Staying At The Table (Grades 4-6) (Sunday School Lessons For Children)

Date	Class	Scripture	Theme
October 24, 2010	456rs	Acts 2: 4: 6:	Staying At The Table

Written/Arranged Teresa Klassen

This year we are planning for a 45 minute class time/discussion; after this the 456rs join in with Big Church for worship/The Lord’s Supper.

This whole lesson will center on the symbol of the table.

1: Opener – The Game of Spoons (10-15 minutes)

Credit to http://boardgames.about.com/od/cardgames/a/spoons.htm for game instructions.

Teacher: (sitting at the table) Some of the greatest times we will have with people are around a table. We share great meals, we have great conversations, we discuss things, we talk things over, sometimes we play games…all around the table. So that’s where we are starting today…playing a game at the table…

Supplies needed:

• Enough spoons for each player, less one.

• Deck of cards

The Goal of the Game: to be the first to collect four cards of the same rank. If someone beats you to it, you don’t want to be the last one to clue into that.

Setup

• For each player in the game, you need four cards of the same rank from the deck. For example, with 5 players you could use the Aces, 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s.

• Shuffle the cards and deal them to the players. Each player will have four cards.

• If you’re playing Spoons, put the spoons in the middle of the table so that every player can reach them.

Gameplay

• Players simultaneously choose one card from their hands, pass that card to the opponent on their left, and pick up the card they’ve received from the opponent on their right.

• Each player can never have more than four cards in his hand, so it’s illegal for a player to pick up a new card before passing one to the left.

• When a player collects four of a kind, as subtly as possible, take a spoon and place it in front of yourself.

• When one player does this, every other player must do likewise as quickly as possible. The last player to grab a spoon is the loser.

• Instead of knocking people out of the game, just keep score on who loses – give them -2 points for every loss

• Play a few rounds

Teacher: You may wonder why we would start today playing a game around this table…normally when you play spoons, someone is eliminated, meaning, if you lose, you are out. I want you to think about the church like a group of people gathered around a table like this. A whole bunch of different people, just like we are all different from each other. Jesus said that the church will be like this, some people doing well at life, some people losing out at times, but He said…stick together, don’t leave the table, be with each other and support each other…stay at the table.

2: Bible (10-15 minutes)

Teacher: (sitting at the table still) Can anyone remember what book of the Bible we have been learning from these past weeks? (Acts). Well, we are still in Acts – as you know by now, Acts is all about the very first church. Last week we talked about how the church spread all over the world. Today I want to bring it back home…literally. I want to talk about what it means to make a church your home. And to do that, I want us to flip over to a book called 1 Corinthians – as you might have guessed, if we have a first Corinthians it means we have a……you guessed it, second Corinthians. These books are actually letters, written by Paul, a great man who was a big part of starting the first churches.

Paul writes something interesting…(pass out a copy of the verses to each student) does anyone want to read this?

(Teacher, I have added questions in the text in bold…ask these AS YOU GO ALONG. Stop the reader at these points to discuss it with the students)

14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. What does this mean? I know it might seem obvious, but someone explain it in your own words…

15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.

16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. Why do you think Paul wrote this verse, verse 18. What is important about this verse? Why do we need to know this?

19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Imagine that for a second, what do you think Paul is thinking about when he says this…what is he imagining?

20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. Like what?

23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, Like what?

24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. What does THIS mean? Now it seems Paul is talking about people not about body parts…what does he mean by this?

25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. Put this in your own words…what does this mean?

26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. Put this in your own words…what does this mean?

27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. Why do you think Paul used the picture of a ”body” to try to explain what the church is?

3: If Something Was Missing (10 minutes)

Teacher: (Pull out plastecine man) Alright, here we have a “body” and – poor guy – I have a knife. What should we call this guy? (get them to name him). Ok, so I am going to pass ____ around and I want you to really carefully cut off a piece of the guy. Please do it neatly, because I want to make sure everyone gets a part.

Save your piece once you have it, don’t wreck it, just put it in front of you…

(Let kids cut of a “piece”)

Teacher: OK, now explain to me, what is the piece you cut off…and if ____ didn’t have that piece, how would that affect him?

(Have them share)

Teacher: The Bible is saying that the church is like ____. The church is made up of pieces. We are the pieces. And every piece is important. EVERY PIECE…and that means you too.

When one piece is hurting or a piece leaves the table, or goes missing…the body is missing something. It is out of balance. It hurts.

Everyone has an important part to play in the Body…

So, as we sit around the table like this…we need to find out what our part is.

4: What Am I Like? (10 minutes)

• Teacher, this is a bit like a personality test. It is based on a book by Gary Smalley and John Trent

• We will have 4 animals – an otter, a lion, a golden retriever, and a beaver with a strip of descriptive sentences by each animal, all will be covered except the first one.

• You will have them look at the first sentence, then after that the next, and then the next.

