Level ATeacher Guide

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Written by Jeanette Dall and Sarah Koehneke

Edited by Lorraine Groth

Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Catechism quotations are from Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation, copyright © 1986, 1991 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Growing in Christ® is published by Concordia Publishing House. Your comments and suggestions concerning this material are appreciated. E-mail us at sundayschool@cph.org.

Contents

Introduction: Welcome & Wonder 4

Lesson 1 Daniel in the Lions’ Den 13

Lesson 2 Jesus Heals the Centurion’s Servant 21

Lesson 3 Peter and John Heal a Lame Man 29

Lesson 4 Jesus Teaches His Disciples to Pray 37

Lesson 5 The Baptism of Jesus 45

Lesson 6 Zacchaeus 53

Lesson 7 Paul and Silas in Prison 61

Lesson 8 Job 69

Lesson 9 God Provides Manna and Quail 77

Lesson 10 Joseph Forgives His Brothers 85

Lesson 11 The Temptation of Jesus 93

Lesson 12 Three Men in a Fiery Furnace 101

Lesson 13 The Saints in Heaven 109

Songs & Action Rhymes 117

Teacher Resource Pages 118

Supply List 128

Welcome and WonderDoes God really listen to my prayers? Will He always answer them? What kinds

of things should I pray for? Does “daily bread” mean vegetables too? In Pray, Praise & Give Thanks: Jesus Teaches Us to Pray, students will find the answers to these questions in a fair-themed environment as they learn about coming to the Lord in prayer.

Pray, Praise & Give Thanks: Jesus Teaches Us to Pray offers two levels: Level A is for children who are nonreaders and beginning readers—generally preschool through those who have finished grade 1. Level B is designed for students who are indepen-dent readers; in most cases, this means students who have finished grades 2–6.

Features of the Teacher Guide ■ Easy-to-use, four-step, weekly lesson plans

■ Suggestions for snacks and worship

■ Reproducible student activity pages for each lesson

■ Age-appropriate ways to teach the Bible story and apply it to young lives

■ A Bible study for the teacher titled “Preparing the Lesson”

■ “Live It Out” ideas for extending the lesson truths

■ Perforated pages to make team teaching or small-group/large-group teaching easier

What You Will Need ■ This Teacher Guide

■ Items listed on the Materials list in each lesson

■ Bibles, catechisms, hymnals, children’s songbooks, an offering basket, and a Director CD or CD of Sunday School songs (optional)

■ Scissors, tape, glue, paper, crayons or markers, hole punch, stapler, construction paper, and other standard classroom supplies

■ A story bag or story box

■ Sprout or another puppet (find a selection to purchase online at cph.org)

■ Little Ones Sing Praise songbook (CPH)

■ Wiggle & Wonder: Bible Story Rhymes and Finger Plays (CPH; optional)

■ Sing & Wonder: Song and Activity Book and CD (CPH; optional)

■ Happy Times, a magazine for young children (CPH; optional)

The Four-Step Lesson PlanOpening

■ Welcomes students and helps them transition to the classroom

■ Introduces the lesson theme with an activity that activates prior knowledge to pre-pare students for the lesson; consider inviting an adult volunteer to prepare and teach this activity each week.

■ Provides an opening ritual; suggestions for large-group openings are on the Director CD

4

5

God Speaks ■ Uses clues to introduce the Bible story truth and help apply it to young lives

■ Teaches the Bible story in an age-appropriate way

■ Reviews the Bible story with questions and a student leaflet activity

■ Teaches the Bible Words

We Live ■ Applies the Law and Gospel in the text to the students’ lives

■ Provides an activity and craft option to help children make connections between the Bible story and God’s work in their lives

■ Includes a snack option

Closing ■ Suggests a closing song and prayer

■ Gives suggestions to help students apply what they learned beyond the classroom

Student LeafletsThere are colorful four-page leaflets, available as a separate purchase, to go with

each lesson in this curriculum. The leaflets have the Bible story, a Bible-story hidden picture, review activities, family faith talk, and a prayer. They make a great take-home piece for family use.

Director CDThis CD, available for purchase, has many additional resources:

■ Opening Order

■ Opening devotions

■ Bible Words

■ Snack ideas

■ Craft ideas

■ “Preparing the Lesson” Bible studies

■ Decorating ideas

■ Reproducible pages

■ Clip art

■ Bulletin notes

■ Hymn and song recordings

■ Arch Book list of stories to go with the lessons

■ Closing Program script

■ Closing Program PowerPoint slides

LEVEL A

13

Preparing the LessonLesson 1

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

Key PointDaniel called upon the one true God, who heard

Daniel’s prayer and protected him in the lions’ den. God hears our prayers and protects us from sin, death, and the devil.

