Grace Church Children’s Ministry Programming Cloud of Witnesses Unit Overview Fall 2014 – Fall 2015 Job :: Unit Overview The life Job is an amazing example of faith and perseverance in the midst of some of life’s greatest challenges. As we have studied the story of Job, we’ve been asking ourselves why, as a Children’s Ministry, we’ve never taken such an in-depth look at his life! Most of us are familiar with the suffering and loss that Job experienced, but the end of the book of Job makes it clear that Job came to know God in a way that he had never known him before. “I had heard you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you” (Job 42:5). We’ve organized this unit by first introducing the kids to Job. We learn early in Job’s story that Satan wanted to prove that Job only trusted in God because God had been so good to him. From here, we’ll look more closely at the interchange between Job and his friends as they insist that Job must have done something to deserve his suffering. During week 3, we will look at endurance in the life of the Apostle Peter, and then for the final week of this unit, we’ll see how Job’s perspective changed when God spoke directly to him. Perseverance Defined

per·se·ver·ance

• enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way; bearing hardship • steady persistence in a course of action, especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or

discouragement • Biblically: “to remain under” (James 1:5)

Many men and women of faith throughout the ages have exhibited great perseverance in their lives. Job is arguably one of the best examples. Job not only trusted in the goodness of God, he trusted in his own blamelessness as a man of God. When his life came crashing down around him, Job struggled to understand how this all “fit” as part of God’s plan, and yet Job continued to hope in God (Job 13:15). Although it was difficult, Job “stayed the course,” and God blessed him. Key Verse “As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” —James 5:11 Perseverance in the Lives of Other Saints During this unit, we’ll also look at perseverance in the lives of some pretty amazing saints of God. Two of them are song-writers, Horatio Spafford and Steven Curtiss-Chapman, who faced dark and difficult days after the death of their children. We’ll have a chance to see their experiences through their music. We will also look at the life of Corrie ten Boom, a Christian woman who helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust and was herself imprisoned for it. We’ll also spend a week looking at perseverance in the life of the Apostle Peter.

Grace Church Children’s Ministry Programming Cloud of Witnesses Unit Overview Fall 2014 – Fall 2015 Perseverance in the Lives of Other Saints

Horatio Spafford Horatio Spafford (1828-1888), writer of the song “It is Well With My Soul,” lost his four daughters in a shipwreck. His wife survived the tragedy and on his way across the Atlantic to meet with her, Spafford responded to the tragedy by writing this song. His words courageously affirmed that, despite his immense loss and sorrow, his soul was at peace because of Christ. Interestingly,

Spafford’s church responded much like Job’s friends: They saw the tragedy as divine punishment from God. Spafford and his wife ended up leaving their church and starting a new

ministry in Jerusalem, where they ministered until Spafford’s death. Steven Curtis Chapman   Steven Curtis Chapman, a musician and songwriter, lost his youngest daughter, Maria, in a tragic accident at home. He responded to this loss by seeking God. He began sharing his experience and the lessons God was teaching him through several songs (including “Something Beautiful” and “Beauty Will Rise”). These songs gave Chapman the chance to celebrate hope and new life in the midst of extremely difficult circumstances. When asked about these songs, Chapman said, “It really is my hope that people will hear the sound of God’s voice whispering to them: ‘I know the plans I have for you. Will you trust me? Will you trust me through the hard seasons and through the good seasons? The story is good. Will you trust me and watch it unfold?’”

Adoniram Judson Adoniram Judson, and his wife Ann, arrived in Burma (Myanmar) as missionaries in 1813. They spent three years focusing almost completely on learning the Burmese language, a skill that would allow them to speak freely with the people of Burma and, ultimately, to complete the first copy of

the Bible written in the Burmese language, as well the first ever Burmese-English dictionary. Adoniram Judson spent 37 years ministering to the people of Myanmar and suffered tragedy, illness, imprisonment and the death of his 1st and 2nd wives and children. Planting the seed of

the Gospel in the land of Myanmar came at great cost to Judson and his family. The Apostle Peter Peter’s life fits perfectly within this unit because Peter was a faithful man of God who was called to persevere in a few different ways. Jesus made it clear to Peter that Satan desired to “sift him as wheat” (Luke 22:31), much like he did with Job. Although resolute in his declaration of love for Jesus, Peter failed this test and was on the verge of losing hope. After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to Peter in a loving and personal way. Jesus made it clear that Peter would need great perseverance in order to fulfill the calling that Jesus had for him (John 21:18-19).

