Leading Bedtime Devotions

Transcription

1 PASSPORTkids! Bedtime Devotions Written by Valerie Lott Leading Bedtime Devotions These devotions are provided so you can offer an encouraging, focused thought to children as they settle into bedtime. Every group is different, so use these as a launching point and adjust as needed. Each nightly devotion consists of an introduction, suggested questions for conversation, the scripture verse of the day, reflection, and a prayer. Here are some suggestions to help make this an intentional time for your campers: Read through and be familiar with each devotion before leading. Think of ways you can connect this to the unique personalities of your group. If the verse of the day is long, you may need to read it in small chunks for campers to repeat. Repeat it a few times until it can all be said together. Encourage campers to be in bed and ready to go to sleep before leading the devotion. When campers are already in bed, they can focus on this devotion time as a way to prepare to go to sleep. If multiple church groups are staying together, different chaperones may choose to lead different nights, or to share in leadership each night. If your group is staying in different cabins or dorms, have multiple adult chaperones lead small groups in bedtime devotions. Have a sixth grader read and lead a bedtime devotion. This is an opportunity to empower your older campers. PASSPORT All rights reserved. 1

2 Day 1: Wild and Precious Introduction: Today s focus was Wild and Precious, and tonight s devotion focuses on paying attention to the precious story of each of our lives. For some campers, this may be their first night away from home or parents so be aware of those that may be anxious about bedtime. Quick Conversations: What was your favorite part of the day? Tell us about your Bible Study Leader. Who did you meet today? Read: Think of the steps you took to get to camp today. How many pieces of grass do you think you walked past? How many birds flew over you singing a song? How many flowers grew taller while you grew strong? All of the steps that you took and all of the people you met today are a part of your story now. A part of the things that make you, you! We don't normally stop to count our steps, and we don't always stop to look at the beautiful world around us, but when we take the time to pause and think about all of the things that are going on around us, we are also given a chance to pause and think about God. Encourage campers to say the verse of the day together: Today s verse of the day is Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds in the sky. They don t sow seed or harvest grain crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren t you worth much more than they are? Read: Think about today, imagine the big open skies outside that started out filled with birds and the sunshine and church vans traveling to camp, and are now filled with stars and moonlight and campers getting ready to go to sleep. Even if we have come from different places, and all have different stories, we are all worth so much to God. God has given us the ability to dream and to imagine and to rest. As you go to sleep tonight, remember that your life is precious to Jesus. Pray: (Here is an example, but use your words) Dear God, thank you for today, and for safe travels to camp. Thank you for the opportunity to learn more about you at camp. Thank you for giving us things like flowers and birds to remind us of your love for us. Help us to remember how much you love each of us and help us to share that love with others tomorrow. Help us to sleep well tonight. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. PASSPORT All rights reserved. 2

3 Day 2: Wild and Wonderful Introduction: Tonight's devotion includes a story about a girl named Keisha, who lost her sight at a young age. You may have a story about someone at your church who has endured hard times, but his or her faith has been an encouragement to those around them. This would be a great time to share that story with your campers, being mindful of age-appropriateness, and ending things on an encouraging note. Quick Conversations: What was something wonderful about today? What was something that was challenging about today? Read: When we listen to stories about other people's lives, we can be encouraged to see how God helped other people like Moses even when life was hard. Sometimes we need to take the time to listen and hear how wonderful God is in the lives of others to remind us of how wonderful God is in our lives. This is a story about a girl named Keisha, whose life is a reminder that God helps us even when there is change, and we are scared. Keisha was born with the ability to see to see colors and animals and people. When Keisha was little, she lost her ability to see, but she still remembers what it was like to see God s creation. Keisha got to go to The School for the Blind, in Louisiana, where she learned how to live in a world that sometimes doesn t think about how to take care of people who are blind. Small things that are easy for someone who can see were hard for Keisha at first: things like crossing the street, going to the grocery, and learning how to read in a new way using her fingers to read Braille. But something that is special about Keisha is that she is an incredible listener. She is not able to see things with her eyes now, so she pays attention very carefully with her ears. She can tell who you are without having to see you, just by hearing your voice. She can even sometimes tell what kind of car you drive by the way the engine sounds! Keisha always has the same things with her no matter where she is going: a cane to help her feel the ground and her Braille Bible. It is difficult to understand how Keisha could still be happy even though she has had many hard things happen in her life. But Keisha doesn't want people to feel bad for her; she wants people to know that Jesus was her friend even when she was scared, and even when she couldn't see anymore. She wants people to know that she is happy because of the way that she learned more about Jesus even when the days were hard and sad. I'm sure there are people in your life who have stories that you can learn from. The stories we have of the hard times in our lives can help encourage other people, too. Sometimes it is easy to feel lonely when we have a bad day, but today's verse of the day reminds us that God is with us. Encourage campers to say the verse of the day together: I m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 Read: As you go to sleep tonight, try listening to the things around you like Keisha does. Close your eyes and listen carefully. Is there something you didn t hear or notice before? Let s pray. PASSPORT All rights reserved. 3

4 Pray: (Here is an example, but use your words) Dear God, thank you for today. Thank you for all of the things that make our lives wild and wonderful. Help us to know that we are not alone. Remind us that when we are scared or sad, you are with us, and you have given us others around us to help us, too. Draw us into peaceful sleep tonight. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. PASSPORT All rights reserved. 4

5 Day 3: Wild and Free Introduction: Tonight s bedtime devotion focuses on freedom. We not only have the freedom to move around and think and dream, but we also have the freedom to be quiet and still. Poetry and art express this freedom, similar to the freedom we often see in God s creation. If you have an example of a piece of art, a song, or a poem that expresses freedom, this would be a great time to share that with your campers. Quick Conversations: When did you feel free today? Encourage campers to say the verse of the day together: "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" John 8:32 Read: Our minds like to wander. We like to think lots of thoughts. God has created us to be creative and to have the ability to think and talk and move around. But we also have the ability to be still and quiet. We don t always like to be still. Sometimes we may think that we re bored, but when we are quiet and still, we have a great opportunity to explore our imagination. We are going to practice being quiet and still as we prepare to go to sleep. Wiggle your toes and fingers. Think of all of the things you did today with your fingers and toes. Pray silently. Thank God for today. Take a deep breath in. As you breathe in, think of all of the good things that happened today. As you breathe out, focus on being still. Now, close your eyes and listen. a dandelion s fluff blown with the wind a girl named Shalah moved here today she s offered friendship and decides to play a cloud in the sky travels swiftly above a boy named Ketut falls and hurts his knee friends come to help him a group of three a butterfly moves through the air right there nature all around us seems so free: but when we stop and listen: people, too, like me and you, are free free to give free to live free to share God s love PASSPORT All rights reserved. 5

6 Pray: (Here is an example, but use your words) Dear God, thank you for (individually say each campers name, thanking God for each child) Thank you for all that we have learned and all of the fun we have had together. Help us remember that you do not want us to be afraid, but you want us to be free. Help us to sleep well tonight. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. PASSPORT All rights reserved. 6