COMMUNITY OF CHRIST LESSONS CHILDREN 29 November 2020 – 21 November 2021 1 COMMUNITY OF CHRIST LESSONS Lifelong Disciple Formation in Community of Christ is the shaping of persons in the likeness of Christ at all stages of life. It begins with our response to the grace of God in loving community and continues as we help others learn, grow, and serve in the mission of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, discipleship is expressed as one lives the mission initiatives of the church through service, generosity, witness, and invitation. We invite you to use these lessons for your class, group, or congregation. Lectionary-based: The weekly lessons connect the Revised Common Lectionary for worship with Community of Christ identity, mission, message, and beliefs. Quick, easy: The lessons are designed for approximately 45-minute class sessions with two to three pages of ideas, discussion starters, and activities. Additional preparation help may be found in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: New Testament (with focus on the gospel according to Mark) and Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: Old Testament (semicontinuous readings). Lessons are available for three age groups. Recognizing each age group represents multiple stages of development, the instructor is encouraged to adapt lessons to best meet the needs of the class or group. When possible, optional activities are provided to help adapt lessons for diverse settings. Children (multiage, 6–11): Help children engage in the Bible and introduce mission and beliefs with stories, crafts, and activities. Youth (ages 12–18): Engage teens in scripture study and provocative questions about identity, mission, and beliefs. Adult (ages 19 and older): Deepen faith and understanding with reflective questions, theological understanding, and discussion ideas. Note: Unless otherwise noted, all Bible scripture references are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. A Word Concerning Copyrights Community of Christ International Headquarters endeavors to comply fully with copyright regulations regarding the reproduction of words and music and urges its congregations and members to do so. A conscientious effort has been made to determine the copyright status of all the materials used in this publication. Most words and music under copyright appear with permission granted by the copyright owner. We have made a good-faith effort to contact all known copyright owners to secure permission. Time constraints have made it impossible to obtain a response from every owner, especially where the address of the copyright holder was unavailable. Efforts to secure permission will continue. © 2020 Community of Christ • www.CofChrist.org 2 Children Community of Christ Lesson LESSON 1 29 November 2020 FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (HOPE) Focus Scripture Passage: Isaiah 64:1–9 Lesson Focus: Oppressed people pray for God to come. Objectives The learners will… • discover how people were waiting for generations for the Messiah to come. • consider ways they can pray to God. • explore how they can be open to God’s direction in their lives. • hear about Advent and preparing for coming of Jesus. Supplies • Pottery dishes, other handmade items • Modeling clay—quick drying, if possible (could also provide small bowls or dishes found at thrift stores, one for each student) • Wrapped box that contains enough slips of papers for each student and others who might attend. Each slip has the line “Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me” on it. • Lectionary Story Bible, Year B, by Ralph Milton, illustrated by Margaret Kyle (Wood Lake Publishing, 2008, ISBN 9781551455648) • Bible • Community of Christ Sings (CCS) Note to teacher: In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for Isaiah 64:1–9 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: Old Testament, pp. 21–22, available through Herald House. Note to teacher: This is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is a time of waiting for the Christ and is recognized as the four Sundays before Christmas. This Sunday’s focus is Hope. The hymn "Hope Is a Light" CCS 398 could be used each week as part of Advent preparation. The corresponding stanzas could be read or sung together in class: stanza 1 for the Sunday of Hope, stanza 4 for the Sunday of Love, stanza 2 for the Sunday of Peace, and stanzas 3 and 5 for the Sunday of Joy and the coming Christmas Day. © 2020 Community of Christ • www.CofChrist.org 3 Children Community of Christ Lesson The hope of those living in Old Testament times was for a Messiah, someone to deliver them from their lives of captivity and oppression. This scripture lesson shares how people can lose sight of God when they feel things are not going the way they expected them to. Children may have practice in praying to God at specific times: meals, bedtime, church services. They may also be starting to ask for help or give praise to God. In this lesson, they can see that God wants them to pray at all times. Have a wrapped package near where the class gathers. Inside will be the slips of papers with “Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me” from "Spirit of the Living God" CCS 567 that will be used at the end of the class. Give students a moment to think about what might be in the package. Then ask if they have had experiences where they have had to wait: a trip, special visitors arriving, a new baby in the family, a special day. • How did they feel during the waiting time? • Did the event go as planned or hoped? Before you read the scripture passage, share with the students that “Old Isaiah” has been in other stories. He is a prophet who lived many years before Jesus was born. Often, he was frustrated that the people didn’t listen or remember God. Many people in Old Testament days believed God would get angry with them and leave them alone to deal with their problems. The prophets would talk to the people, hoping they would listen and learn that God is with them all the time. At holiday times, our focus is on the coming of Jesus because we know of his birth. In Isaiah’s time, they were hoping for someone to come and help save them from their oppressors. Read "God's Strong, Gentle Hands" based on Isaiah 64:1–9 in the Lectionary Story Bible, Year B, pp. 12–13. Discuss the following to deepen understanding of scripture: • When Isaiah is upset that no one is thinking about God, he says he wants God to get angry, to shake the mountains and have smoke and fire. How do students respond when someone gets angry because they didn’t finish a task or follow through on something they did? • Isaiah then is reminded that God is good and kind. God created each one. What does Isaiah mean when he says that God wants to "hold us and shape us with gentle, strong hands”? How can people be shaped by God? • A prophet is someone who helps people understand more about God. In Community of Christ, one of the Enduring Principles is Continuing Revelation. In part it reads, “In humility, individually and in community, we prayerfully listen to understand God’s will for our lives, the church, and creation more completely” (Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, p. 29). Through our Prophet-president, we continue to hear good news but also truth that can sometimes be hard to hear. Members are encouraged to pray to learn more about what God wants us to do. Ask students how they have prayed for help in their lives. What other times do they pray? © 2020 Community of Christ • www.CofChrist.org 4 Children Community of Christ Lesson Ask the students to think of something they have created. • Did they have a plan when they started? • What materials did they use in the process? • How long did it take? • How did they feel after it was completed? • How did it compare to what they had hoped or imagined when starting out? Share the pottery and other art items that were brought. Discuss how they think the items were made. How can they be used? Potters often created vessels, or containers. They could be tall or short. They could have thin openings to contain liquids. Others could be larger to serve food or for people to eat from. Each one had a purpose, and the potters would work to create the vessel that would fill that purpose. Give each student some modeling clay and time to create a vessel, a type of container. Explain that because of the material being used, their vessels won’t be for food but could hold small items. (As an option, give each student a small dish to use for the next parts of the class.) Ask who knows the song “Spirit of the Living God” CCS 567 that is often shared at camps and reunions. Did they realize it is a prayer spoken to God? Read stanzas 1 and 2 together. • What does “fall afresh on me” mean to them? • How does it fit with today’s scripture passage? (People had drawn away from God, but Isaiah is hoping they will come back to God.) Read stanza 3. Pause after each comma and ask: • What is being asked for by the one praying, the singer? • How does this fit with the scripture and Isaiah’s thoughts about God? (Isaiah saw God as the potter who could shape people.) • Ask them to look at their dish and think of how God can use them to share the good news with others.