Preschool Sunday School

Psalm 149, from a 13th-century French manuscript . WATCH VIDEO Our preschoolers are learning that God is good! In our Bible story "We Can Praise God," we learn that we can praise God for who He is, what He has done, and what He continues to do for us. And here, go deeper.  Let's dive in! First, look at this image. It is a 13th-century French manuscript of Psalm 149. This psalm is the focus of our Bible story and the subject of our discussion here. Now, onward. Let’s start with that first phrase of the psalm. In older English translations of the Bible, it is translated as “praise ye the LORD,” and in newer translations, “praise the LORD.” In Hebrew, this is the two-word phrase “halal YAH.” The first word, “halal,” is a verb, meaning “to shine.” The second word, “YAH,” is a shortened form of Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel. In most English translations of the Bible, this name Yahweh is referenced as “the LORD,” with “LORD” being written in all capital letters. So, the phrase

Psalm 149:1-5 Our true story comes from a part of the Bible called Psalms. The word psalm means holy song or special song. Let's celebrate and praise God because He is GOOD. Now, to celebrate, we need instruments. And they are all around, if you look for them. One instrument you and find is…your hands! You can clap you hands to make sound. Another instrument is…a box or container! You can use your hand to beat on it, and have…a drum! Another instrument is…two sticks. They could be popsicle sticks or two pencils. If you use pencils, please do not have sharp points on your pencils. You can take your sticks and hit them together, to may rhythm sticks. And, another instrument is…a drink bottle! A drink bottle? Yes! And with it, you can make a shaker bottle! After you finish drinking from the bottle, you can wash it out and dry it. Then, you can put something inside the bottle to make sound. Like, beads, coins, paperclips, dried beans, rice, or other things. Pick an instrument, and get

WATCH VIDEO Our preschoolers are learning that God is good! In our Bible story "Nehemiah Builds a Wall," we learn that Nehemiah had reason to thank God and the people for their help in rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. And here, go deeper. Let's dive in! First, some background. The land of Judah was in a bad way. Over the centuries, the people and their leaders had stopped honoring Yahweh, the Lord God. The kingdom became rundown. And the surrounding kingdoms--most notably, Babylon--started to invade regularly, to take away anything of value. This included taking away many of the people to be slaves. This time is often called the "Babylonian Exile" or "Babylonian Captivity." Later, Babylon fell to the Persian king Cyrus the Great. What was Babylon's was now Persia's. And Cyrus began allowing the Judeans to return to Judah if they wished. Flash forward about 93 years, to the reign of Persian King Artaxerxes I. By this time, many Judeans had

Nehemiah 1–6 Our true story comes from a part of the Bible called Nehemiah (pronounced “nee-ah-MY-ah”). The name Nehemiah means “God comforts.” We begin with a city wall. A very, very BIG wall that went all the way around the city of Jerusalem. The wall was there to keep people safe. But the wall around Jerusalem had been there a long time, and it was old. There were so many holes in it that it didn’t keep the people safe anymore. It needed to be fixed. Thankfully, there was a man named Nehemiah. Nehemiah’s family and friends lived in Jerusalem. And when he heard about the wall and all the holes, it made him very sad.  Nehemiah wanted to do something about the broken wall. So, he decided to fix it himself. But he was just one person and the wall was big, big, BIG! Nehemiah couldn’t fix it all by himself. He needed help. And guess what? Lots of people came to help fix the wall! The people all got to work on different parts. Some worked on the walls. Some worked on rebuilding the towers.

Moses holding up his arms during the Battle of Refidim, assisted by Hur and Aaron, in John Everett Millais' Victory O Lord! (1871). WATCH VIDEO Our preschoolers are learning that God is good! And we have a lot we can thank Him for. Whenever we see something good, we can say, "Thank you, God!" And remember, that goes for every one of us. Our Bible memory verse is Psalm 107:1, "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good." In our Bible story "Aaron Helps Moses," we learn that Moses has reason to thank God for his brother Aaron and his friend Hur. And here, go deeper, to learn a bit more about Exodus chapter 17. First, look at this painting from 1871 by Sir John Everett Millais called, "Victory O Lord!" It depicts Moses overlooking the Battle of Rephidim, with his brother Aaron and friend Hur helping him hold up his arms. And may I say, will you look at Hur's eyes? That stare is intense! Now, as Chapter 17 opens, it has been about 2 months and 3

Exodus 17:8-13 Our true story is found in a part of the Bible called Exodus. The word “exodus” means to leave or go away from. Our story is about a man who was very thankful God gave him a brother. Do you have a brother or a sister? Well, this man was thankful because when he needed it most, his brother was there to help. The man’s name was Moses. And Moses had a brother name Aaron. Moses and Aaron were part of God’s army, called the Israelites. One day, the Israelites were attacked by some mean people, called the Amalekites. But the Israelites were God’s army, and Moses knew that God would help them! Earlier, God had given Moses a staff—like a big stick—to help Moses lead the people. So, during the battle, Moses stood up on a big rock and held up God’s staff. Moses held up God’s staff, and the Israelites started winning the battle! “Hooray!” But then Moses’ arms were getting tired! When Moses put his arms down, God’s army started LOSING! “Oh No!” But when Moses held his arms up, the I

1 Kings 17:7-16 WATCH VIDEO Take-Home Activities Our true story is found in a part of the Bible called First Kings (1 Kings). It is the first of two books in the Bible that tell us about the kings of Israel. We begin with a man named Elijah. Elijah was very, very hungry. But there was no food or water anywhere! God told Elijah to go to a woman who God had chosen, and she would give him food. So, Elijah went off to find the woman. Elijah searched and he searched, until he found her. Elijah went up to her and said, “Can I have a drink of water please? And a piece of bread? I’m very hungry.” The woman said, “I’m so sorry. I don’t have any bread. I only have a little oil and a little flour. I’m picking up sticks so I can build a fire and make one more meal for me and my son. Then we won’t have any food left.” Elijah looked at the woman and said, “Don’t be afraid. God will help you.” So, the woman went home and she used the last of her flour and oil to make bread for Elijah. She mixed the f