Colors in God’s World: Purple Cloth

Colors in God’s World: Purple Cloth
“A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer of purple cloth.” Acts 16:14
Call to Worship
(Sung to “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)
Let’s worship God, let’s worship God, let’s worship God,
With joyful hearts, with joyful hearts, with joyful hearts,
Let’s worship God with joyful hearts!

Joys and Concerns
Have the children share a few joys and concerns they have and follow with a prayer thanking God for our joys and asking God to be with us in our concerns.

Sharing
Ask: What is your favorite color? (Blue, yellow, silver, etc.)
Listening
For the story each child will need a strip of purple to wave.
Say: This is your Purple Story Strip. Every time you hear the word purple in the story, wave your Purple Story Strip three times then stop.
Colors are mentioned in many stories in the Bible. In one story we learn about a woman named Lydia. Purple (Pause) is important to her story. Paul, another person in the Bible, was a missionary who told everyone about Jesus.
One day, Paul traveld to Macedonia in Europe to tell the people there about Jesus. He noticed that the mountains of Macedonia looked purple (Pause) in the distance. And he saw purple (Pause) grapes growing on vines. At the market he noticed fish whose scales shimmered with purple (Pause) scales. The he spotted a woman who was selling fancy purple (Pause) cloth. The woman selling the fancy purple (Pause) cloth was Lydia. She sold the purple (Pause) cloth to rich people.
Paul spoke to Lydia. He told her about Jesus. Lydia believed what Paul told her about Jesus and became a Christian. She invited Paul to stay in her home. Lydia was the first person in Europe to become a Christian. Some of the church services in Europe were held in her home. Today, we remember Lydia because she helped build the Christian Church in a new place. Hooray for Lydia and her purple (Pause) cloth!
Exploring
Play the “I Spy” game around church. Make sure everyone gets a chance!
Benediction
Say: Loving God, Thank you for all of the beautiful colors in your world. Amen.