Class: Primary Pals

“It’s always so much fun to visit Uncle Al,” Andy said as he and his dad got into the car.

His father smiled as he started the car. “I enjoy it too. Tell me, Andy, what is it you especially like about Uncle Al?”

Andy thought for a minute. “Well, he’s such a neat guy, Dad. He has great stories to tell, and his stories always make me feel happy.”

Andy’s dad raised his eyebrows. “Oh? Now it seems to me that many of Al’s stories have to do with some very hard times. There’s the one about when his boat capsized and he nearly drowned. There’s the story about how his army buddies made fun of him because he wouldn’t do all the wrong things they did. Then he tells about the time his wife died and he had to raise three little children by himself. Are those happy stories?”

“No . . .” Andy answered, “not exactly. I guess they make me feel happy because Uncle Al’s stories always have a happy ending.”

His father smiled. “I think you’re right, Andy. Uncle Al found out that even though there are hard places in life, there is victory when you have your trust in God.”

Andy nodded. “When you hear Uncle Al tell it, it never sounds so bad because he lets you know how God helped him.”

“That’s it exactly,” Andy’s dad agreed. “You know, in these last fifteen years or so that I’ve known Al, he has always made me think a little of the Apostle Paul.”

“Paul?” Andy looked puzzled. “But he doesn’t look anything like the picture of Paul in our Bible storybook. And he never got put in jail or went on any big missionary trips, or anything like that.”

“Oh, I don’t mean how he looks,” his dad replied. “And I don’t mean the actual things that happened to him during his life. I mean his spirit, the way he reacted to the things that happened to him. Remember how Paul wrote to Timothy when he looked back at his life? In spite of all the hard places he had gone through, he was thankful to God for a life of victory.”

“That sure does sound like Uncle Al,” Andy agreed. “You know, Dad, Uncle Al is pretty old. And now he’s sick too, and he looks kind of weak. Someday, before too long, he’ll probably go up to Heaven. That makes me feel a little sad because I will really miss him. But I just had a happy thought. Won’t the Apostle Paul and Uncle Al have a good time getting to know each other up in Heaven?”

PARENT’S CORNER

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“Now I’d like to go around the class and have each one of you tell me one thing that you are thankful for,” Justin’s Sunday school teacher said. “Katrina, will you start?”

Katrina said, “I’m thankful for the sunshine because it is so nice and warm when I go out to play.”

Lance was next. “I’m thankful for good food, especially hamburgers.” Everybody laughed because they already knew that Lance’s favorite food was hamburgers.

“I’m thankful for my mommy and daddy,” Suzie said next.

“I’m thankful that God made the pretty flowers and trees,” said Margie.

Then it was Justin’s turn. “I’m thankful for my cowboy boots.” He stopped, and then went on. “Could I tell you all why I’m thankful?”

His teacher nodded. “Of course, Justin. We’d love to hear.”

Justin explained. “I’ve wanted cowboy boots for a long, long time. I even told Mom I would give her my allowance for two whole months if she would get me some. But she said they just cost too much money. Daddy hasn’t been able to work since he hurt his back, and we have to use our money for food and stuff like that.”

“Mom told me to pray about it, so I did. Every night I asked God to help me find a way to get some cowboy boots. And He heard! You know what? Last week Mrs. Jensen, who lives next door to us, brought over a sack of things that had belonged to her grandson. She thought maybe we could use them. And right at the bottom of the sack were … these!” Justin stuck his feet out from under his chair so everyone could see the shiny brown boots.

Justin’s teacher smiled. “Justin, thank you so much for sharing this with us. We are so happy to hear how God answered your prayer. Isn’t He good to us?”

Justin nodded soberly. “I just wish there was something I could do to show God that I love Him.”

“Very well,” said his teacher. “Could you please put these Bible-story books back on the shelf?” Justin got up and put the books back. “Now, please pass these attendance charts out to everyone in the class.” Again, Justin did as he was told.

“Do you know what you just did, Justin?” she asked as he took his seat. “By being a helper to me, you were saying thank you to God. Whenever you help other people, you are helping God. It is a good thing to be thankful to God. And being a willing helper is one of the very best ways to say thank you!”

PARENT’S CORNER

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Dear Cousin James,

I have some exciting news to tell you! Do you remember the last time I came to your home in Ramah, when we talked about the Man named Jesus? Well, James, I have seen Him! I have heard Him speak! And it is true, He does work miracles! I have seen it with my own eyes.

Last week, word came that Jesus was traveling our way. You can imagine the excitement, for we had all heard so much about this Man. Why, just a short time ago the Widow Esther’s son heard Him speak, and with his own eyes saw a lame man healed! So when we heard that Jesus was coming, nearly everyone wanted to go hear Him.

Even my father left his leather shop, and early one morning we started out. It was late in the afternoon when we found Him, and already a great many people were there. We had to work our way through the crowd in order to get close enough to hear.

James, I wish you could have heard Him. He spoke as One who knew everything! When He began to teach, the crowd was silent. Everyone listened.

Time went by so quickly that it still seems hard for me to believe. He rested for a while in the hours of darkness, but early in the morning He began teaching again. We were there for three days! We just could not leave. Every thought of home and what was going on in our city just disappeared. We thought of nothing but Him.

We had not gone prepared to stay so long, and there was little food among us. On the third day someone brought Jesus seven loaves and a few fishes, but of course that was not enough to feed so many. Everyone was hungry.

It was then I saw the miracle. Jesus bowed His head, and He prayed aloud to His Father in Heaven, thanking Him for this food. Then His disciples passed the loaves and fishes among the people nearby, and went back to Jesus. More was given out.

In the end, the entire group was fed. And afterward seven baskets of pieces were gathered together! Truly, this could only have been done by the power of God.

Looking back, I think that what remains most clearly in my mind is Jesus bowing His head over that food. He had power, James, power to make that little bit of food feed so many. Yet He prayed and thanked His heavenly Father for it!

I will never again eat a meal without following His example.

There is much more I could write, but I hope that you will soon be able to visit us here in Bethsaida. We have much to talk about.

Your Cousin, Andrew

PARENT’S CORNER

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Jennifer stared down at the blank piece of paper in front of her. Should she do it? What if everyone in the class made fun of her?

Mrs. Morrow had told them to write about, “What I Am Thankful For,” and then draw a picture of what they had written about.

The first thought that had popped into Jennifer’s mind was that she was thankful for Jesus. She was! Jesus had done so much for her and she really loved Him.

All of her friends had decided to write about their mommies, or their homes, or their pets. It might be embarrassing to write about Jesus. If the teacher was the only one to read it, that wouldn’t be so bad. But Mrs. Morrow had said that all the papers were going to be put up on a Thanksgiving bulletin board. That meant all the kids in the class would see what she had written!

Let’s see. What else could she write about? Maybe about her mom and dad like some of the others were doing? She was thankful for them, but … after all, Jesus was the One who had given her a good mom and dad. Should she write about her pet kitten, Somecat? She was thankful her prayer had been answered and she had received a kitty for her birthday last June. Or maybe she should write about food – all her favorites like strawberries and peaches and corn on the cob. Jesus made all these delicious things to enjoy.

But somehow Jennifer couldn’t get started writing. Nothing seemed to be just right. She kept thinking, But it’s Jesus who gave me all the good things I’m thankful for. I really should write about Him.

Maybe if she tried drawing a picture first that would help. She tried drawing her mom and dad, but they looked funny. The kitten she worked on next looked more like a dog. She erased her strawberries and peaches too. By that time her paper was all smudgy. She threw it away and reached for her notebook to get another sheet.

Then her eyes fell on her lesson leaflet for next Sunday. Just this morning, she had read the story about the woman who met Jesus at the well. That woman hadn’t been afraid to tell others about Jesus! She had run right into the city and told everyone she met about Him. She was a witness for Christ because she was so thankful.

All of a sudden Jennifer knew what she was going to do. This was her chance to be a witness! She could tell all the kids in her class about Jesus. Her paper might be a little different from all the others, but it was one way she could say thank you for all the blessings Jesus had given her.

PARENT’S CORNER

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Our lesson is about the woman who met Jesus beside a well and then ran to tell the people of her city about Him. Your child will learn that being a witness for Christ is one way we can show our gratitude to Him.

As an activity together this week, help your child compose a picture letter to give to a friend telling him about Jesus or inviting him to Sunday school. Help him print simple sentences, drawing in pictures to represent words whenever it seems appropriate.

If you have a Bible bookstore in your city, it is a good source of stickers which could possibly be worked into the letter. For example, a sticker of Jesus could be used each time His name would occur in the letter.

It was going to be another sad day for the ten men. Nothing to look forward to. No place to go. All of their families and friends lived inside the village. The ten men got very lonesome for the people they loved.

These ten men had a very bad disease called leprosy. Any person that had leprosy could not live inside the cities or villages. They had to live apart so that other people would not become sick with leprosy. The people who lived in the cities would stay away from them and go another way when they saw them coming. This made the ten men very sad.

One day they were standing together and they saw Jesus entering their village. They had heard about Jesus and what He had done for other people who were sick. They wanted Jesus to do the same for them. Would He make them well? Should they ask Him? It was worth a try.

They all called out, “Jesus, have mercy on us. Jesus, have mercy on us.” They wanted Jesus to hear them. They wanted Jesus to make them well.

Jesus saw them and heard their cries. He called out to them and told them to go and show themselves to the priests. The priests were the ones who could tell them the disease was gone and they could go back to their families.

They hurried to get to the priests as fast as they could. As they went, one of the men looked at his skin, and he could hardly believe what he saw. The leprosy was gone! They all looked at their skin. They were healed! They were so happy. Now they would be able to live with their families.

Nine of the men ran on into the village. They wanted to tell everyone! But one of the men was so thankful that he ran back to Jesus. He fell down at Jesus’ feet and said, “Thank You, Jesus.” Jesus was so happy that the man had come back to thank Him. He asked the man where the other nine men were. Jesus was sad because they didn’t say thank you.

The one man that did thank Jesus was extra happy. Jesus gave him the greatest blessing of all—He took the sin out of his heart. Oh, he was so glad that he had come back to thank Jesus.

Did you know that Jesus wants us to thank Him too? When we have a need and ask Jesus to help us, He is always there. He likes for us to thank Him when He helps us. When we pray, Jesus wants us to thank Him for all the many blessings He gives us.

PARENT’S CORNER

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This Bible story is a specific example of one man who was thankful. One leper, from among ten who were healed, came back to thank the Lord. Your child will learn that the one leper received a special blessing from God because he was truly thankful, and expressed his gratitude.

Spend some time with your child this week to help him learn his memory verse for this lesson. Talk about ways we can make a “joyful noise” unto the Lord.

There are many good tapes and records of religious music for children. Choose a song from one of these to learn together, and at the end of the week let your child sing it for the whole family.

David pulled on his new shirt and, with a big grin on his face, ran down the stairs to breakfast.

“Say, you’re speedy this morning,” his mother smiled as she buttered the toast. “Breakfast isn’t even quite ready and here you are, all bright and shining.”

“Today’s the day, Mom!” David reminded her, “I’ve been waiting and waiting, and at last it’s here.”

“That’s right,” his mother agreed. “I know how much you’ve looked forward to this, and I hope it turns out to be a super-special day for you.”

David’s big sister Jessica came into the kitchen just in time to hear the last of what her mother said. “What’s so special about today?” she asked. “Must be something important to get David down here before me!”

“Today David starts his time at school as Student of the Week,” her mother reminded her. “Remember, Mrs. Elgin sent home a calendar at the first of the school year assigning each child a special week. And David’s turn is finally here!”

Jessica grinned. “That’s funny,” she said. “I was just reading in my Bible about another David who had to wait a long time for something important. It’s our Sunday school lesson for next week.”

“Tell me about him,” David said, looking up from the plate of scrambled eggs his mother had placed in front of him.

“Well,” Jessica started, “our lesson is about David who killed the giant, Goliath, remember?”

David nodded. “Sure. That’s one of my favorite stories.”

“Even before that happened, David knew that someday he would be king,” Jessica went on. “God’s prophet, Samuel, had come to his father’s house one day. God told Samuel to choose David from all his brothers, and anoint him to be the next king of Israel.”

“How come he didn’t just make him king right then?” David asked.

Jessica looked a little puzzled. “I’m not sure … Mom, what do you think?”

“Well, I believe it was because God knew the best time for David to become king. Perhaps there were more lessons David needed to learn about trusting God and looking to Him for help. David had to wait and be patient for a while.”

Jessica nodded. “Anyway, David did wait, and one day God’s promise to him came true.”

David finished his breakfast. “And this David had to wait too, but today’s the day! I wonder if that other David was as excited as I am when his big day finally came.”

PARENT’S CORNER

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The final lesson of this unit brings out the climax of David’s becoming king of Israel at last. Your child should learn that David saw the promise fulfilled which was made when he was anointed to be king. This will be related to their day-to-day living by the assurance that God will also keep His promises to us.

Talk with your child about what a promise is, and the importance of keeping one’s promise. Encourage them to make a promise to someone this week—perhaps a job they will do for someone or something of this nature. Help them write it down, and post it where it can serve as a reminder.

When the promise is fulfilled, let them place a smiley face sticker on the written promise, and reward them with a small prize or a special treat of some kind.

How would you like to have a prince for a friend? That would be exciting, wouldn’t it? Imagine getting to visit in a palace!

David, the young shepherd who killed the giant, Goliath, was not just going to visit a palace. He was going to live there! He would stay with Jonathan, King Saul’s son. Jonathan would be his friend. How excited David must have been!

Jonathan was happy too. He thought David was the bravest person he knew. He also knew that David loved God. Jonathan loved God too.

At last the great day came. David arrived at the palace. The two young men became good friends. To show David how much he liked him, Jonathan gave David some of his very own clothes to wear. Now David was dressed just like a prince! Then Jonathan gave David his own special sword and bow. He was not jealous of David, even though he knew that some day David would be king instead of him.

David was only a poor shepherd and he had nothing to give to Jonathan in return, except his friendship. He promised always to be a good friend to Jonathan.

One day David was in trouble. King Saul was angry because everyone cared for David more than they cared for their own King! The people liked David because he had been brave and killed Goliath. King Saul was so jealous that he decided to kill David!

David asked Jonathan what he should do. Jonathan told David he must run away and hide so that King Saul could not find him. It was a very sad time for the two friends. They knew they might never see each other again.

Before David left they made a promise to each other. David promised he always would be kind to Jonathan and his family. They agreed that the friendship between their families would last forever.

Jonathan and David said goodbye to each other and David went away. David never did see his friend Jonathan again, but he always remembered what a good friend he had been. David knew Jonathan had helped to save his life. He had warned David and had helped him get away from Saul, Jonathan’s own father.

Later, when David did become king, he welcomed Jonathan’s crippled son into his home and took care of him. In this way, David kept the promise he had made to Jonathan those many years before.

PARENT’S CORNER

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David and Jonathan had a beautiful friendship, despite their differences in background and position in society. We want your child to know that true friends love each other in good times as well as bad.

Help your child make a “Friendship Booklet” to give to a special friend. Across the top of each page let him write the words, “A friend is…………. and then finish the sentence. He might also like to illustrate the message.

Punch holes in the left side of each page and thread the pages together with brightly colored yarn.

“Who wants to fight me?” shouted the big, mean giant. “You’re all afraid!” he roared. “Come on out from your hiding places. I dare you! We’ll see who is the strongest!”

David, just a young shepherd, watched as the giant called to the people. He looked around expecting to see a brave soldier from the army of Israel rush out to fight Goliath, the giant. But no one moved.

David was surprised. He asked some nearby soldiers, “Who is this Philistine? Why does he make fun of Israel?” Goliath may be strong, thought David, but my God is stronger. Then David realized that everyone was afraid. “I’ll fight Goliath,” David said as he jumped to his feet. “God has always taken care of me. He will protect me now when I fight this giant.”

David was taken to King Saul. King Saul was surprised when he saw how young David was. He tried to talk David out of fighting Goliath, but David told Saul all about his God and how he knew that God would help him.

King Saul put his own armor on David. But David could not go out to meet Goliath dressed like that. He took it off because his trust was in God, not in the armor.

David ran down into the valley without any armor at all, his sling in his hand. He found a small stream of water and searched for some smooth stones. When he had found five stones he put them into his shepherd’s pouch. Then he went to fight Goliath.

Goliath was angry when he saw David coming! Why, Goliath was over nine feet tall and David was so much smaller! How Goliath raged!

David wasn’t afraid when he heard Goliath. He called out, “I come to you in the name of the Lord.” David told Goliath that God would win the battle. Then everyone would know how great the God of Israel was.

David put a stone in his sling. He ran toward the giant, swinging the sling around and around. Suddenly, David let the stone fly. THUD! The stone hit the giant right in the head. Down he went, flat on his face! God helped David defeat the giant.

David was right! His God was greater than a giant. His God was stronger than a giant. He didn’t have to be afraid.

God loves and helps all of us too. God’s people never have to be afraid.

PARENT’S CORNER

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This Bible story is one that is sure to stir the imagination of your child—the story of David confronting the giant, Goliath, and winning a mighty victory for the Children of Israel through his courage. The emphasis for this lesson is that God will be with those who trust in Him.

The Philistine champion was reported to be over nine feet tall. To illustrate to your child how high this is, measure that distance and have him stand beside it.

A simple shepherd’s pouch can be made by cutting a circle from a brown paper bag approximately 7″ in diameter. Punch small holes around the circle, about 1/2″ from the edge. Crumple the circle between your hands to make it resemble leather. Thread a cord through the holes and pull up to form a pouch. Let your child search for five smooth stones to put into the pouch.

David, a young shepherd, picked up the smallest lamb. “How small and tiny you are,” he said quietly as he petted the animal’s head. “Don’t worry little lamb,” he continued. “Someday you’ll be as big and as strong as any of these sheep.”

David put the lamb down beside him on the soft, green grass. He picked up his harp and played a song, singing words about God and His goodness.

How happy David was! He loved the green meadow. He loved the tiny lambs and the big sheep. He loved to sing and play his harp. But most of all, deep in his heart, David loved God.

Many times during the day, David prayed to God. He told God how much he loved Him, and thanked Him for the beautiful world He had made. David knew God was his special friend. He knew that God loved him too, and would always take care of him.

One day as David was taking care of the sheep, a man brought him a message from home. “David, come quickly!” the man exclaimed. “The Prophet Samuel is at your father’s home and he wants to see you!”

David knew that the Prophet Samuel was a very important man. He knew that Samuel was a worker for God. Many times, God would tell Samuel what was going to happen in the future. But David didn’t know why Samuel wanted to see him.

He didn’t know that God had sent Samuel to David’s own house to find the future king of the people of Israel. Samuel had already looked at David’s older brothers. As each brother walked by him, Samuel had thought, Surely this is the one! But each time God said no. Samuel saw only fine looking men, but God was looking at their hearts.

David hurried home. He was almost out of breath from running so fast. Samuel saw what a good-looking young man he was; his cheeks were red, his hair was blown by the wind, and his skin was brown from the sun.

When God looked at David’s heart He saw something very special. He knew David would be a good king. God spoke to Samuel’s heart. He told Samuel to anoint David to be the next king of Israel.

Samuel obeyed God. He took oil and poured it on David’s head. All of David’s family saw Samuel do it. They knew that God had chosen David to be the next king.

From that day on, David loved God even more. He knew God had a special plan for his life. He knew God would always be by his side.

PARENT’S CORNER

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We are starting a unit on the life of one of the most well-known and loved Bible characters—David. Our study will begin with David as the young shepherd who was anointed to be the future king of Israel.

Your child will learn that David was chosen because God looked at his heart and recognized qualities there that would make him a good king. To visualize this thought with your child, help him draw a heart on a piece of paper. Provide him with magazines or newspapers, and let him look through these and find words which tell what might have been in David’s heart. (If he cannot find whole words, let him cut out letters to form appropriate words.) Have him paste the words he finds inside the heart outline.

God was happy with everything He had made. He looked at the land covered with beautiful green trees and plants. He saw the wide blue ocean filled with different kinds of fish, and all the many animals that lived on the earth.

God knew His world was good but He was not finished yet. He needed to make one more thing and then His creation would be complete. He was going to create man. This would be the most special part of His creation. God wanted someone to love Him, and to take care of His world.

God took some of the dust of the ground and made a man. Then He breathed into him, and suddenly that man came alive! God called the man Adam.

One of the things God wanted Adam to do was to name the animals. God brought them to him. Adam looked at each animal and decided what it should be called.

Guess what Adam named each of these animals?

In front of Adam walked a huge gray creature. It had big ears and a long trunk. Do you think Adam named that one an elephant or a mouse?

Next, a fluffy little white animal with long ears hopped up to Adam. Do you think Adam named that one a kangaroo or a rabbit?

Then a black and white striped animal walked by. It looked a little bit like a horse. Do you think Adam named that one a zebra or a skunk?

Adam had a big job to do. There were many, many animals and Adam wanted each of them to have just the right name. God told Adam that he was to be in charge of all the animals, the fish, and the birds. Adam loved God and wanted to do the best job he could.

Even though Adam had all the animals for company, God knew he needed a special friend. So God made Adam go to sleep, and while he slept, God made a woman to be Adam’s wife and friend. Adam called the woman that God gave him, Eve.

God wanted His people to be happy because He loved them very much. He had made a beautiful garden called Eden for them to live in. They were happy to live there.

In the evening God visited the Garden and talked to Adam and Eve. They must have talked about many things.

God looked at everything He had made. He looked at Adam and Eve. He loved His people the very best of all.

He said, “It is very good.”

PARENT’S CORNER

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The emphasis of this lesson is on God’s creation of man. Your child will be learning that man was created to praise and glorify God, and that God gave man dominion over all the rest of His creation.

Discuss with your child the fact that, although the animals and plants God made were beautiful, they were not able to commune with God or to worship and praise Him. So He created man with that special purpose in mind.

Let your child make a “People Mosaic” this week. Have him cut pictures of people from catalogs and magazines and glue them onto a background. Beside each figure, help him draw a speech balloon and the words “I can praise God by ,” letting him fill in the blank space.

 

A long time ago there was no dry land at all. There was water everywhere! God knew that part of His creation would need dry land so He said, “Let the dry land appear.” And it did!

God wanted the land to be beautiful. He covered parts of it with green grass so we could have parks, pastures, and yards. Isn’t it fun to play in the grass and feel it tickle your toes?

God made all the grains of sand. There is sand in the desert where the cactus plants grow. God put some of it by the ocean so we could build sand castles at the beach.

He made different kinds of flowers ­red roses, white daisies, yellow daffodils, and so many more. And they smell so sweet!

God made many kinds of trees. There are forests of trees that are used to build houses. There are orchards of trees that grow fruit such as apples, oranges, and pears. He made nut trees so we could enjoy walnuts, pecans, and almonds.

He made vegetables—more kinds than we can name. Bright orange carrots, juicy red tomatoes, big brown potatoes, and leafy green lettuce are just a few of the things God put on the earth for us to eat. Can you think of some others? What are your favorites?

Flowers, trees, and vegetables all grew on the land that God had made. The world was finally ready for living creatures.

First God created the things that would live in the water—big sharks for the ocean and little trout for the lakes. He made the tiny goldfish that swim in fish bowls, and the huge whales that swim in the ocean.

Then God made the birds that fly in the air—chirping sparrows, noisy crows, and ducks that quack. Blue birds and black birds, brown birds and white birds were created for us to enjoy.

Finally God made the animals that live on the land. He made big tigers that roar, elephants that wave their trunks, and tiny insects that crawl.

He made some animals that are fun to have as pets, like cuddly kittens that meow and frisky puppies that wiggle and play with you.

Some animals are not meant to live with us. The big bears and graceful deer live in the woods. The alligators belong in the warm rivers. We can see many of these animals when we visit the zoo.

God saw that everything he made was good, and that made Him happy. God made these for us to enjoy too, because He loves us.

Parent’s Corner

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An awareness of the beautiful world God created for us to enjoy is something that should be developed in each child. This lesson is about God’s creation of the plants and animals. Now would be a good time for you to help your child become more observant of God’s creation’s in the world around us.

Make some nature lists together. Have your child name as many kinds of dogs as he can think of. Or let him name all the names of flowers or birds that he knows.

For a hands-on activity this week, let your child make a punch-dot mosaic. Have him draw a simple outline of a butterfly or flower on a piece of paper, and then fill in the outline by gluing on dots punched from various colors of paper.

 

John the Baptist was a special person. To look at him, you might not think so because he did not dress like other people. His clothes were made from camel’s hair and leather. His food was locusts (those are very large grasshoppers) and wild honey. He didn’t have time to worry about the fancy things of life. He had a very important message to tell everyone­ “Get ready because the Savior has come!”

John preached to large crowds of people. Many of them had sin in their hearts. They needed to change. But there were also some people who already loved God. They didn’t like all the sin that was going on around them. They were praying for a Savior to come. They wanted Someone who would make everything better.

Well, the Savior had come. Jesus was the Savior. But the people thought that Jesus was only a carpenter from Nazareth. He was just thirty years old. He lived quietly at home with His family. The people had never seen Jesus do any miracles yet. They had never heard Him preach. How could He, just a carpenter’s son, be their Savior? They didn’t know that He was really God’s Son.

God sent John the Baptist to tell the people all about the Savior. God wanted the people to be ready for His Son.

Hundreds of people went to hear John the Baptist preach. John spoke to them about their sins. He told them they should be sorry that they had done wrong. He told them that very soon the Savior would come.

Many of the people began to see how wrong they had been. They asked God to forgive their sins. Then John baptized them in the river. This was a sign to others that they had given up their sins, and that God had forgiven them.

One day, when John was preaching and baptizing at the Jordan River, Jesus came to be baptized. John knew that there was something very special about Jesus. He said that Jesus should baptize him. But Jesus said John must baptize Him because that was God’s plan. So John baptized Jesus.

And as soon as Jesus came up out of the water a wonderful thing happened. The sky was opened and the Spirit of God came down. He appeared like a dove and came to rest on Jesus. Then the people heard a Voice which said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” That was God’s voice. John knew that Jesus was the Savior. He was very happy that God had chosen him to tell the people to get ready.

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson is about John the Baptist and how he was used of God to tell people about the Savior, thus preparing the way for Jesus’ ministry. John performed his appointed task well, and many came to know Jesus because of his efforts.

