Welcome your students to class. As students are entering and getting settled, ask your students to share something that they do so well that they could practically do it in their sleep. Answers could include simple things like brushing their teeth or things like shooting a layup or playing a scale on their musical instrument. Once everyone is settled and has had a chance to share, ask:
- How did you learn to do those things so well? (Answers may include: I’ve done it so many times, practice, I’m just naturally good at it, etc.)
- Think about the worship service at our church. Let’s see if we can “map it out.” What happens first? (As your students respond, write or diagram their responses on the whiteboard or screen-shared document. Ask your students to detail as much as they can about your church’s normal worship service. Continue until you have a good outline of the service. This could be fairly short or long, depending on your church’s worship style.)
- Now, think about your relationship with God. What things are part of your regular relationship? Take a minute to “map it out” on your index card. (Tell students if they don’t have a relationship with God, they can map out what they think a relationship might look like. Students will likely include items such as reading the Bible, praying, attending church, helping others, etc.)
Going to church is something many of us do over and over again. Our relationships with God might also be the same way. Sometimes, we can start to feel like it gets repetitive. It can be easy for us to just “go through the motions,” like we would when we brush our teeth. God wants more from us than just mindless worship though. Today, we’ll look at what God had to say to the Israelites when they were just going through the motions.
