January 2022 – Part 2 – Worship

Series Objectives:

WHAT: Worship is our opportunity to express our deep gratitude and thanksgiving for who God is, what God has given us, and what God has done and is doing for us.

WHY: When we put God in the center of our lives and surrender everything to him, worship becomes a lifestyle and not some religious ritual.

HOW: Students will be encouraged to surrender all areas of their lives to God and to recognize that there are a variety of ways to honor God and come to him in worship on a consistent basis.

(Remember that we release our teaching videos and other content on our YouTube channel. So even if your 5th-8th grader can’t be here in person, he/she can still stay connected. You can even subscribe or turn on alerts so you know when each video comes out! Check it out: YouTube.com/mpcc5678 )

Here’s how that breaks down over the next few weeks:

January 23 – Week 1 – It’s All About God

In this first lesson we focus on placing God at the center of our lives because He is the only one worth of worship and adoration.

Our students examine Deuteronomy 6:1-9, a passage that reveals God’s desire for His followers—people whose lives would be defined by full commitment and devotion to Him.

In verse 5, we learn that God wants us to love Him with all of our heart and all of our soul and all of our mind—every part of who we are.

This passage is full of the type of love and passion that we can have for the God who created us.

The words are powerful and meaningful and truly explain the meaning of worship: putting God in the center of our lives and putting God first in our soul, our mind, and our heart.

Parent Cue: Here are a few options to cue a simple conversation with your student after they have participated in our service – in-person or online:

• How do you think God feels if we choose to worship something or someone else, instead of worshipping Him?

• What are some common obstacles you face to obeying God and loving God fully?

• What are some ways you can show God your devotion this week—including through your attitudes and actions toward other people?

January 30 – Week 2 – It’s a Lifestyle.

We wrap up our series on worship by talking about the importance of making worship a lifestyle through our daily choices and our daily sacrifices, because it’s more than a church program.

We focus on Romans 12:1-2.

Worshipping God means learning to weave Him into every part of our lives.

We begin by obeying what the Apostle Paul wrote in verse 1: We present ourselves as a living sacrifice through our thoughts, our service, our love, and so much more.

The irony, of course, is that unlike animals that were sacrificed under Old Testament laws, our sacrifice requires us to pursue a lifestyle of worship; it is not compartmentalized worship.

It’s natural for people to segment their lives and “worship” God with just a few areas. But God wants us to worship Him with every part of our being, as we discovered in the previous lesson.

The decision to become a living sacrifice opens the door to what Paul discusses in verse 2: a transformed life and a clearer understanding of God’s will.

This, too, is a choice—in this case, the choice to avoid copying our culture’s behavior and customs and to pursue God’s process of transformation.

Parent Cue: Here are a few options to cue a simple conversation with your student after they have participated in our service – in-person or online:

• What do you think it means to be a “living and holy sacrifice” for God?

• What are some ways God might transform and change the way we think? What is our part in that process?

• What are some examples of ordinary, daily activities or choices that can be ways of worshipping God?