Explain to your child that John’s special job, given by God, was to tell about the Savior who was to come. Liken this to a menu. It prepares the people who are going to eat the meal by telling them what is coming, perhaps even describing how the dish is fixed or the ingredients used.

Let your child prepare the family for their evening meal by making an advertisement or menu for the planned meal. He might cut out pictures of food or write a brief description of each dish. Allow him to present his creation to the family at mealtime.

 

Moses had been a great leader of God’s people. But when Moses died Joshua became the new leader. God had chosen Joshua and promised to always be with him.

God told Joshua that he was to lead the people into the land of Canaan. This was the land that God had promised to His people many years before. Now it was time for them to go and live in the land. Jericho was the first city that the people came to in the land of Canaan. It had to be captured!

Jericho was a strong city that was surrounded by high walls. How was Joshua going to capture that city? He was glad he didn’t have to figure it out all by himself. He trusted God to help him. God gave Joshua a plan. The plan sounded very strange. It wasn’t the kind of plan you or I would have thought of.

This is what God told Joshua to do. For six days Joshua was to have the people of Israel march silently around Jericho. The only sound that would be heard each day, was the sound of seven trumpets. The trumpets would be blown by seven priests. On the seventh day they were to march around the city seven times. And on the seventh time everyone was to shout when they heard the sound of the trumpets.

Joshua didn’t argue with God. He didn’t say, “This doesn’t make sense. I can think of a better plan than that!”

No, he didn’t say any of those things. He trusted God. And the people of Israel wanted to do what Joshua told them. They didn’t understand, but they knew that if God told them to do something, He would help them to do it.

I wonder what the people of Jericho thought on that first day as they watched the people of Israel march around their city? They probably wondered what was going to happen. No doubt they grew more worried as each day went by.

Day after day the people of Israel marched around Jericho. On the seventh day, the people of Jericho again heard the sound of the seven trumpets. But the people of Israel marched quietly around the city. One time. Two times. Three. Four. Five. Six. Then on the seventh time, when the priests blew their trumpets, Joshua commanded the people to shout! He said, “The Lord has given you the city!” At that moment, giant cracks appeared in those huge walls. Then, with a mighty crash, the walls fell to the ground!

Joshua and the people of Israel took over the city of Jericho. God was able to help them win the battle because Joshua trusted God and did exactly what God had told him to do.

PARENT’S CORNER

In this lesson is another dramatic event in Biblical history—the falling of the walls of Jericho. Your child will learn in class that because Joshua trusted and obeyed God, he was able to win the victory in this spectacular way.

As you talk about this with your child, explain that when we trust and obey God, we will have victory over the problems that come our way. Ask your child to list some of the problems he faces. Note each one briefly on a small piece of paper, and tape the paper to a building block.

When you have a number of blocks with problems taped to them, allow your child to build a “wall.” Show how easy it is to knock that wall over. In the same way, our problems are not too big or too difficult for God. If we trust and obey Him, He will give us the victory.

 

 

One day God looked down from Heaven and saw a man named Abram, whose name was later changed to Abraham. He lived in a tent in the land of Ur. Most of the people who lived in that country prayed to idols. They didn’t love God. But Abraham loved God. He prayed to God and tried to do God’s will.

God could see that Abraham loved Him, even though sinful people lived all around him. Because Abraham was faithful, God chose him to be part of a very important plan. God was going to send Jesus to this earth so that people could be saved from their sins. He wanted Jesus to be born into a special family. Abraham was chosen to be the father of this special family because he believed and trusted God. He would do whatever God said.

“Take your family and leave this place,” God told Abraham. “Go to a land far away that I will show you. I will make your family a great people. All the families of the earth will be blessed because of you.”

Abraham obeyed God. He called his whole family together. They helped him gather his sheep and his cattle. They helped him pack his tents and everything else that he owned. Then they all started on a long journey.

At last they came to the land of Canaan. It was a beautiful land. There were wonderful fields where the sheep and cattle could eat. God spoke to Abraham again. He said He would give all that land to Abraham, and to his children, and to their children.

Abraham and his wife had no children. But God now promised them that they would have a son. God told them to name their son Isaac. God also told Abraham that he would have many, many grandchildren and great ­grandchildren. And there would be so many more that they could not even be counted.

Now, Abraham loved God more than ever before. He built an altar and made an offering to God. He was thankful that God trusted him to be part of His wonderful plan.

All the promises that God gave to Abraham came true! The special family that God promised to him, later became known as the Jewish nation. And on the very first Christmas night, near where Abraham had once lived, Jesus was born into that family.

God has a plan for each of us too. But, like Abraham, we must obey God. If we do this, God will know that we love and trust Him. I wonder what special plan God has for you?

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson is about Abraham and how he trusted God and obeyed His commands. Because of this, God made him the father of His chosen people and promised him that his descendants would be as the sand of the sea. Look at a handful of sand with your child. Can he count the grains?

As an activity with your child this week, make a sand painting. Mix clean dry sand with small amounts of liquid poster paints to make a variety of different colors. Spread colored sand on sheets of newspaper to dry. Paint the inside and lip of a shoe box lid with poster paint and let it dry.

Using large block letters, help your child print on the inside of the lid the words, “Abraham Trusted God.” Cover one letter with white glue, and sprinkle the glue with one color of sand. Repeat for remaining letters. When the glue has dried, spray the finished picture with varnish or lacquer.

 

Many, many years ago a man named Noah built a huge boat. Other people have built boats, but that one was very special. God told Noah to build that one. God even told him what size to make it, and what kind of wood to use.

Do you know why God wanted Noah to build that big boat? God knew Noah would need it when the Flood came. Do you know what a flood is? That is when all the ground is covered with water. God was going to send so much rain that the whole earth would be covered with water. He was going to do that because all the people in the world were being very bad – all the people except Noah and his family. Noah loved God. The other people didn’t love God.

No one had ever seen a flood before. They did not believe it would really happen. But Noah believed God. He and his family started right away to build the big boat.

When Noah’s boat was finished, God told him to take at least two of every kind of animal into the boat. I wonder what the people thought when they saw all the bears and lions and elephants and monkeys and other animals go into the boat.

When Noah and his family and the animals were all inside the boat, God shut the door. Then He sent rain. It rained and rained all day and all night for forty days and nights! It rained until all the bushes and trees and houses and mountains and people were covered with water.

Noah and all that were in the boat with him were dry. Noah trusted God and knew He would keep them safe.

Finally the rain stopped, but for a long time the water stayed on the earth. Perhaps Noah looked out the window many times and wondered when they would be able to leave the boat. It was many more days before the land was dry again. When it was time for Noah and his family to leave the boat, they were so happy. Noah built an altar so they could pray and thank God for keeping them safe.

God was happy to hear Noah’s prayer. He promised that the whole world would never again be destroyed by a flood. He sent a special sign of His promise. It was a beautiful rainbow!

Now whenever we see a rainbow in the sky we can remember the story of Noah. Noah trusted God and we can trust God too. We know God always keeps His promises. He loves us.

PARENT’S CORNER

Our lesson on Noah’s Ark provides an opportunity for a fun game that can be played in pairs or teams, using family members. Give each team or individual a bag containing three unrelated items. For example: a toy boat, a whisk broom, and a picture of an animal; or a paintbrush, the word “sun­shine,” and a book.

The teams must use the pictures, objects, or words as the basis for making up a story about Noah and what they would do in the ark during all that rain. They may practice telling it before acting it out. Emphasize that they should mention each item at least twice during their storytelling.

The other teams then try to guess the three key words. The children might choose to show the contents of their bags before beginning, instead of making it a guessing game.

 

Lauri curled up in the corner of the couch with the open Bible storybook on her lap. She was going to read one of her favorite Bible stories.

“What story did you choose for tonight, Honey?” asked Lauri’s mother.

“I’m going to read about Queen Esther. I think it’s so wonderful how she was chosen to be queen. There were probably a lot of other girls who were hoping they would be chosen.” Then Lauri asked, “Do you know why I chose this story?”

“No, I don’t. But I’m sure you have some special reason,” said her mother.

“You’re right. For our Sunday school project we are supposed to choose a Bible character and tell how God used that person. We are also supposed to tell why that person was chosen by God. We need to tell if they were brave or loyal or obedient or other things like that. I think I’ll tell the story of Esther.”

“That would be a good one, Lauri,” said her mother.

“Mom, will you help me make a list of some of the things about Esther’s life. I will need to tell the reason she was chosen to be queen. I know she was beautiful, but. . .” Lauri wrinkled her nose and sighed. “There were probably lots of beautiful women, so that can’t be the only reason. Why do you think Esther was chosen by the king?”

“Well, the Bible tells us that the king loved Esther more than any of the other women. But more than that, I think it was part of God’s plan. He wanted her to be chosen. She had been brought up to know and to love the God of Israel. God knew He could trust her.”

Lauri nodded her head. “Yes, and after she became queen, a wicked man named Haman tried to have all the Jewish people killed! Esther went to the king about it.”

“That took courage, didn’t it?” her mother went on. “Who told her to go to the king?”

“I know that answer,” Lauri smiled. “Her cousin, Mordecai! And Esther obeyed him, even if she was scared.”

“Yes,” Lauri’s mother replied, “and that was important. So we can see that Esther was faithful to her God and loyal to her own people. She was also courageous and obedient. God still looks for these special qualities in people today. Does this help to answer your question about why Esther was chosen to be queen?”

“Yes,” Lauri answered. “I think both God and the king knew that Esther was special.”

PARENT’S CORNER

The dramatic story of Esther’s courage in risking her life to go before the king on behalf of her people is the subject of this lesson. Your child will learn that Esther’s unselfish regard for others made her a person God could use to preserve His people.

Review the story with your child and then, together, plan a menu that Esther might have used for her banquet for the king. Let your child design a napkin and a place mat for the occasion.

If your child wishes, let him make a matching “crown” for his father or other family member, and let that person use the napkin and place mat at your evening meal. Encourage your child to retell the story as an explanation at the dinner table.

 

Have you ever tried to jump over a really high fence? You found it impossible, didn’t you? There are many things in life that are impossible for all of us but there is Someone who can do the impossible. It is God! Sometimes He uses men and women to do impossible things for Him.

Many years ago the people of Israel found that they needed God’s help. The Philistines had treated them very badly for forty years. It was impossible for them to free themselves. God sent help in a very unusual way.

There was a man of Israel, named Manoah. He and his wife had no children. God sent an angel to tell them that He would give them a son. But there were special instructions for the child. He was to have a very special diet and he was never to have his hair cut. When the child grew up, God would work through him to free the Children of Israel. When the baby was born, his parents named him Samson.

As Samson grew older, God’s Spirit made him very strong. With his bare hands he killed a lion, and another time he destroyed a thousand enemies with the jawbone of a donkey.

But one day Samson made a very bad mistake. He told the secret of his great strength to one of the Philistine women. Her name was Delilah. He let her know that if his hair was cut he would lose his strength.

Delilah told Samson’s secret to the Philistines, and while Samson was asleep she had them cut off his hair. What a terrible thing to do! Because Samson didn’t do the right thing, God’s Spirit left him. Samson’s strength was gone. The Philistines put him into prison, and put his eyes out. How awful! Don’t you think Samson was sorry he had told his secret?

Time went by. One day the Philistines had a great feast. They called for Samson because they wanted to make fun of him. But God was ready to use Samson again.

They brought Samson into the great hall where the feast was going on. Samson asked to be led to the two huge pillars which held up the building. He prayed to God for strength to stop the wicked men and women who were very mean to the Children of Israel. Then, with all his might, he pushed over the pillars. With a thunderous crash, the building fell, destroying all the Philistines.

God had helped Samson do the impossible! If we do the right thing, God can use us too.

PARENT’S CORNER

The story of the amazing strength of Samson is one which captures the imagination of children. Your child will learn how God was able to use Samson to destroy the enemies of His people.

As you review the lesson with your child, explain that God gives strength to His people in this day too. Study the memory verse together. God may not give phenomenal physical strength such as Samson had, but He will give spiritual strength which will make one usable for Him.

Let your child make a paper chain from eight strips of paper to represent the chains that bound Samson. On each strip of paper, have him write one of the words from the memory verse. Then assemble the chain in the proper order.

 

Julie stared at the soft patch of light on the ceiling above her bed. She couldn’t sleep. Julie had a problem!

At the dinner table this evening, Mama had told Daddy that Grandma wanted Julie to spend the summer vacation with her and Grandpa. Julie had never been away from home for that long before, but she loved going to Grandma’s. Mama had asked Daddy what he thought. “What does Julie want to do?” he asked. They told her to think about it.

Now she couldn’t sleep. She thought about the trip her mother and father were planning to take. It would be fun to go with them, she thought. But if I stay with Grandma I’ll get to go to the camp meeting with her and to the youth camp afterward. She always helps at the youth camp. Grandma says I would have lots of fun.

Julie loved being with Grandma and Grandpa. They told her Bible stories, and showed her where to find those stories in her own Bible. They had even given her the Bible she had just read out of tonight. It was Grandma and Grandpa who had prayed with her when she had asked Jesus to come into her heart. She still remembered that night and how happy she had been. She loved Jesus so much! She wished she lived near Grandma and Grandpa so she could always go to church and Sunday school.

If she went to her grandparents for the summer she could go to church for that long at least. Grandma had asked Mama and Daddy to stop by on their trip and enjoy part of the camp meeting. I wish they would, she thought. I want them to ask Jesus into their hearts too.

“This is sort of like Ruth in the Bible story,” Julie whispered to herself. “She had to decide whether to go with Naomi or stay with her family.”

Closing her eyes, Julie continued to think about that Bible story. Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi, had lived many years in the land of Moab. That was where Ruth’s family lived. When Naomi was planning to return to her homeland, Ruth had to decide whether to go with her or not. If she went with Naomi she would be going a long way to another country to live. It might be many years before she saw her family again. Maybe she would never see them again! But Ruth made the decision to go with Naomi because she loved her and she loved Naomi’s God. I’d like to be like Ruth …

“Mama! Daddy!” Julie said as she came to the breakfast table the next morning. “I’ve decided what I’m going to do during my vacation. I’m going to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s. Do you want to know why?”

PARENT’S CORNER

The beautiful story of Ruth’s purpose to leave her homeland and follow the God of her mother-in-law, Naomi, is one of the treasured stories of the Bible. Emphasis in this lesson will be placed on the thought that God could use Ruth because she was willing to follow God even though it meant leaving all that was dear and familiar to her.

As you talk with your child about what it means to follow God, here is a short activity which will help your little one visualize this concept. Have your child remove his shoes so you can outline his feet on a piece of construction paper. Let him color and decorate the outlines of his feet however he wishes.

The feet can be cut out and mounted on a separate piece of paper under the words, “I Will Follow Jesus.” Add a sticker or small picture of Jesus if you wish.

 

Gideon could hardly believe that God wanted him to lead the Children of Israel into battle. He asked God to please show him if this was really true. So God did show him in a very special way.

That night, Gideon laid a piece of woolly sheepskin, called a fleece, on the ground. If the fleece was wet in the morning and the ground was dry, then he would know that God wanted to use him.

Early the next day, Gideon hurried out to where he had laid the fleece. He picked it up. It was full of water! But the ground all around it was dry!

Still, Gideon wanted to be extra sure that God wanted him to be the leader. He asked God not to be angry but to please give him a little more proof. He put the fleece out again that night. This time he wanted the fleece to be dry in the morning and the ground to be wet.

As Gideon went out the next morning he could see that the ground everywhere was wet. Would the fleece be dry? It was! And now he knew for sure that he was to lead the Children of Israel into battle.

There were thirty-two thousand men in Gideon’s army. God told him that was too many. He said, “If there are any people who are afraid, tell them to go home.” Twenty-two thousand men went home! Only ten thousand stayed. Then God said, “There are still too many. Take the men down to the water and I will test them.”

When they arrived at the water, all of the men bent down to get a drink. Three hundred of them scooped up the water with their hands. The others got down on their knees and drank directly from the water. God told Gideon to use just the three hundred men who had scooped up the water and drank it from their hands.

Could they win a battle with only three hundred men against an army of thousands? Gideon knew that God could do anything.

That very night Gideon prepared his army for battle. He obeyed the strange instructions God gave him. Each man was given a trumpet, and a pitcher with a lamp inside. Quietly they surrounded the enemy camp. When Gideon gave the signal, every man blew his trumpet. Then they all broke their pitchers so the lamps inside shone very brightly. All of this scared the enemy so badly they began to fight with each other.

Gideon and the Children of Israel won the battle that night because they obeyed God’s plan. Gideon knew he could always trust God.

PARENT’S CORNER

We are starting a unit called, “People God Used.” We would like your child to realize that God has a place for each of us to fill—that all of us can be used by Him if we are willing.

As you discuss this thought with your child, make a life-sized poster to reinforce it in his mind. You will need a roll of white paper (such as is used to cover tables) or end rolls of newsprint which is often available from local newspaper offices.

Cut a length of paper your child’s height plus a few inches. Have him lie on the paper. Trace around him to make an outline of his body. Your child can then color in the hair, features, and clothing to match his own. When completed, have him write the words “Jesus, Use Me” across the top.

 

Captain Naaman could not believe his ears! Had he heard the servant right? Surely it could not be true that God’s helper, Elisha, had sent that message! The servant had said he was to go and wash himself seven times in the Jordan River.

What good could washing in any river do? How could his skin be healed with water? Naaman had bathed many times at his home in the country of Syria. That water had not changed the way his skin looked, not one bit.

The little maid who lived in his house had told his wife about the prophet, Elisha, who lived in Samaria. Naaman had been sure that Elisha would come out of his house and lay his hands on him and pray loudly to his God to take away the sickness. But instead, only a servant came out of the house! And the servant told him to do this strange thing – go and wash seven times in the Jordan River.

Naaman said he would rather go to the rivers in his own country. There were two beautiful, clean rivers near his home. And he had seen the Jordan River on his way into Samaria to find Elisha. The water was dirty, with mud along the sides, and bugs floating on it. Who would want to wash in that?

Maybe this whole trip was just a waste of time. Maybe he would never find healing for his sickness. He turned around angrily to go home.

Then his own servant spoke. “Master, if the man of God had told you to do some great thing, you would have done it. This is just a simple thing. Shouldn’t you do as he said?”

Naaman stopped. He thought about what his servant said. Then he made up his mind. He would do it! He would obey the strange words of Elisha. He would wash seven times in the muddy water of the Jordan River.

Down to the riverbank he went. Stepping into the water, he felt the mud beneath his feet. He waded out until the river was around his waist. He dipped down under the water. He dipped again and again until, finally, he went under for the seventh time.

His heart was beating hard as he came up from the water. Would his skin be healed? As he wiped the water from his eyes, the first thing he saw was his hand. The white spots of sickness were gone! His skin was perfect, just like that of a little child! “God be praised!” he shouted, joy ringing in every word. “The sickness is gone!”

PARENT’S CORNER

Our lesson is about Naaman the leper and how he received his healing when he obeyed the instructions of the prophet of God and dipped seven times in the muddy Jordan River. Through this lesson, we want to stress that God’s commands must be obeyed, even if they are not understood.

In your time together this week, review the story with your child and then allow him to make a river and a Naaman figure to dramatize the scene at the river. For the river, fold a piece of blue construction paper horizontally so the part that folds up is about an inch below the top of the paper. Help your child to cut waves along the edge that folds up.

A Naaman figure can be traced or cut from a Bible-story coloring book, or a figure could be cut from a catalog. Back the figure with construction paper or cover it with clear adhesive plastic to make it more sturdy. Your child can retell the story and “dip” Naaman under the water by inserting the figure between the two sides of the folded blue paper.

 

It’s Father’s Day! Have you been having some special thoughts about your dad? Maybe you have been thinking about what you could do for him or give him on this day.

Did you ever stop to think that fathers come in all sizes, shapes, and colors?

Some are rich, some poor, and some in-between.

Some are happy and fun to be with; others are grumpy.

Some live with their children and some live elsewhere.

Some love Jesus and serve Him; others may never go to church.

Some find little jobs to do together with their kids; others don’t.

Some dads are healthy, but some dads are sick and can’t do many things.

Some scold or discipline when you’ve done something you shouldn’t. Does that mean they don’t love you?

Now, which fathers should be obeyed?

Did you say, “All of them”? You’re right.

Jesus wants children to listen to their parents and then do what they are told. That will make parents happy, and it will make Jesus happy too.

The Bible tells us that we should honor our fathers and mothers. What does honor mean? Do you suppose it means to treat your father like a king? Should you make a crown for him to wear? Nooooo? Well, how about bowing to him before you speak? We don’t do that in our country but in some countries children do bow to the parents and to teachers.

So how do we honor our parents? We’ve already talked about one way and that is to obey them. Is there a younger brother or sister in your family who sometimes says, “I won’t! I won’t!” or, “no, No, NO!” Does that make your parents happy? Speaking in a respectful way is part of honoring another person. You wouldn’t call your father “my old man,” but some other children might. We feel unhappy when someone speaks against our parents or criticizes them. Why? Because it isn’t respectful, it is not honoring our parents.

Show your father how much you love him, not just on Father’s Day but every day. If you honor your parents, God will honor you. And your parents will be happy too.

PARENT’S CORNER

Father’s Day works in well with our unit on obedience because it is vital that children learn the importance of honoring and obeying their parents. During our class time we will help your child recognize that these are commands found in the Bible.

One of the key factors in building a strong and loving relationship between father and child is appreciation. To emphasize this thought to your child, help him put together a booklet for his father called, “My Dad Is Special.”

Pages in the book could include a poem for Dad, your child’s version of a story Dad tells, a list of reasons why he is special, a picture drawn of Dad, a prayer for Dad, and a special award certificate for him.

 

It was a terrible storm. Men were shaking me and shouting, “Jonah, Jonah, wake up! Pray to your God! This storm must stop or we will all drown! Hurry, Jonah!”

I jumped to my feet and nearly fell as the ship rolled from one side to the other. I ran up onto the deck and saw some men throwing cargo boxes and other things over the side, into the water. Other men were praying to their gods to stop the storm.

I knew all of this was happening because I did not obey God. He had told me to go to Nineveh and preach to the wicked people there. God loved them and wanted them to be saved and to love Him. But I did not want to go, so I was running away.

I turned to the men who had followed me up onto the deck. “God has found me. If you want the storm to stop, you must throw me into the sea.”

“No, Jonah,” said the men. “We cannot do that! Just pray to your God.”

“It is the only way,” I said. “I have disobeyed God.”

I knew they did not understand. They did not want to throw me overboard. But, they said if that was the only way to stop the storm, they would have to do it.

I hit the water with a big splash. Almost at once I could feel the storm stop. The waters became calm. Then, suddenly, I was being swallowed by a huge fish! Not eaten, but swallowed! I was still alive! What was happening to me?

There I was, down in the belly of a whale—what an awful place to be! Yuk! What hope was there for me?

I prayed for three whole days! I promised God that I would do what He had asked me to do, if He would just get me out of this awful place!

All at once there was a rumbling sound. With a swoosh I was thrown out of the whale’s mouth onto a beach!

I scrambled to my feet. I pulled the seaweed out of my hair and rinsed myself off in the water. Before the sun could even dry my clothes, I started out toward Nineveh. When I reached the city my only duty was to tell the people to repent and to stop doing bad things. They must tell God they were sorry or in forty days He would destroy their city.

I saw many people pray that day. In fact, everyone in the whole city prayed. That was why God wanted me to preach in Nineveh. All those people prayed because I finally obeyed God.

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson is one of the favorites of most children, and it has an important lesson to teach with regard to our theme of obedience. As the teacher goes through the story of Jonah during class time, emphasis will be placed on the fact that when God asks us to do something for Him it is in our best interest to do it!

To reinforce this theme, encourage your child to use his imagination and ingenuity to re-create this favorite Bible story with words, pictures, and letters cut from magazines and newspapers. Provide your child with several old magazines or newspapers, scissors, glue, and a large piece of poster board.

Begin by reviewing the story from the Bible. Then let your child cut out words, letters, and pictures that will become a part of the story. Help him lay out the words or pictures on the poster board, piecing words together by cutting out individual letters when necessary. When the story is ready, glue all the words in place on the poster board, and allow your child to read his story to the whole family.

 

 

“Hi, Mom. I’m home,” Tricia called.

“Hi, Honey,” her mother answered. “How was your day at school?”

“Not too great,” Tricia replied sadly as she took off her jacket. “I didn’t get a very good grade on my reading test.”

Her mother looked puzzled. “Really? What was the problem? We went over all that material last night and I thought you seemed to know it.”

Tricia sighed. “Well, the biggest problem was that I didn’t follow the instructions. On the last part of the test, Mrs. Cooper gave five questions. I was supposed to answer each question with a complete sentence. Instead, I just wrote one word answers so I could finish faster. Mrs. Cooper gave me a zero on that part.”

Tricia’s Mom hugged her gently. “I’m sorry, Tricia. I know this test was an important part of your grade and you did study hard for it. But do you think you have learned a lesson from this?”

“Yeah . . .” Tricia said thoughtfully. “I’m learning that you really do have to follow directions if you want things to come out right. I should have already learned that by now. Remember how mixed up I got on my piano lesson last week just because I didn’t follow the instructions?”

Her mother smiled and motioned for Tricia to sit down at the table where she had placed a plate of cookies. “I think you are getting the idea, Tricia. It is an important lesson to learn, because not following directions can hurt us in serving God also.”

“What do you mean?” Tricia asked.

“God’s Word is full of instructions for us,” her mother replied. “When we don’t do what He says, we miss out on the blessings He has promised.”

Tricia grinned and said, “Mom, our Sunday school lesson this Sunday was the perfect example of that! It was about Cain and Abel. They both knew how they should make an offering to God. Abel followed the instructions but Cain didn’t. God accepted the offering that Abel made because he did it the way God wanted it done. Cain’s offering was refused.”

Tricia paused and thought a little more. “I’m really going to pay attention to God’s Word and do what He says. If I do that, God will help me remember to follow other instructions too.”

PARENT’S CORNER
One of the things a child must learn is the importance of obedience. That is the subject of this lesson which begins our unit entitled, “Let’s Do It God’s Way.”

To illustrate to your child why obedience is important, do a project together in which he must follow your directions exactly in order to achieve the desired results. Guide him through the process of making Very Berry Milk Punch. In a blender, combine 1 cup of milk, an 8-ounce container of vanilla yogurt, 6 strawberries, 2 teaspoons of honey, and 4 ice cubes. Cover and blend until all the ice pieces are gone. Pour into glasses.

