Jeremiah

Passage:

Familiarize yourself with the passage:

The book of Jeremiah

Jeremiah was a prophet of God. A prophet is someone who delivers God's messages, both the good and the bad. Jeremiah became a prophet at a young age and most of the messages he delivered to the people of Judah were messages of warning and calls to repentance. Jeremiah told people that the heart is a wicked thing (17:9) and they should turn and repent. Jeremiah warned the people that God's wrath was coming, that he was going to break them like an unwanted piece of pottery and remold them into something he could use (18:1-6).  Unfortunately for Jeremiah, the people of Israel did not listen to his messages. The people hated Jeremiah for the things he was saying, and they did mean things to him, including throwing him in a muddy pit and trying to kill him! God would not leave his people abandoned, however, and Jeremiah prophesied to the people that God was in control and He had plans for a hope and future for the people of Israel (29:11).

Object Lesson:

Idol Recognition

Supplies Needed:
• paper
• pencils
Directions:
1. Have the children number their paper 1-10.
2. Ask the children to list their favorite 10 toys. If they cannot write yet, have them draw a small picture of the item.  Tell the kids that adults have toys too. Give them some examples of your toys. (You can even have your top 10 list prepared in advance to show them.)
3. Ask the children, "How often do you play with your first toy on the list?"
4. Have the children circle the toys on their list that their parents take away for disobedience (or even for when they are supposed to be doing something else).
5. Tell the kids that the people of Israel and Judah were always getting in trouble because they had idols (an obsession that was not God). Tell the kids that just like our parents have to take away our toys when we disobey, God had to punish Israel and Judah for having idol. He took their idols away by sending them into captivity, to a place where they no longer had their idols.

Memory Verse:

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, pans to give you hope and a future."

Jesus connection:

When we do not confess our sins to God and seek his forgiveness, we are under God's full wrath. Romans says the punishment for sin is death (6:23). God seeks to provide restoration. He does not want any of us to suffer death because of our sins (2 Peter 3:9), so he sent his only Son, Jesus, to pay the punishment for our sins (John 3:16).

Songs:

Potter and Clay

Written by Carolyn Warvel

For the lyrics of this song, please follow the link below. Thanks :)
http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/Bible-Crafts-Jeremiah.html

Games/Activities:

Clay Pot Catastrophe

Supplies Needed:
• 2 copies of the clay jar template
• review questions (with answers) from the story
• a black marker
• scissors
Directions:
1. Prep: Before class, print out two copies of the clay jar template. Print one on a tan or brown (or some other colored) paper. On the colored jar, write the answers to the review questions. Put each answer in a separate piece of the jar. On the second jar, write the review questions, each question in a separate piece of the jar. Make sure that these questions are covered in your story time. Cut out the answers. You now have a puzzle!
2. Lay the jar full of questions on the table or floor. Spread out the answer pieces for all the kids to see. Have one child pick a question and read it out loud. Have all the kids search of the answer to that question and put the piece on the puzzle in the matching section of the jar.
3. Continue doing this until the entire questions jar has been filled with answers and the puzzle is complete.
Sample Questions:
1. How long was Jeremiah a prophet? 40 years.
2. What is a prophet? Someone who delivers God's messages.
3. Who was Jeremiah? A prophet.
4. Who did Jeremiah prophesy to? The people of Judah.
5. What city was captured during Jeremiah's time? Jerusalem.
6. Who attacked Judah? Babylon.
7. Who wrote Jeremiah? Jeremiah's scribe, Baruch.
8. Why was Jerusalem destroyed? God was punishing the people for the sin of idol worship.
9. Where did people flee after Jerusalem was destroyed? Egypt.
10. When did Jeremiah become a prophet? When he was a little boy.

Craft:

Clay Pot

Supplies Needed:
• air drying clay (or small tubes of play dough)
Directions:
1. Give each child a hand full of clay.
2. Instruct the children to make a clay pot. They can make it any way they want.
3. After all the children have designed their pots, point out a flaw in each pot and ask them all to make it over again. Tell the children that Jeremiah also had to remake a pot. Also, let them know that just like the potter, they can reshape the new one nay way they want.
4. Ask the children to think about who should be in charge of their pots, since they created them. Tell the children that God told Jeremiah to remind the Israelites that God made them and He is in control of them.

Coloring Page: