10 lessons · Beginners
These lessons cover the observance of God's holy days and non-observance of Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.
Dear Parents and Teachers,
A passage from a psalm haunted me over the days when we were putting the finishing touches on our first book. “For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, from my youth,” said David. “Upon you I have leaned from my birth” (Psalm 71:5, 6 NRSV). What David is saying is that he could not remember a time when he had not trusted and leaned on God.
If only all of our children would grow up with the same faith—that they would not be able to remember a time when they did not pray, have faith in God, follow His teachings as best they knew and love Jesus Christ as their friend.
After these words in the psalm comes this beautiful affirmation: “O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come” (vv. 17, 18).
As we continue this project, we hope and pray that God Himself will teach our children. It is our task to present His message to the children with love, clarity, persuasion and even passion. For if we do not teach as people who love God, how can we hope to pass on that love to the children?
You hold in your hands a special Festival edition in the “Life of Christ” series designed for use by Beginners, parents and Sabbath School instructors in teaching your children the ways of God. As far as we know, no one in our tradition has ever done anything quite like this—a fact that is astonishing all in itself.
There are those who say that if you give them a child until he is six years old, the child will remain in their faith for life. There is a lot of truth in that statement. The reason is that children are more open to faith at that age than they ever will be again. Children also tend to fulfill our expectations. If we do not expect them to know God at that age, then they may well fall into a habit of assuming that God may be important to the church or their parents, but that He need not be important to them.
Realizing that children are as much in need of ministry as adults, CEM formed an arm called Youth Educational Adventures (YEA) to underwrite and expedite the teaching and nurturing of the children and youth of God’s people.
One of the first goals of YEA is the biblical literacy of the children, but that is not nearly enough. Which of you parents does not hope for your children to be baptized? If you can hope for it, then it is only right that you work for it and YEA stands ready to help you. We want your children to not only know about God, but to know Him. We want them not only to know about Jesus, but to believe in Him and to commit their lives to Him.
These lessons are more than isolated stories about biblical characters. Into each lesson is woven a strong life application. With all of this in mind, we have developed an ongoing curriculum so that when a child passes age seven, age 11, or age 18, he will know the things he should know at that age and will have come as far as maturity will allow.
Parents are encouraged to read the lessons to their children prior to Sabbath School. This will help them reach their comfort level more quickly in class. It will enable them to participate in class discussions and benefit more from the lesson. This age group enjoys sharing what they have learned. If you follow through after class with a discussion about what they have learned, they will feel good about sharing it with you. Show that you are interested by asking questions and making comments. Giving a lot of positive reinforcement will help them to love Sabbath School and enjoy learning about God’s word.
It would be good for the parents to join their children in reading the devotionals on the back of their book each day and to kneel with them and pray. Doing this habitually can build a foundation of biblical knowledge that will last throughout all eternity.
These lessons were designed to take about 45 to 50 minutes. Ideally, Sabbath Schools could be taught at the same time as an adult Bible Study. Every section of the lesson should be completed. If there is not enough time allotted for Sabbath School, the teachers should work with the parents to encourage the children to complete the activities at home. The activities are designed not only to add pleasure to the learning experience, but to reinforce the lesson as well and to complete the learning process.
We regret being unable to include the music for the suggested songs. For your convenience, Christian Educational Ministries stocks the Kids Classics Collection, Volume 1. To order, either write to P. O. Box 560, Whitehouse, TX 75791, or for credit card orders telephone 1-888-BIBLE-44.
May God bless the little children, and may He do it through you.
Ronald L. Dart