voice of sunday school

a morning prayer

2008-10-30T12:12:00.002+07:00

Thank you, LORD, for another day.

Thank you for the sun and the deep blue sky.

Thank you for the cool Autumn air.

Thank you for eggs and bacon,and toast with cinnamon.

Help me to remember

that all good things come from you,

And help me always to be thankful.

Dear Lord,

Help me to be good today.

Forgive me for the times I did what I wanted to do,

instead of what you wanted me to do.

Today is a new day,

and I can start brand new

because you have forgiven me.

Help me to be a blessing today.

Use me to bring happiness to those you love.

Dear Lord, your love

is better than anything else in the world.

And you love me.

Help me always to remember that.

Thank you, LORD!

the butler, the baker and the telling of thigs to come

2008-10-30T11:42:00.001+07:00

(Genesis 39.20 - 40.23)
But, do you know what? They were.There was something about Joseph.He gave himself to God, and he let God lead him in everything he did. It was like the light of God's presence was there, wherever he went - even in a cold dark prison. That's what God wants for all of us. God wants us to be the light of His presence wherever we are.The chief jailer must have seen that in him, something maybe he couldn't even explain. But he liked Joseph right from the start. And before long, he put Joseph in charge of the whole prison.And God was with Joseph, and blessed him in everything he did.Time went by, and it happened that the Pharaoh's butler and his baker must have been having a bad day. Maybe the butler spilled a goblet of wine in the Pharaoh's lap. Or maybe the baker's sticky buns were too sticky. Or maybe they offended Pharaoh much more seriously than that.But whatever happened, Pharaoh was not pleased with them. And when Pharaoh is not pleased, believe me, NO one is pleased!And so he had the Butler and the Baker thrown in jail.They were there for a long time.Now, it also just so happened that they were thrown into the same prison where Joseph was. And before long, the Chief Jailer made Joseph their servant. Of course, this didn't just happen. God was working out his plan. A very big, wild, wonderful plan.One night, the Butler and the Baker each had a dream. They were very strange dreams, and the next morning, they were both upset."You look troubled," Joseph said when he brought them their gruel that morning (you don't get bacon and eggs for breakfast in prison! You don't get pancakes, french toast and waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. Nothing like that! Nothing but gruel. Nasty gruel for breakfast, nasty gruel for lunch, nasty gruel for dinner - even nasty gruel for dessert. Well, maybe you would be lucky NOT to get dessert).Anyway, when Joseph set their bowls of gruel down in the dirt, the Baker said, "We both had very strange dreams last night. We are sure they mean something, but we don't know what!""Only God knows what dreams mean," Joseph said. Joseph knew that everything we have, and everything we can do comes from God."But, tell me your dreams, and maybe God will give me the meaning."And so the Butler and the Baker each told Joseph what they dreamed.
Good News, Bad News

