Sunday School Edition LESSON 4.9 date: Bible Passage: 1 Thessalonians 1 4 ; 2 Thessalonians 2 (Letters to the Thessalonians) God Is Hope REMEMBER VERSE Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 5:5. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children s ministry leaders. All rights reserved.
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 Connect Gather Respond and Engage Bless Navigating Lesson 4.9 Below you will find additional information to enhance lesson sections as needed. Connect Gather Respond Engage Bless Remember Verse: Stack of Sticks Make sure you re stocked up on jumbo craft sticks for this week you ll need 28 of them for the Remember Verse activity! Nonstandard Supplies Needed wooden dowels (1 per child, 12 x ¼ ) Small Group Enhancement Finish the Sentence activities are available for this lesson. Premium, Unlimited, and Combo users may access these activities 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! To provide printed copies of the new issue when it becomes available each month, order print subscriptions at www.homefrontmag.com or download it. Families may also visit the website to have each month s issue emailed directly to their inboxes and they may access each issue through apps for iphone, ipad, or Android devices. 2
Connect// 5 10 min. Children develop relationships with their leaders and one another through the use of simple supplies and conversation starters. In Paul s letter to the Thessalonians, he encouraged the church and reminded the believers that God is hope. CONNECT QUESTION: Welcome and greet children. Open your time by asking this question: What is something you re looking forward to? Looking Forward SUPPLIES construction paper (1 sheet for every 2 children, black) scissors chalk (1 piece per child, various colors) PREPARE AHEAD Cut the sheets of construction paper in half. RELATE Have the children join you around a table. Give each child a half-sheet of black paper and a piece of chalk and invite her to draw an event she s looking forward to. Then go around the circle and have each child share what he created. 3
Gather//20 35 min. Children experience and learn more about God through prayer, storytelling from The Big God Story, an investigation into God s Word, and creative ways to memorize Scripture. Prayer Gather your children into a circle. Encourage them to hold their hands in front of them, palms up, as a posture of receiving what God might speak to them today. Before you pray, designate a leader (or two) to open and close the time of prayer. Encourage the children to participate in this time of prayer if they d like. Remind them that praying is simply talking and listening to God and that He always hears us when we pray. As you pray, leave space between prayers for the children to take the opportunity to pray, in case some may be apprehensive and need a little more time. Pray that God would bless the day s lesson as you re in His Word. Pray that God would speak to the hearts of His children, revealing to them the truth of today s Ponder Point, that God Is Hope. Storytelling Bible Passage: 1 Thessalonians 1 4; 2 Thessalonians 2 Storytelling Technique: Acting Out Narrative SUPPLIES Bibles (1 per leader and 1 per child) paper (3 sheets) colored pencil or marker (dark-colored) PREPARE AHEAD Write God Is Hope on one sheet of paper. Leave the other two sheets blank. SET UP Ask for a volunteer to play Paul and a second volunteer to play Timothy. Invite the rest of the kids to be the Thessalonians. RELATE Paul taught so many people about Jesus! He gave his whole life to serve God. Paul wanted others to love God and have faith and hope. What is hope? Allow responses. Hope is looking for what our good and perfect God has promised. Let s thank God for His goodness and ask Him to teach us. Lead children in Prayer of Release. Paul traveled to the city of Thessalonica to tell people about Jesus. Have Paul stand up front and pretend to teach the Thessalonians. Some of the Thessalonians believed the good news that Jesus died for our sins and rose again. These believers had hope in God s promises. Invite kids to turn to 1 Thessalonians 1:3 and follow along as you read. However, some of the people in Thessalonica got angry about Paul being there to share about Jesus. Because of this, Paul had to leave the city after only three weeks! Have a couple Thessalonians stand up and point for Paul to leave. Have Paul walk away with head down. 4
ZECHARIAH 1st & 2nd Grade Guide Paul thought about the Thessalonian believers a lot and wanted to know how they were doing. So he sent his friend Timothy to go check on them. Have Timothy walk over to the Thessalonians. Read 1 Thessalonians 3:6 7 aloud. Paul knew the Thessalonians were being persecuted, or treated badly, because of their faith. But Timothy told him they were staying strong. The Thessalonians knew God is hope. They knew they could trust that He is good and keeps His promises. They wanted to serve Him no matter what. But they needed a bit of encouragement. It s hard to stay hopeful when people are treating you badly or teaching you things that aren t true. So Paul did what he often did when people needed to hear the truth he wrote them a letter! Have Paul take God Is Hope paper and pretend to write. The letter was delivered to the Thessalonians, and they read it together at their church. Have Timothy hand letter to one of the Thessalonians. Have Thessalonians gather around him and pretend to read. Paul told the Thessalonians that he was so thankful they were following God. He was happy about their trust in God. Paul said that he was praying for them all the time (have Paul pretend to pray) and that he hoped he would get to visit them soon. The apostle Paul wanted the Thessalonians to know that they could trust God all the time, even in hard times. God is hope. Ask one of the Thessalonians to read, God Is Hope from their letter. There s even more good news! Jesus is coming again for those who believe in Him. The Thessalonians didn t understand the timing about when Jesus would return. In fact, they thought that maybe He d already come back and they had missed Him. Paul wrote to help the Thessalonian believers keep looking ahead to Jesus coming back. Let s read more of Paul s message. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13 18 aloud as kids follow along. Because Jesus died and rose again, that means He s more powerful than death, and nothing can defeat Him. Have Paul take another sheet of paper and colored pencil or marker and draw a large cross. When Jesus returns, a trumpet will sound (invite everyone to make trumpet sound) and all those who believe in Him will be caught up in the clouds to meet Him. Have Paul draw a cloud near the cross. All those who follow God and trust in Him will be in heaven with Him forever. The Thessalonians were so happy to get their letter from Paul. It reminded them that God is hope and that they could trust that Jesus will return. But a little while later, the Thessalonians had more questions for Paul. Paul heard about this, so guess what he did? Invite the kids to respond. That s right. He wrote them another letter! Have Paul take third sheet of paper and pretend to write. We have Paul s second letter in our Bibles too. Invite kids to turn to 2 Thessalonians 2 in. Paul began to answer the questions the Thessalonians had. He reminded them that one day Jesus would come back. He also told the Thessalonians that some 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 5
people didn t want to live for Jesus. They wanted to do bad things and hurt Christians. But the Thessalonians didn t need to listen to anyone who was against God. God is hope, and He wins! Invite everyone to cheer. Paul again told the Thessalonians how thankful he was for them and how glad he was that they had believed in Jesus right away. Read 2 Thessalonians 2:15 aloud as kids follow along. Have Paul draw a happy face on his paper and hand it to Timothy. He reminded them to stand firm and trust in God. It was important for the Thessalonians to remember all they had been taught about our good and perfect God. Have Timothy hand letter to Thessalonians. Paul ended his letter by asking God to encourage the Thessalonians to continue believing His promises. He knew they would need God s strength to keep going. Read 2 Thessalonians 2:16 17 aloud. Have Thessalonians hold up happy face for all to see. Sometimes it s hard to have hope to trust that God s promises are true when we go through hard times. We need someone to remind us so we can keep going. That s what Paul did for his friends in Thessalonica. He wrote to encourage them and give them hope. God is hope. We can look forward to Jesus coming back and trust that God always does what He says He ll do. One day we will get to live with Him forever. While we wait, He gives us His Spirit to strengthen us and help us. Share a time when God strengthened you with His hope. Developmentally Speaking First and second graders are excited to learn. They have strong imaginations and can picture a world beyond the one surrounding them. You can capitalize on this as you storytell by using animated gestures and voice inflections that add to the excitement of the narrative. Investigate Discussion Questions What does hope mean? What did Paul say he did for the Thessalonians night and day? 1 Thessalonians 3:10 How does looking forward to Jesus return give us hope? 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Hope in God s Word The Bible says we should put our hope in the Word of the Lord. Read Psalm 130:5 aloud as kids follow along. What is the Word of the Lord? What does it mean to wait for the Lord? What is one promise of the Bible you really like? Praise Our God of Hope The Bible tells us that God is hope and worthy of all our praise! Read 1 Peter 1:3 aloud. What are some reasons to praise God? What did Jesus do for us that gives us hope? 6