• There is a signing sheet beside each picture and they should sign their name beside one or at the most two animals for each sentence we uncover – the sentence that is most like them.

• In the end, they will go to the picture that has the most signatures (of their signature) and then we will talk about each one, and how each personality is unique and important.

Teacher: (Still at the table) So who are you? What are you like? In grade 4 or 5 or 6 you are beginning to understand what you are good at. As you grow up as a follower of Jesus, you will also begin to see what He has gifted you to do in the world and at the table –- as a part of a local church.

If I asked you right now, “What are you like?” It might be kind of hard to say…so this morning we are going to do something to try to get at it.

You will see four animals in the room.

Under each animal I have a sentence….actually a list of sentences but you can only see one right now.

What I want you to do is go and look at the sentences you can see right now and find the one that is most like you…just pick one or two at the most, no

more then that. I am only going to give you a few seconds to decide. Once you have that figured out, then we will look at another sentence…

Teacher, when you are done, read out the descriptions of what each personality is like. I have included the script for this at the end of the lesson. Acknowledge that they might not be totally like this, but maybe a little like it. Affirm who they are!

Close by saying: “You are an important part of the Body – you are needed as a part of the gathering of Christians, and you are needed in your neighborhood among your friends to share the love of Jesus. As you grow older – remember that. Remember to stay at the table and be a part of your church, forgive one another, learn together, stick together, work it out together, lead together, reach out to others together…

• LISTEN TO THE MONITOR FOR WHEN THE MUSIC STARTS – but if you need more time in class, no worries.

• IF YOU RUN OUT OF LESSON, play spoons again!! ☺

• PLEASE TIDY UP THE ROOM AND TURN OFF THE HEAT AND THE LIGHTS WHEN YOU LEAVE.

PERSONALITY CHART

SENTENCES THAT WILL BE UNDER EACH ANIMAL

Lion	Otter	Gold Retriever	Beaver
I have a lot of good ideas and like it when people want to try my ideas.	I like having a good time with people; whatever looks fun, that’s where I want to be.	People say that I am a good, loyal friend.	I like people, but I don’t mind being alone and doing what I want to do.
I like being the leader on a team.	I love to laugh, I love telling stories or jokes and being the life of the party.	I am laid back and easy-going. I like being with people, I am a good listener	I like to think and figure things out.
I am a positive person. If there is a problem, I like to figure out a solution.	People think I am funny; I make people laugh.	I am a good team-mate. I like doing things that make people happy.	I am neat and organized. I can be quiet and sometimes serious, especially when I am working on something.
I like to share what I think. I am outgoing.	I like entertaining people.	I am a good listener and I have an easy time going along with other people’s ideas.	I am good at reading instructions and figuring out the steps to get something done or put together.
Sometimes I am stubborn and really want my way.	Sometimes I am disorganized and messy and it frustrates people.	I get my feelings hurt easily. Sometimes I don’t stand up for myself and go along with the crowd.	I can be hard on myself because I want to do things perfectly.
I like trying new things and coming up with better ways of doing things.	I like a lot of change, and I really like being busy and on-the-go	I say “yes” to a lot of things. If you ask me if I will help you with something, I almost always will.	I like to learn about things and research things. I like doing things with my hands and putting something together the right way.

PERSONALITY DESCRIPTIONS

Pieces taken from these websites:

http://koinonia-all.org/homeschool/personality.htm

http://weirdblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/22/personality-types-lion-beaver-otter-and-golden-retriever/

http://proverbs4.blogspot.com/2006/03/what-animal-are-you.html

ARE YOU A….LION??

Words that describe you might be:

• Extroverted

• task-oriented

• optimistic

• leader

• energetic

• outgoing

• daring/risk-taker

• self-sufficient

• competitive

• assertive

• organizes and delegates well

• problem solver

• strong-willed

• likes to be in control

• stubborn/agumentative

Lions are often leaders. They are determined, confident, and bold, they take charge and get the job done. They enjoy challenges, are good at making decisions and are great problem solvers. Their motto is “Let’s do it now!” Those are all strengths, but there are weaknesses too. Lions can be opinionated, arrogant, and unsympathetic. They are easily bored with details and can be difficult to please. Because they are less sensitive than others, they can easily hurt other people’s feelings. You will find lions in positions of leadership, crusading for causes, and participating in athletics. “Classic lions” will generally pursue their education with initiative and great care and will be your top students. As you grow up as a Lion, make sure you work on being tolerant of others and work hard to be compassionate.

ARE YOU AN….OTTER?