© Paul Dallgas-Frey5/09/03

joseph in the house of potiphar

2008-10-30T11:35:00.000+07:00

(Genesis 39)
Joseph was Jacob's little baby, and Jacob loved him very much. That was a good thing.But then, Joseph's older brothers got jealous and were mean to him. That was a bad thing.Jacob gave Joseph a wonderful new coat. A good thing.But that made Joseph's brothers REALLY jealous. A bad thing again. Joseph's brothers were so jealous, they decided to kill him. A really bad thing! But, at the last minute they decide NOT to kill him - a good thing - but to throw him into a pit instead. Bad again!But then Joseph's brothers decide to drag Joseph OUT of the pit, a good thing - and sell him to some traveling merchants, so he would never see his family again.Joseph had to be wondering WHAT was going on!But life is like that.Sometimes there are good times and sometimes there are bad times. But ALL the time, God is with us. But even more than that, sometimes God uses what seem like the worst times to do something wonderful. THAT'S what was going on!Meanwhile, the caravan of traveling merchants arrived in Egypt. Now, I suppose they could have sold Joseph to just any old Egyptian, who lived in some out of the way part of town, and we would have never heard of him again.But that's not what God had in mind.Instead, they sold Joseph to a man named Potiphar. And Potiphar just happened to be an officer in the court of the Pharaoh, the king of all Egypt. Well, of course it didn't just happen that way. God planned it that way!But Potiphar wasn't just any officer in the Pharaoh's court, he was the captain of the Palace guard. He was a big cheese in Egypt, and Joseph was in an important place.So Joseph went from a pit in the wilderness to live in the beautiful house of a very rich and powerful man in the land of Egypt. A bad thing turned into a good thing again!God was with Joseph, and he blessed him.Everything Joseph did for his master turned out well. Really well. His master Potiphar saw this, and he was no dummy. He said to himself, "Why don't I just let Joseph run everything, and then EVERYTHING will turn out well!"And that's just what he did.Potiphar made Joseph his personal servant, and he put him in charge of all that Potiphar owned.And God was with Joseph. God blessed Potiphar's house and all the crops in his fields and everything he owned. All Potiphar had to worry about was what was for dinner!But, even then, trouble was just around the corner. Again!Okay, Joseph was a hunk. He was handsome and strong, and if he was alive today, you would probably see his picture on People magazine while you were waiting in line at the grocery store to buy a Milky Way candy bar.The trouble hiding around the corner was Potiphar's wife. She saw how strong and handsome Joseph was. And she wanted him."Kiss me!" she said to Joseph one day while no one was looking.Potiphar was away, working in another part of the house. Potiphar's wife grabbed Joseph as he walked by. "Kiss me!" she said again."I can't do that!" Joseph said. "My master trusts me! He has put me in charge of everything he owns. It is just like everything is mine. But he is your husband. How can you ask me to kiss you??!! That would be wrong! And God would not be pleased with me at all."But Potiphar's wife would not give up.Day after day, she secretly grabbed him and tried to kiss him. But Joseph always said no.But one day, there was no one at home. Potiphar and all the other servants were away. And Potiphar's wife saw her chance. She grabbed Joseph by the robe and wouldn't let him go."I will not kiss you!" Joseph said, and he ran away so fast he left his coat in her hand.Now Potiphar's wife was angry. She was so angry that Joseph would not have her that she decided to get even. She had a terrible idea.She screamed!"Help me!!! Help me!!! This servant of my husband came into my bedroom and tried to kiss me!!!" By then, the other servants had come back home, and they came running into her bedroom and saw her standing there. "Look!" she said, "When I screamed, he tried to run away. He ran away so fast, he left his coat!"That night, she told the same lie to her husband. "See, what I am saying is true. He came into my room. He even left his coat!"Potiphar was furious.He called for his servants at once. That very night they broke into Joseph's room and dragged him out of bed, and they threw him into a cold, dark prison cell.Things looked pretty terrible for Joseph again.And maybe that night, Joseph sat in his cell, shivering and scared. Maybe he sat there with his head in his hands wondering why all this was happening. "God, where did you go?" He might have even cried. If only he could see the amazing things God had planned. But he couldn't just then. For now, all he could do was trust in God, because God was with him. But, boy, it sure didn't seem like it.But that's how it is. Even in the darkest times, God is still with us. And even then God is at work on a wonderful plan.Always remember that.

JESUS IN TEMPLE

2008-10-23T13:06:00.003+07:00

JESUS IN TEMPLE

When Jesus was about 12 years old He went with His family to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover festival.

As they were returning to Nazareth with the caravan, Mary and Joseph discovered that Jesus was missing!

They returned to Jerusalem and looked and looked for Him.

After 3 days they finally found Jesus in the Temple, sitting with the teachers, listening and asking questions.

All who heard Him were amazed at His understanding of the Bible and God.

Jesus' mother said, "Son, we were so worried. We have been looking and looking for you."

And Jesus said,"Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"

But He left with them and returned to Nazareth, where He continued to obey His parents and to grow in God's love.
(Adapted from Luke 2:41-52)

THREE WISE MEN

2008-10-23T12:38:00.003+07:00

After Jesus was born, three wise men arrived in Jerusalem. They had followed the star from their country far, far away.

