5 Simple Ways You Can Make This Lesson Stick - John
IN THE CAR: Ask your child what they learned about this week on the drive home: John referred to himself as the disciple Jesus loved; and as he hung on the cross, Jesus gave John his own command to love. Kids will learn that we can love others because God loves us. John 19:17-27, The Crucifixion
HANGING OUT: Make this week’s lesson real: What special things do your kids still have in their room from when they were little? How do those things remind your kids they are loved? Ask them how God showed his love for us, and how we can show love in return.
AT DINNER: Here are some great discussion starters: -Why did John call himself the disciple Jesus loved?-What did Jesus ask John to do for him before he died?-How can we show the love of Jesus to other people?
AT BEDTIME: Quiz your child on this week’s memory verse: When anyone lives in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone! The new is here! - 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIRV)
PARENT TIME: What you need to know:
Pray for your kids to have the courage to love someone who needs love this week, be it a new kid in class or a kid who doesn’t have many friends.
SHARE
- Your highs, lows & buffalos (buffalos being something weird or funny or strange that has happened lately?
- What do you like best about being part of God's family?
READ
Read: Acts
In This Passage: While learning about being part of God’s family, particularly in the book of Acts, we learned about many people who were part of God’s family.
Who can you remember and what did you learn about them?
TALK
- What stands out for you in this bible passage?
- What does this passage tell us about God?
- What does this passage tell us about people?
- What is challenging in this passage?
- What do you think God is saying to you? What can you do about it?
TALK ABOUT VIDEO - “The Book of Acts in 3 Minutes” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2t2tXVzIsg
What was your favourite part of the book of Acts?
PRAY
- Pray for and with each other.
- Pray about your highs, lows, and buffalos.
- Your church could grow to be more and more like the church in Acts.
BLESS
- Bless each other saying, “May God Bless you this week”.
SS materials attached
SHARE
- Share your highs, lows & buffalos (something weird, funny or strange that has happened lately)
- What do you notice is different in the worship space today?
READ Acts 2:1-4
- At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit spread and moved among and within the people. But Pentecost is more than just an ancient story, it is about the ongoing life of the followers of Jesus. It is about us, here and now, and how through the Holy Spirit, we are filled, transformed, guided, and empowered to be the people of God, to share the joy and new life that it brings.
- What stands out for you in this passage?
- What do you think this passage teach us about God/People/Obedience/Discipleship?
- What do you think God is saying to you?
- What will you do about it?
- Who will you share it with?
TALK
- When have you experienced God’s Spirit or Power?
- Or, when was a time when you felt joy, had fun with friends or family, been excited by what’s going on, or felt brave about sharing?
- What would a party look like with God present?
- Who would you invite to the party? What would you do at the party?
DO
- Pentecost is a day when we see the church being inspired by the Holy Spirit and we want to encourage and facilitate you to respond creatively. You can use the ideas below or engage your creative self and use these items and other items that you have in other ways.
Playdough
- Shape playdough flames above the heads of the disciples on the coloured mat.
- Use the playdough to make something.
- Imagine God is shaping and transforming as you shape the playdough into new creations.
Paper and colours
- Colour the flame, and as you fill the page with colour, imagine being filled with the Spirit.
- Sit with the blank paper and colours and listen to God and draw what he puts in your mind. What do you see/feel/imagine?
- Use the blank paper and word prompts to create a word cloud.
Candle or Sparkler (under adult supervision only)
- Light one candle or sparkler, use that one to light others and those to light others again. As the light increases imagine God spirit increasing and being spread throughout the world.
PRAY & BLESS
- Pray for and with each other. Pray about your highs, lows and buffalos.
- Ask God to help you be filled with His spirit, transformed by its power, led by its boldness and empowered to share the joy and new life that it brings.
- Bless each other saying “May God Bless you this week”.
To live the Christian way of life, one should be fluent in the language of faith. Becoming fluent in a language does not happen overnight. It does not happen in one hour a week. It takes an immersion, a daily immersion, and being surrounded by others who speak the same language and have the same culture. v
On Easter Sunday, in worship in person and online at 8am and 9:30am we will use "The Colours of Sunday" to explore the events of Easter Sunday, using colours to describe the moments of Jesus’ journey:
- Purple: Darkness – a dark purple or blue for the dark sky at the time of Jesus’ death.
- White: The linen that Jesus’ body was wrapped in.
- Gold – the colour of dawn and the colour of the angels
- Grey – the colour of the road to Emmaus
- Orange – the colour of fire - Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us? Luke 24
For those planning to join online, materials for the Good Friday and Easter Sunday services will be available to collect from the Church office on Thursday 14 April from 9am-12noon or 6pm-8pm.
https://www.sunzbreakthrough.org.nz/resources/easter-sunday?rq=sunday
On Good Friday, in worship in person and online at 8am we will use "The Mercy Tree" to explore the events of Easter Friday using coloured ribbons and branches.
The service is a guided meditation on Jesus’ journey to the cross, woven together with music and scripture readings. This service is one hour long and suitable for all ages.
For those planning to join online, materials for the Good Friday and Easter Sunday services will be available to collect from the Church office on Thursday 14 April from 9am-12noon or 6pm-8pm.
https://www.sunzbreakthrough.org.nz/resources/easter-mercytree?rq=mercy%20tree