This term we've decided to leave Israel and Judah in 'Time Out' - aka in exile; and take a trip through the poetry books - Job-Song of Solomon.
It's really important to be able to recognize that their are different writing genres within the Bible - because while a historical book will give facts and true stories, poems can get a little confusing and weird...and we might just start thinking that God has feathers (see Psalm 91:4). It may seem obvious to us grown-ups that there are different kinds of writing, but kids may not see it. So the first thing we did with this topic was explain the difference between history and poems.
This came in handy when we got to Job and saw God having meetings with Satan in Heaven. It's easy to forget that the story of Job is a poem - something based on a real person, with a few imaginative/inspired details mixed in (I mean who really argues with people in poetry form?). The important thing to learn in Job is that God is in control, no matter what's going on. He has the big picture, while we can only see a tiny part of what's happening, so we need to trust Him.
We quickly moved on to Psalms and Proverbs. Which was the perfect opportunity to change up a couple of things. In worship, instead of singing a couple of songs we read through Psalm 150 - adding in the right noises and actions. Proverbs provided short, snappy bits of wisdom for us to memorize (we're on a break from our usual memory verse system). We read through a few different psalms, learning basic exegesis - how to draw out meaning from a passage, to identify what kind of psalm it is and what all the parts are about.
Ecclesiastes gives us insight into life from an old king's perspective. It's easy to chase money and fame, but in the end you have no more than what the poor beggar has. Really the only things of true worth are friends and God.
With just a couple weeks left of term we have time to squeeze in Song of Solomon (!)...that's going to be interesting. Watch out, your kids might start coming out with compliments like "your teeth are like sheep that are fresh from the dip". Once we get past that crazy book, we'll jump forward to Easter and remember what God has done for us in Christ.
What a great term!
It's really important to be able to recognize that their are different writing genres within the Bible - because while a historical book will give facts and true stories, poems can get a little confusing and weird...and we might just start thinking that God has feathers (see Psalm 91:4). It may seem obvious to us grown-ups that there are different kinds of writing, but kids may not see it. So the first thing we did with this topic was explain the difference between history and poems.
This came in handy when we got to Job and saw God having meetings with Satan in Heaven. It's easy to forget that the story of Job is a poem - something based on a real person, with a few imaginative/inspired details mixed in (I mean who really argues with people in poetry form?). The important thing to learn in Job is that God is in control, no matter what's going on. He has the big picture, while we can only see a tiny part of what's happening, so we need to trust Him.
We quickly moved on to Psalms and Proverbs. Which was the perfect opportunity to change up a couple of things. In worship, instead of singing a couple of songs we read through Psalm 150 - adding in the right noises and actions. Proverbs provided short, snappy bits of wisdom for us to memorize (we're on a break from our usual memory verse system). We read through a few different psalms, learning basic exegesis - how to draw out meaning from a passage, to identify what kind of psalm it is and what all the parts are about.
Ecclesiastes gives us insight into life from an old king's perspective. It's easy to chase money and fame, but in the end you have no more than what the poor beggar has. Really the only things of true worth are friends and God.
With just a couple weeks left of term we have time to squeeze in Song of Solomon (!)...that's going to be interesting. Watch out, your kids might start coming out with compliments like "your teeth are like sheep that are fresh from the dip". Once we get past that crazy book, we'll jump forward to Easter and remember what God has done for us in Christ.
What a great term!