During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
God is spirit. His worshipers must worship him in the Spirit and in truth.
John 4:24
Our God is many things: mighty, kind, loving, and Saviour. Because He is spirit and lives in truth, we must worship Him that way. How can we worship in spirit and truth? Worshipping in truth can be as simple as declaring who He is: “God, You are holy. You are good to Your people.” As His followers, we have God’s Spirit within us. So, worshipping in spirit starts with surrendering to God and asking for His guidance. This can be as simple as saying, “Holy Spirit, I surrender. Give me wisdom to live in a way that honours You.”
Take a moment to sit in God’s presence. Declare the truth of who He is and allow Him to guide your spirit. As you prepare to teach, ask God to reveal how you can worship in spirit and truth.
Encourage families to talk about words their children would use to describe God. For families that are Christian, encourage them to find ways to talk about who God is and why they worship Him.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Welcome the children as they enter and ask them to sit in groups of 4 or 5. You may choose to begin class with a prayer.
Today we will talk about who we worship. We worship the One True God. Let’s play a game to see what you remember about God.
Divide the children into 4 teams. Give each team a colour name. Write the team names on the paper or board.
In a moment, I will ask a question about God. If your team knows the answer, everyone on your team will raise your hands. I will call on the first team with hands raised to answer. If this team answers correctly, it will receive a point. If not, I will call on another team to answer. Let’s practice playing the game with this question.
Choose the first team of children to raise their hands to respond. If that team does not give a correct answer, ask another team to respond. Give a point on the paper or board to the first team to say a correct answer. Then, tell the children the other possible answers.
What did God create?
Earth, the land, the ocean, plants, animals, light, the moon, stars, and people.
God created everything in nature, and He created us! Now that you know what to do, let’s continue playing.
Who did God ask to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt?
He asked Moses to do this.
What did God promise to give Abraham?
He promised to give him a son. He promised his family would become very big. He told him everyone on earth would be blessed because of his children.
How did God’s Son come to earth?
He came as a baby who was born in a stable. His mother was Mary.
What is the name of God’s Son?
Jesus.
What did Jesus do for us?
He taught us how to live. He died for our sins.
How would you finish this statement? God is _______.
Answers may include: love, kind, good, truth, powerful, One, Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
What Friend did God send to be with the disciples after Jesus returned to heaven?
The Holy Spirit.
What do we call the Persons of our One God? Name all three Persons.
The Trinity. Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Look at each team’s points and announce the winning team. Thank the teams for playing and ask them to sit in their normal places.
Let’s talk some more about who God is and why and how we worship Him.
To worship means to give honour or show great love to someone who is worthy. God is worthy of our worship because He is God.
We worship One God. Our God is One God in three Persons.
Who can name the three Persons of our One God?
Allow 3 children to respond.
Show the children the tear–out page of the Trinity picture found at the end of this lesson.
The three persons are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Some of you will remember the example of the triangle. If we look at this triangle, we see God is One in three Persons. It is important for you to know that when we talk about God, He is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is One God in three Persons.
Have the children repeat this with you 3 times: “God is One God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
Our God has always existed in three Persons, but many things changed when Jesus came to live on earth. Jesus changed the way people worshipped God. When Jesus lived on earth, He talked with a woman at a well about this change. Listen to this true story from the Bible about Jesus and the way He said we should worship God.
Jesus had been traveling and stopped by a well where the woman was. Tired from His travels, He asked the woman for some water. The woman was from Samaria. God’s people did not usually talk to Samaritans, so it surprised the woman that Jesus spoke to her.
Optional: If possible, show the image from The Action Bible
Jesus talked with the woman. She called Him a prophet. A prophet is someone who heard what God wanted and delivered or carried out messages from God. She said that her people worshipped differently than Jesus’ people did. Then Jesus told her something very interesting. He said that a time had come when true worship would be different than the way the Samaritans had worshipped. But it would also be different than the way Jesus’ people had worshipped. Until this time, worship could only happen in a specific place. The Samaritans and Jesus’ people worshipped in different places. Now listen to what Jesus said to the woman.