"We are looking for the baby who was born to be king of the Jews," they said. "We want to worship Him."

They were told they would find the baby in Bethlehem. So they traveled to Bethlehem and the Star continued to lead them.

When the three wise men found the baby Jesus with His mother, they fell to their knees and worshiped Him.

They gave Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Then the wisemen left and returned to their own country. . .

. . . knowing that they had seen the child who would one day save all people.

(adapted from Matthew 2:1-12)

Jesus is Born !!

2008-10-23T12:24:00.003+07:00

JESUS IS BORN

Now God sent an angel to a young lady named Mary. The angel told her she would have a baby and that the baby would be God's Son. The angel said God's Son would save all who trusted Him from their sins. Mary was very happy.

Just before the Baby was to be born, Mary and Joseph, who was to be Mary's husband, had to go to Bethlehem. But Bethlehem was so crowded that the only place they could find to sleep was in a stable for animals.

That night, baby Jesus, God's Son, was born.

An angel appeared to shepherds in nearby fields. The angel told them that the Son of God had been born that night. He told them they would find the baby in a manger in Bethlehem.

Suddenly there were angels everywhere, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in heaven, and peace to all people who love Him!"

The shepherds immediately went to Bethlehem to see the Baby.

And then they told everyone about the things they had heard and seen!

(adapted from Luke 1:26-32, and Luke 2:1-17)

Joseph in Egypt

2008-10-21T16:22:00.002+07:00

Joseph in Egypt

Genesis 39-41

Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold to a man named Potiphar. Joseph worked hard, and soon Potiphar put him in charge of his entire household. But Potiphar's wife was not a good woman, and one day she accused Joseph of betraying her husband. Although her words were false, Joseph was put in prison. But even in prison, he obeyed God. Joseph liked helping people. Soon he was released to help Pharaoh, the leader of all of Egypt.

"Joseph, I've heard you are able to explain dreams," said Pharaoh.

"Only with God's help," replied Joseph.

God showed Joseph what Pharaoh's dreams meant. Joseph said, "God is warning you. After seven years with plenty of food, the rains will stop. Nothing will grow for the next seven years. But if you plan, you can save your people from starving. You must store food during the good years. Then you can feed your people during the bad years."

"You are a wise man, Joseph," said Pharaoh. "You shall be in charge of all this." Joseph worked hard to carry out the plans that God showed him. He made sure that huge amounts of grain were stored. And when the bad years came, Egypt had plenty of food to feed its people.

From Prison to Palace

In explaining the king's dreams, Joseph gave the king the good news and the bad news. Joseph didn't simply tell the king the meaning of his dreams, though. He gave the kng good advice and a plan.

Many people are able to see the problems, but do not offer the workable solutions. Joseph showed that he trusted Gd to do what he had promised him. The king recognized that God was giving Joseph wisdom, so he made Joseph the second most powerful person in Egypt.

Joseph's promotion came suddenly, and possibly when he least expected it. It is easy for us to think of Joseph as an "overnight success." We tend to forget, however, that God was training Joseph through thirteen years of hardship.

When the time came for Joseph to move to the top, he was prepared. He had learned how to trust God through good times and bad, He had also learned how to be sensitive to the needs of others.

joseph

2008-10-21T16:18:00.002+07:00

Joseph

Genesis 37

After many long years of waiting, Jacob and Rachel finally had a baby. It was a day of great rejoicing, and they named this son Joseph. Jacob had eleven other sons, but Joseph was his favorite son. So he made Joseph a beautiful coat with all the colors of the rainbow woven into it. One night, Joseph had an unusual dream. The next day, he told his brothers, "I dreamed we were bundling up wheat. Suddenly, my bundle of wheat rose high in the air, and all of your bundles bowed down before it.""So you must think you're better than we are!"One day, Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers. They werefar off, tending flocks of sheep, but they spotted him walking in the distance. "Here comes the dreamer," they said. "Let's kill him!" And they begun to plot against him."No, don't kill him," said the oldest. "Just throw him into this hole." When Joseph arrived, they jumped on him, ripped off his beautiful coat, and threw him down into a deep hole. Then they sat and ate their lunch. When a band of merchants passed by, the brothers sold Joseph as a slave. They wiped animal blood on Joseph's coat and took it to their father, telling him that Joseph was dead.

a sad day

2008-10-21T16:10:00.000+07:00

(Genesis 3.14-24)

They knew God said not to eat the fruit from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But they did it anyway. They turned away from the way God wanted them to go. They turned away from God.