As you enjoy your punch together, talk about what would have happened if buttermilk had been used instead of regular milk. What if salt had been added instead of honey? Stress the importance of obedience, because this is God’s way.

 

FAMILY DEVOTIONS
SUNDAY: Acts 5:29

MONDAY: Exodus 19:5

TUESDAY: Matthew 12:50

WEDNESDAY: John 14:23

THURSDAY: 1 Peter 1:22

FRIDAY: Job 36:11-12

SATURDAY: Romans 6:16

“A princess,” Christy whispered to herself. “Oh, how wonderful that would be.”

She was thinking of the story her mother had just read to her. It was about a little princess who was loved by everyone.

“Mommy, I wish Daddy were a king so I could be a princess,” Christy said. “I would wear a crown made of diamonds. My robe would be pure white with lots and lots of lace and ribbon. We could all live in a beautiful palace.”

Her mother gave her a big hug and said, “Christy, you are a princess.”

“Me? A princess? Mommy, how can that be? Are you sure?” Christy asked.

“I am very sure,” her mother replied. “Remember, Jesus is the King. When you told Him you loved Him and you were sorry for your sins, you became His child. He made you a real princess.”

“But what about a palace to live in and … ” Christy started.

“Wait, I’m not through,” said her mother. “Jesus said He would prepare a place for you – a mansion. There will be many beautiful things for you in Heaven.

“He promised that someday He will come back to earth. When He does, He will take you and all the rest of His princesses and princes to Heaven. You will live with Him forever!”

“Did He really promise that, Mommy? When will He come back? When will He take us to Heaven?” Christy wanted to know.

“We don’t know the exact time when He is coming back,” her mother answered. “The Bible tells us that Jesus said, ‘Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.’ To watch means that we must always obey God’s Word. And we must love other people and tell them that Jesus is coming back someday. We need to tell them that they must pray now if they want to be ready to go to Heaven with Jesus.

“And even though we don’t know when He will return, we do know that Jesus will come again because He always keeps His promise. We just need to make sure we are ready when He comes.”

PARENT’S CORNER

The final promise of God to be studied in this unit is one which has not yet been fulfilled. Still, your child should be assured that it will come to pass just as surely as the other promises in God’s Word. This is God’s promise that He will come again to this earth, and one of the most important points your child needs to learn in Sunday school is the necessity of being ready for this event.

The Bible tells us that Christ’s second coming will take place as quickly as a flash of lightning, and this thought is also brought out in our memory verse for this lesson. To visualize this thought, help your child draw several bolts of lightning on a paper or Styrofoam tray (the type used by butchers for packing meat). Poke holes at regular intervals around the lines with a thick nail.

Reinforce the end of a length of yellow or orange yarn with a piece of tape, and let your child sew around the design. If he wishes, he could fill in the outline with crayons or marking pens.

 

“Mom! Mom, I won!” Jeremy shouted as he ran up the front steps.

“Jeremy, that’s great!” his mother said. “You have been practicing so hard for this race.”

“Look! Here’s the mitt I won! Isn’t it super?” The words tumbled out of Jeremy as he waved the mitt in the air.

“Wow, that’s really a nice one!” his mother exclaimed.

“Besides the mitt, my name will be put on an award and hung on the wall at school!” Jeremy went on. “Please, may I go over to Tim’s house and tell him that I won?”

As soon as his mother said yes, he was out the door. He could hardly wait to tell his cousin. He knew Tim would be proud of him.

Tim was eleven years older than Jeremy, but he had always listened when Jeremy shared the important things with him—things like camping, new puppies, and even this race.

“Hey, that’s great,” Tim exclaimed when he had heard the news. “Who came in second place?”

Jeremy answered, “Mary Jo did.” He stopped, then went on. “But she wasn’t happy. In fact, she cried. She was just a second or so too late. I felt so bad for her. She tried real hard. I used to see her practicing whenever I was running in the park. It’s too bad everybody can’t win.”

They sat quietly for a while then Jeremy asked, “Tim, why is there always just one winner? Everyone works so hard and then just the winner feels good. You’d think they would make different rules so everyone could feel this happy.”

“That would be nice, Jer, but that’s not the way life is,” Tim replied. “Hey, I know of a race where everybody who crosses the finish line will be a winner. The race to Heaven!”

“Oh, Tim, I’m talking about a race where you run every day to keep in shape,” argued Jeremy. “One where you win a prize at the end.”

“That’s what you do in the race to Heaven,” Tim said. “If you want to reach Heaven, you must love Jesus and obey Him all the time. And if you do that, Jesus has promised you a prize at the end—you will live with Him in Heaven forever!”

PARENT’S CORNER

Children of primary age are very tuned in to rewards, so this lesson will be of great interest to them. We will learn that each one who is saved and in the “race” toward Heaven has been promised a reward if he finishes the race.

Your child will learn that to stay in the race takes effort, but one of the rewards promised is a crown, and to illustrate this, allow your child to make lollipop crowns for each member of your family. Purchase flat lollipops, and draw a simple, crown pattern a little larger than the candy. Let your child use this pattern to draw paper crowns which can be colored and decorated however he wishes. Have him cut them out and tape them to the lollipops. Encourage him to present the lollipops to the family after dinner time, with an explanation of what they represent.

 

“Oh, Dad, is he really mine?” Dustin shouted with delight. He bent to scoop the wiggling puppy from the box on the floor. “This is the best birthday present ever!”

His dad grinned. “Yes, Dustin, he’s all yours.”

Dustin patted the puppy’s head. “Dad, we’ll have to build a little doghouse for him. And I’ll get him his own feeding dish. And I want to get him a leather collar and a leash so I can take him for walks …”

“Hey, slow down!” his Dad chuckled. “I can see you’re already full of plans for taking care of him. That’s great, because I was just going to tell you that this puppy will be all your responsibility. You will have to see that he is fed every day and that all his needs are taken care of.”

“Oh, I will, Dad!” Dustin promised. “I’ll take really good care of him.”

Each morning, as soon as he was dressed, Dustin took his puppy for a walk. He carefully filled the puppy’s dish with food and made sure he had plenty of water. He brushed him and played with him and even taught him some tricks. The puppy never needed to worry about anything.

Why did Dustin take such good care of his puppy? That’s easy to answer. It was because he loved him. Dustin promised to give his puppy food and water and everything he needed. And he kept his promise.

Did you know that God has promised to take care of you? He has promised to give you what you need. You don’t have to be worried about whether you will have food to eat, or a place to sleep, or clothes to wear.

Jesus told us to look at the birds and to see how well God takes care of them. The birds never worry about food because God always makes sure they have something to eat.

What about the beautiful flowers in the field, the lilies? Jesus told us they just grow where they are planted and never worry about how they do it. Yet they are more beautiful than even King Solomon when he was dressed in his most beautiful robe and crown.

God promised in the Bible that if we would love Him and try to do the things that make Him happy, He would take care of all our needs.

God always keeps His promises.

PARENT’S CORNER

In this lesson your child will be studying God’s promise to take care of our physical needs when we seek Him and make Him most important in our lives. While he perhaps has never thought about this in specific terms, he needs to recognize that whatever we have is the provision of God.

To visualize this thought, provide him with the materials needed to make a collage illustrating some of the gifts God has given us. Title the collage, “God Provides My Needs,” placing these words in large, block letters on a sheet of heavy paper or posterboard. Around the words, let him paste pictures cut from magazines or catalogs showing things God gives us.

 

Moses was on a quiet mountainside. Suddenly a bush crackled into flame, but it did not burn up! He was amazed when God spoke to him from the bush, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him to let My people go. I will be with you.”

Pharaoh was the most important man in the whole country. Why should he listen to Moses? But Moses did as God said. What would you have done?

The Jordan River was in front of Joshua. God wanted him to lead His people, the Children of Israel, to the other side of the river. Only when they had crossed the river could they conquer the walled city of Jericho. God reminded Joshua that He had been with Moses, and He said, “I will be with you also.”

The waters looked deep and wide. But Joshua did as God said. What would you have done?

God told a man named Gideon to lead the army of Israel into battle with just 300 men. They were to fight against a great army of 135,000! God said, “Go and save Israel. I will be with you.”

Why would God want them to fight with so few men in their army? Gideon did not understand, but he did as God said. What would you have done?

Do you know why Moses, Joshua, and Gideon obeyed God? They obeyed because God made a promise to each of them. He said, “I will be with you.” They had faith in God’s words. They knew God would keep His promise.

God was with Moses, and he led the people out of Egypt.

God was with Joshua, and the waters of Jordan parted.

God was with Gideon, and his few men won the battle against the large army.

God has something for each of us to do. And no matter what it is or how difficult it looks, He promises to be with us.

Do you believe that God keeps His promises? Will you obey Him? What will you do?

PARENT’S CORNER

Most children are subject to fears, among these the fear of separation or of being alone. It will be a real source of reassurance and comfort to your child to realize that God has promised to be with us. This lesson is about how God was with several notable characters of the Bible, and your child will learn that God will be with him also.

To illustrate that God is with us, even though we can’t see Him, write your child an invisible message on a card. Use a clean pin or toothpick to write your message with lemon or grapefruit juice. Dip the pin in the juice after every three or four letters. Use matte (not shiny) paper so the juice soaks in and disappears.

To make the juice visible, help your child press the paper with a warm iron or move it around close to an electric light bulb. Heat makes the message appear. Point out that the words were there, even when your child couldn’t see them, and in the same way, God is with us even when we can’t see Him with our physical eyes.

 

Many years ago God asked a man named Isaiah, “Whom shall I send? Who will go?”

God wanted Isaiah to be His helper. Isaiah felt unworthy when he thought about how great and holy God is. But he answered, “Here am I; send me.”

From that time on, Isaiah gave God’s words to the people. He even told four different kings what God wanted them to hear!

When Ahaz was king of Judah, some other kings wanted to have a war with him. God sent Isaiah to tell the people not to worry—He would take care of them.

God also sent the people a wonderful promise. He said that someday a special Baby would be born. The Baby would be called Immanuel. But He would be known by other names also: Wonderful, Mighty God, the Prince of Peace, and many more. He would be a Savior to the people. That means He would save them from their sins and protect them.

Isaiah loved God and was happy to be His messenger. He did as God said, and told the people that someday this special Child would come. He knew God would keep His promise. God’s promise was written down, and now we can read it in our Bible.

Many years later, long after Isaiah had died, God’s promise did come true. Jesus was born just as Isaiah had said so many years before. And Jesus is known as Wonderful, Mighty God, the Prince of Peace, and many more good names.

Just as He had said, God chose a special young woman to be the mother of Jesus. Her name was Mary. She was a part of God’s promise.

Every year, at Christmas time, we celebrate Jesus’ birthday. It is an important day to us because Jesus is our Savior. And if we love Him, someday we will live with Him in Heaven.

Aren’t you glad God keeps His promises?

PARENT’S CORNER

As your primary-age child continues his schooling and begins to learn many of the theories and suppositions of man, it is vital that he also learn there are some things that can be absolutely relied upon. With that thought in mind, we begin a five-part series of lessons on God’s promises.

To reinforce the basic principle to be taught in this set of lessons, help your child design and create a “Promise Banner.” Cut a banner shape from felt, and draw out a simple, bold design featuring the words, “God Keeps His Promises.” Using fabric scraps, bits of trim, and glue, fill in the letters and decorate the banner.

Put up the banner where it can be noticed and commented on often throughout the month.

 

“Grandpa,” Sally touched him softly to get his attention, ”why are you crying?”

Grandpa put his arm around Sally and said, “I’m reading the Easter story in the Bible, Honey.”

”But, Grandpa, if it makes you cry why do you want to read it?” Sally asked.

”That’s a good question, Sally. But, before I answer it, let me ask you a question. Okay?” asked Grandpa.

Sally giggled. “Okay, Grandpa, ask me anything you want.”

Grandpa’s face grew serious as he looked at her. “Do you remember the day your mother’s beautiful vase fell off the table? She had told you never to touch it because it was very expensive and that it could break easily.”

“I remember, Grandpa. But I really didn’t think it would hurt anything if l just felt the design on it,” Sally said. “I had just reached up to touch it when Uncle Andy suddenly came into the living room. I jumped because I thought it was Mommy. I accidentally hit the vase and it fell off the table and broke into tiny pieces. Oh, I was so scared! I ran to my room and hid!”

“Do you remember what Uncle Andy did for you?” asked Grandpa.

Sally was quiet for a moment. ”Yes, Grandpa, I sure do. When Mommy came to my room to find me, I thought I would really be in trouble. But she said that Uncle Andy had asked her to forgive me! He said he knew I was wrong to touch that vase but he wanted to pay for it because he loved me very much. Oh, Grandpa, I love Uncle Andy so much. When Mommy brought the new vase home and put it on the table, I promised her I would never touch it. I had learned my lesson. It makes me almost cry whenever I think of what Uncle Andy did for me. It cost him a lot of money but he did it because he loves me!”

“Now can you see why I cry when I read the Easter story?” asked Grandpa. “I love Jesus so much for what He did for me and all the other people of the world. God knew that people were sinful and should be punished. But He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us so we could be free from sin.

”The people who did not love Jesus were mean to Him. They nailed Him to that cross. They called Him bad names and said terrible things about Him. Still, Jesus was willing to die for our sins because He loves us.”

PARENT’S CORNER

The narrative telling what Jesus went through on Calvary for us is a story that is very touching to young children, and this is the lesson we will be studying next Sunday. We want each child to realize that one of the ways we can worship our King is by remembering His suffering.

Our memory verse for this week reflects the reason why we worship Him—because He carried our griefs and sorrows to Calvary. To reinforce this verse in your child’s mind, study it carefully together.

As an activity, write out each word of the verse on a separate piece of paper, scrambling the letters. Let your child unscramble each word and then arrange the verse in its proper order.

 

When Mary Magdalene and her friend, who was also named Mary, started down the road that morning they were very sad. They didn’t know that this would turn out to be a wonderful day they would never forget.

Just three days before, they had been with Jesus’ friends as they laid Him in a borrowed tomb. He had suffered a terrible death on the cross. Jesus was good, but the angry crowd that had been at the cross that day did not think so. And now Jesus was dead.

Mary Magdalene and Mary were going to the tomb to put sweet spices on Jesus’ body. They were glad they could do at least one more thing for Him.

As they started on their way, they worried about how they would move the huge stone away from the opening of the tomb. Perhaps the soldiers who were guarding the tomb would help them.

All of a sudden there was an earthquake! The two friends hurried to the tomb to see what had happened. When they arrived they saw that the stone had been rolled back from the opening. An angel was sitting on top of the stone. The soldiers who had been guarding the tomb were so afraid, they fainted!

What a sight! What was happening? The women did not know what to think. The angel looked at them and told them not to be afraid. He said, “Jesus is not here. He is alive, just as He said He would be! Come here and see the place where the Lord lay.”

The women looked into the tomb and the angel said, “Go quickly and tell His disciples that Jesus is alive. You will see Him soon.”

Both Marys were thrilled. Their hearts were filled with joy. They ran as fast as they could. They wanted to tell His disciples the good news. Jesus was alive!

Jesus is still alive today. He loves all people and wants us to show our love for Him. Many years ago, Jesus’ friends sang songs of joy and they worshiped and praised Him. These are still good ways to show Jesus we love Him. Will you remember to praise Jesus for what He has done for you?

PARENT’S CORNER

Invite two or three of your child’s friends to an Easter Joy Hunt sometime during this week. Purchase brightly colored plastic eggs which open up, revealing a hollow inside. In each egg place a piece of paper on which you have written a simple Easter message or Bible verse. Some examples: Jesus arose! Jesus loves you. Jesus is alive. Jesus takes care of us.

Place one message in each egg and add a small trinket such as a balloon or sticker. Hide the filled eggs for the children to hunt. After the eggs have all been found, help each child open his eggs and read his messages.

Follow the hunt with a reading of the Easter story from a children’s storybook.

 

Several of Jesus’ disciples were down by the Sea of Galilee.

“I’m going fishing,” Peter called.

“We’ll go with you,” said his friends. Peter, James, Thomas, Nathanael, John, and two others, got into a ship and pulled away from the shore. They fished all night.

As morning started to dawn, the disciples were quite discouraged because there was nothing in their nets, not even one fish! Suddenly they heard a voice calling to them from the shore. “Do you have any fish?”

They answered,. “No.” They did not know it was Jesus speaking to them.

He told them, “Put your net on the right side of the ship and you will catch some.”

They pulled their net to the right side of the ship and put it down into the water. At once the net was filled with fish—so many fish that they couldn’t even pull the net into the ship!

John said, “It is the Lord!” Now they knew it was Jesus who was on the shore!

Peter was so excited he pulled his coat around himself, jumped into the sea, and swam as fast as he could to shore. He wanted to see Jesus!

The other disciples followed behind him in the ship, dragging the net full of fish.

As soon as they reached the shore they saw that Jesus had built a fire. He had also prepared a breakfast of fish and bread for them.

Peter helped them pull the net of fish onto the shore. When they counted the fish they found 153 in the net!

Jesus had certainly blessed them, but He wanted them to do more than just catch fish all their lives. He asked Peter, “Do you love Me more than these?”

Of course Peter said He loved Jesus. Then Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Jesus asked him two more times if he loved Him. Each time, Peter told Jesus that he loved Him. What more did Jesus want?

Peter said, “Jesus, You know everything. You know that I love You.”

Jesus said again as He had said before, “Feed my sheep.”

Then Peter understood that he should give up his regular job of fishing. He was to tell people about Jesus.

Peter would no longer catch fish in the sea. He would work for Jesus and be a fisher of men.

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson teaches your child that he can worship Jesus through service to Him. As your child learns how God called Peter to tell others the message of the Gospel, he will find that there are things he can do for God too.

To reinforce the thought that God calls us to work for Him, invite someone you know who is in full-time Christian service—pastor, missionary, or youth worker—to share dinner or dessert with your family and tell you how God called him or her into Christian service. Or you might wish to invite someone who does a great deal of service for the Lord while still working at a regular job.

Encourage your child to ask questions about how this person became involved in the Lord’s work. Plan some follow-up time together for family discussion in which you can talk about the points made.

 

“Jesus, we love You! Jesus, we praise You! Hosanna, Hosanna!” Many people were standing beside the road. They were clapping their hands and singing praises to the Lord. People had come from all around to see Jesus. They were happy because Jesus had come to their city of Jerusalem. Some of the people spread out their coats on the dusty road. Others cut down palm branches from nearby trees and waved them in the air as Jesus rode by on a donkey.

Two of Jesus’ disciples had borrowed the donkey from a man who lived in a small village. They had told the man that the Lord needed it, so he let them use it. He was happy to do this for Jesus. The disciples put their coats on the donkey’s back so Jesus would have a nice place to sit. They wanted to do whatever they could for Jesus.

As He rode through the city, Jesus could see how excited the people were. He could hear them praising God for all the miracles they had seen. They were filled with joy. The people who loved Jesus were praising Him and saying, “Blessed is the King! Peace on earth.” They wanted Jesus to be their King.

Some of the Pharisees complained to Jesus. They told Jesus to tell His friends to stop saying these things. The Pharisees were important people in Jerusalem and they thought Jesus should do whatever they said. But Jesus knew that this was a very important time. He told the Pharisees, “These people need to praise Me. If they don’t, then the stones will praise Me.”

What a strange thing for Jesus to say. Have you ever heard a stone talk? That would certainly be an amazing thing to hear. But why should the stones have to praise Jesus when we can praise Him? Aren’t you glad that Jesus made us so we could love Him and praise Him in everything we say? And just like those people so many years ago, we can say, “Jesus, we love You! Jesus, we praise You! Hosanna!”

PARENT’S CORNER

As the Easter season approaches, we begin a unit emphasizing ways we worship our King. This lesson deals specifically with ways we worship Jesus with our words.

If your child has mastered his writing skills sufficiently, he may enjoy doing some activities with words which focus on this theme. Prepare a simple word-find for your child, arranging the letters to “praise words” or words descriptive of Jesus (love, good, blessed, special, kind, tender, etc.), arranging the words so they go forward, backward, and diagonally.

Or you might wish to take the words, ”We Praise Our King,” and write them down the left margin of the paper. Encourage your child to write words which begin with each of the letters and tell of things for which he praises Jesus.

 

One story in our Bible is about a man who was going to have a big supper. He was so excited when the supper was finally ready. The very best food had been prepared. Many special people had been invited and his servant had gone to tell them, “The supper is ready. Come.”

But wait! What message did the servant bring back to the man? No one was coming! Why?

One man would not come because he had bought some property and wanted to go and see it.

Another man wanted to see about some oxen which he had bought.

Still another man had just married a wife and said he could not come.

Everyone the servant spoke to made an excuse not to come.

The man had gone to a lot of work to prepare the supper and now that it was finally ready, not one of his friends wanted to come!

The man was very angry. He did not want this special supper to be wasted! He told his servant to go out and invite other people to his great supper. They were not to invite just the beautiful, smart, rich people. They were to invite everyone who would come. That meant they were to invite the poor people and those who were blind or crippled. There was room for many people at the supper. But there was no room for anyone who made excuses.

Many people came to that rich man’s great supper. But there was no one there who had made an excuse.

Jesus is preparing a special supper for us. It will be in Heaven. Sometime very soon He will come back and take us to that special supper. He has invited everyone! But just like the story in our Bible, if we make excuses we will not be able to go. We can accept the invitation by telling Jesus that we love Him. We must ask Him to take all the sin out of our heart. Then we will be ready to go to His special supper when He comes for us.

PARENT’S CORNER

Primary-age children have already learned—and in some cases perfected—the art of making excuses. While this is a normal phase of childhood, this lesson should make clear to your child the danger of offering excuses to God. Our story tells of a man who made a great supper, but those invited made excuses. Because of this they missed their only opportunity to attend the great supper.

Help your child make two paper-bag puppets that can be used to illustrate the story, or perhaps to dramatize some excuses in present-day situations. Place two lunch sacks in front of him with the bottoms of the bags facing up. Let him draw a face on each sack, placing the mouth of his puppet so part of it is above the fold and part of it below. As you use the puppets, guide him in making up situations which illustrate unwise excuses.

 

Coming home from school one day, Sammy noticed that Mrs. Johnson, his neighbor, was trying to get her newspaper from off the top of her camellia bush. He asked his friend, Jeff, to help boost him up so he could get it down for her. Jeff said he didn’t want to because he was in a hurry to go home. So Sammy climbed onto the porch rail and got the newspaper down by himself.

About two weeks after that, Sammy’s mother told him that Mrs. Johnson was going to be moving away. Before she moved she wanted to give a neighborhood party.

On the day of the party, almost all the neighbors were at Mrs. Johnson’s house. After they visited for a while she asked them to be very quiet because she had something important to say. “At most parties,” she said, “there is usually a special guest. Cake, presents, and especially friends are a welcome treat for that person. Well, I want to thank all of you for being good friends and neighbors to me. But today I want to honor a young man who has treated me extra special for a long time.

“He has been a great help to me,” continued Mrs. Johnson. “When I needed him to do errands for me, he always said yes. On hot summer days he often brought cold lemonade over to my house. When I was sick he would visit me. And just the other day he saw another little thing he could do – get my newspaper off the top of a bush.” She smiled at Sammy. “These may not sound like much to some people but they were a great help to me.”

Sammy blushed. He said, “I was just doing what Jesus said to do—help others. I really didn’t do much.”

“Yes you did, Sammy,” said Mrs. Johnson. “Whatever you do for others really counts. And because you have been so good to me I want to give you a gift. It will make me happy.” She handed him a gift-wrapped package. Then she said, “Okay, everybody, it’s time for some cake and ice cream. Help yourself.”

While everyone was eating and visiting, Jeff came to Sammy and said, “I don’t think Mrs. Johnson was very fair. We were always together, so why didn’t I get a gift too?”

Behind them, Mrs. Johnson spoke, “Jeff, you were with Sammy a lot but you never helped him to help me. You always made an excuse to do something else.

“Jesus said that whatever you do for other people you are really doing for Him. Sammy has helped me and made me happy, so he has made Jesus happy too. Someday Sammy will receive a reward in Heaven because he has chosen to do what Jesus wants him to do. What will you do, Jeff?”

PARENT’S CORNER

Our lesson focuses on the thought that we choose where we will spend eternity by what we choose to do here on earth. As you talk this over with your child, begin by discussing some of the choices he makes every day.

You might find it interesting to prepare a chart which would outline some of the things about which he makes decisions. Then let him circle in red the choices he makes. Write down such things as: Will I wear a red shirt or my blue plaid? Will I eat a peanut butter sandwich or a tuna sandwich? Will I color a picture or play with my Lego blocks?

Develop this concept by talking about behavioral choices. If we choose to do what God says is right, we are making the right choice for eternity.

 

“Why would God want to send people to Hell?” Jimmy asked his Sunday school teacher.

“Oh, Jimmy,” she quickly replied, “God doesn’t want to send anyone to Hell. He wants everybody to be with Him in Heaven. But there can be no sin in Heaven. If people want to go to Heaven they must not have any sin in their hearts. And Jesus made a way for all people to have clean hearts so they can be ready for Heaven.”

“I remember that lesson from Easter time,” said Jimmy. “Jesus died so that if a person is sorry for his sins and asks Jesus to forgive him, then he is ready for Heaven. But, Teacher, what if someone dies and then he is sorry? Will Jesus help him then?”

“There is a story in our Bible about that very thing. Jesus told it to some men who didn’t love Him. The story goes like this:

“There was once a very rich man who wore only the finest clothes. He ate the best food and lived in a beautiful mansion. He had many friends who helped him enjoy his riches, but he did not love God.

“There was another man whose name was Lazarus. He was a poor beggar who could be found sitting outside the front gate of the rich man’s house. Lazarus was so poor that many times he would have loved just to have the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. It seemed that Lazarus had no friends on earth, but he loved God.

“One day Lazarus died and right away he was in Heaven. How happy he was to be there! He was no longer sick or poor. He could share all the riches and good things that were in Heaven. He forgot all about his sad life on this earth—it did not matter anymore. He was safe with Jesus forever!”

“What about the rich man who did not love God?” asked Jimmy. “What happened to him?”

“The rich man died also. How sad for him to find himself in Hell. It was awful. He was burning in the flames and he was very thirsty. But there was no water in Hell. Oh, how he wished that he had asked God to make him ready for Heaven! Now he was very sorry but it was too late. He should have made the right choice before he died. He had lived a selfish life while he was on earth. If only he had loved God.

