to the rescue - faith promise...
TRANSCRIPT
TO THE RESCUE
TO THE RESCUE
Make the most of this activity:Parents, this week your child heard the story of Isaiah and his efforts to foretell the coming of the King of Israel. Itâs important to know that even though weâve sinned and are separated from the home God made for us, God had a plan to rescue us. You see, without Jesus we are simply walking around in darkness. We are lost. But with Jesus, we have the Light of the world. And when Jesus rescues us, weâre never lost again.
In this activity there are 3 basic parts: Read, Share & Do. A basic script is provided to help steer the conversation, however the magic isnât in the script. Itâs in you connecting with your child in a creative way.
The Point: When Jesus comes to the rescue, youâll never be lost again!
Need: Jesus Storybook Bible, Clue Hunt cards, flashlights, special prize (i.e. candy, toy or game)
In advance, take the Clue Hunt cards and hide them in the correct places. Make sure the batteries in the flash-light work! Take your prize and hide it in the final loca-tion.
Share: âHave you ever walked through a dark room and got-ten a little scared? What makes darkness so scary?â Let your kids respond. âWell, in the Bible do you remember the story of Adam & Eve in the garden? Remember how they ate fruit from the tree that God told them not to eat? They made a big mistake, didnât they? In fact, the mistake was so big, they had to leave the perfect home
WEEK ONE: LOST IN THE DARK
God made for them.â âAnd when they left that home they walked out of the light and into darkness. Well, it wasnât literally dark. But when they sinned their hearts left God. Their hearts were in darkness. And everyone that was born after them were in darkness also. But God had a plan all along...â
Read: Operation âNo More Tears!â from the Jesus Storybook Bible (pg 144)
Share: âDo you see how God had a plan? He didnât want us to remain in darkness. He didnât want our hearts to be separated from Him. So He had a plan all along to make sure we had a way to get back to Him. To find the Light. To find Jesus. Jesus would be our Rescuer. He would be the One to bring us out of the darkness forever. Because... âWhen Jesus comes to the rescue, weâll never be lost againâ.â
Do: âItâs time for our own âRescueâ! There is a prize hidden in the house and weâve got to rescue it. So weâre going on a Clue Hunt! But this wonât be any kind of Clue Hunt. Weâre turning the lights out and searching for clues in the dark.â Use the flashlights to find and read each clue. Depending on the age of your kids (and their level of comfort in darkness) you may want to leave some lights on for slight visibility. The idea of the clue hunt is to emphasize throughout the game that searching for something in the dark isnât easy. And God never intended for us to walk around in the dark. In fact, just like the prize... God wants us to be rescued also. And thatâs why He sent Jesus.â
Clues:Parents, cut out the attached clues. Hide them in advance. Be sure to hide your âRescueâ prize in the final clue destination!
Answers to these clues can be found at http://fpchur.ch/clues.
CLUE one
I go great with soup but not so well with �sh. Not so long ago I ran away with the dish What am I?
CLUE Two
I have at least 4 legs and can hold lots of weight. But donât stand on me, instead sit up straight. Iâll take all your change while you sit and wait. Not just for sitting but for napping Iâm great.
CLUE three
When youâre feeling dirty, thereâs just one place to go. To wash and get clean and scrub between each toe. What am I?
CLUE four
Up and down, and up and down, you climb these everyday. Youâve likely seen the clue on these, but passed it anyway. What am I?
CLUE five
When your hungry and tummy starts to whine, and it just wonât be quiet. Get something from this chilly box, and you will satisfy it. What am I?
CLUE six
I can get rid of your rats or straighten your knots. I can untangle your tresses and main-tain your �ne locks. Hairs to you!
TO THE RESCUE
TO THE RESCUE
Make the most of this activity:Parents, this week your child heard the story of The Last Supper from Mark 14 & John 13-14. We want kids to know that âTaking Communion Reminds me of Godâs Planâ. We are not just rescued from something but to something. Weâre rescued to life in Jesus. Communion is a tradition that involves eating bread that represents Christâ body and drinking wine that rep-resent Christâ blood. If itâs unfamiliar to you, donât worry. Reading the story in the Jesus Story-book Bible will help you understand more.
The Point: Take time to remember that God loves you.
Need: Jesus Storybook Bible, small tub for water, wash cloth, lotion, paper & pencil
Share: âRemember last week we learned that God has a plan for our life. And the Bible is like a
light that can help us see His plan for us. This week we learned about the Last Supper where Jesus and His friends shared their last meal together. His friends didnât know it would be their final night together. To them it was a special celebration in their culture and they were celebrating just like everyone else around them.
But for Jesus... this night was special. It was special be-cause Jesus had one last thing He wanted to share with His friends. He wanted to tell them how to live their life. He knew He would not be there on earth with them forever. He knew His time with them would end soon. And He wanted to make sure they knew how He wanted them to live their life after He left.
WEEK TWO: BROKEN & POURED OUT
But Jesus did something very unexpected! He didnât just tell His friends... He showed them. He got down on his knees and served His friends by washing their feet... the lowest job a household servant could possibly have. Thatâs the job you get when you draw the short-straw on the worst day ever. Washing dirt, mud, animal poo and who knows what else off of other peopleâs feet. Gross!! But Jesus did this to show His friends that anyone that chooses to follow Him must live their life serving those around them.â
Read: The Servant King together (Jesus Storybook Bible pg 286)
Share: âJesus told His friends about Godâs plan to rescue them. How His life will break and Godâs broken world will mend. How God will rescue us. But weâve got to remember, we are not just rescued from something, but to something. Thereâs a reason Jesus started the night by humbly serving His friends. He wanted His friends... and everyone to know that God has res-cued us from death and to Life. And Life is found serving God with our whole heart.â
Do: Get a tub of water, a washcloth, and some lotion. Take a few minutes and (one by one) and wash each otherâs feet. Talk about what it might have been like to have to wash ani-mal poo, dirt and other nasty stuff off of someones feet.
Next... Grab your paper and pencil and brainstorm. What are some ways that you can serve each other this week? Can you load the dishwasher without being told? Clean the bathroom? Take out the trash? Serving each other is a way to act out our love for each other and for Jesus. We are here to serve as Jesus served. In fact, He said, âDo this and remember me.â
Live your life broken and poured out before God
TO THE RESCUE
TO THE RESCUE
Make the most of this activity:Today your child learned about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and His conversation with God the night He was arrested. Gather the family together and turn out all the lights in the house. Using the flashlight on itâs lowest setting, demonstrate how the flashlight illumi-nates the path in front of you.
The Point: Godâs Plan is for us to put Him first.
Need: Jesus Storybook Bible, Flashlight w/ 2 different settings
Share: âThis flashlight is like the Bible. It lights the way for us. Psalm 119:105 even says, âYour Word is like a lamp to my feet and a light to my pathâ. Notice how it doesnât light the whole room. But it provides enough light to know where to go. Reading Godâs Word allows us to know
God and to know where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do.â Switch the flashlight to the next setting.
âSee how the light increases when I change the setting? Just like this flashlight, when we increase our time with God. As we talk to Him more and we grow closer with Him then our light grows. The more our light grows the more we understand Godâs plan for our life.â
Turn the lights back on, gather together and dig in deep-er.
WEEK THREE: THE LIT PATH
Read: âA Dark Night in the Gardenâ (Jesus Storybook Bible pg 294)
Share: âJesus needed Godâs help. He needed to talk to God about what was about to happen. You see, Jesus knew the secret rescue plan. He knew what God wanted Him to do. But He needed help to remember that this was the only way to rescue Godâs people. He needed time with God to be reminded of Godâs love for Him and Godâs plan for Him. Godâs plan to rescue the world through Jesus.â
Ask: âDid you know that God loves you and has a plan for you also? Talking to Him and reading the Bible helps us to understand His plan for us. Remember how we learned that the Bible is like a flashlight? Itâs a light to our path. It gives us the light we need so we know where to go.â
âItâs also a light we can share. We want others to know that God has a plan for them also and they can know that plan when they know Jesus.â
Do: Make a plan today to read a book in the Bible together. For the next two weeks, choose a book like 1, 2, & 3rd John and read a little bit together each night. Make this a part of the bedtime routine and see the conversations it inspires.
TO THE RESCUE
TO THE RESCUE
Make the most of this activity:Parents, today your child learned about Jesusâ death on the Cross and how that plan was not what Jesusâ followers expected. In fact, they had a different idea for how God would save them. And Jesus dying on a cross was no where close to what they had in mind. But Godâs plans can seem different from our plans and trusting His plan is the best thing we can do.
