for young attention spans.
Repeat, repeat! Feel free to do activities more than once. You’ll give kids time to catch on and jump in.
Read aloud Genesis 3:8.
Adam and Eve hid because they had done something wrong, and they knew it. They felt guilty and didn’t want God to find them.
● Cover eyes as if hiding.
Have kids circle up and talk in Connect Crews. Tell about a time you hid something you did wrong. ●
Crew Guides show kids they’re simply loved by giving kids a hug after they share.
God found Adam and Eve and asked them what they’d done. They had chosen to do what they wanted to do instead of what God wanted them to do. They wanted to be in charge instead of letting God be in charge. And that’s just not good. Sin is choosing our way instead of God’s way, and it gets in the way of our friendship with God. Adam and Eve had to leave the beautiful garden God made. But God still loved them and took care of them. They were still his special creations.
God always loves us. (Wow, God!) Let’s remind Adam and Eve that God always
loves them.
● ● ● ● Give each child a crayon. Draw hearts on the Bible Story poster. Collect crayons. Hug yourselves and say, “God always loves me.”
Read aloud Genesis 3:21.
God showed he still loved Adam and Eve by making them clothes to wear. And even though they had to leave the garden, God still took care of them and their family. Let’s sing a song about God’s love.
Sing to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus.” God always loves us no matter what, (hug self) No matter what, no matter what. (shake finger) God always loves us no matter what, (hug self) His love won’t stop. (shake head “no”) God always loved them, Adam and Eve, (hug self) Adam and Eve, Adam and Eve. (shake finger) God always loved them, Adam and Eve, (hug self) His love won’t stop. (shake head “no”)
God loved Adam and Eve, and God loves you no matter what! I’m so glad God always loves us. (Wow, God!)
Now’s a great time for Apply-It Options. Choose one or more that fit your time frame to support today’s Bible discoveries before the closing Goodbye Circle.
Apply-It Options
Choose one—or all—of these activities to support kids’ learning after Bible Discovery.
Game
Have kids hide and Crew Guides “find” them by tapping their heads. When kids are found, Crew Guides say to individual kids, “God wants to be your friend.” Found kids wait in the center of the room. Repeat as time allows.
God found Adam and Eve when they hid. He still loved them even when they did something wrong. God wants to be your friend no matter what, too,
because God always loves us! (Wow, God!)
Food-n-Friendship
Supplies: snack, napkins, hand cleanser, Music CD, media player
Give a napkin to a friend and say, “God always loves us.” (Wow, God!)
(Music CD track 3)
Eat snack together. When we pray, we talk
with Jesus. Who has something we can talk with Jesus about?
Pray together.
Even when we make a mess or
a bad choice, God always loves us. (Wow, God!) God gives us a
fresh start. Let’s work together to clean up our table and give it a fresh start! Coloring Creation
Supplies: “Sin Enters God’s World” Coloring Creation pages (1 per child), crayons, glue sticks, wet wipes, heart stickers (1 per child), Music CD, media player
God always loves us. (Wow, God!)
God still wanted to be friends with Adam and Eve, even after they did something wrong. He even made them clothes to cover their bodies.
● Identify the snake, Adam, Eve, and the fruit trees. Invite kids to share what they remember about the Bible story. Color the picture. Put a heart sticker on the page to show God’s love for Adam and Eve. Play music as kids create.
(Music CD track 5)
Supplies • Music CD
“Goodbye, My
Friends”
“How Wide?” (Ephesians 3:18) • media player • Savanna Bible
Memory Buddy stickers (1 per child)
(Ephesians 3:18) “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.”
Copyright © 2020 Group Pu b l i s h i n g , I n c .
Saying each child’s name in a loving way helps kids simply experience God’s love through you!
Goodbye Circle
It’s almost time to say goodbye! Let’s sing our goodbye song as we join hands and make one big circle!
God always loves us. (Wow, God!) God loved Adam and Eve even when they
chose to do what they wanted to do instead of what God wanted for them. God still loved them and wanted to be their friend. The Bible tells us God sent Jesus so we can be forgiven when we do wrong things like Adam and Eve did. Let’s celebrate God’s love for us and our friend Jesus!
Jesus loves our happy faces. (happy face) Jesus loves our silly faces. (silly face) Jesus always loves us. (open hands and say “Wow, God!”) Jesus loves our good choices. (hands on hips, nod) Jesus loves our kind voices. (cup hands around mouth) Jesus always loves us. (open hands and say “Wow, God!”) Even when we mess up so, (sad face) There’s still one thing we know: (hug self) Jesus always loves us. (open hands and say “Wow, God!”) ● ● ● Repeat the rhyme several times. Pray, thanking Jesus for loving and forgiving us. Show the Bible Memory Buddy poster, and remind kids that Savanna helps us remember God always loves us. (Wow, God!) Invite Crew Guides to give kids each a Savanna sticker by “slithering” it to them like a snake. As they give one to each child, have them say, “[Child’s name], no matter what you do, God always loves you.” Kids may wear stickers or take them home.
Do Bible Memory Verse motions and move to the music!
A Flood Covers the Earth
In the Beginning
Genesis 6:9–9:17
Bible Point God always loves us.
