2025-04-06 Jealous

Praise and Worship (15 mins)

Parents: The parent and child scheduled for this week will lead us in singing on Sunday. Please take time to practice the songs together at home, helping your child feel confident and joyful as they prepare to lead.

Prayer and Offering (5 mins)

Parents: Please encourage your children to bring an offering to church. You may help your child prepare by setting aside a coin for them to bring on Sunday. This is a great opportunity to teach them about giving to God with a thankful heart and trusting Him to provide.

What is Offering?

Offering is when we give something to God to show our love and thankfulness. In church, we often give money as an offering, but we can also give our time, talents, and kindness to God and others.

Why Do We Make an Offering?

1️⃣ To Thank God – Everything we have comes from God! Giving back is a way to say, “Thank You, God!”
2️⃣ To Trust God – When we give, we show that we trust God to take care of us.
3️⃣ To Help Others – Offerings help the church teach about Jesus, help people in need, and share God’s love.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:7,
"God loves a cheerful giver!" That means God is happy when we give with a joyful heart!

Prayer for Offering

Dear God, thank You for giving us everything we need. We want to give back to You with joyful hearts. Please use our offering to help others and share Your love. Help us to always trust You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Review Verse from Last Week

The Lord”
👉 Point both hands up
(Repeat: "The Lord" – everyone point up!)

“is good”
👍 Give a big thumbs-up
(Say: "is good" – thumbs-up!)

 “to all;”
👐 Stretch arms wide, like including everyone
(Say: "to all" – arms wide!)

 “he has compassion”
🤗 Cross arms over your chest like a big hug
(Say: "he has compassion" – give a hug!)

 “on all”
🌍 Point to others around the room
(Say: "on all" – point around!)

 “he has made.”
✋👈 Point to yourself, then sweep your hands out like showing the world
(Say: "he has made" – point and sweep!)

Bible Story (10 min): God is Jealous

Introduction (1 min)

(Hold up a shiny medal, a small trophy, or even a gold star sticker.)

Okay kids, look what I have here! A shiny first place medal! Who here has ever won a prize before? Maybe a race, a spelling contest, or even a game?

(Pause and let a few kids raise their hands and share.)

Awesome! Now imagine this… You ran your very best. You beat everyone else. You clearly won!

(Pretend to hold the prize proudly)

But then… someone else walks up, grabs the medal, and the teacher gives them the prize instead of you.

(Gasp dramatically)

😲 What?! How would you feel?”

(Let the kids respond – "That's not fair!" "I’d be mad!" etc.)

Exactly! That’s not right. The person who won should get the prize. They deserve it.

Well guess what? In our Bible story today, we’ll see how God always deserves first place—because He is the greatest! He’s more important than anything or anyone else. And God won’t let anyone steal the glory that belongs to Him.

Let’s find out what happened when people tried to treat something else like it was just as great as God...

Story Telling (5 min) - God Is First!

(Start with excitement)

Today I want to tell you a true story from the Bible. It’s a little bit funny... but also very important. It’s about a time when someone tried to treat an idol like it was just as great as God. But guess what? God showed them—He is FIRST!

Scene 1: The Ark of God is Taken

(Hold up a picture or a simple box labeled “Ark of God”)

This is the Ark of God. It was a very special box that reminded God’s people of His power and presence. One day, God’s people were in a battle, and their enemies, the Philistines, captured the Ark!

😲 Oh no! That’s not good. They took the Ark and put it inside the temple of their fake god—an idol named Dagon.

Scene 2: Meet Dagon

(Hold up a funny-looking paper idol or drawing labeled “DAGON”)

This is Dagon. He was just a statue—but the Philistines treated him like a god. They put God’s Ark right next to Dagon. Can you imagine that? They thought Dagon was as great as God!

🤔 Do you think that made God happy?

🙅 No way!

Scene 3: First Morning

The next morning, the people came into the temple. Guess what they saw?

(Act surprised and knock over Dagon)

DAGON had fallen flat on his face in front of the Ark of God! It was like he was bowing down to God!

👏 Everyone say: “God is FIRST!”

🎤 So the people stood Dagon back up again.

Scene 4: Second Morning

But the next morning... they came in again…

(Dramatically knock Dagon over again—but this time break off its head or arms if using props)

And DAGON had fallen again! But this time, his hands and head broke off! Uh-oh!

Why did that happen?

Because God won’t let anything take His place.

Everyone say again: “God is FIRST!”

Wrap-up & Discussion (4 min)

Boys and girls, God showed everyone that day: He is the one true God. He is JEALOUS—not in a bad way, but in a holy way. He won’t share His glory with idols or anything else. Only He deserves to be first!

