1.ICEBREAKERS
- Play a simple age-appropriate icebreaker. Some examples:
- Freeze!
Play praise music and lead the children in movements (stepping side to side, clapping their hands, stomping their feet, tiptoeing, following the teacher in a circle, slapping their legs, doing jump and jacks, reaching up high and down low, etc). Have an assistant shut the worship music off and have the students freeze, standing completely still. Play the music again and repeat multiple times. For an added challenge, while students are freezing, recite a memory verse and begin again.
- Simon says
One teacher is Simon. Simon yells out a command such as, “Simon says, march in place!” The students would then follow the command because “Simon says” to do it. If Simon does not use the phrase “Simon says” before stating the command and a child still follows, then that child will be seated and is out of the game until the end of the round. Play continues with eliminations until one child remains who will become the next Simon.
- I spy with a little eye
Get kids to take turns spying out objects or people in the room. You may want to put some props around (e.g. stuffed animals, pictures from Bible lessons from last year etc) or get kids to sit in a circle and spy out each other. E.g. “I spy with my little eye someone wearing a red dress.”
- Blanket game
Get all the kids to introduce themselves. Divide class into 2 teams. Hold a large blanket in between. Each team sends a representative to sit in front of the blanket. When blanket is dropped, first side to shout out name of the other wins a point for their team.
2. LESSON
- At Christmas time, some of you had a list of presents that you wanted. Maybe it’s a new Transformers. Or a Barbie doll. Or a truck. Or a book.
- As we enter this new year, what is it that we want? Is it good results? Favour with your parents? Good health? Nice new clothes? A holiday? PSP?
- We all want and need good things in our lives. And God our Father wants to give us good things. He wants to bless us tremendously every day. We just need to look to Him. He is the source of everything.
- Jesus tells His disciples (Matt 6:25-33): DON’T WORRY!
- Don’t worry about:
- What you will eat
- What you will drink
- Your body
- What you will wear
Jesus gave us 2 examples:
- Birds of the air: They don’t sow or reap or store, but the Heavenly Father feeds them.
- The flowers of the field: They don’t labour or spin. They are here today and gone tomorrow. Yet God dresses them in more splendour than King Solomon.
- You and I are worth much more to God than the birds and the flowers.
- God who provides for the birds and the flowers will provide for you and for me. We don’t have to run after all these things like people who don’t know Jesus.
- Jesus says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
- It’s not because of our own goodness that we deserve all these, but because of Jesus’ goodness, Jesus’ righteousness.
We are blessed because Jesus was so good.
So let’s chase after Jesus instead. Go after His kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy. Recognise and remember that it’s His goodness in us that qualifies for any and every of God’s blessings. Chase Him, worship Him, spend time with Him … because He loves you and wants to spend time with you.
This year, 2013, let’s not chase after all these things — good results, favour with your parents, teachers and friends, good health, nice new clothes, holidays, PSP etc.
Let’s look to Jesus and His righteousness in us, and we KNOW that ALL these things will be given to us as well!
As we learned in Psalm 23, as the sheep follow the Shepherd, goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives.
Chase Jesus, and all these blessings will chase after us!
