Love the Lord Your God instructed to love the Lord their God and to love and respect their neighbors. The second portion of the story, found in Deuteronomy 6, ... Love the Lord Your

© 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved 1

Love the Lord Your GodDeuteronomy 5:1-21; 6:4-6

Deuteronomy 6:5-6

God gave Israel commandments.God’s commandments instructed people to love God and love each other.We are commanded to love God and love each other, too.

Torah

Service

After completing this lesson, students will be able to:

� Recognize the meaning of Torah by comparing the teachings of the Torah tothe teachings they have heard.

� Recognize God’s commandments by creating illustrations of the Bible text.

� Demonstrate an understanding of service as an act of love by creating a skit.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Activities a la Carte

Lesson #2-5 (3rd-6th) October 11, 2015


Into the StoryCommandment or Not?What’s a commandment?

5 min. � Activity Sheet #2-5.A

Bible Nuts and BoltsTorahLiving a life of love.

5 min. � A Bible�Whiteboard or large sheet of paper� Marker

Learning the StoryLove the Lord Your GodCreate a comic strip of the story.

15 min. � Activity Sheet #2-5.B�White copy paper� Markers or crayons

Living the StoryLoving God, Loving OthersShare how we love others.

15 min. � Nothing

Additional ActivitiesLove the Lord Your God…Learn the Key Verse with hand motions!

10 min. � Activity Sheet #2-5.C

Activities Supplies

Activities a la Carte



Activities SuppliesWith All Your HeartMake a heart sun catcher.

10 min. �Waxed paper� Crayons� Pencil sharpener or crayon sharpener� Iron� Towels� Scissors� Single-hole punch� Ribbon or string

Student Bible Book: Love the LordYour God Students continue their own Bible story book!

10 min. � Each student’s binder� Copies of Activity Sheet #2-5.D� A three-hole punch� Pens� Markers and/or crayons� A sample page (See below)

Closing Prayer 5 min.



Background for TeachersStory ConnectionsLast week, your students explored the story of Mosesand the burning bush. This week’s story is a continua-tion of the story of Moses, after the Israelites haveescaped slavery in Egypt. In this story, God continuesto speak to the Israelites through Moses, teaching themhow to live by loving God and loving each other.

Story Summary: Love the Lord Your GodThe text in Deuteronomy 5:1-21 is a restatement of theTen Commandments as found in Exodus 20. Godspeaks through Moses to the Israelites, reminding themof the covenant that God created with them. They arethen instructed to love the Lord their God and to loveand respect their neighbors. The second portion of thestory, found in Deuteronomy 6, gives the Israelites agreat and important commandment: they are to loveGod with all of their heart, soul, and strength.

These commandments are repeated again and againthroughout Scripture, particularly in the New Testament.In Matthew 22:36-38, Jesus reminds us that loving Godis the greatest commandment. Then, in verse 38, Jesusreminds us that the second greatest commandment is tolove others. The commandments that your students willexplore in this lesson form the foundation for all ofGod’s other commandments.

Bible Nuts and Bolts: TorahThe different books of the Bible can be classified indifferent sections. The first five books of the Bible(Genesis through Deuteronomy) are known in the He-brew tradition as the Torah. The word “Torah” means“instruction” or “teaching.” The stories and command-ments in these first five books provide teaching for thepeople of God. Specifically, the books of the Torah giveGod’s people guidelines on how to live lives of love.

Story ThemesAny passage of Scripture has innumerable themes andlessons for the student. However, a single lesson cannotcover everything. The following themes are the focus ofthis lesson.

God gave Israel commandments. In today’s text, Godgives Israel ten commandments. Commandments canbe defined as direct instructions or commands. In mostof the commandments, the people are told “you shall…”or “you shall not….” God is doing more than just givingthe Israelites rules. Instead, God is telling them how theyshould live their lives, by loving and respecting God andeach other.

