Teaching Time

I have been doing the same job for 11 years.  In my part time job, my career is in the children’s ministry program at our church, specifically I get to run the Wednesday night kid’s programing.  I love it, because I get to hang out with my favorite big and little people every week.

One of the things that I do on a weekly basis is give a 10 minute children’s sermon.  I have done some pretty strange things to impress my audience of 150 kids, everything from walking on oranges to eating cat food.  My goal is that every week that the children would learn a truth about God.  I only have ten minutes to grab their attention and sink God’s truth into them, so I have to be powerful and fun all at the same time.

So there you have it… that’s a bit about my work. If you ever want to catch the action in person, feel free to join me on any Wednesday night at Triumph Church in Moorhead at 6:00.  Just be sure to wear your running shoes, because I’m sure to put you to work.  Together we are on a grand adventure and I’ll be sure to keep you informed!

Blessings

Janelle Steinberg, Mrs. North Dakota International 2014

He Knows My Name

Supplies:   - four different coins (quarter, dime, nickel, penny)

                        -A small paper sack

                        -a piece of paper towel

Ask the kids, Have you ever met someone who knew your name before you told it to them?  Get answers.  How could that happen? Get suggestions from the kids.

I was thinking about how amazing it would be if someone new the name of everyone in this room.  I was wishing that I knew all your names.  I know most of them, but I forget a lot of them.  I try really hard to know who you guys all are.  I have a really hard time remembering things though, sometimes I can’t even remember the names of my kids.  I end up calling them the dog’s name or I say every name in the family before I finally get to the right kid.

I have some coins here in front of me.  They all have someone’s picture on them.  Let’s see how many of these guy’s names we know.

Hold up the coins one at a time and have the kids name each president.  The kids will probably need help form the teachers, but that is ok.

Select a volunteer.  Have them choose a coin without showing it to you.  Have them hold it up for the group to see.  Tell them to cover the other three coins with the paper towel and to hold the coin they selected tightly in their hand.  Make sure that the crowd knows you can’t see any of the coins and that the volunteer continues to hold the coin tightly.  The “Magic” of this trick won’t work unless the child warms up the selected coin.

You know the Bible tells us about someone who knows everyone’s name.  In fact this person calls everyone by name and never forgets.

Do you know who calls us by name?  Take answers.

Yes! Jesus is the one.  He knows my name, your name, everyone’s name.  You see the Bible tells us Jesus is the good shepherd and we are his sheep.  Let me read you exactly what the Bible says:

John 10:1-4, 14-15

10 anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

Then Jesus says this:

¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

A good shepherd knows every single sheep in his flock; those verses we read tell us Jesus is our good shepherd.  Jesus has a really big flock of sheep.  He is the shepherd of everybody in the whole world right now, of all the people who have ever been in the world and of all the people who will be in the world.   Jesus knows the name of every one of his sheep.  He knows all those people and he knows me and he knows you.  He knows all of us and he never forgets my name and he never accidently calls me the name of someone else.  Even in a crowd or when I am hiding, Jesus can pick me out, because he knows me. 

Now let’s go back to those coins.  Let’s see if I can pick out the coin you chose. 

Without looking have the volunteer put all the coins in the paper bag.  Take the bag from the student and shake the sack a few times to mix up the coins.  Go ahead and be really noisy.  Reach into the bag and feel for the warm coin.  Pull out the coin and say the name of the president on it.  Have the volunteer confirm that you have found their coin.

Pretty neat trick, huh?  I can learn neat stuff like that and I can learn your name, but God doesn’t need tricks and he doesn’t need to learn your name, He knows you.