Hello everyone!
Do you remember me promising to be back again on Sunday? Well here I am! Did you make any promises this week? More importantly, did you manage to keep them?
If things were ‘normal’ at the moment, we’d all be getting ready for the last two weeks of school and all of the exciting things that usually brings like sports days, parties and maybe having visits to our new classes … or even new schools! We’d be having our Sunday School celebration prizegiving and getting ready for the summer holidays. Sadly, not all of these things can happen at the moment and we’re having to do things a bit differently … just like we are right now with Doing Church Differently for Kids!
I have some exciting news for you though. Faye and I are organising a “different” celebration prizegiving and family service which you will be able to be a part of and then watch in your own home with your family. I’m not telling you any more details at the moment but we will be in touch. Oh … and ssshhhhhh … don’t tell the grown ups !!!!
Katharine
Hello again! ? It’s Julia B back with you this week.
You could say that today’s story is about a lockdown and a knock down….!!
The city of Jericho was in lockdown, not in the same way that we have been or because of a virus, but with the gates shut tight because they were afraid of the Israelites who were camped nearby. We will see how God was with Joshua and the Israelites and that when they followed His plan, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down.
Let’s start with a song that’s new to us: ‘My God is so big’ by Go Fish. Part of it may sound familiar as it reminds us that “My God is so big and so strong and so mighty; there’s nothing my God cannot do” but it has a new twist. Listen out for a mention of today’s story!
The Israelites were camped near Jericho and Joshua may have wondered how they would ever capture the city. Maybe he could see its thick stone walls from their camp. They had no battering rams or any other weapons strong enough to break through its walls. Joshua knew one thing for sure, though – – if God fought for them, no walls in the world were strong enough to stop them. Thankfully God had a plan which Joshua and the Israelites followed, even though it may have sounded rather crazy to them.
Watch the story: The Walls of Jericho.
You can also find it in the Bible in Joshua Chapter 5 verse 13 up to Chapter 6 verse 23.
Talk about these questions:
1) How do you think the people of Jericho felt about the Israelites marching around their city day after day?
2) How do you think the people of Jericho felt when the walls came down?
3) How do you think the Israelites felt when the walls fell down?
Joshua knew that God was always with him and that there was no-one better to go to for help. However big the problem, he trusted God who always keeps his promises. See if you can learn this week’s memory verse from the book of Joshua to remind you that God will be with you wherever you go.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1 v 9
Have a prayer time, thanking God that he is always with you wherever you go and can make even the biggest problems crumble.
Ask for His help in any situations you may be worried or unsure about.
Choose from these activities:
1) Build a wall from toy blocks if you have them, or maybe cereal packets, tissue boxes or some other suitable objects around the house. It might be a good idea to ask your parents first! Find different ways of knocking down the wall. Which one works best?
2) Write the memory verse out on a piece of A4 paper, with each word in a brick shape of a wall. Some will be big and some will be small. Cut each word out and ‘build the wall’ by putting all the words in the right order. Now knock down the wall in some way, maybe by blowing it or pushing the pieces of paper onto the floor. See if you can rebuild the wall again – and again!
3) Make a trumpet from an A4 piece of paper rolled into a cone shape, which you could decorate with stickers, a pattern or pictures.
4) Work out how many times the people of Israel walked around Jericho altogether and walk around your garden that many times. If you don’t think your neighbours or family will mind the noise, find something to use as a trumpet – or if you made one from paper, use that – and blow it as you walk. Only the priests at the front had the trumpets, so you could be one of the quiet ones instead!
Have a good week!
Julia B