JULY MEMORY VERSE
The LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9)
Samuel was a fair and just leader for the Israelites, but Samuel’s sons did not follow in his footsteps. When Samuel appointed his sons to be judges in Beer-sheba, there was trouble. Samuel’s sons were corrupt and unjust. Some of the Israelite elders, fed up with Samuel’s sons, went to Samuel and asked him to appoint a king for them. One of the reasons the elders gave for wanting a king was so that Israel “could be like other nations.”
Samuel was upset by the Israelites’ request, so he prayed. God assured him that the Israelites were not rejecting Samuel; instead, they were rejecting God. Since being delivered from bondage in Egypt, Israel was a covenant community, rooted in an understanding of God as divine king. God saw Israel’s demand for a king as a denial of God’s leadership. The desire of Israel to “be like other nations” represented a shift. Israel was moving away from being a people with a particular identity and conforming to the patterns of other people. Even though Israel’s request for a king was a rejection
of God’s sovereignty, God tells Samuel to do as the people have requested and give them a king. So, Samuel chose Saul as the first king of Israel. God gave in to Israel’s desire for a king, but that does not mean God abandoned Israel. God was still Israel’s God.
Often in Israel’s history, we witness the people’s struggle to follow God and not conform to the world around them. The church today faces the same struggle. The church is called to be in the world—yet to follow God, not others. This was not easy for the Israelites, and this is not easy for us. We are called to listen for God’s voice so that we may know how to be God’s people.
Most children will understand what a king is at this young age, but their understanding may be influenced by fairy tales or cartoons. Help them understand that God chose Saul as the king because Saul loved God and wanted to serve God.
God had confidence in Saul, but the story says Saul was hiding when Samuel was ready to introduce him to the people. Saul may not have been as sure of God’s calling as God was.
Is God calling you? Are you hiding from God? What would it take for you to come out of hiding and follow God’s call?
DEEP BLUE ADVENTURES APP
While I was looking for all the new material to share with you about our new unit, I stumbled across this app. I downloaded it for free, and it has all the videos to go along with the Bible story each week. There is a trivia game, a fun scripture game and another maze game that reinforced the verse of the month. It isn’t anything fancy, but I thought I would share if you were looking for new ways to engage your kids with our weekly Bible stories at home. GET IT HERE
For the month of July, we will be taking a break from Zoom Sunday school. Pastor Lisa and Allison will be collaborating on new ideas for interacting with your children. Please join our Chapel Hill Kids Facebook Group for prerecorded and “Godly Play LIVE” Sunday School lessons. We will post favorite songs with actions each week as well as lesson plan demonstrations, and much more!
If your child did not receive a “Flat Jesus” in the mail this week, here is a digital download for you to print at home. We want the kids to remember that, even though we cannot meet together at church right now, that Jesus is always with them! Have your child color, cut out, and laminate his/her “Flat Jesus” then take him with you on your summer trips and outings. Snap a picture of “Flat Jesus” and post on our Chapel Hill Kids Facebook Group to see where CH Kids are taking Him this Summer.
