Space Sunday School Lesson
Space Sunday School Lesson for Kids:
BOTTOM LINE:
God wants us to follow him.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will state that God wants us to follow him.
KEY PASSAGE:
Genesis 12:1-9, God Calls Abram
MEMORY VERSE:
βYour word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.β Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
SUMMARY:
God called Abram to leave everything behind - his family, his friends, his property - to go to an unknown destination. It was the first leg in a journey that lasted the rest of his life as Abram followed God.
SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Lead us and we will follow.
In Jesusβ name,
Amen
Β
MEMORY VERSE
βYour word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.β Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
βYour word is like a lamp that shows me the way. Β It is like a light that guides me.β
Psalm 119:105 (NIrV)
LARGE GROUP:
Divide the room into girls and boys. Have the boys read the verse aloud, and then have the girls read it aloud. Who can read the loudest?
SMALL GROUP:
Give all the kids a Bible. Β Then after you read the verse, give them the reference and see who can find it first in their Bible.
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SKIT
THE ASTRONAUTS: YARD SALE
ITEMS NEEDED:
None
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:
2M
CHARACTERS:
Mick and Dwayne - Astronauts
Mick and Dwayne enter.
DWAYNE: Well, brother, this is it, our last weekend on Earth. This time Monday, weβll be in space on our way to Mars.
MICK: I canβt believe it. Three years of training is over, and the day is almost here.
DWAYNE: Got any big plans this weekend?
MICK: You bet I do! Tomorrow morning, Iβm gonna get a hundred bucks out of an ATM, head to Chuck E. Cheese, and play skeeball all day long!
DWAYNE: Skeeball?
MICK: Thereβs no arcade on Mars, Dwayne! Iβm going to miss it.
DWAYNE: Well, have fun, buddy. Me? Iβm going to have a yard sale.
MICK: Youβre yard saling? Before we go to Mars?
DWAYNE: You bet?
MICK: Well, what are you selling?
DWAYNE: Everything, bro. Movies, video games, books, clothes, sporting goods.
MICK: Youβre not selling the kayak, are you?
DWAYNE: Yes I am!
MICK: Dude, what do you want for it? Iβll take it!
DWAYNE: Mick, what are you going to do with my kayak?
MICK: Go kayaking!
DWAYNE: Mick, what happens on Monday?
MICK: We go to Mars!
DWAYNE: Are you planning to kayak on Mars?
MICK: Well, no.
DWAYNE: Then why do you need a kayak?
MICK: If you donβt want me to buy it, why are you selling it?
DWAYNE: Because I wonβt need any of that stuff! Weβre going to Mars, buddy. We are leaving everything behind.
MICK: Oh my goodness, youβre right! All my stuff is going to stay here while we go to Mars!
DWAYNE: Thatβs right.
MICK: Aw man, I hadnβt thought about that! My tennis racket! My Garfield books! My collection of skeeball prizes from Chuck E. Cheese!
DWAYNE: No room for any of it on the spaceship. It all stays behind.
MICK: But Dwayne, weβre going on a real adventure. Weβre giving all this earthly stuff up for Mars!
DWAYNE: Exactly!
MICK: I wonder if this is what Abram felt like. You know, when God called him to follow him?
DWAYNE: You know, Mick, I think itβs similar. God called Abram to go out into the unknown. He left everything behind, and he never regretted it.
MICK: Talk about an adventure.
DWAYNE: Iβm looking forward to our adventure too, bud.
MICK: You know what? Iβll join you. Iβll bring my stuff in the morning, and weβll yard sale together. And whatever we makeβ¦ weβll blow it all on skeeball!
DWAYNE: Now youβre talking! Come on, Mick. Time to get ready for a real journey!
OBJECT LESSON
ITEMS NEEDED:
A loaded bathroom travel bag
Bring in the small travel bag you take on trips - the one that carries your toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, medicine, deodorant, etc. Share with the kids what you pack, and why you take it. Ask them what their must-have items are when they take a trip with their family.
The things in this bag are necessities on a vacation. We need to brush our teeth and take care of our hair and bodies, donβt we? How many of you have ever been on a trip where someone in your family had to rush out and buy one of these items they forgot?
Iβm sure Abram had a travel bag on his journey into the wilderness, but Abram left a lot of things home when he followed God. He left the city where he grew up, and he left his family and friends. He left all the comforts he had known since he was a boy. Anything he forgot was left behind, and there were no convenience stores in the wilderness to pick up replacements!
But Abram got something far greater when he followed God. God had a plan to turn a childless man into a mighty nation. God gave Abram a new home and a family he never expected. Abraham is a great hero of the faith, and if we are willing to trust God as he did, we will find a great adventure for ourselves.
God wants us to leave the things of this world behind for his sake. Heβs calling us to follow him. Β This morning, tell God that youβre ready to pack your bag and follow him!
LARGE GROUP GAME
UNPACK YOUR BACK
ITEMS NEEDED:
A backpack full of ping-pong balls
INSTRUCTIONS:
Choose one player for this game. Put the backpack on their back with the zipper half way open. The player has 60 seconds to jump and shake their bodies in an effort to empty all the balls from the backpack. If they can completely empty the pack before time runs out, they win a prize.
VARIATION:
Load two backpacks with ping-pong balls and make it a race between two players to see who can empty their bag first.
WHATβS THE POINT?
