God wants us to show his love.
Praise Jesus!
Philip Tells the Ethiopian About Jesus • Lesson 3 Bible Point
God wants us to show his love.
Bible Verse “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other” (John 13:34b).
Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n learn that when we show love to others, we are a reflection of God, n see the need to tell others about God, and n show love for God by telling others about him.
Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis
n Philip tells the Ethiopian about Jesus. The road that the eunuch was traveling was a main thoroughfare that half the world would have traveled on and was most likely very busy. When Philip saw him, the eunuch was reading from Isaiah 53. Philip took this opportunity to find out if this man understood what he was reading and used this Scripture to introduce him to Jesus and share what Jesus had done for him. Philip listened to the Holy Spirit and took the time to share God’s love with a perfect stranger. How many opportunities do we pass up to share God’s message because it might not be convenient or it might make us uncomfortable? Because Philip was willing to step out and share his faith with this stranger, a life was changed and this man was sent on his way with a newfound joy that he could in turn share with others.
Acts 8:26-40
Prayer • Read Matthew 28:19-20. • How are you going to inspire your kids to fulfill this commission? • Pray: Dear God, help me to be a reflection of your love to the children I teach. Show me how to teach them to tell others about you by…
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2 33
Lesson 3
Before the Lesson n Collect items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed in the chart. n Make photocopies of the “Growing Together” handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for your students and for God’s direction in teaching the lesson.
This Lesson at a Glance Welcome Attention Grabber Bible Exploration & Application
What Children Will Do
Classroom Supplies
Welcome!—Receive a warm
“Church Name Tags” handout (p. 21), scissors, markers, tape
Extra! Extra!—Look at a
Newspaper, wide rubber bands, ballpoint pens
Reflecting God—Hear the story of Philip and the Ethiopian, and pretend they are on a bus with someone who needs to hear about God’s love.
Bible
welcome from the teacher and make name tags.
newspaper and determine what makes news good, and then share some good news of their own.
No Eye Can See—Help
blindfolded classmates maneuver through an obstacle course.
Stacking Up God’s Love—
CD player
Rubber-Band Reminder—
Rubber-band bracelets from “Extra! Extra!” activity
Share the name of friends they would like to tell about God’s love.
Closing
34
Use their rubber bands to remind them to share with others about God’s love.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2
Learning Lab Supplies
Philip Tells the Ethiopian About Jesus
Welcome SUPPLIES: “Church Name Tags” handout (p. 21), scissors, markers, tape • Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. • Thank each child for coming to class today. • As children arrive, ask them about last week’s lesson and “Growing Together” activities. Use questions such as “Were there any things that God was able to change about you last week?” and “What ways were you able to be more like Jesus?” • Say: Today we’re going to learn that God wants us to show his love. • Hand out the “Church Name Tags” children have made, and help them attach the name tags to their clothing. If some of the name tags were damaged, or if some children weren’t in class when the name tags were made, have children make new name tags using the photocopiable handout. • Tell children you’ll raise your hand to get their attention. They should respond by raising their hands and focusing their attention on you. Rehearse this signal, and encourage the children to respond quickly so you’ll have time for all the fun activities in this lesson.
Attention Grabber
It’s important to say the Bible Point just as it’s written in each activity. Repeating the Bible Point over and over throughout the lesson will help kids remember it and apply it to their lives.
