FAITH CHALLENGE
Genesis 12-50: Ten
Commandments
Lesson C
Week 5 Celebration
Scripture: Exodus 13:7 - 18:27 and Exodus 20:1-17 (CEV)
Memory Verses: God spoke all these words, saying,
I am the Lord
your God.
1. You shall have no other Gods
before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself
an idol.
3. You shall not make wrongful use
of the name of the Lord your God.
4. Remember the sabbath day, and
keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your
mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your
neighbor.
(PC[USA] Book of Common Worship)
· God helps people who suffer.
· God saved God’s people with a mighty hand.
· God helps us through difficult times.
· God has given us a community to help us be faithful.
· God asks us to trust and obey God.
· God has given us laws to order our lives according to God’s purpose.
· Write a Dear Abba letter asking for help with a personal problem
· Identify broken commandments in situations presented in Dear Abba letters.
· Respond to the Dear Abba letters with advice to correct the presenting situations.
· Create a Ten Commandments plaque to take home.
·
Both classes are together
for this final lesson on the Ten Commandments
·
The Coach leads the
opening routine: snack, fellowship, Prayer Wall activity, and Prayer
Chain. Name tags are available.
1. Distribute the Journal folders and explain the
purpose. We are going to use the journals in the Celebration lesson of each
unit. (Last Sunday of the unit).
2. Introduce the topic of advice columns like those seen
in magazines and the newspaper. One column that has been in newspapers for many
years is “Dear Abby”. People write to Dear Abby with their problems and she
provides advice.
3. Today in your journals, you can write a “Dear Abba”
letter. Be sure the students understand the choice of Dear “Abba” rather than Dear Abby—Abba is a word meaning
“Father” and one that Jesus used to refer to God. Think about what is troubling you or your family or a friend and
ask “Dear Abba” for help. Suggest this is another way to pray to God and
meditate on a problem. It is helpful to write down thoughts to clarify feelings.
You don’t have to write a solution, just the problem and how it makes you feel.
1. Review the events leading up to the Exodus and
wandering in the wilderness. Put each event on a piece of paper and distribute
randomly to the children. As you review, ask “what happened next” and whoever
has the next event brings it forward to be placed in sequence – either on the
board or the floor – where all can see.
1. Ask the students to divide into pairs. Give each pair a blank sheet of paper. All the letters are on separate slips of paper, folded, and placed in a basket or bowl. The pairs may draw one letter from the basket. On the blank paper, first indicate which commandment has been broken or is being referred to in the Dear Abba letter. Then compose a response to the letter. Be brief. What should the person do? WWJD?
2. Give the students about 10 minutes to work on their letters. If time permits and a pair has answered one letter out of their original 3-4, they may exchange papers with another group and choose another Dear Abba letter to answer.
Share a few letters as time permits. First, the youth is to read the Dear Abba letter and identify the commandment that is called into question by the situation. Then read the response.
Which commandments were most troubling? Which commandments are hard to keep? What are some of your strategies? Have you ever been in any of the situations described in the letters? Why do we need the Ten Commandments? Does it help to know that this is how God wants us to live?
We are going to make door
knob hangers out of foam board that depict a favorite Commandment. Show one or
two samples. Show the children the
flipcharts they made during the “Bowling” lesson. Review some of the ideas they came up with for rewording the Ten
Commandments. Eg. God loves, God is #1, Don’t kill, Be good to parents, Don’t
be jealous.
Hand out the foam board,
scissors and markers. Place a small cup on the foamboard and trace a circle.
Cut out the circle. Write a Commandment on the foam board. Use any version or
wording you like from the flip charts or your own ideas.
When the writing is
complete, the foam boards can be decorated with foam shapes and glitter glue
pens, jewels. Provide glue.
Tidy up.
· Are any commandments more important than others? Jesus was asked this question.
· Read from Matthew 22:36-40 (CEV): “Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?” Jesus answer: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.
· Discuss this scripture. Do all of the Ten Commandments fit into what Jesus said? Love God and love your neighbor.
1. The Coach conducts the closing prayer time.
2. Close/lock the door and turn off the lights.
1. Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located.
2. On a white board, post the pre workshop activities as the kids come into the room: eg. offering, prayer wall reminder, snack, name tag, etc
3. Prepare the Dear Abba letters. Cut into individual slips of paper.
4. Post flipchart posters from the “Bowling” lesson (you will have two sets: one generated by the 6th graders and one generated by the 7th graders).
