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Thank “Who” Very Much?STICKY STATEMENTLet gratitude be our attitude.LESSON OBJECTIVEChildren will be challenged to express thanks to God as a result of learning that He is good and His love endures forever.LESSON OVERVIEWIn this lesson we look at thankfulness as more than a cheerful disposition. Rather, thankfulness needs to have as its object, God Himself. Through the example of the Israelites, we will learn that God expects us to be thankful in all circumstances. Choosing to thank God for His goodness and love reorients us to trusting in Him rather than focusing on ourselves.KEY VERSE1 Chronicles 16:34DEFINITIONSGratitude: “to feel thankful”Mercy: “choosing to treat someone kindly when they don’t deserve it”TEACHER’S CHECKLISTA PowerPoint is available for this lesson.Six Bibles (Hook)The Scripture reference cards (Hook)Small wrapped snacks (one per child) (Hook)A large piece of butcher paper (Hook)Writing utensils (one per child) (Hook and Next Steps)Optional: Whiteboard (Hook)Optional: Dry erase markers (Hook)“But I Will Be Thankful” cards (at least one per child) (Next Steps)Video: Reasons to Be Thankful: (Younger Adaptation)GENERAL LESSON INSTRUCTIONSTeacher’s Note: Prior to teaching the lesson, take one of the verse cards located at the end of this lesson, open a Bible to that verse, and place the card in the Bible to serve as a bookmark. Do this for all six verse cards. Each card should be in a different Bible, marking the verse that each child is to read. When you get your six volunteers, give each child one of the marked Bibles, and instruct him or her to read the verse. Optional: In addition to marking the place in the Bible with the card, you could underline or highlight the verse so it can be found easily. All six verses say the same thing. The goal is for the verses to be quickly read one right after the other.Be sure to place enough snacks for half of the group on one side of the room. They will be used during the Hook section. Have the rest of the snacks in a basket ready to be handed out.Hang a large piece of butcher paper on a wall and have writing utensils available for the children to use when they write on the paper.Be sure to print out the “But I Will Be Thankful” cards so each child can have at least one. For your convenience, the cards have been created so they are compatible with Avery 5371 business card template so they can be printed and torn apart easily. The cards can be found at the end of this lesson.HOOKTo help us get started, we are going to need six people to read a verse of Scripture for us tonight. [Choose six volunteers who will be willing to read, and have them stand in a row, side by side, at the front of the room.] We have a Bible for each of you to use, and the verse that you are going to read has already been marked for you. Find the verse card in your Bible, and when I point to you, read the verse. [Give each volunteer a Bible.] Does everyone understand what you will do? Find the verse card in your Bible. When I point to you, simply read your verse for us all to hear. Teacher’s Note: Point to each child and allow enough time for the verse to be read. After the second or third child reads their verse, it should become pretty obvious that all of the verses say the same thing. When all six volunteers are finished, address the group.So, what do you think we are supposed to do? [Allow for a response.] Give thanks to the Lord! [Address the volunteers.] Thanks for reading. You all may be seated.Teacher’s Note: If you are choosing to use the Younger Adaptation, use it instead of making the list of things to be thankful for.Since we are to give thanks to the Lord, let’s make a list of things we are thankful for right now. Let’s take two minutes to write down what we are thankful for. As you can see, we have a large piece of paper hanging here. We are going to take about two minutes to let you write things on this paper that you are thankful for. If you need help writing what you are thankful for, ask an adult to help you. [Allow about two minutes for the children to write something they are thankful for on the paper, and then address the group.]This is a good list; look at how many things we have to be thankful for. Good work! Teacher’s Note: If you used the Younger Adaptation, begin teaching with the following paragraph.Tonight’s lesson is part of a four-part series called, “Celebrate.” As you might have guessed, this is a lesson about thanksgiving. We’re going to talk about how to let gratitude be our attitude all of the time. [Show visual #1: the definition of gratitude.] The word “gratitude” simply means “to feel thankful.” We will understand how to feel thankful even when things are not going the way we want them to.Before we do that, I have a little treat for each of you. [Point to one side of the room.] Everyone on this side of the room, you may go over there [Point to the place where the snacks are located.] and take a snack. The rest of you, stay in your seats. Teacher’s Note: As half of the room gets up to get a snack, begin distributing a snack to each child on the other side of the room who are still seated. As you give the snacks out, without actually telling them to say it, work to help them remember to say, “Thank you,” after you give the snack to them. Have an adult leader help the first group get back to their seats quickly after getting a snack. Once everyone has a snack, address the crowd.While everyone was getting a snack, I noticed that many of those whom I handed a snack to, the people on this side of the room [Gesture to indicate those you had distributed the snack to.], said, “Thank you.” How about those of you on the other side of the room? Did anyone