Earlier we learned God’s people chose to repent of their sin and turn to God.  Overjoyed at the gift of forgiveness and being able to start fresh with God again, the people wanted to praise Him for an extra week during Passover to “ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name.”

As we saw from the example in the story, praise can happen in different ways; at the festival they praised God through songs and feasting on special food. Did you know you can praise God through food? 

Let’s look at some other ways we might be able to praise God.  Remember praise means to celebrate someone, to say good things about a person or to worship them.

Show the following links to pictures of kids praying, reading the Bible, singing, and giving an offering.  Scroll to the picture in each link and ask the corresponding questions to each picture.

Show the following link:
How to Pray a Powerful Prayer
https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/march-2003/powerful-prayer/

• Is prayer a form of praise? (Answer: Yes, coming to Him when we need help honors Him as the source of everything we need; talking to Him regularly tells God how much He means to us and how amazing He is.)

Show the following link:
Girl Reading Bible
http://menolan.org/portfolio-view/girl-reading-bible/

• Is reading the Bible a form of praise? Why or why not?  (Answer:  Yes! Taking time to read God’s Word shows that you regard it as important and worthy of your time and attention. As you read the Bible and see all of the awesome things God has done, you can’t help but start praising Him; His greatness is all over the Bible. When we read it, we really see why we should praise Him to begin with, etc.)

Show the following link:
https://newcommunity.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2018/02/Youth-Worship-Header-01.png

• Is singing worship songs praise?   (Answers: Yes, singing to God is usually what people consider praise; Singing is worship if it comes from the heart, otherwise it’s not any different than singing a regular song.)

Show the following link:
What’s this in the church offering plate?
https://factsandtrends.net/2018/04/13/e-giving-vs-old-giving-new-research-on-church-donations/

• Is giving an offering (whether money or your time or something of worth to you) praise to God? Why or why not? (Answer: Yes, giving an offering to God shows Him you think He is worthy of gifts and your time and attention; yes, an offering shows Him you know that everything you have comes from Him and you want to honor Him by spending money on Him rather than something else.)

• Think back over our story today as well as any of your own experiences, are there any other ways we can praise God? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

I think you can see there are so many ways to praise God.  What matters most is that it comes from our hearts.  Think back over all of the ways we’ve discussed that you can praise God.  Are there any that stuck out to you as new ways to praise Him?  Were there any you heard that come naturally to you already?  Any you want to try this week? 

Pass out a balloon to each student along with permanent markers, curling ribbon, and a straw.  Have them gently write at least one way they’ll choose to praise God this week.  Show your students how to curl the ribbon and use it to tie their balloon to a straw.

As students work, play the following worship song [stop at 4:40]:
The Heart of Worship-Matt Redman// Worship Cover by Tommee Profitt & McKenna Sabin

Today we celebrate the important father-figures in our lives. But let’s not limit it to one day—let’s give them and our heavenly Father praises as often as we can and let them know they are loved.

Let your balloon decorate your room this week and serve as a reminder of all the ways you can praise your heavenly Father.  Every time you see it, stop and celebrate Him.  Choose to praise God! 

Pray to close.