Pre K
Act: Thumb wrestle with your child.
Say: Can you imagine thumb wrestling with God. Who do you think would win. God right! His thumbs would be so big. Let me tell you a story about a man who wrestled God.
Genesis 32:22-30: There was a man name Jacob who set up camp one night. And a "man" came to wrestle with him. Jacob and the man wrestled from sundown to sunup. At the end Jacob found out the man he was wrestling with was God! And he could never win against God. Jacob knew this and asked God for a blessing and God blessed him. Jacob was a bad man before this wrestling match, but afterwards he apologized to some of the people he hurt. He realized that he shouldn't fight God and others.
Say: This story reminds us that God is always the winner in any fight. God wants us to be on his team. We can't be too stubborn and try to do things are way all the time. We should share with and love others. When we do this we live in harmony with God and others.
Pray: God, sometimes we do things that hurt you or hurt others. We are sorry when we do that. We want to be on your team. You always win! Amen.
Kindergarten
Act: Thumb wrestle with your child.
Say: Can you imagine thumb wrestling with God. Who do you think would win. God right! His thumbs would be so big. Let me tell you a story about a man who wrestled God.
Genesis 32:22-30: There was a man name Jacob who set up camp one night. And a "man" came to wrestle with him. Jacob and the man wrestled from sundown to sunup. At the end Jacob found out the man he was wrestling with was God! And he could never win against God. Jacob knew this and asked God for a blessing and God blessed him. Jacob was a bad man before this wrestling match, but afterwards he apologized to some of the people he hurt. He realized that he shouldn't fight God and others.
Say: This story reminds us that God is always the winner in any fight. God wants us to be on his team. We can't be too stubborn and try to do things are way all the time.
Q: Have you ever tried to do things your way and nobody wanted to play with you? What happened?
Q: When playing on a team during a game- have you ever tried to have the ball all of the time? Was that fair?
Say: We should share with and love others. When we do this we live in harmony with God and others.
Pray: God, sometimes we do things that hurt you or hurt others. We are sorry when we do that. We want to be on your team. You always win! Amen.
Elementary
Act: Thumb wrestle with your child.
Say: Can you imagine thumb wrestling with God. Who do you think would win. God right! His thumbs would be so big. Let me tell you a story about a man who wrestled God.
Genesis 32:22-30: There was a man name Jacob who set up camp one night. And a "man" came to wrestle with him. Jacob and the man wrestled from sundown to sunup. At the end Jacob found out the man he was wrestling with was God! And he could never win against God. Jacob knew this and asked God for a blessing and God blessed him. Jacob was a bad person before this wrestling match, but afterwards he apologized to some of the people he hurt. He even made things right with his brother, Esau. He realized that he shouldn't fight God and others.
Say: This story reminds us that God is always the winner in any fight. God wants us to be on his team. We can't be too stubborn and try to do things are way all the time.
Q: Have you ever tried to do things your way and nobody wanted to hang out with you? What happened?
Q: When playing on a team during a game- have you ever tried to have the ball all of the time? Was that fair?
Q: How should you behave in these situations to be more like God wants you to be?
Say: We should share with and love others. When we do this we live in harmony with God and others.
Pray: God, sometimes we do things that hurt you or hurt others. We are sorry when we do that. We want to be on your team. You always win! Amen.
Developing Disciple
Read Genesis 32:22-30: That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?”“Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Jacob said, “Please tell me your name. But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel,[g] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
Q: When you read the whole story who do you think won the fight?
Q: Was there a time when you wrestled with God?
Q: Do you know anyone in your life who is still wrestling against God?
Q: God is always the winner. But sometimes we are too stubborn to choose his way of living over the way we want to do things. List three situations from this week that you stubbornly choose to do things your way even if they conflicted with God and others.
Pray: Spend time saying sorry to God for the times you were too stubborn to let him win in your life. Is there anyone you need to apologize to and you've been too stubborn. Call them.
Disciple Maker
Read Genesis 32:22-30: That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?”“Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Jacob said, “Please tell me your name. But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel,[g] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
Q: When you read the whole story who do you think won the fight?
Q: Was there a time when you wrestled with God?
Q: Do you know anyone in your life who is still wrestling against God?
Q: God is always the winner. But sometimes we are too stubborn to choose his way of living over the way we want to do things. List three situations from this week that you stubbornly choose to do things your way even if they conflicted with God and others.
Pray: Spend time saying sorry to God for the times you were too stubborn to let him win in your life.
Spend time listening to God. He might reveal more ways you need to submit to him.
Is there anyone you need to apologize to and you've been too stubborn. Call them.
Additional Reading: Read Jonah 4