January
🗓️ January 7, 2023 - Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. Hebrews 13:9 - Carried Away

🗓️ January 14th - . . . He nourished him with honey from the rock  . . . Deuteronomy 32:13 - Honey From the Rock

🗓️ January 21st - Today. . .a Savior has been born to you;  he is Christ the Lord.  Luke 2:11 - A Son is Given

🗓️ January 28th - And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.  Luke 2:52 - Jesus as a Child

February
🥿February 4th - This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 (KJV) - This is My Son

👟February 11th - It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone.”  Luke 4:4 (KJV) - Three Choices

👢February 18th - Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19 - Come, Follow Me

🥾February 25th - God loves a cheerful giver.”  2 Corinthians 9:7 - A Hungry Crowd


March
🐾 March 4th - No Sabbath school scheduled

🐾 March 11th - “Be brave! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (NIrV).  - Matthew 14:27 - Jesus Walks on Water

🐾 March 18th - “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (ASV).  - Mark 2:27 - A Very Special Day

🐾 March  25th - “Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away” (NIrV). - Mark 10:14 - Bring Them To Me

April

🐑 Sabbath, April 1st - Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me. Exodus 9:13 - Let My People Go

🐑 Thursday, April 6th - Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread.  Exodus 12:20 - Let's Be Unleavened

🐑 Sabbath, April 8th - You shall count off seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath. . . .  Leviticus 23:15 - Counting

🐑 Wednesday, April 12th - Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven . . . Psalm 32:1 - How, Then, Shall We Live

🐑 Sabbath, April 15th - Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul. Luke 10:27 ((NIrV)) - Who Is My Neighbor?

🐑 Sabbath, April 22nd - All we, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way. Isaiah 53:6a - The Stray Sheep Comes Home

🐑 Sabbath, April 29th - Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 - There's No Place Like Home


May
🌷Sabbath, May 6th - Happy are the people whose God is the Lord. Psalm 144:15 - Happiness Is . . .

🌷Sabbath, May 13th - The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  Psalm 27:1 - Keep the Lights On

🌷Sabbath, May 20th - no sabbath school scheduled

🌷Sabbath, May 27th and Pentecost, May 28th -
The day of Pentecost came. The believers all gathered in one place. Acts 2:1 - Pentecost Synergism/Fruit

June
🍒 Sabbath, June 3rd - Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?  Luke 6:46 - A Wise Builder

🫐 Sabbath, June 10th - I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me.  Psalm 120:1 (NIV) - Jesus Calms the Storm

🍓 Sabbath, June 17th - My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. Mark 11:17 (NIV) - Come to God's House

🍑 Sabbath, June 24th - I the Messiah, have the authority on earth to forgive sins. Mark 2:9 (TLB) - A Hole in the Roof


July
🧨Sabbath, July 1st - I have come to get sinners to turn away from their  sins. Luke 5:32 (NIrV) - Dinner With Sinners

🥧Sabbath, July 8th - Be not afraid, only believe. Mark 5:36b - A Father's Faith

🇺🇸 Sabbath, July 15th - Do to others as you want them to do to you.  Luke 6:31 (NIrV) - The Golden Rule

🌭Sabbath, July 22nd - This is my Son. . .listen to Him. Matthew 17:5 - Mountain Top Miracle

🍉 Sabbath, July 29th - I’ve treasured his words more than my necessary food. Job 23:12 (NIrV)

August

 🍅Sabbath, August 5th - “Life is not made up of how much a person has” (NIrV). - Luke 12:15 - Growing Greedy


🫑 Sabbath, August 12th - “Go. . .your faith has healed you” (NIrV).  - Mark 10:52  -  Believing is Seeing


🍆 Sabbath, August 19th - “The Son of Man came to look for the lost and save them” (NIrV). - Luke 19:10 - Up a Tree

🍇Sabbath, August 26th - “God loves a cheerful giver.”  - 2 Corinthians 9:7b - Two Small Coins

September
Sabbath, September 2nd  -  Man looks at how someone appears on the outside. I look at what is in the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 - More Than Meets the Eye

Sabbath, September 9th - The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.  Mark 4:11(NIV) - Growing Pains

Sabbath, Sept 16th and Trumpets, Sept 17th - On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Leviticus 23:24 (NIV)  What Are You Doing? and Are You Ready?

Sabbath, Sept 23rd - You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths.      Leviticus 23:42 (ESV)  Are You Thankful? Why?

Tuesday,  Sept 26th - The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves. . . Leviticus 23:27 (NIV)  Missing the Mark

October

🍁 Sabbath, October 14th - He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”   Revelation 21:5 (NIV) - The Last Great Day

🍁 Sabbath, October 21st - Serve the Lord with gladness.  Psalm 100:2 (ESV)

🍁 Sabbath, October 28th - The day of Christ’s return is almost here. So let us get rid of the works of darkness. Let us put on the armor of light. Romans 13:12 (NIrV) - Counterfeit - Trick or Treat


November
👑 Sabbath, November 4th - Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord . . .  Luke 19:38 (NIV) - A Royal Ride

👑 Sabbath, November 11th - “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power . . .
 Revelation 4:11 (NIV) - A Broken Bottle

👑 Sabbath, November 18th - And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”  Matthew 26:21 (NIV) - A Sad, Sad Supper


December
🦕Sabbath, December 9th - God created man in his own image. . . . male and females he created them. Genesis 1:27 (ESV) - In God's Image

🦖Sabbath, December 16th - Do your work in six days. But the seventh day is the Sabbath. . . Exodus 31:15 (NIrV) - What a Day!

🦕Sabbath, December 23rd - The wages of sin is death . . Romans 6:23 (ESV) - Choices!

🦖Sabbath, December 30th -  For God will bring every deed into judgment . . . Ecclesiastes 12:14 (ESV) - Nowhere to Hide

January 7, 2023
Carried Away

Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. Hebrews 13:9

Materials needed: turmeric, rubbing alcohol, clear glasses, assortment of acids and bases, measuring spoon, spoon
https://www.123homeschool4me.com/color-changing-acid-base-experiment_48/

Sometimes we’re metaphorically walking down the road of life and someone tells us something which drastically affects our direction. Obviously, that can be very good. When God sends someone to tell you the good news of the gospel (Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15), and you are drawn to the truth, it is a very good thing! It changes how you live your life because you are now on the path towards God, seeking Him, rather than going your own way. The goal, at that point, is to remain on the Way, God’s way, that leads to God’s kingdom and eternal life.

But there are other people who would tell you something, and you, believing them, find yourself off the path that leads to life. That person did not speak the truth and you were beguiled by a lie.

Here’s the visual: Turmeric in rubbing alcohol is an indicator of a base. When you put the indicator (turmeric) into an acid, nothing happens. That’s like a person who remains faithful to God’s ways! His is the treasure of the Kingdom of God [gold color]. When placed in a base solution, the indicator turns the solution red. That’s like the person who had been on the right path but was carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. Their life has been drastically changed - and not for the better - and will ultimately lead to  death [red color].

So how do you resist the lies, those falsehoods which are so beguiling and would lead you away from God? How do you keep from being carried away by all kinds of strange teachings? Read your Bible daily. Pray. Meditate on God’s word. Sing hymns of praise. Come to church to learn more about God and to fellowship with people who also love God and His ways. Make seeking God a priority in your life! Don’t be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.


January 14th
Honey From the Rock
He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag, Deuteronomy 32:13

Materials needed: honey/honeycomb, plastic knife, spoons

Do you ever find yourself reading along in the Bible and suddenly realize you weren’t paying attention? Oh, you were reading the words; you just weren’t letting them soak in. You weren’t reading for comprehension. I was reading along the other day and saw this verse in Deuteronomy 32. It caught my attention - probably because I started singing “Honey In The Rock.” And once you have a song stuck in your head, good luck trying to think of anything else.

But look at this verse!! He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. God brought His people out of captivity in Egypt and blessed them. They were prosperous. They were productive. They had plenty of food. I understand the first part. But this: He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag, (There’s a similar verse in Psalm 81:16)

In the past, honey was a precious commodity: a nutritious food, a valuable gift, a medicine. In fact, Iowa and Missouri engaged in what was called the Honey War in 1839 over a 9.5 mile disputed strip along the top of Missouri. Before the issue was settled, militias from both sides faced each other at the border, a Missouri sheriff collecting taxes in Iowa was incarcerated, and three trees containing beehives were cut down.

And oil was used to soften skin, as a nutritious food, as a fuel for light, and for anointing.

To have God provide honey and oil for His people was a great blessing. But Deuteronomy 32 seems to take it a little further because I wouldn’t normally expect honey to come out of rock or oil out of a flinty crag. Bees make honey; honey doesn’t normally come from a rock. Oil comes from olive trees, not from a cliff or rock face. So what was Moses telling?

Human reasoning would lead us to think that an enterprising bee found a cleft in a rock to make a hive. And a resilient olive tree not only was surviving, but thriving on a rocky crag. So a bee hive and an olive tree were found in unexpected places. We don’t know this from the verse, however.

What we do know is that God takes care of us when we don’t see where the provision could possibly come from! He’s the one who makes us prosperous and productive. He’s the one who provides. We need to thank Him and trust Him and serve Him with all of our hearts!

January 21st
A Son is Given
“Today. . .a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

Materials needed: two small spice bottles, one filled with sugar, one filled with salt; YEA books and resources (https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/) Primaries, book one, lesson one
 
Suppose I had two small bottles, one filled with salt and one filled with sugar. It would be very important to know which was which before I used either one. The salt would be good for making playdough or salt maps. The sugar would be good for making candy or cookies or sweetening my tea. What would happen if I got them mixed up? I might be in for a shock at how it turned out! Salty cookies and tea doesn’t sound very appealing. And sugary playdough would just be a mess. In some instances, using the wrong substance would be downright disastrous. I’m remembering a time when someone used salt instead of sugar when making meringue for a lemon pie.

It’s very important to be discerning about many things in this life. For instance, let’s talk about the birth of Jesus Christ. Because we don’t celebrate Christmas, we sometimes neglect to talk about the birth of Christ, but that would be like never using sugar because it is similar in appearance to salt. And while Christmas is nowhere mentioned in the Bible, the birth of Jesus Christ is very much in the Bible (detailed in Luke) and is of vital importance to Christians.

So let’s be discerning for a moment between what belongs with the birth of Jesus and what is part of the pagan Christmas celebration. Time: December 25th? Obviously pagan. Nowhere in the Bible does God tell us exactly when Jesus was born, but some clues lead us to believe it was sometime in the fall. So was there snow on the ground? No. The sheep certainly wouldn’t have been out in the fields if there was snow on the ground, in the bleak mid-winter.  Place: Bethlehem? A stable? A manger? These are all part of the story of the birth of Christ. Who? Obviously Joseph and Mary were there, but who else came to see the newborn Jesus? Shepherds? Yes. Three wise men? Well, no. We don’t even know how many wise men there were, but they didn’t come to the stable. Matthew 2:11 says that Jesus was with Mary in the house. After the wise men did not return to Herod, Herod killed all the babies who were two years and younger. It’s even possible that Jesus was already close to two years old before the wise men visited him. So what about presents and Santa Claus? Jesus Christ is the greatest gift ever given!! Thinking that you need to buy everyone a present pulls the attention away from what God the Father has given to us! What about a Christmas tree? Reindeer? Lights? People have tried to say that the Christmas tree represents life (evergreen), but nowhere does God tell us to worship Him using a tree. Flying reindeer? They are in the same category as Santa Claus and his elves. Lights? Some people rightly point out that Jesus is the Light of the world - the Light has come into the world and the world has not understood it (John 1:5). When the Light of God shines in this world, there will be no doubt that it is Jesus Christ. The Christmas lights are pretty, but they are a pale imitation of the shekinah glory of God.

How do you feel when you read the first two chapters of Luke? Do you rejoice in the birth of the Son of God? Or do you feel a little guilty? The birth of Jesus Christ has nothing to do with Christmas or any of its trappings. But the birth of Jesus Christ was real and we should remember to praise God often for the gift of His Son to us. Don’t avoid the birth of Jesus because we don’t celebrate Christmas. Be discerning - like figuring out which is salt and which is sugar in my jars.

Sabbath, January 28th
Jesus as a Child
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.  Luke 2:52

Materials needed: poster board (cut into jigsaw pieces - one side is lesson words - the other side is the memory verse.  So as I ask the kids about the lesson, I can put the puzzle together, revealing the memory verse at the end.  see photo)
We are using the CEM sabbath school materials. To download a copy, here’s the link: https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/
On that page, you’ll find a pdf link for the student book, the teacher book, and activities to extend the lesson (REACH).


We don’t have a lot of information about Jesus as a child, just a few pieces found in two chapters in the Bible (Matthew 2 and Luke 2). Matthew relates the visit of the wise men, Herod’s attempt to kill Jesus, Joseph and Mary fleeing to Egypt with Jesus until Herod’s death, and their subsequent return to Nazareth.

It’s interesting in that short chapter, there are three separate accounts of divine instruction: 1) the wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod; 2) Joseph was warned to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt to avoid Herod; and 3) Joseph was told to take Mary and Jesus back to Israel because Herod was dead.

