Do Unto Others… Craft Ideas for The Golden Rule. The laws of Christlike love often defy what we might expect. Jesus calls us to love not only those who return kindness, but also people who might not be too friendly with us. However, we know that we are to treat others as we would hope they treat us. It’s important to remind children of this “golden rule”, as it has come to be known. We can communicate
What does it mean to bear spiritual fruit? Scripture is full of plant images, often connecting our Christian lives with principles of agriculture. Many Biblical references describe trees, encouraging us to be “well-planted” in the Lord and “watered” by His grace. Here, we look at Psalms and the prophet Jeremiah to relate our faith health to arboreal themes. Lesson focus: This lesson examines two Bible passages that reference trees as metaphors of healthy faith life. As a
Well-Watered Trees… Craft Ideas for Spiritual Growth and Health: What does it mean to be spiritually healthy? Being nourished in faith is like a well-watered plant, able to set roots down and grow up. When we encourage children to grow strong in faith, we remind them of the importance of positive habits like prayer, Scripture reading, and church attendance. The Bible often uses planting or tree metaphors to describe the life of faith, and these crafts emphasize
Trees Planted by Water… Children’s Message on Spiritual Growth and Health – This message encourages children to stay closely connected to God in order to thrive and grow. Passages from both Psalms and Jeremiah reflect on tree metaphors, noting how relying on God’s law and love nourishes and strengthens us. The message uses examples of withering and healthy plants to demonstrate the contrast in the natural world. In our spiritual lives, we flourish and thrive when we
Most children likely do not give too much thought to their grand purpose or future, aside from daily needs and the possible dream of a one-day career (as a firefighter, doctor, YouTube influencer, etc.). Yet it’s important to remind kids that God has a plan and purpose for each and every life He creates. God loves and cares about us, and makes us for a special reason. He will equip us to do His work and enable
Children’s Sermon Lesson Message on the Reliability of Christ: What does it mean to believe in Jesus? How do we know the truth of what He says and who He is? We teach children many stories from the Bible, but it is important for us to emphasize that the Bible is the true word of God, and every story in it actually happened. This message contrasts popular legends and fairy tale stories with the life of Jesus,
There are a lot of stories and myths that seem to go around these days. Children need reminded that the Bible is not just a collection of fictional tales, but verifiable truths, and ones that we should recognize as the most essential influences in our lives. These crafts aim to stress for kids that Jesus was and is alive and real, and that seeking Him is the most important thing we can do. “Seeing-Eye Glasses” recall how
When God calls us, He equips us to do His work! In the Old Testament, God called prophets like Jeremiah to share His news with people. Jeremiah was uncertain due to his youth, but God promised to provide Him with what he would need to proclaim Holy messages. These crafts remind children that God will always help us to do what is needed. A “Can-Do Can” recycles a container to be re-purposed for Godly goals. A “Godly
It is important for children to know that God provides us with the strength and ability to do all things. Just as He called Old Testament prophets, He calls all of us to share His messages with those around us. This message uses an example of how we sometimes need help saying and doing things to demonstrate God’s help in all areas of our lives. He provides the words to say and means to communicate those words.