n Extra! Extra! SUPPLIES: newspaper with a wide rubber band around it, a wide rubber band for each student, ballpoint pens Gather the children in a circle. Hold up your newspaper and say: Today I brought my newspaper with me. Take the rubber band off, and open up the paper. There are all kinds of stories in here. Some of them are happy stories. Share a quick story or headline that is a happy one. And some of them are just news that we want to know. Read the weather report. The newspaper is one way we have to get our news. But when I have something good to share, I usually just tell my friends. Tell the children a personal piece of good news. As you do, take the rubber band that was on the newspaper, draw a happy face on it, and put it on your wrist. This rubber band is a reminder of my good news. Let’s take turns sharing good news with each other. Give each child a rubber band, and instruct children to draw happy faces and hearts on them. Tell them not to put the rubber band on their wrists until they share their good news with the rest of the group. Their rubber bands can be reminders of their good news. After everyone has finished sharing, ask: • What makes something good news? (Things that make us happy; things that help other people.) • Who do you like to share your good news with? (My family; my friends; everyone.) • How does it make you feel to share good news? (Happy; excited; good.) Say: When we have good news, the first people we want to tell are those we love. It makes us feel good to tell people our news. It usually makes them happy, too. God has all kinds of good news for us that we can learn about in
Understanding how your first- and second-graders develop spiritually will help you communicate with them effectively about what it means to believe in Jesus Christ and develop a personal friendship with Jesus. They understand God’s love and God’s world through personal experience. They don’t comprehend the spiritual nature of God but, rather, they think of God as a giant, a magician, or an invisible man. They don’t comprehend the Bible’s chronology except that the Old Testament came before Jesus, and the New Testament talks about Jesus. They have a literal and concrete understanding of Bible stories and biblical truths. They don’t comprehend abstract ideas such as the Trinity.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2 35
Lesson 3
the Bible. When we tell others about it, we are sharing his love. us to show his love.
God wants
Bible Exploration & Application n Reflecting God Supplies: Bible
Bible Insight The Ethiopian was reading from Isaiah 53. At that time, the Jews understood it as referring to the Messiah. As the Christians applied this prophecy to Jesus, Jews began referring this Scripture to Isaiah himself or to the people of Israel. Phillip took it upon himself to enlighten this man on how the passage was fulfilled through Jesus.
36
Gather the children and have them sit on the floor in a circle, ready to listen to your story. Bring out your Bible, and say: I love coming to church and learning about God and hearing different stories from the Bible. Today I came to church [tell the children how you arrived at church…by car, the bus, walking]. Ask: • How did you come to church? (Answers will vary.) Say: Today our story is about an Ethiopian man who was riding in his carriage, which was a type of buggy pulled by a horse or some sort of work animal, on his way home from church. He was trying to read the Scripture that was taught that day, but he was not understanding it. Maybe it looked something like this to him. Try to read the Bible passage while looking through the pocket kaleidoscope. Let’s take turns trying to read the Bible through this kaleidoscope. Let each child take a turn looking at the Bible passage through the kaleidoscope. After everyone has had a chance to look through the kaleidoscope, say: The Ethiopian man was reading his Bible but just not understanding it. Philip, who was one of Jesus’ friends, heard the man. The Holy Spirit told Philip that he needed to go over and walk alongside the carriage. When he did, he heard the man reading and asked him if he understood what he read. When the man said he needed help understanding it, Philip told him the good news about Jesus. The man was so excited to finally understand what he had been reading that he wanted to stop the carriage right then and there and be baptized. Let’s all yell “stop!” together as the Ethiopian man would have done. Lead the children in yelling “stop!” After they stopped and the man was baptized, he went on his way and told everyone he could the good news that he had just heard. Let’s all pretend that we’re on a bus. The bus ride is kind of bumpy. Move up and down like you’re riding on a bus. I think I see someone trying to read a Bible. Hand a child the pocket kaleidoscope, and have him or her look at a Bible through it. Ask: • What do you think I should do? (Ask if he needs help; read it to him.) • Why do you think God wants us to tell others about him? (Because he loves them; he wants them to know him; so we can share his love.) Say: It’s important that we take the time to tell others about God whenever we can because God wants us to show his love. You might be the only person who has the chance to tell your friend about God. Return the pocket kaleidoscope to the Learning Lab.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2