God’s commandments instructed people to love Godand to love each other. Many people hear the TenCommandments and understand them as ten importantrules we should follow. However, the Ten Command-ments are more than just ten big rules. The Command-ments give us guidelines on how to live. We are asked torespect God by not worshipping anyone other than ourGod, and by only using God’s name in affirming andhelpful ways. We are asked to respect other people bybeing kind to them, honoring them, and respecting theirlives and property. God has made a covenant to love andrespect us, and we respond to this covenant by returningthe love and respect to our Creator.

We are commanded to love God and love each other,too. The commandments that God gives the Israelites inDeuteronomy are still relevant to us today. In the NewTestament, we are told that the greatest commandmentis to love God, and the second greatest is to love ourneighbor. As Christians, we continue to live out thesecommandments through our words and actions.

Spiritual Practice: ServiceHow do we live out God’s commandments to love Godand to love other people? This week, your class willexplore the answer to this question by thinking abouthow we can show our love for others through acts ofservice. During the “Living the Story” activity, yourclass will illustrate ways people can love others throughlives of service.

Lesson #2-5 (3rd-6th) • October 11, 2015


Lesson Plan

Into the Story (10 minutes)Commandment or Not?What’s a commandment?

You will need:� Activity Sheet #2-5.A.

During class:1. Say: Welcome back! Last week, we heard about Moses and how God asked

him to free the Israelites from Egypt. In today’s story, the Israelites are out ofEgypt and traveling to the Promised Land. While they are on their journey,God gives them some commandments.

2. What is a commandment? Do you know? [Accept all answers.] A commandmentis like an instruction. What are some instructions that people give you? [Acceptall answers.]

3. Hold up a copy of Activity Sheet #2-5.A for the class to see. There are manycommandments in the Bible. I’m going to read some commandments off ofthis sheet of paper. After I read a commandment, your job is to figure out ifit’s a commandment in the Bible. Let’s see how many we can guess correctly!

4. Read the commandments one by one on the Activity Sheet. In between readingcommandments, give students a chance to guess if a commandment is from the Bible.Once students guess, reveal the answer and move on to the next one.

5. In today’s story, we are going to hear about some of the commandments thatGod gives. We can find these commandments in the Bible.



Bible Nuts and BoltsTorah (5 minutes)Living a life of love.

You will need:� A Bible� Whiteboard or large sheet of paper� Marker

During class:1. I’m sure that all of you go to school. When you go to school, what are some of

the things you learn? Let’s make a list.2. Invite students to share some of the things they learn about while they are at school.

Write these ideas down on the whiteboard or sheet of paper.3. Wow. We learn a lot! What are some of the tools we use to learn these things?

[Answers will vary, but may include: books, computers, talks, worksheets, etc.] Write these ideasin a new list on the whiteboard or paper.

4. There are many things tools that teach us the things we learn in school. Wehave teachers who help us learn. We have books to read or papers that showus new things. All of these things teach us.

5. Show students the Bible. Can we learn things from the Bible? [Yes!]6. Open the Bible to today’s story. Today’s story comes from the book of

Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is in a part of the Bible called the Torah. Theword “Torah” means “teaching.” What are some things that the Bible mightteach us? [Accept all answers.]

7. The Torah is a tool that teaches people. The Bible teaches us many thingsabout how to live our lives, and many of these teachings come from the Torah.Most importantly, the Torah teaches us how to live lives of love. We learn inthe Torah how to love God and love other people.

8. Let’s hear the story and find out what commandments will teach us thesethings!



Learning the Story (15 minutes)Love the Lord Your GodMake a comic strip of the story.

You will need:� Activity Sheet #2-5.B� White copy paper� Crayons or markers

Before class:1. Make a copy of Activity Sheet #2-5.B for each student.

During class:1. Hand each student a sheet of white copy paper. Invite them to fold the paper into

eighths and number each section 1 through 8. Hand each student some crayons ormarkers.

2. Read the story off of Activity Sheet #2-5.B. At the end of each section, pause andallow students to color an image that illustrates that portion of the story in theappropriate numbered section.

3. After concluding the activity, use the following questions to discuss the story:1. What were some of the commandments that God gave the Israelites?

[Answers will vary, but may include: only worship God, honor your parents, don’t steal,don’t hurt people, etc.]

2. Why do you think God gave the Israelites these commandments? [An-swers will vary, but may include: to remind them to love God, to remind them to love otherpeople, to remind them to be kind, etc.]

3. Even though God gave these commandments to the Israelites a longtime ago, do you think God still wants us to follow them? [Yes!]

4. These commandments were given to God’s people a long time ago. At thestart of the story, Moses reminds the people that even though God gave thesecommandments to their ancestors, they should still remember and followthem. God asks us to follow these commandments, too. Thesecommandments help us live lives of love: they help us love God andlove each other.



5. Send home a copy of Activity Sheet #2-5.B for each student along with their comicstrip.

Living the Story (15 minutes)Loving God, Loving OthersSharing how we love others.

You will need:� Nothing

During class:1. Divide the class into pairs.2. In today’s story, we heard God instruct us to love other people. One way that

we love other people is by serving them.3. What are some ways in which we might serve people? [Accept all answers.]4. There are many ways that we can serve people. With your partner, think of one

special way that you might follow God’s commandments and love anotherperson through service. Create a skit that describes your idea!

5. Encourage pairs to create skits. Give students about 7-10 minutes to work. Ifneeded, help partners think about how they can love others through service.

6. After time is up, invite the large group to come together. Invite partners to sharetheir skits.

7. Great job, everyone! We all can love others by living lives of service.

Additional ActivitiesLove the Lord Your God… (10 minutes)Learn a Key Verse with hand motions!

You will need:� A Bible� Copies of Activity Sheet #2-5.C



Before class:1. Make a copy of Activity Sheet #2-5.C for each student.2. Practice the hand motions. You can view videos of each hand motion by using an

ASL dictionary (such as the one at http://www.handspeak.com/word/)

During class:1. Open a Bible to Deuteronomy 6:5. Read the verse to the class.2. This verse is one of the commandments that God gives the Israelites. We hear

this commandment in many different places of the Bible. Jesus even talksabout this commandment in the New Testament! Let’s learn this Bible verseby heart, using hand motions.

3. Hand each student a copy of Activity Sheet #2-5.C. Go through the verse picture bypicture, learning the hand motions together. This may be easiest if you show thestudents the hand motions first, and then have them repeat the words and motionsback to you.

4. After learning the verse, say it a few times together with the hand motions.5. Great job! Take these sheets home and continue to practice the verse. Soon

you will know this commandment by heart!

With All Your Heart (15 minutes)Make a heart sun catcher

You will need:� Waxed paper� Crayons� Pencil sharpener, crayon sharpener, or grater (several per class)� Iron� Towels� Scissors� Single-hole punch� Ribbon or string

Note:� Practice care with using an iron during class. Before beginning this activity, instruct

students to stay away from the iron unless you say otherwise. You may alsowish to set up the iron on a different table to keep students away from thehot surface.



During class:1. In today’s story, we are commanded to love God with our whole heart. Let’s

make a reminder of this commandment.2. Give each student a sheet of waxed paper cut to 12” in length. Invite them to fold

the paper in half, and then open it back up.3. Using the pencil sharpener, crayon sharpener, or grater, shave the wax off of different

colored crayons onto the waxed paper. If you opt to use pencil sharpeners, securesmall, handheld ones that can be used solely for this purpose. Don’t forget to tear thepaper off the crayons, if needed!

4. Refold the paper in half over the crayon shavings.5. Place a towel on the table to protect your surface. One at a time, place each student’s

folded waxed paper on top of the towel. Place a second towel on top of the waxedpaper. Place the iron on a medium heat setting and press the iron on the towel untilall of the crayons inside the paper are melted.

6. Set the waxed paper to the side to harden.7. Once hardened, cut the waxed paper into the shape of a heart. Use a single-hole

punch to punch a hole in the top of the heart, and thread through ribbon or string tocreate a hanging.

Student Bible Book: Love the Lord Your God (10 minutes)Students continue their own Bible story book!

