WEEK 10 New Creation – Here we come!

(Isaiah 65 & 66)

Main Point – God promises a new creation for all who come to him. So tell as many people as you can, so they will not miss out.

Lesson Plan: 1. Kids Talk Video – 2. Memory Verse – 3. Activities – 4. Story & Discuss – 5. Pray

1. Kids Talk Video

Watch the Kid’s Talk: https://youtu.be/RCm0nV-wZJ4

2. Memory Verse This week’s memory verse is the same as last two weeks: 2 Corinthians 1:20

This Colin Buchanan song, called ‘2 Corinthians 1:20’ can be listened to on Spotify, Apple music or on the following Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUHjMFJdYOY

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20

3. Interactive Story Activities

Activity 1 Pass it on:

You will Need: - A clear, open space.

Parent to read aloud: Jesus went to his hometown and went into the synagogue. People would meet together in the synagogue to read God’s word and pray. Jesus read out some sentences from an Old Testament book called Isaiah. The same chapter we’re looking at today. Jesus then said the most amazing thing. He said that Isaiah had been talking about him. The words in Isaiah were written 800 years before Jesus read them out. Let’s see if we can work out what these words are. Instructions:

1. Everyone playing stands in a line. 2. Parent whispers one of the messages (see below) to the first person in line. 3. First person whispers the message to the next person in the line. 4. Each person passes the message down the line. 5. Last person in the line calls out the message.

Messages:

- No more tears. - Heaven is your forever home. - Don’t miss out. - Who are you going to tell?

Parent to read aloud:

- You don’t keep good news to yourself; You tell someone. - We have good news: God invites his people to come and enjoy the new heaven

and new earth with him forever. - So who do you need to tell? Because we don’t want anyone to miss out.

Activity 2

1,2,3 Change

You will Need:

- Clear, open space. Instructions:

1. Parent teaches children three different poses:

- Pose #1 sadness (hold hands up to corners of eyes) - Pose #2 pain (broken arm in sling) - Pose #3 sickness (hold stomach)

2. Parent turns his/her back on children and counts, 'one, two, three, change.' 3. Children must choose a pose and make that pose before parent turns around. 4. Parent turns around. 5. Every child who has the same pose as the parent sits down. 6. Continue until one child is left. 7. Play again with the children having a turn taking the parents role.

Parent to read aloud:

- This world has a use by date. - One day it will be replaced. - It will be replaced by a new heaven and new earth. - And sadness, pain, sickness and even death itself will disappear.

Activity 3

Why am I sad?

Need:

- Clear, open space.

Instructions:

1. Brainstorm as a family different times or situations that people become sad. 2. Children and parents choose one of the situations from the brainstorm to act out.

(either acting individually or as a pair). 3. Parent asks “Why are they sad?”. 4. The rest of the group have to guess what the situation is.

Parent to read aloud:

- While we live here on this earth we feel sad. - There is sickness, pain, hurt and death. - The good news is one day it will all stop. - God is making everything new - a new heaven and a new earth. - He invites us to come to him so we won’t miss out. - And when we arrive, we won’t be disappointed. - It will be better than we could have ever hoped or imagined.

4. Story Discussion

Story: Watch video: God’s Story: Re – Creation http://crossroadskidsclub.net/gods-story-re-creation/ Preschool to Year 2 Discussion Need:

- Material bag (that children can’t see through) full of plastic animals that are dangerous to us (e.g. snake, lion, leopard, shark, tiger, spider...). Or if you do not have plastic animals use the “Pictures of Dangerous Animals” located at the bottom of this document.

- Download the file titled, “Kids Church Stencils – September 27th”. Print out page of tears (one per child) and the page of the pictures: a man building, a woman picking fruit, children singing, a lion and lamb at peace.

- Pencils or textas. Icebreaker:

- What is the worst pain you’ve ever felt? Activity: (Using the plastic animals or pictures of animals).

- Have children take turns to put their hand into the bag and pull out an animal that could cause them pain.

