FAITH CHALLENGE
“I Will Help You”: Ruth
Lesson B, Week 2
Scripture: Ruth (CEV)
Memory Verse: Psalm 136 (refrain) in Hebrew, which
translates “For his steadfast love endures forever” (NRSV):
Concepts:
· God's steadfast love endures
forever.
· God calls us to live to show God's
steadfast love to others.
Objectives:
· The youth will experience what it
is like to need help.
· The youth will package school
supplies as a mission project for Afghan children.
· The youth will learn to speak and
write the scripture memory verse in Hebrew.
Gathering Time
The
Coach leads the opening routine: snack, fellowship, Prayer Wall activity, and
Prayer Chain. Name tags are available.
Workshop Lesson Procedure:
Introductions (Coach):
1. The Coach reviews the timeline and the previous
week’s workshop activity. Ask where the
story of Ruth is found in the Bible. The story of Ruth takes place at the same
time as the Book of Judges, which was a violent time. This was a time before
there were Kings to rule the land.
2. Introduce the
Guide who leads the Workshop Lesson.
Introduce
the lesson (Guide):
Our focus for today will be on showing God’s steadfast love to others. But first, what is it like to need help? What does it feel like to need encouragement and support from others? This exercise is called: “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up (without my friend’s help!)”
Ask for a couple of volunteers to lay, in pairs, side by side on the ground. Link adjacent arms. Explain that the goal of this game is to get to a standing position with only one person using one hand. The other partner is helpless. The partner that is using the hand can only use one hand; the other hand/arm is locked into the helpless partner’s arm. Youth will find that the helpless partner has to lean on the partner using the hand to get up.
· How did the helpless partner feel when he/she needed help from their partner?
· Did anyone have to tell the other what to do to solve the dilemma/problem of getting up?
Explain to the kids that as friends we sometimes have to rely on each other for help and encouragement to do hard things – just as Naomi and Ruth helped each other, and Boaz helped Ruth. When we feel helpless we know that our real friends are there to help.
(Source for this activity: www.Rotation.org Christian Education
Ministry of Kingdom Worship Center, Towson, MD.)
Scripture/Bible Story
Recap
the basic outline of the Ruth story from last week. Get the kids involved to help tell “what happened next.”
Israel
was a community created to show the world how to live in accordance with God’s
purposes, not the purposes of the dominant (and usually oppressive) political
regime. In other words, Israel was
called together to offer a vision of the world that is an alternative to the
vision of Pharaoh.
Instead,
however, in the books about Judges we learn there is violence in a world where
people succumb to the temptations to live as the pagans live. But then in the
middle of the violence we have this beautiful story about a pagan woman (Ruth
was a Moabite) who is faithful to God.
It is a conversion story about a woman who leaves home and family and
decides to go where God leads her. Ruth models what it means to trust
God.
· Who else do you know left home and family to go where God had led? (Abraham)
· Is God faithful? – (God’s
steadfast love endures forever.)
The problem in Ruth relates back to God’s promises to Abraham: land, descendants, and blessing. Naomi and Elimelech, much like Abram and Sarai before them, flee to Moab when the crops fail. They do not trust God’s promise of land and so they see to its provision for themselves. While there, Naomi’s husband and sons die, leaving Naomi deprived of the promise of descendants. Naomi feels cursed: “Don’t call me Naomi (“pleasant”) any longer! Call me Mara (“bitter”)” (1:20). Yet God remains faithful. Through Ruth and Boaz, all three promises—land, descendants, and blessing—are restored to Naomi.
· Where is God in the story? – (Sometimes God shows up in surprising places.)
Moabites are the scum of the earth (see Genesis 19:30-38). Yet it is through a Moabite that God’s promises are returned to Naomi. Jesus’ genealogy is traced through David to Ruth.
· What are we suppose to
do? - (God calls us to show God’s steadfast love to others)
In her loyalty to Naomi, Ruth demonstrates what it means to show steadfast love. Also, the story of Ruth gleaning in the fields relates to current issues of hunger and poverty. Boaz offered Ruth help and support by letting her glean in his fields, offering to protect her as she worked, and sending food home with her.
Our Mission Committee at the Kirk offers members many opportunities to provide help and support to “strangers”: refugee resettlement, WIHN, KOALA, Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, The Helen Wright Center for Women (formerly the Ark Shelter), The Carying Place, the Dorcas Shop, the CROP Walk, gleaning, and Family Ties.
