December
Question: What is God?
Answer: God is the Creator of all things - people and animals alike. He is always present, always perfect, always good. Nothing happens to us or anyone else except as part of His plan.
(adapted language for the younger kids)
(adapted language for the younger kids)
Hymn of the Month: Hark the Herald Angels Sing/Angels We Have Heard on High
Play on CD in the bin
Play on CD in the bin
December notes:
This month we’re at the tail end of the Old Testament stories & heading into the birth narrative for the younger 3 classes as we engage with the Advent season these next few weeks. These stories of the Old Testament pave the way for the coming King, the Messiah, Jesus. None of these stories stand alone; rather, they are the foundation for the overarching story of Scripture that gets us to the arrival of Jesus.
This month we’re at the tail end of the Old Testament stories & heading into the birth narrative for the younger 3 classes as we engage with the Advent season these next few weeks. These stories of the Old Testament pave the way for the coming King, the Messiah, Jesus. None of these stories stand alone; rather, they are the foundation for the overarching story of Scripture that gets us to the arrival of Jesus.
As we teach these stories, help the kids remember what came before and what comes after:
God was with Moses and the Israelites as He freed them from bondage in Egypt and sent them into the Promised Land. In the Promised Land, God’s people did lots of great things and lots of terrible things. But God loved them all the same. Some of God’s people made choices that pleased God; and some made choices that displeased Him. Help the kids understand that that is true for all of us today as well - we can do great things and we can do terrible things, but it doesn’t change God’s love for us.
And because of God’s great love for us and because He wants to continually be close to us, He sent Jesus!
The catechism question helps us to continue to ask the question about God’s relationship to us and with the other members of the Trinity - especially given that God came to us in the form of Jesus (Emmanuel). God is the creator and sustainer of all things and all people. Nothing happens in this world that He doesn’t know about. So He knew the whole story - even Jesus’ death on the cross - and still chose to come to us as a baby and live His life as a Jewish carpenter and the Messiah for the world.
The Hymn of the Month is “Hark the Herald Angels Sing/Angels We Have Heard On High. This song combination will be familiar to the kids, but help them to think about the words in a new light. “Hark! The herald angels sing: “Glory to the Newborn King!” Ask them if they know what “heralding” is; if they do, why is what they are saying important? Do the words that the angels said to the shepherds 2,000 years ago mean anything to us now? How can we and they give glory to the newborn King - Jesus? How do we wait with the same expectation that Mary, Joseph, and the rest of the Israelite nation waited for their Messiah to come and be born?
Preschool
“Play” Curriculum
December 3 – Play 17: Jonah & the Giant Fish
Younger Elementary (Black Box)
“Imagine” Curriculum
December 3: Mary Learns About Jesus
December 10: The Shepherds Learn About Jesus
December 17: Simeon & Anna Learn About Jesus
Older Elementary (Taproot Lobby)
“Wonder” Curriculum
December 3: The Birth of John the Baptist
December 10: The Angel’s Message
December 17: Jesus Is Born!
Pre-Service Oldest Elementary/Middle School (Cry Room)
“Marvel” Curriculum
December 3: The Divided Kingdom
December 10: Elijah & the Widow
December 17: Elijah & Mt Carmel
