Unit: Following Directions
Session Title: Joseph Forgave His Brothers
Life Point: God wants people to forgive one another like He has forgiven them.
Unit Verse: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5
Weekly Bible Verse: “Accepting one another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a com-plaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.” Colossians 3:13
Bible Passage: Genesis 42-46
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Object: Heavy Box
When you think of a soul, it brings to mind images of light and uplifting thoughts. Over time, misdeeds and sins weigh down the soul and make it heavy. You can teach your youngster about the importance of forgiveness by demonstrating the heavy soul and how much easier it is to carry around when it forgives and is forgiven. Start with an empty shoe box and get your kiddo to hold the box. Ask her how it feels: “Is it light or heavy?” and “Would it be hard to carry this empty box around?” Of course it would be easy. Next, add two or three rocks to the box and hand it over to your youngster again. Ask the same questions. This time, there’s a little bit of weight in the box, but not enough to make it an impossible task. Continue on until the box is just too much to carry easily. Now you can explain the similarities between a heavy soul and the heavy box. Forgiveness is important because it keeps the soul uplifted and prevents it from being weighted down.
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Craft: Forgiveness Gift
Forgiveness isn’t something that can be taken; you may not be able to see it or touch it, but it’s a gift that you can give to someone and a wonderful gift to receive, too. Help your kiddo turn an ordinary gift box into the prettiest gift box he or she has ever seen. Wrap the lid and box separately in decorative wrapping paper, and then pull out the craft supplies and let your little artist take over. They can adorn the box with bows, ribbons, glitter and anything else they can find. When the gift box is complete, help the child think of something that has upset him or her recently and help them to forgive. Write the words “I forgive” and then the scenario on a piece of paper and place it in the gift box. The child can give the box to someone or place it in a special area in the home. They can always come back to the box every once in a while and add more forgiveness notes to the box.
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Craft: Grain-ola
You will just have to go off the picture for how this is made but it looks like granola and then M&Ms put in a bag with a tag on it that says “Grain-ola” and then the weekly verse on the back of the tag.
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Game: Try Try Again
A game that talks about forgiveness and how it is not as easy as anticipated.
Source: The Humongous Book of Games for Children’s Ministry