And there are four separate prophecies that are fulfilled: 1) The wise men knew that Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem because of Micah 5:2; 2) Hosea 11:1 foretells, “Out of Egypt I called my son;” 3) The weeping because of all of the children killed by Herod was prophesied in Jeremiah 31:15; and 4) Because Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Nazareth in Galilee, Matthew states . . . ‘that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.” ’

Luke 2 relates Jesus’ birth and the visit by the shepherds, Jesus presented at the Temple as a newborn, living in Nazareth as a child, and visiting the Temple in Jerusalem when he was 12. It’s interesting that Luke also focuses on fulfillment of prophecy to two specific, godly individuals: The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die before he saw the Lord’s Christ. Anna was a prophetess who began speaking of Jesus to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. They saw Jesus when He was presented at the Temple as a newborn, in accordance with the Law of God.

Then, at the time of the Passover, when Jesus was 12 years old, He was also found in the Temple. After the Feast was over, His family was traveling home.They had gone a day’s journey before they missed Him, thinking that Jesus must have been with someone else in the party. His parents returned to Jerusalem and began looking for Him. They found Him in the Temple, three days later. Jesus was sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. He knew, even at 12, that God was His Father!

From these two chapters and the pieces of Jesus’ childhood comes the picture of a young person who was growing and learning just as His Father wanted Him to. Here’s Luke 2:52: And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.  

Jesus left us an example. What would the pieces of your childhood say about you? Do you love God? Love celebrating His sabbath and Holy Days? Honor your father and mother as you should? Do you know the Bible? Some of your pieces are still being written. What will they say?

Sabbath, February 4th
This is My Son

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (KJV) - Matthew 3:17

Materials needed: doves with questions, lesson from Christian Educational Ministries (https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/)

There’s a lot of information packed into this lesson! Let’s see how much you remember from Matthew 3:3-17 and Mark 1:4-11.

Where was John the Baptist? What body of water? Sea of Galilee or Jordan River? (Jordan River)

What was John the Baptist famous for eating and wearing? (clothes made from camel’s hair; locust and wild honey) Was it wrong for him to eat locusts? Aren’t they unclean? (No, locusts are one of the clean bugs. Yuck!)

What was John the Baptist doing? Was he playing in the water? Taking a bath? (He was preaching and baptizing.) What was he preaching? (People needed to repent.) What does “repent” mean? (It means to be sorry for your actions/sins and to stop doing them!) What are sins? (Sins are anything that transgresses God’s laws.)

John the Baptist also said he was preparing the way - for whom? (Jesus)

What did Jesus want John the Baptist to do? (He wanted John to baptize Him.) Why did Jesus want to be baptized? Did He do something wrong? Did He need to repent of anything? (No!! The Bible says it was to fulfill all righteousness. It was the right thing to do.)

What descended on Jesus when He’d been baptized? (Matthew 3:16 says “he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.”)

What did the people hear after Jesus’ baptism? (‘A voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” ’ (vs. 17)

It’s important to remember that Jesus gave us an example to follow - to fulfill all righteousness, to do what is right. Being baptized is an act of obedience, doing what God has said. What are some other things you should be doing right now? (Reading your Bible, coming to church, honoring your father and mother, not fighting with your brothers and sister, praying - talking with God, singing praises to God) Our goal is to emulate (to look like) our Older Brother, Jesus Christ, and to some day hear God say, “Well done.” We all want God, our Heavenly Father, to be well pleased with us.


Sabbath, February 11th
Three Choices
It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone’(KJV). Luke 4:4

Materials needed: clay, fired clay pot, https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/  (YEAH activity - Tried in the Fire)

A few weeks ago, we played with some clay and talked about pushing and squeezing and stretching and, sometimes, smashing. It’s the whole idea of God forming us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. But compare your clay creation to this candy dish. What’s the difference between the two - generally-speaking? A fired piece of clay pottery is hardened - that’s why you put it in the kiln - to give it strength so that it can be used. Otherwise, if you try to use a clay vessel that hasn’t been fired, it will not withstand the use, even if it’s been thoroughly dried.

Jesus went through a trial by fire (both in the temptation in the wilderness and again in the Garden of Gethsemane). He did not fail the test. He persevered; He obeyed His Father; He fulfilled the purposes God sent Him to fulfill. There are many verses which similarly talk about us being tried in the fire, God purifying His people, and the necessity of us persevering through all of it (1 Peter 1:7; 1 Cor. 3:13; Zech 13:9; Isaiah 48:10; Daniel 11:35; Daniel 3; Isaiah 43:2; 1 Peter 4:12). How comforting and encouraging to know that Jesus Christ, our Elder Brother, our Savior, the Captain of our Salvation, knows what it’s like to go through the fire!

You can’t avoid the fire. But you can keep your eyes on Jesus and follow His example: use the Bible as your foundation and defense against the wiles of the devil.

If you notice, Satan tempted Jesus three times. Knowing that Jesus was hungry, Satan challenged Jesus to turn stones into bread. Satan will do the same thing to you: he will try to get you to dishonor or disobey God because you think you need food, clothing or shelter immediately. God knows what you need. Trust Him.

Satan told Jesus that God would protect Him if He was in danger of getting hurt. Satan will do the same thing to you: he will try to make you doubt whether God loves you or will protect you because of the things that happen to you in this life. God can (and will) use everything that happens to you in this life to mold you into the image of His Son. If Jesus had to suffer in this life, we should expect to as well. Don’t let Satan plant seeds of doubt. Trust God.

Satan tried to get Jesus to worship Him to get a reward right then. Satan will try to do the same thing to you: he will try to entice you to disobey or dishonor God to take a short cut to getting a reward. But God knows that you need to be tried in the fire, hardened and strengthened, so that you will be a useful vessel (servant) for His glory. Resolve to do what is right - honoring and pleasing to God - always. God will reward you. Trust Him.

What was Jesus’ example for withstanding the schemes of the devil? Know what God says is pleasing to Him. Study your Bible. Go to church. Talk about God often. Pray. Trust God always.

February 18th
Come, Follow Me
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” - Matthew 4:19

Materials Needed: paper fish (magnets attached) with review questions, fishing pole of dowel rod and string with magnet at the end, lesson #5 from Primaries book (https://www.borntowin.net/.../primaries-life-of-christ/)

Have you ever stopped to think about the disciples that Jesus chose? Their backgrounds were so varied! Imagine a tax collector and a zealot working together under any other circumstances!! Imagine choosing muscular fishermen to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God - instead of the priests and teachers of the law. It’s truly a testimony about the power of God to accomplish His will, for His glory and honor. (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
Another amazing aspect of Jesus calling His disciples is how they responded. Peter, Andrew, James, and John are recorded as immediately leaving their nets. Perhaps it was because they had worked all night without catching a single fish. Then, when Jesus told them to put down their nets again, they caught so many that the nets began breaking and the fish filled both boats so that the boats started to sink (Luke 5). After a miracle like that, who would be reluctant to follow Jesus!?

Jesus often spoke to the people about things they knew well. Then He used those familiar aspects of their lives to help explain spiritual things. The concept of harvest, of sheep needing a shepherd, a gate, living water, hungering for righteousness . . . Jesus did this when calling Peter, Andrew, James and John too!! He acknowledged they were fishermen. Now he was going to make them fishers of men. And after just having seen what Jesus could do, those four fishermen must have had no doubt that Jesus could use them to do what He said.

What about you? Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? Have you thought about how Jesus can use you for His glory? Just like Peter, Andrew, James, and John were working hard before Jesus called them, you need to work hard: Work hard in school, obey your parents, read the Bible daily, go to church, choose to do the right thing, get along with others. In other words, be a light to the people around you so that they will want to know more about the God you serve.

***Sabbath School was a lot of fun! I made construction paper fish and clipped a paperclip onto their mouths. Then I made a "fishing pole." I let the boys "fish." When they caught one, I asked them the question on the back. If they answered correctly, they continued to fish. If they missed the answer, I threw the fish back. . . . I used the questions from the teacher's edition of the YEA lesson (#5) from the first Primary book from CEM. (https://www.borntowin.net/.../primaries-life-of-christ/)


February 25th
A Hungry Crowd

God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Materials needed: 5000 items (beans, rice, pennies - I’m using graph paper with 5000 squares);  lesson #6 from Primaries book (https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/) - YEAH activity #1

Have you ever participated in a contest to see who could get the closest to guessing the number of jelly beans in a large glass container? It’s hard to figure out just how many beans there might be in that jar!

It’s also hard to wrap our minds around how many people 5000 is - and that was just the men. We’re not told how many women and children might have been there. Jesus told the disciples to put the people into groups of 50 or 100 (Mark 6:40; Luke 9:14). But even just working with the 5000, let’s break that up into an equal number for each disciple. 5000 divided by 12 is almost 417. If Jesus had divided the men to be fed equally between the disciples that’s 417. Imagine being responsible to find food for 417 men! The idea that five loaves and two fish would feed so many?! There is no doubt this was a miracle from God.

There are some really fascinating pieces to this episode. First, Jesus didn’t just create food out of thin air. He took what was there and multiplied it - enormously! Like the miracle of the water changed into wine, Jesus didn’t just create the wine out of thin air; he took the water and changed it.

Secondly, a small boy demonstrated the attitude that is very pleasing to God - being willing to share what you have with others - with people you don’t even know. That boy might have assumed that in giving up his lunch, he wouldn’t have anything to eat. That kind of self-sacrifice is so valuable to God.

Third, just because Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish didn’t mean that He was giving the disciples or the people permission to waste the food. He told them to gather what was left over; He said, “Let nothing be wasted.” When God gives you something, you are to be a good steward of it. Don’t waste what God has given you.

Think about it! If you are willing to give yourself to the service of God, He can do great things with and through you. He can take you (perhaps someone the world doesn’t think is very important) and He can do something great - for His glory. There were 5000 men on that hillside. There were 12 disciples. God used one small boy to perform a miracle that is the only one recorded in all four gospels.

How might God use you, if you are a cheerful giver?


Sabbath, March 11th
Jesus Walks on Water
“Be brave! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (NIrV). Matthew 14:27

Materials needed: wash basin, toy boat, water, towels!!!;  lesson #7 from Primaries book (https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/) REACH Activity #2/YEAH Activity #2

The disciples had literally just watched Jesus multiply five barley loaves and two fish with enough to feed 5000 people (probably more ‘cause that was just the men!) and gather 12 baskets of leftovers! So what happened next?

Jesus sent the disciples in the boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. He went up on the mountain to pray. The disciples in the boat were battling strong waves because the wind was so strong. So what did Jesus do? He walked to them on the water.

Can you see this in your mind? These men are in a boat on a sea. The waves were likely not only keeping them from making much headway, but were also threatening to swamp the boat. But that’s not what Matthew said they were afraid of. They were terrified of the sight of Jesus walking on the water. Even when Jesus told them not to be afraid - that it was He, Peter wanted verification. He asked Jesus to command him to come to Jesus on the water. So Jesus told Peter to come. Peter had enough courage to get out of the boat and start toward Jesus, but the wind (and what it was doing) scared him. He started to sink.  Jesus reached out His hand, grabbed Peter, and asked him why he had doubted.
Then they got into the boat. And now another miracle occurred: the wind ceased.

Multiplying loaves and fishes. Walking on water. Controlling the wind. Finally, with these three experiences, the disciples worshipped Jesus, calling Him the Son of God.

Do you know that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you trust Him in the middle of a storm? Are you more afraid of trusting God or of the storm around you? I guess it all depends on whether you have a relationship with Jesus or not. If you know Him, or rather are known by Him, then you can trust Him no matter what storms in life assail you (pun not intended). And you will worship Him because you know He is God!

Note: We’re going to put a toy boat in a basin and make some waves. I will have some popsicle puppets so the students can re-enact the story. And I’ll make sure I have enough towels. 😉

Sabbath, March 18th
 A Very Special Day
The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath (ASV).  Mark 2:27

Materials needed: lesson #8 from Primaries book (https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/); Sabbath statement cards, Yes/No signs

The students should have read their lesson about the Sabbath prior to coming to class. So we’re going to have a small competition/quiz. I will make the statement. Each student needs to decide whether they agree or disagree. When I say “go,” they’ll put up their “yes” sign or their “no” sign. Each right answer gets them a token. The person with the most tokens at the end gets to choose a reward first.

Here are the statements:

God made the world in seven days.
God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh day.
The Sabbath was started by the Jews.
The Sabbath was started by God at Creation.
Jesus healed many people on the Sabbath.
Jesus went to church on the Sabbath.
Jesus went to synagogue on the Sabbath; he was Jewish. There were no churches at that time.
The Sabbath was created for God.
The Sabbath was created for man.
It’s okay to work on the Sabbath as long as you go to church.
It’s good to help people on the Sabbath.
You should prepare for the Sabbath on Friday so you don’t have to work on Sabbath.
There are 6 days to work. The Sabbath is a day of rest.
We should enjoy the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is a gift from God to us.
You should come to church on Sabbath, if you can.
Keeping the Sabbath holy is one of the Ten Commandments.
Keeping the Sabbath holy is the fourth commandment.
The Sabbath begins when the sun comes up.
The Sabbath begins when the sun goes down Friday night.
Keeping the Sabbath is one way we show God we love Him.
God doesn’t really care which day we rest on - as long as we rest one day a week.
The Sabbath should be a solemn day that is no fun.
The Sabbath is the best day of the week.

Note: if you want the cards already formatted to print on cardstock, let me know. I can send you a pdf.