The Point: Godâs Plan is always best.
Need: Jesus Storybook Bible
Share: âHave you ever been disappointed with how something turned out? Maybe a loss in basket-ball, a bad grade or a fight with a friend?â Parents first! Take some time to share an experi-
ence. âTonight weâre going to read about how things didnât turn out the way Jesusâ friends thought they would. In fact, as far as they knew... things couldnât have been worse.â
Story in JSB: The Sun Stops shining (Jesus Storybook Bible pg 302)
Share: âThis was not the plan the Jesusâ friends had. When they imagined how God would save the world, this is not what they had in mind. They didnât understand how God could save the world now if Jesus dies? But we have to remember that Godâs plan seems different from our
WEEK FOUR: THE BEST PLANS
plans. And just like Jesus, we want to yield to Godâs plan. Why? Because our plans for us are based upon what we know. And Godâs plans for us are based upon what He knows. And He knows so much more than us.â
Do: Write the main point on a card, âGodâs Plan is always Best!â. Post the card on your refrigera-tor. For the next 2 weeks, each time something happens that wasnât part of your plan re-mind each other âGodâs Plan is always Best!â
TO THE RESCUE
TO THE RESCUE
Make the most of it: Parents, today we are talking about how we were created to be a light to the world. Jesus died on the cross and showed us (through His actions) how much He loves us. And we can show others that Jesus is alive and that He loves them too. And the best way to show others is with our actions.
This activity includes a brief summary of the gospel using an acronym called âA,B,Câsâ (Ad-mit, Believe, Confess). Itâs a simple, clear way to share how to make the decision for salva-tion. Your child may have already accepted Christ into their heart. Some have not yet. Itâs up to you whether or not your child is ready to take that step. If they are, utilize the salvation prayer provided below as a guide. Now... light your candle and get started!
The Point: Our actions can show others Jesus is alive
Need: Jesus Storybook Bible, Candle, Lighter
Share: âCheck out this candle. Somebody made this candle for a purpose. What was it designed to do? Give your kids some time to respond. Thatâs right. This candle was de-signed to make light. In fact, it canât help but make light. Did you know that we were created to be lights? Just like this candle was made to bring light into a dark room, we were created to bring light into this world.â
Read: Godâs Wonderful Surprise (Jesus Storybook Bible, pg 310)
WEEK FIVE: THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
Share: âJesusâ friends were so excited He was alive! They were heart broken when their friend died and they didnât understand how Godâs plan to rescue the world could work. But God knew. And thatâs what mattered most. Over the past few weeks weâve learned that:
⢠When Jesus comes to the rescue, youâll never be lost again!
⢠Itâs important to... Take time to remember that God loves you.
⢠Godâs Plan is for us to put Him first.
⢠Godâs Plan is always best.
God had a plan to rescue us from the beginning. His plan was to send Jesus to die on the cross, pay for our sins and return to life again. Why? Because God wouldnât stop loving us and He wanted a way to get us back to Him. So He offers us a gift. The gift of Life. But we have action to take.
First, we have to accept the gift. When someone offers you a gift it isnât actually yours un-til you reach out and take it. And receiving this gift is as easy as A,B,C. First you Admit that youâve sinned. Youâve made mistakes that separate you from God. Next you Believe that Jesus is Godâs Son, that Heâs alive again and His death on the cross paid for your sin. Then you Confess that Jesus is your Boss and your Best Friend. Allow your child to ask questions and explore this more. If they express an interest in making Jesus their Boss & Best Friend then use the Salvation Prayer below as a guide.
Once weâve accepted the gift then we have to tell the world. Just like the candle was created to make light, we were created to bring light to the world. The Light of Jesus. That means we show the world that Jesus loves them by the things we do and the things we say. The Bible says, âNo one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house. Matt 5:14â This means we canât just keep this great news to ourselves. Weâve got to show others. In fact, we were created to show others with our actions how much God loves them.
Do: Write down names of 3 people that donât know Jesus. Agree to pray for these friends for the next week. Ask God to give you the opportunity to show them that God loves them.
Salvation Prayer: âDear Jesus, I admit that Iâve made mistakes. Iâve sinned but I donât want to sin anymore. I know that You are Godâs Son and I want You to be my Lord. Jesus, forgive me of my sins. Make me new again. Because You died for me, I want to live for You. Amenâ