5. Prepare samples of the Ten Commandments door knob hanger.
· Foam board cut into 4 ½” X 12” and foam shapes
· Glue, scissors, cups to trace a circle for the door knob
· Markers, glitter glue sticks, jewels
· “Dear Abba” letters
· Pencils, paper for answering letters.
· Ten Commandments flip charts
Dear Abba
I’m in the 7th grade and pretty smart. We have a special club at our school for kids who do really well with their grades and doing other stuff like community service and lots of sports. I have been working hard to get in the club this year. But, I heard that some kids are making stuff up and lying on the application. For example, one girl said she was on the tennis and swimming team and debate team. I know that’s not true. How can I compete if I don’t make stuff up too? I want to tell the truth, but I won’t get in the club.
Signed,
To tell the Truth.
Dear
Abba,
My
mom and dad are divorced. They fight a lot. Sometimes they make me tell things
about the other. I don’t want to do this. Frankly, my parents are not acting
very nice. They yell and say nasty things. I hate it. What should I do?
Signed,
Caught
in the Middle
Dear Abba,
I love to shop.
It is my favorite thing to do. I spend all my time reading magazines about
things to get. I spend all my allowance and birthday money on shopping. Every
Saturday I go to the mall for the whole day. I like to look my best and wear
all the latest fashions. I wouldn’t be caught dead in last season’s fashions.
My mom thinks I spend way too much on myself. She’s always trying to get me to
do other things, but all I want to do is shop and look at magazines. I told my
Mom I’d write to you and ask your opinion. Shouldn’t my mom just leave me
alone? I’m not hurting anyone. It’s my money and my life!
Signed,
Dear Abba,
My friend and I are
having a big argument. Whenever someone comes up to us, she will say things to
them like “Oh I love your hair” or “ what a great sweater”. Then later she will
say to just me “Was that ugly or what?” I say she’s lying to the other girls,
my friend says she is making the other person feel better. Who is right?
Signed,
Dear
Abba,
Please
settle a big argument. I am going to have a sleepover birthday party with 5
girls for my 12th birthday. We want to rent some movies, but my mom
won’t let us watch any PG13 movies! Can you believe it? Everybody has seen PG
13 movies! It’s no big deal. We’ve seen it all and worse on TV – like Friends
and Dawson’s Creek. My Mom is treating us like little kids. Please help and
save my party!
Signed,
Grown
up at 12
Dear Abba,
I like to play soccer.
Most of our games are on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Once in a while, we
have to make up a rained out game and play on Sunday morning. My family goes to
church on Sunday so I miss church when this happens. Is this wrong?
Not in the Pews
Dear Abba,
Last weekend, my friends and I went to the movies. The ticket price was $7. The price for kids aged 12 and under was $5. My friends all said they were 12 which isn’t true. We are all 13. I told the lady I was 13 and paid $7. All my friends laughed at me and told me I was stupid to pay the extra money. They said NOBODY pays the adult price until they are at least 14. I don’t want to waste my money and I don’t want to be stupid either. What should I do?
Signed,
$2 poorer
Dear Abba,
I’m not crazy about
always having to get up on Sunday morning to go to church. I have to get up early
every day to go to school and I like to sleep in. My mom and dad don’t always
make me either. They like to sleep in and have breakfast together. It is so
busy during the week. Dad calls Sunday morning our “family time”. Isn’t family
time just as important as going to church?
Signed,
Dear Abba,
I’m a
grandmother with 4 grandchildren who live near me and 2 grandchildren who live
far away. I love my grandkids, but as they get older, we haven’t much in common
and they don’t want to spend any time with me. I used to read and sing to them
all the time. Now they barely talk to me. I never get any phone calls from
them. I just want to be part of their lives. Am I asking for too much?
Signed
Lonely
Grandma
Dear Abba,
I’m 14 years
old. Last weekend I went to a friend’s house just to mess around. Brian showed
me some marijuana that he got from his older brother. Brian wanted me to smoke
it with him. I lied and told him I couldn’t stay because I had to get home.
This is the first time Brian has tried to do bad stuff. We’ve been best friends
since third grade. What if he asks me again? It was only one. Maybe it’s not so
bad. Doesn’t everybody try it?
Signed,
Breath of
fresh air
Dear Abba,
My best friends
have lots of cool stuff. They always have the latest Xbox games, the latest
sneakers and clothes. The guys on my team have all the best name brands in
sports equipment. I wish I had some of this stuff. My Dad won’t buy it though.
He says it costs too much and doesn’t help me play any better. But, it makes me
feel really bad to show up at practice with my “no-name” glove and shoes.