“So you see, Jimmy, we have to choose now where we want to go when we die. With Jesus in our hearts we can know that we will spend eternity with Him in Heaven.”

PARENT’S CORNER

Children of primary age often are becoming very interested in money. As they learn the aspects of saving and spending, this lesson is a perfect opportunity to illustrate that accumulation of great wealth is not necessarily a key to happiness.

Our story compares the earthly existence of a rich man with that of the beggar Lazarus. While the rich man had money enough on this earth to purchase anything he wanted, your child should understand that it did not bring him happiness in eternity.

As you talk about this point, let your child make crayon rubbings of a number of coins. Place the coins on a flat surface and lay a piece of white paper over them. Rubbing the crayon over the coin will produce its image on the paper. Let your child cut out the coins. Then ask him how much they are worth. When he replies that they have no value because they are only made of paper, help him see that even “real” money will have no value in eternity.

 

The night air was cool, so Karen and Laura were happy to snuggle into their sleeping bags. The first day of their Sunday school camping trip had been fun. Everyone was tired but still excited about sleeping out-of-doors.

“Just look at the stars!” exclaimed Laura. “I didn’t know there were so many, the sky is filled with them! Do you think there really is room for Heaven up there?”

“Oh, yes, there is plenty of room,” said Karen.

Alice, their Sunday school teacher, said, “Heaven is far beyond the stars that we see, Laura. You have not been coming to Sunday school for very long, but one thing Jesus wants you to know is that there really is a Heaven.”

“The Bible tells us Heaven is a wonderful place,” said Karen. “There is no darkness there, and the light will be even more beautiful than those stars,” she said, pointing toward the sky. “And can you imagine golden streets that you can see through? Everything will be so good – no crying or sadness. And best of all, Jesus will be there!”

“Will everybody get to live there?” asked Laura.

“Only those who love Jesus and have had their sins forgiven,” said Alice.

“What about the people who don’t love Jesus?” asked Laura. “Where will they live?”

“They will all go to a very bad place called Hell,” said Karen.

“But, isn’t it exciting to know that we don’t have to go to a bad place? Jesus loves us so much that He is preparing a special place for those who love Him,” said Alice. “We just need to tell Jesus we are sorry for our sins. He will give us a special love in our hearts for Him. He wants us to tell others what He has done for us. Then someday we can go even farther than the astronauts have gone—beyond the moon, the stars, and the planets. We can go to Heaven! Won’t that be wonderful?”

PARENT’S CORNER

God’s Word teaches that there are two places in which eternity can be spent—in Heaven or in Hell. This unit will focus on that reality.

To help your child visualize Heaven, help him create a three-dimensional scene picturing it. Give him a shoe box and help him glue light blue paper to the inside and bottom of the box. Turn the box on one side. Let him cut out mansions, golden streets, a river of life, etc., from gold foil paper. Angels, bells, and other decorative features may be cut from Christmas cards. Cut out people, leaving a tab at the bottom of each. Bend tab and glue to the bottom of the Heaven scene. Add clouds made from cotton and sprinkle on glitter.

 

“Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Jesus is coming
For me and for you.”

Angela sang while she colored a picture. She was having fun visiting at her grandparents’ house. Grandma was washing the lunch dishes and Angela was keeping her company.

“Where did you learn that song?” Grandma asked.

Angela looked up from her coloring and giggled. “Oh, I just made it up, Grandma. Do you like it?”

“It’s very pretty, Angela,” Grandma replied.

Angela continued to hum the tune of her little song as she worked on the picture she was coloring. When Grandma finished the dishes she dried her hands and sat down at the table.

“What a pretty picture of the world!” she exclaimed to Angela.

“Oh, no, Grandma, this is not the world I’m drawing. It’s Heaven.” Angela started pointing to different things in the picture. “Those are the streets of gold, and these are the gates of pearl. And there’s God’s Throne, and Jesus is there too. I’m going to draw some angels now,” she said.

“Grandma, help me think of some other things that are in Heaven. I’m going to give this picture to my friend, Jodi. She’s never heard about what Heaven is like. And when I tell her that Jesus loves her and is preparing a beautiful place for her, maybe she will come to Sunday school with me. Then she can learn even more about Jesus.”

“Well,” said Grandma, “how about the beautiful River of Life? That will certainly be a wonderful thing to see.”

”Yes, it will,” Angela said. “That will look really good in my picture.”

Just then Grandpa walked into the kitchen. “What’s that you’re drawing Angela?” he asked. “It sure looks pretty.”

Angela smiled, “It’s Heaven. Grandma is helping me think of some other things that I can add to this picture. You can help too, Grandpa.”

“I know something that will add a special touch to your picture,” Grandpa said. “It is the Lamb’s Book of Life. If you use a very fine pencil you can even write in some names.”

“That’s a good idea,” Grandma exclaimed. “Then you can tell your friend Jodi that when a person is saved, Jesus writes that name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Someday Jesus is going to come back to earth again. He is going to come for all the people whose names are in His special Book. If your name and Jodi’s name and Grandpa’s name and my name are written in that Book, Jesus will take us to Heaven to live with Him forever.”

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson on Heaven concludes our unit in which we have used the colors black, white, red, green, and gold to outline God’s plan of salvation. See if your child can tell you what each color represents.

To reinforce the themes taught by the colors, make a set of shapes from construction paper. Include a small and large square, rectangle, circle, and triangle from each of the five colors.

Let your child use these shapes to put together something symbolic of each of the lessons we have studied during the unit. Then let him explain to you what he has assembled.

 

“Boy, I sure had a neat thing happen at school today,” Travis said as he stabbed an olive and popped it into his mouth.

“What’s that, Son?” his father asked as he sipped his coffee.

“Well, there’s a kid in my class who is really awful. Josh is mean to everyone and swears and picks on all the little kids. Everybody hates him!”

“He does sound like he’s rather hard to get along with,” Travis’ mother said, smiling at him.

Travis nodded his head. “Today, though, my glue bottle spilled and I went into the restroom to wash my hands. I heard someone crying, so I looked around the corner where the noise was coming from. It was Josh. I could hardly believe it! I mean, he’s so awful I didn’t think he knew how to cry!”

“That’s really sad,” his mother sighed, shaking her head. “Did you say anything to him?”

“I asked him what was wrong, but he acted like he was really mad, so I started to go away. Then I thought, What would Jesus do? So I went back over to him. I told him I was sorry he was feeling sad, but I wanted to help if I could. When he stopped crying he told me he had found out just before coming to school that his mom and dad were getting divorced. His dad left this morning and said he wasn’t coming back.”

“The poor child! No wonder he’s so troubled,” Travis’ father said.

“Josh told me he doesn’t think anyone loves him at all. I told him I know Someone who loves him—Jesus. I said that Jesus loves him with all His heart.”

“What did Josh think of that?” his mother asked.

Travis grinned. “That’s the neat part! He said he didn’t know anything about Jesus. He asked how I know so much about Him. I told him all about Sunday school and how I was saved. Now he wants to come too!”

“How wonderful!”

”Yeah, it sure felt good to help him,” Travis said, “and Jesus will help Josh too!”

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson deals with the importance of telling the good news of salvation to those around us. During this week, talk to your child about ways he can share Jesus with others. Ask him which of his friends may not know Jesus, and pray with him specifically for those friends each night at bedtime.

Help your child figure out different ways to share Jesus with his friends: inviting them to Sunday school, showing a Bible story book to a friend, giving the friend a lesson sheet or something he made in Sunday school, playing “church” with his friends, etc.

Perhaps he would enjoy creating a personal invitation for one of his friends. Supply him with paper, marking pens, and the necessary information regarding time and place and see what he comes up with!

 

“Erica, come quickly,” Mrs. Lane called to her daughter. “I want to show you something!”

Erica jumped up from the puzzle she was putting together and raced into the backyard. She found her mother standing underneath a tree, staring at something hidden among the branches. Mrs. Lane smiled at her daughter, motioning for her to come closer.

“Look, Erica.” She pointed upward and Erica saw a small silken pod on a nearby branch. “It is a cocoon, and it’s opening up. Do you see where it’s beginning to come apart?”

Erica peered closely. “Yes! Yes, I see it! Oh, Mom, is there actually a butterfly inside of that cocoon?”

“There certainly is, and it’s working very hard to break out.”

They stood for a long time watching the butterfly struggling to free itself from the cocoon. Then Erica gasped with excitement as the butterfly came forth. She watched it cling to the branch as it moved its wings about. It was beautiful! Suddenly it flew away, free to go its way at last, a brand-new creation.

Erica couldn’t get over how pretty the butterfly was and the miracle of its birth. “Just think, Mom, many days ago a little caterpillar wrapped himself inside a cocoon, and today he became a beautiful butterfly.”

“Butterflies always remind me of salvation,” Mrs. Lane said. “In the Bible, Jesus told Nicodemus he had to be born again if he wanted to go to Heaven. Just as that caterpillar shed his cocoon to be born a butterfly, we must ask God to forgive us and to take away our sin. When He does, we are born again! We are forgiven, and we are like new people in God’s eyes.”

“I know what that means, because Jesus did that for me when He saved me from my sins, didn’t He, Mom?”

“Yes, He did. I can remember that day so well.”

Erica smiled and said, “I remember too. I had been unhappy for such a long time. But when I told Jesus I was sorry for all the wrong things I had done, He forgave me. Now I’m free from sin, as free as that butterfly!”

“And isn’t that wonderful!” Mrs. Lane exclaimed, as they gave each other a big hug.

PARENT’S CORNER

As we continue studying God’s plan for helping us to be ready for Heaven, we learn, in this lesson, about how our hearts can be made clean through the Blood of Jesus. As a project with your child this week, make a window-hanging which represents this thought.

Help your child cut a heart shape out of the center of a piece of black construction paper, leaving the outside intact. Then let him scrape bits of red crayon onto a 12″ long piece of wax paper. Place another sheet of wax paper over the top. Place the sheets between old newspapers and use a hot iron to melt the wax paper and crayons together. Mount the wax paper behind the black frame.

The resulting heart will look very pretty hung in front of a window or where it will catch the light.

Monica and her family had been having a wonderful time camping at Bear Lake for a few days. She and her brother had spent their time swimming, boating, and hiking through the woods. Evening was a time for sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs, and watching for shooting stars. Aunt Kathy would bring out her guitar, and the family would sing hymns and folk songs until time for bed. Then they’d crawl into their cozy sleeping bags and fall asleep listening to the sounds of owls hooting and crickets chirping.

One day Monica was helping her mother and Aunt Kathy set out food on the picnic table. As she reached for a stack of paper plates, she accidentally hit the edge of the table and ran a splinter into her finger. She let out a piercing scream and grabbed her finger tightly. Aunt Kathy quickly wrapped a damp towel around Monica’s hand and they sat down on a nearby stump.

“Oh, Aunt Kathy, my finger hurts. Hurry and get this splinter out. Please,” cried Monica.

Aunt Kathy soon had the splinter out. As she wrapped Monica’s hurt finger she said, “This bandage will help to stop the bleeding and to keep the wound clean.”

“Thank you for helping,” said Monica. “That splinter really hurt.”

Later that night, as they were sitting around the campfire, Monica said, “My finger is feeling better now, Aunt Kathy.”

“I’m so glad,” replied Aunt Kathy. “You know, that started me thinking about when Jesus died. His hands were nailed to the cross. That little splinter hurt you very much and your finger bled a little bit. But just think of how Jesus must have hurt and bled. He was hurt so badly He died.

“You didn’t mean to hurt your finger, Monica, but you couldn’t help it,” Aunt Kathy continued. “Jesus could have stopped Himself from being hurt. But Jesus loved us so much He died for us. There is a verse in the Bible that says, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ That is the reason God sent Jesus to this world. Jesus was the only One who was good enough to die for our sins.”

“I’m so glad that Jesus loves me,” said Monica. “I love Him and want to see Him in Heaven someday.”

PARENT’S CORNER

The story of how Jesus died on the Cross is one of the most moving events recorded in the Bible and is the focal point of this lesson. We want to emphasize to your child how much Jesus loved us, and that He was willing to go through this so that each one of us could go to Heaven.

The cross has become a symbol of Jesus’ love for us, and your child might enjoy making a bookmark for his Bible which would help him remember this special event. Help him cut a cross shape out of an old Christmas or Easter card, or from plain construction paper which he could decorate however he wishes. Punch a hole in the top. Add a 6″ yarn tie. Have him write the memory verse on the back, being sure to include the Scripture reference.

 

Julie and Tara had volunteered to stay after Sunday school to help Mrs. Evans, their teacher, decorate the classroom. First they took down the cutouts of snowflakes and other wintertime decorations, setting them neatly on the table. After Mrs. Evans rummaged around a bit in a cupboard, she came over to the table with a big box in her arms and put it down.

“It will sure be nice to put these winter things away and hang up some springtime decorations,” said Mrs. Evans, smiling at the girls. “I know spring doesn’t really come until next month. But after all the ice and snow we’ve had, I’m really looking forward to seeing the trees budding and the sun shining!”

“What do you have in the box?” Tara asked.

“The Garden of Eden.” Mrs. Evans opened the box and very carefully eased the miniature garden onto the table.

“Oh, how neat!” Julie exclaimed in delight as she and Tara examined Mrs. Evans’ creation. She had made tiny trees and flowers, little lambs out of cotton, and a pond with miniature ducks on it. There were even dolls representing Adam and Eve! And right in the center of the garden was a red heart.

“What is that heart doing there?” Tara wondered aloud, looking at it curiously.

Mrs. Evans smiled at her. “Touch it,” she said.

Tara gave a questioning look, but when her teacher nodded she reached out and touched the heart. To her amazement it fell apart!

“It broke!” Tara turned to her teacher. “Oh, Mrs. Evans, I’m sorry!”

“No, no, don’t worry Tara.” Mrs. Evans hugged the girl. “It’s supposed to break.”

“But, why?” Julie wanted to know.

“Because it represents God’s heart,” Mrs. Evans said as she put the pieces together again. “You see, God loved Adam and Eve with all His heart. He made Adam in His own image. Then, when they sinned and went against the things God had taught them, it broke His heart.”

“That’s so sad,” Tara sighed.

“Yes, it was sad for them. But our lives can have a happy ending,” Mrs. Evans told the girls as she set the rebuilt heart back into the garden. “It hurts Jesus when we sin. But, if we pray to Him and tell Him we’re sorry for our sins, just as Tara told me she was sorry for breaking the heart, it makes Jesus happy. And our hearts are happy too!

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson begins a unit on God’s plan for the salvation of mankind. It is important for your child to understand why Jesus came to earth to die, and how this makes it possible for you and your child to be ready for Heaven.

Our memory verse for this lesson is the starting point for the five lessons of this unit, so it might be well to spend some extra time working on it with your child. Make a set of cards with a different word of the verse written on each card. Lay them face down on a table. Play a game of “Memory” with your child. Try to assemble the verse by taking turns turning over one card at a time. If it is the next word in the sequence of the verse, it can be placed in order, and another card drawn. If it is not correct, the card is replaced and the other player gets a turn. Keep score of who places the most cards in the verse sequence.

 

Tom and Joey were in a big hurry. They quickly loaded their backpacks, jumped onto their bikes, and pedaled off down the road toward the school where they were to meet for their Boy Scout hike.

Tom’s mother called to them as they rode away, “Tom, remember what your father said. No shortcuts through the parking lots and be careful crossing streets.”

Tom just smiled and waved to her.

When the boys came to the grocery store, Tom called out, “Come on, Joey! I’m going to take a shortcut right through this parking lot.”

“But your mom just said not to,” Joey shouted. He was also thinking of the Bike Safety class they had taken. “Tom, remember to watch out for cars! People in parking lots never look out for us.”

Tom looked back at Joey with a big grin on his face. “Just watch me! I’m going so fast, they’ll never know I was here.”

Joey could still hear the voice of his father telling him to never be in such a hurry as to break the law. Nothing is that important.

“Look out, Tom!” Joey warned. Tom looked up just in time to swerve around a man who was walking to his car with a big bag of groceries in his arms.

“Hey, Kid, slow down!” the man yelled.

Tom just laughed and yelled back, “Take it easy, Old-timer.”

By this time, Joey felt awful. He tried hard to catch up with Tom but it was useless. Joey breathed a prayer, “Please, Lord, help Tom. He’s headed for trouble.”

Joey rounded the corner just in time to see Tom up ahead, crossing a busy street. He wasn’t even taking the time to look both ways before he crossed.

CRASH! Tom had ridden his bike right in front of a car.

“O Lord, please help Tom to be all right,” prayed Joey. He jumped off his bike and ran over to Tom.

“Oh,” moaned Tom, “Joey, I think my arm’s broken.”

“Hey, Kid, are you all right?” asked the driver of the car. “I didn’t even see you until you drove that bike right in front of me. You need to be taught some safety laws!”

Tom groaned, “I know all the safety laws, I just wasn’t taking the time to obey them. Now I wish I had. I also wish I had obeyed Mom!”

PARENT’S CORNER

Honoring and obeying one’s parents are two of the principal commands in God’s Word given specifically for children. As we study this lesson, we will be trying to help your child understand why this command is so important.

To focus your child’s attention on this subject, ask him to draw and color a picture of the people he should obey. When the picture is complete, and includes a colored background, help him make the picture into a puzzle. Have him paste the picture on a piece of cardboard or the back of a tablet. Then turn the picture over, and draw wavy lines dividing the picture into pieces. The pieces should all be about the same size. Cut on the lines to create the puzzle pieces.

Have your child assemble the puzzle for someone, and explain the picture he has created.

It was Sunday morning. Karen put on her best dress. She combed her hair carefully, adding a blue satin ribbon that matched her dress.

“Are you ready?” called her mother from the front porch. “It’s time to go.”

“Just a minute, Mom,” Karen answered, “I want to tell Ted goodbye and then I’ll be right out.”

Karen found her big brother sitting in the living room reading the newspaper. He still had on his pajamas and robe, and was reading the sports page. As Karen entered, he let the paper drop to his lap.

“Good morning, Karen,” he grinned. ”You sure look pretty today.”

“Thanks, Ted.” Karen returned the smile. “I wish you were coming with us to Sunday school and church. You used to go with us all the time before you went away to college.”

“No, you go ahead. I’m staying home,” Ted replied.

“Please, Ted . . .” Karen started.

“No, Karen,” Ted interrupted. “You go your way and I’ll go mine.” Then he began reading the paper again.

“Which way are you going?” his little sister asked. “Today is Sunday, the day God set aside for us to worship Him.”

Ted grunted, but did not answer.

Karen left after telling Ted goodbye, but the question she had asked remained with him. Which way am I going? Ted asked himself.

It had been a long time since Ted had even thought about obeying God’s Commandments. He had let other things such as parties and friends and having a good time take first place in his life. He had stopped doing the things that pleased and honored God. As he thought about the way he was going, he knew that it was the wrong way.

My little sister is way ahead of me, he thought. Even though I am twelve years older than Karen, she is doing what is right and I’m not. I should be going with her to church and living the way God says we should live.

Ted bowed his head and prayed, “Dear God, I’m tired of going my own way. Please help me to go Your way.”

PARENT’S CORNER

The Ten Commandments are the instructions God gave His people on how to live in a way that would please Him. Our first lesson in this unit will deal with how we honor God, focusing on the fact that God wants to be first in our lives.

To emphasize this fact to your child, help him construct a “God First” book. Draw a large number 1 on a piece of cardboard, cut it out, and use it as a stencil. Have your child use this stencil as a guide for cutting out pictures of other things which are important in our lives – keeping in mind that nothing is more important than God. Let them look through old magazines for pictures.

When the pictures have been cut into the same number 1 shape, assemble them into a book. Make a top cover from plain construction paper and help your child write the title, “God Is First,” across the front of it. Punch a hole in the top of each sheet and thread together with yarn.

 

It was Sunday morning. Karen put on her best dress. She combed her hair carefully, adding a blue satin ribbon that matched her dress.

“Are you ready?” called her mother from the front porch. “It’s time to go.”

“Just a minute, Mom,” Karen answered, “I want to tell Ted goodbye and then I’ll be right out.”

Karen found her big brother sitting in the living room reading the newspaper. He still had on his pajamas and robe, and was reading the sports page. As Karen entered, he let the paper drop to his lap.

“Good morning, Karen,” he grinned. ”You sure look pretty today.”

“Thanks, Ted.” Karen returned the smile. “I wish you were coming with us to Sunday school and church. You used to go with us all the time before you went away to college.”

“No, you go ahead. I’m staying home,” Ted replied.

“Please, Ted . . .” Karen started.

“No, Karen,” Ted interrupted. “You go your way and I’ll go mine.” Then he began reading the paper again.

“Which way are you going?” his little sister asked. “Today is Sunday, the day God set aside for us to worship Him.”

Ted grunted, but did not answer.

Karen left after telling Ted goodbye, but the question she had asked remained with him. Which way am I going? Ted asked himself.

It had been a long time since Ted had even thought about obeying God’s Commandments. He had let other things such as parties and friends and having a good time take first place in his life. He had stopped doing the things that pleased and honored God. As he thought about the way he was going, he knew that it was the wrong way.

My little sister is way ahead of me, he thought. Even though I am twelve years older than Karen, she is doing what is right and I’m not. I should be going with her to church and living the way God says we should live.

Ted bowed his head and prayed, “Dear God, I’m tired of going my own way. Please help me to go Your way.”

PARENT’S CORNER

The Ten Commandments are the instructions God gave His people on how to live in a way that would please Him. Our first lesson in this unit will deal with how we honor God, focusing on the fact that God wants to be first in our lives.

To emphasize this fact to your child, help him construct a “God First” book. Draw a large number 1 on a piece of cardboard, cut it out, and use it as a stencil. Have your child use this stencil as a guide for cutting out pictures of other things which are important in our lives – keeping in mind that nothing is more important than God. Let them look through old magazines for pictures.

When the pictures have been cut into the same number 1 shape, assemble them into a book. Make a top cover from plain construction paper and help your child write the title, “God Is First,” across the front of it. Punch a hole in the top of each sheet and thread together with yarn.

 

King Herod sat upon his throne in Jerusalem, thinking about the news his messengers had given to him. Hmmmm … Wise Men from the East? Seeking to find the One who was born to be the King of the Jews? I wonder what this can mean? Frowning, he thought, I’m the king. No one shall take the throne from me!

He rubbed his hands together thoughtfully. I will speak to the chief priests and scribes. Quickly, he commanded them to come before him. He asked where Christ was to be born.

One of the scribes stepped forward and began to read, “He is to be born in Bethlehem in the land of Judaea.” The king accepted his answer.

The more Herod thought about another king’s being born, the more angry he became. A plan began to form in his mind.

Soon the Wise Men entered, bowing before King Herod. Their splendor impressed him. He stood and said, “Welcome to my kingdom. I have been told you are following a star that will lead you to a king. Tell me about it.”

They told him, “We saw the star in the east and have been traveling for a long time. This star is to lead us to the King of the Jews. Can you tell us where to find Him? We will travel even farther just to find the new King. We have come to worship Him.”

“The Scriptures read that the Child you are seeking shall be born in the city of Bethlehem,” replied the king. “I have only one request. When you find Him, bring me word so I may worship Him also.”

The Wise Men thanked the king and departed. Mounting their camels, they headed out of the city in the direction of Bethlehem. That night the special star which had led them from their homeland appeared again. It seemed to grow brighter and much bigger as they neared Bethlehem. With wonder and excitement the Wise Men hurried along the road.

In time, the lights of Bethlehem appeared. When the Wise Men entered the city they found Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. Joy and happiness filled their hearts – they had found the Messiah! They bowed down and worshiped Him, and gave Him precious gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

As the Wise Men slept that night, God warned them in a dream not to return to King Herod. God knew that Herod did not plan to worship Jesus, but to hurt Him. The Wise Men obeyed and returned home by a different way.

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson is about the special star that led the Wise Men in their search for the newborn King. Imagine with your child some of the obstacles that might have confronted these men as they journeyed many miles across the desert sands, following the star.

For a special time with your child this week, make star cookies to commemorate the guiding light of the Wise Men. Use a recipe for rolled cookies, and cut them out in star shapes. Or, if you prefer, use a cardboard pattern to make one large star cookie. Allow your child to decorate the cookies or cookie however he wishes with colored sprinkles and candy.

Let your child invite a special friend over to share the star cookies, and encourage him to relate the story of the special star which it represents at this time.

 

Mary cuddled Jesus in her arms. He was such a precious little Baby and she loved Him so much. She thanked God over and over again that she was chosen to be the mother of His Son.

As she held her new Baby, she thought back over the few days before He was born. First, there was the announcement that they would have to go to Bethlehem to pay their taxes. Then, there was the long journey. She had been so tired. Yet she smiled as she thought of how Joseph had worried so much about her.

* * * * *

“Mary, would you like to stop and rest?” Joseph asked. “I know how tired you must be.”

“No, Joseph. I’ll be fine. I know you want to stay in Bethlehem tonight. Is it much farther?”

”A little farther, my dear. We should be there before dark,” he replied.

“Oh, I’m so glad,” sighed Mary.

The journey had been long and hard. Many travelers had passed them today. Silently, Mary sat on the donkey, thinking of the Child soon to be born.

“There’s the city now,” shouted someone, pointing excitedly. In the distance was the town of Bethlehem.

“Joseph,” Mary cried, “look at all the people! The city is so crowded! Will we be able to find a place to stay?”

Joseph squeezed her hand. “God will provide shelter for us tonight. Come, I will ask the watchman at the city gate.”

Pushing his way through the crowd, Joseph spoke to the keeper of the gate. “Sir, do you know of a place where my wife and I could stay tonight?”

The keeper answered him rudely, “Sir, are you crazy or blind? There is not a room left in the city. You had best go up on yonder hill and camp.”

Joseph looked at Mary with concern. “Come, let us go on into the city. I will ask for a room myself.”

Each inn they came to was full. Joseph prayed silently to God for help.

“Sir,” he said as he hurried to yet another innkeeper’s door, “do you have a room for my wife?”

The innkeeper shook his head sadly. “No, I’m sorry. My inn is completely full, but … ”

* * * * *

Mary remembered how thankful they were when the innkeeper told them, “We have a shelter with a manger where we keep a few animals. It’s not fancy, but it’s warm. Would you like to stay there?”

