Remember
Breath Prayer
Breath in: Heaven is Coming
Breath out: Down to Earth
Song Themes: God of the Nations
Remember one another
Is anyone celebrating something that happened this week? Let’s share so we can all thank God together.
Is anyone struggling, feeling sad, lonely or scared? How can we pray for one another?
Remember what we learned last week: Gather
When we gather together with other Believers we are the Church. Where the Church is gathered, God is with us.
Practice the Following Jesus Liturgy (With our youngest kids only focus on the portion that we’re currently learning)
Reflect: Remind One Another
When we gather together in the same way the early Christians did, we are to remind one another of the hope set before us, God's wonderful Kingdom.
The Apostle Paul told the early Believers that they should encourage each other when they met. He reminded them that they would have hard days, that things wouldn't always be perfect and sometimes bad things would still happen...BUT, we should remember that one day Jesus will return and we will be with Him forever living with God's family.
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Watch or Read "A Dream of Heaven" from the Jesus Storybook Bible
Respond: A Brief Discussion
Ask open ended questions to stir thought and dialogue
What did you hear in the story? What part stood out to you?
John received a vision of the future. What did He see?
What are some things that you remember people were doing in John's vision (worshiping, coming to God's throne, angels were gathering) What were they not doing (crying, complaining, worrying, being angry, etc)
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 again.
Why do you think it would be important to remind each other of these things when we get together?
Practice: Draw and Share
In the letter that Paul wrote to the Church in Thessalonica, He told them to be ready to talk about heaven, and that when they did it would be encouraging. We are going to practice talking about these things with one another so we are ready to encourage each other in the same way.
Have each child draw a picture of what they can remember from John's dream/vision. Older children may want to do a comic book style to capture the sequence of event.
You may want to watch the video or read the story again, this time having the kids listen extra close to which details they are going to include. They may even want to start drawing while they're listening.
Give everyone plenty of time to include everything they can remember.
When everyone is done, pair the kids into groups of 2 or 3. Have the the child who drew the picture explain the details to their partner(s). Encourage the child who is listening to ask questions and make observations.
For older children (6+), have them share their picture in story form. "One day we will be together with the family of God in God's presence. Jesus will be on the throne and the enemy will be destroyed. There will be no more suffering and more more tears. God showed this vision to John while he was a prisoner on an island."
If you have several children, come back together as a large group and have kids practice telling the story of what John saw. Encourage and praise kids for their participation.
End in prayer:
Father, you have prepared a good place for us where there is peace, love, and joy. We know this is the end of the story, and we are glad to be a part of it. Thank you for the hope you have given us in Jesus' return, rule, and reign on the throne.
If you have time, watch the video on Re-Creation to reiterate what you've learned.