-DECEMBER- 

Establishing a Faithful People

UNIT 1: God's Covenant

The theme of this quarter's lessons is faith, and the foundational Scripture passage is Genesis 15:6: "[Abram] believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness."

  The first three lessons relate the high points of Abram's (Abraham's) journey of faith. From the life of this great man the children will learn that they can turn all their worries over to the Lord, for He has promised to meet their needs.

December 4  A Blessing for All People (Gen. 12:1-9)

December 11  A Promise to Abram (Gen. 15:1-6, 12-18)

December 18  The Lord Provides (Gen. 22:1-2, 6-14)

  The Christmas lesson December 25  God's Greatest Promise (Christmas)—Luke 1:46-55 centers around the faith of Mary. After Gabriel announced to this young woman that she was to be the mother of God's Son, Mary went to see her relative Elisabeth for confirmation.

  Through the power of the Spirit, Elisabeth was able to confirm God's blessing and encourage Mary. Out of that encounter, Mary received a song of praise to God.

-JANUARY- 

UNIT 2: God's Protection

  Lessons 5 through 8 go back to Genesis, recounting Joseph's rise to power in Egypt. The emphasis is on his strong faith, which kept him from sinning as he endured hardship.

January 1  A Faithful Young Man (Gen. 39:7-21)

January 8  True Success (Gen. 41:37-45, 50-52)

January 15  A Surprise Reunion (Gen. 45:3-15 )

January 22  Forgiveness for Joseph's Brothers (Gen. 50:15-26)

  From Joseph's example, the children will learn that if they are patient in the midst of trials, God will bring them through victoriously. They will also learn that God has a plan for their lives. Teach them that God's plan will come to pass as they guard their words and actions and lean in faith on Him.

  These four lessons will also highlight the power of forgiveness. If Joseph had not forgiven his brothers for selling him into slavery, his family might not have been saved from famine.

  Lesson 9 January 29  Rescued from the Enemy (Exod. 15:1-3, 19, 22-26) is a brief look at God's deliverance of Joseph's family out of slavery in Egypt. It describes how Moses led the Israelites across the Red Sea and into the desert. From this episode the children will see how faithful God is to protect families. God uses the prayers of children to deliver their families too.

-FEBRUARY- 

UNIT 3: God's Redemption

  Lessons 10 through 13 are from the book of Galatians. As the church began to reach out to Gentiles, Peter and other Jewish believers learned some deeper implications of trusting in Jesus alone.

  According to the background of lesson 10 February 5  Have Faith (Gal. 2:15-21), Peter had been influenced by peer pressure from Jewish believers. When he turned his back on the Gentiles in Antioch, Paul challenged him to make a choice between peer pressure and faith in Jesus.

  Challenge the children to stand up for Jesus and to follow His command to love at all times, especially when it would be easier to cave in to peer pressure.

  In lesson 11 February 12  Jesus Make Me Free (Gal. 3:1-14) we see Paul reminding the Galatians that the way to heaven is having a relationship with God, not doing good deeds. This lesson lends itself well to offering an invitation to unsaved children to trust in the Lord as their Saviour.

  Lesson 12 February 19  Jesus Make Me God's Child (Gal. 3:15-18; 4:1-7) returns for another look at Abraham's faith. The children will learn that the promises that God gave to Abraham are for them too. Abraham believed God would lead him and provide for all his needs. The children will learn that those promises are for them as well.