Corrie ten Boom Corrie ten Boom, along with her father and sister, hid Jews in their home to protect them from the Nazis during World War II. She and her family were discovered and were sent to concentration

camps. Corrie and her sister worked endlessly in a labor camp for women under conditions so grueling that Corrie’s sister, Betsy, eventually died. Corrie survived and was released 10 months after her arrest. She spent most of the remainder of her life speaking publicly about the healing power of God’s love and forgiveness. Corrie’s favorite quote was the words of her sister Betsy:

“There is no pit so deep, that (God) is not deeper still.”

Grace Church Children’s Ministry Programming Cloud of Witnesses Parent Partnership Document K-6 Fall 2014 – Fall 2015 Job :: February 15th :: Week 1 – Introducing Job Background for Today’s Lesson Today we’re beginning a new unit on a man named Job. The book of Job was written during the same general time period that is covered by the book of Genesis. Beyond that, we know very little about Job’s background. We learn from the text that Job was a “blameless and upright” man who “feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1). Job had 7 sons and three daughters and was very wealthy, so much so that he was known as “the greatest of all the people of the east” (Job 1:3). Today’s Lesson In today’s lesson, we will highlight what we know about Job and look more closely at Satan’s desire to bring calamity upon him in order to prove that Job’s faith was only strong because God had blessed him so abundantly. For reasons that are hard to understand, God agreed to allow Satan to have his way in Job’s life. Satan acted quickly and took away all that Job held dear, including the lives of all of his kids, his livestock, and his health. Throughout this unit, we will highlight Job’s endurance in the face of immense suffering and trials. Today we want to highlight Job’s initial response to such a great loss. Even though the walls of Job’s life were caving in around him, he responds by saying, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Key Concept: Even when hard things happen in our lives, God is still worthy to be praised. This Week at Home

Day Today’s Scripture Summary of Today’s Text

1 Job 1:1-22 This is the story of Job, a godly man who had everything and loses it all in a day as a result of Satan’s accusations against him. Job’s response to his great loss is to worship God.

2 Job 2:1-10 Job loses even his health. Despite his wife’s discouraging words “curse God and die…” Job refuses to blame God and does not sin.

3 James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

4 James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who endures temptation…”

5 1 Peter 1:6-9 Rejoice! Though you may be tested by various trials that your faith may be found genuine.

6 James 5:11 We learn from James that Job’s perseverance is an example for us all.

7 Talk with your kids about what they learned at church today.

Grace Church Children’s Ministry Programming Cloud of Witnesses Parent Partnership Document K-6 Fall 2014 – Fall 2015 Job :: February 22nd :: Week 2 – Holding On in the Midst of Suffering Background for Today’s Lesson Last week we learned about Job and the circumstances surrounding the dark and difficult days that he faced. Although Job was a righteous man who feared God, Satan insisted that Job only trusted in God because God had been so good to him. God allowed Satan to have his way with everything that Job held dear. Even in the midst of his greatest suffering, Job chose to bless the name of the Lord. Today’s Lesson Last week, we focused on Job’s initial response to the trials that he faced. In our lesson today, we’ll look more closely at how Job responded in the days following the initial shock of losing his kids, his health, and all that he owned. Three of Job’s friends came and sat with him for seven days and “no one spoke a word” (Job 2:13). Eventually, Job’s friends did speak. They insisted that Job must have done something to deserve all of this trouble. Most of the book of Job is a detailed record of this conversation between Job and his friends. Although Job didn’t understand why God would allow these things to happen, he insisted that he had been faithful to God and that he hadn’t done anything to deserve these trials. Key Concept: We can trust God, even when things are hard. This Week at Home