Sabbath, March 25th
Bring Them To Me
Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away (NIrV). Mark 10:14

Materials needed: lesson #8 from Primaries book (https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/); Perspective Poster, cards (Divide the poster into two sides: Man’s Perspective - Jesus’ Perspective; Create a set of cards - characteristics of children)

WC Fields used to say, “Get away from me, kid; you bother me.” Although most adults wouldn’t say that out loud to a child, some adults really don’t like kids. Why? (These are the characteristics printed on the cards, one on each.) Have the children figure out which column each card will fit into.

Loud
Insistent on their own way
Lack of manners
Need care
Make mistakes
Tells it like they see it
Persistent
Open to teaching
Intensely curious
Recognizes authority


Each of these characteristics will lend support to a person’s perspective that they’d rather not be around kids or support to Jesus’ perspective that you must become like a little child if you want to be in His kingdom. Curiously, there are a couple of characteristics that will fit into both categories.

It’s very important for children to understand that God values them for those characteristics. When the disciples didn’t want the children to bother Jesus, Jesus pointed out just how valuable those characteristics are to Him!

It’s a good reminder to all of us to 1) see the value of children and 2) see the value of the characteristics that are pleasing to God.

Note: After the children put the cards into the columns, I pointed out how what other people might see as a negative can be turned into a positive because of the willingness to be taught, to recognize authority, to be persistent, etc.


Sabbath, April 1st
Let My People Go
Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me.  Exodus 9:13

Materials needed: lesson #1 from Primaries Holy Day Supplement book (https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/); plague cards

This week we’re going to celebrate the Passover, a celebration which originated in Egypt about 3500 years ago. God had sent His people, Jacob’s family, to Egypt to protect them from the famine. Joseph was second in command, under only Pharaoh. So Jacob (Israel) and his family settled in the land of Goshen and did very well . . . until a Pharaoh came to the throne who didn’t know Joseph. The Hebrews (Israelites) were prospering in Egypt and the Egyptians started to worry that they might try to take over. So the Egyptians slowly enslaved them, with the Israelites’ lives becoming more and more difficult as the years went by. Finally, they cried out to God for help - and God sent Moses to bring the people out of Egypt.

By this time, the economy of Egypt was really dependent upon the slave labor provided by the Israelites. Pharaoh didn’t really want to let the Israelites go. However, there is no one who can resist the will of God. But Pharaoh tried. So God sent a series of plagues.

First the water in the Nile was turned to blood. Not only that, but the water in the ponds and streams and pots was all turned to blood. And to make matters worse, the magicians duplicated the miracle, so that even if there had been any water left, it was all turned to blood! The fish died. The river stank! The people didn’t have anything to drink. It was awful!

After that first plague of blood, there followed plagues of frogs, gnats, flies, pestilence on the livestock, boils, hail, locusts, and three days of darkness. Eventually, God also struck Egypt with the tenth plague: the death of the firstborn. Those people who were not willing to obey Him by killing a lamb, then putting the blood on the doorposts and lintels of their houses, suffered the consequences of their firstborn dying when the Death Angel passed over at midnight on Passover.

It was absolutely amazing what God was willing to do to rescue His people from Egypt. . . . And it all pointed to what would eventually happen some 1500 years later when God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to come as the Lamb of God to rescue God’s people - all of us - from bondage and slavery to sin. It is because of the blood of Jesus Christ that the Death Angel passes over us; Jesus pays the sin debt that we owe instead of us. If Jesus hadn’t paid that debt with His blood, we would die (with no hope of eternal life) because of the sins we’ve all committed.

We talk about the incredible lengths God went to when He rescued the Israelites from Egypt. Just stop and consider what incredible lengths God went to when He rescued each of us from sin; it cost Him His Son, Jesus Christ.

Now, let’s remember why God did that!! Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me.  Exodus 9:13  This Passover season remember to worship God with all of your heart!


Thursday, April 6th
Let’s Be Unleavened
“Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread.”  Exodus 12:20

Materials:  lesson #2 from Primaries Holy Day Supplement book (https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/); matching cards

Are you busy? If someone were to ask me that question this time of the year, I’d be tempted to laugh. I’m always busy, but this time of year seems especially busy with preparing for Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, getting the garden ready to plant, and (this year) preparing for a wedding. What if, in the midst of all this busyness, I had to move? Furthermore, what if I could only take what I could carry or put in a small cart?


When God rescued the Israelites from Egypt, life was very hard. They were, after all, slaves with harsh taskmasters over them. That’s why they cried out to God for relief in the first place. Then, when Moses told Pharaoh to let the people go to worship God, Pharaoh made their lives and jobs even more miserable. In the weeks leading up to Passover, conditions in Egypt were awful! Think about the plagues: water to blood, frogs, and gnats. These first three affected all of Egypt and the land of Goshen where the Israelites lived. The next six only hit Egypt but would have still impacted the Israelites indirectly: flies, pestilence on livestock, boils, hail, locust, and three days of darkness. By the time the ninth plague hit, Egypt’s economy would have been in shambles. Dead animals, crops and trees destroyed, bugs, dead frogs - Egypt would have been a mess!

So when the Death Angel killed the firstborn of everyone who didn’t put the lamb’s blood on the doorpost and lintels of their houses (the tenth plague), Pharaoh thrust the Israelites out. They had to leave - with whatever they could carry - that night (Exodus 12:42). That’s why their bread was unleavened; they simply didn’t have time to allow it to become leavened.

We celebrate these days, knowing that the Old Testament Passover is a picture of Jesus rescuing us from slavery to sin. Yeast is a symbol of sin at this time of the year, so we eat unleavened bread to remind us that Jesus had paid the price for our sin. We choose God’s ways, not sinful ways. But it should also be a time when we reset our priorities. We should be examining what we are busy with - considering which things are good and profitable and which are not because we can’t do (can’t carry) everything. And our priority has to be taking Jesus Christ into our lives on a daily basis (eating unleavened bread).

Have you eaten your unleavened bread yet today? Don’t get too busy to obey God!

Teaching note: I’m making matching cards for the students to actively help me tell the story and draw the analogies between the Old Testament Passover and what it means to us today.


Egypt                               Place of Slavery


Yeast                               Sin


Unleavened                    Without Sin


Lamb                               Jesus


Blood                              Payment for Sin


What Israel carried       What I can carry


Death Angel                    Consequence of

                                          Disobedience



Sabbath, April 8th
Counting
You shall count off seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath. . . .  Leviticus 23:15


Materials: Little things to count, counting books (My favorite is Doggies by Sandra Boynton), calendars for the next seven weeks, tiny stickers to mark off the days.


We count things all the time: the days until school’s out, the number of biology assignments left in the year, the number of inches you’ve grown in the past month, how many forks we need for supper tonight, how many dogs are in the house . . .


Since counting is a basic math concept that must be mastered before learning addition and subtraction, we start teaching children how to count when  they are still very little. And when you’re learning a new language, that’s one of the first things you learn, regardless of your age, how to count in that language - French, Spanish, ASL, all of them.


So here’s a very interesting verse in Leviticus 23:15: You shall count off seven full week from the day after the Sabbath. God tells us to count . . . from the day after the sabbath, and generally we do that from the sabbath in the middle of the days of unleavened bread. Do you know why we count from the day after that particular sabbath? It’s the wave sheaf day - the day when the first grain that was harvested from the barley is waved before the Lord. It’s recognition - at the very beginning of the harvest - that He is the Lord of the harvest (Matthew 9:38): He has given us the grain to plant; He has given us the land to plant it in; He has given us the rain; He has caused the grain to grow and produce more grain. It all comes from Him.


But there’s something else very special that happened on the Wave Sheaf Day the year that Jesus died: Jesus rose from the dead, as the wave sheaf offering to God - the very first of the firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23). Because Jesus rose from the dead, He makes it possible for us also be to raised from the dead (Romans 6:4). As the wave sheaf offering (John 20:17), Jesus is the recognition that our salvation, redemption, acceptance before the Father is all God’s work (1Corinthians 1:30). We are God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10) and the firstfruits of the harvest in Jesus Christ (James 1:18).


But the Wave Sheaf Day is not the end of the count. We’re told to count seven full weeks. O.K. How many days are there in a week? Seven. How many days are there in seven full weeks? 49. So we count off 49 days and the 50th day is the next of God’s holy days - the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost.


The counting of these seven weeks must be very important. God told us to do it. It’s much too easy to let the days slide by without counting. Make sure you count!


Wednesday, April 12th
Last Day of Unleavened Bread
How, then, shall we live?
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.  Psalm 32:1-2

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven.

Whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity.

Those three phrases are very straight-forward. The words mean exactly what you would expect them to mean. Transgression and sin and iniquity are all words conveying offenses, wrongs, wickedness, misdeeds, breaking of God’s law. The word counts is a legal term or an accounting term, like keeping track of money. Forgiven and covered are words which both mean taken away, lifted up, canceled out.

These three phrases are exactly what we memorialize in the observance of Passover, the Night to Be Much Observed, and the Days of Unleavened Bread. Jesus Christ was tortured and crucified for us, for our sins. He was lifted up that the penalty for our transgressions would be canceled out. He stood in our stead, instead of us, that we could have the accounting sheet balanced before God.

So what’s this next phrase doing in these verses: and in whose spirit there is no deceit. The word spirit is the Hebrew word ruach and means, in this context, the mode of thinking and action. In other words, it’s everything we think, say, and do. Blessed is the one who is honest all the time.

Uh oh. We’re in trouble here. Jeremiah 17:9 says “the heart is deceitful above all things.” That’s 180º from David’s statement in Psalm 51:6: “You delight in truth in the inward being . . .”

The first three phrases are a work of God through Jesus Christ. But this fourth phrase tells us that we can’t stop there. 1 Corinthians 7:1 says, “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”

What promises is he taking about? In the end of 2 Corinthians 6, he’s talking about that covenant relationship we have with God - because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. So - since Jesus has died for us, we need to live in a way that reflects, not only our gratitude, but the change that has been accomplished in our heart.

And here we are back at heart again. Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” God’s going to work with us, as we travel with Him, to create a clean heart, to renew a right spirit within us. But we have to walk with Him. We have to choose His ways. We have to seek Him daily.

I don’t think it’s an accident that God started the countdown to Pentecost within the Days of Unleavened Bread. We’ve just been taken out of sin - delivered from the bondage of sin through the blood of Jesus Christ. Now what? We need to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). So we count the days to Pentecost. Each day is a gift from God, and they can be used to their full potential, or they can be wasted.

How are you going to live your life as a result of what God has done for you?


Sabbath, April 15th
Who Is My Neighbor?
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (NIrV). Luke 10:27

Materials needed: lesson #10 from Primaries book (https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/); band-aid with memory verse on it.

Do you know what Jesus said is the greatest commandment? To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. The second greatest commandment is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

So then, the question is “Who is my neighbor?” Is it just the person who lives next door to me? Is that the one I’m supposed to love like myself?

When Jesus was asked this question, He told the story that we call the Parable of the Good Samaritan. There was a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was attacked by thieves. They robbed him, beat him, and left him bruised and bleeding on the side of the road. Pretty soon a priest came down the road, saw the man, and crossed to the other side of the road to walk by him. A Levite did the same thing. But when a Samaritan, a person who was despised by the Jewish people, saw the man, he stopped to help. He cleaned up his wounds and took him to an inn where he paid for the man’s care. This Samaritan - a person that the Jews wouldn’t have wanted to associate with - this person was a true neighbor to the man. He treated the man the way he would have wanted to be treated, if he’d been the one robbed, beaten, and left for dead.

So what about you? When you come across someone who needs help, do you help them? It’s important to use wisdom when helping others; don’t put yourself in a position where you could be harmed. But you can start practicing being helpful today. You can hold the door for people who are carrying things. You can help straighten chairs. You can help put things away after church. There are many ways that you can help people in need.

You never know when you give someone a drink of water that God won’t consider that you have done it for Him. It’s important that we all get into the habit of making someone’s day a little brighter, helping where we can, and learning to love our neighbors as ourselves.


Sabbath, April 22nd
The Stray Sheep Comes Home
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6

Materials needed: a full score of Handel’s Messiah, 100 paper sheep, https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Two, Lesson 1)

George Frideric Handel was a German-born, British Baroque composer who spent the bulk of his career in London, becoming well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. But probably, he is best known for his oratorio, The Messiah. In that work is probably his most famous piece, “The Hallelujah Chorus.” The Messiah was written in 28 days,

• beginning with Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming of Jesus Christ in Isaiah 40: “Comfort Ye, Comfort Ye, My People”,
• working through his birth - “For Unto Us a Child is Born,”
• his crucifixion - “Surely He Hath Born Our Griefs,”
• his resurrection “But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul in Hell,”
• Jesus’ second coming - “He Shall Break Them in Pieces” and “The Hallelujah Chorus,”
• and the establishment of His kingdom - “Worthy is the Lamb That Was Slain.”
• Handel caps the oratorio with more than six pages of “Amen.”

In the middle of this oratorio, in describing Jesus’ death for us, the chorus sings, “All We Like Sheep.” It’s eight pages of sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses weaving around each other as they sing, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way.” Handel paints the picture, through his music, of sheep who are wandering just where they want to go, each motivated by their own desires.

