Children's Church (Ages 4-12)

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 ⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

It is our prayer that you will be strengthened by these resources as you “parent with a purpose.” Please know that we are praying for you and your family. If there are articles or activities that you would like discussed, please reach out to Mrs. Toni

Also, please take some time to review “The Levels of Biblical Learning: How Much Does Your Child Know?”- All of our studies will be based on this chart as we structure our curriculum under the church theme of “Worship, Word, and Work.”

Family Devotion #1

Romans 5:8 & 6:23

He was the most wanted man in the country. He had escaped prison, snuck on a train, and was now wandering the countryside in search of a place to hide and find help. The local government made it the highest priority to find him. He was a dangerous criminal on the loose. Signs were posted: “Wanted, dead or alive.” Was there a safe house to be found? After days of hiding out, with very little rest, food, or water, he was at the end of his rope. He sat down and prayed long and earnestly about what to do. He decided to walk to the nearest house, knock, and accept whatever fate fell before him. If they were friendly, it likely meant rescue. If foe; then death. He lifted a heavy foot up the front steps, then another. A set of sweaty knuckles rasped against the door. It was the middle of the night. Would anyone respond? A few moments later he heard someone stirring. “What do you want?” “I’m in need of help.” Silence. Then more stirring. The door pulled open, he was invited inside. He sat at a table and then the man laid a gun down between them. “I think you better tell me the real reason you are here.”

“I am Winston Churchill. I was taken as a prisoner of war and have escaped. Will you help me?”

Winston Churchill would eventually become one of the most famous men in the world after leading Great Britain through World War II as Prime Minister. But now he was a young British officer and a war correspondent serving in South Africa. He was taken captive during a battle and was able to escape, but knew that re-capture meant certain death. He had laid his cards on the table, how would the man respond?

The man stood with gun in hand, walked over, reached toward Winston, shook his hand, and said, “Thank God you knocked on my door. It’s the only house for twenty miles where you would not have been handed over.” Winston, though in enemy territory, and in their eyes deserving of death, found life through the hand of a friend.

Romans 6:23 says, “for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We deserve death as a result of our rebellion and sin that separates us from God, but Jesus came to rescue us from this sin. He did this by giving up his own life. By dying for us. “God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

Question

This man risked his life to save Winston in a hostile country. When was a time someone showed you kindness when you needed it and least expected it?

Prayer

Dear Jesus, we give you thanks for caring for us and rescuing us when we didn’t deserve such love.  Thank you for the gift of eternal life. Please help us to trust you and to look to you to find our ultimate hope and purpose in life. Help us also to extend that same kindness to others, even those whom we might think deserve our wrath.

Family Devotion #2

Romans 5:8 & Romans 6:23

A young girl arrived home from a long day at school. She was tired and just wanted to eat a snack and relax with a book in her room. She walked into the kitchen and saw that her mom was just beginning to cook dinner. Mom had also had a busy day and was tired and feeling a little overwhelmed. So the young girl stopped what she was doing and helped mom with the dishes. Her mom felt loved, dinner was made with less stress, ready to eat earlier, which helped everyone in the family enjoy an evening meal together. Even though the young girl just wanted to hide away and do her own thing, she put aside her own desires to serve others. 

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (NIV)

The keyword from this verse that we’ll focus on in this devotion is “demonstrates.” It’s easy to say you love someone – maybe a family member or a friend – yet love is not only words. In fact, some have said words are cheap – but actions are costly.  John 15:13 (ESV) says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Love is not really love without action, without sacrifice, without a demonstration. Of course, the greatest example of this was Jesus laying down his life for all of humanity: that is the ultimate demonstration of love. But dying isn’t the only way to ‘lay down your life’ – it is also done in a thousand little ways every day – when you put aside your own desires, die to self, and put someone else before you. That’s what the young girl in this story did and was how she demonstrated her love for her mom, even in a small way.

Question

Is there a recent time someone demonstrated love to you through a small act of service or sacrifice? Maybe someone at school, or at work, or a family member or neighborhood friend?

Prayer

God, please help us to demonstrate love to others by sacrificing ourselves. Help us to strengthen our ability to love others well by setting aside our own desires and serving others in a thousand small ways every day.