Sunday School - March 7, 2021

This week's lesson is the story of the 10 Commandments from the books of Exodus.     

Today's Scripture - Read the NRSV version here: 

Scripture:  

Exodus 20: 1-17

Share the story:

Story Sheet   

Today’s Bible story is about rules for playing and living together as God’s people.

Read the definition of the word commandment and talk about its meaning.

Following the story, here are some questions you can ask:

• Why did the people need God’s rules?

Look at the picture below and ask:

• What title would you give this picture?
• What might Moses be ready to say?

 

Story Activities:

Using the resource sheet below, invite children  to select a commandment and draw a picture of how to follow it today.

  Coloring Sheet

Storybook to Share: 

"No, David" by David Shannon

This week’s Time for Children: 

Sunday School - February 28, 2021

This week's lesson is a story from Genesis about Abraham and Sarah and promises with God.   

Today's Scripture - Read the NRSV version here: 

Scripture:  

Genesis 17: 1-7, 15-16

Share story:

 Story Sheet 

Following the story, here are some questions you can ask:

Who is in your family?

 What were the new names for Abram and Sarai?

 What did God promise them?

Why is God’s covenant important to us today?

Story Activities:

Cinquain Poem: As a way for children to express their understanding of God’s covenant, help them write poems. A cinquain (sin-KANE) is a five-line poem. The first and fifth lines of

the poem are the subject of the poem and lines two, three, and four describe the subject. Follow these

descriptions to complete the poem together about today's scripture:

Line 1: Title and subject of poem

Line 2: two words to describe the subject

Line 3: three words of action about the subject

Line 4: four words to describe feelings about the subject

Line 5: one word that means the same as the word in line 1

Covenant Puzzle: After finding words related to God’s covenant, children write about

God’s covenant using the words they found. Use the following Covenant Puzzle with

pencils, and crayons for the colors listed there. Some of these words

may be new to the children since they were not in the story but they are in most Bibles. The children can work alone or with help to write the sentence about the covenant. Why is God’s covenant important to us today?

Covenant Puzzle

Labyrinth:  When children know they are included in God’s covenant, they need time

to ponder what that means. A finger labyrinth provides a way for them to think quietly.

Show the children how to

follow the path beginning at the bottom and working to the middle and then out again.

Explain that this is done slowly as they think about a question about God or repeat the

same words of God over and over. Suggest that they use “God’s covenant” or “I will be your God."

Labyrinth

  Coloring Sheet

 

Storybook to Share: 

The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin.

 

This week’s Time for Children: 

Sunday School - February 21, 2021

This week's lesson is a story from Mark and about Jesus in the wilderness. 

Today's Scripture - Read the NRSV version here: 

Scripture:  

Mark 1: 9-15

Before the story: 

Share the picture and talk about what you remember from the story of Jesus' Baptism.  What do you remember about this story about Jesus? Ask kids to tell the story of Jesus’ baptism in their own words. Recall that the story of Jesus’ baptism is in Mark 1and remind learners that the story for this week immediately follows it. 

Invite the kids to look at the photo above and look it closely and tell what they see in this landscape.

What might you hear in a place like this?

What might you smell?

Explain that the Bible story took place in a setting like this wilderness.

Share story:

Story Sheet 

Following the story, here are some questions you can ask:

What happened in the wilderness?

What might be hard about staying in the wilderness for forty days?

Who was taking care of Jesus?

Who tried to get Jesus to turn away from God?

What did Jesus do?

What do you think helped Jesus?

What helps Jesus’ followers today in difficult or hard times?

Who helps you when you are doing something hard?

Story activities: 

Story Activities:

 

Lenten Reminder: Talk about the season of Lent and decided if there are any Lent practices you would like to observe as a family at home.

Angel Pattern:   Have children trace the Angel Pattern n on paper to make an angel. Encourage them to put the angel somewhere where they will see it during the week, 

  

 Coloring Sheet 

 

Storybook to Share: 

"

Henry and Leo" by Pamela Zagarenski

This week’s Time for Children: 

 

Sunday School - February 14, 2021

 This week's lesson is a story from Mark and is the story known as The Transfiguration. 

Today's Scripture - Read the NRSV version here: 

Scripture:  

Mark 9: 2-9 

or share the story sheet from this week's lesson

Story Sheet 

Today’s Story is called the Transfiguration story. It’s a story about Jesus and a few of his disciples who go up to the mountain top. Before the story, ask the kids to name or talk about things/animals/people/ that change.  Share the picture below as you are reading the story.

Color Pack 22

Following the story, here are some questions you can ask:

 

• What happened before this part of the story?
• Who are the people with Jesus?
• Why would the artist show Moses with a walking stick?
• What surprising thing happened to Jesus?
• What did God’s voice tell the disciples to do?
• What does this story tell you about Jesus?
• How can you listen to Jesus today?

Story Activities:  

Make Book about Jesus:

Students can make a mini-book about Jesus to summarize what

they know about him. Use the instruction guide below for creating the book. Students can use the pages of the book to write or draw things about Jesus or stories that they remember.

