For the month of November we are celebrating ALL that God has done through celebrations!
With the theme of gratitude, we have this awesome opportunity to share stories in the Bible that highlight some really cool ways people celebrated things God did. The Israelites celebrated God with feasts and festivals. The writers of the Psalms wrote songs of praise to thank God for being faithful.
Throughout this month, we hope kids will learn to be grateful for everything God has done: for the world God made, for the promises God has kept, and for the new life God offers the world through Jesus. When we remember all of these things, we can always be thankful.
Here's a look at what our babies and toddlers will be hearing each week.
WEEK 1 Story Focus: I can thank God for family. Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz show us that God gives us people we can call family. After Naomi’s husband and sons died, one of which was Ruth’s husband, Ruth stayed with Naomi and helped gather grain so they had food to eat. Then, God added Boaz to their family, and Naomi was thankful.
WEEK 2 Story Focus: I can thank God for friends. David and Jonathan show us that God gives us friends. Tough times can make us even more thankful for our friends, and David and Jonathan had their share of tough times for sure! But they remained faithful to each other. Jonathan gives David gifts to show he is thankful David is his friend. We can thank God for our friends too!
WEEK 3 Story Focus: I can thank God for food. After Moses led God’s people out of Egypt – which was A LOT of people – they all began asking him for food. There was just one problem. There was no food. None. Not one bite. But God did what only God can do and provides meat at night and bread in the morning. We can thank God for our food too!
WEEK 4 Story Focus: I can thank God all the time. David praises God with music and dancing. And we don’t have to wait for a certain time to thank God. We can thank God for everything all the time! Morning time? Let’s have a parade! Lunch time? Let’s have a parade! Bedtime? Let’s have a parade! Yes, any time is the right time for a Parade of Thanks, because we can always give thanks to God.
Here's a look at what our preK through 5th graders will be learning every week.
WEEK 1 We start off this series with something Paul wrote in1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks no matter what happens. God wants you to thank him because you believe in Christ Jesus.” It’s pretty clear. Giving thanks is something God wants us to do. No matter what happens, we can be thankful for Jesus and God’s gift of salvation. Bottom Line: You always have something to be grateful for. When life is hard, or even if life is normal, it can be difficult to find why you should be thankful—especially for kids. We pray that as kids think about this Bottom Line, they’ll remember that they can always be thankful to God for sending Jesus to be our Savior.
WEEK 2 In week 2, we head to 2 Samuel 6:12b-22a where we find King David in a powerful moment in Israel’s history. David had the privilege of bringing the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem. He was so overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement that he danced and celebrated. David was willing to make himself look foolish to worship God for being faithful to the Israelites. Bottom Line: Celebrate what God has done. Just like King David took time to thank God for being faithful, we pray that kids will learn to do the same. God has done so much for us. God will continue to show us love and faithfulness in the future and deserve all of our gratitude! We pray that kids will take time to celebrate and offer thanks to God.
WEEK 3 In week three, we head to Luke 17:11-19 and discover a significant moment when 10 men with a serious skin condition asked Jesus to heal them. As their skin cleared up, the men were so thrilled about the miracle that most of them ran off and never returned to thank Jesus. Only one man, a Samaritan, turned around and showed his gratitude. Jesus made a point to commend this man’s faith. Bottom Line: Take time to say thank you. This is a simple idea, but it’s often so hard to put into practice. People offer their help with kindness and love, yet we often take those people for granted. We pray that through this moment in Jesus’ life, kids will understand the importance of remembering to show gratitude when others are kind to them.
WEEK 4 We finish up the month in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 and Exodus 12. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul talks about taking time to celebrate Communion, or the Lord’s Supper. When we eat the bread and drink the cup, we celebrate how Jesus lived, died, and rose again to make us right with God. As we think about what Paul wrote, we’ll also take time to remember that this celebration is rooted in the Passover celebration, where God’s people remembered how God rescued them from being enslaved in Egypt. Bottom Line: Make a habit of being grateful. People often focus on bad habits that they need to stop. However, the best way to stop a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. Replace those sweets with healthy choices. Replace TV with exercise. Replace complaining with gratitude. We pray that kids will start to see that gratitude is a choice that God can help them make— especially when they remember all that Jesus did for us on the cross.
