Big Idea: The Holy Spirit lives within the Church, so we should make meeting together our #1 priority.
Bible Basis: 1 Kings 5–9
Key Verse: “And because you belong to him, you too are being built together. You are being made into a house where God lives through his Spirit.” Ephesians 2:22 (NIrV)
OPENING PRAYER
God, thank you for giving us this opportunity to come together around your Word. As we pause from the struggles of this sinful world, help us focus on you, trust in your promises, and find peace in your incredible love for us. Strengthen our faith through your Word and keep us always focused on the ultimate gift of eternal life that you have given us through the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Amen.
THUMBS UP, THUMBS DOWN
Simply ask your child to share one good thing that happened today or this week (thumbs up) and one not-so-good thing (thumbs down). This is a great way to share celebrations and struggles with one another.
BIBLE LESSON VIDEO
ASK THESE QUESTIONS
For younger kids:
What was your favorite part of the story to imagine? Tell us about it.
Why do you think Solomon built a temple for God?
For older kids:
What was your favorite part of the story to imagine? Tell us about it.
In the story, God’s Spirit filled the temple. Where do you think God’s Spirit lives today?
REFLECT AND RESPOND
After the video, have your child pick one or more of the prompts on the GO! Home Guide.
Prayer Station prompt: Write a prayer. Tell God what you love about being a part of His Church.
Journal Station prompt: Make a list of all the things that might get in the way of you going to church. Write a letter telling God how you can overcome those things.
Bible Station prompt: Read it for yourself: 1 Kings 6:1–28. Draw a picture of the story or write to God about your favorite part of the story. Tell Him why you liked it.
Art Station prompt: What is your favorite thing to do at church? Draw a picture of it.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
+ Imagination Time Machine Connect Activity
- Say: Who remembers what the ITM is? (Take answers.) That’s right—it’s the “Imagination Time Machine.” Once again, we’re going to imagine what it would be like to be an Israelite in the Promised Land, but this week we’re going to be a part of a huge construction project. First, though, I have a question for you. We’re going to answer it in a really fun way!
- Directions: Tell the kids that they’ll get to choose who answers the question by tossing an imaginary object to each other. It could be something really small like a flopping fish, something really big like a car, something hot like a fireball, etc. After announcing the object of their choosing, a kid will pretend to throw the object to another kid, adjusting how they throw or catch based on the object. (For example, if it’s a refrigerator, the thrower might grunt when tossing it and the catcher might pretend to get crushed.) After answering the question, the catcher can toss a different object to another kid. Continue until everyone has had a chance to answer the question below:
- Say: What is the coolest thing you’ve ever built?
+ The Power of We (Application Activity)
- Set up: Cut out two 24” x 24” cardboard squares for each group.
- Say: In today’s story, God’s Spirit filled Solomon’s temple. We don’t have the temple anymore, but that’s okay—God’s Spirit now lives inside the community of believers known as the Church. We’re going to do an activity right now that will help us see how God’s Spirit gives us power when we’re a part of His Church.
- Directions: Give each kid in your small group a Dixie® cup and a marker. Tell them to write their name on their cup. When finished, collect the markers. Next, ask the kids what they think would happen if they never came to church. After taking answers, place one cup upside down in the middle of the group.
- Say: When you rarely or never come to church, you become kind of like this lone cup. (Step on the cup and crush it.) It’s easy for the devil to crush you with doubts and fears. But when you spend time with God’s family, His Spirit gives you strength.
- Directions: Place one 24” x 24” cardboard square on the floor in the middle of the group. Instruct the kids to place their cups upside down on the square. (If you have fewer than 12 kids in the group, add additional cups to the square.) Next, place a second 24” x 24” cardboard square on top of the cups. Tell the kids that this is what it looks like to be a part of God’s Church. Let the kids take turns carefully stepping on top of the Dixie® cup platform. You may want to give them a hand for balance and support. If time allows afterwards, let the kids experiment with removing a cup at a time and seeing how many are needed to support their weight. When finished, ask the following questions.
- Question:: How is this like being a part of God’s Church? (Suggested answer: When we’re together with other believers, our faith is stronger and we can stand up to doubts and fears.)
- Question:: What can we do as a group to help each other love and follow Jesus?
- Pray:: When finished, ask the kids how the group can be praying for them. After sharing, have the kids hold hands or link arms. Open them in prayer, then allow them to pray aloud for one another.
+ Bible Emoji (Bible Memorization Activity)
- Set up:: Print 2 copies of the “Bible Emoji Pieces.” Each copy will have 4 different pieces to an emoji (mouth, eyes, tongue, etc.) Each piece will have one of the numbers 2–5 on it. Cut the pieces out.
- Directions: Place the “Bible Verse” sign in the middle of your group. Read the verse several times with your group so that they can begin to memorize it. Today’s Bible verse says: “And because you belong to him, you too are being built together. You are being made into a house where God lives through his Spirit.” Eph. 2:22. When ready, remove the Bible verse sign and divide your group into two teams. Choose a team to go first and have them recite the Bible verse together. If they fail to recite it, the turn moves to the other team. If they recite it successfully, allow that team to roll a die. If they roll a 1, give them the plate. If they roll a 2–5, give them the emoji piece with that number on it. If they roll a 6, they can choose the plate or any emoji piece they want. If they roll a number that they’ve already rolled, they receive no additional piece and the turn moves to the other team. Have each team take turns reciting the verse and rolling the die until one team has successfully collected all of the pieces and assembled their emoji.
- Question: How can we be built together as a group? In other words, what can we do to make this group even stronger?
+ Prayer Circle (Prayer Activity)
- Say: It’s really easy to remember to pray for ourselves, but sometimes we forget that God wants us to pray for others too. We’re going to spend some time right now and over the next week doing just that.
- Directions: Go around the circle and ask each kid to share one thing they would like prayer for over the coming week. Start the group by sharing something age-appropriate that you need prayer for. This is a great way to demonstrate vulnerability. After each kid shares, ask the rest of the group if there’s someone who would like to pray for that person at the end. When everyone is finished sharing, open the group in prayer and then allow the kids to take turns praying for one another. Encourage the kids to remember these prayer requests throughout the week and to pray for them continually.
(Due to copyright restrictions, the printable materials described in the activities above are only available to those who have registered for Our Savior’s Kids. To register your child(ren), click the button below)
CLOSING PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for sending your Spirit to bring me to faith. Thank you for sending your Son to die for my sins. Help me to make you the most important thing in my life. Amen.
DURING THE WEEK
Read in the Bible the story that was the basis for this week’s lesson:
1 Kings 5–9
Do more of the activities list above with your child.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LESSON?
Leave them in the comments below!