SERIES DESCRIPTION
Waiting is a part of life. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait on our own. God can help us experience the patience we need to wait well. After all, God is patient. God is in control and knows what’s best for us. Even though God’s people had been waiting for years for the promised Savior, at just the right time, God sent Jesus. As we’re are created in God’s image, we can reflect His patience in our lives. We can be patient when we remember what God has done and trust God no matter what.
March Curriculum:
Week One (March 7)
Wait For It
Today’s Bible Story: Wait for It (Simeon Waits for the Messiah) • Luke 2:25-35
Today’s Key Question: When is it hard to have patience?
Today’s Bottom Line: When you have to wait, remember God is with you.
Monthly Memory Verse: Wait for the Lord. Be strong and don’t lose hope. Wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 (NIrV)
Monthly Life App: Patience—Waiting until later for what you want now
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Key Question: When is it hard to have patience? As we start our month talking about patience, we help preteens think about the times when it’s most difficult for them to wait. When we’re able to anticipate the moments when patience might be tricky, we can prepare and be ready to wait. We pray that kids will learn to trust God with the situations where they have to wait.
We kick off the month with a story found in Luke 2:25- 35. God’s people had been waiting for hundreds of years for the Savior. God promised Simeon that he’d get to see the Messiah before he died. We believe that Simeon waited a long time. But finally, when Mary and Joseph came to the temple with baby Jesus, Simeon finally saw what he’d been waiting for.
Bottom Line: When you have to wait, remember God is with you. Waiting is just a part of life: in lines, for school to let out, to take their turn on the playground. Some situations can be more difficult to wait than others, we pray that kids will remember that they don’t have to wait on their own. God is with them while they wait.
K3 Worship
The Best is Yet to Come
Good Grace
Preteen Worship Files
Week Two (March 14)
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
Today’s Bible Story: Sitting, Waiting, Wishing (Golden Calf) • Exodus 32:1-35
Today’s Key Question: What can you think about when it’s hard to wait?
Today’s Bottom Line: When you have to wait, remember what’s true.
Monthly Memory Verse: Wait for the Lord. Be strong and don’t lose hope. Wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 (NIrV)
Monthly Life App: Patience—Waiting until later for what you want now
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Key Question: What can you think about when it’s hard to wait? Having a strategy when it comes to waiting is a great way to have patience. We pray that as kids discover more about patience, they’ll consider all of the truth of Scripture, the ways God has helped them in the past, and the hope they can have knowing God will help them in the future. Waiting might be hard, but God can help us wait well.
In week two, we head to Exodus 32:1-35. Moses met with God on Mount Sinai. He left his brother, Aaron, and the rest of the Israelites to wait. Rather than waiting patiently for Moses to return, the entire nation of Israel rebelled. They built a golden calf and began to worship it instead of worshiping God. And because of their lack of patience, God judged an entire nation. If only they had remembered how God rescued them from Egypt and trusted Him while they waited.
Bottom Line: When you have to wait, remember what’s true. We can’t avoid having to wait, but we can choose how we respond. A good way to discover patience is to think about what’s true about God: God loves us and knows what’s the best for us. God cares for us and is with us. We can trust God no matter. We pray that kids remember what’s true about God when they have to wait.
K3 Worship
Through It All
There's Nothing That Our God Can't Do
Preteen Worship Files
Week Three (March 21)
Can’t Hardly Wait
Today’s Bible Story: Can’t Hardly Wait (Esau’s Impatience) • Genesis 25:24-34
Today’s Bottom Line: If you don’t wait, it could cost you.
Today’s Key Question: What could you miss out on by not waiting?
Monthly Memory Verse: Wait for the Lord. Be strong and don’t lose hope. Wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 (NIrV)
Monthly Life App: Patience—Waiting until later for what you want now
Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.
Key Question: What could you miss out on by not waiting? We will face times when we have a choice between what’s good and what’s best. We might rush to take the good because we don’t want to keep waiting for what’s best. Yet it’s in those moments when we might miss out on something really great. We pray that kids will learn how to wait with the future in mind. God has something amazing planned for them if they learn to have patience.
For week three, we go to Genesis 25:24-34, where we find one of the best examples of what happens when you’re not patient—the story of Esau. After a hunting trip, Esau was exhausted and hungry! And wouldn’t you know, his brother Jacob had a pot of stew cooking on the fire. Jacob takes advantage of this situation and offers a bowl in exchange for Esau’s inheritance. Turns out, Esau couldn’t resist. He lost something extremely valuable all because he was impatient.
Bottom Line: If you don’t wait, it could cost you. Through the story of Esau, we pray that kids will discover why it’s important to have patience and wait. We will face moments when we want to rush and take the first choice that comes our way, but that might not be God’s best for us. We pray kids will discover that when they wait, they can experience something even better than they can imagine.
K3 Worship
The Best Is Yet To Come
Graves Into Gardens
Preteen Worship Files
Week Four (March 28)
I Will Wait
Today’s Bible Story: I Will Wait (Palm Sunday) • Matthew 21:1-11
Today’s Key Question: What are you waiting for right now?
Today’s Bottom Line: You can celebrate even when you’re waiting.
Monthly Memory Verse: Wait for the Lord. Be strong and don’t lose hope. Wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 (NIrV)
Monthly Life App: Patience—Waiting until later for what you want now
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Key Question: What are you waiting for right now? We all face times in our life when our waiting feels endless. Maybe we’re waiting for someone to feel better, to understand a concept in math, or for summer vacation. Identifying where we need to have patience can help us know how we can wait well. We pray that kids will understand how they can stay positive and maybe even have some fun when they need to be patient.
We finish the month with Palm Sunday. By this time, God’s people had been waiting hundreds of years for God’s promises of a Savior to come true. In Matthew 21:1-11, we see that people were really starting to believe that Jesus was that Savior. God’s promises were finally coming true. So when He entered Jerusalem on a donkey, just like the prophesy foretold, they celebrated and worshipped Jesus. Of course, this all turned out very different from what they expected and they’d have to wait a bit longer to understand, but they could find joy because God was faithful.
Bottom Line: You can celebrate even when you’re waiting. How we wait can show others how we trust God. Celebrating might feel like a strange way to wait. However, when we remember how much God loves us, that Jesus came to save us, that God will always be faithful, we can’t help but celebrate and have joy believing that God will do the same in the future. We pray that kids learn how to celebrate God while they wait.