Law/GospelThis sinful world, Satan, and my own sinful flesh all

conspire against me to turn me away from faith in God. The commandments stand firm: you shall have no other gods; you shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The triune God is the only true God. He forgives my sins for Jesus’ sake, gives me faith and strengthens it through His Word and Sacraments, and promises to hear my prayers and give me what I need.

ContextBabylon, under the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar,

conquered Judah and led away captives. Daniel and many of the smartest and wealthiest people were among the captives. Daniel was chosen to serve in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar and, under God’s blessing, proved himself to be a wise counselor to the king, even rising above the king’s Babylonian advisors. This created jealousy against Daniel. In this foreign country of Babylon, people did not worship the one true God. Even in the midst of false wor-ship and persecution, Daniel remained faithful to the true God and continued to pray and worship Him alone.

CommentaryThe account of Daniel’s life is ripe with imagery. Daniel

is a Christ figure. The satraps are satanic figures, setting Daniel up to be accused of crimes. The lions’ den can be compared to hell and eternal damnation. When the satraps succeed in sentencing Daniel to death by throwing him into the lions’ den, he overcomes it by the power of God and rises out of the pit. His accusers in turn are cast into “hell” and are destroyed (Psalm 9:15). This is a picture of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection.

Daniel’s fellow high officials were jealous of his gifts of leadership and wisdom. They couldn’t find any fault in him, so they devised a way to trap him on account of his faith. If someone wanted to find fault with us, it wouldn’t be terribly

difficult. We tend to our needs at the cost of others. We too often speak poorly about other people. We are lazy in our work and school duties. We neglect God’s Word and prayer even after His command to pray and His promise to hear. But Daniel’s enemies could find no fault with his life or work.

So they set a trap for Daniel. They manipulated the king to create a law forbidding prayer to anyone but the king for thirty days. Daniel, however, remained faithful to God’s Word. He never ceased to pray, refusing to follow the king’s new law even for just thirty days. He didn’t sneak off and do it privately in a hidden spot. Instead, he prayed openly three times a day, kneeling and facing Jerusalem in front of open windows. And he didn’t just “pray in his heart or mind.” He prayed with his voice and body.

Daniel broke the law by remaining faithful to God, and the satraps accused him before King Darius. They also accused the king of not wanting to enforce his law. They reminded him that his law, like all laws of the Medes and Persians, could not be ignored, broken, or changed.

The king must command that Daniel be punished as the law demands, and so he did. But he also pleaded with Daniel to pray to God for deliverance. Then he went back and fasted that night on Daniel’s behalf.

The living God, who alone hears prayers, sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths. The law was fulfilled and the con-demnation imposed, but miraculously, the innocent Daniel came forth from the lions’ den the next day with no harm. God had saved him! Then, the king threw the accusers and their families into the lions’ den, and they were destroyed. After that, the king made a new decree: all the people in his dominion were to tremble and fear before Daniel’s God, the one living, eternal God, whose kingdom never ends, who delivers and rescues, who works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth.

So, too, God, who listened to Daniel’s prayers and saved him from the power of the lions, saves us from sin, death, and that prowling lion, the devil, through His Son, Jesus. He invites us to call upon Him and promises to answer our prayers for Jesus’ sake.

To hear an in-depth discussion of this Bible account, visit cph.org/podcast and listen to our Seeds of Faith podcast each week.

Daniel 6:1–27—God hears my prayers.

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1 Opening (15 minutes)

Welcome and Wonder What you do: Decorate your classroom to look like a festive county fair. Use large letters and bright colors to make a sign that says, “Welcome to Christian County Fair.” For the midway, add strings of Christmas lights or colorful gar-lands from the ceiling. Put up a food vendor table in one area where you will have your snack. Set up a second table as a produce exhibit, with produce baskets, play food, and award ribbons. See the Director CD for more ideas.

Near your worship area, hang colorful paper pennants on which you’ve printed the words “Worship Area” or the like. Enlarge and copy the patterns on Resource Pages 2 and 3 to make pennants to hang at the entrance to your room or in your Bible storytelling area. Add a new one for the Bible lesson each week until all thirteen are on display. This week, use the praying hands pennant.

To provide a connection from something the children already know to what they will learn in the lesson, set out toy farm animals such as pigs, cows, and sheep in a shallow pan filled with rice.