It’s such a good picture of human nature - or carnal puppy nature. This morning I took the puppy for a half-mile walk to wear off some of his energy. Then when I came inside to work, I was constantly getting up to see where he was. I found him on the couch! So I told him he had to get down, gave him a chew toy, and he followed me back to my desk. He chewed for two minutes, then ran back into the living room and hopped up on the couch. I went back to see where he was, scolded him, and put him down on the floor. He followed me back to my desk, lay down to chew for two seconds, and then was off again. I found him on the couch again! I couldn’t help but think of the irony of writing about this verse - all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way. Whether it’s puppies or it’s human, we all want to do what we want to do.

But there comes a point in your life - if God is calling you - that you realize all of those sins, all of those desires to go your own way, all of that doing what you want, has a consequence. There are minor consequences along the way - built in consequences like if the puppy decides to jump off the porch, he’ll likely break a leg. These are the natural consequences of trying to defy God’s laws. If the puppy continues to misbehave and is more trouble than he’s worth, I put him in the kennel. That’s kind of like the impairment of our relationship with God. God is not going to have a close relationship with people who are constantly disobeying Him, seeking their own way, redefining God’s laws to suit their own needs. But the ultimate consequence of sin, of defying God, of going our own way, is death.

And yet, God loves us so much that He made a way out. Our Heavenly Father gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for our sins, while we were yet sinners. God made it possible for our sin debt to be forgiven. More even than that, Jesus’ death and resurrection restores the relationship with God and makes it possible for us to have eternal life. God did this for each of us. “And the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Handel depicts this reality very powerfully. Sheep are wandering all over, turning every one however they want to go - for eight pages. Then they all come back together. In unison, in powerful emphatic half notes, the chorus sings: “We have turned everyone to his own way.” Then suddenly, the tone changes from skipping and scattered, to slow and somber as the chorus sings “And the Lord hath laid on him.” They get louder as they again emphasize “hath laid on him.” Then suddenly, softly, in unison they sing, “the iniquity of us all.”

For the Christian, this reality is heart-wrenching. I want my own way so much that I defy God. I go and do whatever I want, out of weakness, out of ignorance, perhaps because I find all kinds of excuses for disobedience. But, in the end, if I want a relationship with God, if I want eternal life in His kingdom forever, Jesus takes my punishment. He bears the stripes that I earned. He dies a horrible death in my place. God lays on Him my iniquity.

The next time you’re tempted to do something that you know would not be pleasing to God, think about sheep wandering wherever they want to go, turning everyone to their own way. And think about God laying on Jesus Christ the iniquity of us all.

Teaching Note: I plan to have hidden one paper sheep somewhere in the room prior to sabbath school. After talking about the proclivity of sheep to wandering off, doing what they want, I’ll talk about the shepherd calling them. In the Middle East, shepherds call their sheep; they know his voice. In the U.S. our shepherds tend to drive the sheep in front of them, using a dog to push them where the shepherd wants them to go. In either case, if a sheep gets lost, the shepherd will look for that one lost sheep. Every sheep, every lamb is valuable to the shepherd. Every one of God’s people are valuable - He gave His Son, laying on Jesus the iniquity of us all!! That’s a huge price to pay. Of course, He will look for the lost sheep. Then I will challenge them to find the lost sheep.

Sabbath, April 29th
There’s No Place Like Home
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Materials needed: clear pie plate, water, two sharpies (permanent ink), paper towel,
https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Two, Lesson 2)

For a similar video: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1d&q=prodigal+son+children%27s+object+lesson#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:031c92d9,vid:EmxL2ifqTto

Once there was a young man who decided he wanted his inheritance right then; he didn’t even want to wait until his father had died. His father agreed to give it to him. (Draw a simple house on one half of the paper towel with a black Sharpie.) The young man traveled to a far country and spent his money frivolously. (Fold the paper towel in half. Put the house on the outside. On the inside, in the same spot as the house, draw a stick figure in blue.) Soon his entire inheritance was gone! The young man had to find a job so that he could get some money so that he could eat. He found himself taking care of pigs and supplementing his diet out of their food trough. He suddenly realized that his father’s hired servants were treated better than what he was experiencing. He decided to go home and beg his father for a job.

The young man hadn’t realized the depths of his father’s love for him. His father ran to meet him when he saw the young man walking down the road. The young man admitted his guilt and said that he knew he wasn’t worthy to be called a son. But the father threw a party! His son that was lost was home again. (Place the folded paper towel in the water in the pie plate. The water makes the paper towel translucent and it looks like the stick figure is in the house.)

God has chosen us to be part of His family. He has that much love for us. (Draw a red heart on the inside part of a new piece of paper towel.)

Sometimes we sin (the transgression of God’s laws). We put ourselves out of fellowship with God. (Draw a heart outline of the outside part of the paper towel.) Things may go smoothly for a while, but without God and His ways, we soon find ourselves in trouble. We may think that we can’t go home; we’ve ruined things forever. What we don’t realize is the depth of God’s love for us. When we’re truly repentant, God is faithful and just to forgive us for our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

The next time you wake up and realize that your relationship with God is estranged because of your sin, repent. God loves you. There’s a good reason Jesus told the story of the prodigal son - so that we would understand how much God wants us to repent. (Place the folded heart paper towel in the water.) Here’s where our memory verse comes in: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28) - because there’s no place like home (aka being in fellowship with our Father) for finding rest for our souls!

---

Happiness Is . . .
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord. Psalm 144:15

Materials needed: hanger, string, tape, hole punch, paper bee cut-outs, fish bowl, https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Two, Lesson 3)

Preparation: using the definitions from the lesson, write one Bee-Attitude on the back of each bee.

Let the children pull one bee at a time from the fish bowl. Discuss each one and how it relates to happiness (blessed). As you talk about each one, use the hole puncher to make a hole to thread string or yarn through. Then tie or tape each to the hanger. When you are finished with the lesson, you’ll have a mobile you can hang in the classroom and/or send home with one of the students.

Be Needy: We all need Jesus Christ. Blessed are the poor in spirit.

Be Sorry: If we truly want to be happy, we have to repent of the sins we have done and resolve not to do them anymore. Blessed are they who mourn.

Be Gentle: We should be gentle and kind to all people, just as God has been gentle and kind with us. Blessed are the meek.

Be Dudley-Do-Right: We should want to do the right thing with all of our being. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Be Forgiving: We should be willing to show mercy to people when they’ve done something to hurt us. Blessed are the merciful.

Be Pure: We should want the inside of our bodies to be as clean as the outside of our bodies or as clean as the water we drink. Blessed are the pure in heart.

Be a Peacemaker: In a world where there is lots of fighting and conflict, we should work very hard to be at peace with all people, as far as it depends upon us. Blessed are the peacemakers.

Be God’s Soldiers: We have a job to do in this world - ambassadors of Jesus Christ, soldiers of the cross. That means we stand up for what is right regardless of how people respond. We are God’s servants and we seek to please Him first. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.

Why are these Bee Attitudes important? Well, your words and your actions will follow what you think. It’s very important to make sure your attitude, your thoughts, are pleasing to God. Then you will truly be blessed!



Sabbath, May 13, 2023
Keep the Lights On
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Psalm 27:1

Materials needed: flashlight, lightbulb, lamp, candle https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Two, Lesson 4)

Have you ever heard anyone tell you that you need to be a light to the people around you? Jesus told his disciples that in Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world.”

What does that mean? Does it mean that you are supposed to give off some kind of glow? Hmm. Not really. Well, think about it. What does light do? It shows you where you are. It helps you figure out where you are going. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” God’s word lights the way so that people know how they should go - that is, so that people will know how to live their lives, making choices that are best.

Do you see how the analogy makes sense? You aren’t really supposed to be giving off light in a literal sense. You are supposed to live your life in such a way that other people will see an example of a Godly way of living - and then they want to live similarly because they see the peace you have.

That implies a couple of things! First, you are living as a light all the time. It isn’t something you do once and then you’re done. You need to be following God’s ways, God’s laws, God’s standards of living all the time. And it’s not just going through the motions so people can see you either. It needs to be obedience from the heart. That’s when the peace comes and everyone sees it.

Secondly, you can’t always follow God’s laws and have peace through your own efforts. You have to be connected to a power source! Just like the lamp must be plugged into electricity, the flashlight must have batteries, the candle must have that spark to start the fire - each person who is going to be a light for Jesus Christ needs to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. A relationship is built when you want Jesus to be your Savior and King - and you do what He tells you to do. Then you spend time with Him in prayer and Bible study, in going to church and fellowshipping with other people who love God.

This world absolutely needs more light!! Are you ready to shine?

Pentecost, May 28th
Pentecost Synergism

The day of Pentecost came. The believers all gathered in one place. Acts 2:1

Materials: markers and paper

The word of the day today is synergism. Do you know what synergism is? It is when the collection of the whole is stronger than the sum of what each individual can do independently. It’s the idea of a cord of three strands is not easily broken. It is the difference between one tiny spark here and there vs. many tiny sparks all in the same place - causing a roaring fire. In art it’s called pointillism - a revolutionary painting technique pioneered by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac in Paris in the mid-1880s. One dot all by itself doesn’t make the picture; it’s all of the dots together. Try it. One dot doesn’t make too much impact, but lots of dots together can create a beautiful picture.

How does that work with people? Well, if you are trying to accomplish something, several people working together towards a goal are more effective than one person here, one person there - the same number of people - but all working on their own instead of in concert.

And there’s another place where we see synergism - a concert. If I take an orchestral piece and play each individual part, I probably will not like the composition. But if every instrument plays their part, the combination is pleasing and I may listen to it over and over again.

So what about Christians? If we are serving God, that’s good. We’re supposed to be seeking His will and seeking to please Him. But what if several Christians work together to do His will all at the same time for the same goal? Then a much greater impact can be made. It’s like what Camp Outreach was able to do for years and years. One or two teens working in Indianapolis wouldn’t have had the impact that the entire group had for one short week.

So on that day of Pentecost, described in Acts 2, the disciples of Jesus were all gathered in one place. What kind of impact would they have? We’ll talk about that tomorrow.


5.28.23 - Pentecost Fruit
The day of Pentecost came. The believers all gathered in one place. Acts 2:1

Materials: helium balloons, unfilled balloons

Yesterday we talked about the word synergism and how so much more can be accomplished by a group of people than by each individual working on their own. But there’s one other very important component that is needed if a group is going to be an effective force for good: structure, guidance, rules, discipline - and in the case of a group of Christians, the guiding force of the Holy Spirit.

Think of it this way: Imagine you have two groups of dogs. One is just a wild pack, doing whatever they want to do, eating, barking, killing, biting. They can kill an entire flock of sheep just for the love of killing, not because they’re hungry. But the same number of dogs who have been trained and love their master can be harnessed and pull a sled over incredible distances. Dallas Seavey’s 10 dogs did the 938-mile Iditarod Race in Alaska in 2021 in just over 7 days 14 hours.

or  Imagine you have a pile of wood. If it’s set on fire, it could catch the surrounding trees on fire and burn millions of acres. On May 20, 2023 there were 25 wildfires out of control in Alberta, Canada which had burned 2,080,627 acres. That’s over 3250 square miles! But if that same wood was burned as fuel in a furnace, you could heat homes for a very long time!!

or Think of it this way. I have a whole pile of balloons here. Until they’re inflated, they’re just a pile of latex.  You can inflate them by blowing them up by mouth - which is just hot air. Or you can put helium in them. People are like that too. You can just be full of hot air or you can rise to the top because you are filled with God’s Holy Spirit.

Each one of us has incredible potential as willing servants of our Great God, but we must have the guiding influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. If we want to rise above our carnal nature and be useful vessels for God’s glory, we need His Holy Spirit. Praise God for this Holy Day which celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit to the church. Remember what we said about the synergism of working together. We can be a pack of people satisfying our own desires, or a team working together to accomplish a fantastic goal. We can burn through our lives destructively, or we can be used for God’s purpose in warming this world. We can be a bunch of hot air bouncing around, or we can rise above sin and our carnal natures, uplifting the people around us. With God’s Holy Spirit, we can work together as a team to accomplish great things for our Great God.

Sabbath, June 3rd
A Wise Builder
Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?  Luke 6:46

Materials: tray, container of water, towels, sand, two fist-sized rocks, houses from Monopoly, glue gun; https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Two, Lesson 5)

“A wise man built his house upon a rock and the rain came a’tumblin’ down.
The rain came down and the floods came up and the house on the rock stood firm.

A foolish man built his house upon the sand and the rain came a’tumblin’ down.
The rain came down and the floods came up and the house on the sand went smash.”

We sing this kids’ song. The tune is catchy. It’s fun. But have you really thought about what it means? If I put a Monopoly house on a pile of sand and then sprinkle water on it, what will happen? Given enough water, the sand will wash away and the house will be destroyed. (Since it’s a plastic house, it’s not destroyed; it’s tipped over, perhaps even upside down. But you get the idea.)  

So what if I put a Monopoly house on a rock. I can sprinkle water on it and as long as it’s not a deluge, it won’t be tipped over. But what if it is a deluge? Or what if it’s another storm - like a tornado or a hurricane or an earthquake? If the house is just sitting on the rock, it’s not secure. It has an appearance of security, but it is not truly secure.

But what if I used a hot glue gun to glue the Monopoly house to the rock? Now what can I throw against that house which would cause it to be tipped over or destroyed. It would take a hammer, wouldn’t it!!

I suspect there are Christians out there who fall into all three categories. There are the house-on-the-sand Christians who say they are Christians, but their foundation on the Word of God is shaky. At the first storm in life, they are in trouble! There are the house-on-the-rock Christians. They look like they are set solidly, but the storms of life can be relentless. A huge storm, a large wave, can knock them over. The appearance doesn’t count for anything when the chips are down.

The Christian who is anchored to Jesus Christ is the only one of the three who can endure. Their trust and faith is not in themselves, but in the One who can save them from any and all storms in life. And because that’s where their faith and trust is, they live their lives as servants of the Most High, children of God, ambassadors for Christ. Their lives reflect God’s ways so that no one has to wonder if they’re a Christian.

Do you understand that part of building a house is having a firm foundation? Sand doesn’t give a firm foundation. There’s nothing to anchor to. Setting your house on a rock isn’t the definition of building a house any more than looking like a Christian makes you a true Christian. Make sure your foundation is secure.  Anchor your house to the Rock. I want you to not just sing “On Christ the solid rock I stand;” I want your feet to be anchored there!

Sabbath, June 10th
Jesus Calms the Storm
I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me. Psalm 120:1

Materials: paperclips, clear bowl of water, towel (Float the clips on the surface of the water. You can’t place a clip on the surface with just the clip. You have to make a helping clip by bending a paper clip into an L. Then you can gently place the clip on the surface of the water without breaking the surface tension - most of the time.) https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Two, Lesson 6)

The Bible records some pretty amazing events where people had to trust God!

Do you remember how Daniel trusted God? When he was thrown into the lions’ den, God shut the mouths of the hungry lions so they wouldn’t eat him. (Daniel 6)
Do you remember how Noah trusted God? When God told Noah to build an ark, that there was going to be a flood, Noah spent many years building that ark. He collected all the food and the animals to go onto the ark. (Genesis 6-7)
Do you remember how David trusted God? He faced the giant Goliath with a sling and a stone! (1 Samuel 17)
Do you remember how Abraham trusted God? When God told him to go to a place God would show him, Abraham left his home and his father’s house, and obeyed God. (Genesis 12)

There was another time when someone had to trust God. When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, Peter called out to him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” (Matthew 14:28) Jesus told Peter to come and Peter stepped out of the boat. He trusted Jesus - at least at the beginning,

There’s one other story I want to remind you of. There was a man whose son had an unclean spirit (Mark 9). The man took his son to Jesus for healing because the evil spirit would not allow the boy to speak, caused him to go into convulsions, and would throw him into the fire or the water, trying to kill him. Jesus told the father that all things are possible for one who believes. I love what the father said back to Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Sometimes we encounter things in our lives that we know we can’t do on our own. But we know God can do mighty and powerful things. We know He is able to save us. We know He controls the winds and the waves. We know He is our Healer. We need to trust Him. And even if we trust, but we’re still afraid, we can be like this father who said, “I believe; help my unbelief.”

There’s one other thing to consider when you’re trusting God. Do you remember how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted God? They refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzer’s golden idol. They believed God could save them, but even if God didn’t, they were still going to do the right thing. (Daniel 3) You have to trust that, even if God doesn’t work things out like you think he should, even if you sink, you still have to obey Him. You still have to do what you know pleases your God, even if it means you have to go through something very difficult.

So what does this have to do with paperclips? They don’t normally float, but if I bend them to create more surface tension, sometimes you can get them to float. Similarly, God saves us and helps us in the stormy times of life, showing us how to rest in Him, no matter what happens!

resource:  https://biblelessonstuff.com/object-lesson-on-faith-walk-on-water/


June 17, 2023
Come to God’s House
My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.  Mark 11:17 (NIV)

Materials needed:  noise makers: whistles, drums, tambourines, pots/pans with wooden spoons, harmonicas, etc; https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Two, Lesson 7)

So what would happen if you gathered all the children at church and gave them noise makers?  Even before they had directions, they’d start making noise! But suppose you told them that they have permission to make noise as long as your hand is up. Then when you put your hand down, they must stop. You’d likely have a few who would make lots of noise - so much noise that a couple of the children would put their hands over their ears. And making noise is a lot of fun, so you likely would have a little trouble regaining enough quiet so they could hear you!

Ok. But what’s the point? What does making noise have to do with Sabbath observance? Children are smart. You’re likely to get answers like: My parents don’t want me to make noise on Sabbath morning; this is not what we should do at church; it was too loud. The reality is that even though our lives may be noisy the rest of the week, the sabbath is special. We are to rest from all the noise and busyness and chaos. Church is a place where we come to honor God and to worship. It is a place to show respect to God. But it’s not just children who have to be told this.

Jesus dealt with people disrespecting God’s house when He was in Jerusalem. Those people had big noise makers - like birds and sheep and goats. Animals and birds not only make noise, they make a mess - and they smell. In addition to the animals, there were money changers. So there was the clank of coins in addition to all of the rest of the bedlam. It was not a quiet, peaceful, worshipful place. And Jesus - God’s Son - was not pleased.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be doing anything that would displease Jesus. It’s a good thing to remember when we’re at church. Think about it! What do you think is inappropriate?


Sabbath, June 24th
A Hole in the Roof
“I the Messiah, have the authority on earth to forgive sins” (Mark 2:9 TLB).

Materials needed: ping pong balls, cups, https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Two, Lesson 8)

Have you ever played any Minute-to-Win-It games? There’s putting a cookie on your forehead and trying to get it in your mouth without using your hands. There’s the defying gravity game: you get three balloons and you have to keep all three of them in the air for 60 seconds. There’s bottle to bottle: one 2-L bottle is filled with Lucky Charms (or something) and you have to get all of it into another 2-L bottle in a minute. There’s using chopsticks to balance metal nuts on top of each other. I found one website that gives instructions for over 200 of these games.

One game that I really like is bouncing ping pong balls into a cup. You have a minute. The person who bounces the most into their cup wins. It involves trying something - and if it doesn’t work, you modify your behavior and try something else. You also have to stay calm - because getting too excited messes with your focus and your ability to succeed. It’s cool when you get a ball in the cup. It’s also very nice to win. But it’s just a game.

If you can take this principle, however, and apply it to other areas of your life, you have something very worthwhile. Take, for example, the friends of the paralytic who took him to Jesus to be healed. When they got close to the house where Jesus was, they couldn’t get inside because there were too many people. (The first ball missed the cup.) They couldn’t even get close to a window. (The second ball missed the cup.) Pretty soon, one of them had the idea of taking their paralytic friend up on the roof. That was a good idea because it got them closer to Jesus, but it still wasn’t close enough. (Another ball missed.) Still they were unwilling to give up! They wanted to get their friend to Jesus so that Jesus could heal him. What did they do? They dug through the roof. That was one step closer (almost like the ball bounced off the lip of the cup). Then they lowered their friend down in front of Jesus. Yea! They had arrived. But this wasn’t the goal. The goal was for Jesus to heal their friend. Did Jesus heal him? Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven.” The scribes and religious leaders were outraged! Who was Jesus that He thought He could forgive sins? they thought. Jesus said, “Which is easier: to say to a paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”  (Mark 2:9-11) This was better than getting the ball into the cup!! Not only was the man healed so that he could walk again, his sins were forgiven. What an incredible reward for his perseverance and the perseverance of his friends!

It’s a good thing for all of us to remember. A Minute-To-Win-It game is not very important. But our perseverance to follow God, to keep searching for the right way to live, to stay the course even when it’s difficult - that will be rewarded!



Sabbath, July 1st
Dinner With Sinners
I have come to get sinners to turn away from their sins. Luke 5:32 (NIrV)

Materials: shallow dish, cookie cutter, glitter, baking soda, vinegar, eye dropper, paper towels  

Resources:  https://team-cartwright.com/fireworks-experiment/;  https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Two, Lesson 9)

We are going to celebrate Independence Day this week. I love to watch the fireworks. There’s something very satisfying about hearing the boom and whistle and then seeing the cascading colorful lights against the night sky. Even though July 4th is fun and we’re celebrating our independence from the tyrrany of Great Britian, there’s an even more important freedom to celebrate - the freedom from sin.

How do we get freedom from sin? It’s because of Jesus. Remember the verse in Luke 5:32? Jesus came to get sinners to turn away from their sins. Believing in Jesus, accepting that Jesus is your Savior, repenting of the sins you have committed, and resolving not to continue sinning - it’s all part of the freedom process which leads to eternal life in God’s kingdom. It’s what Jesus came to do. It’s why he ate with tax collectors and people the Pharisees thought were unworthy for anyone important to notice!

So what does this have to do with you? There’s an interesting verse in Daniel 12:3:
Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

In other words, God expects you to share the good news about Jesus. Sometimes that means telling people what you believe when they ask. Sometimes it means living in such a way that people will want to ask what you believe.

Here’s what it looks like. There’s a cookie cutter in the dish. I sprinkle in some glitter. The glitter represents you shining like the stars forever and ever. Then I sprinkle some baking soda over the glitter - that’s when you aren’t an ambassador for Jesus Christ, when you don’t share Him with the people around you. Then I drop some vinegar over the powder. That’s you deciding to do what Christians are supposed to do - share Jesus with others. When God uses you to reach someone, to call them away from their sin, then you have the opportunity to shine like the stars forever and ever. That’s better than fireworks!

Sabbath, July 8th
A Father’s Faith
“Be not afraid, only believe” Mark 5:36b

Materials Needed: ziplock bag, water, sharp pencil, https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Two, Lesson 10);  https://buggyandbuddy.com/science-activities-for-kids-baggie-and-pencil-magic-science-invitation-saturday/

If I had a ziplock bag full of water, do you believe that I could push a sharp pencil into the bag without spilling water all over the floor? How many of you think I would likely end up very wet? How about pushing the pencil out the other side of the bag? Do you think I could push the same pencil out the other side of the bag - without getting wet? Do you think I could push another sharp pencil into the bag without the water gushing out everywhere? Hmm. What do you believe? How does it change your behavior? Are you going to calmly sit in front of me while I do this? Or are you going to back away? How confident are you that I can push this pencil through the bag full of water without you getting soaked?

This is just a fun science demonstration which relies on the laws of nature: the ziplock is made of polymers - which just happen to be very flexible. They grab the pencil as it goes in, keeping the water from flowing out. Once you know that these things are behaving just the way God created them to, you might be much more willing to sit right in front of me.

But what about life and death? What about people who are really, really sick? What do you believe will happen to them? There was a man named Jairus - a synagogue ruler. His daughter was very ill. He had heard about Jesus. He knew that Jesus had been healing people. He pleaded with Jesus to come heal his daughter. As they were going, messengers came to tell the father that his daughter was dead and that he shouldn’t bother Jesus anymore.  

What did Jesus tell him? “Be not afraid, only believe.” (Mark 5:36b)  How difficult do you think this might have been for Jairus? This was his precious daughter. People told him she was dead - the very thing he was so afraid would happen! When they got to the house, Jesus put everyone out but the girl’s parents and his disciples. Then he told the twelve year-old to get up. She got up and began to walk around. Mark tells us that “they were utterly astounded.”

Would you have believed Jesus when he said she was only sleeping? Or would you  have laughed at him like all of the rest of the people did?

Jesus may not answer your prayers exactly when or how you want them to be answered. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask! Jesus IS real and He IS good. He has promised great things in His kingdom for those who belong to Him. THAT you can believe!! And it should change how you live your life!


Sabbath, July 22nd
Mountain Top Miracle
This is my Son. . . listen to Him.   Matthew 17:5 (NIrV)

Materials needed: various noise makers, https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Three, Lesson 2)

Have you ever heard an exchange like this? “Hey! Didn’t you hear me?” “No, sorry. I wasn’t listening.”  

Why wasn’t the person listening? Can you think of reasons? Distracted or preoccupied. Hard-of-hearing. Not interested. Too noisy. Not close enough. Completely unaware that someone was talking. Thinking that he couldn’t possibly be talking to him.

Don’t you think it’s fascinating that God the Father had to tell Peter, James, and John two things: 1) That Jesus was His Son - Didn’t they already know that?! and 2) To listen to Jesus. If you knew that Jesus was God, the Son, wouldn’t you be paying close attention to what He said? Well, apparently not, because God doesn’t say things for no reason.

So what does this mean to you? First of all, you must become a really good listener. That means you have to distinguish what sounds are what and which are worth paying attention to. Let’s practice: What do you hear? Ooo. Did you learn something? You have to be still and quit making noise yourself if you want to listen to something else. And sometimes it works better if you close your eyes.

O.K. Now that you’re still, what do you hear? Can you distinguish between a box of rocks and a box of coins? Do you hear a bouncing tennis ball or a bouncing super ball. Was it a rubber band or a balloon? That one’s a little harder, isn’t it. They sound very similar. So what if I have you watch and listen. O.K. Now close your eyes again. Which one is it: a rubber band or a balloon?

Listening to Jesus is the similar. You have to know what He sounds like - otherwise someone might convince you to listen to someone who isn’t Jesus. And how do you know what Jesus sounds like? You read the Bible every day. You come to church. You talk with your parents about God.

But even when you know what Jesus is saying because you know your Bible, you come to church, you listen to your parents - are you putting what you know into practice? Or will Jesus say to you, “Hey! Didn’t you hear me?” Because if you have heard Jesus, God the Father expects that you will obey!! I hope none of you will have to say, “No, I wasn’t listening.”



