Series Overview
Choose joy! This may be a commonly used phrase you’ve heard, but what does it actually mean? Joy is more than being excited about the good things that happen to us. Joy is an attitude—a decision to trust God no matter what is going on in our lives. From the very beginning, God had a plan for the world. As we dive into the Bible, we’ll discover God’s plan for us and how God has been at work through it all. When we see and celebrate what God is doing, we can find true joy!
Memory Verse
“A cheerful heart makes you healthy. But a broken spirit dries you up.” – Proverbs 17:22, NIRV
Week One (June 2)
Lost + Found
Bible Story: The Story of the Lost Sheep | Luke 15:1-7
Key Question: What does joy mean to you?
Virtue: Joy – Choosing to celebrate what God is doing.
We start the month with Luke 15:1-7, where we find Jesus telling a parable about a shepherd who goes to find his lost sheep. Jesus explains that the shepherd cares so much about the missing sheep that he leaves the other 99 sheep to go look for it. After the shepherd finds his sheep, he invites his friends to help him celebrate!
Preteens have greater access to technology than ever before. Because of this, they’re often bombarded with negative messages, and joy can seem hard to find. That’s why we’re starting the month by helping our preteens think about what joy is . . . and where true, lasting joy really comes from.
Week Two (June 9)
Over + Over
Bible Story: Feast of Booths | Deuteronomy 16:13-17
Key Question: How can you remember to be joyful?
Virtue: Joy – Choosing to celebrate what God is doing
In Week 2, we see how God set aside times and rhythms for the Israelite people to reflect on and remember everything God had done for them. In Deuteronomy 16:13-17, we read about one celebration in particular called the Feast of Booths. We see in Scripture how God’s people celebrated this feast on several important occasions throughout their history.
There’s nothing better than getting together with other people and celebrating everything that God has done—in your life and in the lives of the people around you. We hope this question allows kids to share ideas and think about ways they can make joy a part of their everyday lives.
Week Three (June 16)
Build Your Kingdom Here
Bible Story: Ezra + The Rebuilding of the Temple | Ezra 3:10-13
Key Question: What is something that took longer than you wanted it to?
Virtue: Joy – Choosing to celebrate what God is doing
For Week 3, we head to Ezra 3:10-13. At the time, God’s people were living as captives in Persia, when the new king, Cyrus, allowed them to return home to Jerusalem. However, when they returned, everything was broken down and destroyed. The people got to work rebuilding the temple . . . but before they got far, they stopped to worship God and celebrate the ways that God had helped them.
Joy is something that we choose every single day. And we can still choose joy even when the things we hope for end up taking longer than we would like or expect. As preteens think through this question, they can begin to see that no matter how long the journey might be, they can still choose joy along the way.
Week Four (June 23)
Look Around
Bible Story: Joy In The Psalms | Psalms 8; 16; 19
Key Question: When is it hard to find joy?
Virtue: Joy – Choosing to celebrate what God is doing
In Week 4, we take a look at some of David’s Psalms— specifically, Psalms 8, 16, and 19. David wrote a lot about the things he observed in nature and the world around him that God had created. Through creation, we notice how God is at work—even if sometimes we struggle to see God’s work in our own lives. Joy is all around us. We just have to look.
Kids are facing a lot of hard things these days—so much so that it can be difficult for them to find joy. As our kids discover more about our true source of joy—our relationship with God—we hope that they’ll begin to discover different ways to look for joy in what they see and experience each day.
Week Five (June 30)
Reason To Believe
Bible Story: God Will Give Us Joy | Habakkuk 3:17-18
Key Question: What can you celebrate today?
Virtue: Joy – Choosing to celebrate what God is doing
We finish the month in Habakkuk 3:17-18. Habakkuk wrote these words as God’s people were about to be taken captive. Everything was going wrong in Habakkuk’s world . . . but still, he chose to trust God and choose joy. Habakkuk ultimately found joy because of God’s faithfulness and love that nothing could take away.
This question can help preteens reframe their circumstances and look at their world a little differently. It can help them discover ways that God is working in their lives in ways they maybe hadn’t noticed before. We hope that our kids will discover that they always have the best reason to celebrate because of their faith in God—even if nothing else in their lives seem to be going right.