Adam and Eve brought sin into God's perfect world.

Sin is knowing what God wants, but doing what you want instead. Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and see what happened? At that moment, everything changed. Before, they would spend each day happily with God. Now they were hiding from God, and they were pointing fingers at each other.

Even though Adam tried to blame Eve for eating the fruit, and Eve tried to blame the serpent, God knew the truth. They all had disobeyed him.

So first, God said to the serpent,

"Because you lied to my children and tricked them into disobeying me, you will crawl on your belly from this day on, and you will eat dust as long as you live."

And then, because God knows what is going to happen today and every day after that, he said to the serpent (remember, the serpent was really Satan), "You will hate Eve and her children, and all the people who are ever born after them. You will be their enemy. And you will do everything you can to hurt them. You will do everything you can to keep them from knowing how much I love them. But one day a child will be born. You will bite his heel, but he will crush your head."

The child that God was talking about is Jesus.

Way back at the beginning of time, God already knew that one day Satan would hurt Jesus - on the day that Jesus died on the cross. But just as sure as that, God knows of another day that is still coming - the day when Jesus will get rid of Satan forever.

Now God turned to Adam and Eve.

God said to Eve, "Because you sinned and disobeyed me, this is what is going to happen. When you have children, it will not be easy. It is going to hurt. "

And he said to Adam, "Because you disobeyed me, you will have to work hard all your life for the food you eat and the things you need. Weeds and prickly things will grow along with your food, and you will sweat to make things grow. All your life you will have trouble."

Their hard life would always remind them what sin can do.

And he said to both of them, "And then one day you will die, just as I said you would. I made your bodies from the dust from the ground, and one day they will become dust in the ground again."

All this happened because Adam and Eve disobeyed God.

It wasn't that God was being mean or unfair. God had made a place where everything worked together perfectly. And it was wonderful. Everything was just the way God wanted it. But when Adam and Eve sinned, they chose to to do something different from what God wanted. Now everything wasn't working together so perfectly. And that messes up everything. That is why sin is so terrible.

So God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and Eve to wear. And then God sent them out of the beautiful, perfect garden he had made for them. God put an angel with a flaming sword on guard at the garden's gate to protect the perfect place from the terrible things sin can do.

Adam and Eve began to learn that when we choose to do what we want instead of what God wants, we ruin the good things God has made for us.

But even though Adam and Eve had sinned, God still loved them.

The very moment Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin came between God and his children.

Because we are all God's children, sin has separated us all from God. We can't live apart from God, so now God had to make a way to bring us back to him. And that is what the rest of the Bible is all about!

big trouble

2008-10-21T16:07:00.001+07:00

(Genesis 3.1-13)