Philip Tells the Ethiopian About Jesus
n No Eye Can See Supplies: none Before class, set up a simple obstacle course using items available in your classroom, such as chairs, boxes, and small tables. Say: I’ve set up a little obstacle course for us to go through. Let’s try it together. Lead the children through the obstacle course in a single-file line. That was pretty easy! Now we’re going to try something a little different. Choose the child whose birthday is closest to today to be first. We’re going to cover [name of child]’s eyes with this sailor hat. Place the sailor hat with the brim turned down on the child’s head so that it covers his or her eyes. Ask: • Do you think [name of child] could go through our obstacle course now without tripping or bumping into things? (No.) Why? (Because his eyes are covered; because she can’t see where she’s going.) Say: Well, we’re going to help [name of child]. Ask the child: • Would you like some help? Lead the child to the beginning of the obstacle course. Say: We’re going to help you, but you have to listen and follow our directions. We’ll guide you by telling you where to go. Lead the class in giving the child directions to walk through the obstacle course. Have the children take turns going through the course while the rest of the class directs them. After all the children have had a turn, say: In our Bible story today, when Philip saw that the man was trying to read the Bible but wasn’t understanding it, Philip knew that he needed to help. Philip helped the man understand what he was reading because the man could not “see” what God was telling him through the Scripture. He needed Philip to help him understand, just like each of you needed help going through the obstacle course because you couldn’t see the things that were in your way. When we help each other, we are showing God’s love, and God wants us to show his love. Return the sailor hat to the Learning Lab.
If a child is afraid to have his or her eyes covered, let the child do this activity while just closing his or her eyes.
n Stacking Up God’s Love Supplies: CD player Give each child one of the stackable clowns, and take one yourself. Say: Our Bible verse today is in the book of John, chapter 13, verse 34b. It says, “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” Let’s say that verse together. Lead the children in repeating this verse two or three times. One way we can show love to our friends is by telling them about Jesus. I’m sure every one of us has a friend who does not know Jesus yet. My friend’s name is [name of your friend]. Hold up your clown as if it is your friend. This week I want to tell my friend about God. Let’s each take a turn telling the class the name of a friend that we would like to talk to about God this week. After you do, we’ll connect our “friends” together. track 10
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2 37
Lesson 3
Invite one of the children to start. After he or she has shared the name of a friend, connect his or her clown with yours. As each child comes forward, continue connecting all the clowns together until all the children have come forward and all the clowns are connected. When you’ve finished, hold up the stack of clowns and say: Just look at how many people we could share God’s love with this week. If each one of us shared with just one person, there would be this many more people who would know about God and how he much he loves us. Every time we share with someone, we are being a reflection of God’s love, and God wants us to show his love. Let’s sing a song together that talks about this. Play “Sing to Him” (1 Chronicles 16:9) (track 10) on the CD, and encourage the children to sing along as you play it a second time. Song lyrics are at the back of this teacher guide. Return the stackable clowns to the Learning Lab.
HandS-On Bible For this activity, you’ll need a mirror, 2 empty paper towel tubes, and a flashlight. Help children find the “Reflection of Love” activity near Acts 8 in the Hands-On Bible. Gather the children around a table, and follow the instructions for the activity. When you’ve completed the activity, look into the mirror and say: This week I want to be a reflection of God’s love by telling [name of a friend who needs to know Jesus] about Jesus. Pass the mirror around the group of students, and have each child repeat the phrase and name a friend he or she could tell about God’s love this week.
Closing n Rubber-Band Reminder
If there were any students who arrived late, make sure they have rubber bands and the opportunity to draw happy faces and hearts on them. Be sure to share with them the significance of the bracelet.
38
SUPPLIES: rubber-band bracelets from “Extra! Extra!” activity Ask: • What do you think the most important thing you learned today is? (God wants me to share his love with my friends; there are people who need to hear about God.) Have the children sit in a circle. Say: Hold up the wrist with your rubber-band bracelet on it. Wait for the children to hold up their arms. Turn to a friend, and tell the person one more time the good news that your bracelet reminds you of. Give the children some time to do this.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2
Philip Tells the Ethiopian About Jesus
Say: Soon we will celebrate Easter, a time that reminds us just how great God’s love for us is. God sent Jesus to earth to take the punishment for our sins. By dying for us and coming back to life, Jesus has made it possible for us to live forever with him in heaven. All we have to do is believe. This is the best news of all! God wants us to show his love. Wear your bracelet this week, and every time someone asks you about it, you will be reminded to tell the person about how much God loves him or her. Pray: Dear God, thank you for loving us so much that you sent your Son, Jesus, to us. Help us to remember to tell our friends about you this week so that we can show them your love. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the “Growing Together” handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your children. Encourage children and parents to use the handout to plan meaningful activities on this week’s topic. Follow up the “Growing Together” activities next week by asking children what their families did together.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2 39
Acts Les so
n 3:
God wa nts us t o show his love .
erse ved you, Bible Vas I have lo
her. Just ” “Love each ot ve each other you should lo (John 13:34b).
Bible StoEtrhioypian
e Philip tells th sus. Je t abou Acts 8:26-40
Today your child learned that God wants us to share with others about his love and that we are a reflection of God’s love when we share with others about him. Use these activities to help your child understand that he or she is not too young to begin sharing with others about God’s love.
40
A Sweet Message
Super Soup
Make heart cookies, and deliver them to a neighbor or someone you know who needs to hear the good news about Jesus. Include a note with the cookies that simply says “Jesus loves you and so do we!”
Invite your neighbors for a potluck soup night. Have each family bring a pot of their favorite soup. This is a good way to get to know your neighbors and open doors to sharing the good news of Jesus with them.
Good News Journal
Love in Action
Have your family start a good news journal. Each evening write at least one way God has blessed you that day. Even on your most rotten day, you can usually find some small way in which God is still blessing. Share this good news with your family.
As a family, volunteer one day at your local homeless shelter serving a meal. Take opportunities to visit with the other children who might be there. Show them God’s love.
Permission to photocopy this page from Group’s Hands-On Bible Curriculum® Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Ave., Loveland, CO 80538. group.com
Philip Tells the Ethiopian About Jesus • Lesson 3 Bible Point
God wants us to show his love.
Bible Verse “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other” (John 13:34b).
Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n learn that when we show love to others, we are a reflection of God, n see the need to tell others about God, and n show love for God by telling others about him.
Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis
n Philip tells the Ethiopian about Jesus. The road that the eunuch was traveling was a main thoroughfare that half the world would have traveled on and was most likely very busy. When Philip saw him, the eunuch was reading from Isaiah 53. Philip took this opportunity to find out if this man understood what he was reading and used this Scripture to introduce him to Jesus and share what Jesus had done for him. Philip listened to the Holy Spirit and took the time to share God’s love with a perfect stranger. How many opportunities do we pass up to share God’s message because it might not be convenient or it might make us uncomfortable? Because Philip was willing to step out and share his faith with this stranger, a life was changed and this man was sent on his way with a newfound joy that he could in turn share with others.
Acts 8:26-40
Prayer • Read Matthew 28:19-20. • How are you going to inspire your kids to fulfill this commission? • Pray: Dear God, help me to be a reflection of your love to the children I teach. Show me how to teach them to tell others about you by…
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2 33
Lesson 3
Before the Lesson n Collect items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed in the chart. n Make photocopies of the “Growing Together” handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for your students and for God’s direction in teaching the lesson.
This Lesson at a Glance Welcome Attention Grabber Bible Exploration & Application
What Children Will Do
Classroom Supplies
Welcome!—Receive a warm
“Church Name Tags” handout (p. 21), scissors, markers, tape
Extra! Extra!—Look at a
Newspaper, wide rubber bands, ballpoint pens
Reflecting God—Hear the story of Philip and the Ethiopian, and pretend they are on a bus with someone who needs to hear about God’s love.
Bible
welcome from the teacher and make name tags.
newspaper and determine what makes news good, and then share some good news of their own.
No Eye Can See—Help
blindfolded classmates maneuver through an obstacle course.