Play a CD with Sunday School songs on it as the children arrive. Welcome them, mark attendance, and show them where to put their offerings.

Say Come on in, friend(s). Welcome to our Christian County Fair! I won-der . . . do you like to go to the fair? Accept answers. Fairs are fun, aren’t they? We’re going to have fun at our fair too, as we explore what the Bible says about prayer, especially the special prayer Jesus taught us.Invite the children to play with the farm animals. Talk about things at a fair.

Daniel in the Lions’ DenDaniel 6:1–27

Lesson 1

Connections

Bible WordsI call upon You, for You answer me. Psalm 86:7

Faith WordTrue God

Songs and HymnsGod, Our Father, Hear Your Children (LOSP, p. 14; CD 4) We Praise You, O God (LSB 785; CD 11) When I’m Feeling Scared or Sad (LOSP, p. 38) Father, Hear My Prayer (S&W, p. 47; CD 3)

CatechismPrayer is speaking to God in words and thoughts. (Question 194)We should pray to the true God only, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not to idols, saints, or any-thing God has created. (Question 195)

Take-Home PointGod hears my prayers.

Story bag or boxBike helmet, oven mitt & insect

sprayPraying-hands stickers (optional)Activity Page 1Small paper platesWiggle eyes & large craft sticksBrown yarn cut in 3” piecesYellow construction paperResource Page 4

Story bag or decorated boxStudent Leaflet 1Water wingsOven mittInsect spray

Director CD (optional)Fair sign & decorating itemsShallow pan of riceToy farm animalsResource Page 1Pennant (Resource Pages 2 & 3,

optional)

Take-home itemsDirector CD (optional)Resource Page 1 (optional)

15

Lesson 1

Say These animals remind me of the fair. I like to walk through the barns and look at the pigs and cows and rabbits and chickens. Then I might get some cotton candy or go on a ride.

Ask What is your favorite thing to do at the fair? Allow for comments. What would you do if you were lost or hurt at the fair? (You could call for help or go to the First-Aid or Lost-and-Found booth.)

Say Today you’ll hear about a man who found himself in a scary situa-tion. Listen to find out what he did and who helped him.At cleanup time, sing or say a cleanup song (see Resource Page 1). Have

children ask a classmate to walk with them as they gather for the opening and Bible story. Be sure everyone has someone to walk with. Be a partner to any-one who is alone.

Beginning in God’s NameWhat you do: Begin with this opening.

Sing “God, Our Father, Hear Your Children” (LOSP, p. 14; Director CD 4)

Say In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Encourage the children to join you in saying the Invocation and “Amen.” Tell them Amen is the special word they get to say at the end of prayers and other parts of the church service.

Offering Have a child bring the offering basket forward. Sing an offering song.

Pray Dear God, thank You for listening to our prayers and answering them. Thank You for always being with us and protecting us. Help us to learn more about You today. Amen.

Celebrate Birthdays, Baptism birthdays, and other special occasions

2 God Speaks (20 minutes)

God’s Work in the Bible What you do: Use a quilted or handmade tote bag for a story bag. Put insect repellent, an oven mitt, and water wings in your bag. Option: Use an adult shoe box to make a story box. Use bright-colored markers, decorative stickers, and small flags to make it look like a festive fair booth.

Say Hi, friends! Are you ready to listen to our true story from the Bible? First, let’s look at the story clues I brought. Show your story box or bag. I have three things. Take out the bug spray, oven mitt, and water wings.

Ask I wonder . . . what do these things do for us? (Bug spray protects us from biting insects. An oven mitt protects us from a hot stove. Water wings protect us in the water.)

Say Bugs and hot pans and even water can be a danger to us. We need protection from all these things. Today’s Bible story from the Book of Daniel tells about a time when a man named Daniel was in danger and needed protection. Today I want you to be my helpers and act out

16

Lesson 1

the story as I tell it. You will need to watch me and do what I do. You will also need to use your ears and listen for what Daniel did and who helped him. Lead children in the actions as you tell the story.

Darius was the king of Babylon. Extend fingers over head like a crown.

Daniel was his best helper. The king’s other helpers didn’t like Daniel. Make an angry face.

These men knew that Daniel liked to pray to God three times a day. Prayer is talking to God with our words or thoughts. Fold hands in prayer.

The men wanted to get rid of Daniel. So they told the king, “You are such a wonderful king. You should make a law that everyone must pray only to you. Those who disobey will be thrown into the lions’ den.” Make a throwing motion.

The king liked the idea and signed the law. Pretend to write.