Day Today’s Scripture Summary of Today’s Text

1 Job 13:13-27 Job declares his innocence and his desire to make his case before God.

2 Job 2:11-13 Job’s friends come to comfort him.

3 Job 19:25-27 “I know that my redeemer lives…and after my skin is destroyed…I shall see God.”

4 Job 23:1-12 “He knows the way I take; when he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.”

5 Job 12:13-25 Job describes the greatness of God and His judgments.

6 Psalm 34:1-10 We can “bless the Lord at all times,” even when life is hard.

7 Talk with your kids about what they learned at church today.

Grace Church Children’s Ministry Programming Cloud of Witnesses Parent Partnership Document K-6 Fall 2014 – Fall 2015 Job :: March 1st :: Week 3 – “Strengthen Your Brothers” Background for Today’s Lesson Over the last few weeks, we’ve been studying the life of Job. We’ve seen that Job worshipped God even when things were hard. He easily could have tried to run from God to get out from under the pain and struggle that he was facing. Even though Job didn’t understand why he was suffering, he held on to God and to his belief that God was good and worthy to be praised. Today’s Lesson We learn from James 5:11 that Job was a man of perseverance. The word “perseverance” in this verse means simply to “remain under.” This week, we’ll start by reviewing a little bit of Job’s story and his willingness to remain under the hand of God, even when things got hard. From there, we will dive into the story of the Apostle Peter. Although Peter and Job’s stories are different in many ways, we see the same quality of perseverance at work in Peter’s life. We are drawn to Peter’s story because he, too, faced some pretty difficult circumstances (i.e. denying Jesus and watching Him be crucified). Although Peter probably wished he could have escaped from under the pain of his own mistakes, God was faithful to him and ultimately placed a calling on Peter’s life that would require even greater trust and perseverance (John 21:18). Key Concept: Even when we fall short, God still has a plan for our lives. This Week at Home

Day Today’s Scripture Summary of Today’s Text

1 Luke 22:21-32 Jesus told Peter (Simon) that Satan desired to sift him as wheat.

2 Matthew 26:30-35 Peter declares that he will never deny Jesus.

3 Luke 22:54-62 Peter denies Jesus three times, the rooster crows, and he weeps bitterly.

4 John 21:4-19 Jesus comes to Peter and makes it clear that He still has a plan for him.

5 1 Corinthians 2:9 “No eye has seen…what God has in store for those who love him.”

6 2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.”

7 Talk with your kids about what they learned at church today.

Grace Church Children’s Ministry Programming Cloud of Witnesses Parent Partnership Document K-6 Fall 2014 – Fall 2015 Job :: March 8th :: Week 4 – “Now My Eyes See You” Background for Today’s Lesson Throughout this unit, we have explored the suffering that Job faced and the perseverance it required to continue to trust in God. Even when everyone around him was telling him otherwise, Job trusted in the goodness and faithfulness of God. One of the greatest lessons we learn from Job is that he didn’t always understand what God was up to in his life, but he still chose to trust Him. Today’s Lesson In today’s lesson, we’ll see a pretty significant transformation in Job’s perspective on his own righteousness and on his understanding of who God was and what God was doing in his life. Although Job trusted in God, he freely expressed his desire to argue his ways to God’s face (Job 13:15). While most of the book of Job deals with the ongoing exchange between Job and his friends, God finally speaks into the conversation at the end. He challenges Job with the truth. God makes it clear that He knew exactly what He was doing. Key Concept: Our sufferings and trials draw us closer to God. (No matter what, God is worthy to be praised.) This Week at Home

Day Today’s Scripture Summary of Today’s Text

1 Job 38:1-18 God speaks up and declares His power and greatness.

2 Job 40:3-5 Job waves the white flag tries to admit that he was wrong, but God continues.

3 Job 42:1-6 God rebukes Job’s friends for not speaking of Him what was right and shows them that their offense was not just against Job, it was against God; Job prays for his friends.

4 Job 42:10-17 Job’s fortunes are restored and he is blessed with “twice as much as he had before” (v10).

5 Job 12:13-25 Job describes the greatness of God and His judgments.

6 Jeremiah 10:6 “There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might.”

7 Talk with your kids about what they learned at church today.