It was there that this precious Baby was born. Looking down into His tiny face, Mary whispered, “Jesus, I’m so glad God sent You to live with us and be our Iittle boy.”

PARENT’S CORNER

One of the joys of the Christmas season is sharing with others our feelings regarding the birth of the Savior to the world. This lesson records the marvelous event, and your activities this week can help your child share in the anticipation.

Let him make potato-print cards for special friends or family members. Begin by having him cut white paper into sizes that make nice Christmas cards. Cut a potato in half, and draw a simple Christmas design on the potato, such as a bell, candle, holly leaf, or star. Carefully trim away around the design. (You will want to assist with this part or supervise carefully.)

Use ink pads of various colors, or tempera paint. Let your child print with the potato by pressing it on the ink pad, then stamping the design on the card. Let the child choose what words to print on the inside of the card.

The night sky was suddenly filled with a shining light! The shepherds on the hillside were afraid and wondered what was happening. Then an angel appeared before them. The angel spoke to them and said, “Don’t be afraid. I have good news for you. A Savior has been born in Bethlehem. You will find the newborn Baby lying in a manger.”

All at once the sky was filled with many angels. They were all praising and glorifying God. Their wonderful message was of peace to the people of the world. Oh, what a beautiful sight!

Then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, the angels were gone and the sky was dark. The night was quiet again.

The shepherds looked at one another. Then they began to speak and say, “This is wonderful news. Let’s go to Bethlehem at once. We must see the newborn Savior. Let’s go now!”

They left the hillside and traveled to the town of Bethlehem. Very soon they found the stable where Mary and Joseph had stopped for the night. And there, lying in the manger, was Jesus. The shepherds were so happy. Many years ago God had promised to send a Savior. Now, at last, He was here. Jesus was born! And He was wrapped in special baby clothes just as the angel had told them.

Now that the shepherds had seen Baby Jesus they wanted everyone to know this good news. They left the stable and went about in the town of Bethlehem telling people that the Savior had been born. They were so excited. Everyone was amazed and filled with wonder at what the shepherds told them. This was wonderful news.

The shepherds told many people the news of Jesus’ birth. Then they returned to the hillside where they had left their sheep. They were glorifying God because all that the angel had told them was true. Jesus had been born! They praised God because He had sent the promised Savior to the world. God had sent Jesus to earth and these shepherds had seen Him with their own eyes. What a thrilling night this had been. They would never forget it!

PARENT’S CORNER

The angelic proclamation of the birth of a Savior was surely one of the most dramatic and colorful aspects of the Christmas story, and it is the subject of this lesson. As an activity this week, help your child make an angel napkin holder.

Have your child turn a paper plate upside down and draw an angel which reaches nearly to the top and bottom of the plate. Then have him cut away the top portion of the plate, by carefully cutting around the top half of the angel. Place this piece against the rim of a second paper plate. Punch holes around the bottom rim of both plates and use yarn to sew the plates together. (Wrap a bit of tape around one end of the yarn and use that end as a needle.)

If you wish, punch an additional hole at the top of the second paper plate (which is now the back of the holder) and loop a piece of yarn through it so that it can hang on a wall. Have your child fill the holder with napkins.

 

SUNDAY: Luke 2:9

MONDAY: Luke 2:10

TUESDAY: Luke 2:11

WEDNESDAY: Luke 2:12

THURSDAY: Luke 2:13-14

FRIDAY: Luke 2:16-18

SATURDAY: Luke 2:19-20

Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38

Mary gasped in fear as a bright light filled the small room. Before her stood a shining angel whose face was filled with love. Mary fell to her knees and bowed her head.

“Do not be afraid, Mary. I am Gabriel. God has sent me.”

Mary’s heart pounded as she asked, “Why did God send you here?”

“I have a very special message for you,” answered Gabriel.

Mary was speechless. I must be dreaming, she thought. She rubbed her eyes to see if she was really awake. Gabriel was still there, his glory shining even brighter. Mary looked at him in awe, then whispered, “Oh! What message could God possibly have for me?”

“Mary, God is very pleased with you. He has chosen you to have a special Baby. You will call Him Jesus.”

Mary’s eyes widened and her voice trembled as she asked, “How can this be? I do not understand.”

Gabriel said, “God can do anything, Mary. This baby is God’s Son.”

Mary’s heart beat faster. Then the angel was gone and she was alone … alone to think about the amazing message the angel had given to her.

* * * * *

Joseph lay upon his bed, troubled thoughts tumbling through his mind. He wondered about the news Mary had given to him. Should he and Mary still get married? What should he do? He turned restlessly and, as he fell asleep, he drew the blanket closer about him.

While he slept, God sent him a special dream. An angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Joseph. Everything Mary told you is true! The Baby is really from God—He is God’s Son. You are to name Him Jesus because He will save people from their sins. He is God’s Gift of love to the whole world.”

When Joseph awoke he felt peaceful. All his doubts were gone, and his heart was full of God’s love. He had received the message also. And it was true!

Joseph and Mary were happy that God had chosen them to be the parents of His Son, Jesus.

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson in our Christmas unit tells of the time an angel was sent to announce the birth of God’s own Son to Mary and Joseph.

For an activity with your child, let him make an ornament as a Christmas decoration for your home, or as a gift for someone special. Help him cut an angel shape from a piece of light cardboard. Using a glue stick for adhesive, outline the entire design in one color of yarn. Use the same color of yarn to cover the lines making the details of the angel. Using one or more additional colors of yarn, and working from the outside edges, fill in each area with a continuous strand of yarn swirled around to completely fill outlined areas.

When one side is finished and dry, turn the angel over and repeat on the reverse side. (Or you may choose to cover the reverse side with felt.) Use a needle to add a thread loop for hanging the decoration.

 

 

Genesis 1:9-13, 20-25

Up until his eighth birthday Troy had lived in the big city. How different the sights and sounds around the farm were compared to the loud jangle-bang he was used to. It was so quiet and peaceful here.

When his family had first moved to the country, Troy had been sure he would be bored forever! He had missed having neighbor kids who lived close by. He had even missed being able to run to the corner store to spend his allowance. But now Troy didn’t think he would ever be bored again. There was just too much to explore and enjoy here in the country!

It was early morning and Troy was sitting on the front steps when he heard Simba barking. He laughed as the golden-colored spaniel stumbled and bumped her nose while running to meet him. He had been thrilled when his dad brought this new puppy home. They hadn’t been able to have any pets in their apartment in the city.

“C’mon, girl!” Troy said, getting up off the porch steps. “Let’s go check out the garden. Dad says my pumpkins are almost ready to pick.”

Troy and Simba raced across the green lawn, through the barnyard, and down the hill to the spot Dad had given him for his very own garden. It seemed like only yesterday he had planted those little seeds. Now there must be close to thirty pumpkins! Their round, orange shapes were scattered in the tangle of thick vines.

“They look really good, Simba,” he said. “I think people will buy all of the ones I put out at our roadside stand. Thanksgiving is almost here, and they can’t make a pumpkin pie without a pumpkin!”

Then Troy saw his dad coming out of the barn. He had just finished milking the cows. Troy and Simba ran back up the hill to meet him.

“Hey, Dad, will you be able to go down to the creek with me today?” he asked. ”You said we should go before all the trout were gone.”

His dad laughed. “I think today would be just fine. We’ll go after lunch. Do you think you’ll have your chores finished by then?” he asked.

“Sure I will. Come on Simba, let’s get busy,” Troy called over his shoulder as he ran toward the house. Even with chores to do, he still liked the country.

Later that afternoon, Troy and his dad returned from the creek with their catch of fish. “Dad, I love our new home in the country. It was fun helping to plant our garden and watching it grow. The fishing is great! And being able to have a puppy of my very own is super,” Troy said as he knelt down to give Simba a hug.

“I’m so thankful God made such a beautiful world.”

PARENT’S CORNER

An awareness of the beautiful world God has created for us to enjoy is something that should be developed in every child. As we study how God created the plants and animals, it is a good time to talk about how thankful we should be for these things He has provided for us.

Take your child on a nature walk around your own neighborhood. Count the number of animals, birds, and insects you see. (He may enjoy keeping a tally sheet as you walk.) Also point out all the different kinds of trees and plants.

Have him pick up two or three leaves to use for making leaf prints when you get home. To make leaf prints, fold thin white paper in half. Place the leaf, face down, inside the fold. Peel paper from a scrap of crayon, and run the side of the crayon over the top layer of paper, leaving an imprint of the leaf.

 

Genesis 1:1-8,14-19

Lost at sea! Seth and his grandfather seemed so helpless in the small fishing boat that tumbled up and down on the high waves. Just a short time ago the sea and sky had looked so beautiful, so peaceful, and now … If only the storm would go away and the clouds wouldn’t hide the sky!

Seth shivered in the dark. “Grandpa!” he called out fearfully. “Grandpa, where are you?”

His grandfather appeared in the doorway of the small cabin. “I’m right here, Seth. Don’t be afraid. God will help us. Why don’t we pray together right now?”

Seth carefully edged his way to the cabin door. He took hold of his grandfather’s hand and bowed his head as his grandfather prayed. Seth heard him asking God to be with them and guide them through the storm. He could feel his fears leave as he listened to the quiet words. He felt such a peace down in his heart.

Inside the small cabin they sat quietly for a while. Through the windows they watched the storm. Then Seth’s grandfather suddenly exclaimed, “We’re going to make it!”

Seth followed his grandfather out of the cabin. As they stood on the deck, they watched a miracle happen! The dark clouds parted, and a brilliant stream of light from the moon fell across the troubled sea. Then one by one the stars came out from their hiding places. And slowly the sea became calmer.

“Look, Grandpa!” Seth cried out excitedly. “Isn’t that the North Star?”

“It sure is,” his grandfather replied. “We are no longer lost. We can now use the stars in the heavens to guide us safely home!

“You know, Seth,” he continued, “after a storm like that we should be ever so grateful for God’s wonderful creation. Some people don’t realize that God placed those stars very carefully in space. He knew that each part of His universe would play a special part in the times and seasons of each year. We should be very thankful for the sun and the moon. And right now, you and I should be especially thankful for those stars! Because of them we can know exactly which way to travel. Let’s just get this boat headed toward home.”

Seth followed his grandfather back into the cabin. He looked up at the sky through the cabin window. “Thank You, God,” he prayed, “for making all the stars. Thank You for putting them in the sky to guide us.”

Then he turned and said, “Grandpa, I can hardly wait to get home. I’m going to tell all my friends about this miracle in the storm.”

PARENT’S CORNER

In this unit of lessons, we look toward the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, so for our theme we have chosen the topic of being thankful. Our first lesson focuses on God’s creation of the earth, stars, moon, and sun.

For an activity you can share this week, cut a two-inch star-shaped pattern from a piece of cardboard. Allow your child to trace around it onto a piece of yellow felt, and then cut out the star he has drawn. The stat can be decorated by gluing on little shapes cut from other colors of felt scraps.

If you wish, glue the star to a length of ribbon so it can be used as a bookmark. Down the ribbon write the words, God Made It!

 

Genesis 12:1-4; 17:1-4,19-21; 21:1-3

Allison had a new baby brother. Danny was cute and cuddly but could he ever cry! He cried in the morning before Allison left for school. He was crying when she came home in the afternoon. And it seemed to her he cried all night long!

“Won’t Danny ever stop crying?” Allison asked one evening while her mother rocked the fretful baby. “Each night when I say my prayers I ask God to please help Danny stop crying. Why won’t God answer my prayers?”

Her mother smiled. “I’m sure God will answer your prayer, Honey. Each day Danny cries less and less. You just wait and see—one of these days Danny will hardly cry at all.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it!” Allison sighed and turned back to her homework.

But what her mother said was true. A few weeks later Allison noticed that Danny wasn’t crying very much anymore. In fact, he laughed quite a lot now. Whenever Allison would talk to him he would smile and kick his little feet. All we had to do was wait, thought Allison.

One day Allison reminded her mom of that earlier conversation. “I thought God wasn’t answering my prayers. I was sure Danny would never stop crying, but you said I just had to wait. And you were right, Mom.”

“That’s the way God answers prayers sometimes,” Allison’s mother told her. “He doesn’t always answer with a yes or no right away. Now and then He tells us to wait.

“Allison, do you remember the story you heard in Sunday school about the promise God gave to Abraham? Abraham was seventy-five years old when God told him that He would give him a son. But Abraham had to wait for a long time before that promised son was born. We don’t know why God waited so long, but God knew. And God’s time is always the right time.

“God is still the same today, Allison,” she continued. “Abraham had to wait for twenty-five years before Isaac was born! But we only had to wait a few short weeks for Danny’s problem to be solved. We may not always understand why God wants us to wait. But if we are patient, He answers our prayers at just the right time—His time! He answered your prayer by telling you to wait.”

“You’re right again, Mom,” said Allison. “God always answers our prayers. And even though I don’t always understand why He tells us to wait, He does know what is best for us. I do believe God’s time is the right time.”

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson focuses on the times when God tells us to wait. God made a promise to Abraham, but he had to trust and believe—to wait—for quite some time before he received the promise.

Explain to your child that you will make him a promise, just as God did to Abraham. Abraham did not know an exact date when he would receive the promise, but you will choose a certain time. Look at a calendar, and pick out a date together on which a treat will be given by you (a small gift, a trip together, etc.). Be sure that nothing will interfere with what you plan!

Count the days intervening. Allow your child to mark a big red X through each day as it goes by. As he does this, reinforce the fact that you are waiting but that the promise will be fulfilled on the appointed day.

 

Matthew 26:36-46

“But I’ve been praying and praying to go fishing with Sam and his dad,” David said as he tossed the ball to his father. “And I’ve even hinted to Sam that I want to go. Why won’t God answer my prayer?”

Suddenly a loud squeal of brakes split the air. Crash! David and his father raced around the side of the house. Doors slammed and people came running from all directions to see what had happened. Down at the corner of the block two cars had crashed into each other.

David felt his father’s hand on his shoulder. He looked up and asked, “Dad, what happened?”

“It looks like one of those cars went through a red light,” his dad answered. “The driver must not have been paying attention. Or maybe he thought it would be okay for him to disobey just this one time. He should have stopped, but he didn’t.”

“Wow, what a mess!” David said. “Look at the side of the blue car. It’s all smashed in and the window is broken. And the other car looks even worse. I hope nobody is hurt.” He and his dad watched as a police car pulled up. An officer started to direct traffic around the two wrecked cars.

David and his father walked back to their house. They sat down on the steps of the back porch and were quiet for a while. Then David said, “That was a pretty bad accident, wasn’t it, Dad?”

“Yes, it was,” said his dad. “That driver should have stopped for the red light. The traffic signal was placed there to help protect people from accidents such as this. You know, Son, a little while ago you asked me why God won’t answer your prayer. I think He has answered you and you just weren’t listening. God probably said no.”

“But what’s the problem? Why wouldn’t God want me to go fishing?” David asked. “There’s nothing wrong with fishing! I can’t see why He would say no to me.”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with fishing. There’s nothing wrong with driving a car either. But the man who went through the red light knew the traffic signal said stop, and he didn’t obey. Now he probably wishes he had. That signal was put at the corner for a good reason.

“We don’t always understand why God says no to us, but we can be sure it is for a good reason too. And God doesn’t always say no to some people and yes to others,” David’s dad continued. “Did you know that once He even said no to His very own Son, Jesus? It was the time when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. When Jesus ended His prayer He said that He would do whatever God wanted, even if God said no to Him. Aren’t you glad that Jesus obeyed?”

PARENT’S CORNER

Our text for this lesson relates how Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked God to spare His life if it were God’s will, yet He was willing to die if necessary. God answered Jesus’ prayer with a no because God had a plan by which to save sinners. We realize this subject must be handled very gently with a child. If your child is afraid of the subject of death, stress that God said no to Jesus so we could all go to Heaven. Everything in Heaven is perfect, and everyone there feels good and is happy all the time.

Try to help your child see that sometimes God must answer no when we ask for something. He knows what is best for us. To illustrate this, tell some simple stories on your child’s level: a mother’s response to a child’s wanting to cross a busy street alone, to a child’s requesting a bowl of ice cream right before dinner, etc.

Pose some hypothetical situations and ask your child to provide a response for them. Help him see that the answer cannot always be yes.

 

 

“Joseph!” said the prison keeper. “The king wants to see you! News has reached him that you can tell the meanings of dreams.”

Genesis 37:12-28

Genesis 37:1-11

“Oh, Father!” Joseph exclaimed. “I have never seen a coat like this! How beautiful!” As Joseph took the coat in his hands, the many colors woven into it caught the gleam of the sun.

Jacob smiled at his son. “Joseph, you are very special to me. You have given me much joy in my old age. This coat is a gift to you. I want you to know how much I love you.”

Joseph had ten brothers who were not happy when they saw the coat. They already thought that their father loved Joseph the most. This special gift made them sure. They became very angry. After that, they wouldn’t even speak nicely to Joseph.

Soon after he received the beautiful coat, Joseph had a dream. This dream was from God.

When Joseph awoke he went to his brothers and told them all about the dream. “We were tying bunches of wheat together in the field to make sheaves,” Joseph said. “All of a sudden each of your sheaves of wheat bowed down to my sheaf of wheat.”

Oh, that made his brothers ever so angry! They said to Joseph, “Do you think we are going to bow down to you?” They hated him even more because of the dream he had told them!

A little later Joseph had another dream. This one was also from God.

When he woke up, he again went to his brothers and his father. He told them that in this dream the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed to him.

Jacob did not like what Joseph told them. He asked, “What kind of a dream is this? Do you think your mother and brothers and I should bow down to you?” But even though he didn’t understand Joseph’s dream, Jacob kept thinking about it. He knew there must be a reason that God had sent the dreams.

This second dream made Joseph’s brothers even more angry. They were jealous of their younger brother. They did not know that someday they would no longer hate Joseph. Someday they would love him and be very thankful for him.

Joseph was only seventeen years old when God gave him these dreams. But God wanted to prepare Joseph for the special plan He had for his life. God’s plan for Joseph was very real. And one day his dreams would come true.

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson begins a unit on the story of Joseph. It deals with Joseph’s dreams, and the special coat that his father made for him.

Children are fascinated by dreams. Draw several simple speech-balloon shapes on paper. In two of the shapes, draw Joseph’s dreams – the sheaves of grain bowing to his sheaf, and the sun, moon, and stars bowing to Joseph. Let your child illustrate a dream or two of his own in the remaining balloons. You may wish to explain to your child that all dreams do not have particular meanings. Joseph’s dreams were special ones sent from God, and they gave a hint as to what was going to happen in the future.

For an activity concerning the special coat, draw the outline of a coat and allow your child to color in stripes of various colors, or paste strips of colored material into the outlined shape.

 

 

It was a very busy time for Jesus’ helpers. They had received a wonderful power from God—the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Now they were using that power to do God’s work. Peter was one of God’s busy helpers. He knew that people everywhere needed to know about Jesus. He traveled from city to city telling people that Jesus loved them.

One day Peter was in the city of Lydda. There he met a man who had been sick for a long time. The man had palsy and could not walk. He had been in bed for eight years! Peter went to the man and told him that Jesus would make him well. Then he told the man, “Arise and make your bed.”

At once the man got up! He could walk! He was well! He had been healed!

All the people in the city heard about the man. Everyone was so happy for him. Now they wanted to know Jesus. So they asked Jesus to forgive their sins and make them happy.

There was another city nearby called Joppa. In that city there lived a Christian woman named Dorcas. Dorcas worked all day long doing good things for many people. She made coats and other clothes for people who were too poor to buy them. Everyone loved Dorcas because of her kind ways.

One day Dorcas got very sick. She was so sick that she died. The people of Joppa were sad at the loss of their dear friend.

Some of Jesus’ followers had heard that Peter was nearby in the city of Lydda. Quickly, they sent two men to ask Peter to come to Joppa.

Peter returned with the men at once. When he entered the house, he went to a room upstairs. There Peter saw many of Dorcas’ friends. The ladies cried while they showed him some of the beautiful clothes Dorcas had made.

Peter told all the people to leave the room. When they were gone he knelt down and prayed. We don’t know what words Peter said, but we know he was talking to God. He wanted Dorcas to be alive again. After Peter was through praying, he turned to Dorcas and said to her, “Arise.” First, she opened her eyes! And then, when she saw Peter, she sat up! He took her hand and helped her to stand. Then he called all her friends and showed them that Dorcas was alive again. They were all so happy to see her! What a wonderful miracle God had done for their friend!

All the people who lived in the city of Joppa heard about this wonderful miracle. They could see that God had given power to Peter. Many of those people gave their hearts to God when they heard what he had done for their friend Dorcas.

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson deals with how Peter worked for God. Help your child to understand that when we do good things for others, we are working for God just as Peter was. Discuss and make a list together of things a child can do for Jesus.

Here’s an idea to help reinforce the concept of doing good. Early in the week, purchase an inexpensive cardboard puzzle (not too many pieces). Each time your child does something especially good, remind him that it is a part of working for Jesus. Reward him with a piece of the puzzle and encourage him to earn all the pieces so that he can have a complete puzzle to put together.

The children in the Bible class sang a song they had just learned. The words rang out, “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel.”

Jennifer raised her hand and asked, “Teacher Matt, what does Gospel mean?”

“Thank you for asking that question, Jennifer,” said Teacher Matt. “Maybe some of you other children are wondering the same thing. Gospel means Good News. And the Good News is that Jesus forgives sins.

“Do you remember that in our story today Philip preached to the man from the country of Ethiopia? The man had been reading from the Old Testament part of our Bible. He was reading about Jesus but he didn’t know that. He needed someone to help him understand what he was reading. So God sent Philip to help the man and teach him that Jesus was God’s Son. That day Jesus forgave the man’s sins and he became a Christian. The man was very thankful that Philip obeyed God. Philip had been a missionary for God.”

Then Teacher Matt told the children that a special person had come to visit their department. The lady was Teacher Anne, and she was a missionary. She was going to tell them about people in a faraway country.

“Hello, boys and girls,” said Teacher Anne. “I want to tell you about a country called Korea.”

Jennifer and the other children sat on the edge of their seats as Teacher Anne started telling about her travels in Korea. She said she had gone there to tell the people about Jesus. She told about how little children walked for miles with their parents just to hear the Good News of Jesus and His love.

Oh, it would be wonderful to be a missionary, Jennifer thought. She loved Jesus very much. And she wanted others to know and love Him too. She could hardly wait until she would be big enough.

Just then she heard Teacher Anne telling the children that God had a special job for each one of them to do. They could all be missionaries right now!

“Right now?” asked Jennifer.

“Yes!” answered Teacher Anne. “You can be a missionary by telling your school friends and your neighbors the Good News. Tell them that Jesus loves them and that He can forgive their sins. People all over the world need to hear the Gospel. That means even the people who live in your very own city.

“It doesn’t matter how big or small you are, or where you live. What counts is that you are willing to follow Jesus anywhere and tell others about Him.”

PARENT’S CORNER

Through this story of how Philip used God’s power to witness to others, we want your child to learn that even young children can tell their friends about Jesus. The value of doing this can easily be visualized for your child.

Draw a simple diagram on a sheet of paper, beginning with a small circle at the top. Write your child’s name inside the circle. Draw two more circles just below that circle, then draw a line from each of them to the top circle. Ask your child to suggest two people he might be able to tell about Jesus. Write their names in the two circles. Next, draw two more circles below each of the new circles, connecting them with lines also. Talk about these two people telling others the Good News they have heard. Write, in the new boxes, the names of others that these people might tell about Jesus. Continue to draw circles, until your paper is filled with people’s names. When this is done, talk about how exciting it is to see the Good News of Jesus’ love spreading throughout the world. How happy we are each time we use God’s power to tell someone about Jesus.

Peter and John were on their way to the Temple. They were going to pray to God. They missed Jesus. He had gone to be with His Father in Heaven. But they remembered how He had taught them to pray. They knew that someday they would be with Jesus again. But for now they would continue to pray and work for God as Jesus had told them to.

At the Temple there was a certain gate that was called Beautiful. By that gate sat a beggar. This beggar was a lame man who had never been able to walk. As a little boy he had never run with other children. And now that he was grown up, he couldn’t work like other men. Every day his friends would carry him to the gate of the Temple. He sat there all day and asked people for money.

When Peter and John walked through the Beautiful gate the lame man called to them. He begged them to give him some money. Both of them turned to look at the lame man. Then Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold to give to you, but I will give you what I do have.”

The lame man must have been excited. He probably wondered what great thing Peter was going to give to him. He didn’t know that Peter and John had a special power from God. It was the power that God had promised to those who love Him. They could do miracles like Jesus had done when He lived on this earth.

Suddenly the lame man heard Peter saying, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” Then Peter reached down and took him by the hand and lifted him up.

At once the man’s feet and ankle bones got very strong! He could stand on them and they didn’t hurt! He was so excited that he began to jump up and down! He walked all around! He praised God! He was healed!

Then the man went with Peter and John into the Temple. He was so happy, he wanted to give thanks to God for healing him. He was no longer a lame man! He could walk!

All the people at the Temple saw the man walking and praising God. They knew that this was the man who had begged at the gate of the Temple. Now he could walk! They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Jesus had gone back to Heaven but the people could see that His miracles still happened. And they still happen today!

PARENT’S CORNER

Make a finger puppet to use as a prop while studying this lesson. Help your child draw a simple outline of a person’s body, but tell him not to draw the legs. Instead, at the base of the form help him cut out two small holes big enough for him to slip his index and middle fingers through.

Draw features and clothing details on the puppet, then cut it out.

As you read this lesson together, have your child use the puppet to act out the different parts of the story, from sitting at the gate, to walking, and leaping, and praising God!

 

Have you ever wanted to have great power? Well, let me tell you about the most wonderful power of all – the baptism of the Holy Spirit! It gives power to work for Jesus.

This is a very important gift. Some people say that little children won’t understand what it means. But Jesus loves the children. And He wants them to know about this wonderful power.

The Bible tells about the very first baptism of the Holy Spirit. Just before Jesus went to Heaven, He told His disciples to go to the city of Jerusalem. He told them to wait there to receive the promised Holy Spirit.

God had known that when Jesus went back to Heaven all His friends would be very sad. Whenever they had needed help they had always gone to Jesus. So God had promised to send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would help them. Let’s see what happened on that special day.

There were about 120 people in an upper room of one of the houses in Jerusalem. That’s a lot of people in one room! They had been there for many days. But they were all happy. They didn’t argue and they didn’t complain about anything. God had given them a special love for each other. They all loved Jesus and wanted to obey Him.

