Sabbath School November 19

Nature Corner: Ripples
Have you ever thrown a rock into a lake?  Suddenly the still water starts to move and make lots of circles.  These circles are called ripples.  They get bigger and bigger as they move out from the spot where the rock hit.  All of our actions are like ripples.  The Bible says in 1 Kings 15:26, "He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he had made Israel to sin."  Unfortunately, many leaders of Israel decided to do evil and caused others to do evil, too, like Priest Eli's sons.  Our actions affect others around us.  We can make ripples of good or ripples of evil.  What kind of ripples will you make?

Ripples photo, #1337934, by abqchief, courtesy of FreeImages.com

Memory Mastery: God's Special Book
Our class is learning all about the Bible - who wrote it, what it's about, and how it's made up.  Can you help your child learn about God's Special Book?  Children who can answer these questions will receive a sample of sheep's wool to add to their Bible artifact collection.

• What's the name of God's special book?
• How many little books are in the Bible?
• What are the 2 big parts of the Bible called?
• Who helped each Bible writer to write his book?
• The Bible tells us the story of ___ from ___ until __________.
• Who will we see leading God's people in all the Bible stories?
• How can we have Jesus lead us in our daily lives?

Mission Mail: A Prayed-for Piano
Dear Patterson Kids,
My name is Matthew.  I am 12 years old, and I live in France.  
Do you play a musical instrument?  I wanted to play piano, so my mom let me take lessons at school.  I loved playing piano, but I didn't have one at home for practicing.  I asked mom if she could get me a piano.  She explained that they are very expensive.  Then she said that we should pray about it.  And we did.  One day, my mom and I visited her friend who has a piano.  When I told the lady that I didn't have one, she said that I could have her piano!  God answered our prayer.  Now, I practice at home on my own piano, and I am getting better and better.  I can even serve God by playing piano at church.
Sincerely,
Matthew

Bible Story: Angels Guard God's Ark
References: 1 Samuel 4-6; PP 581-591

It was a sad day in Israel.  The wicked Philistines took away the ark of the covenant, God's special box that represented His throne.  Eli's sons were dead, and Priest Eli died, too.  

Courtesy of Sweet Publishing and FreeBibleImages.org

The Philistines took the ark back to their land and placed it in the temple of their idol, Dagon.  The Philistines didn't know that God's angels were guarding His ark. On the next morning, the Philistines found Dagon fallen to the floor in front of the ark of the covenant.  They placed Dagon back in his spot.  But the next day, their idol was on the floor broken.  The people became scared.  The God of Israel must be stronger than their idol Dagon.

So, the Philistines moved the ark of the covenant.  But, everywhere it went, it brought them trouble.   God was judging them for stealing His ark away from Israel.  Finally, the Philistines sent the ark back to Israel.  They didn't want to be punished anymore.

​​Our prayer verse is found in Isaiah 42:8.  It says, "I am the Lord. That is my name.  I will not give my glory to another.  I will not let idols take the praise that should be mine."  There is no other God but our God - the Creator of heaven and earth.  We only pray to Him.  And we can bring glory to Him, like Samuel, by doing what is right.

Dear Father God, May my life bring glory to You.  Thank You for my parents who help me do what is right.  In Jesus' Name, Amen