YEA Lesson Library
All in the Family
About This Lesson
This lesson uses Joseph's story as an example for the student to emulate: when Joseph's brothers needed help, he showed his love for God by forgiving his brothers despite how badly they had treated him.
Scriptures
Genesis 44:18-34
Genesis 45:1-16
Proverbs 18:19
Matthew 7:7-11
Luke 17:3
Acts 7:12, 13
Galatians 6:1
Ephesians 3:14-15
1 Timothy 5:8
James 2:15-16
1 John 3:17
1 John 4:21
Words to Know
RECESS - a time when work is stopped for a short period, a time to relax
SELFISH - thinking only of yourself and not about others
The Lesson
What do we know about families? Does everyone in a family look alike? Do they all have the same parents? Do they all live in the same house? One of the most important things about people in a family is that they love each other. They don't always get along with each other. Sometimes they treat each other badly. But, God says, "Anyone who loves God must also love his brothers and sisters.”
Patty came home from school mad. Everything had gone wrong. She missed three words on her spelling test. She couldn’t find her sandwich at lunch time. During recess she fell and skinned her knee. Patty was in a really bad mood.
Patty's little brother, Josh, wanted to borrow one of Patty’s books. Patty told him, "No!" When he kept asking, Patty pushed him out of her room and slammed the door. She didn't want anyone to bother her.
Later that evening, Patty came into the living room. Josh was playing a video game. He asked Patty if she wanted to play, too. Josh loved Patty. He showed his love by forgiving her for what she did.
Joseph's brothers needed food. They came to him to buy food. But, they didn't know that Joseph was their brother. They thought he was an important Egyptian. He looked like an Egyptian. He dressed like an Egyptian. He even talked like an Egyptian.
Joseph wanted his brothers to leave the youngest brother, Benjamin, with him. Joseph had missed his family. His older brothers had been mean to him. They sold him to be a slave. But Benjamin was the youngest.
Joseph's brothers knew that they couldn't leave Benjamin in Egypt. Their father was very old. He loved Benjamin very much. If they didn't take Benjamin back home, their father would die from sadness. One of the other brothers offered to stay in Benjamin's place.
Joseph saw that his brothers had changed. They were no longer selfish. They loved each other and their father. They were willing to do anything to make their father happy. Joseph knew he just had to tell them who he was.
All the servants were sent out of the house. Joseph was alone with his brothers. He began to cry - not because he was sad, but because he was happy. He said, "I am your brother Joseph. You thought I was dead. But I'm alive!" He told his brothers not to feel badly about what they did. God used that bad thing and made it into something good. Joseph was brought to Egypt as a slave. But, God used Joseph to feed the people. He saved his brothers' lives.
Joseph forgave his brothers for what they did to him. He loved them. He was good to them and gave them food.
Joseph proved that he loved God by loving his brothers. He forgave them for being mean to him. God wants you to forgive when people treat you badly. He wants you to turn hate into love.
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
You loved me and proved it by sending your Son to die for me. Help me to learn to love and forgive others. Help me turn hate into love.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Proverbs 18:19
Monday - Luke 17:3
Tuesday - James 2:15-16
Wednesday - 1 John 3:17
Thursday - Galatians 6:1
Friday - 1Timothy 5:8
Saturday - Ephesians 3:14-15
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the children will be able to:
1. Tel how Joseph showed love to his brothers.
2. Tell that God wants us to forgive when others treat us badly.
3. State that we show love to God when we love our brothers and sisters.
Topics & Themes
Benjamin
Family
Forgiveness
God’s Plan
Joseph
Joseph’s Brothers
Loving God
Loving Others
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA students' and teacher's books, attendance and memory verse chart, stickers, music player and CD or cassette, construction paper, modeling clay, clay pots, scissors, marker or crayons, chalkboard or newsprint pad, push pins, large craft sticks
Preparation
We all have secret failings as families. Maybe we keep these hidden because we have a preconceived idea of what a Christian family should be. We have fostered the idea that we must have a certain kind of family for our children to turn out right. Parents are indeed accountable for their example and exhortation. But, children are responsible for their own actions.
Children learn by example as well as by exhortation. As you exhibit unconditional love to them, make the commitment that you will always love them no matter what they do; they will learn to love others in this same way. Joseph demonstrated his love for his brothers in spite of the way they had treated him.
Before you come to class, enlarge and copy the flower pattern onto colored construction paper.
How to Teach This Lesson
Use the activity from the student's book to introduce this lesson. Go through the steps, writing them on a chalkboard or sheet of newsprint. Solution: HATE, RATE, RAVE, ROVE, LOVE. Explain that it is fairly easy to change the word hate into love. But, it is not always easy to change the feeling from hate to love.
Joseph's Brothers - Ask: Why did his brothers hate Joseph? His father gave Joseph a beautiful coat of many colors. They also hated Joseph because of the dreams he had. In Joseph's dreams, his brothers all bowed down to him.
Evil Deed - Some of Joseph's brothers hated him enough to want to kill him. Ask: What did they do to him instead? They threw him into a pit. Then they sold him into slavery.They lied and told their father he was killed by a wild animal. Joseph would be separated from his family for many years. Hatred can cause people to do terrible things.
God Meant It For Good - God took the terrible events of Joseph's life and used them for good. God took Joseph out of prison and made him one of the most important men in Egypt. Joseph collected and stored food during the good years of prosperity. Then when the famine came, it was Joseph's job to distribute the food to the starving people.