Remember Verse Each week children will spend time memorizing a portion of Scripture together. The Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that s highlighted in today s portion of The Big God Story. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 5:5 What do you think it will be like to meet Jesus face to face? When you think about the Holy Spirit, what are you thankful for? Game: Stack of Sticks SUPPLIES Bible craft sticks (28, jumbo) permanent marker stopwatch or timer optional: Remember Verse cards and printable image (see Resource Files) PREPARE AHEAD Write one word of the Remember Verse horizontally on each craft stick. Also write the reference on one stick. RELATE Practice the Remember Verse out loud with your kids a few times. Pass out the craft sticks, and then have children work together to line them up in order on the floor, one under another. They should place the second word under the first word so that the verse reads vertically from top to bottom. Use the stopwatch to time the children to see how fast they can put the verse in order. Then, mix up the sticks and play again, seeing if children can beat their previous time. Space for the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit longs to speak to His children. Allow time and space for your children to respond to what God might be speaking to their hearts. To create space for children to hear from and respond to Him, ask the children a few simple questions: After all you ve seen, heard, and experienced today through God s Word, what do you know about Him? How does this make you feel? What does this mean for your life? How do you want to respond to God right now? As you lead the children through this time of reflection, pause and ask God to give you the strength and faith to be flexible as you give the children the space to respond in the way that God leads. 7
Respond// 15 20 min. Children process what the Holy Spirit has been teaching them and respond to God through individual and collaborative worship. Streamers of Praise SUPPLIES Streamers of Praise cutouts (see Resource Files) scissors wooden dowels (1 per child, 12 x ¼ ) crepe paper streamers (9 per child, various bright colors) tape crayons, colored pencils, or markers worship music (suggestion: Remain, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) PREPARE AHEAD Print a copy of the Streamers of Praise cutouts for each child and cut out the shapes. Cut the crepe paper streamers into three-foot sections. RELATE Have children put away the craft sticks from the Remember Verse time. Our God is hope! He s given us many amazing promises, and we can look forward to being with Him forever one day. What is God saying to you today? How do you want to praise Him for His hope in your life? Today let s praise Him together by creating streamers of praise. Give a dowel and three crepe paper streamers to each child. Show the children how to tape the ends of the streamers to the end of the dowel. Also show the children the three cutout options to attach to their streamers: a name tag, a heart, and a large H (for hope ). The children can choose what cutouts best represent what God is saying to them today. Do they feel He is calling them to love someone in particular? They can write that person s name on the heart. Are they thankful that He s chosen them His sons and daughters to have hope? They can write their name on the name tag. Or do they want to praise God for being hope? They can write on or decorate the H. Invite the children to use the crayons, colored pencils, or markers to decorate the cutouts. Once the children have finished creating their streamers, play music and invite them to join you in worshipping our holy God! 8
Engage// 15 20 min. Children participate in various forms of play, including interactive games, activities, experiments, and more. Hope Shout SUPPLIES card stock (9 sheets) index cards (9) paper lunch bag masking tape upbeat music (suggestion: Celebrate, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) PREPARE AHEAD Write one letter of the phrase GOD IS HOPE on each sheet of card stock. Do the same for the index cards. Place the index cards in the paper bag. SET UP Arrange the sheets of card stock in a circle on the floor with the letters facing up (keeping the letters in order). Tape the card stock to the floor. RELATE Have the children join you near the circle of card stock. God is hope! In today s game we ll have fun remembering this amazing truth about God. To begin, everyone will walk in a circle around the sheets of card stock while the music plays. When the music stops, step on a letter near you. It s okay if two or three people step on the same letter. Then, I ll choose a letter from this bag and read it out loud. If it s the same letter you re standing on, you get to shout, God is hope! Then we ll play another round and choose a new letter. We ll play until everyone has had a chance to shout the good news that God is hope. After the game, discuss: How does it make you feel to know God is hope? 9
Bless// 5 10 min. Children receive a blessing from their leaders and sometimes one another. A blessing can be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. Invite the children to stand in a circle and join hands as you read today s blessing from 2 Thessalonians 2:16 17: May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. Bless the class with these words: May the Holy Spirit encourage you and give you hope. May you experience His strength this week. End by having the children bless one another by turning to the person on their left and saying, (Child s name), may you remember that God is hope. 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. 10