...there in the perfect place that God had made for Adam and Eve. But then one perfect, warm sunny day, Eve was walking through the garden. And there, in the middle of the garden, she met the serpent.
You need to know that the serpent was the one we call the devil, or sometimes we call him Satan. Satan is an angel who decided he didn't want to do what God said anymore, so God sent him out of heaven. And from that day on, Satan became God's enemy.
And since people can't see angels - or the devil - the devil appeared to Eve as a serpent. "Serpent" is another word for snake. Except this snake wasn't like the snakes we know today. He didn't crawl on the ground - yet. And somehow, he could talk.
Now, the thing is, Satan is a liar. He has always been a liar. And he is tricky too. And because he is God's enemy, he hates everything God loves, and does everything he can to ruin it.
So Satan said to Eve,
"Did God really tell you that you couldn't eat the fruit from any tree in the garden?"
That's not what God said at all, and Eve knew it. So she said to the serpent,
"God said we may eat the fruit from any tree in the garden - except the fruit from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. If we even touch that fruit, we will die." Well, that wasn't quite true either, was it. God never said anything about touching the fruit.
The serpent answered, "That's not true at all! You will not die! God only said that because he knows if you eat that fruit you will become like him. You will become wise. You will know what is good and what is bad."
And this is where Eve made her big mistake.
Instead of leaving right then, she stayed a while. She saw that the fruit on the tree looked very good. And she started thinking how nice it would be to be like God and know everything. But she also knew that God had said not to eat the fruit from that tree. Except now she was starting to think maybe it would be okay anyway. That fruit did look good. And the more she looked at it, the more she wanted it - and the more she forgot what God had said.
That is how temptation works. It is when you know something is wrong, but you want to do it anyway. And pretty soon the wrong thing you want to do starts to look good. And you think maybe just this one time it will be okay to go ahead and do it. You think the bad things that always come when you do what is wrong won't happen this time.
But they always do.
That's why things are wrong, because when you do them someone always gets hurt, sooner or later. But Eve wasn't thinking about that. She was only thinking about how delicious the forbidden fruit looked.
So Eve took some of the fruit, and she ate it.
And she gave some to Adam, and he ate it.
And all of a sudden they knew that they were naked.
Before that they were like little kids who run around naked and nobody cares - because little kids don't know any better. That's how Adam and Eve were before they ate the fruit God told them not to. Before that, they didn't know any better. They didn't know the difference between right and wrong. Now they did. Now they knew they were naked. And they were embarrassed.

God was walking through the garden in the cool of the evening as he liked to do. But when Adam and Eve heard him coming they hid from him in the bushes. They were embarrassed and afraid. God called to them, "Adam! Eve! Where are you?" (Of course, God knew where they were).
Adam answered from behind the bushes, "Right here, Lord... I heard you coming... so I hid from you... because I am naked."
"Who told you that you were naked?" God asked. "Did you eat the fruit I told not to eat?" God knew that he had. He always knows.
"It wasn't me!" Adam said, "the woman you gave me, she made me do it!"
So God said to Eve, "Is that true?"
And Eve said, "It wasn't me! The serpent made me do it!"
They were in big trouble now.

© Paul Dallgas-Frey

Originally written sometime around 1997
A little cosmetic surgery November, 2004

everybody needs a friend

2008-10-21T15:37:00.002+07:00

Even though the garden God had made for him was the most beautiful place there could ever be, Adam was lonely.

Adam needed some company. So God reached into the ground again and took some more stuff from the earth. This time he made every kind of animal and every kind of bird. He brought them all to Adam to see what he would call them.

It must have taken a long, long time to think up all those names!

Luckily, he didn't call them things like 'Foo Foo' or 'Snuggems' or 'Pooky' or anything like that. Instead. he called them 'gerbils' and 'rabbits' and 'rhinoceroses.' And he called the birds 'eagles' and 'egrets' and 'ruby throated warblers.'

Well, actually, we don't know WHAT Adam named them. He didn't speak English. But he named each kind, and that's important because people are the only ones that name things. Your dog knows what a squirrel is, but he doesn't call it a squirrel. He just barks at it! But naming things is one of the things that shows we are different from all the other creatures that God made.

But even with all the animals around to keep him company, God saw that Adam was still sad. Monkeys are fun to play with, but they don't have very much to say... and they have terrible table manners.

So God made Adam fall asleep (he must have conked him on the head or something), and while Adam was sleeping, God took one of his ribs.

God took Adam's rib and he made a woman from it. When Adam woke up, God brought Eve to him (that's what Adam named her later on), and Adam said,

"At last! Here is someone like me! Her bones were made from my bones, and her body was made from my body. I will call her 'woman' because that means she was taken out of man."

At last Adam was happy.

And so Adam and Eve lived together in God's garden. And do you know what? They were naked and nobody cared... or thought it was funny!

But that's another story...