They had been praying for many days. But on that special day, as they were all together, they suddenly heard a sound! It was like a great and mighty wind swooshing through the house! And the Holy Spirit filled each of them! They felt so wonderful. All of a sudden they began to speak in different languages! It was a special sign to let them know that God had given them the gift of Power He had promised.

There were many people in the city of Jerusalem. Some of them were visiting from faraway countries. When they heard the people in the house speaking in some of their languages they were very confused. They didn’t understand what was happening. So Peter spoke to them and said, “Listen to me. This is the special gift that God promised.” He spoke to them for a long time and told them many things about God’s promise.

One of the things that Peter told the people is still very important to us today. He told them that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for all those who love God. That means it is for you and me too! It is a wonderful gift. It helps us to understand God’s Word. And it makes it easier to tell others about Jesus. God can work wonderful miracles through His helpers who have been filled with the Holy Spirit.

PARENT’S CORNER

The power of the Holy Spirit is the subject of this lesson. Explain to your child that many things need power to make them work. A simple way to show him this is to have him go around your house counting the many things he can find that have cords on them. Describe how the plug connects the object to a power source and makes it able to work properly.

Use this to illustrate that God has a special power for each one of us – a power that will help us really “work” as Christians.

 

When a person has a sad heart, Jesus can make that person happy inside! Or, if anyone is sick, Jesus can make him well again! We also know that Jesus can control the wind and the waves! But, do you know that Jesus even has control over the devil? He does! Let me tell you the story of what Jesus did for me.

I had been sick for a long time. People were afraid of me because I acted very strangely. I would act that way because there were demons living inside me. They made me do awful things. At times the people would tie me with chains. But I always broke loose from them and ran away. I was a very, very sad man.

For a long time I had been living in the mountains and tombs. I didn’t want to live in a house. One day, as I was coming out of the tombs not far from the seashore, I saw a Man. I knew right away that it was Jesus. I ran to Him and called Him by name. I said, “Jesus, Son of God, don’t punish me.”

Then Jesus asked, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” was what I answered. That was because there were many demons inside me. They begged Jesus not to send them into the deep place. They knew that Jesus was stronger than they were.

There was a herd of pigs on the hill near the water. So Jesus told the demons to come out of me and go into the pigs. And they did! But as soon as they entered the pigs, the pigs ran into the sea and drowned!

There were people nearby who saw what Jesus had done. They became afraid and ran to tell the people in the city. The people came to see what had happened to the pigs. When they arrived they saw me sitting quietly at Jesus’ feet. I was listening to all He had to say. I was healed! The people couldn’t understand what had happened, so they were afraid. They told Jesus to go away.

I didn’t want, Jesus to go. He had given me a peace inside that was wonderful. I told Jesus to please take me with Him. But Jesus said to me, “Go back to your own house. Show your people what great things I have done for you.” And then He went away.

I went home at once and told everyone what Jesus had done for me. The people listened. They could see that I was well again. The devil could no longer make me do strange things. After this the people were anxious to meet Jesus. And they were very glad when Jesus came to our town of Gadara again.

I want everyone to know that Jesus has power over the devil. Can you help me tell others what Jesus did for me?

PARENT’S CORNER

Help your child cover a paper tube (such as from a toilet tissue roll) with white paper. Draw features of a man on the top two inches, and add a strip of cloth or adhesive paper to the bottom of the tube for clothes. Cut a circle and tape it to the bottom of the tube.

Fill the tube with Styrofoam packing chips on which you have drawn sad faces, or use circles of paper with sad faces. Explain to your child that this is like the man in our lesson. He was filled with sadness. Pour all the Styrofoam pieces out, to illustrate how all the sadness and scary thoughts left the man, at Jesus’ command.

 

Jesus was coming to our city of Capernaum again. I had been hearing about some of the great things He had done. People who had been sick for a long time were being healed by Jesus. He preached a wonderful message to everyone He met. I really wanted to see Him.

When I heard which house Jesus was visiting, I went there at once. It was only a few houses from my own home so I didn’t have far to walk. As I came around the last corner I saw a large crowd. The doorway of that house was already filled with people. And many more were standing in the street. I got as close as I could so I could hear what Jesus was saying.

All at once I heard a flurry of activity going on at the side of the house. I went to see what was happening. There I saw four men going up the outside stairway. They were carrying another man who was on a stretcher. I wondered why he couldn’t walk. I found out later that he had a disease called palsy. I was curious to see what the men were going to do with him, so I followed behind them. When they reached the roof they carefully laid the sick man to one side. They then began to take apart a section of the roof! When they were through, they had made a very large hole. They picked up their sick friend and carefully lowered him through the hole!

As quickly as I could, I looked down into the room below. There was the Man called Jesus! The sick man was lying on the stretcher at Jesus’ feet.

Jesus looked up at the sick man’s four friends. Then He looked at the sick man and said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

I thought that was wonderful. But I saw that there were a few men who were frowning. I wondered what they were thinking. I heard Jesus say to them, “Why do you worry about what I just did for this man? Do you think it is easier to forgive this man’s sins, or to say, ‘Stand up, pick up your bed, and walk’? I want you to know that the Son of God has power to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the man who was sick with palsy. He said to him, “Stand up, pick up your bed, and go to your own house.”

Right away the man stood up! He was healed! He picked up the stretcher he had been lying on and he walked out of the house! His friends were so excited! I watched them run down the stairs to meet him.

People all around me were amazed. I heard them praising God. I was so happy I had come to see Jesus. Everything I had heard about Him was true! He is wonderful. He really is the Son of God.

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson is about how Jesus healed a palsied man. Read the story together with your child, and then ask him how he thinks the man felt after Jesus healed him. What about the man’s friends and the people who witnessed this miracle?

Provide your child with drawing materials, and encourage him to illustrate the story. Tell him the drawing is for his Sunday school teacher, and he will be able to take it to Sunday school on the following Sunday.

 

 

1. 

Do you know what a weatherman’s job is? He tells people what the weather is going to be like. He might tell you it is going to be sunny and hot. He might tell you it will snow. Or he might even tell you there is going to be a storm. But that is all a weatherman can do about the weather. He can’t change it.

Have you ever wished you could change the weather? Did you ever try to stop the wind from blowing? Did it work? Of course not!

But the Bible tells us all about One who can change the weather. His name is Jesus.

One day Jesus was teaching on the shore of Galilee. A large group of people gathered to hear Him. It became so crowded on the shore that Jesus got into a ship. From the ship He taught many things to the people.

When evening came, Jesus told His disciples to take the ship to the other side of the sea. Jesus must have been very tired from His day of teaching the people. He went to the back part of the ship and went to sleep. His pillow must have felt very good to Him after such a busy day.

While Jesus was sleeping, a great storm came. The wind blew so hard that the waves began to beat against the sides of the ship. Soon the waves were so huge that the water began to fill the ship! The disciples were really afraid. They did not like that awful storm and the way the boat rocked and tossed. What if the boat were to sink! Finally, they went to awaken Jesus.

“Master, wake up! We might all die in this awful storm! Don’t You care?” they cried to Jesus.

The first thing Jesus did when He awoke was to talk to the wind. He told it to stop blowing. Then He spoke to the sea and said, “Peace, be still.” The wind stopped! The sea became calm again! The disciples were amazed that the wind and the sea would obey Jesus’ voice. They were finding out new things about Jesus every day.

When everything was quiet again, Jesus turned to His disciples. He asked them why they had been afraid. Didn’t they believe that He would take care of them? Jesus wanted the disciples to have faith in Him. I’m sure the disciples were happy to know that Jesus really cared for them.

Jesus is wonderful! He cares for us too, and is always with us. We don’t ever have to be afraid.

Sometimes you might be afraid when there is a storm. But if that ever happens to you, just stop and ask Jesus to take care of you. He will! Even if the storm does not stop right away, Jesus will put a real peace in your heart. He will take the fear away. You can always trust Jesus.

PARENT’S CORNER

After reading this story with your child, repeat the memory verse together. Use the following illustration to help your child visualize God’s power over the elements.

Cut a long strip from blue construction paper and have your child accordion-pleat it and then release it while holding the two ends. Compare this to the waves in our lesson.

Jesus had the power to rebuke the wind and calm the waves. As you rehearse His words, “Peace, be still,” have your child pull the strip of paper tight, showing how the waves immediately calmed at His command.

 

 

 

 

My name is Zacchaeus. I am a very rich man. I am also a very short man. Now, that’s not such a hard thing except when I am in a crowd. I have trouble seeing over people, or anything very high. But I want to tell you about a time when being short helped me to meet Jesus.

I had heard a lot about Jesus and His wonderful power. I had heard about the miracles He did and the stories He told. I wanted to see Him.

One day Jesus was going to be coming through my town of Jericho. I went out early so I could get a good place near the front of the crowd. I knew that I would not be able to see over all the people so I needed to arrive before they did. But I wasn’t early enough. A huge crowd of people had gathered there already! They must have been excited to see Jesus, and wanted to be near the front of the crowd too. As I looked around me I noticed a large sycamore tree. It was a little way up the road. I ran to the tree and climbed up onto a branch. I thought it was a pretty clever thing to do because I had a good view of the road from there. The tree had lots of leaves so I was sure no one would see me. But I was wrong!

Before long I heard some people in the crowd saying that Jesus was coming. I peeked through the leaved and, sure enough, there He was.

When He reached the sycamore tree that I was in, He stopped and looked up at me. He said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down from that tree because today I am going to go to your house.”

I was so surprised! How did Jesus know I was in that tree? How did He know my name? I didn’t stop to question Him. I hurried down from that tree as fast as I could. Jesus was coming to my house!

People all around started to complain. They couldn’t believe that Jesus would come to my house. They did not like me because I was not an honest person.

I didn’t listen to the people. I just stood there next to Jesus and told Him that I had done many wrong things. I had taken money from people, but now I was sorry. I told Jesus I would pay back all that money. In fact, I would even pay four times the amount that I had taken. That meant if I had taken one dollar from someone I would give back four dollars!

Do you know what Jesus did then? He forgave me! And as He talked to me, such a happy feeling came into my heart. I felt so good and clean inside. I still do. I’m very glad that Jesus loves me and has the power to forgive sin.

PARENT’S CORNER

When God changed Zacchaeus’ heart, Zacchaeus became the opposite of what he had been before. To help your child visualize the concept of opposites, make up a matching game with a series of flashcards showing opposites. If your child can read, use words. If not, illustrate the objects with simple line drawings.

Talk about the change God made in Zacchaeus’ heart. While he still looked the same on the outside, inside he was completely different. Conclude your series of pictures with a clean, unspotted heart contrasted with a spotted, “sin-smudged” heart.

 

 

 

The king of Syria looked at the little country of Israel and wished it belonged to him. So he made secret plans to attack one of the cities.

God told His prophet Elisha what the king planned to do. Elisha warned the king of Israel so the people in that city could be prepared.

This happened over and over again. Each time the Syrian king made plans to fight in a certain place, God told Elisha. And Elisha would then warn the king of Israel.

The king of Syria was so angry! He didn’t know how Israel was finding out all his plans, so he called his servants together. He asked which of them was telling all his secret plans. He wanted to know who was on Israel’s side.

One of his servants told him that it wasn’t any of them. He told the king it was Elisha who was telling the secret plans to the king of Israel.

Since it was Elisha who was ruining the king of Syria’s plans, the king decided to capture God’s prophet. He sent some spies to check and see where Elisha was staying. When they returned they told the king that Elisha was in the city of Dothan. The king then sent a great big army after just one man, Elisha. That night the Syrian horses and chariots and soldiers circled clear around the city so Elisha couldn’t get away.

Elisha’s servant got up very early the next morning and went outside. He saw at once that soldiers were on every side of the city. He was afraid and cried, “Master, what shall we do?”

Elisha prayed that God would open the eyes of his servant. Suddenly the servant saw that the mountains were full of horses and chariots of fire. God had sent these to protect Elisha. The servant was not afraid anymore.

When the Syrian army came into the city of Dothan, Elisha asked God to make them blind. And God did it! Then Elisha told the Syrian soldiers to follow him. They didn’t know who he was so they went with Elisha. He led them into Samaria.

When they reached Samaria, Elisha asked God to let the soldiers see again. The Lord opened their eyes and they saw that they were surrounded by their enemy! The king of Israel was excited. He asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?”

“No!” Elisha told him, “You must treat them well. Feed them and give them water to drink. Then let them go home to their master.”

The army of Syria had tried to kill Elisha but he treated them kindly! Then he sent them away and they went home to their king. The Syrians never tried to go into the land of Israel or harm Elisha again.

PARENT’S CORNER

Children at this age are subject to many fears, and it is important that they realize God has power to protect them. This lesson brings out how God sent an army of horses and chariots of fire to protect his servant Elisha.

We have a promise (Psalm 91:11) that God will send His angels to protect us. Accordion-fold a long piece of paper, approximately 14×6 inches. Draw a simple angel shape on the topside of paper, making sure both sides of the angel touch the fold. Help your child cut out around the shape, forming a paper chain of angels. Let your child color them, and then make them into a ring around a small doll.

 

 

Do you believe that a tiny bit of oil could fill many, many jars? It did. Do you believe that a heavy piece of iron could float on water? It did. Those were two of the miracles that Elisha did through the power of God. The Bible tells us all about them.

One day a very sad widow came to Elisha. She said she owed a man some money. The man was going to take her two sons away from her and make them his slaves! If she wanted to keep her sons she had to pay back all the money she owed to the man. She didn’t want to lose her sons. But she had no money! She asked Elisha to please help her.

Elisha asked her, “What do you have in your house?”

She told him that she had nothing in her house except a little pot of oil.

“Tell your sons to go to all your neighbors and borrow as many empty pots as they can,” Elisha said. “Take them into your house. Then shut your door and use your little bit of oil to fill those pots with oil.”

She didn’t argue with Elisha. She did exactly what he had told her to do and God made something wonderful happen! She kept pouring and pouring, and her one little pot of oil filled all the pots that her sons had borrowed! That was a miracle!

As soon as she finished filling all the pots, Elisha told her to go and sell the oil. After that she was able to pay the man the money she owed him so he wouldn’t take her sons to be slaves. She even had money left over!

Another time there were some men who were called the sons of the prophets. The place where they lived was too small. They asked Elisha if they could build a bigger house.

When Elisha told them that they could, one of the men asked him to please go with them to Jordan.

When they reached Jordan they started to cut down trees. They would need a lot of them to build their house.

As one man was chopping down a tree, the heavy, sharp part of the axe flew off the handle and fell into the water. It sank to the bottom of the Jordan River! The man cried out to Elisha, “Oh, no! Master, that axe was borrowed!” He was very upset because he had lost something that belonged to another man. He didn’t know what he would do!

But Elisha knew that God could take care of the problem. He knew that God could work miracles. Elisha told the man to show him where the axe head had gone into the water. Then he cut off a stick and tossed it into the water. And the axe head floated to the top!

God has mighty power. He can do wonderful miracles. Elisha was a good helper for God.

PARENT’S CORNER

Use the memory verse to help your child focus on the mighty power of God.

Draw a garden hose on a strip of paper. Mark it off into twelve equal sections and in each section print a word of the memory verse.

Have your child cut out the hose and then cut it apart. As he puts it back together in the right order, explain to him that just as water flows through a hose, Elisha let God’s power flow through him to help others.

 

 

 

Elijah loved God. He had been a prophet of God for many years. He was older now and wanted God to take him to Heaven. But there was still work to be done! God showed Elijah that he needed somebody to be his helper. This person would learn from Elijah and keep on working for God after Elijah left this world. God even showed him whom to choose.

One day when Elijah was out walking, he saw a man plowing a field. God told Elijah that this was the man! His name was Elisha. Their names sound almost the same, don’t they?

Elijah threw his cloak over Elisha’s shoulders. Right away Elisha stopped his work and ran after Elijah. He told Elijah that he would be glad to be his helper. But first he needed to tell his father and mother goodbye. He prepared a great feast for his people and told them all goodbye. From that time on he followed Elijah and did whatever he was asked to do.

One day Elijah was going on a journey. He told Elisha to stay behind in the town of Gilgal. But Elisha said he wanted to go wherever Elijah went. He followed Elijah to the city of Bethel. While they were there some men came to Elisha. They told him that God was going to take Elijah away that very day. Elisha told them that he already knew this.

After they left Bethel, Elijah and Elisha went to the city of Jericho. Then they went toward Jordan. When they reached the Jordan River, Elijah took off his cloak, wrapped it together, and hit the water. At once the water parted so that the two men could cross the river on dry ground.

When they were on the other side Elijah asked Elisha, “What can I do for you before I go?” Elisha said he wanted a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. That meant he wanted to be able to use the power of God even more than Elijah had!

Elijah knew that only God could give such a gift. He told Elisha, “If you see me when I leave, then you will know that God will give you what you ask.”

They walked and talked together for a little while longer. Then, suddenly, a chariot of fire and horses of fire came down from the sky. A whirlwind came and carried Elijah to Heaven! Elisha saw it happen!

All at once he saw the cloak of Elijah fall to the ground beside him. He knew then that God had given him what he had asked for. He picked up the cloak and walked back to the Jordan River. He hit the water with the cloak and, sure enough, the water parted and he walked back across the river on dry ground. Elijah was no longer there, but Elisha knew that God would always be with him.

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson is about how Elisha received a double portion of Elijah’s spirit – a godly spirit. To illustrate the point that double means “twice as much,” emphasize the word “double” during the week. You might want to give your child double treats; for example, two hugs, two stories before bed, two balloons, or two cookies.

Be sure that on each occasion you talk about what double means. When you read the Bible text together, draw attention to that word.

 

 

 

 

All the land of Israel was so dry. No food could grow in the fields. Most of the rivers and streams had run out of water. This happened because there had been no rain for three years!

Elijah, who was a prophet of God, had told the king of Israel that there would be no rain until he said so. Then Elijah had gone away to wait and see what God would do.

King Ahab was very angry. He had looked and looked for Elijah, because he wanted the rain to start again. Finally, one day God spoke to Elijah and told him it was time to go see the king.

When the king saw Elijah he said, “Are you the one who has caused all this trouble in Israel?”

Elijah told the king, “I have not caused this trouble. It has all happened because you and the people in Israel do not serve the one true God. You have been praying to an idol called Baal.”

Elijah told King Ahab to gather all the people and the false prophets at Mt. Carmel. There he told them that they could not serve the one true God and the false gods at the same time. He told the false prophets to prepare a sacrifice but not to put any fire under it. They had to pray to their false gods and ask for fire to come down from the sky. They did what Elijah said and prayed all morning and all afternoon. They prayed until evening, but no fire came.

Then Elijah set up his sacrifice. He made an altar with twelve stones. All around the altar he dug a ditch. He put some wood and the sacrifice on top of the altar. Then twelve barrels of water were poured over all of it!

When that was all done, Elijah began to pray. He looked up to Heaven and asked God to send fire on the sacrifice so the people would know who was the true God. Right then, fire came down from the sky and burned up Elijah’s sacrifice and dried up all the water too! When the people saw this they believed that Elijah’s God was the one true God.

After that, Elijah went to the top of the mountain and prayed for rain. He told his servant to look out over the sea for any sign of rain. The servant looked but told Elijah that he didn’t see anything. Elijah told him to look again. The servant looked again and again and still saw nothing. But when he looked the seventh time he told Elijah that he saw a little cloud. Elijah told his servant to run and tell King Ahab to get into his chariot and hurry home because rain was coming! The sky grew dark with black clouds and it began to rain. Elijah was so excited that he ran even faster than the king’s chariot! God had sent the rain again!

PARENT’S CORNER

Help your child focus on the fact that God has power to answer prayer. To illustrate this, fold a piece of paper in half vertically. Place your child’s left hand on the paper, with the thumb touching the fold and the fingers touching each other. Trace around his hand, and let him cut out the shape, being sure the fold is kept as a hinge.

Talk about how we fold our hands when we pray, letting him unfold the two hands. On the left side, write the words, “When I pray,” and on the right side, the words, “God hears and answers.” Let your child trace over the letters with a crayon. Be sure he knows what the words mean.

 

 

 

Things were not going well in the kingdom of Israel. The people who lived there worshiped idols instead of the true God. That made God very unhappy, so one day He told His prophet, Elijah, to give King Ahab a message.

“There is not going to be any more rain in this land until I say so,” Elijah told the king. No rain! Well, you can imagine how King Ahab felt. He knew that without rain the plants would die and there would be no food to eat. It it did not rain, the rivers and brooks and streams would dry up and there would be no water to drink. The animals needed food and water in order to live. And what would happen to the people?

God knew that this message would make King Ahab very angry and he would try to hurt Elijah. But Elijah was not afraid. He knew that God would take care of him. After Elijah delivered the message to the king, God told him to go and hide by a brook called Cherith. It was near the Jordan River.

When Elijah came to the brook he found that he had plenty of water to drink but there was no food. Yet God had told him that the ravens would feed him! Can you imagine that! How could birds feed a man? But Elijah was not worried because he believed God. And sure enough, every morning and night God sent the big, black birds to Elijah with bread and meat.

After a while the brook dried up because there had been no rain in all the land. But God had another plan for Elijah. He sent him to a city called Zarephath. There Elijah was to go to the home of a certain widow lady. God told Elijah that the lady would give him food to eat.

When Elijah arrived at her home he found her outside collecting sticks for a fire. He asked her to please get him a drink of water. As she was going to get the water Elijah also asked her for a piece of bread to eat.

She stopped and told him that she didn’t have any bread. All she had was a handful of flour and a tiny bit of oil. That was just enough flour and oil for one little cake. She had planned to prepare that for her son and herself. But Elijah said that if she would prepare some for him first, God would make her little bit of flour and oil last until the rain would come again. Some people might not believe that God could do such a miracle but this lady did. So she shared what she had and God did make the flour and oil last until the rain came again.

God has power to do wonderful things. He will take care of those who trust and obey Him!

PARENT’S CORNER

Emphasize to your child how God used His power to provide for Elijah. Using the letters of the alphabet, play a game of naming things that God has provided for us. For example, the letter M might bring to mind such words as mother, milk, meat, and money.

If your child gets stuck, let him choose a new letter or help him think of things by drawing a clue on a chalkboard. Or he might enjoy drawing a picture of each item he thinks of, and having you guess what it is. With each of your answers you can emphasize God’s power and love in providing it for us.

 

“God be with you, my child,” Jochebed whispered to her baby son, Moses, as she kissed him. She placed him gently in the basket she had made and wrapped the soft blanket around him. Then she set the basket among the bulrushes near the water’s edge where he would be hidden from view.

Does this sound like a strange thing for a mother to do? Well, there was a very good reason why Moses’ mother would try to hide him. A wicked king called Pharaoh wanted all the Hebrew baby boys killed. For three months Jochebed had hidden the baby at home, but now he was getting too big. This was the only way she could think of to keep her little baby hidden. And Jochebed was trusting God to keep her son safe.

Quietly, she made her way back to where her daughter Miriam stood nearby. She patted the girl’s arm and spoke softly. “Stay near your baby brother and watch to see that nothing harms him. I am sure God will take care of him. God will not let anyone hurt him.”

Miriam sat down near the water. She watched the bulrushes which surrounded the place where her mother had put the little basket. For a long time, the little basket just rocked gently in the water. Miriam thought she would be able to tell her mother that they had found a safe place to hide their baby. But then she heard a noise.

Pharaoh’s daughter, the princess, had come to the water to bathe. She and her maids were walking along by the side of the river. Just then she saw the little basket and sent one of her maids to bring it to her. When she opened the basket she was surprised to see a little baby boy. He began to cry and right away she loved him. “This is one of the Hebrew’s babies,” she said to her maids.

Moses’ sister ran to the princess. “Do you need a nurse to take care of the baby?” she asked. “I will call one for you if you would like.”

“Yes, I certainly do need a nurse!” answered the princess. “Go and find someone for me.”

Miriam was so excited. When she found her mother she told her the good news. Together they hurried back to the place where Pharaoh’s daughter and her maids were watching baby Moses.

The princess didn’t know that this woman was Moses’ real mother. The princess told Jochebed that she would pay her to take the baby home and care for him. How exciting that Jochebed could be baby Moses’ nurse! She would not have to hide him any longer. Even though he now belonged to the princess, she would be able to take care of her own son and teach him to love God.

PARENT’S CORNER

Children of primary age usually enjoy creating things with their hands. The story of Jochebed, Moses’ mother, preparing a little basket for her infant son’s protection on the river is a perfect lesson for using clay dough to illustrate the story.

Purchase clay dough, or make your own by combining in a medium pot: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 2 tbsp. cream of tartar, 1 cup water, 1 tbsp. oil, 1 tsp. yellow food coloring. Cook over medium heat and stir (about 3-5 minutes). It will look like a big glob. Turn out and knead until smooth.

Let your child make a basket, lid, and baby from the clay dough, and use it to retell the story to you.

Hannah wanted a baby more than anything in the world. Year after year she would pray for a baby, but no baby was born. This made her very sad. Her husband Elkanah loved her very much. He tried to cheer her up but Hannah couldn’t be happy without a baby to love. In fact, she was so sad that she just cried and cried. Poor Hannah.

One day Hannah went to the Temple to pray. She made a very special promise to God. She told God that if He would give her a son she would give the child back to Him for all the days of his life.

A priest named Eli saw Hannah praying. He could see her mouth moving but he couldn’t hear any of the words she was saying to God. So he went over and began to talk to her. She told him she was very sad and had been praying a special prayer to God.

Eli told Hannah to go home and not be sad anymore. He said that God would answer her prayer. When Hannah left the Temple she felt so much better. On her face was a beautiful smile.

God did answer Hannah’s prayer just as Eli had said. Soon Hannah had a baby boy. Can you imagine how happy she was when her little son was born? She wanted her baby to have just the right name, and chose the name Samuel which means “asked of God.” That was her choice because she had asked God for this special baby and God had answered her prayer.

Each year whole families would go to the Temple to pray. For a few years, when Samuel was very young, Hannah did not go with the rest of the people. But when he was old enough she gathered some gifts together and took Samuel to the Temple. She remembered her special promise to God. She told Eli, the priest, that her son could live with him and be a helper for God.

Hannah loved her little son very much. She wanted him to learn all about God. She wanted him to know that God would always help him and take care of him.