Daniel heard about the new law. Do you think he obeyed the law and prayed to the king? Shake head no.

No, Daniel knew that God wants us to pray only to Him. A king can’t answer prayer. Other people or things can’t answer prayer. Only the true God can answer our prayers. So Daniel did not obey the new law. He kept praying only to God each day. Fold hands in prayer.

The other helpers saw Daniel praying, and they ran to tell King Darius. The king was sad when he heard Daniel had broken the law. But King Darius couldn’t change the law. Look sad.

So, Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den. Do you think Daniel was afraid? Let children answer. The Bible doesn’t tell us if Daniel was afraid. But King Darius was afraid for Daniel. He told him, “I hope your God will save you.” Point upward.

That night the king could not sleep. He was too worried about Daniel. Look worried.

Early the next morning, the king ran to the lions’ den. Run in place.

“Daniel, did your God take care of you?” the king yelled into the den. How happy he was when Daniel answered, “Yes!” Make a happy face.

Daniel said, “My God sent His angel to protect me. God kept the mouths of the lions shut so they could not harm me.” Pinch lips together to hold mouth shut.

King Darius said, “Bring Daniel out of the lions’ den. And throw in the men who tried to get rid of him.” Make a throwing motion.

Daniel returned to the palace, and King Darius made a proclamation that went to all the people. It said everyone should respect Daniel’s God because He delivers and rescues and works wonders in heaven and on earth. Make a half-circle sweeping motion in front of you.

Our God is the one true God. He is the only one who can answer prayer. He promises to hear and answer the prayers of those who believe in Him. Daniel believed in the true God. God heard his prayers and pro-tected him in the lions’ den. God hears our prayers and protects us too.Option: Lead the children in a short review by doing the action rhyme

“Daniel in the Lions’ Den” from Wiggle & Wonder (CPH, p. 78).

17

Lesson 1

Leaflet ReviewWhat you do: Hand out Student Leaflet 1, and have the children turn to the Search & Find activity on pages 2 and 3. Give them pencils or crayons. Point to the Bible story picture.

Say Here is a picture of the Bible story.

Ask Where is Daniel? In the lions’ den

How did he get there? The kings’ men threw him into the den because he disobeyed the law that said he must pray only to the king.

Whom did Daniel pray to? God

How did God show He is the one true God? He protected Daniel by send-ing an angel to close the lions’ mouths.

Say When you go to a fair, there are many things to see and do. There are animals to look at and rides to go on and good things to eat. There are many things to see and do in this picture too.Point to the Search & Find column. Find the things in this column in the big picture. Remember to look for the Bible and Jesus’ face.Point to a lion. Lions prowl around and roar. The Bible says the devil prowls around too, trying to catch us. But God sent Jesus to save us from sin, death, and the devil, so we don’t need to be afraid. Now look for the praying hands. Because Jesus is our Savior, we can always come to God in prayer. He promises to answer us in a way that is best.Have children work alone or with a partner to find the objects. Give help

as needed.

Bible WordsI call upon You, for You answer me. Psalm 86:7

Say Our Bible Words today are from the Book of Psalms. Show the Bible opened to Psalms. The Bible says, “I call upon You, for You answer me.”

Ask How do you call someone? Accept answers. Does the person you are calling always answer? (No) Who will always answer when you call on Him? Yes, God will. How do you call God? (We call on God when we pray.)

Say God always hears our prayers. He is never too busy. He is never out of town. God heard Daniel pray from the lions’ den, and He answered by sending an angel to protect Daniel. God hears us all the time, no matter where we are, and He promises to answer us. Let’s say our Bible Words.

Say I call Put hands around mouth like megaphone. upon You, Hold both hands reaching out, palms up for You Point up. answer me. Bring hands back to chest.

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Lesson 1

3 We Live (20 minutes)

Use these activities to help the children grow in their understanding of what the Bible story means for their lives. Choose what works best with your class.

God’s Work for MeWhat you do: Have copies of Activity Page 1 and pencils for each child. If pos-sible, purchase stickers of praying hands to give the children. Put the oven mitt and insect repellent in your story bag. Also have a child’s bike helmet available. Option: Have pictures of other protective items or pictures of people who protect others (e.g., firefighters, police officers, doctors) on your tablet device or cell phone to show the children.

