WELCOME TO WEEK 1

Have you ever had to choose between two things? Maybe you had to choose which ice cream flavor to get, or which friend to play with at recess. Making choices can bee difficult. Even though we have to make choices every day, we can choose to love and not take sides. This week we will see how God loves us and chooses each one of us and wants us to love others as well.

Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; James 2:1-10

BIBLE STORY

We all have favorite things! Favorite things we like to eat, favorite places or favorite things to do! Sometimes wee have to choose between two good things and pick which one we like more. Let’s get to know what your favorite things are.

PIck your favorite:

2 scoops of ice cream OR a bowl full of gummy worms

A bag of potato chips OR a bag of popcorn

A Good book to read OR a good movie to watch

A ride on a speedboat OR a ride on a cruise ship

We make choices every day and we like to choose thee thing that is our favorite. When we show God’s love to others, we do not show favorites, we show love to those who may not be our favorite. God does not have favorite children but loves each of use because we are His. He gives each of us what we need but does not show favor in how much He loves each of us. This week we are looking at proverbs. Let’s read or listen to our bible reading today.

Read or listen to the Bible verse for this week: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23

What is more desirable than riches? (A good name)

What do the rich and poor have in common? (The Lord is the Maker of all)

What do these who sow injustice reap? (Calamity)

When the generous share with the poor what do they receive? (They themselves will be blessed)

Who will stand up for the poor and needy? (The Lord will take their case and exact life for life)

BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY

Activity

Let’s play a choose your own adventure game. We will go on a scavenger hunt, but you will also choose your next adventure. Read the cards and choose what you will do, then move to the next area as the card directs.

Materials: printed adventure cards

Alternate

We often pick our favorites based on what we can see or what we think to be true about something or someone. We judge someone by the clothes they wear or how good they are at a sport.

Would you rather:

Pick your teammate to be Stephen Curry or Gary Payton?

Drive a Porsche or a Ferrari?

Have a 5 bedroom home or a 2 bedroom home?

Eat a chocolate chip cookie or a sugar cookie?

Wear a pair of Air Jordan’s or Keds.

Eat vanilla pudding or strawberry cheesecake?

We choose favorites based on what we like but sometimes wee choose favorites based on which one we think is worth more. We can be thankful that God does not choose favorites or choose us based on what we have to offer. We may not have much to offer God, but He loves us because we are his, not because of what we can give him.

Materials:

Independent activity:

If you could choose your own adventure, what would it be? Would you find treasure on an island? Dive to the bottom of the ocean to find lost ships? Travel to the end of the earth to find a lost world? Complete the following activity sheet describing you adventure.

Materials: activity sheet

ARTS & CAFTS

CRAFT 1

Coloring page

Materials: printed coloring sheet, scissors

Craft 2

Coloring page

Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons

FOLLOW-UP

Read or listen to James 2:1-10

This verse tells us we are not to choose favorites based on the way people appear or whaat we think they may have. If someone has more or less money should not determine who we treat or welcome them. We can accept others and treat them with the same kindness regardless of if they dress nice or do not have nice clothing.

How do you treat the people at your school or in your class?

How do we sometimes treat some people better than others?

How does God treat us?

Does God have favorites?

Inn what ways does God treat us better than we deserve?

How can we treat others with more kindness than they deserve?

Practical Application at Home

Place a piece of string, yarn or painters tape ons the ground to create two sides. Tell your child each side represents a choice. We can make good choices this week or make choices that are not what God has for us. Listen to the statement I make and decide if its is a good or ad choice. If you think it is a choice you should make jump to the left of the string. If it is not a good choice, jump to the right side.

I can be friends with kids who look different than me.

I will share with those who have less than I have.

I can be friendly to someone new at school, church or on my team.

I can like the things my friends like regardless of if it is right.

I can hear my friends problems but not tell them what I think they should do.

I can pick which of my friends I think is right.

I can be friends with those who do not get along with each other.

I can enjoy things that my friends don’t think are cool.

Additional Resources

Outings to Reinforce Lesson

Enjoy the cool weather and take a nature walk. Observe the things God created and how they work together in His plan. What part do each of us play in God’s plan for us?