New Testament #11: Cornelius part 1 & 2

This lesson took two weeks for my confirmation students to complete.  I decided that this story is important enough that two weeks is a good use of our time.
Please use it as you see fit in your context.

HIGHS AND LOWS: (13 minutes)
Write down one high and one low from your week in your prayer journal and share them with the group.  Pastor Breen or another student will gather them in prayer as we light our candles.

REVIEW: (2 minutes)
What sticks with you from last class?  You may refer to your one sentence summary if you are stumped.  What questions remain about Peter raising Tabitha from the dead?

INTRODUCTION: (5 minutes)
Spread of the Gospel:  Turn to page 1266 in your Connect Bible NRSV and read the paragraph under “Spread of the Gospel” on that page.  This will give you an idea about what we are studying today.

EXPERIENCE THE WORD: (5 minutes)
Today, we will watch a short animated movie from the Bible App for Kids.  Both AD:  The Bible Continues and The Bible Videos series have this story, but the first includes a bunch of extra-Biblical material that needs to be explained, and the other one include no visuals.  I am hoping that this one will be a good resource for you:  https://youtu.be/g8u-VJWLwjw

DWELLING IN THE WORD: (25 minutes)
This story is quite lengthy and has several scenes.  Read Acts 10 in sections and answer the questions in between each section, rather than all of them at the end.  Here are the sections:  Acts 10:9-16, 17-23, 24-33, 44-48 from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (take turns reading aloud, verse by verse).  Answer the following questions about the whole story as completely as possible (group activity:  do this with your parents):

Comprehension Questions:
Verses 9-16

1. Where did Peter go? (verse 9)
2. What did Peter want? (verse 10)
3. What did Peter fall into? (verse 10)
4. What was opened? What came down?  (verse 11)
5. What was inside? (verse 12)
6. What did the voice tell Peter? (verse 13)
7. How did Peter answer? (verse 14)
8. What did the voice say a second time? (verse 15)
9. How many times did this happen? (verse 16)

Verses 17-23

1. How did Peter feel about the vision? (verse 17)
2. Who appeared? (verse 17)
3. What did the Spirit say to Peter? (verses 19-20)
4. What did Peter do next? (verse 21)
5. What did Peter ask? (verse 21)
6. How did the men reply? (verse 22)
7. What did Peter do the next day? (verse 23)

Verses 24-33

1. Where did they do? (verse 24)
2. Who was expecting them? (verse 24)
3. What did he do? (verse 24)
4. How did Cornelius react to Peter’s arrival? (verse 25)
5. How did Peter react to this? (verse 26)
6. What is it unlawful for Jews to do? (verse 28)
7. What had God shown Peter? (verse 28)
8. What question did Peter ask? (verse 29)
9. Who stood before Cornelius in his vision? (verse 30)
10. For whom was he supposed to send? (verse 32)
11. What do they want to listen to? (verse 33)

Verses 44-48

1. What happened while Peter was still speaking? (verse 44)
2. How did the circumcised believers feel about this? (verse 45)
3. What were the new believers doing? (verse 46)
4. What question did Peter ask next? (verse 47)
5. What did Peter order? (verse 48)

Content Questions:

1. What scares, confuses, or challenges me in this text?
2. What is my favorite part of this text?  Why?
3. What stories or memories does this text stir up in you?  You might remember a time when you changed your mind about something significant, for example.
4. What is God doing in this text?  What is God up to?

TAKING IT HOME (5 minutes)

1. During this week, in your prayers, try using “God of All” as your title for God.
2. Write a one sentence summary in your prayer journal. In this sentence, describe your answer to the question “What did you learn about in Confirmation class this week?” in as much detail as possible.

OUT LOUD PRAYER: (5 minutes)
Loving Enemies Prayer: In this lesson, we learned that Peter that God loves and saves everyone, even those who we think are outsiders or enemies.  Use this prayer station to reinforce this idea:  https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2014/02/prayer-station-loving-enemies.html

You can use chalk instead of washable markers, if you wish.

Conclude your time together with the Lord’s Prayer.