Day 7- Rest

LESSON PURPOSE:  God rested after creating, just like we need to rest, too.

EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK:      Heart for Creation                                                                                      

SONG IDEAS:  

  • Creation Song by Saddleback Kids (emphasis on Day 7)

  • He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands

  • All the Lands That I Loved                                                                              

PICTURE BOOKS:   

  • “Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep” by Maureen Wright

  • “I Don’t Want to Go to Bed” by Tony Ross                                                                                                                   

SCRIPTURE: 

“Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” -Genesis 2:1-3

AS CHILDREN ARRIVE: Choose 1:   

  • Puzzle: You will need a puzzle. You may continue to work on last week’s puzzle or set out a new one for children to complete together.

  • Play Doh: You will need play doh and cookie cutters. Children can create shapes in the play doh using the cookie cutters.

INTRODUCE the Lesson (Engage)

WELCOME: SONG, PRAYER, TP Greeting

REVIEW & TRANSITION:

Last week we learned about Day 6 of Creation. Who remembers what God made on the sixth day? (Animals and people.) Did anybody get to see animals out in nature this week? (Allow for responses.) Did anybody sit with their parents and look at old photographs of family members? (Allow for responses.) God did such an amazing job creating this world, don’t you agree? 

ATTENTION GRABBER:

What day is today? (Sunday.) You know, I had such a busy week that I lost track of what day it is! I’m exhausted from all the work I did this week, so I think we’ll just have a lazy, restful day at Sunday School. Let’s hang out on the floor. (For a minute, sit cross-legged on the carpet or lie down, if space permits.)

*For this section, you will need a pillowcase filled with a scented candle, a lemon, a box of crayons, and an old stuffed toy.

When I woke up this morning, I was so tired that I brought my pillow with me to Sunday School! Oops! (Pull out the pillowcase.) I was thinking, our world is filled with wonderful and beautiful things, but I was so busy this week that I didn’t say ‘Thank you’ to God enough. There’s a saying: “Stop and smell the roses.” What this means is stop being so busy and truly look at things in creation and find ways to appreciate them.

(Pull out the candle.) This candle was used for [my son’s birthday] and it made our whole house smell nice. I have such happy memories of the day when this candle was lit. I’m so grateful for those memories. (Pass the candle around. Let the children smell and feel it.)

(Pull out the lemon.) Lemons have vitamin C, which helps prevent our bodies from getting sick. I drink lemon with hot water and honey every day. It always makes me feel good, and so far my health has been good this season. I’m grateful God thought of lemons and how good they can be for our bodies. (Pass the lemon around.)

(Pull out the box of crayons.) Look at all these colors! God knew that humans needed lots of colors so they can be creators, too. What would our world be like if everything was only yellow and blue? (Allow for responses.) Let’s be grateful that God made so many colors! (Pass the box of crayons around.)

(Pull out the old stuffed toy.) When I was little, my mom bought me this toy. I named him [Pinky]. As you can see, this toy is [not white anymore and the tail is ripped]. What does that say about him? (Somebody loved him.) This toy was my favorite and I couldn’t go to bed without him. He made me very happy. God gave him to me to give me comfort and joy. (Pass the toy around.)

INTRO: Oh my goodness, we are almost done learning about the 7 days of creation! On Day 7 of Creation, God rested.

ACTIVITY: choose 1 or more: 

TEACH the Lesson (Explain/Explore)

*TEACHING POINT 1: GOD RESTED

INTERACTIVE LESSON: Use this Powerpoint

When you have a super busy week, like I did, what would be the first thing you do when you get home? (Allow for responses.) I would want to go to bed or lay on the couch. Rest is very important. When your body and brain are working hard, it’s necessary to take a break. When you take a break, your body and brain finally have time to recover and bring your energy levels back to normal.

