Upload
others
View
3
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
1
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
a conversation (part two)
lesson 3
Big Idea: Prayer involves listening
Key verse: Hebrews 4:7b – “Listen to [God’s] voice today. If you hear it, don't be
stubborn.”
Thoughts for leaders Today’s lesson is on the forgotten aspect of prayer: listening. We will be encouraging
the children to listen and hear God’s voice, whether through Scripture, the Holy Spirit’s
inner prompting, or through Christian community. These can sometimes seem like
abstract concepts and will need some extra explaining for some children to grasp. Feel
free to simplify this; our goal this week is only to lay the foundation for children to
understand that God is not just a mailbox to put letters into and hope they make it
somewhere – He is living and active, and very much responds to us when we pray.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®,
NIrV® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
www.zondervan.com.
The “NIrV” and “New International Reader’s Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and
Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
2
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Supplies list: Attention Grabber Small Group Memory Verse Craft
- Attention Grabber
3.30 print outs (pg 6-
11)
- mime costume
(optional)
- Small Group 3.30
printed out & cut
apart
- prayer journals
Popsicle sticks with
memory verse words
printed on each one.
- Craft 3.30 printed
on cardstock and cut
out (1 bookmark per
person).
- Pencil Crayons
- Optional: hole
punch, ribbon &
beads
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
3
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Prep:
- Leader can be dressed casually
- “Bo” can be dressed casually, or in a mime outfit
- small group 3.30 print outs
Leader: Hello, everybody! Last week we learned about how prayer was like a
conversation, and we touched on the many ways we can talk to God. But a
conversation has two parts: talking, and listening. So today we’re going to concentrate
on listening. I have a helper with me today, who is going to show us that you don’t
always listen with just your ears. In fact, Bo is going to tell us many things without
using his voice at all. Now, I need a couple helpers up here to help me figure out what
Bo is saying. Let’s get some volunteers.
Call up two volunteers from the audience to “translate” for Bo.
Leader: Okay, what are your names? Introduce the volunteers. Great! Thanks for
volunteering. Your job today is to help me understand what Bo is saying. Can you do
that? Allow them to respond.
And Bo’s job is to try to help you understand what he’s saying without using any words.
Isn’t that right, Bo?
Bo nods.
Leader: Oh, oh – volunteers, can you guess what was Bo saying?
He was saying “yes.”
Leader: Great! That wasn’t so hard. You knew exactly what Bo was saying, and he
didn’t even have to say anything! Now, Bo. Do you have something else to tell us?
Bo nods, then picks up his sign boards (attention grabber 3.30). He holds them up one at a
time, and the kids can read them out loud. Bo can encourage the kids & leaders to do the
actions along with his signs
Leader: Alright, volunteers, what is Bo trying to tell us, now:
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
4
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Attention Grabber continued…
The sign says to “touch your nose.” Have the volunteers read it out loud, and if they don’t
do the actions right away, have Bo motion for them to touch their noses, as well as the
leader. If the volunteers figure this out, repeat their translation to the crowd. If not, help
them out with the following line
Leader: It looks like Bo wants all of us on stage to read the sign and do what it says.
Okay, let’s touch our noses.. (Once everybody is doing it, BO looks pleased and flips to
the next sign, and makes sure the volunteers & the leader do what it says, then keeps
flipping signs)
- Rub your tummy
- Clap your hands
- Pat your head
- Blink your eyes
- Stick out your tongue
(Bo doubles up with silent laughter and points at the crowd).
Leader: Oh, you think we’re funny, do you. Well, I’ve had enough of this game!
(Bo looks contrite and tries to show he’s sorry.)
Leader: Do you kids know what Bo’s trying to say?
He’s sorry
Leader: Can we forgive him?
Allow kids to answer.
Leader: Okay, Bo. We forgive you for getting us to look silly for you! Maybe instead,
we can ask you some questions and see if we can figure out the answers. Is that okay?
Bo gives thumbs up sign.
Leader: What does that mean?
Volunteers: yes
Leader: How old are you?
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
5
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Attention Grabber continued…
Bo holds up fingers. Volunteers count & report.
Leader: What’s your favourite colour?
Bo finds something the right colour and points to it. Volunteers interpret.
Leader: What do you like to do for fun?
Bo holds up basketball. Volunteers interpret.
Leader: Well, Bo, I think you’ve done it. I think you’ve proved to us that we can hear
you very well – even when you don’t say a word! Thank you, volunteers, for helping us
understand what Bo was saying, even when he wasn’t talking, and thank you Bo, for
helping us today! Let’s give everyone a round of applause.
Leader: Last week we learned different ways we could talk to God, and this week we’re
learning different ways to listen to God. Sometimes we get frustrated because God
does not often talk to us in the same way our friends would. Bo helps remind us that
there are many ways to listen to someone, even without using your ears! Let’s find out
how God might talk to us when we pray!
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
6
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Touch your
nose
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
7
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Rub your
tummy
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
8
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Clap your
hands
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
9
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Pat your
head
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
10
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Blink your
eyes
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
11
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Stick out
your
tongue
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
12
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Most of us would think it was really, really cool if God just told us straight out what He
thought. We think it’d be sweet to hear what His voice sounded like, and talk to Him
face to face. Well, God did speak out loud to a few people in the Bible, but often those
people were really, really scared when God talked to them! So He has found lots of
other ways to talk to us that don’t always sound like a voice.
One of his best and favourite ways to talk to us is through a letter He wrote, called the
Bible. He actually used a whole bunch of people to write down different things about
Him, stories about people He loved, and people who loved Him, history that happened
in real life a long time ago, prayers people prayed and how God answered them, and
instructions for us in this book. Actually, the Bible is more like a library than just a book
because it has 66 different books in it! Sometimes when we read the Bible we might
get confused or even bored, but sometimes the Bible seems to come ALIVE! That’s
when we feel the most like God is talking to us.
God says the Bible is “living and active,” – that means that it’s more than just words on
a page, it’s words that have power to change lives. He uses the words in the Bible to
speak to us. Sometimes we might ask God a question, and then remember something
we heard from the Bible that answers that question. That’s one way God speaks to us
through His word. Other times, we might notice something interesting or special when
we read the Bible, and when we think about that part of the Bible we understand
something. That’s another way God speaks to us through His word.
Another way God might speak to us is through His Holy Spirit. God says His Spirit is like
a helper to us, and He might remind us of something we need to be sorry for, or remind
us to help somebody else. When the Holy Spirit reminds us of something, He usually
does it quietly, like you just feel like you should do something or say something or
apologize. You know it’s the Holy Spirit when that feeling is asking you to do
something that would make God happy. You know it’s NOT the Holy Spirit when that
feeling is just to make YOU happy! So if I felt like maybe I should share my chocolate
bar with my friend, even though I’d rather eat it myself, that might be the Holy Spirit
talking to me. If I felt like maybe I should steal a chocolate bar so I could have a whole
one to myself, that’s probably NOT God talking!
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
13
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Teaching Time continued…
There’s lots of ways that God speaks to us, but I’m going to tell you just one more way.
Sometimes God uses His children to speak to us: you and me! Sometimes you might
hear something from one of your leaders at 10:10 Kids, or a friend who follows Jesus,
from someone at church or even in a book you read that helps answer your questions or
leads you closer to God. That’s one reason why it’s so important that we get together
with other believers regularly; so we can listen to God through them.
The only time we can know for sure that the voice we are hearing is from God is when it
says so in the Bible. All other times we need to make sure we do something called
“testing” to find out if it really is God speaking to us. The basic test is this: ask if what
you are hearing sounds like something God would say. Would it make God happy if you
did what the voice is telling you to do? Would it make God sad? If you don’t know, you
can sometimes ask other Christians what they think, and that could help you find out.
Last week we learned one way we can pray is by using the acronym PRAY – that stands
for Praise, Regret, Ask and say YES to God! The best way we can say YES to God is by
listening to what He is saying! Then we can agree and say yes to Him!
Now we know that we can always go to God in prayer with confidence, and that there
are different ways to talk to God: thanking Him, cheering for Him, saying sorry, and
asking for help are some of the ways we talk to God. Now we have learned that we can
also listen to God in prayer, by reading the Bible, listening to his Holy Spirit and paying
attention to what other believers say.
Listening to God can be very hard because it’s easy to ignore someone who isn’t
shouting, but when we learn to hear God’s voice, it can make a really big difference in
our lives. The good news is, the more we practice listening, the better we get at it, so
let’s start practicing this week!
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
14
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
- small group 3.30
- prayer journals
Place in front of your group a variety of Bible verses printed on small cards. Use small
group 3.30 or make your own.
Leader: We’re going to try an exercise together about listening to God through what
He says in the Bible. I have in front of you a whole bunch of Bible verses. I will read
them out loud and if there is one that seems special to you, you can pick up the card
with the verse on it and hold it. If more than one person likes the same verse, then we
can share the card for now. Try to only pick one verse that sounds special for now.
Read the verses and let the kids each pick one “special” verse.
Leader: Now most of us have chosen a verse that we thought was special. Can anyone
tell me what was so special about your verse?
Allow for answers.
Leader: Sometimes we might all pick the same verse, and that’s okay, but often we
pick different verses because God speaks to each of us differently. These verses are
from the Bible, so we know that they are true, and by letting us see something special
in a verse, God is speaking to you! Take your special verse home this week and try to
think about it every day and remember that it is God’s voice speaking to you!
End with prayer journals.
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
15
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Popsicle sticks
Hebrews 4:7b – “Listen to [God’s] voice today. If you hear it, don't be stubborn.”
Write the words of the verse out on popsicle sticks, one word per stick. Mix the sticks
up and have the children unscramble the words to make the verse. Begin removing
random sticks before re-mixing and see if the children can still assemble the verse,
remembering the missing words.
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
16
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Printout of craft 3.30 on cardstock, cut into bookmarks
Pencil Crayons
(Optional: clear contact paper, hole punch, ribbon & beads)
Give each child a bookmark to color.
If desired, cut contact paper slightly larger than bookmark, and once the child is
finished coloring, apply contact paper to bookmarks to laminate. Punch hole in top of
bookmark, and string a small piece of ribbon through. Thread 3-5 beads on the end of
the ribbon and tie a knot in the end, for a beaded bookmark.
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
17
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Craft 3.30
Prayer: A Conversation (Part 2)
18
© 2012 10:10 Kids! All rights reserved. www.tentenkids.com
Follow the Leader
Have all the children sit in a circle on the floor (this game can be played with groups of 5
or 50). Have 1 child leave the room with a leader – they will be the Guesser. While the
Guesser is out of sight, choose one child (a leader or an older child, especially for the
first few rounds) to be the Leader. Call the Guesser back into the room. The Leader will
choose an action (tap your head, stomp your feet, clap your hands, etc.) and all other
children must follow and do exactly what they do, without giving away who they are
copying. It works best if the Leader changes the action often. The Guesser gets 3
guesses to pick who they think the Leader is