Words that describe you might be…

• playful

• love people

• love attention

• life of the party

• fun loving

• hate isolation

• love to entertain

• love to talk

• energetic

• disorganized

Otters are the life of the party, making new friends at every opportunity. Otters seem to know everyone. They make good first impressions, are enthusiastic, and live for the present moment. Taking risks without a care, their motto is “Trust me; it’ll work out!” On the down side, otters are unpredictable, lacking in self-control, and disorganized. They can be messy and are easily distracted. They often have a lot of unfinished projects. Otters make the best salesmen, actors, and motivators. On a leadership team, they spark vision and enthusiasm. A combination lion/otter personality would be a “fun boss.” Because otters are such socializers, school is a low priority for them. If they get their assignments done at all, it will be in a last minute flurry of activity. Otters don’t like paperwork for any job or school work. Never one for details, they will scurry through the things they have to do like a whirlwind, leaving the details for those behind them. Training an otter can be frustrating, especially if your personalities clash. If you are an Otter, you will need to learn self-control, reliability and integrity (being a person who can be counted on!)

ARE YOU A…GOLDEN RETRIEVER?

Words that describe you might be:

• people-pleaser

• laid back

• happy

• undemanding

• avoid conflict

• avoid responsibility

• crushed by getting yelled at

• can be selfish and lazy

• go along with the crowd

• hard time saying no

• chameleon

The golden retriever is calm, dependable, good-natured, and easy to get along with. They are peace-loving people. Golden retrievers are faithful friends, good listeners, and stable. Because they dislike any kind of confrontation, they will compromise to keep the peace at whatever cost. Sometimes they can be passive, unenthusiastic, and very stubborn. Since golden retrievers hate change, their motto is “Let’s keep things the way they are.” An interesting thing about Golden Retrievers is that they can change to become more like the other personalities if they need to rise to the occasion. If golden retrievers ever need to lead, they can lead and they make great leaders because they direct with a gentle, pleasant manner that lions lack. If they see that people need some fun, they can be an Otter. If things need organizing, they can be more like a Beaver. Their temperament makes excellent counselors, diplomats, and elementary educators. As “homebodies,” they love to putter around the house. Working well under pressure, they handle school adequately, although they are not motivated to do more than is required. If you are a golden retriever you will need to find ways to be motivated and to also take the initiative at times.

ARE YOU A….BEAVER?

Words that describe you might be:

•

task-oriented

• worker

• orderly/organized

• neat

• scheduled

• serious

• quiet

• talented

• musical

• artistic

• intense

• creative

• like to research

• good student

• high standards

• hard on themselves

• can get depressed easily

• avoid noise and confusion

Beavers love those details that otters despise! Creative, self-disciplined, and intellectual, beavers strive for quality. They are sensitive, predictable, and orderly. Their motto is “How was it done in the past?” As perfectionists, they tend to be overly critical. Beavers get discouraged more easily and are more likely to take revenge or to be moody; beavers can be difficult to get along with because they need things to be done a certain way all the time. Our best teachers are beavers; they never tire of drilling our heads with phonics rules and the multiplication tables. The “creative” occupations are filled with beavers — musicians, artists, writers, tailors/designers, culinary arts, interior decorators/architects, etc. Beavers fill the ranks of accountants, inventors, and philosophers. In school, beavers’ assignments will be the neatest and most thorough. However, their attention to detail will cause them to work and worry over exams and projects. Beavers, you need to know that sometimes things can be “imperfect” and it is OK. You also need to know that not everyone can or wants to do things the way you want them done. You will also need to work harder than others to not be negative or pessimistic.

CHECKLIST FOR OFFICE USE:

Item Needed	Number	Description
Spoons	Provide 12	Spoons for spoons game/opener
Deck of cards	1	For opener, spoons game
Piece of paper/pen	1	For scorekeeping
Bible	1
Copy of 1 Corinthians 12 for students	12	I have put a copy of the verses, minus the teacher’s questions, after this checklist, you can use this to make your copies. Place the copies inside the Bible just to give the visual of the verses coming out of the Bible when the teacher hands them out to the students.
Plastecine figure on a pan	1	Make a plastecine figure on a pan, almost like a gingerbread man. Make sure you include ears and eyes and a nose and a mouth. Make a full person with arms and legs. Figure should be 10-12 inches tall on a baking pan.
Plastic knife	1	To cut off parts of the plastecine figure
Pictures	Lion Otter Golden Retriever Beaver	Tape these onto the wall in the four corners of the room
Personality descriptions	4	For each of the personalities, using the personality chart, print out the list of descriptions leaving a space between each one. Cover each sentence with another piece of paper that can be taken off. Just leave the top sentence exposed so that this can be your starting point. Do this for each of the “animals”
Signing page	4	Under each of the animals have a signing page that students can sign their names to
Pencils/felts/pencil crayons	12	Have enough pencils or felts or pencil crayons for each student so they can write their name
Personality descriptions	12	Using the personality descriptions pages (not the chart, the description pages that give more details), make enough copies (you can do this back to back) so that each student can take one home.
A table		A table or a few tables if you have many children, and you will need a leader at each table

1 Corinthians 12:12-27

14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.

15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.

16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.

19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part!

20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.

23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen,

24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.

25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other.

26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. Put this in your own words…what does this mean?

27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. Why do you think Paul used the picture of a ”body” to try to explain what the church is?