Sunday School for All: Faithfulness

What is Faithfulness in the Bible? Faithful, constant, loyal imply qualities of stability, dependability, and devotion. Faithful implies long-continued and steadfast fidelity to whatever one is bound to by a pledge, duty, or obligation: a faithful friend.

Meditate: Lamentations 3:22-23

Extended Reading: Lamentations 3:21-26

Anticipate:

  • Think about the passage you just read.  How can something that never comes to an end be new every morning?

Relate: Growing up I sat with my parents in the adult church service.  Every Sunday morning my family woke up, got dressed in our Sunday best (for me it was a three-piece suit and clip on bow tie), grabbed our Bibles, and went to church.  Together we sat in the second row on the right side during the first service.  While I often counted the boards lining the vaulted ceiling of the sanctuary during the sermon, I loved it when our congregation sang.

Tears For Fears VS. As The Deer: Our senior pastor led the songs with his wife accompanying him on an old grand piano.  I’m sure other elementary kids in the 1980’s were listening to Van Halen or Guns N Roses while I was rocking out songs found in the hymnal.  But what I loved most was SINGING the hymns.  I will always remember the sound of the congregation pulling their hymnal out of the pew rack at the same time and opening to the same page to sing to Jesus.

A Hymn: Great Is Thy Faithfulness is a beautiful hymn written by Thomas Chisolm in 1925.  Chisholm was not a pastor or theologian, he was a life insurance agent from New Jersey who struggled with severe health issues.  The words of this hymn pulled from Lamentations chapter 3 and serve as a testament to the ways God sustains his people.  Great Is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father!  There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Though changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not.  As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

God is FAITHFUL: Faithfulness means God will accomplish everything he says he will accomplish.  God will fulfill every promise.  God will always and forever be true to his character.  And in every moment of our lives, God will faithfully show up.  Whether we are celebrating a great victory at home or at work or with our children at school, or whether we are hurting from a painful loss – God is faithful.

Family Fun:

  • Sing: The Fruits of the Spirit  (This will sound familiar!  We’ll be practicing this song all summer!!)
  • Take the words from the Chat Prompt below, and together write a prayer to God thanking him for his love using the words you discovered together.

Chat Prompts:

  • What words come to your mind about God’s love?  Write these down.

Wake Up: Lamentations tells us the mercies of God are “new every morning.” Mornings can be tough, right?  We have a lot to prepare for the day ahead.  This week, take time to reflect on the newness of God’s mercies, the steadfastness of his love, and the greatness of his faithfulness each morning together.  Intentionally slow down and notice how God is revealing his character to you and your family. 

  • Preschool Kids:  As your preschooler wakes up this week, encourage them to look outside their window.  Take a few minutes to have them name all of the things they see outside.  Ask your child, “Do you see anything new this morning?”  Help them identify some of the changes from the previous day (weather, items in the yard, or people outside).  Read Lamentations 3:22-23 and remind you child how God’s love shows up new every morning.

Elementary Kids: Take a moment together during breakfast and read Lamentations 3:21-26.  Ask your child to listen carefully to the words with their eyes closed.  See if they can find the words the writer uses to describe God’s love, mercy, and faithfulness (look for “new,” “steadfast,” “never ceases,” “never ending,” and “great”).

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