Mini book instructions

Transforming Art :

Children will express in art what they discovered about Jesus in the transfiguration story. 

Have kids make hearts from construction or any type of paper you have on hand. Have them tape or glue their hearts onto another piece of paper and explain that this is the beginning of a picture of the transfiguration. Have them transform their hearts into something else - draw a picture around it to show the transfiguration story - or anything they want to draw.

 

Transfiguration  Coloring Sheet

 

Storybook to Share: 

“If You Want To See a Whale” by Julie Fogliano

This week’s Time for Children: 

Sunday School - February 7, 2021

 This week's lesson is a story from Mark about Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law and going out alone to pray. 

Today's Scripture - Read the NRSV version here: 

Scripture:  

Mark 1: 29-39

 

or share the story sheet from this week's lesson

Story Sheet 

Before Story:  Share  MAP - locate Capernaum where today’s story takes place.

Story picture:  Share photo while you read the story

Following the story, here are some questions you can ask:

• Where had Jesus and the disciples been?

• Where did they go when they left the synagogue?

• Who did Jesus help there?

• What did she do when she was well again?

• What happened when the people of Capernaum heard that Jesus was at Simon’s house?

• What did Jesus do early in the morning?

Story Activity:  

Hands to Pray and Serve The children will link praying and serving visually in this

project. Invite the children to tell about the differences in what the hands are doing. One way to think about the hands is to see the hands in the picture on the right as praying hands and the open hands in the picture on the left as serving or helping hands. 

Instruct the kids that they can use a piece of paper and Give each child a sheet of paper and fold it in half lengthwise, like a hot dog bun. Invite the children to place one hand with

the side next to the pinkie along the fold and trace around the hand with a pencil. Cut

out the hand, but do not cut the fold. Show how the hand is now a praying hand and,

when opened, a serving hand. On the praying hand, learners can write the names of

people for whom they want to pray. Then they open the hand and write ways they want

to serve and help. Suggest that they add names and ways during the week at home.

Praying Hands Picture  

 

Activity Sheet

 

Jesus Prays Coloring Sheet 

Storybooks to share:  

Mogi: The Heart of the House by Kathy Appelt

A Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems

 

This week’s Time for Children: 

Lent Resources for 2021

Things to explore during Lent!

The Easter Storybook by Laura Ritchie

The stories start with  Jesus’ time in the temple as a boy and end with his appearances after the resurrection.   Each of the 40 full-color, beautifully illustrated stories includes a Bible passage and a conversational question to guide families through the Easter season together.

Emily Dickinson and the Poetry of Lent by The Salt Project

In this Lenten devotional, biblical texts and simple, accessible practices weave together with Dickinson’s poetic vision, creating a 40-day journey into the heart of the holiest week of the year. All you’ll need is your favorite Bible and a collection of Dickinson’s poems (all the poems in the devotional can also be found online).

I have both hard copies and downloadable copies of this one! Email me at Jennyrunew@gmail.com to request a copy!

Lent for Families: Reflections from the Heart by Illustrated Ministry

Starting with Ash Wednesday this Lenten resource includes weekly devotions, activities, and coloring pages for families to use during Lent.

The following books can be purchased from the PC(USA) Store or possibly ordered through your favorite local bookseller. 

Lent of Liberation: Confronting the Legacy of American Slavery by Cheri L. Mills invites readers to learn more about the brutal institution of slavery and its impact on Black people in America and recognize how its evolution and legacy continue to harm their descendants in the United States today. Each of the forty devotions includes the testimony of a person who escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad, a Scripture passage, and a reflection connecting biblical and historical themes to challenge modern readers to work for liberation. 

Lent in Plain Sight: A Devotion Through Ten Objects by Jill J. Duffield reflects on ten ordinary objects that Jesus would have encountered on his way to Jerusalem: dust, bread, the cross, coins, shoes, oil, coats, towels, thorns, and stones.  

 

Sunday School - January 31, 2021

 This week's lesson is a story from Mark about Jesus teaching and healing in the temple.

Today's Scripture - Read the NRSV version here: 

Mark 1: 21-28

or share the story sheet from this week's lesson

Story Sheet 

Following the story, here are some questions you can ask:

• Tell about someone who you think is powerful. What makes them powerful? 
• What did the people in the synagogue think about Jesus?
• What do you think the man who was healed thought about Jesus?
• I wonder what that man did after he was healed. What do you think?
• In the story, Jesus’ power was called surprising. What other words describe it?
• How is Jesus’ power different from the power we talked about earlier?

Story Activity:  

Healing Words: Children can draw on the model and power of Jesus when they comfort

friends and family, an act of healing. Print out the picture below and invite children to think of words people have said to them that made them feel better. Write them on speech bubbles and tape them around the outside of the picture.

 

Coloring Sheet 

Word Scramble

Storybook to share : 

I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy

This week's Time for Children: