Kings & Prophets
Diaspora & Return
Our journey together this year is exploring God’s Big Story in the Old Testament! We are almost through it! We started the year in the beginning learning about the first stories of God and God’s Creation. Next, we learned about the first leaders and families of God’s people. Then, we worked through the book of Exodus and heard the journey of Moses and the Israelites. Last unit, we headed into the era of the Kings & Prophets and the Israelites after reaching the Promised Land. Now, we are finishing out the Old Testament and will learn about the time that God’s people are in Exile and are preparing for the birth of their Savior.
It is encouraged that families watch the videos, read the texts, reflect on the summaries, respond to the questions and pray together. However, Club 56 participants can also do this on their own- you might need a journal for journaling some thoughts!
Invocation
Find your Club 56 Candle (or a Candle) that you can light.
Invocation: the act of inviting or welcoming or acknowledging that God is present in our space.
As you light your candle, say this invocation out loud: “I light this candle in the name of God, our Creator; Jesus, our Savior; and the Holy Spirit, our Inspirer. The three in one!”
Connect Video
Get a taste of this week’s theme by watching ONE of these videos!
Diaspora’s Video
Reflection Questions:
- How can you communicate with people when you aren’t close to them?
- How is exile like detention?
- When have you felt like God was punishing you for bad behavior?
Connect is a curriculum from SPARK that is specifically designed for 5th and 6th graders.
Read, Reflect & Respond
Take some time to dig in deep to the Bible!
Need a Bible? Contact Leah M!
Read the Text: Jeremiah 50:4-7
Draw mountains around the word Zion. Think of words that give you hope. Write these in your Bible.
Reflect on the Summary:
“Land was important to God’s people. It was part of God’s covenant with Abraham and Sarah. The pursuit of the Promised Land gave God’s people hope as they wandered with Moses in the desert. Land provided tangible things—a place to live and a way to grow food. It also provided unity, history, and a place to belong because it would pass through a long line of descendants. Land was linked with identity. Residents of Israel were truly a people of the land. They believed God lived among them in the land God had given them.
When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, God’s people were taken from their land and scattered throughout a strange land. The process of scattering was called the diaspora. It was there in exile as a dispersed people that they began writing down what are now the first five books of the Bible, which Judaism calls the Torah. These written words and stories held the Israelites together when the land could not. Torah stories reminded God’s people that God has been faithful to them before, giving them hope that God would be faithful again.”
Respond to the Questions:
- Why was it important to write down God’s word?
- How can God’s law give people hope?
Remember (Club 56 Binder)
Our Club 56 Binders are for taking notes and helping us remember details in God’s Big Story!
Need a binder? Contact Leah M.
Get out your Club 56 Binder and find the green page with the Torah (labeled Diaspora). Find the paragraph about why we are using a Torah to remember this story and read about it!
In the box or by the object, write important key words, people, events or notes that you want to remember about the first text you read.
Need help? Revisit the texts we explored today or read the paragraph at the bottom of the paper.
Prayer
“Loving God,
Thank you for being with us when we are sad after terrible things happen. Help us to be there for others when they are sad and need somebody.
Amen”
Benediction
It’s time to blow out or turn off your candle and go on with your day with a blessing.
Benediction: a blessing that sends you out on your day!
As you turn off your candle, bless the people in your home by saying,” May God bless you and keep you, may God’s face shine upon you and may God always go with you and give you peace!”
Quoted texts are revised from:
Connect Leader Guide. Unit 5—Diaspora: Babylon. wearesparkhouse.org © 2013 sparkhouse. All rights reserved.
May be reproduced for local use only provided each copy carries this notice.