Every year when Hannah visited the Temple she would take a new coat to Samuel. Hannah made the coats for him because she loved him. She was so happy that he was now serving God.

God was very pleased with Hannah’s faithfulness and that she had kept her promise to Him. After Hannah took Samuel to the Temple to work for the Lord, she and Elkanah had more children – two daughters and three more sons. God truly blessed Hannah for being so unselfish and for loving Him so much.

PARENT’S CORNER

The story of Hannah’s prayer for a son and her dedication of that son to the Lord is a favorite of children. As you read this beautiful story together, reinforce how God answered Hannah’s prayer and how she willingly gave Samuel to the work of the Lord.

Draw or trace paper dolls in gradually larger sizes. Tell your child this is Samuel, as he grew year by year. Let him cut out the figures and color the hair, etc. Then help him draw a little coat to fit each figure, explaining how Hannah made a coat each year and took it to the Temple for Samuel.

“How long will You be gone, Son?” Mary asked as she walked with Jesus to the edge of the dusty road near their home.

“For a while, Mother.” Jesus hugged her gently. “But I’ll be back to see you when I can.”

“Do what You must do. My prayers will be with You, and God will take care of You.” She touched His cheek lovingly and watched until Jesus had walked from her sight. Then she turned and went back into the house.

Oh, it’s hard to see Him go, she thought as she picked up the dishes from the table where they had eaten. I wonder if every mother feels this way. It seems that it was only yesterday when the angel appeared to me and told me I had been chosen to be the mother of the Son of God. I will never forget what a feeling of awe came into my heart. But there was never any thought in my heart except to do what my God wanted me to do.

Mary stood gazing out the window as her mind went over events in the past. She remembered the night Jesus was born. How thankful she was that God had provided the quiet stable, just when she and Joseph had begun to think there was no place to go. And what a thrill it had been to hold that precious Baby in her arms for the very first time.

She thought about how carefully God had protected their child when His life was in danger from wicked King Herod. The family had needed to go to Egypt to hide. But in just a few years they were finally able to move to Nazareth, their home town.

In Nazareth they could live as the other families lived. Joseph worked as a carpenter. Mary did the things that needed to be done around their home and took care of the child Jesus. By now Jesus was no longer a tiny baby but a little boy. How wonderful it had been to watch Him grow and learn new things each day.

He had been such a loving Child through the years. Mary was thankful that God had helped her with the responsibility of teaching Him. How quickly and willingly He had learned! She had been so blessed to have Him in her home. And now the time had come for Him to go and do the special work that God, His Father in Heaven, had sent Him to do. She knew God had a special plan for Jesus, and she had encouraged her Son in every way that she could.

Mary moved toward the door and looked up into the sky. “The angel told me my Son would be great, and I believe it! O God, I know you will be with Him and lead Him where You want Him to go.”

PARENT’S CORNER

In your time together as a family, play a little game which will remind your children of the things mothers do.

Sit in a circle. The starting player mentions one thing Mother does for him, such as “cooks meals.” The next player repeats that item, and then adds one to it. The third player must say both previously mentioned items, and then add one more. The game continues until players have to drop out because they cannot remember the order or cannot think of anything else to add.

A variation of this game is to name things we can do to honor our mothers; such as, obeying, loving, respecting, and helping.

 

Kevin’s mother finished folding the clothes and looked at her watch. It was twenty minutes after three, and almost time for Kevin to be coming home. Glancing through the living room window, she saw him come around the corner with a friend.

She opened the door and watched as her son and his friend walked up the sidewalk. “I don’t see why you can’t come over and play ball,” she heard her son’s friend saying. “You wouldn’t have to stay very long. And I really want to try out my new mitt.”

“I can’t come over because Mom told me to come right home after school,” Kevin explained. “I like to play ball too, but I don’t want to disobey.” He looked up and saw his mother standing in the doorway. “Hi, Mom!” Then he turned back to his friend. “See you tomorrow, Jason.”

As he came into the house, he said, “Mom, I made something for you in Wood Shop.” He set down his book bag and dug through it until he found what he was looking for at the bottom. “Here it is!” He held out a pencil holder made from three blocks of wood.

His mother took the pencil holder and looked it over carefully. “Kevin, this is really nice work! Did you make it all by yourself?”

Kevin nodded. “Yes, except Mr. Light helped me drill the holes to hold the pencils. But I did all the sanding and gluing. It’s an early Mother’s Day present for you.”

His mother gave him a quick hug. “Well, I sure can use it! You know I can never find a pencil near the phone when I need one, so this holder should come in really handy. Thank you so much, Kevin.” She paused for a moment then said, “There is something else I want to thank you for. Something extra that you probably haven’t even thought about.”

Kevin finished putting things back in his book bag, and then looked up, puzzled. “What’s that, Mom?”

“I want to thank you for obeying me and coming right home from school instead of stopping to play ball. I heard what you said to your friend just before you came in. It makes me happy to know that you obey me even when I am not there to check on you. And Jesus is happy too! I am very pleased to have this special Mother’s Day gift, as well as the super present you made for me. I will always be thankful for your obedience.”

PARENT’S CORNER

God uses mothers to help, and also teach, their children. To help your child become aware of some of the things mothers do, make a mobile together, using small objects or illustrations cut from magazines.

Perhaps the easiest mobile to make is simply a coat hanger with objects and illustrations hanging on different lengths of string or yarn.

Doll clothes could be used to represent a mother’s taking care of clothing, a toy watch for her reminding us of the time to do things. Other items could include a comb, a small cereal box for food, or a square of material representing a washcloth. Don’t forget to add a picture of a small Bible and praying hands.

 

Daniel watched the soldier post the law for all to read. Then he walked away thoughtfully. His faithful servant ran up behind him. He grabbed Daniel’s arm and whispered, “O my master, what will you do? You always pray three times a day. But the new law now forbids it.” Tears streaked down the old servant’s cheeks. “You must stop praying for thirty days. Surely your God will understand.”

“I cannot stop praying,” Daniel replied. “The God I love and serve means more to me than any law written by man. I will do as I have always done. God is able to protect me.”

Daniel went to his room and opened his window. Looking out toward the city of Jerusalem, he began to pray. He did this every morning, every noon, and every evening.

There were some men in the kingdom who didn’t like Daniel. They were jealous because he was an important helper to the king. And these enemies were watching to see if Daniel would pray. They knew that he prayed at that window every day. They were the ones who had asked the king to write that new law. It was the only way they could catch Daniel doing something against the king’s rules.

As soon as they saw that Daniel had broken the king’s law, they hurried to the king. They told him, “Daniel has broken your law. We saw him praying to his God. He must be punished.”

The king felt terrible. He loved Daniel and didn’t want to hurt him. But the law could not be changed. He had to have Daniel punished exactly as the law said. So the king’s guards threw Daniel into the lions’ den, for that was the punishment the king had ordered.

All the lions looked at Daniel. They walked around him. But none of the lions tried to eat Daniel! God had performed a miracle! God’s angel had shut the lions’ mouths! Praises flowed from Daniel’s heart. “O God, You have saved me once again. How I thank You!”

In the morning, the king got up very early and hurried to the lions’ den. “Daniel,” he called, his voice trembling, “was your God able to deliver you?” How happy he was when he heard Daniel’s voice coming from the den. “O King, live forever. God shut the lions’ mouths and they have not hurt me.”

With joy the king commanded his men to take Daniel from the den. Then he made a new law saying that all the people of his kingdom should fear and honor the God of Daniel. He knew that the God who delivered Daniel from the power of the lions was the true and living God.

PARENT’S CORNER

Read the story of Daniel with your family, and discuss how Daniel was obedient to God and did what he knew was right. Then tell your child the following stories and ask the following questions.

Jessica liked to play on the sidewalk in front of her home. Her mother told her she should never cross the street. One day Jessica’s friend yelled, “Come on across, Jessica. Your mom won’t care.”

Will Jessica’s mom care? What should Jessica do? What would you do?

All the boys and girls in the Sunday school class were making noise. The teacher asked them to be quiet, but only Shawn obeyed.

Was it OK for the boys and girls to make noise? Should Shawn have disobeyed the teacher? What would you do?

 

At last the golden image was completed. King Nebuchadnezzar sent messengers throughout all his kingdom of Babylon. All those in authority must come to the plain of Dura to see the great image.

When the people arrived, a command was given. They were told that when the music began, everyone there had to bow down and worship the big golden statue. Anyone who would not bow down would be thrown into a burning, fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were there on that day. They had to be. But they already had a purpose down deep in their hearts. They were not going to bow down to any idol!

At last the important moment arrived! The people who were holding instruments began playing them. All across the whole plain of Dura, people fell to their knees in front of the image. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood straight and tall. They would not disobey God!

Some people who were there saw that the three young men did not bow. They went straight to the king to let him know. King Nebuchadnezzar was very angry when he heard that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had not obeyed his orders. He commanded that they be brought before him.

“Is it true that you have disobeyed me?” he asked. “You will be thrown into a fiery furnace if you will not bow!” he shouted at them.

“Our God is able to deliver us from a fiery furnace,” they told him. “But even if He does not deliver us, we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

This made the king even more angry. “Heat the furnace seven times hotter!” he commanded. Then he ordered soldiers to grab the three young men and bind them with ropes. The flames leaped out as the soldiers tossed them into the fire. The fire was so hot that the soldiers who threw them in were killed.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not hurt at all! The ropes fell off their hands and feet, and they walked around in the flames. Praises rang in their hearts. They knew God was with them!

Outside the hot furnace, the king stared in amazement. “Didn’t we throw three men, all tied up, into the furnace?” he asked those nearby. “Now I see four men walking around, and the fourth is like the Son of God!” He called for the three young men to come out. Everyone could see that they were not hurt one bit. They didn’t even smell like smoke! Then King Nebuchadnezzar knew that truly these young men served a living and powerful God.

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson is about how God spared the lives of three Hebrew boys when they refused to pray to an idol. Discuss with your child how vital it is not to give in to things that are wrong.

It is important to help him see that God will defend and deliver him if he does what is right. To visualize this thought, let him make a small shield. Cut the shape from cardboard and let him cover it with foil. Across the front have him glue letters spelling the words, “Do Right!”

Talk about situations in which he might be tempted to do wrong. (Some examples: temptation to cheat on a test, to tell a lie to protect himself, to disobey.) Ask him to hold up his shield and tell you what he feels would be the right thing to do in each situation.

It was a bad day in the kingdom of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed a dream and then forgotten what it was about. That wasn’t so strange. But now he wanted his wise men to tell him what he had dreamed, and what it meant. They couldn’t do it. This made King Nebuchadnezzar very angry.

In a rage he cried, “Wise men? Bah! You are full of lies! I shall have you cut into pieces.”

The magicians and sorcerers huddled closely together, trembling with fear. “O King,” they cried, “if you would just tell us your dream, then we would give you the meaning.”

“I told you that I have forgotten my dream!” the king shouted. He leaned forward, his eyes blazing. “If you had the power you claim to have, you could easily tell me my dream and why it troubles me.”

With that, King Nebuchadnezzar clapped his hands. A servant hurried in. Furiously, the king ordered a decree to be written saying that all wise men in Babylon were to be destroyed immediately!

Daniel and his three friends lived in Babylon. But they served the true God, and they knew He could help them. When Daniel heard the decree, he went to see King Nebuchadnezzar and said, “O King, why must all the wise men in your kingdom be punished? I serve the true and living God who holds the secrets of all things in His hands. He is able to give the meanings even to forgotten dreams. Only give me time, and God will show me what your dream was and its meaning.”

Then Daniel called his friends together. “We must pray for God to reveal this dream. If He does not, we will be killed with all the other wise men of the land.” That night as Daniel slept, God showed him what the king’s dream was and what it meant. God had heard their prayers!

When Daniel awoke, he was happy because he knew their lives would be spared. Once again God had answered. He hurried to the king’s guard and asked to be taken to the king. The guard did as he asked.

When Daniel told the king what the God of Heaven had shown him about the dream, the king remembered. Yes! Every word that Daniel had said was true! Daniel had told him his dream exactly right!

King Nebuchadnezzar knew that only the true God could have shown Daniel the dream. He wanted to thank Daniel in some special way. So he gave him many gifts, and made him an important ruler in his kingdom. In fact, he became a ruler over all the other rulers and wise men. Daniel had trusted God and God had blessed him for it!

PARENT’S CORNER

The worries and perplexities that face the primary child are very real and troublesome to him, though they may seem insignificant to the adult mind. Your child’s memory verse is a promise that can be a real source of strength. Make it the focus of your time together this week.

Let your child cut a long strip of paper into six pieces that connect with each other like pieces of a puzzle. On each piece, help your child letter a portion of the verse, ending with the Bible reference.

Learn the verse together by assembling the puzzle, a phrase at a time. After this has been done several times, the verse can be mounted to a backing sheet and posted in his room or where he can read it often.

“Daniel, I do not understand why you and your three friends feel you cannot eat this,” said the man in charge of the Israelite students. “It is the best food in our land. The king has said that all of you should eat this food for the next three years. But since it is so important to you, I will make a test. For ten days you may eat only beans or lentils and water, as you have asked. The other students will eat this food, which is the same as the king eats. At the end of the ten days we will see who is stronger and wiser – you and your friends or the others.”

Daniel smiled. He already knew what would happen. God had shown him that he and his friends should not eat the king’s food, even though that was the king’s command. Daniel knew God was pleased with them because they were doing what they knew was right. Even an order from the king could not make them do something that would make God unhappy.

One by one the ten days went by. At every meal, the other students ate delicious meat and fancy foods that were the same as the king’s food. And at every meal, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ate their simple food. Perhaps some of the other students were watching these four young men and wondering if they would pass the test. Were they starting to look thin and pale and hungry? What if they got sick because they weren’t eating enough? That didn’t worry Daniel and his friends at all. They were trusting God and doing their best to obey Him. They knew that He would not fail them.

And they were right! When the ten days had come and gone, the man in charge of the students could see it too. The four young men were in good health. In fact, they looked even healthier than the others! “You may continue to eat as you wish,” he told them.

The three years went by and at last the day came when all the students were to stand before the king. What would his decision be? God had helped Daniel and his friends to be more healthy than all the other students. But would they be as wise? The man in charge of the students brought them in. The king talked to all of them and asked them many difficult questions. He listened carefully to their answers.

The king could see that Daniel and his friends were wiser than all of the other students. The Bible tells us that they were ten times smarter than all the wise men of the land.

God blessed Daniel and his three friends for doing right. He has promised to do the same for us today. Let’s make sure we always choose to do what pleases Him!

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson deals with four boys who took a stand for God. Conversations with your child this week should develop the importance of putting God first in every aspect of his life. Help your child to realize that God blesses when we choose to follow Him. This is an important concept in establishing a good basis for Christian living.

Help him illustrate this idea by making a poster emphasizing this point. Sketch a large block numeral one (1) on a sheet of butcher paper. Let your child cut it out. Mount the numeral on a backing sheet and write across the top, “God Is First.” Inside the numeral, have him draw or paste pictures representing his activities, his friends, the places he goes, etc.

 

FAMILY DEVOTIONS

It was early Sunday morning and three women walked silently toward the tomb where Jesus’ friends had placed His body. Their faces were sad. Their hearts were sad. Their beloved Jesus was dead.

Mary thought back to the day when Jesus had been crucified. She knew she would never forget the pain she felt in her heart as they watched the dear Son of God die on a cross. Even now the tears trickled down her face as she remembered it.

This morning she and Salome and the other Mary had come bringing sweet-smelling spices to put on the body of Jesus. There had been no time to do this on the day that He had died. As they walked toward the tomb, Mary suddenly remembered that soldiers had placed a huge stone in front of the tomb. How would they be able to move it? The stone was so big that even the three of them together would not be strong enough. Perhaps there would be some men around who would help them.

They were near the tomb when Mary stopped in surprise. “Look, Mary, Salome! The stone has already been rolled away,” she said in amazement. It was true. The big stone had been moved over to one side and the tomb was open. Who had done this? Quickly the three women hurried to the entrance and looked inside.

They saw in a moment that the body of Jesus was no longer there. Instead, a young man in a white robe was sitting where Jesus’ body had been laid. It was an angel! Mary and her two friends backed away from him in fear.

But the angel spoke in a gentle voice. “Don’t be afraid,” he told them. “You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.” Then he went on to tell them the most startling news. “He is not here, He is risen!”

The three women looked at each other in amazement. Risen? That meant that Jesus was no longer dead. Could such a wonderful thing really be true?

The angel went on with his message. “Go now and tell His disciples and Peter that He is alive and they will see Him in Galilee.” Mary and the other women quickly obeyed the angel. Their hearts pounded as they hurried away from the tomb.

The announcement the angel made that morning to Mary and her two friends was true. Jesus had risen, just as He had said He would. On that very day He showed Himself to His close friends and helpers. What a special and wonderful day that was for them! But it was a special day for us too. Because Jesus died and rose again, we can live with Him in Heaven someday.

PARENT’S CORNER

You cannot ignore the commercial trappings that surround us at the Easter season. Even if you don’t encourage the Easter bunny myth at your house, your child will hear it from others.

Talk about the symbols of Easter and what they mean. Explain that the signs of new life we see in the spring—flowers, bunnies, chicks, eggs, even new clothes—all remind us of the new life God gave Jesus when He rose from the dead, and the new life that is given to each one who opens his heart to Jesus.

For a special Easter egg hunt, tape small strips of paper on each egg before it is hidden. On the strips write some happy task the finder must do. Here are some suggestions: learn a Bible verse, sing a song about Jesus, give Mom or Dad a hug, say the thank-you prayer at dinner, do something nice for someone.

The sky grew black as night. The earth shook. Jesus was dead! Not even the sun dared to shine, though it was still daytime. Suddenly, the soldiers standing by the cross no longer felt so strong and important. They knew as they watched Jesus die that He really was the Son of God.

Just hours before, Jesus had stood before Pilate, the ruler of the Jewish people. The Jews wanted Pilate to order that Jesus be killed. They were angry because He had told them that He was the Son of God. The Jews did not want to believe Jesus. They said His words were terrible lies.

Pilate listened to all the bad things they said about Jesus. But he could not find any reason to put Jesus to death. No doubt he had heard of the wonderful miracles that Jesus had done. Perhaps he had friends who had been healed by the touch of Jesus’ hand. So Pilate wanted to free Jesus. But when the crowd heard that, they only grew more angry.

“Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” they shouted louder than before. Pilate gave up. He told the soldiers that even though he thought Jesus was innocent, they could take Him away.

The soldiers took Jesus into a big hall. There they made fun of Him. They put a purple robe on His shoulders and a crown of thorns on His head.  They spit at Him and hit Him. They laughed and called Him King of the Jews.

Finally they led Him to a hill called Calvary, just outside the city. There they nailed Jesus’ precious hands and feet to a rough wooden cross. They put His cross between two other crosses. Above His head they hung a sign which read, “This is Jesus the King of the Jews.”

Jesus let them do that to Him. As He hung there on that cross, He even prayed that God would forgive those who hated Him. Can you imagine having love like that?

Many people came out from the city to watch. Some of the people shouted and made fun of our Savior. But Jesus did not get angry. He knew that this was all part of God’s plan.

Jesus suffered an awful lot of pain that day, and finally He died. But He was willing to do that for us—to pay for the sin in our hearts. He needed to die so that His Father in Heaven could forgive the sins of everyone who asked to be forgiven. The price for our salvation was paid by Jesus that day.

What a wonderful thing Jesus did for us! Aren’t you glad He loves each of us so much that He was willing to die for our sin?

PARENT’S CORNER

The details of the crucifixion of Christ must be presented so that the child focuses on the love Jesus showed by giving His life for us.

After reading the Bible text, try to cap­ture some of the feelings surrounding the Crucifixion. Ask each member of the family to share how he thinks the people felt as the event took place.

Look ahead to the joy of the risen Christ. As Easter Sunday draws near, help your child make some special “Jesus Lives” Eas­ter cards. Use stickers, drawings, Bible verses, etc., and make cards that empha­size the Resurrection. Help your child address envelopes and mail his cards to friends or grandparents.

Judith was so happy. Her Uncle Matthew had come to spend a few days with them. He was her favorite uncle. Besides, he told the best stories! He had been a good friend and disciple of Jesus, and he never seemed to get tired of talking about his Lord. And Judith never got tired of listening.

Today the two of them had gone fox a walk together. Judith decided that it was time to have a story. “Uncle Matthew, please tell me about that special supper you had with Jesus, the last one before He died.” Judith loved to hear him tell about that.

“I don’t think I will ever forget that night,” Uncle Matthew began softly, as he sat down on a large rock. He stared off into the blue sky. “It was the time of the Passover feast. Jesus and those of us who were His disciples were eating the supper in a large upper room.

“Jesus picked up some bread, gave thanks, and broke it apart. Then He passed it around to us. I remember how He explained that it represented His body. He said that we should eat it to remind us that He died for us. Then He took a drink from a cup. He passed the cup to each of us and told us that we should drink it to remind us that His Blood was shed for us. We realized it was something very important. He told us to do this often, to help us remember Him and what He did for us.”

Judith closed her eyes, imagining the picture as her uncle spoke. Then she asked, “Did you know what He meant?”

“At that time, we couldn’t fully understand what He meant. You see, we didn’t know that He was going to die the next day. Of course, He knew that. But it wasn’t until after He died and had risen, that we understood what He had been trying to tell us.

“Now when we are together as believers, we repeat what He did. We share some special Passover bread, and take a drink from a cup which we pass around to one another just as He did. It helps us to remember that Jesus died and rose from the grave so our sins could be forgiven. Someday He will come back and take us to Heaven, just as He said He would.”

“That is such a beautiful story, Uncle Matthew,” Judith said softly. “And I am so happy. Do you know why? Father and Mother have said that I may take part in the Lord’s Supper the next time all of you come together for that special time. I believe in Jesus, and I know He lives in my heart.”

“That’s wonderful news, Judith,” her uncle said. “Even though you are young, I know you understand the importance of this. Though you never saw Jesus, He is alive in your heart. And you want to remember what He did for you, just as we do.”

PARENT’S CORNER

This lesson is about the first Lord’s Sup­per. We are told in the Bible that this is to be repeated in remembrance of Jesus.

Talk about remembrances. Show your child an old program for some special event. Talk about how the program is a reminder to you of what happened at that time. A picture album is also a good reminder—it brings to mind things that happened in the past. Explain what happens at a communion service, and relate this to our remembering Christ and His offering His Body for us on the Cross of Calvary.

“I really liked the Bible story you told us today, Teacher,” said Shandy. “I wish I could have been there the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem.” She picked up a pair of scissors and carefully began to cut around her paper palm branch.

“Me too!” Christy agreed, as she chose a pink flower to cut out. “I would have picked every one of Mom’s roses to toss in front of Him! Especially the peach-colored ones. They are my favorite.”

“Yeah, well we don’t have any roses at our house,” said Kevin. “But the Bible says that the people also put clothes down in front of Jesus.” Then he grinned, “I would have even laid my Nike jacket down on the road for Him to walk on!”

Christy laughed and gave him a friendly poke. “Wow! You mean that new one you got for your birthday? I can hardly believe it!”

Kevin nodded. “That’s right! Even my new jacket!”

Their Sunday school teacher smiled. “I can tell that all of you would have entered right in. I know just how you feel. It would have been great to have been there! Just think how happy we would be if we heard that Jesus was coming here today. Imagine how excited those people were when they heard He was coming into their city!”

“Well, I sure would have been!” Christy said, waving the pink flower she had just finished. “It would have been so exciting to praise Him and sing ‘Hosanna’ with all the other kids.”

“We can’t see Jesus in real life like those people did,” her teacher told her, “but we can praise Jesus anyway. Jesus hears your praises just like He heard those of the children in that day. When you sing your Sunday school songs with all your heart, it makes Him so happy! Can you children think of some other ways you can praise Him?”

“I know a way! We can tell our friends about Him,” Shandy said, “and invite them to Sunday school and church! Jesus wants everyone to know about Him.”

“How about when we pray?” asked Kevin. “Isn’t that a time when we praise God? When I pray, I always say, ‘Thank You,’ for all the good things He does for me.”

“That’s right, Kevin. Prayer is a very important time for praising God,” his teacher agreed. “Christy, can you think of something?”

“We can be good and listen in Sunday school,” suggested Christy. “He can see that we are trying to honor Him when we act right.”

“That’s good too! These are great ideas you children have thought of,” their teacher said. “You see, we can praise and honor Jesus in our day too!”

PARENT’S CORNER

In your time together with your child, discuss the meaning of the word praise. Talk about how the people rejoiced and sang praises to Jesus as He rode triumphantly into Jerusalem.

Explain that although we do not see Jesus in bodily form as those people did, we can still praise Him. Help your child make a list of the ways we can praise God: praying, singing, witnessing, etc.

Post your child’s list on the refrigerator or someplace where he will see it often. Whenever he has an opportunity to praise the Lord in one of these ways, color a small star or heart beside the item on the list. At the end of the week, count up the number of stars he has received. Does he think he has praised the Lord enough?

 

Continue reading “Primary Pals: Lesson 07a – Victory for Us”

Susie checked her new skis and backpack over and over again. Everything was in order and had been packed for days.

She and her best friend Amy were now in the fourth grade, and this was the first year that they would be going on the Junior Ski Trip. She could hardly wait!

“Mom, is it time to go yet?” she asked for the third time.

“Yes, Dear,” her mother smiled, “the van should be here any moment now.”

When the van finally came she ran out the door as quickly as she could. She was so excited, she almost forgot to say goodbye to her mother!

Soon they arrived at the church where everyone was to meet. They would all ride to the mountain together on the big bus.

Susie looked all around for Amy. She wanted to be sure they could sit together on the bus. But Amy wasn’t there yet! Susie found Brother Bob, who was to have picked up Amy.

“Where’s Amy?” she asked.

“Well,” he answered, “Amy’s mom said she wasn’t ready yet. She told us not to hold up the whole van load of kids to wait for Amy. Her mom said she would bring Amy here to the church if she got ready in time.” He looked at his watch. “But she has only four more minutes. The bus will leave at 8:00 sharp.”

Susie asked Brother Bob if he wouldn’t please wait for just a few extra minutes. She was sure Amy would be there soon.

“Amy and I have been talking about this ski trip for so long. She really wants to go this year,” said Susie. “Please wait just five more minutes.”

Brother Bob did have the bus driver wait for a little bit. But the other kids were anxious to go so the driver finally started the bus and drove away.

