God s Presence Inspires Our Worship

Transcription

1 date: Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 16 17; 2 Samuel 6 (King David Dances) God s Presence Inspires Our Worship REMEMBER VERSE The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children s ministry leaders. All rights reserved.

2 Tru Mission Statement Tru helps kids and their families connect to God, find their place in His big story, and respond to Him through the power of the Holy Spirit. Lesson Path: Seeing the Mission Statement in a Tru Lesson Connecting leaders to God... Connects kids and their families to God His Big Story And invites them to respond to Him Through the power of the Holy Spirit. Inspire, Equip, and Support HomeFront Weekly Anticipate Celebrate Respond Bless Navigating Lesson Below you will find additional information to enhance lesson sections as needed. Anticipate Celebrate Respond Bless Dance Time As the children have opportunities to sing, dance, and worship today, make sure the leaders model this for the kids. Small Group Enhancement Would You Rather activities are available for this lesson. Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users may find them in the Resource Files. HomeFront Magazine: A Spiritual Parenting Resource This magazine gives families ideas for creating fun, spiritually forming times in their homes setting aside a sacred space for family in the midst of their active, everyday lives! As the new issue becomes available each month, you may choose to print it for families or encourage them to visit to subscribe to have the magazine sent directly to their inboxes. HomeFront is also available as an app for iphone, ipad, or Android devices. 2

3 SMALL Group SECTION Anticipate// 5 10 min. Option 1: Let s Dance (for Younger Kids) fun, upbeat worship music (suggestion: Happy Day, TruWorship Radio the World) optional: kid-friendly musical instruments (such as maracas, tambourines, or drum sticks) When the children arrive, let them know you re going to play Freeze Dance. While the music plays, they will dance, and when the music stops, they will freeze in place. Then start the music and encourage the kids to have fun! Option 2: Guess the Song (for Older Kids) worship music (at least songs, some familiar and some not so familiar) Welcome the kids as they arrive. Let them know you re going to play a game of Guess the Song. You will play a few seconds of a worship song, and the kids will try to figure out the name of the song. Play some songs that your kids know very well and some songs that they might not know as well. For a simpler option, turn on the music and let the children freely dance. If you have small instruments, let the kids play along with the music. 3

4 LARGE Group SECTION Welcome & Traditions// Remember Verse// Connect// The Big God Story// Celebrate//20 35 min. Ponder Point: God s Presence Inspires Worship Take five minutes to open your CELEBRATE time by engaging in Welcome and Traditions. Group Tradition (optional): Secret Handshake: Invite kids to form a circle around the room. Have one leader and one child stand in the middle of the circle and make up a secret handshake. Once they ve decided on a handshake, invite each child to try it with the person next to him. Then invite the kids to mill around the room and try to shake as many hands as possible before storytelling begins. This week s Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that s highlighted in today s portion of The Big God Story. The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 Invite the children to ask one another the following question or one of your own. Encourage them to ask someone they may not know. After a minute or two, ask several children to tell the group their friends answers. (For Connect Question and Connect Activity slides, see Resource Files.) Question What s your favorite song and why? Activity: Next Word Have the kids get into groups of three or four and share their answers to the question with one another. Then, within each group, have the kids decide on the song that they all know the best and recite the lyrics by going around the circle with each child reciting one word. For example, if they chose Mighty to Save, one child would start by saying, Everyone, the next child would say, needs, and so on. If a child gets stuck, the others can help him. Bible (1 per leader and 1 per child) Timeline slide and animation (see Resource Files) whiteboard and dry erase marker or poster board and marker slides: Lion, Bear, David and Goliath, Ark of the Covenant (see Resource Files) audio: Psalms, Victory, Dance (see Resource Files) optional: easel or tape, worship music (suggestion: Here I Am to Worship ) Worship Response// SET UP Place the whiteboard or poster board at the front of the room so all of the kids can see it. If necessary, set the board on an easel. slides: verses from Psalms (see Resource Files) instrumental worship music upbeat worship music (suggestion: Celebrate, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) Find more details for each section in the How It Works document in the Supporting Lesson Resources section of the My Lessons page at tru.davidccook.com. 4

