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» Sanctification
Special Guests
Make a special dinner and set an attractive table, using the good china, candles, etc. Tell the kids to get dressed up as you are going to have “special guests” for dinner. If they ask who is coming, do not give them any details. Keep it a surprise until you call them to dinner and then say, “YOU are the special guests!”
Print Jeremiah 1:5a (“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you.”) on a card or pretty paper and put one beside each plate. Sanctified is not a word we use much, but it means to “set apart.”
As you eat, talk about what the verse means. You might want to say something like this:
God was telling Jeremiah that He knew him and chose him for a special purpose before he was even born. We have set aside tonight to tell you how special we think you are and that God has a special purpose for each of you.
Close with a prayer thanking God for each child by name and pray for them to find God’s special purpose.
Created for a Purpose
If you have younger children, gather several items while you’re in the kitchen and play “What’s this for?” (Any items will work—a spoon, whisk, pencil, pan, hammer, can opener, etc.) Cover them with a kitchen towel and hold them up one at a time. After showing each item, ask, “What’s this for?”
Tell children that each thing has its own purpose—what it is used for. Remind them that God created them for a special purpose—to love and serve Him.
Praise Celebration
Your kids learned about Hezekiah, a GOOD king, in Sunday School this week (CLEAR curriculum). The Bible says Hezekiah did what was right and good in God’s eyes (2 Chronicles 31:20). He took away the false gods and idols and called the people to worship the true God. (They sanctified—cleansed—themselves and offered sacrifices for their sin.) Hezekiah then called the people together to celebrate the Passover, a special feast to remember God’s protection and care for them.
Second Chronicles 31:21 says that they praised the Lord with singing and loud instruments.
After dinner, play some praise music, gather items from the kitchen and “play along.” (One can play the spoons, one can play the drums—a wooden spoon on a pan, another can play the maracas—dried beans in a bowl with a lid, etc.) Be creative and have fun!
