Sabbath School April 15

4/14/2017

Nature Window: Dandelions

Dandelions are pretty yellow flowers that you often see in yards. Your mommy or daddy may not be so happy to see dandelions in the yard. We call plants we don't want, weeds. Why don't a lot of people like dandelions? It's because dandelions are really hard to remove or kill, and they spread very easily.

Dandelion field photo #1453064 by Bill Thearle, courtesy of FreeImages.com

After the yellow flower is gone, the dandelion becomes a white puffy ball that easily breaks apart. In fact, the seeds are in that puffy ball. When the wind blows those balls apart, the seeds fly and plant a new dandelion somewhere else.

Dandelion Goes to Seed photo #1555283 by DimitarTzankov, courtesy of FreeImages.com

Dandelions remind me of the Bible verse, 2 Chronicles 33:9, which talks about a wicked king of Judah named Manasseh. It says, "But Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem to do wrong" (ICB). When a king decides to disobey, he influences his people to disobey, just like how the dandelion spreads its seed everywhere. It's hard to remove disobedience. God was very sad with Manasseh because he spread evil all over Judah. Thankfully, his grandson, King Josiah decided to be a good example for the people and follow God.

On your nature walk today, can you pick the yellow dandelion heads? Find one that has gone to seed. Pull it apart to see the parachute God attached to each seed. Think of how you can be a good influence to those around you.

Memory Mastery: The Godhead

This quarter we are learning more about the Godhead. During our time, we will unpack a little of the mystery of God to help the children understand some important principles. At the end of our questions and answers, you will find a poem about the Godhead that I want the children to memorize.

Who is God?

God is our maker. [Can you pound your fist like you are building something?] He put our bodies together before we were born.
God is our provider. [Can you hold your hands out to give?] He gives us everything we need to live (air to breathe, food to eat, water to drink, clothes to keep us warm, roof to keep us dry, and family to love).
God is our Savior from sin. [Can you cross your arms like you are in jail, then open them to be free?] He died for our sins and gives us power to obey, so we can live forever with Him.

Did God really make everything? What was there before Him?
Reference: Acts 17:24-28

God is the Creator of heaven and earth and every living being.
He has always been there. He was there before anything existed. He was there before your mommy and daddy, before your grandma and grandpa, before Abraham and Noah, before Adam and Eve, before the animals, before the earth was created, before the angels lived, before the whole universe was here – God has always been there, and He will always be here.
And God wants each of us to get to know Him and be His friend, so He inspired prophets to write the Bible – His words to us.

Do you like to be alone all by yourself? Neither does God.
In fact, did you know God has his own family?
References: 1 John 5:7; Mark 1:9-11

We call His family the Godhead.
There are 3 persons in His family – The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Can we see God?
References: 1 John 4:12; John 6:46; Hebrews 4:14; John 15:26; John 14:7-9

No, we can’t see God, but we know He is there. There are a lot of things we cannot see, but we know they are there. Can you think of any examples? (air, microscopic organisms, certain wavelengths of light, magnetic force, etc.)
But, people long ago did see Jesus when he walked and lived on earth. Now, Jesus is in heaven serving as our great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. Even though He is way up there, we can still see Jesus here. When we prayerfully read the Bible, the Holy Spirit will show Him to us. And Jesus will show us the Father.

Here is a poem I wrote to help us remember each person of the Godhead.
(This poem is the actual memory mastery project we will memorize as a class.)

Who is God? [arms and shoulders raised up like I don't know.]
Heavenly Father, to whom I pray. [point up, then hands folded in prayer]
Jesus Christ who died for me. [open arms wide like cross, then point to self]
Holy Spirit who lives in my heart. [swirl on finger around, then point to heart]
All 3 are one God of love. [show 3 fingers, show 1, point up, then hug self]

- by Inga Goodwin

Mission Trip: West Central Africa Division

This quarter the world church family is going to do some special mission projects in the West Central Africa Division. We will learn more about those projects next time.

Can you find these countries on the map of Africa in Google Maps? Zoom in near the Gulf of Guinea to find Nigeria and Gabon, where our two special projects are.

Bible Story: Josiah Discovers God's Special Book

Reference: 2 Chronicles 34
Josiah's father Amon and grandfather Manasseh were wicked kings of Judah. Josiah was only 8 years old when he became king. He decided he would love and obey God.

King Josiah was 8 years old when he became king of Judah. Can you point to little king Josiah? Courtesy of Sweet Publishing and FreeBibleImages.org

As King Josiah humbled himself before God, God showed him more ways to do what's right. King Josiah decided to destroy the idols in Judah and in parts of Israel. He tore down the altars made to pagan gods.

King Josiah wanted to follow God, so he destroyed all the idols in Judah. Can you pound your fists? Courtesy of Sweet Publishing and FreeBibleImages.org

He also decided to repair God's house. People gave money to help. King Josiah hired carpenters and stone workers to fix God's house. The priests and Levites made sure everything was done right.

King Josiah fixed God's house. Do you see the men working on the roof? Can you put your finger tips together to make a roof? Courtesy of Sweet Publishing and FreeBibleImages.org

Then Hilkiah the High Priest discovered something very special in the temple. It was the only copy of God's book in the country. He sent God's book to King Josiah. When King Josiah listened to the words of God's book, he was so upset he tore his clothes. He was sad that his people had disobeyed God for so long. He wondered what God thought of him. Huldah the prophetess gave King Josiah a message from God: "I am glad you are sad for all the sins of your people. I have been very sad, too. Because you want to do what is right and follow me, I will not punish the people while you are alive."

High Priest Hilkiah read God's special book to King Josiah. The king tore his clothes. He knew God was sad for all the wicked things people had done. Can you put your hands together like you are reading God's book? Courtesy of Sweet Publishing and FreeBibleImages.org

King Josiah was thankful that God was happy with him. He read God's book to the people. They wanted to obey God, too. Then all the people celebrated the Passover to remember how God freed his people from slavery in Egypt.

King Josiah told the people to have a special dinner, called the Passover. God's special book teaches that this dinner reminds us of how God freed his people from slavery in Egypt. Can you pretend to eat and drink? Courtesy of Sweet Publishing and FreeBibleImages.org

Our prayer verse is John 14:15, which says, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." Because King Josiah loved God, he kept God's commandments. He got rid of all the idols in Judah. He read God's special book to the people, so they could learn of God's love and God's commandments.
Do you love God? Do you read God's special book? Do you obey God's commandments? It makes God sad when we disobey. Let's show God how much we love Him by asking for His Holy Spirit to help us obey, like King Josiah did.
Dear Father God, I love you. Send me Your Holy Spirit, so I can keep Your commandments. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Let's play a game of hide and seek with the Bible. When Josiah was king, there was a copy of the Bible hiding in the temple. Priest Hilkiah found it. Close your eyes, while I place this Bible somewhere in the room. Open your eyes and see if you can find it. King Josiah was glad to find God's special book. But when he read it, he became sad because he realized that his people had been very wicked. Let's remember to read our Bible stories, so we can know what God says.

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