I Will Remember To Praise God
When a super-sized sneeze ruins Engineer Kelly's cake, she has to remind herself of all the reasons to keep praising God.
Start Lesson
Large Group Instructions
Countdown from 10
Welcome segment Prep: Prior to service, print off two sets of the Welcome Activity Pages. Print them on cardstock or affix the pages to cardboard. If you tape them to cardboard, be sure to place a large number on the back.
Engage 2 Prep: This Engage uses the drooping flower illusion, sometimes called the comedy flower illusion. This illusion uses a nearly invisible wire to make a flower bend, appearing to die. If you aren’t able to purchase the illusion, then substitute both a real flower and one that has died. You won’t have the comedy bits, but you will be able to make the point.
Engage 3 Prep: For this Engage, choose two or three colors of sticky notes and place them on the wall or on a board on stage. On a different wall or board, make a column for each color.
Rules
WelcomeMaterials: Overalls (2), Train Hat (2), Handkerchief (2), Welcome Activity Page
Host and Co-Host enter, dressed in overalls.
Host
Welcome to the Train Station, Jr. Conductors! Hmm, some of you look very familiar to me. Raise your hand if you have visited the Train Station before.
Co-Host
Look at all those hands. I knew I remembered those faces! Do any of you remember seeing our faces before? Let’s play a game! In this matching game, we have to remember where we saw different pictures.
Host
We have some Jr. Conductors who will hold these cards. (Have the Co-Host hand out the cards) Let’s see if we can work together to make matches. Start by calling out two numbers, and we’ll see if the pictures are the same.
Co-Host
Remember where you’ve seen the pictures so that you can make a match.
Choose different kids to pick two numbers. The Host or Co-Host reveals the cards and declares a match or no match. Then turn the cards back over and pick again. The kids don’t compete against each other, but work as a group, so they can help each other during the game.
Host
That was fun. Today we’ll hear about a king who remembered lots of good things about God. Before we move on give us a big, “Choo-choo!”
Engage 1Materials: Overalls (2), Train Hat (2), Handkerchief (2)
Host and Co-Host enter.
Co-Host
I can’t believe that Mr. Rios and Engineer Kelly dropped their treats. Were they ruined? Yep, they were squished. Do they seem sad?
Host
They are sad. I think it’s because they forgot that God can help them. Let’s help Mr. Rios and Engineer Kelly by sharing our Big Point.
Host
I Will Remember To Praise God!
Co-Host
There are lots of things you can do to help you remember the ways God has helped you. You can talk about how God has helped with your family and tell others what God did. Can someone tell me a way that God helped you?
Interview a kid.
Host
You can draw a picture of different ways that God helped you. Raise your hand if you like to draw. Let’s see if you can guess what the pencil draws on the screen.
Show the slides. Each slide progressively adds to the drawing. Allow the kids to guess. Show the finished drawing. Repeat with the other drawings.
Co-Host
If you know how to write, then you could write down different ways God has helped. Can you use your finger to draw an “A?”
Host
There are lots of things we can do to help us remember to praise God. It’s important to always remind ourselves of the ways in which God has helped us.
Co-Host
That will also remind you of how God can help you again! Let’s see if our friends can find some help.
Engage 2Materials: Overalls (2), Train Hat (2), Handkerchief (2), Drooping Flower Illusion
Host and Co-Host enter.
Co-Host
Conductor Gordon helped Mr. Rios and Engineer Kelly remember lots of ways that God has helped them.
Host
That will remind them that God can help them now. It’s a good idea to follow the Big Point. Let’s say it together,
Host
I Will Remember To Praise God!
Co-Host
Conductor Gordon shared a great verse from the Bible.
Co-Host
Psalm 103:2 (NIrV) says, “I will praise the Lord. I won’t forget anything He does for me.”
Host
Praising God helps us remember the ways that God has helped us. That builds our faith. Faith is when you trust God to do what He promised to do.
