Game Plan - Week 4
On your mark, get set, go! When a shepherd named David became king, it was a whole new ballgame! He had some big wins and some big losses, too, but he also had a great plan for how to overcome his challenges. In this 4-week series, our families will team up with David and learn that making peace, following God, showing kindness, and forgiveness are all part of God's game plan for us!
BIG IDEA: Forgiveness is always God's game plan.
BIBLE: David and Nathan: 2 Samuel 11:26–12:13; Psalm 34:15–22
MEMORY VERSE
Elementary: "But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." Psalm 33:11 (NIV)
Toddler Twist: God (point up) always has a plan (hold hands like a book) for me (point to self)." Psalm 33:11
WATCH:
Preschool- teaching video
Elementary- teaching video
SONG: When the Spirit of the Lord and I Wanna be Like Jesus
DISCIPLE:
Imagine yourself in a basketball game. It's tied with one second left on the clock. You just got fouled by the other team, and now you have a chance to shoot a free throw and win the game! But ... you miss.
How would you respond?
How would you want your teammates to respond?
Now imagine yourself as one of the teammates. How would you respond?
Have you ever been in a situation similar to this (sports or not) where you made some kind of mistake and needed someone to forgive you? How did that situation play out?
Forgiveness is a choice we make to let go of bitter or angry feelings toward someone else. Oftentimes, forgiveness is followed by giving someone a chance to do better and repairing a relationship. God gave us stories like our Bible story this week (2 Samuel 11:26–12:13) so that we might know how God forgives and wants us to do the same!
Pray: God, thank you so much for seeing our need for forgiveness and making it your game plan to forgive us. Please help me to recognize when I need to ask for forgiveness and when I need to forgive others. Thank you for placing people in my life who can help me understand when I need to look to you for forgiveness. Amen