Jesus Chooses Some Followers

Matthew 4:18-22

     Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee.  He saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Simon’s brother Andrew.  The brothers were fishermen, and they were fishing in the lake with a net.  Jesus said, “Come follow me.  I will make you fishermen for men.”  At once Simon and Andrew left their nets and followed him.

     Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee.  He saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee.  They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets to catch fish.  Jesus told them to come with him.  At once they left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.

Discussion Questions

• What did Jesus say to the fishermen?  “Come. Follow me. I will make you fishers of people.”
• What did the fishermen do? They left their boats and followed Jesus. Their names were Peter, Andrew, James and John.
• What did Jesus teach his disciples? He taught them about God’s love.

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for Jesus’ disciples. Please help us to be like the disciples and tell everyone what God has done for us.

Amen.

Bible Verse for February

’Come, follow me.’  Jesus said.”             Matthew 4:19

Singing: We Can Be a Follower

Tune: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”

We can be a follower, follower, follower,

We can be a follower, of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I can be a follower, of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Insert name) can be a follower, of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I can be a follower, follower, follower,

(Insert name) can be a follower, follower, follower,

(Repeat with the name of each family member.)

Activity: Follow the Leader

Play a game of Follow the Leader.  Have fun with it.  Walk anywhere in or out of your house.  Be sure to do silly activities with it (such as walk like a duck, tip toe, walk like a dinosaur, do some jumping jacks — have fun with it!).

Take turns and let each family member have the opportunity to be the leader.

When you are finished with the game, talk about the Bible Story you just read and how Jesus’ friends followed his teachings.

Woman at the Well

John 4:3-15, 19-30

In Samaria Jesus came to the town called Sychar. This town is near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from his long trip. So he sat down beside the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to get some water. Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” (This happened while Jesus’ followers were in town buying some food.)

The woman said, “I am surprised that you asked me for a drink. You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan.” (Jews are not friends with Samaritans.)

Jesus said, “You don’t know what God gives. And you don’t know who asked you for a drink. If you knew, you would have asked me, and I would have given you living water.”

The woman said, “Sir, where will you get that living water? The well is very deep, and you have nothing to get water with. Are you greater than Jacob, our father? Jacob is the one who gave us this well. He drank from it himself. Also, his sons and flocks drank from this well.”

Jesus answered, “Every person who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. The water I give will become a spring of water flowing inside him. It will give him eternal life.”

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water. Then I will never be thirsty again. And I will not have to come back here to get more water.”

Then the woman said, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain. But you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where people must worship.”

Jesus said, “Believe me, woman. The time is coming when you will not have to be in Jerusalem or on this mountain to worship the Father. You Samaritans worship what you don’t understand. We Jews understand what we worship. Salvation comes from the Jews. The time  is coming when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. That time is now here. And these are the kinds of worshippers the Father wants. God in spirit. Those who worship God must worship in spirit and truth.

The woman said, “I know that the Messiah is coming.” (Messiah is the One called Christ.)  “When the Messiah comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus said, “He is talking to you now. I am he.”

Just then his followers came back from town. They were surprised because they saw Jesus talking with a woman. But none of them asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking to her?”

Then the woman left her water jar and went back to town. She said to the people, “A man told me everything I have ever done. Come see him. Maybe he is the Christ!” So the people left the town and went to see Jesus.

Discussion Questions

• Who did Jesus ask to get a drink of water for him? A Samaritan woman at the well.
• Why was the woman surprised? Because Jesus was a Jew and Jews and Samaritans were not friends.
• Who did the woman think Jesus was?  A prophet, not the Messiah or the Christ.
• Who did Jesus tell her he was? That he is the Messiah.
• What did the woman do? She ran back to town and told the people to go see Jesus.

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for the story of the woman at the well, and that she told others about your son Jesus. Please help us to tell others about you too.

Amen

Bible Verse for February

“’Come, follow me.’  Jesus said.”          Matthew 4:19

Activity

Simple Science: Mixing Oil and Water

Materials:

• Transparent jar with a lid or clear  soft drink bottle
• Vegetable oil
• Water

Guide Your Child To:

• Help put water into the jar until it’s about one-fourth full.
• Add vegetable oil until the jar is half full.
• Put the lid on the jar.
• Take turns shaking the jar. Try to mix the oil and water. Observe what happens after each person shakes it.

Talk About:

• Do you think oil and water will mix?
• What happens when the jar is still for one minute?
• Who made water? Who made oil?
• What do people use water for? What  do people use oil for? (People in Bible Times used oil for making light in their lamps)
• How did the people in our story use water? 

Jesus Love the Little Children

Jesus Welcomes Children Matthew 19: 13-15

Then the people brought their little children to Jesus so that he could put his hands on them and pray for them. When his followers saw this, they told the people to stop bringing their children to Jesus. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are like these children.” After Jesus put his hands on the children, he left there.

Jesus Accepts Children Mark 10:13-16

Some people brought their small children to Jesus so he could touch them. But his followers told the people to stop bringing their children to him. When Jesus saw this, he was displeased. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them. The kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these little children. I tell you the truth. You must accept the kingdom of God as a little child accepts things, or you will never enter it.” Then Jesus took the children in his arms. He put his hands on them and blessed them.

Who Will Enter God’s Kingdom? Luke 18:15-17

Some people brought their small children to Jesus so that he could touch them. When the followers saw this, they told the people not to do this. But Jesus called the little children to him and said to his followers, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these little children. I tell you the truth. You must accept God’s kingdom like a little child, or you will never enter it!”

Discussion Questions

• Who welcomed the children to him?   Jesus!
• Who tried to keep the children from coming to Jesus? His followers.
• Who did Jesus say the kingdom of God belongs to? People who believe in God  like the little children

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for the story of Jesus Loves the Little Children.  Thank you for teaching us to love you  with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Amen.

Bible Verse for February

“Come follow me; Jesus said.”      Matthew 4:19

Activity

Science: Will It Last?

Materials:

• A variety of objects that can be handled by children (objects that do not last a long time; for example: a banana or another kind of fruit, a small toy, sock, toothbrush, etc.)
• Empty pillowcase

Guide Your Child To:

• One at a time, pull out an object from the pillowcase
• Touch and feel the object, then pass it around to other family members

Talk About:

• Will this object last forever? What will happen to it someday?
• How about God’s love? Will it last forever? God will NEVER stop loving you — God’s love does last forever!
• How did God show his love in our story?