Sabbath, July 29th
Food For Thought
“I’ve treasured his words more than my necessary food” (NIrV).  Job 23:12

Materials Needed: Three sets of four things: First set: three balls, one harmonica; Second set: three pictures of vegetables, one picture of an oak tree; Third set: a Bible, a coloring book, a sketch book, the harmonica;  https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Three, Lesson 3)

When I was little, one of the pieces of Sesame Street that I remember the most distinctly was when they played “Three of these things belong together; three of these things are kinda the same; But one of these things is doing his own thing; Now it’s time to play our game, time to play our game.” And then the muppets would have to figure out which thing didn’t fit. It was all about discerning the difference. (Do two examples.)

We all have to do that every day. We make big decisions and small choices all the time which differentiate between things, right and wrong, good and better and best, or bad and worse. Sometimes those decisions are made because of timing. For instance, if you want to start a craft project, it’s probably not best to do that when it’s time to walk out the door to church, when you have your pjs on, or if company is coming. What about practicing the piano? Should you do that when your siblings are trying to do homework? Or everyone is sleeping? Or if Mom is trying to watch the weather report on tv?

In the lesson today, you learned about Jesus coming to visit. Martha was rushing around trying to provide food and drink for all of the guests. She was busy and wanted her sister Mary to help. What was Mary doing? She was sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him. Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the better thing. What Martha was doing wasn’t wrong - it just wasn’t the best thing to be doing at that particular time.

The reality is that there are behaviors that are appropriate and good during church services (Use third set here), at the dentist’s office, or at school. There are behaviors that are appropriate when it’s play time outside. There are behaviors that are appropriate on the Sabbath. It’s important that you discern the difference - because, if you love God, you’re going to want to do the things that please Him. Not because you think He’s going to punish you (Jesus didn’t punish Martha.) - but because you love Him. Does that mean that God wants you to be miserable on the Sabbath? NO! You choose the things that honor Him because you love Him, you are grateful to Him, and you want to honor Him on the day that He has set aside as holy for your good.

It’s a good idea for us all to be very discerning about what we do with our time - and not just at church.

Sabbath, August 5th
Growing Greedy
“Life is not made up of how much a person has” (NIrV). - Luke 12:15

Materials: Miscellaneous collection of stuff (rocks, marbles, stickers); https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Three, Lesson 4)

If someone asked if you had enough toys, what would you say? What about clothes? Books? Time? Money? Marbles?  The famous oil tycoon and billionaire John D. Rockefeller when asked how much money would be enough, reportedly answered, “Just one more dollar.” He wanted just a little more than what he had. So . . . what was he willing to do to get just one more dollar? What are you willing to do to get just a little more of what you want?

It all depends on what it is, doesn’t it. If you are trying to grow a garden and it’s been a very dry summer, you might be very thankful for a couple of inches of rain. But when is it more than enough and you wish it would stop raining?!  If you really like ice cream, and you really wish your mom would let you have as much as you wanted, how much would you have? Would you take so much that you made yourself sick? What about marbles or rocks or toys? Could you ever get so many that you said, “I don’t want any more”?

What about money? How do you feel about how much you have? Are you like John D. Rockefeller? Do you want just one more dollar?

What do you do with your stuff? Do you share it with others . . . or do you keep it for yourself? Do you pat yourself on the back for being so smart and strong that you were able to get it all, or do you remember to thank God for providing it for you?

There’s a story in the Bible - the one your lesson is based on today - about a man who had so much produce that he decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. God was not pleased! The man had so much already! He didn’t really need more. He had enough. But instead of sharing it with a needy person or giving a thank offering to God, he decided he’d build bigger barns to keep it all for himself. God decreed that he would die that night. All of his stuff didn’t save him. It wasn’t really what was important.

We all like stuff - marbles and doughnuts and money and toys. But we have to remember a couple of things:

• It all comes from God;
• We didn’t get our stuff through our own efforts; we’re merely stewards of what God gives us;
• We need to learn to be content with enough;
• We have to remember to thank God for what He’s blessed us with; and
• We can show our gratitude to God by sharing our blessings with others.

What you do with what God has blessed you with says a whole lot about how much you love God and are grateful you are to Him.

Sabbath, August 12th  
Believing is Seeing
“Go. . .your faith has healed you” (NIrV). - Mark 10:52

Materials Needed: turkey feather (or similar object found outside), bell/noise maker, https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Three, Lesson 5)

Do you know what I saw this week? (Holding up turkey feather) No, I didn’t see a turkey; I saw a turkey feather. This is evidence that what? Likely a turkey walked across the field. I suppose a child or a coyote could have dropped it there, but the most plausible explanation is that a turkey flapped its wings and a feather dropped.

Evidence. Have you ever heard this definition? The substance (confidence or assurance) of things hoped for, the evidence (proof or conviction) of things not seen.   This is the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1. This turkey feather is the evidence of a thing not seen - a turkey - because turkey feathers come from turkeys. I have faith, or I believe, that a turkey walked across my field.

O.K. So close your eyes. (Ring bell, then hide it again.) What did you hear? Did you see the bell? No, but your ears heard the evidence that I just had a bell in my hand and I rang it. You believe, based on the evidence you heard, that I had a bell. So sometimes your faith can be based on what you hear - like a bell - not just on what you see - like a feather.

One day a blind man, Bartimaeus, was sitting by the roadside outside of Jericho. When Jesus and his disciples were leaving, Bartimaeus heard the commotion and, learning who it was, he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” People told him to be quiet, but he called out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me.”

This is remarkable! The name, “Son of David,” is a Messianic term. Bartimaeus was acknowledging that Jesus was the Savior!  How did he have this faith?! He couldn’t see! But he had heard what Jesus had been doing.

But the story gets even more interesting. Jesus didn’t go to Bartimaeus. He called Bartimaeus to come to him. Bartimaeus jumped up and left his cloak. Likely his most valuable possession was left alongside the road in his desire to get to Jesus. He had enough faith to believe that what Jesus could do was more valuable than anything he had.

But then, Jesus asks Bartimaeus a very strange question: What do you want me to do for you? It seems obvious to us that Bartimaeus would want to be healed, to regain his sight! But Jesus wanted Bartimaeus to express, out loud, exactly what he wanted. It’s a good reminder for us. When we want God’s blessing, we need to express it very precisely.

Blind Bartimaeus taught us a lot in those six verses: recognize who Jesus is, believe in Him, value Him more than anything you have, and be precise is your requests. Isn’t that cool?!


Sabbath, August 19th
Up a Tree
“The Son of Man came to look for the lost and save them” (NIrV). - Luke 19:10

Materials Needed: box with “treasures” (pencils, erasers, small blank books); https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Three, Lesson 6)

Do you want to see what’s in my box? What might you have to do in order to do that?

There once was a tax collector named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and very wealthy. But like most of the people around him, he was very interested in Jesus. He had heard a lot about Jesus, what Jesus had been doing and what Jesus had been saying. So when Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming, he was curious. He wanted to see this person everyone was talking about. But Zacchaeus had a problem: he was short.

Have you ever had that problem? Have you ever wanted to see something but you were too short to see over the people around you? What did you do? What do you think Zacchaeus did? He climbed a tree - a sycamore-fig tree. (This is not like an American sycamore; it’s indigenous to Africa and the Middle East. It’s not even the same genus as the American sycamore.)

And you know what? He saw Jesus. But more than that, when Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and told Zacchaeus to come down, that he (Jesus) was going to his house. Zacchaeus was so excited! He promised, that if he’d ever mistreated anyone in collecting their taxes he would repay them four times over. And he would give to the poor. Jesus recognized his sincerity because He said salvation had come to Zacchaeus’ house that day!

Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus and put in some extra effort to do so. He was rewarded. It’s kind of like you all wanting to see what’s in my box. I require a little extra effort. Who knows the memory verse for today? That’s what’s required to look inside my box. But those who do say the memory verse are also rewarded with a “treasure” they can take home.

Now, you may not think that a pencil is a great “treasure,” and in the large scheme of things, it’s not. But when you use that pencil, I want you to remember that if you work really hard to see Jesus, you’ll get a much greater reward. Oh! How can you see Jesus? Read your Bible. Think about what you learn in Sabbath school, at church, and at home about God. Pray to Him. God has promised that if you seek Him, He will be found by you.

Right now, God is on a rescue mission - to rescue and save all who will come to Him. How hard are you looking for Jesus? The reward is much, much greater than just a pencil.

Sabbath, August 26th
Two Small Coins 
“God loves a cheerful giver.”  - 2 Corinthians 9:7b

Materials needed: ten pennies for each student in class, https://www.borntowin.net/yea/primaries/primaries-life-of-christ/ (Book Three, Lesson 7)

Let’s start out with a couple of very important questions:
Who gives you everything you need, including the air you breathe and life itself? God does. (Psalm 84:11; Philippians 4:19; 2 Peter 1:3; James 1:17; Revelation 4:11)

Who owns everything? God does. (Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalm 89:11; Psalm 50:10-12)

So when God gives you something (strength to work at a job and earn money or blessings of produce from your garden), what does God require that you do? He requires that we give Him a tenth of what He’s blessed us with. (Leviticus 27:30-34; 2 Chronicles 31:4-5; Nehemiah 10:35-37; Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:8-9)

How does that work? Very simply: if you have gained ten pennies, one of those pennies belongs to God.

God doesn’t need our money. Why would He require His people to pay a tithe? It demonstrates that we know it all comes from God! We owe Him everything; giving a tithe just helps us to remember that.

But then Deuteronomy 16:16-17 raises the bar a little higher - if you thought giving 1/10 is a lot! It says that you are supposed to bring an offering (not a tithe) to give to God three times in the year. And here’s the way you’ll know how much this offering should be. (vs 17) Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you.

How much has God blessed you? Did He give you enough to eat? Did He keep you safe? Did He heal you when you got sick? How much did God bless you?

Jesus was watching people as they put their gifts (offerings) into the offering box in the Temple (Luke 21). I’m quite sure some of the very wealthy made sure to put the coins in one at a time so that people would know how much they gave. Some of them wanted everyone to know how generous and how good they were. Then a widow came up and dropped in two small coins. To anyone looking, this seemed like an insignificant offering. What could be done with such a small amount of money? Jesus knew something that no one else did: she gave everything she had.

Other people may have been giving a gift out of gratitude for the way God had blessed them. This widow not only gave everything she had out of gratitude to God, she was also demonstrating real faith that God would continue to bless her and meet her needs.

God knows what you have. He knows what you need. And He knows your heart when you are giving. Are you giving out of gratitude towards Him? Are you giving so others can praise you? Oh that we all had the faith of this widow - to give, demonstrating our sincere faith in God’s love and care for us!

September 2nd
More Than Meets the Eye

Memory Verse: “Man looks at how someone appears on the outside. I look at what is in the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIrV)

Materials Needed: a box of treasures, several books, YEA lesson (Book 3, Lesson 8)

Have you ever picked up a box and decided you knew what was in it just by looking at the outside? How did that work out for you?

What about picking up a book and deciding what’s inside by looking at the cover? When I was a kid, I didn’t think I would like this book (Mandy by Julie [Andrews] Edwards), but when Mom read it and liked it, I gave it a try - and it became one of my favorites. I was similarly unfavorably disposed to read The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster because of the word “Phantom” in the title. But it is likewise one of my favorites. And then there’s this book - a textbook that gives a synopsis of all kinds of books. It’s very valuable - right? Well, I didn’t think so. So I hollowed it out and made it a mini-safe/hiding place. No one would ever guess what’s on the inside just by looking at the cover!!

The same is true about the people. We can’t know what’s going on in their heart just by looking at the outside. Nevertheless, we sure are good at judging other people. If someone is driving too fast on the highway, what is the first thing you think? Do you wonder if they are responding to a family emergency? Or is your first thought that they are reckless and inconsiderate? If the check out clerk at the grocery store is rude, do you respond with rudeness . . . or do you think that maybe they’re having a bad day because something bad happened - like their dog just died? Have you ever met someone for the very first time and thought that there’s no way you could possibly ever like that person? Occasionally you get the opportunity to find out the you were very wrong and you really truly like that person! The crazy thing is that we build up all kinds of stories in our head about why people are doing the things they are doing - and seldom do we ever find out just how incredibly wrong we were!

I hope the next time you see someone doing something that you think is really odd (as long as it isn’t breaking God’s laws), stop and consider that their heart is a lot more difficult to see into than the box or the book. What’s going on inside could very well surprise you!


Sabbath, September 9th
Growing Pains  (YEA Lesson - www.borntowin.net )
Memory Verse: The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.  Mark 4:11(NIV)

Materials Needed: cups, soil, seeds, water, light, extension cord, cup with lid

I planted cucumbers in one spot in my garden three times this summer. None of them came up. Lots of weeds came up, but there were no cucumber plants. Another spot in my garden, I planted cucumbers and they are thriving! I don’t know what I will do with all of the cucumbers!

There are lots of factors which go into successful gardening. Matthew 13 talks about sowing seed. The first batch of seeds were scattered along the path and the birds came and ate the seeds! I understand what that’s like! The deer and rabbits are eating my strawberry plants!! There haven’t been strawberries since May - and they’re still eating the plants. There’s no way I’m going to get any fruit - kind of like the birds eating the seeds which fell along the path.

