Paul Tells About Jesus

Acts 16:9-15 

That night Paul had a vision. In the vision, a man from Macedonia came to him. The man stood there and begged, “Come over to Macedonia. Help us!”

       

After Paul had seen the vision, we immediately prepared to leave for Macedonia. We understood that God had called us to tell the Good News to those people.

We left Troas in a ship, and we sailed to Neapolis. Then we went by land to Philippi, the leading city in that part of Macedonia. It is also a Roman colony. We stayed there for several days.

On the Sabbath day, we went outside the city gate to the river. There we thought we would find a special place for prayer. Some women had gathered there, so we sat down and talked with them.

There was a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira. Her job was selling purple cloth. She worshiped the true God.  The Lord opened her mind to pay attention to what Paul was saying.

She and all the people in her house were baptized. Then Lydia invited us to her home. She said, “If you think I am truly a believer in the Lord, then come stay in my house.”

And she persuaded us to stay with her.

Discussion Questions

• Where did Paul and the other disciples go? Macedonia
• Who did they meet in Macedonia? Lydia
• What happened to Lydia and all the people in her household? They were baptized.
• Then what did Lydia do? She invited Paul and the other disciples to stay with her.

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for the story of Paul telling others about you. Thank you for Lydia believing in you and for being a good friend to Paul. Amen.

Bible Verse for April

““Tell the good news about Jesus.”      Acts 8:35

Activites

Action Rhymes: Ten Little Friends

Materials:

• A pen or felt-tip marker

Guide Your Child To:

• Draw smiley faces on each of your child’s fingers
• Have him hold up all his fingers as you sing this song:

One little, two little, three little friends,

Four little, five little, six little friends,

Seven little, eight little, nine little friends,

Ten little very kind friends.

Talk About:

• Who was a friend in this story?
• What happened?

Art Center: Purple Collages

Materials:

• Bible
• Purple collage materials (scrap paper, yarn, fabric scraps, etc.)
• Magazines
• Scissors
• Glue
• Construction paper
• Purple markers
• Optional: purple yarn or ribbon & a hole punch

Guide Your Child to:

• Cut out purple items from the magazines. 
• Using the magazine pieces and the purple collage materials, glue onto the construction paper in any design your child desires. 
• When the glue has dried, use purple markers to outline the collage shapes and add other designs.

Optional:

• Along the edges of each sheet of white construction paper, use a hole punch to make holes. 
• For each family member, cut three 18-inch lengths of purple yarn. 
• To make a needle, wrap a piece of transparent tape around one end of each yarn length. 
• Let your child weave purple yarn through the holes to create a border for her collage.

Talk About:

• Paul told Lydia the good news about Jesus.  What do you think is the good news?
• The good news is that Jesus loves you.  You can tell others the good news, too!  You can say, “Jesus loves you.”
• Who is someone you love?  Jesus loves him/her too!  Jesus loves you and me and everyone! 
• Jesus wants us to tell others about His love.  To whom can you tell the good news? 

Paul Meets Jesus

Acts 9:1-19

Saul did not like Jesus’ followers.  He was on his way to put some of them in jail.

       

Suddenly, a bright light flashed around him. Saul fell to the ground. A loud voice asked, “Saul, why are you against me?”

       

Saul was afraid. He cried out, “Who are you?”  The voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are against.”

“Go to Damascus and you will be told what to do.”

When Saul got up, he could not see.

Some men who were traveling with Saul led him to the city.

Jesus had also appeared to a man named Ananias. Jesus led Ananias to Saul.  Ananias laid his hands on Saul and said, “Jesus sent me to you. You may see again. Be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Immediately Saul could see!

Then Ananias baptized him.

After this, God changed Saul’s name to Paul. He was a new man! Instead of hating Jesus’ followers, he loved them. And he became a follower, too.

Discussion Questions

• What happened to Saul on his way to put Jesus’ followers in jail? There was a bright light & he fell to the ground.
• Who spoke to Saul? Jesus
• What happened when Ananias laid hands on Saul? He could see again!
• Then what happened to Saul? He was baptized and God changed Saul’s name to Paul. And Paul became a follower of Jesus.

Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for the story of Saul changing to Paul. Thank you that you can change the heart of anyone into a follower of you. Amen.

Bible Verse for April

“Tell the good news about Jesus.”   Acts 8:35

Activities

Science Activity: Rock Salt

Materials:

• Rock salt
• Table salt
• Magnifying glass
• Paper plates

Guide Your Child To:

• Put some table salt and some rock salt on a plate
• Examine the salt. Look at it. Feel it.  Look at it under a magnifying glass.  See that it is a rock.