So let me ask you: Is God first in your heart? Or do you sometimes let toys, games, or even friends come before Him?

Let’s remember: God is FIRST—always!

Everyone say it with me one more time: “God is FIRST!”

Memorizing Verse: Exodus 34:14

Alright boys and girls! Today’s verse is short—but powerful! It tells us that God is a jealous God, which means He won’t share His place with anyone else. He wants to be first in our hearts!

Let’s learn it with some hand motions to help us remember.

Verse

Exodus 34:14 – “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (NIV)

“Do not worship”
Cross both arms in an “X” in front of your chest (like saying “no!”)

“any other god,”
Point around to pretend there are many things/people in a circle.

“for the LORD,”
Point up with both hands.

“whose name is Jealous,”
Touch your chest (like saying “My name is…”) then make a serious face and pretend to guard your heart with both arms.

“is a jealous God.”
Hold one fist tightly to your chest and the other in the air (like strong and protective), then point up again.

Let’s put it all together now:

Let’s say it slowly:

“Do not worship”
“any other god,”
“for the LORD,”
“whose name is Jealous,”
“is a jealous God.”

Good job! Let’s do it again a little faster!

(Repeat 2-3 times, inviting kids to get louder, faster, or whisper the verse the last time.)

Now, who thinks they can try it with me—without looking?

(Invite volunteers or say it as a group one last time.)

Remember—this verse reminds us that God doesn’t want to be in second or third place. He wants to be FIRST—because He’s the one true God!

Craft & Game (10 mins)

Craft (5 min) - “God is First” Trophy Craft

Materials Needed:

• Half sheets of coloured card stock or paper
• Markers or crayons
• Stickers (optional)

Alright boys and girls, now we’re going to make something special to remind us that God deserves first place in our lives.

Everyone say: God is FIRST!’

(Hold up a sample paper trophy or draw one on the board)

You’re each going to make your own trophy—like the one you’d win in a race—but this one isn’t for you. It’s for GOD because He deserves the top prize!

✂️ Instructions

1. 🎨 “You’ll get a trophy-shaped paper (or draw one if using blank sheets).”

2. ✏️ “In the center, write the word GOD in big letters—or use a sticker if we have one.”

3. 🌟 “Decorate your trophy with gold crayons, glitter, stickers—anything that makes it look like a prize fit for our amazing God.”

4. 🖊️ “On the back, write or ask for help to write: ‘God deserves first place!’”

 (Walk around, encourage kids, and help them write if needed)

Remember, this isn’t just any art project. Every time you look at your trophy, you can say, ‘God is better than everything else. He is first in my heart!

One more minute—finish up your decorations and then we’ll play a fun game!

Game (5 min) - “Don’t Let Anything Take First!”

Now it’s time to get moving! This game will help us remember that God is first, and we shouldn’t let anything take His place.

🚦 Setup

• Place an object at the front of the room labeled “God” (e.g., a sign, cross, or decorated box).

• Have kids stand in a line behind it like a starting line.

🎭 Choose one child or leader to be the “idol”—they’ll try to sneak in and stand in front of “God.”

🕹️ How to Play

🎤 “You’re all standing behind ‘God’—because He goes FIRST. But oh no! Someone is trying to sneak in front and steal first place!”

🚷 “When you see the idol trying to move in front, shout together: ‘God is FIRST!’ and gently block them by holding out your arms (no pushing!).”

📢 “Let’s practice yelling it once: ‘God is FIRST!’”

🎭 “Now let’s play! Each round, we’ll pick a different idol or blocker!”

(Play 3–4 rounds depending on time. Vary the idol’s speed or sneakiness for fun!)

Wrap-Up

Great job protecting first place! Why did we yell ‘God is FIRST!’?

Because only God deserves to be worshipped!

Right! Remember—games and toys are fun, but they don’t belong in first place. That spot belongs to God—always.

Let’s give a round of applause to God—our FIRST and BEST!

Response Song

Closing Prayer, Announcement, Birthdays & Snack Time (10 mins)

Dear God,
Thank You for showing us today that You are the greatest and You deserve to be first in our hearts.
Help us not to put anything—like toys, games, or even people—before You.
We want to love You more than anything else.
Please help us remember that You are a jealous God, and that’s a good thing—because it means You love us and want what’s best for us.
Thank You for always being with us.
We love You, Lord.

In Jesus’ name we pray, let's all say together
Amen.

Snack Prayer

God... is First! Let us thank Him for the snack right now.

We fold our hands.
We bow our heads.
We thank you, God,
For this daily bread.
Amen

Free Time & Children Pickup (15 mins)