Mercy
WELCOME TO WEEK 2
Have you ever made a promise you could not keep? Did you have to ask them to forgive you for not keeping your promise? When God makes a promise He does not break it. God made a promise to Noah and showed how God has mercy for His people. This week we will see how God showed mercy during Noah’s time, and that He still shows mercy to us today.
BIBLE STORY
Let’s do an animal march. Think of an animal you would like to act out and we will guess what animal you are. Each person walks in front pretending to be a specific animal. Let your child decide what animal they will be and then everyone else will guess who they are. They can use various motions and sounds as they walk in front of the group until their animal is guessed. Give everyone a turn to act out their animal and repeat if desired.
We can only imagine all the animals God sent on the ark to be saved from the flood. This week we are learning about the covenant, or promise, God made to Noah. Before the flood, the earth was wicked and people were doing really bad things and they did not love God. Only Noah and his family loved God and wanted to live for Him. God needed to cleanse the earth from the wickedness and start over. So He sent a flood to cleanse the earth but saved Noah’s family so they could continue the human race. After the flood, God made a covenant with Noah that he would never again send a flood as he had to wipe the entire earth clean. Even though people were making really bad choices, God gave mercy and a second chance.
Read or listen to this weeks story Genesis 8:15-22, 9:8-17
What did Noah build after exiting the ark? (An altar to God)
What did God say in response to the offering that Noah gave? (Never again will I curse the ground because of humans)
What was the covenant God made with Noah? (Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth)
What sign did God use to show his covenant? (A rainbow)
When the clouds are in the sky and a rainbow appears, what did God say He would do? (I will remember the covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life)
BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY
God’s mercy towards us means he does not give us the punishment we deserve. The wicked people during Noah’s day did not keep God’s commands and they deserved consequences for their actions, but God showed mercy. God preserved Noah’s family and promised never to send a flood like that again. We all make mistakes today too, and yet God shows us mercy by not giving us what we truly deserve. Instead, God has made a promise that all who believe on Him will not perish but have eternal life.
Activity
We have all been shown mercy from God, our parents, and teachers. We have also been called to show mercy to others. Let’s demonstrate how much mercy we have been shown or given. Using food coloring or water color paints, make a rainbow spectrum on a coffee filter. Share stories about times someone has shown you mercy or you have shown mercy to someone else. Each time you share a story of mercy, take your wet paintbrush and dip it into a single water color and then dab it onto your coffee filter. At the end of your story time you should have an array of rainbow colors on your coffee filter. If the colors did not spread, us a spray bottle to lightly spray with water. Allow your coffee filter to dry and then write in the middle “God gives mercy”.
Materials: food coloring or water color paints, coffee filters
Alternate
God’s covenant is his promises to us. When we make promises to others we sometimes are unable to keep our promises, but God always keeps His promise. God promised never to send a flood again and sent his rainbow as a sign. There are other times in the Bible that God gave his people promises. Complete the activity sheet by determining who God is making the promise to.
Materials: printed activity sheet, pencil
Independent activity:
Make your own rainbow! Watch this video and then try to make your own rainbow using a glass half filled with water, a white sheet of paper, and sunlight. Watch the rest of the video to learn how you are able to see a rainbow after a rain. God gave Noah a rainbow as a sign to show that He would never again send a flood. We can learn about how much God loves us and is able to create something so beautiful for us to see by studying His creation. The rainbow was not made by accident but by God’s design.
Materials: White sheet of paper, glass cup, water, sunlight
ARTS & CAFTS
CRAFT 1
Make a rainbow promise mobile. Cut a white paper plate in half and color it in rows of colors to make it look like a rainbow. Hole punch 4 holes across the bottom of the paper plate rainbow. On cut-out raindrops, have your child write some promises God has made to use that He will always keep. Help your child as necessary. Tie a string to each hole and then cut and tie the other end of the string to the raindrop.
Materials: white paper plate, crayons, scissors, string, hole punch, pen/marker
Craft 2
Coloring page
Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons
FOLLOW-UP
Read or listen to Psalm 85:8-13
Listen for the attributes used to describe God. It describes God as righteous, faithful, loving, peaceful, ruler, provider and many more. God has countless attributes that we will never fully understand but we can trust that He is love. Although during Noah’s day, people were living outside of how God wanted them to live, He still showed love and mercy. God did not destroy the earth but made provisions for Noah and his family to start over. He also promised He would never again destroy the entire earth with a flood. We have the choice to love and serve God, because God loves us. He does not force us to obey, but wants us to follow Him to enjoy all that He has planned for us.This verse says that God will indeed give what is good to His people.
What does it mean for God to be righteous?
What does it mean for us to be faithful servants to God?
How does knowing how much God loves us help us want to serve Him?
What are some promises God has made to us today?
How can we trust that God will keep His covenants with us?
Practical Application at Home
When we are shown mercy God wants us to show that mercy to others as well. Showing mercy is more than just forgiving someone for the wrongs they did against us, but not giving them the punishment we believe they deserve for those wrong actions. Listen to the following scenarios and decide which action shows mercy and which action show punishment.
Your friend stole you pencil at school and you caught them. They ask for forgiveness and you forgive them. Which shows mercy: 1-you tell them to keep the pencil 2-you ask for your pencil back
Your sister destroys the new Lego build that took hours to complete. Which shows mercy: 1-you tell her she has to rebuild it exactly how its supposed to look. 2- you rebuild it with her help
Your classmate invites the entire class to their birthday party, except you. After the party they tell you your invitation must have gotten lost. Which shows mercy: 1-forgive them and then go play together 2-forgive them but don’t speak to them for a week so they know what it feels like to be left out.
Your puppy poops in the middle of the floor on the carpet and your mom makes you clean it up. Which shows mercy: 1- you spank your dog for being a bad puppy. 2- You tell your dog no pooping on the carpet and then take them for a walk more often.
Additional Resources
Outings to Reinforce Lesson
Donate to a local food shelter or toy drive this Christmas season. As a family, volunteer together or pick out toys you think another child your age might enjoy.