Talk About:

• Salt is a kind of rock that we eat. When do you eat salt?
• What does salt look like?
• Who made your eyes so you can see and learn?
• What did the person in our story see? What happened?

Active Game: Riddley-Riddley-Ree

What to do:

Look around the room and choose an object for the child to guess.  Say to your child:

Riddley-Riddley-Ree

I see something you don’t see

And the color is _(say the color)__

After your child guesses the object, let him choose the next object and give you the clue.

Talk About:

• Who gave us eyes to see?
• Who was blind in our story? What happened?
• Do you know anyone who is blind?
• What kinds of things do you like to see and watch?
• How can you thank God for your eyes? 

 

The Empty Tomb

Jesus is Arrested & Crucified

Matthew 26-27; Mark 14-15; Luke 22-23; and John 18-19

Judas went to the leaders. He asked, “How much will you pay me if I help you capture Jesus?” They said, “Thirty pieces of silver.” So Judas took the money and made a plan.

Jesus had gone to his favorite garden to pray. The disciples went along. Jesus prayed, “Father, if it is your will, I am ready to give my life so that all the people who trust in me will be saved from their sins.”

Soon, Judas arrived with some soldiers. Peter wanted to protect Jesus. But Jesus said, “No. I must allow this to happen.” All the disciples ran away, and the soldiers arrested Jesus.

They took Jesus to the leaders. The leaders said, “You say that you are the Son of God. We do not believe you.”

The soldiers took charge of Jesus. They made him carry a big wooden cross. They took him to a place called The Skull (Golgotha). There they nailed Jesus to the cross.

Jesus died on the cross.

Everyone who loved Jesus was very sad. But they forgot something important.

Jesus Is Alive!

Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-10; Luke 24:1-11; and John 20:1-18

After Jesus died, some of his friends laid his body in a big tomb. They sealed it shut with a large round stone. Soldiers guarded the tomb.

Three days later, the earth shook. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven and pushed the stone away from the tomb. Then the angel sat on the stone.

When the soldiers saw the angel, they fell to the ground.

Mary was walking to the tomb with some of her friends. They saw the angel, who said, “Do not be afraid. Jesus is not here. He has risen!”

“Go and tell Peter and the other disciples that Jesus is alive!”

On their way, the women saw Jesus. They fell to their knees and worshiped him. Jesus smiled and said, “Go tell the others that I will see them in Galilee.” So Mary ran to tell the disciples.

Discussion Questions

• Why did the soldiers nail Jesus to the cross?   Because he said he was the Son of God and the leaders  didn’t believe him.
• For how many days was Jesus inside the tomb? Three days.
• What did the soldiers do when they saw the angel of the Lord ? They fell to the ground.
• When did the women see Jesus? When they were on the way to tell the disciples that Jesus was alive.

 Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for the story of Jesus dying on the cross and then being resurrected!  Thank you for teaching us that we can always trust in you.  

Amen.

Bible Verse for April

“Tell the good news about Jesus.”  Act 8:35

Activity: Holy Week Activities

Thursday — Read aloud Matthew 26:14-16. You'll need 30 dimes. Tell your child that Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (which was about 120 days wages). Let your child count the dimes and hold them in his hand.

Ask: Was Jesus' life on earth worth more than 30 pieces of silver? Why or why not? What is the true value of Jesus' life to our family?

 Friday —  Read aloud Mark 15:42-47. Take turns wrapping each other in toilet paper so you look as Jesus might have looked when prepared for burial. Talk about how the disciples might have felt when all their hopes seemed destroyed when Jesus died.

Ask: How would you have felt if you had been there when Jesus died? What would you have done? Talk about how the burial isn't the end of the story, but that it was a very sad day for Jesus' friends.

Sunday -- Read aloud Luke 24:1-9. You'll need cupcakes and a trick re-lighting candle. Light it and talk about how Jesus came to be the light of the world.

On Saturday, it looked like the light had been blown out. Blow out the candle and wait in silence while the flame is gone. When the flame comes back, celebrate!

 Point out that nothing can ever snuff out Jesus, the light of the world.

 Cooking: Empty Tombs 

Ingredients:

• A package of crescent roll dough
• One large marshmallow for each roll (for example, if there are 8 crescent rolls in the package, you’ll need 8 large marshmallows)
• Melted butter, cooled
• 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon (stir together in one bowl)

Guide your child to:

• Wrap a crescent roll triangle around a marshmallow, making sure none of the marshmallow can be seen.
• Dip the roll in melted butter, then the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
• Place it on a cookie sheet.
• Repeat until all the rolls & marshmallows have been used.
• Bake the rolls according to the instructions on the roll package.
• When the rolls have cooled, they are ready to serve. NOTE to parents: The marshmallow “disappears” and leaves an empty, sweet surprise.

Talk about:

• What do you see inside your roll?
• How do you think the women felt when they found the tomb empty?
• Remember that even as these rolls are empty, Jesus’ tomb was empty, too, because he rose from the dead.

Jesus Enters Jerusalem

Matthew 21: 1-11

Jesus and his followers were coming closer to Jerusalem.  But first they stopped at Bethphage at the hill called the Mount of Olives.  From there Jesus sent two of his followers into the town.  He said to them, “Go to the town you can see there.  When you enter it, you will find a donkey tied there with its colt. Untie them and bring them to me.  If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, tell him, “The Master needs them.  He will send them back soon.”

This was to make clear the full meaning of what the prophet said: 

“Tell the people of Jerusalem,

Your king is coming to you. 

He is gentle and riding on a donkey. 

He is on the colt of a donkey.”

Isaiah 62:11 Zechariah 9:9

The followers went and did what Jesus told them to do.  They brought the donkey and the colt to Jesus.  They laid their coats on the donkeys, and Jesus sat on them.  Many people spread their coats on the road before Jesus.  Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Some people were walking ahead of Jesus.   Others were walking behind him.  All the people were shouting?

“Praise to the Son of David!

God Bless the One who comes in

       the name of the Lord!

Psalm 118:26

Praise to God in Heaven!”

Then Jesus went into Jerusalem.  The city was filled with excitement.  The people asked, “Who is this man?”

The crowd answered, “This man is Jesus.  He is the prophet from the town of Nazareth in Galilee.”

Discussion Questions

• Jesus told two of his followers to go get an animal.  What was it?  Donkey
• Who road the donkey?  Jesus
• His followers spread branches on the road.  What else did they lay on the road?  Their coats
• What city did Jesus ride into?  Jerusalem

Prayer

 Dear God,

Thank  you for sending to Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.  Please help us to remember to make Jesus the King of our lives.

Amen.

Bible Verse for April

“Tell the good news about Jesus.”     Acts 8:35

Activities:

Palm Branches

Materials Need:

• Green  construction paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue
• Popsicle sticks

Guide Your Child to:

• Trace your child’s hand on green   paper 5 times
• Cut the hands out of the green paper
• Glue the hands onto popsicle stick (see picture above)

Talk about:

• Why did they wave palm branches when Jesus road the donkey?
• How would you treat Jesus if he came to your neighborhood?  Would you invite him inside or snack?  Throw a party in his honor?

Song:

Hosanna
 

I used to sing this at camp and now I sing it to my one year old and she lights up!

This song is a happy song and is meant to be repeated faster and faster.  The words at the end of each line are meant to be stretched out when you sing them where the hyphens are.

Ho, Ho, Ho, Ho, Sa-a-nna

Ha, Ha, Ha, lle-lu-uiah

He, He, He, He, Sa-aved Me
I've got the joy of the Lord! 

Jesus Heals a Blind Man

John 9:1-11, 35-38

As Jesus was traveling with his disciples, they came upon a man

who was born blind. His disciples thought that sin was the

cause of his blindness. Jesus told his disciples that this

happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

Then Jesus spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva

and put the mud on the man’s eyes. Jesus told the man to wash in the

Pool of Siloam. When the man came home he could see! 

The man told his neighbors what had happened. The neighbors

brought the man to the Pharisees. The Pharisees had a hard time

believing that Jesus had healed the man. They even asked the man’s

parents if he was born blind. 

Jesus used this story to teach the people that when you don’t

see the things of God, it is like you are blind. Jesus, however, can heal

 your spiritual blindness.

Discussion Questions

• Was the blind man born blind?  Yes.
• What did Jesus put on the man’s eyes? Mud and saliva
• Jesus used this story to teach the people that when you don’t see the things of God it is like being blind?  True or False ! TRUE

Prayer

 Dear God,Thank you for teaching us about your healing ways  Please help us to remember to trust you at all times.Amen.

Bible Verse for March

“Always try to be kind to each other.”

1 Thessalonians 5:15

Activity:

Song:

Senses, Senses: 

(sung to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle) 
Senses, senses here and there 
Senses, senses everywhere. 
I use my skin to touch soft things. 
I use my ears to hear bells ring. 
My nose is what helps me smell 
My eyes help me see so well. 
My mouth is what helps me taste. 
My five senses are so great. 
Senses, senses here and there. 
Senses, senses everywhere.