1. GAMES: (10 minutes)
LOVE HUNT: Prior to the lesson cut out the ‘Jesus Loves Me’ hearts and hide them around the area. Tell the children the boundaries of the scavenger hunt area and give them a time limit once they have found a heart they must return to their seat.
Optional: Download 'Jesus loves me' hearts |
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2. TEAM GAMES: (10 minutes)
LOVE RACE: Divide the children into teams and each team
will have a poster to run to, one team player at a time. When it
is their turn, they will run to the poster and write the word LOVE
with a marker. Continue running back and forth until time is up.
The team that writes the word LOVE on their poster the most times
will be the winner!
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3. ACTIVE PRAISE CHORUS (10 minutes)
Optional: Download Dutch Praise and Worship Music videos
4. INTIMATE WORSHIP (5 minutes) |
5. TEACHING
a. “Back Track” Review
Last week we learnt a tree is recognized by its fruit. You cannot
live life without God and produce good fruit. You cannot be the
“good” person that God desires on your own. You need
the power of the Holy Spirit to work in you and through you.
If we connect to Jesus, we will produce beautiful leaves and delicious
fruit. But if we are separated from Jesus, our leaves will wither
and die.\
b. Sword Play
Ready…Swords up… Mattheüs 22:37.… CHARGE!
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"Houd (hug yourself) van je Heer God(raise hand and praise God) met je hele hart, (make a big heart shape on your chest) met je hele ziel en met je hele verstand." (hold your head)
Mattheüs 22:37 (Raise 2 fingers twice, then 3 fingers,
and 7 fingers)
Optional: Download
Bible verse Visual Aid
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c. Teach the Lesson (15 minutes)
God’s love is immeasurable
Object Lessons: Bring out some instruments that
are used for measuring different things in life: a tape measure
for length, width, and height, a watch to measure time, and a measuring
cup for baking and cooking. Ultimately, in numerous parts of the
Bible, it’s taught that God’s love is higher than the
heavens (and wider/longer), that God’s love overflows
for you (this is where you can use the measuring cup), and
that God’s love will last eternally.
Love in action
Many people believe that love is a feeling or emotion. Yes, feelings
and emotions are involved in love but the greatest part of love
is action oriented. Love is a verb (what you do) more than
a noun (a feeling). Love must be action and not just words,
Imagine if Jesus, just before going to the cross, went to the garden
and thought; I hate this feeling, I don’t feel like doing
this, therefore I will base my decision upon what I feel. If that
had happened, we’d all be hopelessly doomed to hell. The good
news of course is that Jesus resisted and fought back His feelings
and even though He prayed three times to have the cup removed, He
was more interested in doing the will of the Father than what He
felt like doing…thankfully. Jesus displayed His love by willingly
going to the cross and dying for us. Love is not dependent upon
feelings and emotions because feelings are one of the shallowest
and most unreliable of all human emotions. Instead we must emphasize
that love is a choice more than a feeling.
Love is a choice one has to make, not so much a feeling we choose
to have. Is there any greater love than one that was displayed on
the cross? Jesus said that “This is my commandment, that you
love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than
this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John
15:12-13). The opposite of love is not hatred because in
hatred there are at least some emotions but the opposite of love
is indifference, not caring. We can show love to one another by
putting others first and thinking of them more than ourselves, loving
them like Christ loves us. After we learn His love for us and our
love for Him can overflow into the people around us.
Words without Love.
Object lesson: (Start crashing your pot lids together.)
“Did you like this music I’m playing on the cymbals?”
“No? Hmmm. I don’t blame you. It’s a terrible
sound isn’t it? It makes you cringe.” Paul explains
that words without love are like a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal,
just like these cymbals! (Clang together two large metal pot
lids)
He means that when we do a lot of talking without love we are really
making just a terrible noise that no one wants to listen to. For
example, if I say “Get out of the way, you are annoying me.”
It sounds like (Bash your cymbals.) No one wants to listen
to that. However, when I’m acting in love my words will be
a lot easier to listen. (Play or get someone to sing a nice
song)
Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a. Have the children
raise their hands every time they hear a description of love.
Looking on the inside.
Object Lessons:
Optional: Download 'Framed picture of an African family' Visual aid
What am I holding in my hand? (Allow time for response.) Yes, this is a picture of an African family. I do not even know their names. I purchased the frame with the picture inside.
What can you tell me by looking at the picture? (Such as color of skin, hair, eyes, clothing). |
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But do you know the child's
name? Do you know where he lives? If he has a brother or sister?
Do you think he goes to school? We can guess, but we know very little
about this child. Really the picture tells us very little. But there
is someone who knows all about you.. Can someone tell me who that
is? (Pause) Yes, that person is Jesus. God knows all about
us. We may only see what is on the outside what others see. But
God sees what is on the inside. He knows what we are thinking. He
knows the thoughts in our heart. And Jesus loves you -- and He loves
me that is how we can love others.
6. APPLICATION / ENCOUNTERING GOD
Invite the children to bring their little heart to the altar to
lay them at the foot of Jesus and thank Him for His immeasurable
love. Let them talk about a time when they really felt loved. Pray
and ask Him to help us to love as he has commanded us, love in action,
helping us to speak kind, loving words, always looking at the inside
instead of on the outside judging people.
CLOSING PRAYER Let children stand in a heart shape,
holding hands and pray Heavenly Father, help us to love you with
all of our heart and to love our neighbours as we love ourselves.
Thank you for always loving us and allowing us to share that love
with everyone we meet. Help us always to walk in your love so that
our words will a beautiful sound and an encouragement to others.
Amen.
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SUPER FRUIT:
MANGO:
“The king of the fruits," mango fruit is one of the
most popular, nutritionally rich fruits with unique flavor,
fragrance, taste, and heath promoting qualities, making it a
“super fruit." |
CLICK
to view Dutch Session #3
SOWING SEEDS OF SUCCESS - MORINGA CURRICULUM
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