Activity 1 -
Creating school supply bags for Afghan children
Today’s main activity will provide us an opportunity to show God’s steadfast love. We will make school supply bags for Afghan children sponsored by Church World Service (the CROP walk organizer). Steps in making the school supplies bag:
1. Decorate the bag. Hand out clipboards and a muslin bag to each student. Put the clipboard inside the bag so that when you decorate the bag, the markers don’t bleed through the bag. Provide special glitter glue, and fabric markers, stamps, paints, etc. Use a hair blower to dry any wet paint.
2. Thread the cording through the hem to
make a drawstring. After the bag is decorated, thread the cord.
3. Fill the bag with supplies according to the list. Provide a poster or flip chart with the supplies.
4. (Optional if time permits) Make a card to include in the bag. Provide card stock paper cut into 4X6 pieces. Youth may write something on it. Remember, the Afghan children will not likely be able to read English, but the thought is nice. Something like: “ Packed especially for you by (name) in Cary, North Carolina, U.S.A..”
5. Collect the bags for mailing in a large box.
Activity 2 –
Scripture writing in Hebrew
Youth who finish making their bags may begin their practice writing in this exercise that was introduced last week.
The memory verse is "For his steadfast love endures forever". It is the refrain of Psalm 136. We are going to learn to say it and write it in Hebrew.
1. Hand out clipboards, paper and pens to the youth. Show them the poster of the scripture verse again and how the words are represented in Hebrew.
2. On the white board or flip chart, show the youth how to write the Hebrew letters, breaking the verse down into short bits. Let them copy and practice several times.
3. When you have everyone ready to participate, show the poster of the Hebrew scripture. Say the Hebrew phrase as you point to the writing. Tell the kids that you are going to play an audio tape of a man saying the phrase. There are spaces after he says the Hebrew in which we will all repeat back the Hebrew. Play the audio tape.
4. Clean up and get ready for closing.
Reflection:
Provide each youth with a copy of the Brief Statement of Faith. This is an excerpt that ties into the two concepts for this lesson: in Christ, God showed up in a surprising place and showed the world what God’s steadfast love is like. Recite it together. Youth may take their copy home to use as a bookmark.
A
Brief Statement of Faith
9 Jesus proclaimed the reign of God:
10 preaching good news to the poor
11 and release to the captives,
12 teaching by word and deed
13 and blessing the children,
14 healing the sick
15 and binding up the brokenhearted,
16 eating with outcasts,
17 forgiving sinners,
18 and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.
Closing (Coach):
1. The Coach conducts the closing prayer time.
2. Close/lock the door and turn off the lights.
Guide preparation in advance:
1. Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located.
2. Preparation instructions for this lesson plan –
· Gather supplies for school bags and prepare a visible list to hang in the room.
· Prepare one bag as an example.
· Copy the brief Statement of Faith for each youth
· Prepare the memory verse on poster to display in class (from Lesson 1).
3. Go to the Church World Service web site (listed under “References” and print out the information on the Afghanistan Education Project. Use this information to explain to the children the purpose and use of the school kits they will be making. You might consider printing and copying the flyer included with this lesson. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to print the AfghanKits.pdf file.
Supply List
· Supplies for Hebrew scripture writing from last week.
· School supplies (see list)
· Pens, markers, stamps, paints for decorating bags
· Clipboards or cardboard to insert in bag while decorating
· Poster with list of supplies to include in each bag.
· Card stock paper for card enclosure
· muslin bags and cording (cut to length) to thread through bags - Catherine will provide
· hair dryer for drying wet paint on the bags (just in case)
· For scripture writing: poster of Hebrew scripture, clipboards, paper, pens, audio tape and recorder.
· Copy of the brief Statement of Faith for each youth
Supply List for School Kits
- Church World Service
· One pair of blunt scissors
· Pads or notebooks of ruled paper 8-1/2" X 11" containing 150-200 sheets of paper
· One 30-centimeter ruler (12")
· One pencil sharpener
· Six new pencils with erasers
· One large eraser
· Twelve sheets colored construction paper
· One box of 24 crayons
· One 12" X 14" cloth bag with cloth handles and a closure (Velcro, snap, or button)
References
· The source of this lesson plan is the information provided to writers of this set of lessons by Susan Mazzara.
·
Rotation.org lesson on Ruth from Christian Education
Ministry of Kingdom Worship Center, Towson, MD.
·
Church World Service http://www.churchworldservice.org/kits/school-kits.html