Lamentations

Passage:

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

 The Book of Lamentations

The word lamentation, or lament, is an expression of grief when someone faces a loss or death. The book of Lamentations is a song of lament over the fall of the precious city of Jerusalem. While no one knows for sure who wrote this book, it is believed that is could have been Jeremiah, who witnessed firsthand the destruction of his beloved city. This book shows us that it is ok for us to grieve a loss. It also reveals that the messages of destruction from all the prophets had been true. Even though this is considered one of the most depressing books in the entire Bible, God does not leave us without hope here. The writer of Lamentations reminds us that, “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great of Your faithfulness!” (3:22-23).

Object Lesson:

Supplies Needed:

• Toys that may be considered favorites of the children
• Stuffed animals
• Legos
• Phones
• Books
• Etc…
• An empty trash can

Directions:
1. One at a time bring out the favorite items and show them to the class. Describe how beautiful and wonderful the item is. Ask how many of the children would really like to have it. Ask who would spend the most time playing with it. Set the item aside and repeat this process for each item you brought.
2. If you have just studied the book of Jeremiah, remind the children that sometimes our favorite toys can become idols if they become more important to God.
3. Explain to the children that when our toys become more important than God, God will sometimes take away the idol.
4. Take each item you just showed the children and very dramatically throw them in the empty trash can. Watch for their reactions.
5. Ask the children how they felt when you threw away the toys.  Explain that God did the same thing in today’s story when he destroyed Jerusalem. They also felt sad, and that is why we have this book in the Bible today.

Memory Verse:

Lamentations 3: 40-41
Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven.

Jesus Connection:

The book of Lamentations shows us how God poured out His wrath on Jerusalem, the city He loved, the same way he poured out His wrath of Jesus, His only begotten Son. Although Jerusalem was destroyed, Jesus overcame sin and death so that he could be our great helper (Romans 5:21). Now Jesus can help us overcome the temptation of having idols in our lives, and when we do fall into this sin, Jesus is right there to forgive us and help us make things right with God.

Songs:

“Great is Thy Faithfulness”

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest no, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided-
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
 Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faitfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strenght for today and a gright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with then thousand beside!

Games/Activities

We All Fall Short

Supplies needed:

• Tape
• marker
• Prizes (candy, stickers, shapes rubber bands, etc…)

Directions:
1. Place the prizes on the floor against the wall on one side of the room.  Starting on the other side of the room place small pieces of tape on the floor, writing numbers on each piece (1, 2, 3, 4 ,…). Place the tape so that each following number is farther away that then previous one. Make sure that the final number is too far away for the children to reach by walking, but not too far for you.
2. Have the children line up on the side of the room with the piece of tape marked 1.
3. One at a time, allow the children the chance to retrieve a prize from the pile. They must WALK, (not jumping) and step on each piece of tape in numerical order.
4. None of the children will be able to retrieve a prize! Take a turn yourself, retrieving a prize for each child.
5. Explain to the children that our sin makes it impossible for us to reach the best prize ever, that is to be with God in heaven! When Jesus came and died for our sins, He made a way for us to be with God. All we have to do is believe in Him!

Crafts:

Hands and Hearts

Supplies Needed:

• White paper
• Red paper
• Markers
• Scissors
• Wooden clothes pins
• Glue

Directions:
1. Give each child a white paper, a red paper and a marker. Instruct the children to draw a small heart on the red paper. The heart has to be small enough to fit in their hand. On the white paper have them trace their hands, but have their fingers all touching each other, not spread out. Have them cut out their hearts and hands.
2. Give each child a clothes pin. Put a little glue on the bottom of the heart, near the point, and only on one side. Pinch the clothes pin open and put the heart in so that the glue will adhere to the inside of the clothespin.
3. Put glue on the top half of the clothes pin. Place one of the hands on the glue and position so that the heart cannot be seen. Flip over the clothes pin and repeat on the other side.

Coloring Page:

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: