God in Our Monday to Sunday (Sunday School Lesson for Kids)
Small Group Study / Produced by partner of TOW
This lesson is part of God's Story of Work for Kids, a 12-week curriculum that teaches children to see work through God's perspective.
God is in our everyday work.
PROPS:
- dinner plate
- Bible
Which of these is doing God's work? (Hold up the dinner plate and the Bible.) Washing dishes or teaching the Bible? (Invite children to answer.) A lot of Christians believe that spending time praying or going on a mission trip or reading the Bible is doing God's work - work that will last - and that taking out the garbage, washing dishes, doing laundry, doing homework and everyday things like these is temporary work that is not as holy. But 90% of our week or over 150 hours is probably spent doing other things than praying, reading the Bible or going to church. If these are the only things that really matter, then most of our Monday to Sunday is spent doing things that don't count. Thankfully this is not true!
Doing God's work is not based on the religious character of the work - for example, activities like prayer and Bible reading - but whether they are done in faith, hope and love.
The right belief is to know that God is involved in all things and wants us to give all of our life to him.
SCRIPTURE LESSON
Read aloud or ask a child to stand and read for the group.
Colossians 1:16-17
For in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers - all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Deuteronomy 6:5
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.
He wants to be a part of every aspect of our lives - our emotions, our decisions, the things we care about, the things we work on - not just the times we pray. God is in 100% of the 168 hours we have each week.
When we know that God is in all things we know anything can be God's work. A nurse who takes care of patients with faith, hope and love is doing holy work. A construction worker carrying heavy supplies and helping to build a new office who does this work with faith, hope and love is doing work for God. A dancer who practices and performs with faith, hope and love is doing work for God. A student learning and studying with faith, hope and love is doing work for God. Each of these is working as God's co-worker and partner to bring his presence to the areas they work in. A son or daughter loving their parents and siblings is also working for God.
God is not only in some kinds of work. God is not only in some spaces like the church building or worship service or prayer times. God is in schools, local businesses, and all around us. God is in all things and constantly at work in the world all around us. Instead of finding God only in some activities, we find him everywhere! God is in our Monday to Sunday. He's a part of the jobs your parents have and the everyday work you do.
Though the Bible is full of stories of men and women who focused on teaching about God, it tells stories of people called by God doing different work.
Exodus 31:1-11
The Lord spoke to Moses: See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with divine spirit, with ability, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, in every kind of craft. Moreover, I have appointed with him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have given skill to all the skillful, so that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, and the ark of the covenant, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, and the finely worked vestments for the priest Aaron and the vestments of his sons, for their service as priests, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the holy place. They shall do just as I have commanded you.
God filled Bezalel with the Holy Spirit - not to preach - but to have wisdom and knowledge to work with stones, metal and wood to build a beautiful place to worship God. Bezalel's calling from God was to be an expert craftsman. God has different work callings for each of you. Perhaps some of you are called to become business owners who provide excellent products and work environments that treat people with dignity. Or maybe you're called to become a great dad or mom. Or perhaps you're called to use your math and science skills to engineer better ways to travel. God's work is not only when you become an adult and get a job. The work you are doing right now is work you can partner with God in by doing it with faith, hope and love. God wants to bring schools, learning, and everything you're involved in back to his original design. By participating in these with faith, hope and love, you are God's coworker.
An important thing to remember that God is in all work - whether it is seen by many or no one. What are some of the everyday kinds of work you do that no one really notices? (Invite children to respond.) God is in those things too.
Brother Lawrence was a monk who lived in the 1600s. He is known for a small book he wrote called The Practice of the Presence of God. At a monastery, monks have many different tasks in addition to prayer and Bible study. Each monk also has an assigned task they are responsible for in the care and upkeep of the monastery, such as taking care of the garden, farming, or cooking. Brother Lawrence had the task of washing dishes. He knew that God is in all work and washed the many dirty dishes with faith, hope and lots of love. As he did, he sensed God's presence just as much as he would in times of prayer.
God is in our prayer times and the times we are in a worship service. God is also in the ordinary dish washing, making of our beds, taking our the trash. When we do these with faith, hope and love, we will discover dish washing can also be holy work.
God, you are in all things and all around us. Often we think you're here in church with us or when we pray but forget you are right there with us when we're at school, on the playground, or setting the table for dinner. Help us not miss out on you and help us to join you in all of the ordinary tasks of our lives from Monday to Sunday. We want to bring your presence everywhere we go. In Jesus' mighty name we pray, amen.
God in Our Monday to Sunday (Classroom Activity for Grades 2-5)
Back to Table of Contents Back to Table of ContentsThis lesson is part of God's Story of Work for Kids, a 12-week curriculum that teaches children to see work through God's perspective.
PROPS
- clock or timer
- paper to keep score and pen or pencil
- large sheet of paper
- pencils
- the-kingdom-times.pdf
- pens, markers, colored pencils, crayons
OPENING ACTIVITY: Work of a week race (5 MINUTES)
Divide the class into two teams. Put two minutes on the clock. The first person on each team runs to the teacher who is on the opposite side of the room and shouts a task they do anytime between Monday through Sunday, then runs back to the end of the line. The teacher writes down the tasks and keeps score. The team who lists the most tasks by the end of the two minutes wins.
Review that God is in every day, every hour and every second of each week. Each of us lived 604,800 seconds this past week. God was in every moment of it whether we realized or not.
God's Many coworkers map (10 MINUTES)
On the large sheet of paper, have students draw a circle with their name in it. Connect the circles to show they are all part of one team. Give each child a blank sheet of paper. Ask them to fill out the following:
- Draw a line from your circle and list the chores you are responsible for
- Draw a line from your circle for each member of your family
- Write down what kind of work they do under their name and where they work.
Remind the children that God calls us to partner with him in all things. Each child's faith, hope and love affects how the other people on this map experience faith, hope and love.
the kingdom times (20 MINUTES)
Distribute a copy of the-kingdom-times.pdf to each student. Ask them to think of someone they know well whose work is unnoticed or underappreciated. God values this work. Newspapers often recognize people who are famous as if the work they do is more valuable. But God notices every single person, and the ordinary work they do with faith, hope and love counts. Create a newspaper headline and article showing off this person the way God sees him or her. For example, "Today, Mrs. Smith Folded Her Laundry!" or "Henry Did His Homework!" They can give their newspaper to the person as a way of saying that person's work truly matters.
Ask children to lay their hands on the map they created and lead them to pray that each person listed would discover more of God in all 168 hours of this week. Bless the work of each person on the map.
God in Our Monday to Sunday (Take-Home Activity for Parents and Kids)
Back to Table of Contents Back to Table of ContentsThis lesson is part of God's Story of Work for Kids, a 12-week curriculum that teaches children to see work through God's perspective.
THIS WEEK'S FOCUS: God is in our everyday work
God didn't just call people to be preachers, he also called craftsmen to work in the trades and he blessed them with skills to carry out their work. Often we don't see the holiness of the work that other people do all around us. But God sees. God wants everyone's work to be valued. And he wants us to feel his presence in the work we do Monday through Sunday.
DO THIS WEEK'S WORKOUT: seeing the value in everybody's work
The Weekly Workout is a great way you can work out the week's focus with your child. Invite the whole family into this time. God is at work.
On a large piece of paper write the names of each person in your family. Draw a circle around each of those names. Then ask each person in your family what work they plan on doing this week. There might be multiple types of work that one person does: work for money, work in the home, work for school, and work for fun. Draw lines out from each circle and write down the different types of work each person in your family does.
In the spaces left on the paper, write down people whose work affects your life. These could include a coworker, a fellow student, a teacher, a babysitter, a mailman, a family doctor, or the person who makes your coffee. Take turns pointing to each of these people and listing ways their work makes your life better. End by praying that God would be present in each person's work, and that each person would see the value in their own work and in the work of others.
Talk about it: What did you learn about the work of the people around you? Do you want to thank anyone for the work they do?
