Bible Passage: Joshua 4:1-20
Learning Objective: The children will learn how the Israelites used special stones to remember God’s faithfulness and make their own stone to remember Christ’s sacrifice for them.
Materials
Needed: One clean stone per
student, one small paintbrush per student, one color acrylic paint
Discussion with the Kids:
1. “Our country is celebrating a special holiday
tomorrow! Does anyone know what it is called?” (Memorial Day)
2. “Why do we celebrate Memorial Day?” (Because
we are remembering and honoring the people who serve in
our military. They work to keep us safe and give
us our freedom.)
3. Write the word Memorial on the front
board. “See how the word memorial is like the word memory. On
Memorial Day, we remember and thank the people in our military.”
1. In the Old Testament of our Bibles God’s
people also had a time of memorial to remember what God had done for them.
2. “Open your Bibles to Joshua 4. Before we
read let’s talk about what happened before Joshua 4. Remember God’s
people had been in slavery in Egypt and God used Moses to lead his people out
of slavery and across the Red Sea. Then, God led them to wander through
the wilderness for forty years, but every day He was faithful to give them the quail
and manna they needed. Then God finally led the Israelites to the land He
had promised them when He led them out of Egypt. That brings us to
today’s story.”
3. “Let’s read Joshua 4:1-20” Tip: For younger
children you may prefer to read this from a storybook Bible or children’s
Bible.
4. “This is the story of how God led His people
across the Jordan River on dry ground and into the Promised Land. God
wanted a man from each of the twelve tribes to pick up a stone as they crossed
the Jordan.”
1. “Why were these twelve stones
important?” Ask for input from the children.
2. “The Israelites were to keep the twelve stones
as a way to remember how God led them safely across the Jordan River.
When they looked at the stones they could remember God’s faithfulness in Egypt,
through the wilderness, and now in the Promised Land.”
3. “These were memorial stones!”
4. “God wanted them to have something to look at
so they would not forget how He had taken care of them.”
1. “What are some good things God has done for
you that you want to remember?” Ask for input from the children.
2. “The most important thing God has done for us
is given his son Jesus. Jesus came to earth to live a perfect life and
die on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. This is the best
thing God could have done for you and for me, so that we are no longer
separated from Him by our sin. We need to always remember how God gave us
Jesus.”
3. “Today you are going to paint your own
memorial stone as a reminder to you of how God gave us Jesus. When you look
at your stone you can remember how Jesus died on the cross for your sins and
you can thank God sending His Son Jesus to die in your place.”
Memorial Day Craft – Memorial Stones
Materials
Needed:
·
One clean, dry stone
for each child
·
One paintbrush for
each child
·
One paper plate or pie
tin for each child to use as a paint palette
·
One color acrylic
paint. The amount of paint needed depends upon the number of children.
·
Masking tape
·
Sharpie marker
Procedure:
1. Pass out one stone, one paintbrush, and one
empty paint palette to each child.
2. Show a stone which is already completed.
3. The children will choose which side of their
stone will be the top.
4. Squeeze a small amount of paint onto each
child’s palette.
5. The children will paint a cross on the top of
their stone.
6. The adult helpers will write each child’s name
on a piece of masking tape and stick it to the bottom of the stone. Set the stones aside and allow to dry.