Think of a cell phone. In order for a cell phone to work, it needs a full battery. As you use the phone throughout the day, the battery life goes down. What happens when the battery dies? It shuts down and you can’t use it anymore. Our bodies are the same. At the beginning of the day,  our bodies are “fully charged”, but after a full day of school or work, we are running low on energy. We need to rest to recharge our bodies and minds.

The Bible says when God was finished creating the world, He rested. What do you think God did when He rested? (Allow for responses.) God spent the last 6 days creating the world. It took a lot of time and energy out of Him. I can imagine He was exhausted! Finally, on Day 7, God sat down, drank some warm tea, put up His feet and… rested. 

DISCUSSION:

  • Why do you think God took a whole day to rest?

  • Why do we need to rest?

  • What do you like to do to rest? (nap, yoga, read a book, lay on the grass…)

*TEACHING POINT 2: GOD MADE THE 7th DAY HOLY

INTERACTIVE LESSON:

On Day 7 of Creation, God didn’t just sleep. He looked around at all the wonderful things He created and He felt joyful. 

The Bible says, “God Blessed the seventh day and made it holy.” This became a special day, different from the other days of Creation. It is known as the Sabbath. (Have the children repeat the word a few times.) The Sabbath is not a day to work or do normal things. It is a special day to worship God. 

Worship means to do things that show how much we love God. One way we worship God is by coming to church. At church, we sing, pray, learn about the Bible, and enjoy each other’s company. Another way we worship God is by treating everyone with kindness and respect. God doesn’t want His children to be mean to each other. He wants us to love one another. This brings Him so much joy.

Day 7 of Creation is a happy day. It is a day to spend time with family, laugh with friends, and “recharge” ourselves for a new week ahead.

DISCUSSION:

  • Why is Day 7 of Creation special?

  • What have you done today to show God you love Him?

  • What are ways we can make Sundays a special and holy day for God?

APPLY the Lesson Evaluate

ACTIVITIES: Choose 1:

  • Loose Leaf Tea: You will need loose leaf tea, spoons, cheesecloth, twine, stapler, cardstock and tags (this or this). Cut the cheesecloth into 4 inch squares and cut the twine into 6 inch pieces. Put about 2 spoonfuls of loose leaf tea in the middle of the cheesecloth. Gather the corners and secure it with the twine. Knot it twice to ensure none of the tea falls out. Print the blank tags on cardstock. (You can be creative with what you write. Ex: Sleep is tea-rrific, God rested… so should I. Or you can let the children decorate them.) Cut out the tags and staple to the cheesecloth.

CRAFTS:

  • Days of Creation Wheel: You will need templates from the website, cardstock, markers or crayons, scissors, and brass fasteners. Print the templates on the cardstock. Have children color the images then cut them out. Make a small hole in the middle of each template and help them insert the brass fasteners.

  • Paper Plate Dream Catcher: You will need paper plates, scissors, crayons, string or yarn, feathers, beads, and a hole punch. First, cut out the center of the paper plate leaving just the outer ring. Then, use a hole punch to make holes along the inner edge of the ring, two holes at the top of the ring (for hanging), and three holes at the bottom (to hang feathers). Children can decorate one or both sides of the paper ring with crayons. Cut an extremely long piece of yarn and help children weave the yarn through the middle of the ring to create a web, adding beads along the way. Cut 3 pieces of yarn and tie feathers to the ends. Tie the feathers to the ring and add a loop of yarn for hanging.

SNACK IDEA:

  • Cheese and crackers

  • Hot cocoa

  • Baby carrots

CONCLUDE the Lesson 

CONCLUSION:

After a long and busy week, it’s important to rest our bodies and minds -- just like God rested after creating the world. Day 7 of Creation is also a special day because it is a time to worship God and all that He created.

PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Parent, You have spent so much time and energy to create this amazing and beautiful world. Today we learned that You rested on the seventh day. You also made the seventh day special so that Your children can take time to worship You and all You’ve created. This Sunday, I hope we can all be grateful for our families, friends, community, and Your awesome creation. Amen. Aju.             

Leena Vincenz-Gavin