Preschool Teacher Guide Session Title: God Called Jeremiah Bible Passage: Jeremiah 1 Big Picture Question: What job did God give Jeremiah? God called Jeremiah to be a prophet. Key Passage: Ezekiel 37:27 Unit Christ Connection: Though it appeared that sin prevailed, the covenant God promised would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. TEACHER BIBLE STUDY Prep Time I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. These words from Jeremiah 1:5 reveal a Creator who is sovereign, working out everything in agreement with the decision of His will. (Eph. 1:11) Jeremiah 1:5 ends with a specific call for a man named Jeremiah: I appointed you a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah the priest. He lived just north of Jerusalem. Jeremiah s ministry began when God called him. At that time, Josiah was king of Judah. Who else did God call in the Old Testament? God called Noah to build an ark (Gen. 6); He called Abram to leave his home (Gen. 12:1-4); He called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt (Ex. 3). Each time God calls someone, He equips them to do His work. Like Moses, Jeremiah was hesitant: Oh no, Lord, God! Look, I don t know how to speak since I am only a youth (Jer. 1:6). God assured Jeremiah: I will be with you (Jer. 1:8). God called Jeremiah to be a prophet to Judah. Judah was deep in idol worship and other sins. God s judgment was coming. Jeremiah s job was to warn them. God gave Jeremiah two visions. The first a branch of an almond tree was a sign that God would keep His promise to send judgment, and He would do it soon. The second vision a boiling pot meant that God s judgment was coming from the north. God would bring the Babylonians from the north as judgment on His people. Then God sent Jeremiah out to announce God s declaration. As you teach kids, help them connect Jeremiah s ministry to the ministry of Jesus. God called Jeremiah to warn the people of the judgment for their sin. Jesus also came to tell people to turn from their sin; He didn t just tell them about the punishment, He took the punishment on Himself. Welcome/Transition Time (15 minutes) Lesson Snack/Video Activities 1 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources
WELCOME/TRANSITION TIME (15 minutes) Greet boys and girls as they arrive. Direct them to work on the color/activity page. After that, they may choose to play with a favorite toy or do another activity that you have provided. Color Page/Activity Sheet: What Do You Listen To? - provided Crayons or colored pencils color/activity sheet, 1 per child Say Jeremiah heard the word of the Lord and then told it to the people. Often, people didn t listen when prophets like Jeremiah told them what God had said. Put a box around each thing you listen to. Listening Game Say God called Jeremiah, and Jeremiah listened. Let s play a listening game. Listen to my instructions, and then listen to what you do to follow them. Ask children to make a soft noise with their feet, and then a loud noise with their feet. Continue the game, naming other body parts such as hands, tongues, fingers, mouths, hands and feet together. WORSHIP Classroom DVD contains worship songs for each unit that the children will enjoy learning. Unit 18 DVD Transition to Lesson Use your usual transition cue to signal that it is time for Bible study. Ring the bell, show the countdown video, flip the lights, or clap a simple rhythm for children to copy to gain attention LESSON Story Time Say If you can hear me, hop one time. [Then, in a softer voice ] If you can hear me, hop two times. [Then whisper ] If you can hear me, hop three times. [When everyone is quiet, say ] Good listening! Today we will learn about someone who listened very well. As I tell you the Bible story, you will hear who this person listened to, and why he listened so carefully. 2 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources
THE BIBLE STORY God Called Jeremiah Jeremiah 1 Preschool Teacher Guide Jeremiah was a priest. He helped people worship God. One day, God told Jeremiah to do something very important. God wanted Jeremiah to talk to the people in Judah. The people in Judah were ruled by King Josiah. God began giving messages to Jeremiah. God talked to Jeremiah for many years. The first time God talked to Jeremiah, God said, I knew you before I made you in your mama s belly. Before you were born, I picked you to do very special things. I picked you to be a prophet to the nations. Being a prophet was a big job. Jeremiah would have to listen to what God said. Then he would travel to other places and tell people what God said. Jeremiah said, Oh no, God! I don t know how to talk in front of other people. I m too young for this job. I m just a boy. Don t say that, God said. You will go where I send you. When you get there, you will say what