God Never Changes
In our
busy, highly mobile society, preschoolers often face a series of
disruptive changes. Parents may change jobs several times, relocate, find
a new church, hire a new baby sitter, or choose a new preschool. As young
children struggle to maintain a sense of continuity, they need something
they can depend on something that won't change.
Preschoolers
can find this security and consistency in God, who never changes. The
Bible's message that God loves us remains true forever! Use this lesson to
teach children that even though their lives may change, God never changes.
A POWERFUL PURPOSE
"I the Lord do
not change" (Malachi 3:6a).
Children will learn:
God never changes.
A LOOK AT THE
LESSON
1. Changes (5
minutes)
2. Changing Places (5 minutes)
3. Growing in God (5 minutes)
4. A Change of Pace (5 minutes)
5. Bible Builder (5 minutes)
6. Bridge Builder (5 minutes)
7. Never-Changing Story (10 minutes)
8. Super Snack (10 minutes)
A SPRINKLING OF
SUPPLIES
Gather a Bible, a
large rock, modeling dough, several pictures of yourself from birth to the
present, a plastic egg, an old book you can tear up, a sack, and a
wastebasket. For the snack, you'll need graham crackers, marshmallow
cream, a spoon, and napkins.
THE LIVELY LESSON
1. Changes
(You'll need a large
rock and modeling dough.)
As children arrive,
greet them and give them each a piece of modeling dough. Encourage them to
make lots of things with the dough. Ask them to tell about their
creations. Then point out the large rock.
Ask: What can you
shape the rock into?
Say: We can change
the dough into lots of different things, but we can't change the rock. The
rock is strong and solid. God is kind of like this rock. God never
changes. He will always love us and take care of us.
2. Changing Places
Move children to
another part of the room and have them sit in a circle.
Say: We changed
where we were and came over here to sit in a circle for the next activity.
We're changing all the time.
Ask: Does God
change?
Say: God never
changes. Let's talk more about God.
3. Growing in God
(Before class, place
pictures of yourself ranging from birth to the present in the plastic
egg.)
Show the children the
"mystery egg." Pass it around for them to examine. Let them
guess what's inside.
Ask: Who made God?
Say: God didn't
need to be made. God has always been alive. He always will be. But you and
I were made by God, and we change as we grow
up.
Let children open the
egg. Show them your baby pictures and ask them to guess who the baby is.
Then show the pictures of how you have grown up and changed.
Ask: What did you
eat when you were a baby? Do you still eat baby food?
Say: Let's crawl
around on the floor like babies do. Have children crawl around on the
floor. if you want to, crawl around with them. Then have everyone stand
up.
Ask: Why don't you
have to crawl all the time now?
When you were
a baby, how did you let your parents know you were hungry or unhappy? What
can you do now to let your parents know you need something?
Say: You're
changing and growing up. That's good. God wants us to change and become
more like him. That's why it's important to learn what God is like by
coming to church and reading the Bible. And one thing we learn is that God
never changes. Can you say that with me? "God never changes."
4. A Change of Pace
Say: Let's change
places. sit where I'm sitting, and I'll sit where you're sitting.
Say: There! We
just changed our class around. Now I want us to sing about two things that
will never change: the Bible and God's love for us.
Lead the children in
the song "Jesus Loves Me."
5. Bible Builder
(You'll need the
large rock.)
Say: Let's change
again. Turn around and take two giant steps forward. Trade places with the
person next to you and sit down.
Place the rock on the
floor. Have children take turns stepping on the rock.
Ask: What happened
to the rock when we stepped on it?
Say: The rock
didn't change at all when we stepped on it. The Bible tells us that God is
like this rock. We can stand on it, and it won't break or even crack. if
it were big enough for two or three of us to stand on, it still would not
change. God and the Bible will stay the same forever. God never changes.
6. Bridge Builder
(You'll need the
large rock and a Bible.)
Place the Bible on
the rock.
Say: The Bible is
God's special book. The Bible promises that we can always pray and talk to
God. That will never change. Let's pray right now.
Show children how to
close their eyes and fold their hands. Pray: Thank you, God, for always
being with us and listening to us when we pray. We're glad we can always
count on you. Thank you for being a God who never changes.
7. Never-Changing Story
(You'll need the
large rock, an old hook YOU
can tear up, a
wastebasket, and a sack.)
Remove the Bible from
the rock and replace it with the old book.
Say: Many years
ago, God told a man named Jeremiah to write part of the Bible. Jeremiah
wrote what God told him to write, but a bad king didn't like the things
Jeremiah wrote.
The king did a lot
of bad things. He didn't like what the Bible said. The king decided to get
rid of that part of the Bible. Pick up the old book and tear out a few
pages. Wad them up and throw them in the wastebasket.
Say: The king
didn't want to obey what die Bible said. Tear out a few more pages and
throw them in the wastebasket.
Say: Finally the
king read that God would punish people who didn't obey what the Bible
said. That made him so angry, he burned up the entire Bible. Put the
rest of the book in the wastebasket. Then place the Bible on the rock.
Ask:
Do you think
the bad king was able to change the Bible or get rid of it?
The king couldn't
get rid of the Bible because God's promises arc in it. The promises in the
Bible will be there forever.
God asked Jeremiah
to write it all down again, and he did. This time the king couldn't burn
it. We still have Bibles today. The Bible re- us that God never changes.
8. Super Snack
(You'll need graham
crackers, napkins, a spoon, and marshmallow cream.)
Give each child two
graham cracker halves. Have children spoon marshmallow cream onto one
half, then press the two halves together.
Say: Let's pretend
your graham cracker is like a Bible. The marshmallow cream is like the
good you find in the Bible. One promise in the Bible tells us that God
never changes. |
God Never Changes 