You will need:� A three-ring binder for each student (See Note)� Copies of Activity Sheet #2-5.D on 8.5” x 11” cardstock paper or plain paper� A three-hole punch� Pens� Markers and/or crayons� A sample page (See below)

Before class:1. Create a sample page using the instructions below to demonstrate to students

approximately what their page should look like.2. You may copy the activity sheet onto the cardstock, or just have students

write it all themselves.

During class:1. Hand out one piece of cardstock paper and a pen to each student.



2. Show students the sample page you made before class.3. Today we are going to continue making our own Bible book!4. If you did not copy the activity sheet onto the cardstock, instruct students to write the

name of the story on the top of their page (in portrait orientation) and write thepassage underneath the title.

5. What are some of the important things we have learned from this story?[Answers will vary, see story themes for suggested answers]

6. On the bottom of your page, please write one or two important things that youhave learned from this story. In the middle of the page, draw a picture from thestory or illustrate one of your important things you’ve learned.

7. When students are finished, have them put their names on the back and collect thepages. Three-hole punch the papers and put them in individual binders for eachstudent to be kept at church until the end of the year.

Closing PrayerBefore ending class, make a point to come together to pray. Use the following or say your ownprayer. Allow any students who would like to include a petition to do so at the appropriate time.


© 2014-2015 Spirit and Truth Publishing - All Rights Reserved

12

Are These Commandments?Try to guess if each of these commandments is found in the Bible!

Commandment Is it in the Bible?If yes, where is it

found?

Love God. Yes Deuteronomy 6:5

Don’t seek revenge on people. Yes Leviticus 19:18

Ride horses everywhere you go. No

Say a blessing to God whileeating. Yes Deuteronomy 8:10

Don’t be kind to other people. No

Be jealous of everything yourneighbor has. No

Give money to help otherpeople. Yes Deuteronomy 15:8

Use God’s name in bad ways. No



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Panel Line of Story1 Today we hear a story from the book of Deuteronomy. We have given it the

title “Love the Lord Your God.” In this story, we will hear some importantcommandments that God gave to God’s people.

2 Moses gathered all of God’s people together. He told the people of Israel thatthey should follow all of the commandments that he was about to give them.

3 Moses reminded them that these commandments were given to their ancestorsby God many, many years ago. He told them that these commandments were acovenant that God made with their ancestors, and that they still should followthis covenant today.

4 Moses told the people about these commandments. He told them that we arecommanded to love and respect God, and we should only worship God. Weshould treat God’s name with respect, too.

5 Moses told the people that God also commands us to spend time every weekresting and worshipping God. For six days we should work, and on the seventhday we should rest.

6 Moses told the people that God also commands us to love and respect others.We are commanded to honor our parents and treat them with love and respect.

7 God commands us to respect other people by honoring their lives and theirproperty. We shouldn’t hurt or harm them in any way, lie about them, or bejealous of what they have.

8 Moses told God’s people that, most importantly, they should love God with allof their heart, with all of their soul, and with all of their might. We are instruct-ed to remember these commandments and keep them in our hearts all the time.



14

Key Verse Hand MotionsUse these pictures to help you learn Deuteronomy 6:5!

Part ofVerse

Hand Motion

Love

The Lord

Your God

With all yourheart,



15

Key Verse Hand MotionsUse these pictures to help you learn Deuteronomy 6:5!

Part ofVerse

Hand Motion

And with allyour soul,

And with allyour might.



16


I learned:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Story @ Home

Love the Lord Your GodThis week, your child explored the story of Moses andthe burning bush. This week’s story is a continuation ofthe story of Moses. In this story, God continues to speakto the Israelites through Moses, teaching them how tolive by loving God and loving each other.

Story Summary: Love the Lord Your GodThe text in Deuteronomy 5:1-21 is a restatement of theTen Commandments, as found in Exodus 20. Godspeaks through Moses to the Israelites, reminding themof the covenant that God created with them. They arethen instructed to love the Lord their God and to loveand respect their neighbors. The second portion of thestory, found in Deuteronomy 6, gives the Israelites agreat and important commandment: they are to loveGod with all of their heart, soul, and strength.