say, “Thank you”? Why would this half of the room say, “Thank you,” and so many from the other half not say, “Thank you”? Is this just a more thankful bunch? [Gesture to indicate those you had distributed the snack to, and then allow for responses.] There is probably not much of a difference in the gratitude of each side of the room. The difference is that this group [Gesture to indicate those you had distributed the snack to.] had someone to thank—me. They saw me give the snack to them, and it reminded them to say, “Thank you.” Thankfulness always has to have an object—a person. Otherwise, it is just a happy feeling based on a good thing that happened to us. But our verses said, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD.” When the object of our thankfulness is God, we can be thankful, not just when good things happen but even when bad things are happening to us. We can be thankful even in the bad times because God is always good; He is always merciful. He loves me all of the time, no matter what happens in my life.LESSON CONTENTListen to what 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says. [Read 1 Thessalonians 5:18.] Give thanks in all things? Whoa, that seems pretty hard! As we think about the list we made of things we are thankful for, they all seem to be good things. But not everything is good, is it? In fact, there are some things that are just not good at all. Does God really expect us to let gratitude be our attitude when things are not going well? Life is not fair sometimes. Our plans get changed. People get hurt, get sick, and sometimes die. Bad things happen. How can we give thanks in all things when all things are not good? How can we let gratitude be our attitude when things are bad?The Bible tells us that God is light and there is no darkness, no evil, in Him at all (1 John 1:5). Goodness comes from Him. He is the source of everything good. Without Him, there would be no kindness in the world, no love, no goodness. The Bible tells us that every good and perfect gift is from above (James 1:17). We can let gratitude be our attitude because God is good. Remember what the first six verses that we read said? “Oh, give thanks to the LORD …” Why? Because He is good! So, let gratitude be our attitude because God is good. But that is really hard to do sometimes, isn’t it?If you think it is hard to be thankful when things are not going well, you are not the first person to think this way. The Israelites struggled with gratitude as well. Let me tell you a little bit of their story. For hundreds of years God’s people, the Israelites, were slaves in the country of Egypt. Life was really bad for them in Egypt. Eventually, God miraculously rescued them. He sent a man named Moses to lead them out of Egypt. You would think they would be thankful for that, right? Wrong. Instead of being thankful, they whined and complained; they were so ungrateful. Now, before you judge the Israelites too harshly, you should hear what they complained about. First, the Egyptian army chased them, and they came up against the Red Sea with no escape. They were afraid, and they complained to Moses about their situation (Exodus 14:10-12). After God provided a miraculous way of escape through the Red Sea, they traveled long hours and complained that they had no food to eat (Exodus 16). When they were thirsty, they complained that they had no water (Exodus 17). Another time, they complained that they had to eat the same food day after day, and they were tired of it (Numbers 11). Did God think their complaining was okay? Of course not, but God was merciful to them. And God’s mercy is something to be thankful for. Remember what our verses said? We are to give thanks to the Lord because He is good, but what does the rest of the verse say? “For His mercy endures forever.” [Show visual #2: the definition of mercy.] “Mercy” is “choosing to treat someone kindly when they don’t deserve it.” We can be thankful that God chooses to treat us kindly even though we don’t always do the right thing.You see, we can be thankful, not just for the blessings, but all the time, because God is merciful. Let gratitude be our attitude because God is good, and His mercy is unending!The best example of God’s goodness and mercy is Jesus. People spit on Him, made fun of Him, beat Him, put a crown of thorns on His head, and then they crucified Him. How did He respond? He said, “Father forgive them.” We can be confident of God’s love, even when we sin or disappoint Him because He loves us. His love for us endures forever. He loved us enough to die for us.When we let gratitude be our attitude, we show God that we trust in His goodness and His love for us even when bad things are happening. Thankfulness shows that we believe He is with us, always loving and caring for us.CONNECTIONWe started tonight by reading six verses of Scripture that all told us to give thanks to God. Those were just six. The Bible talks about thanksgiving or being thankful over 100 times! God’s Word tells us to be thankful always, and in all circumstances—even when things are going wrong. Let’s think about some ways that we can be thankful even when things are difficult. Here is what we are going to do. We will list something that is not good, and then we will say, “but I can be thankful that …” and then fill in the blank. Scenario #1My game got rained out, and I can’t play soccer, but I can be thankful that ....Teacher’s Note: Allow the children to fill in the blank. Possible answers: “God gave the rain so the farmers’ crops got water and the food can grow.” “I have a house to be in, so I am not out in the rain.”Scenario #2Dinner tonight is something that I really don’t like to eat, but I can be thankful that …Teacher’s Note: Allow the