Children need to understand the importance of their place in the body of Christ. It takes a group of individuals with unique talents and abilities to contribute God’s work in the church. This lesson uses a jigsaw puzzle to illustrate how all “pieces” (and people) are significant. Just as a puzzle needs all of the pieces to complete a picture, the body of Christ needs all members to carry out its purpose. Even kids can and should
Craft Ideas for the Rejection of Jesus in Nazareth: Jesus came as our savior, fulfilling all prophesies about who the Messiah would be. He proclaimed Himself as that fulfillment, though not everyone who heard understood. We can recognize who He is, and share that good news with others. These crafts encourage children to know and share the Gospel. A “proclaiming puppet” allows for creativity while remembering to proclaim Jesus. A “prophetic scroll” recounts the story and the
Main Objective: While on Earth, Jesus did a lot of amazing miracles. The first one we read of in the gospels was a transformative act that kept a party going! In the story of the wedding at Cana, we notice that Jesus cares about all things, even our own human enjoyment of life. We also recognize that Jesus continues to work miracles in our lives, in ways large and small. This lesson uses a simple drink mix
Contrary to most traditional Nativity scenes, the visitation of the Magi (or “Wise Men”) most likely did not take place directly after the birth of Jesus, but was a somewhat separate, though still significant event. In several countries, Epiphany (or “Three Kings Day”) is elaborately honored with gifts and food, in some places even more so than Christmas itself. This story is an important and fun one to celebrate with children. The official “Feast Day” of Epiphany
God Knows Me and Makes me New…Rejoice! Craft Ideas for Celebrating Grace and Baptism Whether your church baptizes children at birth or later, all ages can celebrate the joy of knowing that God knows us and calls us by name as His own. Kids can give thanks and be glad that we are made knew by the blood of Jesus, and God forgives us and loves us. These crafts honor the joy of recognizing His hand in
There are times in our lives (maybe a lot of times) that we will make mistakes. We often find ourselves needing to start fresh, and we can do that every day with God’s help. We can’t clean up our sins and mistakes, but the blood of Jesus washes our sins and makes us new. This message uses cleaning products as an example of how we can wipe away old messes and begin anew in Christ. Baptism reminds
Resolutions…from the Inside Out! Craft Ideas for New Year and Strength in Christ. The start of a new calendar year is a time that finds many people making goals and resolutions for themselves. As Christians, we recognize that striving for improvement is wonderful, but that we can do nothing without Jesus and the true change made by the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. These crafts celebrate the ringing in of a new year, and the importance
New Year, New You! Children’s Message on Transformation through Jesus. A new year is often a time when people make goals and resolutions to transform and change themselves. However, we know that on our own we can do nothing. True change must come from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This message reminds children that we are adopted into God’s family, and we have new identity in Him. Any change we hope to achieve comes through Him
Sunday School Lesson on Boy Jesus in the Temple – Very little is known of the childhood of Jesus. This story, our glimpse into the life of twelve-year-old Jesus, is significant for what it verifies about Christ. The passage is also a helpful reminder that we should grow in multiple ways, and that we should always respect and obey parents as well as God. It’s a great opportunity to focus on keeping God central in all things,
The only story we seem to get in the Bible describing the childhood life of Jesus is an interesting one. It would seem that Mary and Joseph “lost” their son, but Jesus was right where He knew He should be. In this passage, we note how Jesus knew that He was God’s Son, although He was growing as a human, as well. This might be tough to understand—it was for Joseph and Mary, too! Children can take
Who was and is Jesus? That might seem like a simple and straight forward Gospel question, but it’s an important one to address frequently with kids. This message focuses on the story of Jesus in the temple as a 12-year-old boy. The story reminds us that Jesus was aware of His identity as the Son of God, but also obeyed His parents and was responsible to them as a human. Mary and Joseph thought Jesus was lost,
Praise God! Craft Ideas for Elizabeth, Mary, and the Magnificat How do we express praise? There are a lot of ways to show enthusiasm: we can jump for joy, sing and dance, giggle with glee, and more! The story of Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth reminds us that there are many methods of glorifying God, and that He delights in our praise. Even John the Baptist praised, before being born! These crafts celebrate Elizabeth, Mary, and more. A
How do we praise the Lord? Sometimes, we forget the meaning or importance of glorifying God. We think of songs or prayers, but true praise can occur in a variety of ways, and should come from a place of genuine enthusiasm and gratitude. As Christians, our natural reaction to salvation should be to rejoice with praise and thanksgiving. In this passage, we see John the Baptist praise God in the womb, and we see Mary praise God
“Praise God!” There are many ways that we can glorify God in all that we do and with all of who we are. Children should be encouraged that worship is more than just songs in church. Our Heavenly Father blesses us with various gifts, and we can use all of them to love and serve Him. Whatever we do, we recognize and thank God for good things in our lives, honoring His love and faithfulness. Lesson focus:
“They shall now we are Christians by our love”… It’s one thing to attend church and call ourselves Christians. Truly following Christ, though, means living as He did and demonstrating to others what it means to honor and serve God. John the Baptist (and Jesus!) emphasized that genuine Christians live out their faith in action as well as word. We are saved by grace alone, but out of gratitude to God, we should also be showing evidence