These commandments are repeated again and againthroughout Scripture, particularly in the New Testament.In Matthew 22:36-38, Jesus reminds us that loving Godis the greatest commandment. Then, in verse 38, Jesusreminds us that the second greatest commandment is tolove others. The Ten Commandments form the founda-tion for all of God’s other commandments.

Bible Nuts and Bolts: TorahThe different books of the Bible can be classified indifferent sections. The first five books of the Bible(Genesis through Deuteronomy) are known in the He-brew tradition as the Torah. The word “Torah” means“instruction” or “teaching.” The stories and command-ments in these first five books provide teaching for thepeople of God. Specifically, the books of the Torah giveGod’s people guidelines on how to live lives of love.

Story ThemesGod gave Israel commandments. In today’s text, Godgives Israel ten commandments. Commandments canbe defined as direct instructions or commands. In mostof the commandments, the people are told “you shall…”or “you shall not….” God is doing more than just givingthe Israelites rules. Instead, God is telling them how theyshould live their lives, by loving and respecting God andeach other.

God’s commandments instructed people to love Godand to love each other. Many people hear the TenCommandments and understand them as ten importantrules we should follow. However, the Ten Command-ments are more than just ten big rules. The Command-ments ask us to respect God by not worshipping anyoneother than our God, and by only using God’s name inaffirming and helpful ways. We are asked to respectother people by being kind to them, honoring them, andrespecting their lives and property.

We are commanded to love God and love each other,too. The commandments that God gives the Israelites inDeuteronomy are still relevant to us today. In the NewTestament, we are told that the greatest commandmentis to love God, and the second greatest is to love ourneighbor. As Christians, we continue to live out thesecommandments through our words and actions.

Spiritual Practice: ServiceHow do we live out God’s commandments to love Godand to love other people? This week, your child exploredthe answer to this question by thinking about how wecan show our love for others through acts of service.During the “Living the Story” activity, your child illus-trated ways people can love others through lives ofservice.

Narrative Lectionary, Year 2


Try it@ HOME

As you hear and study these stories each week, consider what God has to say to you and your family. Help your children to imagine what it would havebeen like to be the people contained in the stories. What is God’s message to them – and to us? Pick a time each day to gather together and read thefollowing stories from an age-appropriate Bible. Engage in a few activities that help you better understand how we can follow God’s commandments tolove God and love each other.

LIV

ING

TH

E W

ORD

Today your child continued their journey through the Bible and through the story of Moses. Last week, your childheard the story of Moses and the Burning Bush in Exodus 1:8-14 and 3:1-10. In today’s story, your child heardabout God’s commandments to the Israelite people, given through Moses while they journeyed to the PromisedLand. Next week’s story, found in Ruth 1:1-17, focuses on Naomi and Ruth and the journey they take together toa new home.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Exodus 32:1-14 1 Kings 17:8-16 Daniel 6:1-28 Luke 10:25-37 John 6:1-14 John 12:1-8 Acts 2:45-47;4:32-37

Draw what youthink the goldencalf looked like.Why do you thinkGod asks us to wor-ship only God, andnothing else?

Find a recipe andbake a loaf of bread(or another bakerytreat) together. Asyou bake, talk aboutways you can showkindness to guests,just like the widowin the story.

Daniel was faithfulto God even whenKing Darius de-creed that everyoneworship someoneelse. Is it easy orhard to be faithfulto God? Pray andask God to give youthe strength to befaithful, no matterwhat.

Write a kind note ormake a “get wellsoon” card forsomeone who ishurt or sick. As youmake the card, prayfor them. If you areable to do so, deliv-er the card to theperson.

The little boy in thestory served othersby sharing his breadand fish with every-one. Collect somecanned goods fromyour home to sharewith a food bank orcollection.

Grab a chair, a largebasin or tub, apitcher of water,and a towel. Taketurns “anointing”each other’s feet.As you do so, talkabout how Maryshowed love forJesus by anointinghis feet.

As a community,the early believersloved each other bysharing things withone another. Makea list of some of thethings that yourfamily (community)shares.


Documents

Love the Lord Your God instructed to love the Lord their God and to love and respect their neighbors. The second portion of the story, found in Deuteronomy 6, ... Love the Lord Your