5 The Big God Story Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 16 17; 2 Samuel 6 Storytelling Technique: Key Words, Images, Audio, and Movement Let s play a quick game of What Would You Do? First question: If someone put a huge slice of delicious cake in front of you, what would you do? Invite responses. If someone took you to a beautiful beach, what would you do? Invite responses. If someone told you a really funny joke, what would you do? Invite responses. Great answers! Different things inspire us to act in different ways. One last question: If you were in God s presence, what would you do? Invite responses. Today we re going to hear about what God s presence inspired King David to do. First, let s ask God to teach us today. Lead kids in Prayer of Release. What have we heard recently about King David? Invite responses. That s right. God promised King David that he would have a kingdom that would last forever because the Savior, Jesus, would come from his family line. One of the most amazing things we learn about the life of David is that he had a heart for worship. God even called David a man after my own heart (Acts 13:22). Write the word WORSHIP vertically down the left side of the board, with plenty of space to the right of each letter. David depended on God for everything. As he spent time in God s presence, David was inspired to worship God. Invite children to turn to 1 Samuel 16:13 in their Bibles. When David was anointed as king, something special happened. Read verse 13b as the kids follow along. This means that God s Spirit was present in David s life. This inspired David to write many songs of praise to God. Next to the letter S on the board, write Spirit. Who has read or heard of the book of Psalms? Ask kids to raise hands. Show the location of this book in the Bible. The word psalm simply means song. Tech: Cue Psalms audio. King David wrote songs about God s presence in his life when he was sick, when his enemies were after him, when he was afraid, and when he wanted to thank God for blessing him. Next to I, write In any situation. Invite kids to turn to Psalm 9:1 2, and ask a volunteer or two to read the verses. God s presence inspired David to worship God. David went through some scary and uncomfortable situations, but each time he relied on God. Next to R, write Rely. Before David became king, God helped him fight a lion and a bear. Tech: Cue Lion and Bear slides. God also gave David victory over the giant Goliath. Tech: Cue David and Goliath slide. And after David became king, God helped him and his men to win battle after battle against the enemies of God s people. Tech: Cue Victory audio. Next to W, write Win. God did something else for His people through David: God gave the ark of the covenant back to them. Tech: Cue Ark of the Covenant slide. Who remembers why the ark of the covenant was so important? Invite responses. Yes! Through the ark of the covenant, God s presence dwelled among His people. The ark of the covenant had been taken away from God s people for many years. But God allowed King David and his men to bring the ark to Jerusalem, its new home in the capital city of Israel. Next to H, write Home. God s presence inspired David so much that as he and his men walked with the ark toward Jerusalem, David was filled with joy. Invite kids to turn to 2 Samuel 6:14 15 and follow along as you read the verses aloud. Tech: Cue Dance audio. When David and his men finally arrived and took the ark to the temple, David praised God, gave offerings, blessed the people, and sang more worship songs. We can read many of David s songs in our Bibles, in the book of Psalms. God s presence truly inspired David s worship! God stayed with David throughout his entire life. Because of this, David worshipped God from the overflow of his heart. He was so filled with joy that he couldn t keep it all inside! Next to O, write Overflow. David even worshipped God without thinking 5

6 ZECHARIAH ANTICIPATE CELEBRATE RESPOND BLESS about what people would say. Imagine dancing and singing in front of the whole country like David did! David was so inspired by God s presence that he couldn t stop himself from praising God. What do you think King David looked like as he danced for joy? Let s all stand and do some dance moves that King David may have done. Tech: Cue David s Dance audio. Invite kids to stand and dance for a few moments and then sit back down. During the time of King David, God sent His presence to stay with the ark. But today, when we trust in Jesus, we have God s presence all around us and inside us, all the time, through the Holy Spirit! And we can be inspired to worship God. He s worthy of our praise. Next to P, write Presence. Optional: Tech: Cue Worship Music. Invite kids to sing along, dance, or respond in worship any other way. Like King David, we can rely on God and experience His presence. And when we trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. God is always with us; His presence never leaves us. David was so moved by the presence of God s Spirit that he wasn t scared or worried about how he might look as he worshipped. He sang loudly and danced excitedly in front of everyone. God s presence inspired David to worship, and the same can be true for us. Share a personal story about a time you were so inspired by God s presence that you couldn t help but worship Him. Worship Response God s presence inspires us to worship! When David worshipped the Lord while bringing the ark up to Jerusalem, he danced and sang songs. David wrote many songs in his life, and we can read his songs, or psalms, in our Bibles. Today we re going to read some of the psalms King David wrote to praise God for being present with him and allowing the ark, the symbol of His presence, to be brought to its new home. Then we re going to see how God s presence inspires us to worship. It may be through dancing, singing, bowing down, kneeling, sitting quietly, or another way. We can respond to God in many ways. Tech: Cue instrumental worship music and verse slides. Read the verses aloud with the children. Give them time after each portion of Scripture to ponder David s words of praise. Tech: Cue upbeat worship music. Then spend some time worshipping God with upbeat music. Allow the kids to choose how they want to respond and worship God. Encourage them to go out of their comfort zones and worship God without worrying about what other people may think. ADAM & EVE ABRAHAM MOSES JOSHUA SAMUEL KING DAVID ELIJAH KING JOSIAH JEREMIAH SHADRACH/MESHACH/ABEDNEGO DANIEL ESTHER NEHEMIAH 400 YEARS OF WAITING JESUS SIMEON/ANNA ZACCHAEUS MARY PHILIP PETER JAMES JOHN APOSTLES CORNELIUS LYDIA PAUL YOU & ME OUR FUTURE WITH JESUS 6

7 Respond// min. SMALL Group SECTION Reflect: God s Presence Inspires Our Worship David couldn t help but dance and sing as he celebrated His God. We too can worship God with abandon from the overflow of joy that He gives to us. Encourage the kids to open their Bibles and read the suggested passages. Questions for Younger Kids What did David and his men bring up to Jerusalem? 2 Samuel 6:17 Why was the ark so important? How did David worship God? 2 Samuel 6:14 What are some ways we can worship God? How is God s presence with us? 1 Corinthians 3:16 Questions for Older Kids What do you this phrase means: The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David. 1 Samuel 16:13 How did David worship God? 2 Samuel 6:14 How does God inspire you to worship Him? What are some ways we can worship God? What are some ways to worship God that we don t ordinarily think of? 1 Samuel 15:22, Romans 5:1 How do you think worshipping God changes our lives? How is God s presence with us? 1 Corinthians 3:16 Partner Church Comments The kids absolutely loved writing their own psalms. First Baptist Church Loganville Instead of using blank paper, we printed blank music sheets for the kids to write their psalms on. A lot of kids really enjoyed making up notes. The Gathering Create: Writing Psalms Psalms Verses sheet (see Resource Files) paper (1 sheet per child) pens, colored pencils, or markers PREPARE AHEAD Print a copy of the Psalms Verses sheet for each child. Pass out the Psalms Verses sheet and lead the kids in reading them aloud as a group. (For younger children, read the verses aloud for them. What kinds of word pictures do you see in these psalms? What kinds of questions does the writer ask? What does the writer praise God for? Invite responses. If we decided to write a psalm, what kinds of things would you want to praise God for? Invite responses. What kinds of word pictures would you draw to describe how God has been good to you? Invite responses. Share some ideas: an adhesive bandage to symbolize healing, a smiley face to symbolize joy, or a bird to symbolize freedom. David wrote psalms to praise God for His goodness. David also wrote psalms as he talked to God about hard things such as fear, sin, and injustice. Even in hard times, we can still be inspired to praise God by remembering that He s in control of everything and that He loves us. Today, try writing a psalm or poem to praise God for who He is and what He s doing in your life. And pray God will inspire you to worship Him as He inspired David. As David said in Psalm 40:3, [God] put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. Together as a group (for younger kids) or individually (for older kids), invite children to create a psalm or poem on their own. Encourage them to look at David s psalms and copy any words that stand out to them. Also encourage them to write their own words to God. (Younger kids can draw images or symbols to describe what they want to say to God.) After the kids finish their psalms, invite them to share their creations with the group. 7

8 Bless// 5 min. SMALL Group SECTION For the blessing today, invite the children to choose a posture that makes them think about worshipping God. It could be lifting their hands in the air, kneeling, opening their palms in front of them, or placing their hands on their hearts. Open a Bible and read John 4:23 24: Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. May God s Holy Spirit inspire you to worship Him. May God strengthen your heart and your faith so that you can t help but worship Him in all that you do. Finally, have the kids form a circle, and invite them to bless the person on their left by saying, (Child s name), may you worship in the Spirit and in truth. WEEKLY Be sure to send home the HomeFront Weekly for next week s lesson! This preteaching tool for parents encourages families to spend time in God s Word together before children arrive at church. 8