A few minutes later Amy’s mom drove her into the parking lot of the church.

“Did I make it?” asked Amy. “Where’s the bus? Where are all the other kids?” But Amy knew that she hadn’t been on time.

Amy had known about this ski trip for a long time. She knew that Susie had started getting ready days before. Amy cried and cried. She thought, Why didn’t I start getting ready while there was still time?

You would feel as unhappy as Amy did if you missed an important trip because you weren’t ready, wouldn’t you? But do you know the most important trip that you must get ready for? It is the trip to Heaven. You must love Jesus more than anything else and do what He wants you to do. Then you will be ready to meet Him.

Be sure you are ready in time!

PARENT’S CORNER

If you have access to an old-fashioned lamp with a wick, it will make a perfect illustration for your discussion of this week’s lesson. Show your child how the lamp works, focusing on why fuel is necessary. Experiment with what happens when the fuel is removed. Point out that the lamp is still good. Everything is in working order but, without the fuel, it is of no use as a light.

Help your child make a list—either by writing the words or drawing pictures of all the items in your house and yard that require fuel to operate.

The man was lying by the road. His eyes were closed. Oh, he was hurting so much he couldn’t even raise his head off the ground! Why wouldn’t someone stop to help him?

A long time had passed since those awful men had beaten him up. He had been traveling from Jerusalem to the city of Jericho, minding his own business, when all of a sudden they had attacked him! They had taken all of his money and left him lying by the side of the road. They thought he was dead. It seemed that his body ached in a thousand places! He couldn’t even walk.

Just then he heard a sound. Someone was coming. Maybe this person will help me, he thought. Then, again, maybe he won’t. No one else had stopped when they saw him. This one might not help either.

Two people had gone right by him. One of those people was a priest. The man had been sure the priest would stop to help him. Priests were supposed to help people. But when the priest had seen the hurt man, he walked over to the other side of the road!

The other man who had passed by was a Levite. He had come over and looked at the hurt man, then just walked away!

Why had they crossed over to the other side of the road? Why wouldn’t they help him? Were they afraid he would hurt them?

This next person was different. He did stop! He was a man from Samaria. He hurried to where the injured man lay. He knelt beside him and asked, “My friend, what has happened to you?”

In moments, he had taken ointment from his pack and had bathed the cuts and bruises. He carefully bandaged the hurt man’s wounds. Then, he set him on his donkey and took him into town.

He found an inn where the hurt man could stay. He took care of him for the night. In the morning he had to leave so he asked the innkeeper to please take care of the hurt man until he was well. He gave the innkeeper some of his own money and told him he would give him more, if needed, when he came back!

Jesus told this story to a young lawyer who had asked Him, “Who is my neighbor?” Which of the men do you think was the hurt man’s neighbor, or true friend? Was it the priest, was it the Levite, or was it the Samaritan?

That’s right. It was the Samaritan. Because he was so kind, we sometimes call him the Good Samaritan!

In the Bible, Jesus tells us that we should be like the Good Samaritan. When we see someone who needs help, we should always do what we can to help him. We should do things for others just as we would want them to do for us.

PARENT’S CORNER

This week, as you talk about the Good Samaritan’s example of love and caring, fo­cus on ways we can show love by helping others. Let your child make a “Helping Oth­ers” poster. Give him several magazines in which to find pictures of people who are helping others.

For a family project, write the name of each family member on a separate slip of paper, and put the slips in a bowl. Have each person draw a name, and keep that name a secret. Each day during the follow­ing week, secret helpers are to help the per­son whose name they drew without his finding out. For instance, they could shine his shoes or make his bed.

After Carol left the store and got into her car, she opened the packet of pictures she had just picked up. She was happy to see that they had all turned out well. This picture of my Sunday school class is very nice, she thought. I’ll have prints made for all of the children’s scrapbooks. As she looked at that picture she began to think about how different the children were from each other.

There was Jan, gazing up at the ceiling. She is such a character, Carol thought with a sigh. She never sits still, and hardly ever listens. I wonder what more I can do to help her learn about Jesus? She just doesn’t seem to be interested.

Next to Jan was John. Two years ago John had prayed and asked Jesus to come into his heart and make him a Christian. He had loved Sunday school so much and never missed. But last year he had begun to miss Sunday school once in a while. He wasn’t learning his memory verses like he used to. And just a few weeks ago John quit coming. Carol had gone to his home to visit him and to see if there was anything wrong. But John told her he wasn’t saved any more and didn’t want to go to Sunday school. It had made Carol so sad to hear that.

Then, there was Benji. He came to Sunday school only now and then. He always had some reason why he was too busy. Fishing, watching television, or playing ball were all a lot more important to him than learning about Jesus. He told Carol he had only come to Sunday school the day of the picture-taking because he liked to have his picture taken. He seemed to think more of himself than of anything else.

The last three in the picture were Tom, Mike, and Pammy. They were all Christians. They loved to hear the Bible stories. They listened when Carol told them about Jesus.

Carol laid the picture down and said a little prayer. “Thank You, Jesus, for my Sunday school class. Please help me to teach each child about You. Help them to be good listeners so that they will know that You really love them. Amen.”

In the Bible, there is a story that Jesus told about a man who planted seed – the Sower and the Seed. The seeds fell onto four different kinds of ground. The sower was like a teacher who tells about Jesus’ love. Each kind of ground was like the heart of a person who listens to the Word of God. How many different kinds of “listeners” can you find in Carol’s class? What kind of listener are you?

PARENT’S CORNER

After reading this lesson’s Bible text with your child, let him illustrate the four types of soil. Divide a piece of paper into four equal sections. Give your child some seeds (popcorn or beans) to glue on each section. Then let him draw around the seeds to show what happened to each because of the type of ground in which it was planted.

Talk about what we can do to be sure our hearts are “good soil,” receptive to the teachings of the Word of God.

John 10:11-15; Psalm 23

Do you know what a shepherd is? A shepherd is someone who takes care of sheep. A good shepherd loves the mommy and daddy sheep and every one of the little lambs too. He watches over them all through the bright, sunny days. He takes good care of them all through the cold, dark nights.

A good shepherd counts his sheep carefully to make sure all of them are staying right with him. One, two, three … Yes, they are all there! He knows that if one of the sheep wanders away it will be frightened. He doesn’t want his sheep ever to be afraid.

When it is time for his sheep to eat, a good shepherd looks all around to find the best eating places where the grass is green and tall. He leads them by the cool streams where they can take a good, long drink of fresh water. He knows that sheep get thirsty too.

If his sheep get scratched on some thorns, a good shepherd takes care of all the sore places. He feels so sorry when one of his sheep gets hurt, and he always knows just how to make it feel better.

Sheep sometimes get tired, and then they need to lie down and take a rest. A good shepherd knows that, so he finds a safe place for them to sleep.

A good shepherd loves to watch his sheep. He laughs when the little lambs jump and play in the wildflowers. He knows the name of each one. He speaks to them gently, and all of his sheep know his voice. They come when he calls, because they love their good shepherd.

Sometimes there may be danger near, but the sheep are not afraid because their good shepherd is always watching. He makes sure that no big, hungry animal comes near his sheep. They are always safe when they are in the shepherd’s care.

Did you know that we are like sheep? And we have a good Shepherd too – the very best Shepherd of all. The Bible tells us that our good Shepherd is Jesus. He takes care of us just the way a good shepherd takes care of his sheep.

Jesus watches over us day and night. He doesn’t want us to be afraid of anything, so He stays close beside us. He makes sure that we have food to eat and everything else that we need. He promises to be with us always and keep us from danger.

Why does Jesus do all these things for us? For the same reason that a good shepherd watches over his sheep. He does it because He wants us to be safe and happy.

Remember that sheep know and love their good shepherd. Do you know Jesus? Do you love Him? He loves you.

PARENT’S CORNER

This week, read any information you can locate about shepherds—both present-day and those of ancient times. Discuss with your child what responsibilities a shepherd has, and what a good shepherd would be like.

If you have a pet at home, compare the care of a shepherd for his sheep to the care your child gives to his pet. Beyond supply­ing physical necessities, what else should the owner of a pet provide? Does he think a shepherd would also provide this?

Explain the shepherd’s concern for his sheep by talking about how a child feels when his pet is hurt or lost.

Forty days and forty nights is a long time to go without eating any food! That’s how long Jesus had been praying in the wilderness. And He hadn’t eaten at all!

He had gone to the desert wilderness right after He was baptized by John the Baptist. Now He was very hungry.

When the devil saw this he thought, I will tempt Jesus and make Him do as I say. If I can get Him to obey me I will be better than God.

He went to Jesus and said, “If You are really the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into bread.” He thought that if Jesus was hungry enough He would do anything to get some food.

Instead of doing what the devil said, Jesus repeated a verse from the Bible. It says that people do not live just by bread. They need the Word of God also.

The devil wasn’t very happy about Jesus’ answer. He couldn’t argue with it though, because he knew it was true. But he wasn’t ready to give up yet. He then took Jesus to a high part of the Temple.

He decided to repeat a verse from the Bible too. “If You are really the Son of God, throw Yourself down to the ground,” he told Jesus. “Because it is written in the Bible that God will send His angels to take care of You.”

Jesus told him, “The Word of God says you should not tempt the Lord your God.” He knew that God knew what was best for Him and would take care of Him.

By this time the devil was very unhappy. But he decided to try once more to make Jesus obey him. He took Jesus to the top of a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world. The devil said, “I promise to give all of these to You, Jesus, if You will just fall down and worship me.”

Jesus knew that the devil could not be strong against the Word of God. So, for the third time, He repeated a verse from the Bible to defeat him. “God’s Word says that we should worship only the Lord God in Heaven and we should serve only Him.”

Then the devil left Jesus, because he knew that he couldn’t be strong when someone repeated God’s Word to him.

After the devil was gone, God sent angels to take care of Jesus.

Do you know what we can learn from this story in the Bible? It is that God loves us and will always care for us. That is why He gave us the Bible, His Word. So, if the devil ever comes to tell you to do something wrong, remember to say what Jesus said. He is our example. You can always win against the devil if you use God’s Word!

PARENT’S CORNER

Temptations on a child’s level are very different from the temptations that come to adults, and yet they are very real. Try to help your child understand that temptations can be overcome. Explain to your child how he can use memory verses from God’s Word to help him do right when a suggestion to do wrong is made.

Compare the protection of God’s Word to an open umbrella. Tape some words representing temptations (disobey, be unkind, say harsh words, etc.) onto Ping-Pong balls or balls of wadded paper. Allow your child to use the umbrella as a shield while you toss the balls in his direction. Point out that if he is alert and uses the umbrella, you can’t hit him. In the same way, God’s Word can be a shield.

 

“Look at all the people! Where are they going?” I asked.

Ruth looked at me in surprise. “Haven’t you heard? The man they call John the Baptist is preaching out at the Jordan River again today. I am going there to hear him. Would you like to go with me?”

I really wanted to go and see this man, John. I had heard a lot about him. People said he ate locusts and wild honey, and he didn’t have any fancy clothes. He just dressed in clothing made of camel’s hair!

So that was how it came to be that I went with Ruth to the Jordan River that day. And there I saw something I will never forget.

“Repent!” John the Baptist was telling the people. “Get ready for God’s Kingdom!”

Soon, some of the people in the crowd moved into the water. These were people who wanted to do God’s will and follow Him. They had told God they were sorry for all their sins. John lowered the people, one by one, into the water. When he brought them back out of the water they were very happy because they had been baptized by John.

John told the people about God’s Kingdom but he also told them about Jesus. These people thought that John was a great person. But he said that Jesus was much greater than he was. Why, he told them that he wasn’t even good enough to carry Jesus’ shoes!

Suddenly John stopped talking. He looked beyond the crowd of people. A Man walked down to the river, past all the people, and into the water next to John. There was something special about this Man. When He asked John to baptize Him, John said, “Oh, I couldn’t do that! Jesus, You are greater than I am. I need to be baptized by You. Why are You asking me to baptize You?”

Again Jesus spoke to John and said, “You must baptize Me now. For it is right that we do all that God says we should do.”

I heard a woman say, “This is the Man named Jesus. He is the One John has been talking about!” Everyone was so excited!

Then John lowered Jesus into the water. When they came up out of the water a wonderful feeling was in the air. Everyone could feel the Spirit of God when a beautiful white dove flew down from the sky and came to rest upon Jesus.

Everything became very quiet. Then from out of Heaven we all heard a Voice, the Voice of God, saying “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

I will never forget that wonderful day, the day I saw John the Baptist baptize God’s own Son.

PARENT’S CORNER

This week, look ahead to Sunday’s lesson by talking about all the things we learn by example. Make a list on a marker board or a large piece of paper, and post the list where it can be easily added to as more suggestions come to mind: tying a shoe, making a bed, setting the table, etc.

Talk about how Jesus set an example for us by His being baptized in water. Look up the word “baptize” in the dictionary and discuss its meaning. Help your child to understand that baptism is one way we tell those around us that we have a new life in Christ.

MONDAY: Luke 3:16

TUESDAY: Luke 1:76

WEDNESDAY: Isaiah 40:3

THURSDAY: John 1:23

FRIDAY: Mark 1:10-11

SATURDAY: John 1:15

“Joseph!” cried Mary, “I can’t find Jesus! Oh, where can He be?”

Everyone in the group was tired from the long journey. They were returning home from the city of Jerusalem where they had gone to celebrate the Feast of the Passover. And now they couldn’t find Jesus!

“Mary, Jesus is twelve years old now, so don’t worry. He’ll be all right. He’s probably just visiting with another group of travelers,” said Joseph.

They searched for Jesus among the other people, but no one had seen Him all day! Soon, Joseph began to be worried too. So he and Mary decided to go back to the city of Jerusalem.

They searched the city for a long time before they finally found Him in the Temple.

“Joseph, there He is!” Mary’s voice was full of relief. “He is sitting in the middle of that group of men. They are the elders of the Temple church!”

Joseph gave a deep sign of relief. The long hours of searching for their missing Son were over. “I am so thankful,” he said. “We searched everywhere on our way back into Jerusalem, and then all this time around the city. I couldn’t think where we would look next.” His voice sounded shaky. He swallowed hard, and then went on. “Let us go and speak with Him. Why did He stay here in the Temple?”

Together Mary and Joseph hurried toward the group of men. They planned to take Jesus away from the group and start right away on their journey home. Mary wondered what the elders were telling her Son. He looked so young, sitting there with them.

Jesus didn’t even look up as they came near. Mary said to Joseph, “He looks so interested in what the elders are saying He doesn’t even see us.” But as they came closer to the group she realized the truth. Jesus was not only listening to the elders but He was also talking to them and asking questions! And the elders of the Temple were listening to Him! They were interested in all He said.

Mary went up to Jesus and laid her hand gently on His shoulder. “Son, why have You done this to us? Your father and I have been so worried as we looked for You.”

Jesus told Mary and Joseph that He was doing the work of His Father in Heaven. But they did not understand what He meant.

Then it was time for all of them to leave Jerusalem again. This time Jesus went with them. They returned to their home in the city of Nazareth. And for a long time, Mary thought about the words Jesus had said: “I must be doing the work of my Father.”

PARENT’S CORNER

A good way to really zero in on this week’s lesson might be to help your child stage the events described in the text, using Playmobil or Fisher-Price figures, or some other small dolls. Improvise props such as a road (long strip of brown paper or cloth) and the Temple (made from a shoe box). As you plan a dialogue, help your child to think about what kind of questions and answers were exchanged between Jesus and the Temple elders.

Arrange a special time for your child to put on his presentation for other family members.

SUNDAY: Luke 2:52

MONDAY: Psalm 122:1

TUESDAY: Psalm 26:8

WEDNESDAY: Psalm 27:4

THURSDAY: Psalm 65:4

FRIDAY: John 4:34

SATURDAY: 1 Peter 2:2

Pure gold! Wonderful-smelling frankincense and myrrh! What precious gifts the Wise Men had brought. Yes, it had really happened! Wise Men from the east had been in their home. Now, it was all over. The Wise Men were on their way home. These treasures and memories were the only things left to remind Joseph and Mary of that special visit.

The little family was tired from the excitement of the day. They settled down for a good night’s rest.

Joseph awoke suddenly. He rubbed his eyes. Just moments ago an angel had visited Joseph in a dream. The message he gave was urgent. Joseph thought, There is no time to lose! Quickly he lit the oil lamp and shook Mary from her sleep.

“Mary!” he whispered. “An angel came with a message from God. We must leave this city of Bethlehem right away. King Herod is going to try to kill our little Jesus.”

Startled, Mary sat up. Her eyes were filled with fear. “Joseph, what can we do? Where can we go?”

“The angel said we must go to Egypt,” Joseph replied. “We are to stay there until the angel brings us word that it is safe to return.”

Mary quickly folded the covers from the bed and began gathering their few belongings.

Joseph helped her to wrap carefully the gifts that they had received from the Wise Men. He thought of God’s wonderful care. God knew they would need money for the journey and their stay in Egypt. How wonderfully He had provided—even ahead of time!

Walking to the open doorway, he looked out into the still night. Everything was quiet in the streets. No one would see them leave. Joseph did not know what would happen to them on this journey, but he was not afraid. God had always been very near to them.

Mary came to Joseph’s side with the sleeping child in her arms. They were ready to go. Together they walked to the donkey, and Mary once again settled herself on its back. She thought about the journey from Nazareth before Jesus was born.

Joseph gently laid Jesus into Mary’s arms. Like the star guiding the Wise Men, God led the little family until, at last, they reached Egypt.

After they had lived in Egypt for a while, the angel visited them again. This time it was with the good news that it was safe for them to return to Israel. The wicked King Herod had died.

When they reached the land of Israel they went to live in the city of Nazareth. How happy they were to be home once again!

PARENT’S CORNER

Set up a game with your child to illustrate the importance of listening to God and trusting Him to care for us. Pick out several objects which will stand for danger—a wastebasket, chair, pillow, etc. Blindfold your child and explain that you are going to place these objects at various places around the room. Then you will direct him verbally through the room, helping him not to touch any of the “danger spots.”

Talk about how you had to keep your eyes on him as you gave directions, and liken this to God’s watching over us at all times. Then discuss why it is important for your child to listen and obey.

 

 

Look at all the stars! Joel thought to himself as he lay on the quiet Judean hillside. There must be a million of them, he guessed. They looked like tiny lights sparkling in the heavens.

The other shepherds were gathered around a small campfire, quietly talking as their sheep rested contentedly nearby.

Joel closed his eyes. The night was so peaceful. He slept for a few moments; then suddenly became wide awake and sat up instantly!

His heart was pounding so hard he thought it would burst from his body! Could he be dreaming? Just moments ago he had been looking at a sky full of twinkling stars. And now, the sky above was filled with light.

As he stared in fear, the light shifted and a shining form became clear. Surely this was an angel!

Even as that thought went through Joel’s mind, a beautiful voice spoke out, “Fear not!”

Joel’s fear left as quickly as it had come. In its place there was a feeling of wonder. God Himself was sending a message to man and he was hearing it!

“Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour. . .”

That city was Bethlehem! That’s where I live, thought Joel. He didn’t move as the angel went on to tell them that the baby would be found wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Suddenly, the whole sky was filled with angels praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” The sound was so beautiful!

As the shepherds listened, their hearts filled with joy. They were excited at the wonderful news they had heard.

Soon the angels were gone, and all was quiet once again. For many moments, Joel and the other shepherds sat in silence. They could hardly believe the things they had just seen and heard.

Then they said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and find the baby. The angel said we would know it was Him because He would be wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

“Hurry! Let’s go!”

“Yes!” Joel said excitedly, “Let’s go!”

They headed for Bethlehem and soon found the stable. Quietly they walked inside and knew right away they had found Baby Jesus. There was a man, with a young woman nearby, gazing down into a manger of hay. The shepherds saw the tiny baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, fast asleep.

As they knelt quietly beside the manger, the shepherds worshiped the newborn King. Their Savior had come at last.

PARENT’S CORNER

Discuss with your child how the shepherds must have felt the night they heard the heavenly choir sing about Christ’s birth. Make a paper chain of angels to help him learn this week’s memory verse. Accordion pleat a long strip of paper, making eight sections approximately three inches wide. On the top section, draw a simple outline of an angel, making sure wing tips and sides of skirt touch both sides of the folded paper. Help your child cut out the shape, leaving the parts on the fold uncut. When unfolded, write the words of the memory verse on the skirts of the angels.

Help your child hang the strip of angels above a mirror or across the top of a doorway.

 

 

 

 

 

Clip, clop, clip, clop. The dust-covered donkey plodded steadily on, not knowing what a precious burden it carried on its back.

The journey had been long and Mary was very tired. But at last they arrived in Bethlehem. She rested on the donkey as Joseph looked for a place where they could stay. Oh, how good to have the traveling behind them for now and just sit still in the evening air.

“Mary . . .” Joseph gently touched his wife. Her weary eyes opened. “Mary, I have found a place.” His low voice could not hide his relief. “It is true, every inn in all of Bethlehem is full. But the innkeeper here says we may use the stable in the back.” He gathered up the reins of the donkey.

“It is well, Joseph,” Mary answered him softly.

Something in her voice made Joseph stop. He looked closely at her sweet face. “Mary, is it time?”

She nodded. “Yes, Joseph. The child will soon be born.”

As Joseph led the donkey toward the stable, he thought about the reason they had made this long, hard journey. Caesar had said that everyone had to pay taxes. And to do that, they all had to go back to the city where their families were from. That meant a lot of people had to travel a long way. But it had to be done. It was an order!

He thought back to the night when, in a dream, the angel had told him that Mary was to be the mother of God’s Son, Jesus. Now it was time for this special Child to be born! But would He be born here, in a stable? He thought about these things as he helped Mary off the donkey.

They walked together into the stable. Mary found a comfortable place where she could lie down and rest. The hay smelled fresh and sweet. It felt soft and comforting to her after such a long ride.

Joseph stood looking at his wife, concern showing in his face.

“Do not be afraid, Joseph.” Her voice held a note of wonder. “If Jesus is born in this place, then that is part of God’s plan. We don’t need to worry. God’s ways are right.”

So, in the still of the night, while the rest of the world was asleep, Baby Jesus was born.

Joseph looked with wonder at the tiny bundle he held in his arms.

The Son of God, he thought. Here in my arms is the living proof of God’s love for man! His heart filled with joy as he wrapped the newborn baby and cradled Him gently in the manger.

PARENT’S CORNER

Christmas is a time for music, a time for singing about our Savior. Fill your home with the sounds of carols, and take time to make sure your child understands their meanings. Sing together the songs he has been learning for the Sunday school Christmas program.

Help your child make a musical “instrument” that can be jingled to the rhythms of the Christmas carols. Tie jingle bells onto a paper plate with pieces of yarn. Let your child decorate the center of the plate with pictures cut from cards or wrapping paper. Staple or tape a loop of heavy paper to the back for a handle.

 

SUNDAY: Luke 2:7

MONDAY: Luke 2:11

TUESDAY: Micah 5:2

WEDNESDAY: Galatians 4:4-5

THURSDAY: Isaiah 9:6

FRIDAY: Matthew 1:22-23

SATURDAY: Luke 1:32

The camels plodded majestically over the desert sand and up and down sloping hills. No sand was too hot, no hill too high for the Wise Men riding on the camels’ backs. They were determined to find the newborn King. He truly must be a great King because they had seen His special star in the sky. It was beautiful, so brilliant and unlike any they had ever seen before. It seemed like a lantern lighting a dark pathway.

Finally, they told the camels to stop. They had entered the city of Jerusalem. We must be getting close, they thought. A King could easily be born in a city such as this.

They began to ask people where they could find the child, born to be King of the Jews.

Someone told King Herod about the Wise Men questioning the people. He asked some priests and scribes if they knew where this new King was to be born. They told Herod of the prophecy that said Christ would be born in Bethlehem. Then he called the Wise Men to him and told them to search for the new King in Bethlehem.

So, they started out once again to look for the young child. And, again, the star was leading them.

When they came to the village called Bethlehem the star stopped and shone over a little house.

That was a surprise! No castle? No royal palace? Still, this is where the star had led them. They climbed off their camels, carefully unpacked their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and went to knock on the door.

Joseph and Mary, inside the house, had no idea they were about to be visited by such great men. Joseph heard the knocking and opened the door. And there stood some of the most important looking men he had ever seen. Their clothing showed that they were rich. He knew they must be very great. Mary stood back and held Jesus in her arms, wondering what this was all about.

“Forgive us for disturbing you,” the men said to Joseph, “but is there a young child living here? We have been following a special star to find the child, born King of the Jews! The star is no longer moving so we think we must have found the place where He lives.”

Joseph did not seem to find the Wise Men’s words strange. He glanced at the gifts they held in their hands. Then he looked at their faces. “Yes, Jesus lives here,” he said as he opened the door wide and motioned for them to enter.

Then they saw Jesus in His mother’s arms. And, as they knelt to worship God’s Son, they knew that every long and weary mile of the journey had been rewarded!

PARENT’S CORNER

This week, direct your child’s attention to the stars. If there is a clear night, bundle up and go out to view the many stars in the sky. Look at pictures of stars in books or an encyclopedia. Count how many stars you can find on the Christmas cards you have received. Do you put a star on your Christmas tree or wrap gifts in paper decorated with stars? Relate all of these to the miracle star followed by the Wise Men.

Cut out a large star, and on each point print one of the following references: Matthew 2:1-2; Luke 1:28; Luke 2:7; Luke 2:8; Luke 2:13. Stick a tack or pin through the middle of the star. Let your child spin the star, then draw a picture of the scene represented by the point that stops closest to him.

Continue reading “Primary Pals: Lesson 04a – Message from an Angel”

 

 

Parent’s Corner

 

Parent’s Corner

 

 

Parent’s Corner

 

Parent’s Corner

 

Parent’s Corner

 

Parent’s Corner

Parent’s Corner

LESSON ACTIVITY

 

Parent’s Corner

Parent’s Corner

FAMILY DEVOTIONS

Verses to help your child understand this Bible lesson.

Parent’s Corner

FAMILY DEVOTIONS

Verses to help your child understand this Bible lesson.

Parent’s Corner

FAMILY DEVOTIONS

Verses to help your child understand this Bible lesson.

 

Parent’s Corner

FAMILY DEVOTIONS

Verses to help your child understand this Bible lesson.

Parent’s Corner

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