God wants us to leave worldly things behind and follow him on an adventure.
LARGE GROUP LESSON
BOTTOM LINE:
God wants us to follow him.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will state that God wants us to follow him.
KEY PASSAGE:
Genesis 12:1-9, God Calls Abram
INTRO:
Can you imagine what it must be like to travel through outer space? How many of you have watched Star Wars or another space movie, or even watched footage of real astronauts drifting in zero gravity through the International Space Station and thought, βOne day, Iβm going up there?β
The dream of going into outer space has captivated people for years. Science fiction writers were telling stories about space travel as far back as the 1800s, and when space travel became a reality in the 1960s, everyone began dreaming of a trip through the stars.
The day may be fast approaching when ordinary people, not just astronauts, will be able to make the trek into space. Commercial space travel may make vacations in space a real possibility for all of you in your lifetime. Instead of going to Disney World, one day people may vacation in orbit, or on the moon, or even on Mars!
NASA has already sent men to the moon, and Mars has been a dream for a long time. But a journey to Mars is far more complicated than a trip to the moon. Mars is a lot further away from Earth than the moon. A trip to the moon using 1960s technology took a little more than a week, but with todayβs technology, a trip to Mars would last two years!
Itβs one thing to equip a spaceship with a two-week supply of food and oxygen, but two years is a completely different story. Whatβs more, the men and women who take that trip will be leaving everything behind: their homes, their families, and almost all their possessions. Yet in spite of this, hundreds of people are ready and willing to sign up for a trip to Mars simple because - itβs Mars! No human has ever set foot on Mars outside the pages of science fiction. What an amazing adventure that would be!
God is calling us to an adventure as well. God has a plan for each of us, an incredible life that only we can lead. And just like the Biblical hero we will meet in this series, it all begins with us answering that call.
READ GENESIS 12:1-9
MAIN POINT:
Abram was a wealthy man who lived in the city of Ur. He and his wife had no children, but they lived a comfortable life among family and friends. Then one day, God called Abram. He told Abram to leave everything behind and follow him. Abram did, and his life was never the same.
God wants all of us to follow him. He wants us to accept Jesus as our Savior so that Godβs Holy Spirit can lead us on an adventure. God may never lead you to Mars, but like Abram, he will take you on a journey youβll never regret!
DRIVE IT HOME:
Traveling to Mars may still be science fiction for the moment, but a real journey to Mars will have much in common with a fictitious one. Every science fiction story begins with a βcall to adventure,β when the hero of our story is called to leave their home behind and begin their journey.
In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, that call to adventure happens when Rey meets BB-8 and ends up leaving her home on the planet Jakku. For the astronauts who travel to Mars, the call will come when someone from NASA sends them an invitation to join the astronaut program.
Godβs call to us comes from the Bible. Itβs in the gospels when Jesus says, βFollow me.β God not only calls us, but he gives us story after story to show us why we should trust him. The Bible tells us about Abram, who trusted God and became the father of a mighty nation. It tells us about David, the brave boy who had the faith to conquer a giant. It tells us about the disciples who were willing to give their lives for their faith in Jesus.
Over and over, the Bible calls us. Follow God, and God will do great things through your life. He will use you to help the needy. He will use you to share his love with the lost. He will lead you on an incredible adventure.
Abram heard the call and he answered. He took the first step on a journey that would change his life. Our hope is that today wonβt just be the first day of a new series, but the first day of a real journey for all of you. Answer the call, and tell God youβre ready to follow him. Let the adventure begin!
CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Lead us and we will follow.
In Jesusβ name,
Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)
ICEBREAKER:
Have you ever dreamed of going into outer space?
MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:
Psalm 119:105
Give all the kids a Bible. Β Then after you read the verse, give them the reference and see who can find it first in their Bible.
SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY:
Thereβs no gravity in outer space; astronauts in orbit drift weightlessly as they perform their work. Have some fun with βzero gravityβ by bouncing a balloon in the air amongst your group. Add a second, then a third. How many can you keep adrift?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Read Genesis 12:1-9
Who was Abram?
Where did Abram live?
What did God tell Abram?
What did God promise Abram?
What is God asking us to do through Abramβs story?
SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Give us the faith to follow you always.
In Jesusβ name,
Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH)
ICEBREAKER:
Have you ever dreamed of going into outer space?
MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:
Psalm 119:105
Give all the kids a Bible. Β Then after you read the verse, give them the reference and see who can find it first in their Bible.
SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY:
Thereβs no gravity in outer space; astronauts in orbit drift weightlessly as they perform their work. Have some fun with βzero gravityβ by bouncing a balloon in the air amongst your group. Add a second, then a third. How many can you keep adrift?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Read Genesis 12:1-9
Who was Abram?
Why did God call Abram?
Why do you think Abram answered Godβs call?
What is God asking us to do through Abramβs story?
Why does God want us to follow him?
SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Give us the faith to follow you always.
In Jesusβ name,
Amen
Β
For your convenience, you can also download the entire PDF version of thisΒ Space Children's Ministry LessonΒ (just click the link).Β
Take a look at the links below for other ideas for teaching aΒ Space Sunday School Lesson:Β
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Free Space Themed VBS Program! "Odyssey in Outer Space"Β
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My Outer Space Adventure - DiscipleLand
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He made the stars also! Here's a star-struck Sunday School lesson
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