PreSchool
The Poor Woman's Gift
Mark 12:41-44
BIG IDEA: We can show love to God.
GET TALKING:
- How did the poor woman show that she loved God? (She gave her money to God.)
- What was the difference between the rich people's offering and the poor woman's offering? (The rich people gave lots of money, but still had money left over. The poor woman gave all she had.)
- What are some ways that we can show love to God? (Pray. Sing. Be kind to others. Go to church. Give Him an offering/tithe.)
ACTION PLAN: Name some ways that you can show God love this week.
PRAYER: Thank God for His love, and tell Him you love Him, too.
APRIL MEMORY VERSE:
How good it is to sing praises to our God. Psalm 147:1
Elementary
Miracle at Lystra
Acts 14:6-20
BIG IDEA: God is powerful, and I can trust Him to use His power to care for me.
GET TALKING:
- When Paul and Barnabas got to Lystra, they started telling people about Jesus. What happened after the people saw Paul heal the crippled man? (They thought they were gods. They wanted to sacrifice animals and worship them.)
- How did Paul and Barnabas respond to the people? (They tore their clothes to show them they were sad that they thought they were gods. They tried explaining they were just human, and told them about God.
- What did Paul tell them about God? (That He is the one true God. He is alive and powerful.)
- How did God's power take care of Paul when the angry people tried to stone him? (God saved him from death.)
CONNECTING TO JESUS: When Paul healed the crippled man in Lystra, the people thought he and Barnabas were gods. But Paul and Barnabas knew they were there to tell the people about Jesus, not to get praise for themselves. So they quickly stopped the people and tried to explain the truth about Jesus to them. We have the same job that Paul and Barnabas had -- telling people about Jesus. We can follow their example and make sure that others know we are living for Jesus. Sometimes this can be a difficult job, but God is bigger and more powerful than any fear or struggle we might have. Just as God's power saved Paul from being stoned to death, His power is also available to us to help us through any situation.
ACTION PLAN: Discuss some things that God has done, that only He can do? (e.g. create the world, raise Jesus from the dead, etc.) Talk about ways God uses His power today to care for us.
APRIL MEMORY VERSES:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32