Joseph Forgives - Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to buy food. Ask: Why didn't they recognize the brother they had mistreated? Joseph wanted to be reunited with his family, especially his youngest brother, Benjamin. His brothers showed love and concern for their father when Joseph wanted Benjamin to stay with him. This was too much for Joseph. He broke down and cried, revealing his true identity. Joseph forgave them.
Will You Forgive? - God wants you to show that you love Him by forgiving others when they treat you badly.
Review Questions
1. What was Joseph's youngest brother's name?
2. Why didn't his brothers recognize him?
3. Why didn't his brothers want to leave Benjamin with Joseph?
4. What do you think made Joseph finally tell his brothers who he was?
5. Why was Joseph not mad at his brothers for what they did to him?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Give each child a paper with the flower printed on it. Have them write the letters "F-O-R-G-I-V-E" on one side of the petals, and “L-O- V-E G-O-D” on the other side. Cut out the flower. With a push pin, attach the flower to the end of a large craft stick. Place a small amount of modeling clay in the bottom of a small clay pot and insert the craft stick into the clay.
REACH Activity
Materials needed: tempera paint, paint brushes, package of colorful construction paper, string, glue, tape, Kids Classics Collection songbook and/or CDs, Bible, YEA book, Bible notebook, black permanent marker, watercolor paints, 11 x 17 drawing paper, card stock, pencils, markers, colored pencils, crayons, scissors, ruler, index cards, CEM Hymnal, Bible dictionary, concordance, access to encyclopedia or the Internet, Bible encyclopedia, Bible map or Bible atlas, dictionary, family photos, sand in the sandbox, large container, old magazines, camera, photo album, hole punch, ribbon
Bible notebook: A spiral bound notebook will be used as a Bible notebook. This is a good place to write and keep all of the writing activities.
1. Make a crossword (like playing Scrabble) with words from the memory verse.
2. Get copies of family photos. Make a collage with them. Write the memory verse on a strip of paper. Attach it as a banner over the collage.
3. Have a special family night. Discuss and plan what everyone would like to eat and do on that night. Take pictures during the night and then put them in an album. Look back at the pictures and remind yourself how blessed you are to have a family. Thank God for your family and all that they do for you.
4. The Bible tells stories of other families. Use your Bible and concordance to read about another family. Write or draw their story in your Bible notebook.
5. Make a bookmark for each member of your family. Write their name on one side and at least one reason that you love them on the other. Punch a hole at the top of the bookmark. Then thread and tie their favorite color ribbon through the hole.
6. In your Bible notebook, use F-A-M-I-L-Y to write an acrostic poem about this YEA lesson.
7. Sing: “A Christian Home” on page 138 in the CEM Hymnal.
8. Have you ever been angry without a cause? When and why? Have you ever been angry when you had a good reason? How did you react? God says, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay” (Romans 12:19). How does the rest of Romans 12:19 say that we should respond, even when we have a reason to be angry? Write about it in your Bible notebook.
9. Cut letters from newspaper headlines. Paste them together on a piece of paper to make the memory verse.
10. Use alphabet pasta to practice the memory verse. Glue the letters to a piece of construction paper. Draw a picture for the memory verse, and then practice it until memorized.
11. Do a sword drill with the Daily Devotionals for this week. Write the one verse which is your favorite when you are finished.
Note: Sword drill: Use the Daily Devotional Scriptures to have a sword drill. Read the Scripture reference to the child. Then start the timer. When the child has found the verse, stop the timer. Read the verse and talk about how it relates to the lesson. Challenge the child to see how quickly he/ she can find each of the verses in the Bible.
12. If one of Joseph’s servants could have stayed in the house to see what happened between Joseph and his brothers, what do you think he would have told the other servants? Write your explanation in your Bible notebook.
13. Joseph forgave his brothers for selling him as a slave. He loved them so much and was so happy that he started to cry. When was the last time you felt like that, crying because you were so happy? At your next family meal talk about this YEA lesson and what part was most important to you.
14. Read Luke 6:37-38. Then go to the sandbox. Fill a large container with sand. Talk about a little grain of sand. Are you going to forgive as much as a little grain of sand? Then that’s how much God will forgive you. If you forgive as much as all of the sand poured into your lap (pour the sand into the child’s lap!), this is how much God will forgive you.
15. Find and cut out pictures of 12 men from magazines. Paste them on a piece of paper. Then write the names of Joseph and his brothers over the men. These are not Joseph and his brothers, but this is one way to help us remember their names.
16. Memory work activity for book: To help with the memorization of Psalm 23, give each student 13 4 x 6 cards. On one side of the card the student should write one phrase of each verse. For instance, one card will have: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. The next card would have: He makes me lie down in green pastures. The third card would be: He leads me beside still waters. Continue with each phrase of the psalm. On the other side of the card the student should draw a picture that will help them remember that phrase. Since the students will be expected to recite Psalm 23, the cards should be made after YEA Lesson 1. After each of the subsequent lessons, the student should practice the psalm until memorized. Provide a reward for their hard work!
Song
"Praise Him, Praise Him" is on page 76 of Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Have the children all hold hands in a circle. Lead them in prayer, thanking God for loving and forgiving them, and asking Him to help them love and forgive others.
Printable Pages