Everybody looks down at me like I’m poor. We aren’t THAT poor! We could afford
it. How can I tell my Dad that I need these things?
Helpless in Brand X
Dear
Abba,
My
friend, Susy and I used to talk all the time on the phone. We’d talk about the
other kids in our class and who likes whom for hours. But lately Susy has been
ignoring me. Another girl told Susy that I said bad things about her. She told
Susy that I called her a snob because she didn’t like Brenda. Brenda IS mean.
Susy and I agree that we don’t like her. Brenda told everyone I was a gossip.
But that’s not true! Talking isn’t gossip, is it? How can I get them to stop
saying mean things about me?
Signed,
Alone
at lunch
Dear Abba,
I have 3 children. A boy age 14, a girl age 11 and a boy who is 4. The older 2 kids are very rude to me. They talk back when I ask them to do simple chores. They demand all my attention when they want me to do something for them. I have no time to do the things I like to do. Now the 4 year old is starting to say bad things to me too. I do everything for these kids! What can I do?
Signed,
A sad, tired Mother
Dear Abba,
My mom and dad make a
big deal about not using bad words. But
you know everybody says bad stuff and all the kids swear. Well, the other day I said “Oh my God!” My
parents had a fit. What’s the
big deal?
Say what I want
Dear Abba,
After my mom picked me up from basketball practice,
we stopped by the store to get some milk.
I went in to get it while she waited in the car with my little
sister. The milk was all the way in the
back of the store and I had to walk past the candy aisle. I was starving and this Milky Way candy bar
just jumped into my hands. I ate it
really fast and stuffed the wrapper in my pocket. Now I feel really bad about it.
What do I do?
Signed,
Dear
Abba,
My
sister and I have to share a bathroom when we are getting ready for
school. I get up early, but my sister
sleeps in and then thinks she can just take over the whole bathroom ‘cause
she’s in such a rush. When I’m brushing
my teeth, she thinks I have to get out so she can take her shower. I get SO mad at her. She gets mad back. This morning we had a fight and my arm is so sore from where she
hit me. How can I get my sister to
share better?
Signed,
The
Good Sister
Dear Abba,
My dad is never
home. He used to be here more, but now
he’s always gone. He gets home really
late some nights. My friend said she
saw my dad at a nice restaurant with some lady. Why won’t my dad come home?
Signed,
Missing Dad
Dear Abba,
I’ve made some terrible choices. I quit high school ‘cause I couldn’t learn, but couldn’t get a
job. I thought if I left this town I
could find a job. But I didn’t have a
car. So, I stole this guy’s red
convertible and drove away. That was a
great day when I left. I got caught,
though, and I’m finally out of jail. I
still want to get out of this town. I
hate it here. I don’t want to go to
jail again, though. What can I do?
Signed,
I want to do better
Dear Abba,
I was a soldier.
I had to fight in this war. I
hated it. I don’t know if I ever killed
someone, but I worry that I might have.
I can’t stop worrying that I might have killed someone. What can I do?
Signed,
An old soldier
Dear Abba,
I am 14. I have a boyfriend. He’s the coolest guy. We are together lots. He likes to kiss me and I like that,
too. I think my mom wouldn’t like that
I kiss him so much. What do you think?
Signed,
Kissing
Dear
Abba,
My
older sister got married last year.
Before that she had lots of boyfriends.
She still talks to some of her boyfriends when her husband is gone. I don’t think she should talk to her old
boyfriends. What do you think?
Signed,
Wondering
Dear Abba,
I want to see this new movie. It’s rated PG-13 because the language is
bad. I’m 13. My dad saw the movie and said it was lousy. He’s so old-fashioned. He says I can’t see it! Can you imagine! I bet the kids at school talk worse than what’s in that
movie. How can I get my dad to change
his mind?
Signed,
Movie kid
When I was little
my mom and would go to the grocery. I
got to sit in the cart and we always went by the fresh foods first. She would find strawberries, grapes, bananas
or whatever for me to eat while she pushed me in the cart. That was fun. Now when I see her do that with my little brother, I think she’s
stealing the food since she hasn’t paid for it yet. What do you think?
Signed
Grapes
Dear Abba,
I went to the mall with
my friend. We each bought one of those
big cookies. My friend gave the
saleslady $5. The lady thought it was $10
and gave my friend too much change back.
My friend was so excited to get the extra money. I think he should give it back. My friend says it was the lady’s mistake,
not his. Who’s right?
Cheap