Established
WELCOME TO WEEK 4
Does God love you more when you are good? Does he love you less when you do bad things? Can we change God’s love toward us by our good or bad deeds? This week we will see how David made some really big mistakes and even tried to cover them up, but then said sorry for all the things he did. We will see how God’s love did not change for David, and His love doesn’t change for us.
BIBLE STORY
Play this version of red light. Add more colors to the game besides red, yellow and green. When you say blue-move to the left; purple- move to the right; orange-move backwards. Play Red Light as usual, adding the additional colors. You may have to remind your child of what the colors mean as you play.
That was a change to the typical game of red light. Things were a little different but it was still a game of Red-light and the goal was still to make it to the finish line first. This week we are learning that God’s love does not change. Even when we make mistakes or do something bad, God still loves us! His love for us is not based on how good we are that day or how many mistakes we make. His love for us is unchanging. We will see that David makes a lot of mistakes and then tries to cover up his bad decisions with more bad decisions. When he finally realizes how wrong he has been and confesses, God still loves him. God’s love for him had not changed even though he did a terrible thing. David saw how much God loves him when he is good and even when he was bad.
Read or listen to the Bible verse for this week: 2 Samuel 11:1-15
When the Israelites went to battle, where did David go? (David stayed in Jerusalem)
What did David want that didn’t belong to him? (Bethsheba)
What was the name of Bethsheba’s husband? (Uriah)
What did David do to Bethsheba’s husband? (Sent him to the front lines of battle)
BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY
We can trust that God’s love is unchanging for us, even when we make big mistakes. David made several mistakes and even tried to cover it up, but God still loved him and forgave him for his mistakes.
Activity
Listen to these statements about the this week’s bible story. Use these true/false cards to say if the statements are true or false. David made bad choices and then tried to cover up his bad choices with more bad choices. We all make bad choices sometimes, just like David, but God’s love for us is unchanging. He not only forgives but also continues to love us.
Materials: printed true/false cards and statements
Alternate
We have a lot of sayings, or idioms in our English language. Some of our idioms make sense and sometimes they don’t seem to make any sense at all. Let’s see how many idioms you can remember and say correctly. I’m going to start the idiom and you can finish it. Some of those idioms you said right and some you changed into a completely different saying! We can trust that God’s words and love does not change for us. We mixed and changed a lot of common sayings today, but God does not change and He does not make mistakes. His love continues even when we make mistakes or do bad things.
Materials: printed Idiom statements or device to read them from
Independent activity:
Create your own plastic toy model using milk. Change milk into plastic using a few household items. Follow the steps on the following blog to complete your experiment. Then, watch the chemical reaction that occurs and create something new! Our experiment changed milk into plastic! What a huge change! When we make a mistake or do something wrong, we expect others to look at us different. We think their idea of us will change and they may not accept us as much. Although that may be true for people, that is not true of God! He loves us and his love does not change because of our actions. He loves us when we are good and when we are bad. Our goodness does not determine how much he loves us, which in turn means our mistakes won’t change His love.
Materials: Stove or microwave, milk, white vinegar or lemon juice, bowl, spoon, strainer, paper towel, molds
ARTS & CAFTS
CRAFT 1
Coloring page
Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons
Craft 2
Coloring page
Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons
FOLLOW-UP
Read or listen to Psalm 51
This prayer is from David after his many sins. David not only sinned but then also tried to cover up his sins until Nathan the prophet showed him his wrongs. Then David confessed his sins to God and recognized that he first sinned against God and also his people. Psalm 51 is his prayer of confession and asking for forgiveness.
What did David ask God to do with his sin/iniquity?What is one visual you get from reading Davids prayer?
What is something else that is as white as fresh snow?
What does it mean to have the joy of salvation?
How do you feel after you have committed a sin?
Do you still have the joy of salvation when you know you have done something wrong?
How can our joy be restored after sin?
What did David say God delights in more than a sacrifice?
Practical Application at Home
Some life changes are good and we are happy for something news and then some life changes can be hard. Maybe you’ve had to move to a new school or neighborhood. Maybe a family member has died and your family has now changed. Perhaps you have changed teachers or your best friend moved away. It is hard to deal with change and accept a new reality. We can take comfort in knowing that God does not change. Even when we don’t see the end of our suffering or how to change our situation, we can trust that God is there and He loves us through whatever we are going through. We can also try to empathize with others who are going through changes to show them God’s love. Listen to the following scenarios and say something you can do to show them love and support as they deal with these changes.
-a classmate whose pet just died
-a neighbor who just moved into your neighborhood from another state
-a friend from church who just moved to another school
- a classmate who just became class president
-a sibling whose best friend moved away
-a friend whose team just entered the playoffs
-a classmate whose house was recently burned in a fire
-a friend who just had a new baby brother or sister
-a friend who just moved into a new big house
A friend who has a parent in the hospital
A church friend whose parent just lost their job
A friend whose grandparent just died
A sibling who graduated and is going off to college
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.