September 26 - Children's Impact
Greetings-
What a wonderful cool morning we woke up to today! Fall is coming and with that, so many new beginnings. Please plan on coming to Lynn Hall immediately after each service this week. I want to visit with you very quickly about our children taking communion – 5 minutes is all I need! Don’t forget that the children sing at the 11:00 service this week.
Registration for the David Thomas – Raising Boys and Girls seminar will be online Oct. 1. It promises to be a wonderful time for all parents, grandparents, and everyone who loves a child! You do not want to miss it. See more information below.
Please fill all our spots for Impact Helpers and Children’s Sermon Presenters. Just click on the links below------------
May the Lord bless you and keep you---
Debbie
Today’s Bible Story: I Just Want to Celebrate (The Wall Is Rebuilt) • Nehemiah 3–4, 6:15-16, 8:1-17
Today’s Bottom Line: Look for ways to celebrate what God has done.
Monthly Memory Verse: Work at everything you do with all your heart. Work as if you were working for the Lord. Colossians 3:23a (NIrV)
Monthly Life App: Initiative—Seeing what needs to be done and doing it
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Begin Our Worship Time Today With Your Children:
Today, we’ll learn why we always have a reason to celebrate!
Videos and activities:
All the lesson videos are here.
Discussion Time:
There are so many reasons to praise God if you just choose to [Bottom Line] look for ways to celebrate what God has done. Maybe you make a new friend this week and see God providing friends for you. Maybe you did well on your spelling test. You can thank God for giving you a brain and helping you remember how to spell your words. What if you celebrate God for giving you a home to live in, food on your table, or shoes on your feet—even if they aren’t the ones you wish you had?
We could also praise God for what He did by taking initiative and sending Jesus so we can have a relationship with Him. You can always look for ways to celebrate what God has done. This week, let’s take initiative and look out for what God is up to and ‘put a praise on it’ every time we see Him in action!
Questions for thought----
- When the wall was finished, Nehemiah told the people they would celebrate and honor God. How did they choose to honor God? (They listened to Ezra read God’s Word.)
- Why were the people sad after they listened to Ezra read God’s Word? (They realized they had not been following God and His ways.)
- Why did Ezra and Nehemiah tell them not to be sad? (That day happened to be a holy day to celebrate God and what He had done!)
- The people learned it was time to celebrate one of God’s feasts, Sukkot. What is Sukkot? (Sukkot is the Feast of Booths. It’s a way to remember how God took care of His people in the wilderness after He led them out of Egypt. To celebrate, the people built tents or booths and lived in them during the festival.)
- What did the people make their tents or booths out of? (branches from trees)
- How long did they sleep outside and live in their tents? (for a whole week)
- What did Ezra do every day while the people were in their tents? (He read God’s Word, and the people began to understand all that God had planned for them.)
- How can we celebrate what God has done for us every day? (Thank Him for anything and everything we can think of, pay attention to what God is doing, tell others about Him, etc.)
- The Feast of Booths doesn’t look like a party I’ve been to before, but I may just have to start celebrating like this! No matter what your celebration looks like, you can always look for ways to celebrate what God has done. The Jewish people hadn’t celebrated like this in hundreds of years, but it was so important to look back on the work God had done and praise and thank Him.
If you threw a party to celebrate what God has done, what would it look like? (Allow time for kids to respond.) The cool thing is, there is always a reason to celebrate what God has done, because He is always at work doing amazing things! Whether He helped you focus on a math test, helped you find the words to encourage the new kid at school, or provided for your family during a hard time—God is always at work. And you know what that means! That means there is always a reason to have a party.
Always remember, we are working for the Lord. That means all of the praise, glory, and honor goes to Him! Even when we show initiative and do hard work, we can still celebrate God’s work through us and everything He has given to us to make it possible. This week, I want you to look for ways to celebrate what God has done even in the midst of showing initiative!
Closing Prayer
Dear God, You deserve our praises every day. You care for us, help us make wise choices, answer our prayers, and remind us of Your amazing power as we look at all You have created. Best of all, You love us and gave us Jesus, Your one and only Son, who took the penalty we deserve for sin. Thank You for making a way for us to be forgiven and to know You forever. Remind us often of the things we have learned this month from the life of Nehemiah. Give us the help we need to take initiative by seeing what needs to be done and doing it. In Jesus’ name amen.