May 31: Playing Favorites (Luke 14:1-14)

May 31: Playing Favorites (Luke 14:1-14)

Jesus was invited to eat at someone's house. It was a great honor, and there were many other important guests there, as well. Jesus watched everyone try to sit in the best seat, near the important leader's chair. He told them this story:

"Imagine someone invited you to a party and you sit in the very best seat. Then their very best friend comes and they ask you to move. How embarrassing! Instead, take the worst seat in all the house so that everyone else can have the best seats."

Jesus explained to the people that when we are on this earth, our purpose is not to make ourselves look good in front of others. Especially if it means we have to put someone down in order to get the best spot. Instead, we should serve others. Service is more important to God than status.

He then added on, "And when you invite people to your house, don't play favorites. Don't invite people that you know will invite you back to their house. Don't invite only important people that you can brag about. Instead, invite the people that can't pay you back. God will reward you."

This was His way of saying that we should not only be nice to people who we like. We should not only talk about Jesus to people who are already Christians. God welcomes everyone into His kingdom, so we should welcome everyone into our church, too.

May 24: He's Coming Back! (Luke 12:35-48)

May 24: He's Coming Back! (Luke 12:35-48)

Activity Before Story:

            Has your mom or dad ever caught you doing something you weren’t supposed to do? Sometimes we think that because no one else is around that we won’t get caught for misbehaving. In our story today, Jesus tells us why we should always choose to do the right thing!

Story:

            There once was a very rich man. He had a large house and could afford to have people cook his food and clean up after him. He had to go on a business trip, and told his servants that he would be gone at least a few days, but it might be several weeks before he came home.

            While he was gone, the servants could do whatever they wanted at the house. They could eat all of the food and swim in his pool. They could lay around and not work all the time. The servants respected and loved the rich man, however. They did not waste their time. They cleaned the house and made sure everything was ready in case he came home at any moment. They waited many days for their master to return.

            Finally, after a long time, the rich man returned home. It was late at night, so he was surprised to see his light on waiting for him. Several of his servants ran out to meet him. They quickly carried his bags inside and cooked him up a nice meal. The rich man was so happy. He did not think the servants loved him enough to stay up at night waiting for his return. The master was so pleased that they had cleaned the house and not wasted time while he was gone; he served them all a really nice meal to show his appreciation.

            Just like in the story, Jesus is our master and we are his servants. Although Jesus went to heaven, He promised us that He would come back for us one day. We don’t know when it will be—it could be tomorrow or it might be 2,000 years from now—but we must always be prepared and ready, just in case He decides to come back soon!

Summary & Questions:

            Jesus promised to come soon. But He did not say when He would return. He encouraged His followers, to watch and be ready. Does Jesus want us to watch and be ready, just like His friends so many years ago? When we gather to hear God’s Word together, we’re waiting for Him. We hope to see Him soon, face to face. We must watch and be ready. We don’t know when or how He will come, but He will come! If you knew Jesus would come to your house tomorrow, how would you prepare? How do you think you would feel if you were doing something bad when Jesus came back? How can we prepare to get ready for Jesus’ return?

May 17: Let Your Light Shine (Luke 11:33-36)

May 17: Let Your Light Shine (Luke 11:33-36)

Supplies:

Candlestick pattern copied on cardstock for each child

Scissors

Glue

Tissue paper in red, yellow, and orange

Old crayons

Crayon sharpeners

Wax Paper

Iron/Ironing Board

Activity Before Story:

            Ask students to sing, “This little light of mine.” Talk about what the song means.

Story:

            Jesus told His disciples, “No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by everyone.”

            Jesus explained how we are like lamps. “When you see and do good things, your whole body is filled with light. But when you see and do bad things, your body is filled with darkness.” If we are filled with light, then we are a shining example of Christ’s love for us. Everyone can see whether we are lit-up with Jesus inside of us or not.

Summary & Questions:

            When you turn on a lamp or your mom or dad burns a candle, do you cover up the light? Of course you don’t! The purpose is to show off light so people can see. Jesus said we are like lamps. What happens we see and do good things? Is there a light when we see and do bad things? This story is just like the song that goes, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” We are like bright lamps, shining for Jesus!

Activity After Story:

            Have students use old crayons to make shavings to put on their candlestick. Allow them to decorate then cover with wax paper to iron onto the cardstock. Show students how to cut out orange, yellow, and red pieces of tissue paper for the flame. Encourage them to make the flame 3-d for effect.