Purpose
Walk the aisles of a department store or browse online and you might see Noah’s ark-themed gift bags, paintings, and even bedsheets. When did this story of God’s judgment become so soft and cuddly? Beyond boats, animals, and rainbows, Noah’s story tells of a sin problem and God’s extreme approach to washing it away. Why so extreme? Because God loves us and wants to be close to us, and sin gets in the way.
Ultimately, God loved us so much he sent Jesus to “wash our sins away.” Like the ark rescued Noah and his family, Jesus is our rescuer who got rid of the power of sin in our lives once and for all.
So what can young children take away from this story? Young children want to be close to the people they love. That’s why it can be hard for some of them to enter your classroom in the first place. Show kids how much God wants to be close friends with them, and the depths of his love.
“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.”
(Ephesians 3:18)
Copy r ig ht © 2020 G r o u p P u b l i sh i n g , I nc .
Prayer
God, thanks for do-overs. Even when I’m drowning in sin, I know you’ve forgiven me because of Jesus and that you want to be my friend. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Prep
Opening Options Sing & Play Bible Discovery & Goodbye Circle Apply-It Options
Option Cards* Pompom Rainbows: multicolored pompoms, white bulletin board paper, markers Play Dough Boats: play dough Music CD*
Buddy Video DVD* Music Video DVD*
Savanna Bible Memory Buddy poster* media player Bible (bookmark Ephesians 3:18) “A Flood Covers the Earth” Bible Story poster* Music CD*
Savanna Bible Memory Buddy stickers* (1 per child) media player Bible (bookmark Genesis 6:17-19; 8:6-9; 9:14-15) 12-inch streamers in a variety of rainbow colors (1 per child) spray bottles of water (optional) Game: no supplies Food-n-Friendship: snack, napkins, hand cleanser, Music CD*, media player Coloring Creation: “A Flood Covers the Earth” Coloring Creation pages* (1 per child), crayons, glue sticks, wet wipes, streamers from Bible Discovery (1 per child), Music CD*, media player
Opening Options
Set up one—or both—of these intro activities to start your time together. Each activity connects kids to the Bible Point and to each other. Cut apart these Option Cards and place one by each activity you choose. Crew Guides will follow the directions and build friendships with kids as they make discoveries together.
Pompom Rainbows
Supplies
• multicolored pompoms, white bulletin board paper, markers Make a boat and pairs of animals.
Cover a table with paper, then use markers to draw a
boat to hold his family and two of every kind of
rainbow.
With kids, identify pompom colors and put them in rainbow order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue,
join you on a boat?
purple).
God always loves us. He sent the rainbow to
remind us of a special promise he made to us and Noah.
Play Dough Boats
Supplies
• play dough
God always loves us. He told Noah to make a big
animal.
What kinds of animals would you want to Tell about a rainbow you saw.
Opening
Now’s a great time for Opening Options. Choose one—or both—to introduce today’s Bible discoveries.
Help kids transition by cleaning up before sitting with their Connect Crews. A Connect Crew is a smaller group of kids with one Crew Guide.
Sing & Play
Welcome
Hello, friends! I’m so glad you’re here today. Let’s sing our welcome song.
Let’s say hello to our Crew Guides. They’re our go-to friends who are here to have fun and learn along with us.
● Kids give their Crew Guides a high-five.
Bible Point
Let’s find out today’s Bible Point: God always loves us. Every time you hear the words ”God always loves us,” open your hands and say, “Wow, God!” Let’s
try that together.
God always loves us. (Wow, God!) God is with us when things are new or scary.
Let’s say something together. Do what I do.
There’s no need to fuss. (shake head no) God’s love is with us. (hug yourself) God always loves us. (Wow, God!) Repeat several times.
Supplies
• Bible • Music CD
“Hello, My Friends” • Buddy Video DVD
Savanna Bible
Memory Buddy video (Week 4) • Music Video DVD
“One Thing Remains (Your Love Never
Fails)” music video
“We Can Trust Him” (Psalm 33:4) music video • media player • Savanna Bible
Memory Buddy poster
Wow, God!
Repetition cements learning, so be sure to say today’s Bible Point A LOT. Have fun with it! Kids will love listening for it and responding with “Wow, God!”
“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.”
(Ephesians 3:18)
Let’s sing a song to tell God we love him, too!
Bible Memory Buddy & Verse
It’s time to talk to our friend Buzzly Bee. Buzzly will introduce us to a Bible Memory Buddy friend. Let’s call for Buzzly.
● ● Flap hands quickly like a bee. Make buzzing sounds.
Savanna Bible Memory Buddy Video (Week 4)
Savanna is our Bible Memory Buddy. She’s a giraffe!
● ● Show the Bible Memory Buddy poster. Explain that giraffes drink from a watering hole, and they usually go to get a drink with a buddy.
Show the Bible. The Bible is God’s true story of love! Our Bible Memory
Verse comes from the Bible. Let’s say it together. I’ll say a line, and then you repeat it after me.
“And may you have the power (make muscles with arms) to understand, (point to head) as all God’s people should, (sweep hands in front of you) how wide, (spread arms wide) how long, (move arm in front like tracing a long line) how high, (stretch up with hand above head) and how deep (crouch down) [God’s] love is.” (hug yourself) (Ephesians 3:18)
God’s love for us is deeper and wider than even the water that flooded the
whole earth! God always loves us, and his love protects us and cares for us