Co-Host
Imagine you have a flower. What kinds of things do flowers need?
Allow the kids to answer.
Host
Let’s pretend that you forget to water the flower. What will happen?
The Host or Co-Host can use the flower to demonstrate the point. To make the flower bend, discreetly place the ring attached to the wire around a finger so that you can pull the string down, making it bend.
Host
It died. We need to help it. Stand up, flower! (Let the flower stand up and let it fall again a few times) Let’s pretend to pour water on the flower. (Let the flower stand up) It’s alive!
Co-Host
What if it doesn’t get sunshine; what will happen? (Bend the flower) It died. We need to help it. (Stand the flower up and let it fall again a few times) Maybe we should open the window and let the sunlight inside. (Let the flower stand up) It’s alive!
Host
The plant is strong now. Even if I push it down, it keeps coming back up!
Bend the flower and look away. Every time you look away, have the flower pop up. Do this multiple times. By looking surprised each time the flower stands up, you can play this part for laughs.
Co-Host
When we praise God for all the ways He helps us, that praise makes our faith strong. Even if something bad happens, we can stay strong, knowing that God is helping us. Praise, for us, is something we need, just like the flower needs water and sunshine. Let’s stand and worship God now.
Big Story
Play optional soft instrumental music
Jr. Conductors, let’s use our Big Verse to pray and talk to God. Repeat this prayer after me. “Dear God, I won’t forget all of the ways you have helped me. Thank You for being good to me.” (Repeat 3x) Good job. Using the Bible to pray is a great way chat with God every day. Let’s stand and worship Jesus.
Engage 3Materials: Overalls (2), Train Hat (2), Handkerchief (2), Multiple Colors of Sticky Notes, Easel
Host and Co-Host enter.
Co-Host
Professor Beaker’s Re-cakinator machine did a really good job of fixing the cakes. I’m glad that God helped them remember to ask for help.
Host
God did lots of good things for King David. He wrote many songs in the Bible praising God for His help. King David’s songs, the Psalms, are songs that build our faith to believe God.
Co-Host
You can tell your family about King David when you do the Big Do this week.
Co-Host
Here’s what it is: ask your family to write the Big Verse on a sticky note and place it where everyone can see. Whenever you pass the note, thank God for something.
Host
Let’s play a game with sticky notes. We have different colored sticky notes mixed up on the wall/board/etc. These Jr. Conductors will separate the colors by moving them to the right spots.
Co-Host
When we say, “Go,” start unmixing the colors, but remember to put them where they belong. Go!
Play optional game music. The Host and Co-Host help the kids separate the colors and place them in the right columns.
Host
You did a great job! Let’s practice our Big Point again,
Host
I Will Remember To Praise God!
Big Review
Did our Big Point say I Will Remember To Praise God! or I Will Forget To Praise God!
What is your favorite flavor of cake? We can pretend that it’s someone’s birthday and we get to eat birthday cake. Let’s sing Happy Birthday and pretend to blow out the candles. (Sing the song) What happened to Engineer Kelly and Mr. Rios’ cakes? They got squished Were they sad when that happened? Yes Who helped them fix their cakes? Professor Beaker
Let’s see how well everyone can remember. Can you remember what you ate for breakfast yesterday? Can you remember the last book you read with your family? Can you remember the last game you played with your friends? Psalm 103:2 (NIrV) says, “I will (play with/praise) the Lord. I won’t forget anything He does for me.”
What was the name of the king in our Big Story? King David Can you think of one way that God helped King David? He fought the lion, defeated the giant, protected from King Saul, God kept David safe, God gave him long life How is praising God good for us? It puts our focus on Him, strengthens our faith and helps us keep trusting God
What did Conductor Carl tell us to do in the Big Do? Ask your family to write the Big Verse on a sticky note and place it where everyone can see. Whenever you pass the note, thank God for something
Clean Up