May 10: Mother's Day

May 10: Mother's Day

May 3: Do You Believe? (John 12:37-50)

May 3: Do You Believe? (John 12:37-50)

Supplies:

Index cards

Large graph (on bulletin board or on the floor with two columns: “Believe” and “Don’t Believe”

List of things to write on cards

“I believe” pattern copied on cardstock for each child

1 craft needle for each child

Various colors of yarn

Activity Before Story:

            Have kids arrange index cards on the large graph based on whether or not they believe the object/creature on the card exists. Discuss how some things are hard to know, some things we’ve never heard of, and still others are easy to figure out.

Story:

Although Jesus performed many miracles, many people did not believe in Him. Other people believed that He was God’s Son, but they would not admit it because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus told the people that if they believed in Him, then they believe in God.

He said, “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world. Everyone who trusts Me will no longer remain in the darkness.”

            Jesus did not come to earth to be angry and force everyone to believe. God wants us to have a choice. He said, “If anyone hears Me and does not obey, you will one day be judged by God.” 

Summary & Questions:

            Jesus said that if the people believed in Him, then they believed in God. Not everyone believed in Him, and some did but wouldn’t admit it. What did he say that He was like? By “shining” in this dark world, Jesus said that we would no longer be in the darkness. Darkness is like sin and unbelief. Would you rather be on God’s “good” side or “bad”? Did Jesus come to be angry and force everyone to believe in Him? God wants us to have a choice. What will happen to the people that hear Him and don’t believe? What about the people who wouldn’t admit they believed?

Activity After Story:

            Allow students to use craft needles and yarn to sew “I believe” onto the cardstock pattern. Allow students to color their pictures when finished.

Here are some suggestions:

Yes, they exist or did at one time

Mummies (Ancient Egypt and other civilizations mummified dead bodies)

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Buffalo (Animals once hunted in the wild-west, they are now endangered but can sometimes be found in zoos or in the plains states.)

Quagga (an African zebra-hybid which became extinct in the 1880s)

Vegetarians (the word for people who do not eat meat)

Thylacine (Another name for the Tazmanian Tiger which became extinct in the early 20^th century)

Wooly Mammoth

Smilodon (Also called a Sabre-Toothed Tiger)

Dodo Bird

Samoyed (A breed of dogs with big white fluffy coats)

No such thing exists           

Leprechauns

Vampires

Hefalumps (As seen on Winnie the Pooh)

BigFoot

Unicorns

Pokemon

Yeti

Sasquatch

El Chupacabra (A pretend animal in Mexico that eats goats)

Trolls

Mermaids

Elves

Cat-in-the-Hat

Godzilla

Frankenstein

Fairies

Klingons (From the tv show Star Trek)

Loch-Ness Monster

May Lessons

May 3: Do You Believe? (John 12:37-50)

May 10: Mother's Day

May 17: Let Your Light Shine (Luke 11:33-36)

May 24: He's Coming Back! (Luke 12:35-48)
May 31: Playing Favorites (Luke 14:1-14)

April 26: A Story of Investing (Luke 19:11-27)

April 26: A Story of Investing (Luke 19:11-27)

Supplies:

1 copy of coloring sheet for each child

Crayons

Activity Before Story:

            Allow students to color picture while reading the story.

Story:

            Jesus liked to tell stories that taught lessons. He told a story about a king going out of town. Before he left, he gave his servants some money to invest. The first and second servant put their money into the bank to draw interest. The third servant was scared. He did not want to lose the money, so he dug a hole in the ground and kept the money hidden.

            After a few months, the king came back. He asked the servants to show how much money they had. The first servant said he made ten times what he started out with. The king was so impressed he put the servant in charge of 10 cities. The second servant showed the king that he made five times what he started out with. The king put him in charge of 5 cities. The third servant was nervous. He told the king that he didn’t want to lose any money, so he put his in a hole. The third servant had the same amount of money as when he started. The king was very angry. He took the money from him and gave it to the first servant.

            Jesus explained this story. Because the first two servants invested the money like the king told them to, they were given rewards. The third servant did not do anything with the money, so was not allowed any rewards. The first servant worked the hardest, so he was given ten cities, plus the third servant’s money. When we do what God wants us to, we are rewarded. The better we do, the better our rewards. We might not see the rewards right away, but God knows. He keeps tracks of our good deeds!

Summary & Questions:

            If I were to give each of you $20, what would you do with it? What if you only had $20 to last an entire month, would you spend it differently? You would soon realize that money is only useful if you keep getting more to spend. Sometimes your mom or dad, or a family member may give you money, but without them, you soon would not have any. It is the same with the gifts that god gives us. The gift of caring, understanding, sharing, building… even doing homework. These are gifts designed to help us live our lives, but they are also designed to help others. What are things you do well? These are your gifts. Even though it’s not money, like in the story, they are still things you use to help others, like your friends and family. What does God want us to do with the gifts He has given us?

           

Activity After Story:

            Decorate the dollar-bill coloring sheet to show different ways kids can use their gifts to help others.