Stacking Up God’s Love—
CD player
Rubber-Band Reminder—
Rubber-band bracelets from “Extra! Extra!” activity
Share the name of friends they would like to tell about God’s love.
Closing
34
Use their rubber bands to remind them to share with others about God’s love.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2
Learning Lab Supplies
Philip Tells the Ethiopian About Jesus
Welcome SUPPLIES: “Church Name Tags” handout (p. 21), scissors, markers, tape • Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. • Thank each child for coming to class today. • As children arrive, ask them about last week’s lesson and “Growing Together” activities. Use questions such as “Were there any things that God was able to change about you last week?” and “What ways were you able to be more like Jesus?” • Say: Today we’re going to learn that God wants us to show his love. • Hand out the “Church Name Tags” children have made, and help them attach the name tags to their clothing. If some of the name tags were damaged, or if some children weren’t in class when the name tags were made, have children make new name tags using the photocopiable handout. • Tell children you’ll raise your hand to get their attention. They should respond by raising their hands and focusing their attention on you. Rehearse this signal, and encourage the children to respond quickly so you’ll have time for all the fun activities in this lesson.
Attention Grabber
It’s important to say the Bible Point just as it’s written in each activity. Repeating the Bible Point over and over throughout the lesson will help kids remember it and apply it to their lives.
n Extra! Extra! SUPPLIES: newspaper with a wide rubber band around it, a wide rubber band for each student, ballpoint pens Gather the children in a circle. Hold up your newspaper and say: Today I brought my newspaper with me. Take the rubber band off, and open up the paper. There are all kinds of stories in here. Some of them are happy stories. Share a quick story or headline that is a happy one. And some of them are just news that we want to know. Read the weather report. The newspaper is one way we have to get our news. But when I have something good to share, I usually just tell my friends. Tell the children a personal piece of good news. As you do, take the rubber band that was on the newspaper, draw a happy face on it, and put it on your wrist. This rubber band is a reminder of my good news. Let’s take turns sharing good news with each other. Give each child a rubber band, and instruct children to draw happy faces and hearts on them. Tell them not to put the rubber band on their wrists until they share their good news with the rest of the group. Their rubber bands can be reminders of their good news. After everyone has finished sharing, ask: • What makes something good news? (Things that make us happy; things that help other people.) • Who do you like to share your good news with? (My family; my friends; everyone.) • How does it make you feel to share good news? (Happy; excited; good.) Say: When we have good news, the first people we want to tell are those we love. It makes us feel good to tell people our news. It usually makes them happy, too. God has all kinds of good news for us that we can learn about in
Understanding how your first- and second-graders develop spiritually will help you communicate with them effectively about what it means to believe in Jesus Christ and develop a personal friendship with Jesus. They understand God’s love and God’s world through personal experience. They don’t comprehend the spiritual nature of God but, rather, they think of God as a giant, a magician, or an invisible man. They don’t comprehend the Bible’s chronology except that the Old Testament came before Jesus, and the New Testament talks about Jesus. They have a literal and concrete understanding of Bible stories and biblical truths. They don’t comprehend abstract ideas such as the Trinity.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2 35
Lesson 3
the Bible. When we tell others about it, we are sharing his love. us to show his love.
God wants
Bible Exploration & Application n Reflecting God Supplies: Bible
Bible Insight The Ethiopian was reading from Isaiah 53. At that time, the Jews understood it as referring to the Messiah. As the Christians applied this prophecy to Jesus, Jews began referring this Scripture to Isaiah himself or to the people of Israel. Phillip took it upon himself to enlighten this man on how the passage was fulfilled through Jesus.
36
Gather the children and have them sit on the floor in a circle, ready to listen to your story. Bring out your Bible, and say: I love coming to church and learning about God and hearing different stories from the Bible. Today I came to church [tell the children how you arrived at church…by car, the bus, walking]. Ask: • How did you come to church? (Answers will vary.) Say: Today our story is about an Ethiopian man who was riding in his carriage, which was a type of buggy pulled by a horse or some sort of work animal, on his way home from church. He was trying to read the Scripture that was taught that day, but he was not understanding it. Maybe it looked something like this to him. Try to read the Bible passage while looking through the pocket kaleidoscope. Let’s take turns trying to read the Bible through this kaleidoscope. Let each child take a turn looking at the Bible passage through the kaleidoscope. After everyone has had a chance to look through the kaleidoscope, say: The Ethiopian man was reading his Bible but just not understanding it. Philip, who was one of Jesus’ friends, heard the man. The Holy Spirit told Philip that he needed to go over and walk alongside the carriage. When he did, he heard the man reading and asked him if he understood what he read. When the man said he needed help understanding it, Philip told him the good news about Jesus. The man was so excited to finally understand what he had been reading that he wanted to stop the carriage right then and there and be baptized. Let’s all yell “stop!” together as the Ethiopian man would have done. Lead the children in yelling “stop!” After they stopped and the man was baptized, he went on his way and told everyone he could the good news that he had just heard. Let’s all pretend that we’re on a bus. The bus ride is kind of bumpy. Move up and down like you’re riding on a bus. I think I see someone trying to read a Bible. Hand a child the pocket kaleidoscope, and have him or her look at a Bible through it. Ask: • What do you think I should do? (Ask if he needs help; read it to him.) • Why do you think God wants us to tell others about him? (Because he loves them; he wants them to know him; so we can share his love.) Say: It’s important that we take the time to tell others about God whenever we can because God wants us to show his love. You might be the only person who has the chance to tell your friend about God. Return the pocket kaleidoscope to the Learning Lab.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2
Philip Tells the Ethiopian About Jesus
n No Eye Can See Supplies: none Before class, set up a simple obstacle course using items available in your classroom, such as chairs, boxes, and small tables. Say: I’ve set up a little obstacle course for us to go through. Let’s try it together. Lead the children through the obstacle course in a single-file line. That was pretty easy! Now we’re going to try something a little different. Choose the child whose birthday is closest to today to be first. We’re going to cover [name of child]’s eyes with this sailor hat. Place the sailor hat with the brim turned down on the child’s head so that it covers his or her eyes. Ask: • Do you think [name of child] could go through our obstacle course now without tripping or bumping into things? (No.) Why? (Because his eyes are covered; because she can’t see where she’s going.) Say: Well, we’re going to help [name of child]. Ask the child: • Would you like some help? Lead the child to the beginning of the obstacle course. Say: We’re going to help you, but you have to listen and follow our directions. We’ll guide you by telling you where to go. Lead the class in giving the child directions to walk through the obstacle course. Have the children take turns going through the course while the rest of the class directs them. After all the children have had a turn, say: In our Bible story today, when Philip saw that the man was trying to read the Bible but wasn’t understanding it, Philip knew that he needed to help. Philip helped the man understand what he was reading because the man could not “see” what God was telling him through the Scripture. He needed Philip to help him understand, just like each of you needed help going through the obstacle course because you couldn’t see the things that were in your way. When we help each other, we are showing God’s love, and God wants us to show his love. Return the sailor hat to the Learning Lab.
If a child is afraid to have his or her eyes covered, let the child do this activity while just closing his or her eyes.
n Stacking Up God’s Love Supplies: CD player Give each child one of the stackable clowns, and take one yourself. Say: Our Bible verse today is in the book of John, chapter 13, verse 34b. It says, “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” Let’s say that verse together. Lead the children in repeating this verse two or three times. One way we can show love to our friends is by telling them about Jesus. I’m sure every one of us has a friend who does not know Jesus yet. My friend’s name is [name of your friend]. Hold up your clown as if it is your friend. This week I want to tell my friend about God. Let’s each take a turn telling the class the name of a friend that we would like to talk to about God this week. After you do, we’ll connect our “friends” together. track 10
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2 37
Lesson 3
Invite one of the children to start. After he or she has shared the name of a friend, connect his or her clown with yours. As each child comes forward, continue connecting all the clowns together until all the children have come forward and all the clowns are connected. When you’ve finished, hold up the stack of clowns and say: Just look at how many people we could share God’s love with this week. If each one of us shared with just one person, there would be this many more people who would know about God and how he much he loves us. Every time we share with someone, we are being a reflection of God’s love, and God wants us to show his love. Let’s sing a song together that talks about this. Play “Sing to Him” (1 Chronicles 16:9) (track 10) on the CD, and encourage the children to sing along as you play it a second time. Song lyrics are at the back of this teacher guide. Return the stackable clowns to the Learning Lab.
HandS-On Bible For this activity, you’ll need a mirror, 2 empty paper towel tubes, and a flashlight. Help children find the “Reflection of Love” activity near Acts 8 in the Hands-On Bible. Gather the children around a table, and follow the instructions for the activity. When you’ve completed the activity, look into the mirror and say: This week I want to be a reflection of God’s love by telling [name of a friend who needs to know Jesus] about Jesus. Pass the mirror around the group of students, and have each child repeat the phrase and name a friend he or she could tell about God’s love this week.
Closing n Rubber-Band Reminder
If there were any students who arrived late, make sure they have rubber bands and the opportunity to draw happy faces and hearts on them. Be sure to share with them the significance of the bracelet.
38
SUPPLIES: rubber-band bracelets from “Extra! Extra!” activity Ask: • What do you think the most important thing you learned today is? (God wants me to share his love with my friends; there are people who need to hear about God.) Have the children sit in a circle. Say: Hold up the wrist with your rubber-band bracelet on it. Wait for the children to hold up their arms. Turn to a friend, and tell the person one more time the good news that your bracelet reminds you of. Give the children some time to do this.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2
Philip Tells the Ethiopian About Jesus
Say: Soon we will celebrate Easter, a time that reminds us just how great God’s love for us is. God sent Jesus to earth to take the punishment for our sins. By dying for us and coming back to life, Jesus has made it possible for us to live forever with him in heaven. All we have to do is believe. This is the best news of all! God wants us to show his love. Wear your bracelet this week, and every time someone asks you about it, you will be reminded to tell the person about how much God loves him or her. Pray: Dear God, thank you for loving us so much that you sent your Son, Jesus, to us. Help us to remember to tell our friends about you this week so that we can show them your love. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the “Growing Together” handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your children. Encourage children and parents to use the handout to plan meaningful activities on this week’s topic. Follow up the “Growing Together” activities next week by asking children what their families did together.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2 39
Acts Les so
n 3:
God wa nts us t o show his love .
erse ved you, Bible Vas I have lo
her. Just ” “Love each ot ve each other you should lo (John 13:34b).
Bible StoEtrhioypian
e Philip tells th sus. Je t abou Acts 8:26-40
Today your child learned that God wants us to share with others about his love and that we are a reflection of God’s love when we share with others about him. Use these activities to help your child understand that he or she is not too young to begin sharing with others about God’s love.
40
A Sweet Message
Super Soup
Make heart cookies, and deliver them to a neighbor or someone you know who needs to hear the good news about Jesus. Include a note with the cookies that simply says “Jesus loves you and so do we!”
Invite your neighbors for a potluck soup night. Have each family bring a pot of their favorite soup. This is a good way to get to know your neighbors and open doors to sharing the good news of Jesus with them.
Good News Journal
Love in Action
Have your family start a good news journal. Each evening write at least one way God has blessed you that day. Even on your most rotten day, you can usually find some small way in which God is still blessing. Share this good news with your family.
As a family, volunteer one day at your local homeless shelter serving a meal. Take opportunities to visit with the other children who might be there. Show them God’s love.
Permission to photocopy this page from Group’s Hands-On Bible Curriculum® Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Ave., Loveland, CO 80538. group.com