The next batch of seeds was thrown in rocky soil. The plants started to grow, but they didn’t have any root - and they weren’t able to survive.  The third batch of seeds started to grow, but the thorns grew up around them and choked them out. I understand this too. If I don’t keep the weeds out of my garden, what I really want to grow has to struggle for nutrients and water and sunlight. I won’t get much fruit. But the seeds that fell on the good soil produced a lot! Some returned 30, some 60, some 100 times what was sown.

Jesus was giving a parable which explains what happens with God’s word (the seed). Sometimes Satan snatches the word before it can take root - like the birds eating the seed along the path. Sometimes trouble comes to a person who has heard the word of God; they don’t continue in the Way because they don’t believe. The word didn’t take root! The third group of people are those who are distracted by things that they have or don’t have. They put more emphasis on things than on the relationship with God. The fourth category are those who hear God’s word and it takes root in their lives so they will produce fruit.

So look at my seeds. What if I put seeds in a cup - all by themselves? Will they do anything? No! O.K. What if I put soil in a cup, plant the seeds, and then put the lid on tightly so none of the soil will fall out? Will the seeds thrive? No. They need air. O.K. What if I put soil in a cup, plant a seed, and set it on the window sill, will the seed produce fruit? NO! It needs water! O.K. What if I put soil, seed, and water in a cup, will the seed grow tall and vibrant? No, it needs light!

As a Christian who loves God and should be producing fruit out of love and reverence for God, you are like that cup of soil. God has gifted you with a seed - the word of God. Are you going to seek God and His power through the Holy Spirit to breathe new life into you? Are you going to embrace the living water to lead you into all truth? Are you going to seek the Light and flourish before Him?

Growing isn’t easy. That’s why they are called growing pains. Oh but the fruit that you might just be able to produce for the King - that’s worth all of the effort!!

Sabbath, September 16th
Blow the Trumpet - What Are You Doing?
Memory Verse: On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Leviticus 23:24 (NIV)

Materials needed: tempera paint, construction paper, wash clothes

As we’re talking about the sabbath lesson today, I’m going to be putting your handprints on a piece of construction paper. At the top of the page, there’s a scripture verse. It says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. . .” Ecclesiastes 9:10

So what have you been doing? Has it been a very busy week in your house? It’s been a very busy week in my house! Lots of food to cook for the Sabbath and Trumpets. Cleaning. Shopping. Practicing music. Doing laundry. Harvesting. Preparing.

What kinds of things have you been doing to get ready for this Sabbath and Trumpets?

It’s very, very important that we prepare for the Sabbath and for Trumpets. These are holy days, days that we don’t work - so we have to prepare ahead of time so that everything is done. But, sometimes we can get so busy doing all the things that have to be done that we forget to think about what’s even more important than food and laundry and cleaning house.

We should be preparing for God’s holy days in a spiritual sense too. What does that mean? We should be thinking about what these days mean. We should be thinking about our relationship with the One who will someday soon (I hope) return as King of kings. After all, having a clean house and clean clothes and food to eat is important - but not nearly as important as being ready to meet the King.

So what sorts of things should we have already done to be ready? Reading about the Feast of Trumpets in the Bible. Praying - because communication is important in any relationship! Thinking about God’s ways, God’s plans, God’s importance in my life. Repenting for my sins - if I haven’t already taken care of that. And praising God for these days.

King Solomon not only exhorted us “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might,” he also warned all of you: “Remember the Creator in the days of your youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1) There’s no time like NOW to get ready to meet the King.

Trumpets, September 17th
Blow the Trumpet - Are You Ready?
Memory Verse: On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Leviticus 23:24 (NIV)

Materials needed: leaves turning color, Feast lists, egg timer

Are you ready?

How many times do you hear this in your house? Every time we are going someplace, it’s ubiquitous. As everyone starts to converge on the front door, someone will inevitably say, “Are you ready?”

It’s funny, isn’t it? Usually, if the person is almost to the front door, they’re ready to go. Occasionally, he will remember something at the last minute that he needs to get or that he needs to do. But for the most part, the answer you expect to hear is, “Yes, I’m ready.”

So . . . are you ready for the Feast of Tabernacles? Well, you might be looking forward to going - so you’re ready in that sense. But actually being ready? Probably not. It’s still two weeks away and there’s lots to be done in those two weeks.

So . . . are you ready for the Feast of Trumpets? I hope so, because it’s here! Was there anything that didn’t get done before sunset last night? Sometimes, hard as we try, everything on our list doesn’t quite get finished in time. Okay, in my case, I never get everything crossed off my list; there are still things I want to do.

So what I do I do? I have to prioritize. I do the most important things first. And really that’s what the Feast of Trumpets is all about - putting the most important things first because the King is coming and you don’t have enough time to do everything that there is to do.

We believe that the Feast of Trumpets pictures the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. This is a good thing - if you belong to Him. What does that mean? That means you have made God the top priority in your life. He comes first and you have a relationship with Him. You talk to Him daily (prayer). You listen to what He has to tell you (Bible study and meditation). You work really hard to be obedient to what you know He wants you to do; this demonstrates your faith.

So do you feel like you’re ready to meet the King? If not, it’s time to make sure your priorities are straight. The signs are all around us! Like the leaves turning colors tell us that the Feast is right around the corner, and the egg timer tells us that the eggs are almost done, the Feast of Trumpets tells us that now is the time to prepare for the return of our King.

September 23, 2023
Are You Thankful? Why?
You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths.     Leviticus 23:42 (ESV)

Materials: Thankful wheels

Exodus 23:16 says, You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.

We’re almost done with our harvest here at the Saladin household. The grapes, watermelon, and cantaloupe are all winding rapidly down. But as I take stock of what I’ve harvested this year, I’m overwhelmed! Beets, onions, asparagus, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, garlic, green beans, tomatoes, green peppers, zucchini, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers - and even lavender!! God has been so good!!

What do I mean by that? It is God who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6, KJV). I can plant and water, but it is God who causes it to grow and produce - and to Him I give my sincere gratitude.

But it’s not just the garden for which I praise and thank God!! Deuteronomy 16:16-17 says that three times in the year you should bring an offering to present to God (and here’s the kicker) in proportion to the way He has blessed you!! How can I possibly give an offering in proportion to the way He’s blessed me!! I have a beautiful grandchild on the way!! I have a new son-in-law that we’ve adopted into the family!! I have three grown children who love the Lord - and they’ve married spouses that I love and who also love the Lord! I celebrated 30 years of marriage this June with a man who loves God and who loves me! What value could you possibly put on that?! And to top it all off, in a few short days, I get to go to the Feast of Tabernacles to rejoice before the Lord, to worship Him in concert with my family (spiritual and physical).

God tells us to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles and to rejoice! Rejoicing starts with a heart full of gratitude for what He has done. So count your blessings! Name them one by one!! And keep the Feast of Tabernacles, bringing before our Great God, the sacrifice of praise and rejoicing for His goodness and manifold blessings.

So what are you grateful for? Your parents? A nice house to live in? Pets? Friends?

[I’m giving the kids thankful wheels to color and put together to remind them of their blessings as they begin their final preparations for the Feast of Tabernacles.]

Tuesday, September 26th - Atonement
Missing the Mark
The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves. . . Leviticus 23:27 (NIV)

Materials: mini marshmallows, beans, target

If I gave you a handful of beans and asked you to hit the bulls-eye on the target, how many beans would hit the mark?

One way to define sin is “missing the mark.”  In other words, your goal to do this thing and you didn’t. For instance, your goal is to always tell the truth (not bear false witness). Whether you miss the goal by a little (what people call a “little white lie”) or by a whole lot (you tell a great big whopper), you have missed the mark of being truthful. Similarly, your goal is to not steal. Whether you miss the goal by just a little (You took one of your neighbor’s apples dangling over the fence.) or by a whole lot (you embezzled 2.5 billion dollars from a company), you still missed the mark of not stealing.

Interestingly enough, the closer you are to the target, the greater the likelihood of hitting the target dead center. Hmm. That seems like a no-brainer. Of course you’re going to hit the target with much greater accuracy if you’re closer to it. Well, it’s the same way with God’s law. Let me submit to you that you cannot separate God’s law from the character of God. So the closer to get to God (aka relationship!!), the closer you are to the law. And greater is the likelihood that you hit the mark of obeying God’s law.

So what if you don’t hit the mark of obeying God’s law? Well, you’ve put yourself out of fellowship with God. That’s NOT a good thing. You’ve separated yourself from the blessings of God in this life and from being in the first resurrection - unless there’s some way to restore that fellowship. The problem is, the apostle Paul says that you’re dead in your sins. And like Ron says, dead people are notorious for not doing anything. You need a rescuer - a Savior; you need Jesus Christ.

On the Day of Atonement, God has given us a picture of providing a way for the whole community of God’s people to be reconciled to Himself. Do we have anything to do with what God has supplied? Not really! It’s a gift of Jesus to each of us. But God tells us to humble ourselves - so out of reverence and gratitude, we fast - and we rejoice that we have been set free from sin and the penalty of sin: death.

You know it doesn’t matter so much when it’s beans in Sabbath school, but it really is a big deal when you miss the mark when you’re talking about a relationship with God and God’s law!!


Sabbath, October 14th
The Last Great Day
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:5

Materials Needed: dry erase board, dry erase marker, permanent marker, rubbing alcohol

I love God telling us that He’s going to make everything new - as in fresh and unused, as opposed to making us new age-wise (like infants). So what comes to mind when you think what will be made new? (Write the students’ ideas on the dry erase board in permanent marker, i.e. death, pain, earth, sin.)

The heavens and the earth - no more pollution, no more space junk, no more systems out of whack
No more pain. No more death. No more sorrow or tears.
No more sin. No more carnal nature.
No more separation from God.

How is God accomplishing all of this? All of what is wrong with our world is due to sin, aka rebellion against God. How is this all rectified? Can you do anything through your own efforts to make everything new? (Let the students try to erase the permanent marker. Won’t work, not even a little.)

Only through the blood of Jesus Christ is it possible for everything to be made new - because the Builder is worth more than the house (Hebrews 3:3). (Cover the words the students gave with a dry erase marker. Then use a cloth to wipe it all away. The dry erase marker will take the permanent marker off the board.)

We’ve just celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. Don’t forget the lesson that we’re just here temporarily - dwelling in tents, as it were. Don’t forget that our goal is to live in Christ!  That means reading your Bible daily, praying, and fellowshipping with people who love God, who seek Him, and who follow His commandments because they love Him.

Things are going to continue to get more and more out of whack as people become more and more sinful and estranged from God. But take heart! You persevere in following, loving, seeking, and serving our Great God. And one of these days, we’ll get to stand before God and hear Him say, “Behold, I am making everything new!” What a day that will be!!

Sabbath, October 28th
Counterfeit - Trick or Treat?
The day of Christ’s return is almost here. So let us get rid of the works of darkness. Let us put on the armor of light.  ~Romans 13:12 (NIrV Kids’ Devotional Bible)

Materials needed:  counterfeit money, YEA Lesson (YE2W.9 - borntowin.net/yea/primaries/)

What do you think of fake and/or counterfeit things? Are they good or bad? Why do people want fake things? We were at a wedding last week where the centerpieces on the tables at the reception were fake pumpkins. That was good because they were a lot lighter than real pumpkins - and the way that they were used as decorations was a lot less messy than if they’d been real.

Fake things can be used to trick people. Jim’s fake coffee spill on my piano one sabbath was a lot funnier once I realized it was fake! But using counterfeit money to steal from businesses is not funny at all; it’s just theft and it’s not something God condones.

So what about dressing up in costumes? Do you think it’s wrong for Fredbird to wear a costume as the St. Louis Cardinals’ mascot? I don’t think so. So what’s the difference between someone dressing up as a team mascot and someone dressing up in a costume for Halloween? As long as it’s not something obviously evil (witch, demon, ax murderer, etc.), is there anything wrong with dressing up on Halloween?

Well, let me ask you some more questions: does it glorify God? Does it point anyone to Jesus Christ? Does the day have ties to paganism? Does God say anything in the Bible about getting involved in pagan traditions?

It’s curious that so many people would excuse Halloween as “just a fun thing” for kids to do when it has clear ties to paganism. Your memory verse says, “The day of Christ’s return is almost here. So let us get rid of the works of darkness. Let us put on the armor of light.” If you want to put on something, you should put on the full armor of God; you should want to look like Jesus Christ.

Remember how we started this discussion talking about counterfeit and fake things. Well, that’s what Halloween is. Satan loves to dangle a counterfeit holiday in front of us - especially children - and tell everyone that it’s just a fun event with lots of candy. Who doesn’t love candy?! Don’t be beguiled by Satan’s tricks. Don’t participate in Halloween.


Sabbath, November 4th
A Royal Ride

Memory Verse: Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord . . .  Luke 19:38 (NIV)

Materials Needed: paper crowns, fake jewels, markers, tape/stapler, YEA Lesson (YE2E.1 - borntowin.net/yea/primaries/)

Why would you have a crown on your head? If you were the monarch of a country, you would have a crown. The crown is a symbol of being the one in charge.

But the crown isn’t just a symbol of highest authority.  Think about it. Most mayors, governors, and presidents don’t wear crowns because, although they are the highest authority in their position, they aren’t royalty. That is, they are not part of a royal family of monarchs.

O.K. So what does this have to do with being a Christian? Well, there’s an interesting verse in Revelation 4. This is the throne room of God Almighty. In verses 9 - 11, it says, And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

We have no verifiable idea of who these 24 elders are, but they throw their crowns before the throne of God, recognizing His authority and sovereignty and royalty always. And they give us a picture of what all people will do when Jesus returns: every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father (Philippians 2:10-11). All people everywhere will acknowledge Jesus’ authority, sovereignty, and royalty.

When Jesus came into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, the people lay palm branches before Him to recognize that He is King.

But here’s the thing: you can recognize Jesus’ authority and sovereignty and royalty today, now. It isn’t about throwing your crown before Him (Do you have a crown?); throwing your crown before Him is just a symbol of your willingness to submit your life to His will in every way. So here’s the question for you today: why would you submit to Jesus, aka do what He says to do? Do you obey because you’re being forced to? If that’s the case, then you haven’t really submitted to Him in your heart! Or are you doing it because you love Him? If you love Him, you will keep His commandments. (Exodus 20:3-6; Deuteronomy 5:8-10; John 14:15, 21; 1 John 5:2-3; 2 John 1:6) That’s how you show your love to Him; that’s how He wants you to show that you love Him. Metaphorically-speaking, that’s how you throw your crown at His feet.


Sabbath, November 11th
A Broken Bottle

Memory Verse: You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power . . .  Revelation 4:11 (NIV)

Materials Needed: doughnut, trash can; packing material, tissues, YEA lesson (YE2D.2 - borntowin.net/yea/primaries/)

Does it bother you to waste something? A perfectly good gallon of milk . . . a brand new car . . . a roll of toilet paper? What about time? Do you waste time? What about tissues? Do you take a handful of tissues, wipe them across your nose and throw the whole handful away? What about a doughnut? Do you ever take something during potluck and then decide you didn’t want to eat it and just throw it away? What about popping packing material? Do you ever waste that?

The problem is the definition of wasting. Is it wasting if there’s a perfectly good reason for using the resource in a particular way?

That’s what happened the day that Mary anointed Jesus’ head and feet with expensive perfume (Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:2-8). Some people sitting there watching wondered why in the world Jesus would allow Mary to waste so much expensive perfume on Him! Judas Iscariot even stated that the perfume could have been sold for 300 denarii. A denarii was a day’s wage for a laborer. This perfume was worth a lot of money. Judas asked why it couldn’t rather have been sold and used to help a poor person. Judas thought the bottle of perfume was wasted on Jesus. Jesus quickly corrected Judas  -  and anyone else down through the ages who might have thought the same thing. Jesus said that what Mary did was a beautiful thing: she anointed his head and feet with perfume and wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair! Mary didn’t think it was wasteful to honor Jesus in this way! And she was right!!

There’s a song by Steve Green (“Broken and Spilled Out”) which relates to this. The idea is that not only did Mary break the perfume bottle and spill it out for love of Jesus, we also should make it our goal in life to be used for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ. That’s what Romans 12:1 says: I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Our perspective in life should be that we are totally and completely servants of Almighty God - to go where He tells us to go, to do what He tells us to do out of reverence and love and devotion to Him!!

But then Steve Green goes on to make another connection. He points out that God’s most precious treasure, His Son, Jesus Christ, was broken and spilled out for each one of us.  If you have entered into a relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ, then Jesus was sacrificed for you. What should your response be?! Was that sacrifice just wasted? Or do you recognize the incredible love that God has for you that He would make that sacrifice on your behalf?

If you truly understand the enormity, the extreme cost, the value of what Jesus did, it will change your life. You will respond by showing your love back to God. How? By keeping His commandments, doing what He says - all the time, not just when it’s convenient.

Just as that bottle of perfume was broken and spilled out for Jesus Christ, just as Jesus was broken and spilled out for us, so we should totally be broken and spilled out for Him. And it’s not a waste. It’s God’s plan.

Sabbath, November 18th
A Sad, Sad Supper
And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”  Matthew 26:21 (NIV)

Materials Needed: string, books, toy car, snack, YEA lesson (YE2D.3 - borntowin.net/yea/primaries/)

Have you ever trusted something that you shouldn’t have? Expected a string to be stronger than it was? Expected a tow rope to hold when pulling a pickup out of the mud - only to find that it wasn’t the tow rope; the bumper was not as strong as you thought? What about the dog - or cat? Have you left your supper on the living room table because you’re watching tv and when you got back, you discover that you’re feeding the critter and now you need to get another meal? When a rope breaks, or a bumper bends, or a critter helps themselves to our food, we kinda kick ourselves because we knew we might be pushing the limits of what we should reasonably expect.

But. When it comes to people, we tend to believe the best about someone - until that trust is broken. A little brother reads his older sister’s diary and then tells her secrets to all his friends. She trusted her brother to stay out of her stuff, to protect her privacy, and to not make fun of her. He broke her trust. He betrayed her.

When we fail to keep a secret, fail to do what we have agreed to do, or when we don’t act like you would expect a friend to act, it damages the trust someone has in us. In other words, we’ve betrayed that trust. And the relationship we had with that other person may never be restored. It’s hard to recover from a betrayal.

Jesus had spent three and a half years preaching the gospel. He’d chosen twelve men to be His disciples. They learned from him - students from the Teacher. They did what He asked. They saw His miracles. They were empowered to do miracles in His name. They healed the sick and the lame. They cast out demons. They shared meals. They shared hardships and persecutions. They shared joys and successes. They grew very close; they were friends.

It hurts to think that one of these twelve men would go to the chief priests and religious leaders. For thirty pieces of silver, he told them he would help them find and identify Jesus. The religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus. Judas knew this! But he did it anyway. He betrayed his Friend.

We feel very sad that Judas would do such a thing. It should also make us sad to realize that we also can very easily betray Jesus. What?! We’d never do that! O.K. What do you tell people when they ask where you go in the fall? Do you say you go on vacation? Or do you tell them you’re keeping the Feast of Tabernacles? Do you take a stand against doing something that you know is against God’s law - when your friends want you to participate? Can people see that you’re a Christian by your actions?

We should care more about pleasing God than fitting in with our friends. We should care more about acting in Godly ways than being popular. When we call ourselves Christians, we have to remember that God has entrusted us with the name of His Son. We don’t want to betray that trust!! We want to walk worthy of the calling we have received.

Sabbath, December 9th
In God’s Image
God created man in his own image. . . . male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 (ESV)

Materials needed: white board, marker, YEA lesson (YE2E.2 - borntowin.net/yea/primaries/)

If you were asked to describe God, what words would you choose? Loving, merciful, good, holy, beautiful, just, generous, patient, kind, gracious, compassionate, forgiving, steadfast, slow to anger, creative

In Exodus 34:6-7, God described Himself this way after He put Moses in the cleft of the rock, The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

This would have been God, the One who accompanied the Israelites in the desert, who provided manna and water and protection for them. This is the One who would become Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul makes this abundantly clear in 1 Corinthians 10:1-10

This is significant to us, as Christians, because the Bible says that we who belong to God are being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18 and Romans 8:29). We are supposed to be changed so that we look more like Him all the time. I’m quite sure that it’s not talking about physical appearance. We all have two eyes, two ears, two legs, two arms - that doesn’t change. It has to be what’s going on within that changes. We must become more loving, merciful, good, holy, beautiful, just, generous, patient, kind, gracious, compassionate, forgiving, steadfast, slow to anger, creative - if we’re indeed the people of God. It’s a witness to the world around us that God is God and that we belong to Him.

So how does that change happen? If you want to be more like God, ask Him to change you. Make it your priority to obey Him - do what He says! Then plan on spending time with Him. How do you spend time with God? Read the Bible, pray, think about what you’ve read, fast, come to church,  do things to serve others. It’s a process and doesn’t happen all at once. Eventually, however, people around you should recognize that you look like Jesus in the things that you do. It should be obvious that you belong to Him because you look like Him.

Sabbath, December 16th
What a Day!

Memory Verse: Do your work in six days. But the seventh day is the Sabbath. . . Exodus 31:15 (NIrV)

Materials Needed: Clothes/hats/items with logos/team message/some identifier; YEA lesson (YE2E.3 - borntowin.net/yea/primaries/)

Why would anyone wear a hat like this? (Cardinals cap) Perhaps you’re going to a baseball game and you want everyone to know who you’re rooting for.  So why would you wear this hat? (AT&T cap) Ron wore one every day that he worked to let customers know that he really was an employee. He had a good reason for being there. What about this hat? (Stihl or John Deere) Perhaps you really like their products and you don’t mind advertising for them. Any time you wear something that has a logo or message - some identifier - on it, you are conveying information to other people about what you like, or what you do, or to what organization you belong.

God has an identifier too. It’s called the Sabbath.

In Ezekiel 20:12 God says, Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them. This is almost a direct quote from Exodus 31:13, so this was a sign God set up from the time He rescued His people from Egypt.

Do you understand this? As much as a piece of clothing might identify you with a certain brand or a company or a belief, observing the Sabbath is also an identifier. But here’s the cool thing: Yes, keeping the Sabbath is a witness to the people around you that you worship God. But God said, twice, that it is a sign between you and God! Its primary goal as an identifier is to remind you (not the people around you) that it is God who sets you apart, who makes you holy, who sanctifies you.

Is being sanctified a big deal? Oh yeah! It is in being sanctified that we have assurance of having eternal life, of being the Bride of Christ, of belonging to God forever.

So how important is it that you keep the Sabbath?! It’s very, very important. It is a weekly reminder, to you and to God, of how very special you are to Him - the Great God of the Universe. That’s not something to take lightly.

Sabbath, December 23rd
Choices!
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Materials Needed: apple/orange; pen/pencil; bicycle/book; YEA lesson (YE2E.4 - borntowin.net/yea/primaries/)

How many choices have you made today? Did you get to choose what you wanted to eat for breakfast? Did you get to choose what you were going to wear to church today? Did you get to decide what you were bringing to church? Did you get to help make the decision about what your family brought to potluck?

How many choices did your parents make this morning? What route to take to church; how fast to drive; how warm/cool to set the thermostat. Oh we’re completely surrounded by decisions every day.

Most decisions do not have major consequences, at least in the short term. Does it really matter whether you eat an apple or an orange? Does it really matter whether you do your homework in pencil or in pen? Well - that all depends on how many mistakes you will need to fix - right? Does it really matter whether you read a book or you ride your bicycle around the block? The answer to that one requires some more information: How much exercise have you gotten today? How much reading have you done this week? Is it dark outside? Depending on  your answers to those questions, it might matter a LOT whether you decide to read a book or ride your bicycle.

Some decisions do have major consequences. When you decide to share a secret you were supposed to keep  . . . well, secret, you can lose a friend. When you decide to cut across someone’s property, you might find yourself face to face with a very unfriendly watch dog. If you decide to read the Bible every night before you go to bed, that has major consequences too. Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in my heart (Reading the Bible every night can hide God’s word in your heart!) that I might not sin against Thee. Reading God’s word can keep me from sinning - if I’m taking God’s word into my heart and making it a part of who I am.

O.K. So you tell me: is sinning bad? Yes! Sin is the transgression (breaking) of God’s law. And here’s where your memory verse comes in: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

The wages of sin has been death - ever since Adam and Eve first made their choice in the Garden of Eden to disobey God’s command not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. There are no do-overs. There are no free passes. If you sin, death is the consequence. Except - God has made a way through the free gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.

I don’t know about you, but a free gift of eternal life sounds a whole lot more appealing than death. We’re almost at the end of the calendar year. Now would be a good time to start a new habit. Read your Bible every day. Hide God’s word in your heart!! Make Jesus Christ a part of your life every day. It’s a choice that can lead to eternal life.

Sabbath, December 30th
Nowhere To Hide

Memory Verse: For God will bring every deed into judgment . . . Ecclesiastes 12:14

Materials Needed: lids, sticker; purse with lots of pockets, book with hidden compartment, YEA lesson (YE2E.5 - borntowin.net/yea/primaries/)

Playing hide-n-seek is a favorite childhood pasttime. There’s something very enticing about finding a hiding spot where your siblings, cousins, or friends can’t find you. I remember my grandmother putting me on top of her refrigerator. My older brother walked through the kitchen several times and never saw me.

On the other hand, Ken had a hard time getting Jonathan to understand the rules of the game when Jonathan was quite little. During potluck on Sabbaths, he’d take Jonathan into the sanctuary and tell him to hide. He’d tell Jonathan that he would come looking for him in a minute. Ken would walk into the sanctuary and call out, “Oh Jonathan. Where are you?” Jonathan would pop out and say, “Here I am!” It made Ken laugh every time! Jonathan didn’t quite understand the nuances of the game. In hindsight, I’m very glad Ken didn’t teach Jonathan to hide at a very young age. That could’ve given a young mother a heart attack!!

Even as adults, we like the idea of hidden compartments on boxes or books. The idea of a hidden room behind a rotating bookshelf is appealing - as are tunnels and hidden passageways.
Nevertheless, one of the stupidest things people can do is to try to hide where they are and what they’ve done from God. Can you think of examples? Jonah tried to run from God. He ended up in the belly of a large fish! Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) tried to hide their actions from God. They ended up dead because they lied. Another person who suffered consequences  - because he thought he could cover up murder - was Cain. But God knew exactly what he’d done.

Psalm 139:7-10 assures us of God’s presence, regardless of where we are:
7Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

In reality, I’d much rather have the comfort of God’s presence always with me. I’m very glad there’s nowhere to hide!

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