The Prophet Daniel : A Reputation of Faith

2008-10-15T14:50:00.000+07:00

by Craig

*LESSON OBJECTIVE

After completing this lesson, children will understand that faith is the key
to finding courage.

*AS KIDS ARRIVE ( 15 minutes )

The Prophet Daniel (Word Puzzle)

THE PROPHET DANIEL

What did it take for Daniel to survive when he was in Babylon?

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

†

Find the square on the grid above by using the reference points to locate the first letter of each name shown below. For example, the first letter of the name Meshach "M" is in square A3. Start from A3 and go up, down, left or right to an adjacent square to find the next letter of the name. Carefully and completely shade in each square containing letters for all the names shown. Then shade in the squares with a cross † symbol to find the hidden message.

What did it take for Daniel to survive when he was in Babylon? ______________

A 3
I 2
S 9
H 6
O 8
G 1
N 1

Meshach
Shadrach
Abednego
Darius
Belshazzar
Nebuchadnezzar
Daniel

M 3
Q 1
F 2
A 5
E 6
D 8

Babylonian Kingdom
Belteshazzar
Hananiah
Prophet
Mishael
Azariah

*OPENING PRAYER AND PRAISES ( 5 minutes ) Further info?

Opening Prayer

The Opening Prayer is an important part of every lesson for several reasons. First, it signals that it is time to start the class. The opening activities used while waiting for kids to arrive allow the children to converse and catch up on week long activities. When it is time to get serious, a prayer works great. Also, an Opening Prayer will set the mood for the lesson while inviting the Holy Spirit to be in control.

The Opening Prayer should always include the following:

1. Praise to God for the opportunity to meet and for the attendance of everyone present.

2. A request for guidance, especially for the teacher so that the Word of God can be shared in a meaningful way.

3. Asking for the children to be open to learning the Word of God and that the Holy Spirit is present in everyone's
heart and in the classroom.

The Opening Prayer is also best for including prayer request and praises. With a new class, the children may not be comfortable enough to do much sharing, but as they get to know each other they will be more likely to offer praises and prayer requests. This can take a while, so it is important to make sure the kids stay focused on giving only a praise or a prayer request and not to become side-tracked on other issues. If the class size is very large, you may also want to consider dividing the kids into smaller groups and have prayer led by more than one adult leader or helper.

When including prayer request and praises, always consider the following:

1. Ensure everyone has a chance to contribute.

2. Rather then trusting your memory, be prepared to jot down what is said.

3. Be sure to touch on each child's requests. It is important to them to know that you care and that their prayers
are important.

4. Make sure special needs of your church or church members are also mentioned.

*MEMORY WORK ( 6 minutes )

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8
Once again, play the "hangman" game with this familiar verse.
After one of the kids is able to say the verse correctly,
have everyone look it up in their own Bibles.

*SCRIPTURE READING AND DISCUSSION ( 15 minutes )

Introduction:
Last week we learned about when Daniel interpreted the hand-writing on
the wall for king Belshazzar. The king died that same night, because he
did not humble himself before God, and worshipped his gold and silver
instead. But before he died, he made Daniel the third highest ruler in
the kingdom. Now, Darius became king, and he showed much favor to Daniel.
In fact, he wanted to make Daniel ruler over the entire kingdom.
This naturally upset many others who were serving the king.
They were already jealous of Daniel, because he was held such a high
position and was only a captive from Judah. But this was too much. Finally,
they came up with a very clever plan to get rid of Daniel. That's where
our Bible story today begins.

Daniel 6:6-24 (Daniel in the Den of Lions)
Read the passage to the children as they follow along in their own Bible.

Discussion Questions:
1. How did the evil men know that Daniel would not give up his praying to God?
(his reputation for being faithful to God)
2. Did the king want to throw Daniel in the den of lions? (no)
Then why did he? (he was bound by a written decree)
3. How did Daniel show he had faith in God after he heard the decree?
(He went home and prayed anyway)
4. Daniel said he was saved because he was found innocent in God's sight,
innocent of what? (being disobedient, not being faithful to God, etc.)
5. What are some situations in your life where having faith in God helps?380