Kings & Prophets
Judges
Our journey together this year is exploring God’s Big Story in the Old Testament! In our first unit, we looked at the Beginning stories of God’s Creation in the first part of Genesis. In our second unit, we then explored the second part of Genesis where we learned about some of the first leaders and families in the Bible. Last unit, we were in the book of Exodus and learned about Moses and the Israelites. Now, we are headed into the Kings & Prophets section of the Bible and will learn about the Israelites after they entered the promised land.
It is encouraged that families watch the videos, read the texts, reflect on the summaries, respond to the questions and pray together. However, Club 56 participants can also do this on their own- you might need a journal for journaling some thoughts!
Invocation
Find your Club 56 Candle (or a Candle) that you can light.
Invocation: the act of inviting or welcoming or acknowledging that God is present in our space.
As you light your candle, say this invocation out loud: “I light this candle in the name of God, our Creator; Jesus, our Savior; and the Holy Spirit, our Inspirer. The three in one!”
Connect Video
Get a taste of this week’s theme by watching ONE of these videos!
Judges Video
Reflection Questions:
- Do you think the kids needed a director to lead them? Why or why not?
- Which guest director did you like the best? The least? Why?
- What characteristics make a good leader? A bad leader?
Connect is a curriculum from SPARK that is specifically designed for 5th and 6th graders.
Read, Reflect & Respond
Take some time to dig in deep to the Bible!
Need a Bible? Contact Leah M!
Read the Text: Joshua 4:19-24
After you read, make a river or a stone path drawing next to the text. The stones memorialized not just crossing into the Promised Land, but all God had done for the Israelites.
Reflect on the Summary:
“The Israelites were God’s chosen people, and God gave them a pretty specific set of rules to follow—the Ten Commandments. The first commandment was a big one: You shall not have any other gods before me. But the Israelites kept worshiping other gods. In this story, God got fed up with the Israelites’ disobedience and allowed their enemies to plunder them.
To help set them straight, God gave the Israelites judges who advised and protected the Israelites from their enemies, but the Israelites would eventually fall back into old habits and worship other gods again. Over and over, Israelites would find themselves in peril, and over and over God would have mercy on them and send a judge to deliver them. The judges preserved and protected Israel’s relationship and covenant with God, despite the people’s disobedience. They led the people to be faithful to God and to trust that just as God had delivered them in the past, so God would deliver them again. God sticks by our side too, even when we sin and disobey. God’s covenants last forever.”
Respond to the Questions:
- Who has God sent to help you through tough stuff? How did they help you?
- Why do you think the Israelites messed up so often?
Remember (Club 56 Binder)
Our Club 56 Binders are for taking notes and helping us remember details in God’s Big Story!
Need a binder? Contact Leah M.
Get out your Club 56 Binder and find the green page with the shield (labeled Judges). Find the paragraph about why we are using a shield to remember this story and read about it!
In the box, write important key words, people, events or notes that you want to remember about the first text you read.
Need help? Revisit the texts we explored today or read the paragraph at the bottom of the paper.
Prayer
“God who leads us,
Thank you for always being with us and forgiving us when we mess up. We pray for continued guidance and forgiveness for the rest of our lives.
In your name,
Amen”
Benediction
It’s time to blow out or turn off your candle and go on with your day with a blessing.
Benediction: a blessing that sends you out on your day!
As you turn off your candle, bless the people in your home by saying,” May God bless you and keep you, may God’s face shine upon you and may God always go with you and give you peace!”
Quoted texts are revised from:
Connect Leader Guide. Unit 34—Kings & Prophets: Judges. wearesparkhouse.org © 2013 sparkhouse. All rights reserved.
May be reproduced for local use only provided each copy carries this notice.