- Have children explain how these animals can cause us pain. - Ask: Do these animals cause other animals pain? - Ask: Will there be pain for animals in heaven?

Activity:

- Hand children a stencil and ask them to draw one picture in each tear drop: sickness, sadness, pain.

- It can be their own experience or the experience they’ve seen others go through. - Ask the children to share what they’ve drawn

Parent to read aloud:

- One day God will make everything new. - This broken world will no longer be broken. - It will be free from sickness, sadness, pain and death. - And we will enjoy living with God forever!

Discuss: Isaiah 65 is full of word pictures that help us know what God’s new heaven and earth will be

like. (lay out four pictures as you say this) What are some of the things we learnt about God’s new creation?

• Picture 1: we will have a home that we will never leave • Picture 2: we will never be hungry or in need • Picture 3: there will only ever be singing and laughter, sickness, pain and death will

be gone forever • Picture 4: even creation will live in peace – animals won’t attack each other

Think It Through:

- Will there be hospitals and doctors in God’s new heaven and earth? Why not? - When you go to the zoo now, animals are put in cages so they won’t escape and hurt

us. And animals are put in separate cages so they won’t escape and hurt each other. What will the zoo be like in God’s new heaven and earth?

Application:

- What are you looking forward to the most in God’s new heaven and earth? - We hate missing out on something good. Imagine missing out on the new heaven

and earth! - Who will you tell this week so they won’t miss out?

School Years 3 – 5 Discussion Need:

- Download the file titled, “Kids Church Stencils – September 27th”. Print out page of tears (one per child) and the last 2 pages of statements (Have the statements cut up indivually).

- Pencils or textas. - A Bible to read.

Icebreaker:

- What is the worst pain you’ve ever felt? Icebreaker Activity:

- Hand children a stencil and ask them to draw one picture in each tear drop: sickness, sadness, pain.

- It can be their own experience or the experience they’ve seen others go through. - Ask the children to share what they’ve drawn.

Read Isaiah 65:17-25

Activity:

- As a group sort the statements into two groups: what will be in the new creation and what won’t be in the new creation.

- See answers below. - Check if sorted correctly by reading the verses listed beside each statement.

Will be there: - Happy forever, v18 - A forever home, v21-22 - Food that satisfies, v21 - Work that satisfies, v22 - God who hears and provides, v24 - Peace in creation, v25 Won’t be there: - Memories of the past, v17 - Crying and sadness, v19 - Death of a young child, v20 - Death of an old person, v20 - Hurt or destruction, v25

Discuss:

- Count how many times the word ‘I’ or ‘my’ appears in verses 17-25. This is God speaking. What does this tell you about the new creation? (God creates it, invites us to come and enjoy it, shares it, delights in it… it’s all from God).

Think It Through:

- What do you think this chapter is saying the best thing about the new creation is? (enjoying God forever)

- Verse 17 says people will not remember the past. What do you think won’t be remembered in the new creation? Why?

- What is so surprising about verse 25? What might a zoo look like in the new creation?

- What jobs won’t be needed in the new creation? Conclusion:

- One day God will make everything new. - This broken world will no longer be broken. - It will be free from sickness, sadness, pain and death. - And we will enjoy living with God forever!

Application:

- Are you sure you will get to enjoy God’s new heaven and earth? Why? Why not?

- What are you looking forward to most? - We hate missing out on something good. Imagine missing out on the new heaven

and earth! Who will you tell this week so they won’t miss out?

5. Prayer There are two options for praying below, please just pick something that suits your family situation. Repeated Prayer Father God, – thank you that one day – there will be no more sickness – sadness, pain or death. – One day – we will live with you – and enjoy you forever. – Amen Individual Prayer Praise God for one thing you are looking forward to in the new creation. Ask God to help you tell the good news to someone this week.

For the ‘Pictures of Dangerous Animals’ see below

Pictures of Dangerous Animals

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Happy forever

A forever home

Food that satisfies

Work that satisfies

God who hears and provides

Peace in creation

Memories of the past

Crying and sadness

Death of a young child

Death of an old person

Hurt or destruction