I Will Praise God

**Host** Welcome to the Train Station, Jr. Conductors! I hope you are ready for a fun day with Conductor Carl and his friends.

**Host** Why are you standing on your tiptoes? **Co-Host** I’m trying to look taller. Engineer Earl was bragging about how special he is because he made himself tall. Jr. Conductors, can you tell which one of us is taller?

**Co-Host** I hope I’m the tallest. Jr. Conductors, why don’t you stand up and make yourself as tall as you can be.

**Host** You can sit on your pockets, Jr. Conductors. Being tall isn’t something to brag about because you can’t make yourself tall. **Co-Host** You can’t? **Host** Nope, each of us grows differently, which is just fine. Engineer Earl is wrong. Instead of bragging, he should thank God for helping him to grow up to be who he is. **Co-Host** That makes me feel a lot better. I wish I knew how to be better at thanking God. **Host** I have good news. We’re going to learn all about that today when we discover our Big Point. Be sure to listen closely. It's time to give us a big, “Choo-choo!”

**Co-Host** Mia did so well at her recital. Jr. Conductors, can you pretend to play a violin, like Mia?

**Host** She did do a good job, but did she forget to do something? (Pause) Yes, she forgot to thank God. That’s what our Big Point reminds us to do. Let’s practice the Big Point again,

**Host** **I Will Praise God!** **Co-Host** But doesn’t that mean just singing a song to God? Jr. Conductors, let’s sing one of our songs about God with lots of energy.

**Host** Singing is a great way to praise God, but singing isn’t the only way to praise, and not every song is a praise song. **Co-Host** Really? **Host** Let’s sing another song. Jr. Conductors, stand up and sing a fun song you may sing at school, “Bingo.”

**Host** Did that song praise God? **Co-Host** I don’t think so. Did you hear any words about God? (Pause) No, it was just a silly song about a dog. **Host** Singing only praises God when we talk to God and thank Him for His help. **Co-Host** It helps to know that we can praise God anytime when we talk to Him and tell Him, “Thank You.” We can praise Him when we sing or pray. **Host** The Bible can help us praise God. There’s a whole book of songs that talk about God. It’s called the book of Psalms. A king wrote most of the songs. Let’s see if Mia can learn to praise God.

For this Engage, your heart prop could be a heart-shaped paper cutout, pillow, balloon, etc. Any of these would work well.

**Co-Host** Pirate Pete was really funny. Jr. Conductors, can you say, “Argh!” like a pirate? **Host** He and his friend, Polly the parrot, helped Mia learn today’s Big Point. Let’s say the Big Point again,

**Host** **I Will Praise God!** **Co-Host** Pirate Pete shared a helpful verse from the Bible.

**Co-Host** Psalm 9:1 (NIrV) says, “Lord, I will give thanks to You with all my heart.” **Host** That verse comes from the book of songs in the Bible, Psalms. A man named David wrote that verse. He loved to praise God. **Co-Host** What does it mean to give thanks with all my heart? Does it mean I have to give God my heart? Let’s pretend to throw our hearts. I need a friend to help me.

**Co-Host** That was a fun game, but I don’t think I can give God my heart. I still need it. Can you place your hand over your heart, Jr. Conductors, and feel it bump?  **Host** When we say that we give thanks with all our hearts, it doesn’t mean that we give God this heart that goes, “Bump, bump.” The heart the verse is talking about is the invisible part of us where we make choices and think about God. We don’t want any part of us to say, “No” to praising Jesus. **Co-Host** We can praise God with all of our energy, too. That would be a great idea now. Let’s stand and worship God with our whole hearts!

Jr. Conductors, praying is a great way to tell God how thankful you are for all He does for you. Close your eyes and think about one thing that God has done to help you. (Pause) Quietly pray and tell God, “Thank You” for His help. (Pause) Good job, now I’ll pray for all of us. (Pray)

**Co-Host** I’m so glad Mia learned to praise God and thank God for His help.  **Host** She followed the Big Point. Let’s all practice our Big Point again,

**Host** **I Will Praise God!** **Co-Host** That’s what David did! He praised God after he won the battle against the giant, Goliath. David knew that God helped him win, so David thanked God. **Host** You can tell your family about David fighting the giant when you do the Big Do this week.

**Host** Sit with your family and read a Psalm from the Bible. Remember, a psalm is like a song. Talk about why it’s good to praise God. **Co-Host** Let’s see if we can work together to think of ten reasons why we can praise God. Do you think that we can think of that many? Let’s use some pictures to help us.

**Host** You did a good job thinking of reasons to praise Jesus. Let’s say our Big Point once more,

**Host** **I Will Praise God!**

- Did our Big Point say I Won’t Praise God or **I Will Praise God?** - Let’s pretend to be pirates. What does a pirate say? **Argh!** Let’s pretend to turn a boat by spinning the wheel. What did the Pirate at the Train Station have on his shoulder? **A parrot** What did Pirate Pete teach Mia? **That worship means praising and thanking God** - I’m going to say different parts of our body, and you point to it on yourself. (Point out different parts such as eyes, arms, elbows, ears, etc.) Psalm 9:1 (NIrV), “Lord, I will give thanks to You with all my (toes / **heart**).” - Use your hands to show me something small. Use your hands to show me something tall. Who was taller, David or Goliath? **Goliath** Did Goliath say kind words about God? **No** Who won the battle, David or Goliath? **David** Who did David praise after winning? **God** Can you think of one reason why we can praise God? - What did Conductor Carl tell us to do in the Big Do? **Read a Psalm from the Bible and talk about why it’s important to praise God**