Read these verses directly from your Bible.
But a new time is coming. In fact, it is already here. True worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth. They are the kind of worshipers the Father is looking for. God is spirit. His worshipers must worship him in the Spirit and in truth.
John 4:23–24
What do these verses say about how we should worship God?
We should worship Him with our spirits. We should worship Him in truth.
Jesus was saying that worship no longer could only happen in a certain place. He made it possible for our spirits to honour God in true worship anywhere we are! It is great to go to church and worship, but it is most important to honour God in every part of our lives. This is how we worship.
It is also important to be honest with God about who we are, our actions, and what is in our hearts. When we worship God in truth, we are honest with Him and with ourselves.
Think for a moment about something you may hide from other people. Maybe you hide something you are good at because you do not like the attention from others. Remember that He encourages us to use our talents. Perhaps you hide something you are ashamed of. No matter what has happened to you and how you feel, you can be honest with God about it. Remember, God wants us to ask for forgiveness when it is needed. He also offers healing and comfort when something has been done to hurt us. We can be honest with God about who we are because He already knows everything and He loves us.
The Samaritan woman knew she did not understand everything. Listen to how she ended her conversation with Jesus.
The woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming.” Messiah means Christ. “When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus said, “The one you’re talking about is the one speaking to you. I am he.”
John 4:25–26
Who is the Messiah?
Jesus is the Messiah.
Jesus showed us who God is through His actions and teachings. By speaking to the Samaritan woman, Jesus taught us that everyone is invited to worship God. He also taught us that God is loving and kind. Jesus was patient with the woman as He talked to her about worship and who He is. He also showed that He wanted everyone to know the truth about God.
Why do you think you should worship God?
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
Jesus showed us that true worship is not about being in a specific place. We can worship Him anywhere and anytime. True worship shows great love to God because of who He is.
There are many reasons why we worship God. Listen to what this psalm tells us about worshipping Him. As I read this verse, close your eyes.
Praise the Lord for the glory that belongs to him. Worship the Lord because of his beauty and holiness.
Psalm 29:2
Open your eyes. Can you imagine our God?
What would you like to praise God for?
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
We cannot see God, but our spirits respond to Him in love. This verse tells us a few things about God. It says He is beautiful. It says He is holy. This shows us about who God is and why we worship Him. All glory and honour belong to Him.
Now you close your eyes again and think of other words to describe God. Do not say them out loud yet. Just think about words to complete the sentence: “God is (pause), and I will worship Him.” Let’s practice with the words “beautiful and holy” from the Bible verse we just read.
I will give you a minute to think silently about words that describe God. During this time, you can also think about the story of Jesus and the woman at the well.
Give the children about 1 minute to think.
Now turn to a person near you and share the words you thought of. Maybe you can think of new words together. I will give you another minute to share your words that describe God, or maybe you can come up with new words together.
Give the children about 1 minute to talk with other children.
Now one of you in each pair will raise your hand to tell me 1 word to describe God. Talk together and decide which word you want to tell me to write down.
Give the pairs about 20 seconds to choose a word.
Now let’s use these words to fill in the blank as we say: “God is (pause), and I will worship Him.” I will call on a pair to give me a word, and then all of you will say the sentence using that word to fill in the blank.
Call on 1 pair to describe God. Use the word in the sentence “God is ___ ,and I will worship Him.” Continue this until all of the pairs have said their words. If a pair repeats a word that has been used, you may repeat the word to honour their thoughts and ideas.
Optional: If you are using Student Pages, give the children crayons and allow about 3 minutes for them to draw and colour their pictures.
You all thought of very good words to describe God! He is an awesome God, and we worship Him for who He is. Our memory verse reminds us that we should honour God with our whole selves.
God is spirit. His worshipers must worship him in the Spirit and in truth.
John 4:24
Read the memory verse from your Bible again with the children. As you read it, do the following movements. Then repeat the verse and the movements with the children 3 times.
End class by saying this blessing, based on John 4:23–24, over the children.
Blessing: May you worship God with all you are. May you worship God in truth.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