children to fill in the blank. Possible answers: “Mom or dad took the time to prepare the meal.” “I even have food to eat.” “God gave my mom or dad a job so they could buy the food that we do have.”The next one is a little bit harder. Think hard.Scenario #3I failed a test at school today, but I can be thankful that …Teacher’s Note: Allow the children to fill in the blank. Possible answers: “I know what I have to spend more time on when I study.” “I have a teacher who can help me learn what I don’t know.” “God’s love for me doesn’t change no matter what grade I get.”What are some times when you find it hard to be thankful?Teacher’s Note: Allow for a few responses. As the responses are given, repeat them to the group, follow up each with, “but I can be thankful for …” and allow the children to brainstorm ways to be thankful. Repeat this process as time allows. Optional: You could share a time when it is hard for you to be thankful and ask the children to help you see what you can be thankful for. Remember, no matter what the circumstance, God is always good, and His mercy is everlasting. Thankfulness shows that we trust in God’s love and goodness. Let’s let gratitude be our attitude!CHOICEHave you ever thanked God for His goodness and merciful love for you? If you have never thanked Him for sending Jesus to die in your place, will you do that tonight? We get to choose how we respond when bad things happen. We can respond by being thankful for God’s love and goodness, or we can respond by grumbling, complaining, worrying, or becoming angry. Let’s take the time to express thanksgiving to God. You could say something like this:“Dear God, thank You for being good and merciful. Help me to have an attitude of gratitude even when things don’t go the way I want them to.” [Allow time for the children to pray.]NEXT STEPSTonight, we have a little card that you can take home to help you remember to be thankful. There is enough for everyone to have at least one. If you want a few of them, feel free to take more. [Distribute the cards.]Choosing to thank God for His love and goodness can be hard when things are difficult. When you have a difficult situation this week, write that situation on the top line of your card. Then, make the choice to be thankful. Once you have chosen to be thankful, write one way that you can be thankful on the lines at the bottom of your card. Use your card or cards as a reminder to help you let gratitude be your attitude. Focus on God’s goodness and mercy instead of the hard things around you.YOUNGER ADAPTATION: (Hook)Since we are to give thanks to the Lord, let’s watch a funny video of things to be thankful for. Teacher’s Note: Show the Reasons to be Thankful video: , what would you add to the list? [Allow the children to say a few things they are thankful for.]PERSONAL TRAINING TIMEThe Goal of the Personal Training Huddle: To help the children evaluate their thankfulness for God’s goodness and mercy.Discussion QuestionsWhat are some times when it is hard for you to be thankful? (During the lesson, a few children would have had the opportunity to share, but this question will allow each child in your group to share something personal. Use the card that they received to help them think of a way to be thankful.)Name one way that God is good. Name one way that God is merciful. (Help the children make a list of ways that God is both good and merciful. Be sure to write the list down so they can see the list. If desired, invite the children to say short prayers to God using the list. For example, “Thank You, God, that You protect us.” “Thank You, God, that You forgive my sin.”)How will you use your “But I Will Be Thankful” card this week? (Ask the kids to think about a situation when they think they will need to use the card to be reminded to be thankful. Invite them to bring the card back to Personal Training (PT) Huddle group the following week to encourage others with how they chose to be thankful. As the PT Coach, make a point of filling out a card and bringing it back the following week to let the kids know how you chose to be thankful.)PARENT CONNECTIONTonight’s lesson was part of a four-part series called, “Celebrate.” As you might have guessed, it was a lesson about thanksgiving. The children learned about thanking God in all circumstances because of His goodness and mercy. The children were encouraged to identify a time this week when they may find it difficult to display an attitude of gratitude. They were given a little card to help them to remember to have an attitude of gratitude. Remind your child to thank God for His goodness and mercy, even when circumstances are difficult. When they are faced with a tough time this week, say, “But you can be thankful for …” and encourage them to fill in the blank. When you have a tough time, let your child hear you say, “But I can be thankful for …” and fill in the blank.REVIEW QUESTIONSWhen are we supposed to be thankful? (Always; in all things)What two things can we always thank God for? (His goodness and His mercy)What did God rescue the Israelites from? (Slavery in Egypt)What did the Israelites complain about? (The pursuit by the Egyptian army; no food; no water, the same food over and over)True or False: God told the Israelites it was okay to complain when they had no water. (False)True or False: When life is not fair, we have nothing to be thankful for. (False)True or False: Thankfulness requires an object or a person to be thankful to. (True)True or False: God is merciful only if we do not complain. (False)Where does all goodness come from? (God)Finish the Sticky Statement: Let gratitude be …(our attitude.)-736600-737235-736600-731520 ................
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