CBCGN Children: 2/26 Dare to be Different! by Jeffrey Lam

Today we had a lot of fun and learned a lot! In the 1st half of our Sunday School, we learned about Naomi and Ruth, but this time the story was mostly about Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 3:1-18). Naomi gave some specific instructions to Ruth to follow with Boaz, and Ruth said “I will do as you say.” She followed them as best as she could, so when Boaz noticed her lying with him in the middle of the night, he said “Who are you!” and Ruth answered “I am Ruth, your servant, and please spread the corner of your garment over me, for you are a kinsman-redeemer.” The point of this story was our memory verse. (1 John 3:7) “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.” We have to do what is right; such as if someone wants you to touch their private parts, do not do it. You know that is not right, so don’t do it, no matter what reason it is, even if it is a game, or you are tickling them at that spot. Jesus is righteous, so we have to follow him and so we can try to be righteous, but of course no one is perfect! (Except God + Jesus!)

In the second half, we also learned about what is right. But before that, we did the exercise. Everyone seems to like this one better than the other one we used to do, because there are fun parts like the “shooting bow-and-arrow” part and the part where you swing your arms. Then, we sang worship songs. We sang 让赞美飞扬 for more than a month now, and we are getting better at singing it every week!

Then we talked about how Jesus looked like. Would he look like a superhero in a shining suit? How about the tallest person in the world? Maybe he wore a bright suit so everyone could see him clearly! All of the above are incorrect. He blended in with other people, just like regular Jewish people. He looked the same as everyone else around him, almost no one could tell him apart! He had dark-colored eyes, brown hair, and regular clothes, just like all Jewish people. But he can be different when it really matters! One time he was going to an annual festival in Jerusalem, and when they were going back, Mary and Joseph could not find Jesus! They thought he was lost and frantically searched for him. After 3 days, they finally found him in the temple, talking to the teachers inside. He was asking them questions, and they answered all of them. When Mary and Joseph found out what was happening, they were startled and said “Why have you been here the whole time, we were searching for you!” But Jesus, by the way, was 12 years old and answered “Don’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But even Mary and Joseph did not understand what he was saying to them. After that, he went to Nazareth and was very obedient to them. Mary treasured all those things in her heart, and Jesus grew up in wisdom, in favor with God and men.

We did 2 games today; one of them was about questioning and asking, like Jesus asked the teachers in the temple. Our teacher 赵柔老师 asked some people why we have to go to church, when we could play games and have fun at home. Why couldn’t we stay at home and have church there, plus we could have some fun? Some people got confused and some people didn't want to answer anymore questions. The next game was choosing a situation from a box, read it, and there are some choices of which is the correct choice, and you have to figure out the one Jesus would say is right.

EXAMPLE: You and your friends are at the lake. It is winter, and the lake froze. One of your friends suggested they walk on the lake to the other side. Your mom told you never to walk on a frozen lake, even if you think it is frozen enough. What would Jesus do?

a) Simply walk away, without telling them anything, and shout “If you do it, I’m not going to be your friend!” before you leave.

b) Walk on the ice, but just a few inches so it won’t get too dangerous.

c) Warn them how dangerous it is, and if they don’t follow you just go home.

d) Tell them how dangerous it is, and threaten to tell your mom if they don’t listen.

What do you think Jesus would do? WWJD? Think about it, and remember what we learned today!