Gospel Kids Group Guide (9/24)
Introduction:
We have been learning about the spiritual discipline of worship. In the lesson this past Sunday, kids learned about how God sent fire down from heaven to prove that He alone is Lord. Knowing who God is leads to meaningful and impactful worship!
This week, we will look at worship in the Old Testament by focusing on Leviticus 16:3-9 and the Day of Atonement.
Discussion Guide:
The first 3 questions are designed to review material from the previous week:
What is a spiritual discipline?
What is worship?
What are some ways we can worship and celebrate God?
What is atonement? (help the kids to understand that atonement makes us “AT ONE” with God. Focus on the reconciliation brought through the atoning blood of Jesus and make the connections to the goats on the Day of Atonement. Use analogies such as friendship and forgiveness to help them understand how atonement brings us back into right relationship with God.)
Read Leviticus 16:3.
What was the name of the place that Aaron was told to enter?
What was Aaron supposed to bring into the most holy place?
Read Leviticus 16:4.
Say, “The High Priest couldn’t just go into the most holy place. He had to wear specific clothing and do specific preparations. All the priests had to follow a lot of special rules as they offered sacrifices for God’s people.Aren’t you glad that we don’t have to worship that way anymore? There isn’t a specific outfit we have to wear or ritual we must do to be in the presence of God. We also don’t have to be separated from the presence of God anymore. God is always with us. What a great reason to celebrate and worship God.
CHRIST CONNECTION: Read Leviticus 16:6-9. Say, “The reason we get to be in the presence of God is because of Jesus. In the Old Testament, God’s people would have to bring a sacrifice to a priest and have him offer it as payment for their sins over and over again. But God sent His Son, Jesus, as the perfect and final sacrifice for our sins. Now all we have to do is pray and ask God to forgive us of our sins through Jesus. After Jesus defeated death and went back to heaven, God sent us the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, we are able to be in the presence of God! This means that when we celebrate and worship God, He is there!”
Close in prayer, focusing on worshiping and giving thanks to God for His forgiveness (atonement) of our sins.
Activity Ideas:
Worship freeze dance - invite kids to dance to an upbeat worship song. When you pause the song, they must stop dancing. Last person to stop dancing is out!
Worship musical chairs
Bible verse choreography - have the kids help you come up with motions for one of the following Bible passages about worship: 1 Kings 8:60; Psalm 100; Psalm 150
Simon says - incorporate cues that reinforce the theme of worship (i.e., clap your hands; dance before the Lord; lift your hands in praise)