Ask What was one of our story clues today? Show the insect repellent. It was a bottle of bug spray. When would you use this? Accept answers. We use bug spray to protect us from getting bitten by mosquitoes and other bugs when we are outside or go camping. Show the oven mitt. What do you do with this? Accept answers. Your mom might use an oven mitt so she won’t burn her hand on a hot dish. Show the bike hel-met. Who wears a bike helmet? You wear a helmet to protect your head if you fall off your bike. All of these things protect us from danger.But God is the best protector ever. He is the only true God, the only one who can hear our prayers and answer them. Daniel prayed to God, and God answered his prayers. He protected Daniel by sending His angel to shut the lions’ mouths so they had no power to hurt Daniel. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us and rise again. Jesus protects us from danger. Because of Jesus, sin, death, and the devil have no power over us. And someday we will go to heaven to live with Jesus forever. Because of Jesus, God promises to hear our prayers and answer them in a way that is best.Hand out Activity Page 1 with praying-hands stickers and pencils.

Say Look at the people on this page. They all need protection from something that could hurt them. Direct children to match the person with the problem and make lines connecting the pictures.

Ask What can these people do to get help—whom can they call on? (They can pray to ask God for help.) God always hears our prayers and answers them in the best way. Direct the children to put a praying hands sticker by each person that needs God’s help. If you don’t have stickers, tell them to draw a cross by each person.

What are some ways God might answer these prayers? Help children see that God answers prayers in various ways; for example, for Daniel, God sent His angel to shut the lions’ mouths. God also works through people to help us (e.g., police, firefighters, friends, parents).

Craft—Roaring Lion PuppetWhat you do: Make copies of Resource Page 4 on yellow construction paper. You will also need brown yarn cut into 3-inch lengths, 6-inch paper plates, large craft sticks, tape, markers, scissors, glue, and small wiggle eyes.

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Lesson 1

Say Today we’re going to make lions to remind us of our Bible story. Hold up your sample lion and roar.

Have children cut out the lion face and ears, giving help as needed. Have them use markers to color the nose and mouth. Turn the paper plate upside down and glue the face on the bottom. Show them how to glue on the yarn for the mane and whiskers. Glue the ears on the top of the head and the eyes on the black circles. Attach a large craft stick to the bottom. While you work, review the key point.

Say Let’s think about what we learned in our Bible story today. First, who can tell me what prayer is? Yes, it’s talking to God. The king’s law said Daniel should pray to the king. Was that a good law? (No.) God wants us to pray only to Him. The king could not protect Daniel. God is the only one who can hear and answer our prayers. How did God show this in our Bible story? (God heard Daniel’s prayer and kept him safe.)

God hears our prayers and protects us from danger too. He often works through other people to help us. God also protects us from our biggest enemies: sin, death, and the devil. How does He do this? (He sent Jesus to be our Savior.)

4 Closing (5 minutes)

What you do: Gather the children’s take-home items so they can be easily distributed.

Sing “We Praise You, O God” (LSB 785; Director CD 11) or “When I’m Feeling Scared or Sad” (LOSP, p. 38)

Say Today we learned about how God answered Daniel’s prayer and protected him from the lions. God hears our prayers too. We can talk to God anytime, no matter where we are. Let’s say, “God hears my prayers” together. Do so.

We don’t need a phone to talk to God. We don’t even need to speak out loud. God knows and hears our words and thoughts whenever we pray. He promises to hear all our prayers and answer them according to His will, always doing what is best for us. Let’s pray to God now.

Pray Dear God, thank You for always hearing my prayers and protecting me. Thank You for loving me so much that You sent Jesus to die for my sins. Amen.

Sing “Father, Hear My Prayer” (S&W, p. 47; Director CD 3) or “God Hears Me Pray” (Resource Page 1).

Live It OutRemind children to use the Roaring Lion Puppet to tell their family and

others how God answered Daniel’s prayer and saved him from the lions. They can tell others that God hears their prayers and helps them too. Have them share some ways.

SnackAngel Food Bites

Serve bite-size pieces

of angel food cake

and juice or water.

Tell the children that

the snack is called

angel food cake. It

can remind them of

how God answered

Daniel’s prayer by

sending an angel

to close the lions’

mouths.

20Activity Page 1 Growing in Christ® Level A © 2016 Concordia Publishing House. Scripture: ESV®. Reproduced by permission.

Lesson 1

Protection Needed

I call upon You, for You answer me. Psalm 86:7

Draw a line from each person to what they need protection from.

120Resource Page 4. Use with Lessons 1 and 4. Growing in Christ® Level A © 2016 Concordia Publishing House. Reproduced by permission.

Roaring LionLesson 1

Daily Bread MagnetLesson 4

Give us this day

our daily bread.