I tell you to say. Don t be afraid of anyone. I ll be with you. I ll take care of you. Then God reached out His hand. He touched Jeremiah s mouth. I am giving you the words to say, God said. My message to them is bad news. They will be punished because they have disobeyed Me and done wrong things. But My message is also good news. After the people are punished, I will help them. I will make them strong again. Then God gave Jeremiah two visions. Visions are like dreams, except Jeremiah was awake. Instead of giving Jeremiah words, God showed him pictures. What do you see, Jeremiah? God asked. Jeremiah looked. He said, I see a branch of an almond tree. You are right, God said. The almond branch showed that God would do what He said He would do, and He would do it soon. In the second vision, Jeremiah saw a boiling pot. The pot was overflowing! It meant that trouble was coming for everyone who lived in Judah. God told Jeremiah what was going to happen one day. He said that rulers were going to come and stay right outside of the city of Jerusalem. They would attack Jerusalem and other cities in Judah. This is how God was going to punish Judah for disobeying Him. The people in Judah had stopped loving God. They worshiped gods that were not real instead. God gave Jeremiah an important job. Jeremiah had a lot to do. God said to Jeremiah, Get ready to go! Tell the people everything I say. Don t be afraid; I will make you strong. If other people fight you, you will win. I will take care of you and keep you safe. Christ Connection: God sent Jeremiah to talk to the people in Judah. Jeremiah told them to think about how they were living. He told them to stop disobeying God. Like Jeremiah, Jesus told people to be sorry for their sin. Jesus lived a perfect life for us and took our punishment so we could be right with God. * Use only the words in bold to review the Bible story or tell it to younger preschoolers. 3 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources
Review/Key Passage Key Passage Poster Big Picture Question Poster Say What job did God give Jeremiah? God called Jeremiah to be a prophet. When did God choose Jeremiah for this job? (before Jeremiah was born) Jeremiah was afraid. He said, I can t do that job. I m too young, and I don t know what to say. God said He would tell Jeremiah the words to say. Would Jeremiah tell people bad news or good news? (some bad news and some good news) God gave Jeremiah some of the bad news in a vision about an almond branch. When an almond branch has flowers, it will soon have fruit. What did the vision mean? (Very soon, God would do what He said.) What did the vision about the boiling pot mean? (It meant that trouble was coming soon for Judah.) God made a promise to Jeremiah which was good news: Don t be afraid. I will take care of you and keep you safe. [Read the key passage.] This is good news for God s people. SNACK/VIDEO Snack Signal for cleanup time using the countdown video or whatever method you prefer. Take a bathroom break and wash hands before the snack. Ask for volunteers to help set up and serve the snack. Remind kids to wait until everyone has been served before eating. Thank God for your snack. Watch Video Show the video God Called Jeremiah (from Classroom DVD) ACTIVITIES Call a Name and Do game with Instruments - provided Say God called Jeremiah to do something that God had planned for Jeremiah to do even before Jeremiah was born. Jeremiah listened and obeyed. What job did God give Jeremiah? God called Jeremiah to be a prophet. Explain that you will call someone to do something. Call a child s name and give him a simple task playing a sound on an instrument, repeating a simple rhythm by clapping or patting his head, making a funny face, or touching something in the room that is a certain color or shape. 4 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources
Play with a Parachute- provided Space kids around a parachute; each child holds tightly to his position on the edge. Practice raising and lowering together. Practice bouncing a beanbag or soft ball gently in the center of the parachute, trying to keep it on the sheet. Play a game. Call the names of two kids who will change places by running under the parachute. Continue until everyone has changed places several times. Say Jeremiah was called by God. God called him to do a special job. What job did God give Jeremiah? God called Jeremiah to be a prophet. Pick up Preschool children need to be picked up by a parent/grandparent and the adult must show the parent receipt with matching I.D. number. If the tag is missing, the adult can go to the Welcome Center and have a receipt reprinted. Welcome the second session teachers and tell them what they need to know about the children who are present. 5 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources