Little Beans: October 2017

November

Question: How many persons are there in God?

Answer: There are three persons in one God: the Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit.

Hymn of the Month: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Play on CD in the bin

November notes:
This month we’re winding down on our Old Testament stories for the younger 3 classes as we approach Advent and the birth of Christ. 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, which is where we’re headed in December’s lessons. The lessons for this month pave the way for Jesus’ birth. The characters in these stories are part of Jesus’ story - Rahab, Ruth, David, Solomon, and others are in the line of Jesus. Israel’s story is Jesus’ story - and Jesus’ story is our story. Help the kids to keep in mind these connections as you tell each story and help them grasp the meaning of what God did and is doing through His people, Israel, and even today, His people at Sanctuary Church.

The catechism question will also help us lay that foundation for how God & Jesus are connected, so help them to think through the question. How can there be 3 people in 1? Is it like an Oreo? Or a sandwich? Or water/gas/ice? Help them think about the mystery of the Trinity in ways that they might understand. We adults can sometimes barely grasp the meaning of the Trinity, so you don’t have to ensure that they “get” it - just start laying the groundwork for God to move in their hearts so they can hear that truth and cling to it as they get older.

The Hymn of the Month is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”. This song is the song of the people of Israel, waiting for their coming Messiah. Gideon, Elijah, Moses, Ruth, and others were singing this refrain: “o come, o come, Emmanuel [God with us] and ransom captive Israel, who mourns in lowly exile here; until the Son of God appears.” They were waiting for God to come and redeem them from their sin, their hurt, and their hardships. Some of the stories for November will fit well with this hymn. Help the kids make the connection that the “Israel” they’re singing about is the same “Israel” they are learning about - the people of Israel were God’s people. They were waiting for the Messiah to come, even though they didn’t know Jesus’ name. We wait for Christmas to come and we wait to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Preschool

“Play” Curriculum

November 5 – Lesson 13: Samuel Listens

November 12 – Lesson 14: David & Goliath

November 19 – Lesson 15: Elisha & the Widow’s Oil

November 26 – Lesson 16: Elisha & Naaman

Younger Elementary (Black Box)

“Imagine” Curriculum

Imagine: Year 2, Unit 1: Trusting God

November 5: Session 5, David, A Good Shepherd

November 12: Session 6, David Trusts God

Imagine: Year 1, Unit 6: Seeing God’s Power