We Are The Church
Lesson 2: Worship
Below you will find the full curriculum for Lesson 2 of We Are The Church. Every lesson of this curriculum begins with an opening prayer and reflection followed by a mix of games, activities, and bible study. Each lesson ends with a closing discussion and prayer.
Along with the curriculum below we also have resources that have been specifically designed for those leading the curriculum. Click the button below to review those resources.
Opening Prayer and Reflection
Lesson 2
Supplies: Candle (optional)
Start you day/time together by reflecting on the questions below. These questions are suggestions but feel free to come up with your own questions to start off your time together
· What is something you are excited to do today?
· What is one thing you are thankful for today?
Come up with one silly question to start you day. Example: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?
* To mark this as a time set apart from the usual hustle and bustle, you may want to light a candle. (In the church we use candles to symbolize the presence of the Holy Spirit)
Act it out
Activity #1
Supplies: Phone or Computer With Internet Access
For this activities you are going to share something about yourself without using any words. Each person will get to act out something they like, dislike, or just something about themselves in general. Everyone else has to guess what they are acting out.
You can do this with someone in your home, over Zoom, even FaceTime a friend or relative.
Scripture Reading
Exodus 40:34-35
When Moses had finished all the work, the cloud covered the meeting tent and the LORD’s glorious presence filled the dwelling. Moses couldn’t enter the meeting tent because the cloud had settled on it, and the LORD’s glorious presence filled the dwelling.
More of the Story from Exodus
After God’s people left Egypt they walked a long time in the desert. They would only stay for a while in one place and then they would move to another. They did not have houses to live in because they had to keep travelling toward their new land.
All of the people had tents but the Lord wanted to build a special kind of tent. This tent would be very beautiful. It would be made of rich cloths and contain furniture inside made of gold. It would be put in the middle of the whole camp where everyone could see it. Do you know why this tent would be so special? Because this tent was to be the Lord’s tent! Itwould be called a tabernacle. The word tabernacle means “tent” or “dwelling place.”
Of course the Lord can live and be anywhere at any time, but God chose to make the tabernacle God’s home and special place so that the people would think of God every day. While the Israelites were on their journey through the desert they would know that God was in the tabernacle when they saw a cloud in the tabernacle tent. In the day God’s presence would be seen as a cloud and at night as a fire. When the cloud or fire moved to a new place the people could pack up the tabernacle tent and furniture and move it to the new place.
Moses’ and Aaron’s family or tribe took care of the tabernacle. They were descendants of Jacob’s son, Levi. Sometimes they were called Levites. Only Levites could work in the temple. Some of the workers would be called priests. The priests would help take care of the tabernacle and they
would help the people worship the Lord. They would always wear special clothes in the temple. God chose Aaron to be the head priest or the High Priest. His sons would help him.
While Moses was on Mount Sinai, God gave him instructions for building the tabernacle. The materials were to be gathered, and then the tabernacle and the furniture for it would be made. God gave very specific instructions to Moses. The tabernacle and furniture were to follow God’s pattern exactly.
Digging Deeper Questions
Surface:
Why do you think that God instructed Moses to build a Tabernacle?
What do you think people did in the Tabernacle?
How would you describe people’s feelings about helping to build the Tabernacle,
giving their own possessions to build it, and also having to do the work to set it up each time?
Deeper:
What do you think people thought as they stood outside the entrance to the Tabernacle before they went in each time?
What thoughts go through your head when you prepare to enter into a worship space?
Deepest:
What do you think the other 11 tribes thought about the Levites being the only ones who could enter parts of the Tabernacle?
What do you think the Levites felt about being the only ones who could enter certain parts of the Tabernacle?
What benefit is there in the Tabernacle being part of their tent village every time they moved?
What is good and bad about having a physical and designated place to worship God?
Tabernacle Trivia
Activity #2
Supplies: Click the button for a link to the handout that contains the answers.
Q1: The Tabernacle was divided into two places. Which of these is not one of those places.
A) Holy Place
B) Most Holy Place
C) Room of the Ark
Q2: The Ark of the Covenant was the most important part of the Tabernacle. What did it hold?
Q3: The Golden Lampstand in the Tabernacle had how many lights?
Q4: The Table of Showbread was made large enough so that 12 loaves of bread would fit on it. Who was allowed to eat the bread?
Q5: The Tabernacle was viewed as God's home. What was burned to make it smell better?
A) Tufts of Hair
B) Incense
C) Cloths Covered in Oil
Q6: What was the name of the Altar where animals were sacrificed?
A) Altar of Animal Sacrifice
B) Altar of Atonement
C) Brazen Altar
Scripture Reading
Psalm 95:1-7a (NIV)
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
Discussion Questions
● What does worship mean to you? – [use definitions above to help guide students]
● What does extravagant or extreme mean when we talk about worship?
● How do you show extravagant love and extreme submission or obedience to God
in worship?
● How do we sometimes worship things that aren’t God?
Digging Deeper Questions
Surface:
What are examples of ways to worship in your church?
In what ways do you like to worship God?
What can you do this week to worship God in a new way?
Deeper:
Do you view worship as something that mainly happens at church, or does it happen in other areas of your life?
What are examples of what keeps us from worshiping God?
When do you feel closer to God when you are worshiping?
Deepest:
Do you think God is worth worshiping? Why or why not?
How can we incorporate our passions into how we worship God?
What do you think it means to have a lifestyle of true worship?
How could your life change if you decided to live a lifestyle of true worship?
Being the Church:
Activity #3
Read then discuss these paragraphs on St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis of Assisi started out as a wealthy Italian merchant’s son, enjoying the lavish things in life, like big parties and fancy clothes. He went to war as a knight of Assisi and was transformed by the suffering he experienced as a prisoner of war. When Francis returned home, he received a call from God while he was praying. He heard God telling him to restore the church, and this prompted a spiritual journey toward simplicity, justice, prayer, and the care of creation. Francis founded the Catholic order of Franciscans, an order or group of people and communities that live by the values of creating community, showing compassion, reverence of creation, and peacemaking.
St. Francis paid close attention to nature all around him and worshipped God by caring for all created things. When Francis was young, he had all the good things money could buy. He wore fancy clothes, threw big parties, and went on big vacations. But as he grew up, Francis felt like something was missing. He began to pray to God and pay attention to small things in the world around him. Francis began to befriend all kinds of animals, showing them gentleness and patience to earn the animals’ trust. One day he was out in nature, and an entire flock of birds gathered on the ground before him and even perched on his head and shoulders. Francis felt called to preach the gospel to the birds. As the story goes, Francis encouraged them to praise God in every beat of their wings and note of their singing, and thanked them for the example that Jesus saw in this parable: “Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow seed or harvest grain or gather crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” (Matthew 6:26a)
How do you think it would feel to look up and have all kinds of birds gathered around you?
Have you ever had a special encounter with an animal, or noticed something wonderful in nature?
How do you think St. Francis’ connection with God helped him welcome others?
* For an extra activity find a picture of St. Francis of Assisi and do your best to recreate that picture. When you are done post a picture of your recreation on our forums by Clicking Here!
Closing Discussion and Prayer
Spend some time discussing and reflecting on this lesson and then close with a prayer.
· Worship has always been an important part of the lives of God's People. How does this impact how you feel about worship?
· What are some ways you could get involved with worship at your church?
· What is one thing you learned or enjoyed in this lesson and why?
Things to Remember:
We encounter God in worship!
We are created to worship God!
Closing Prayer: Loving and Gracious God, we are grateful for the opportunity to worship you in all that we do! Amen!