Andrew's Big Catch -- A Story of Faith and Following Jesus

Hi, kids! Today, we are going to learn about Andrew, one of Jesus’ very first disciples. Andrew was a fisherman, but Jesus had a very special plan for him. Let’s hear the exciting story of Andrew’s big catch and how he followed Jesus with faith and love!

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Andrew Meets Jesus (Matthew 4:18-20)

There was a fisherman named Andrew who lived near the beautiful Sea of Galilee. Every day, Andrew and his brother Simon Peter worked hard catching fish. They would throw their nets into the sea and hope for a big catch to sell at the market.

Joseph, Potiphar and His Wife - Trusting God in Difficult Times

Hi Kids! In our past lesson, we learned about Joseph, His Coat and Dreams. Do you remember what happened to Joseph in our last lesson? (Ask some questions about the past lesson such as: Who gave Joseph his coat? How do the brothers of Joseph feel toward Joseph? What did the brothers do to Joseph?)

Joseph was sold by his brothers to Ishmaelite traders and he was taken by them to Egypt. In Egypt, he was sold again and was bought by Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the Captain of the Guards, to become his slave. 

If you were Joseph how would you feel as somebody who came into Egypt? (Afraid? Shocked?) 

Remember he is in a new environment with different language, culture and beliefs.  Consider that Joseph was taught by his father that there is only one God but in Egypt there are many gods. So, I guess, it's a big and scary adjustment for Joseph.

Jacob Reconciles with Esau - Lesson on Forgiveness

Hi Kids. Do you still remember how the story of Jacob and Esau went? Even from the womb, the twins had been struggling with each other. We learned about the stories when Esau sold his birthright to Jacob and when Jacob stole the blessings that Isaac wanted to give Esau. These stories led to the hatred of Esau for Jacob and the threat to kill him. Jacob, then, had to run away and live to a far away land.

But after many years, Jacob decided to go back and meet with Esau. He sent messengers to Esau telling him about his return, his messengers came back saying that Esau is coming with 400 men. How do you think Jacob felt? Afraid? He was afraid that Esau is coming to attack them.

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

Are you a patient person? Or are you someone who wants to get what you want right away? It is difficult to wait sometimes especially when you really, really want something or when you really, really need something done.

Jacob and Rachel. Image from Wikipedia

Well, remember Jacob? After he got the blessings from Isaac, his father, he went away from his family because his brother, Esau, was so furious that he wanted to kill him. On his way to his mother's relatives, he stopped by the city called Luz. He had a dream of the ladder to heaven where God told him that he will be blessed.  Then, off he went to Paddan Aram.

This is the what happened to Jacob (Genesis 29) ...
When he arrived in Paddan Aram, he saw a well and there met Rachel, the second daughter of Laban. Laban is his mother's, Rebekah's, brother. Jacob helped Rachel water the sheep and told her that he is the son of Rebekah, his father's sister. So, Rachel ran back home and told him father who welcomed Jacob to his house.

Jacob stayed and worked in Laban's house for a whole month. Then, Laban said he will pay Jacob for working for him. Now Jacob was in love with Rachel so he said, "I will work for you 7 years in exchange for Rachel's hand in marriage." Laban agreed.

Seven long years! But to Jacob it seemed like only a few days because he loves Rachel. When Jacob completed his work, he asked for Rachel's hand. So Jacob got married but when he woke up the next morning, he saw that it was not Rachel whom he married, but Leah, the older sister of Rachel.

He's been tricked! It was kinda like when he tricked his father, Isaac. He went to Laban and asked why he tricked him. Laban said that it is their custom for the older daughter to be married first so he gave Leah. But after the bridal week, he will also give him Rachel in exchange for another 7 years of work. Jacob agreed, got married to Rachel and worked for another 7 years for Laban.

KIDS DISCUSSION
1. Who were the relatives of Jacob whom he met in Paddan Aram?
2. What pay did Jacob agree to receive for working 7 years for Jacob?
3. Why was he willing to wait that long? Do you have the patience to wait that long? (Jacob loved Rachel. If you want something really good, you ought to be willing to wait for it like when mommy is cooking a delicious meal).
4. What happened on the day Jacob got married?
5. Why was it that he did not do something bad in return for Laban's trick on him?
6. Would you have done as Jacob did?
7. What lessons can we learn from this story? (Patience, willing to wait for the best thing, not to reciprocate evil for evil...)

MEMORY VERSE: 1 Corinthians 13:4-5
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

KIDS' ACTIVITY
1. Jacob and Rachel coloring page from Biblewise.
2. Jacob and Rachel worksheet. You can ask bigger kids to read the text and answer the questions.
3. Playing with Clay. You can give the children some clay and let them make a boy (Jacob) and a girl (Rachel) clay. You can also make the other characters. Then, retell the story using these clay figures.

To give you an idea of how to make the people clay figures, you can check out the two videos below

Lesson on Handling Conflict - Abraham and Lot

Do you remember our lesson last time when God called Abraham? Do you remember what God told Abraham to do? What did Abraham do? Do you remember who are the people that went with him? One of those who came with Abraham was his nephew, Lot.  Our lesson today will be about him found in Genesis 13:1-18.

Abraham and Lot are both shepherds and as they traveled, their animals like sheep and goats went with them. The time came that their flock grew in number and the land could not support them altogether.  The helpers of Abraham and the helpers of Lot started quarreling because of this.

Then Abraham said to Lot "Let's not have quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. There's much land around us. Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right. If you go to the right, I'll go to the left."  Then. Lot made his choice of the land to the East and Abraham went to the West. They parted ways peacefully.

KIDS DISCUSSION
Ask the kids after telling the story
1. What do Abraham and Lot have in common?
2. Why did their herdsmen/helpers quarrel?
3. What did Abraham do to stop the quarrel?
4. What good quality did Abraham show in this story?
5. Do you quarrel? Is it good to quarrel? What should you do when you're in quarrel with your siblings or friends or playmates?

Teach the children to handle conflicts.  This is a good time to teach about sharing, giving and forgiving. Ask the kids to make a choice by giving examples of familiar situations like
1. You have a new toy, what should you do with it when you see your friend?  (Share the new toy with his friend.)
2. Your friend doesn't want to lend you her new toy, what should you do? (Learn to wait for your turn)
3. Your friend doesn't want to do what you want when you are playing, what should you do? (Don't feel bad because he may not want to play the game. Think of other games you can play together.)
Think of other situations the kids can relate to.


MEMORY VERSE: Romans 12:18
"Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone."

KIDS ACTIVITY
Abraham and Lot coloring page.
Make a sheep craft. You will find lots of simple craft ideas for kids making sheep on this page. You can follow the instructions or just improvise. This can be done prior to telling the story or afterward.  You can also choose any of the sheep coloring pages here and instead of coloring, you can ask the kids to glue cotton on the sheep.

The Story of Cain and Abel

Next to the story about the Disobedience of Adam and Eve is the story of Cain and Abel found in Genesis 4:1-12.

Cain is the firstborn son of Adam and Eve. He grew up to be a farmer. Later, Cain had a brother named Abel and he grew up to be a shepherd.  Then came the time when both Cain and Abel brought an offering to the Lord.  Cain brought some of the fruits of his harvest while Abel brought the best of his sheep. God was pleased with Abel's offering but not with Cain's.

Want this coloring page? Download the Image by CCXpistiavos from Pixabay

Lesson on Giving: Marbles in the Pocket

Do you know what a Missionary Box is? Well, I will tell you. It is a box sent from a missionary society in a city or town to a mission field. The box contains clothing, bedding, and sometimes toys, dolls and picture books for the children at the mission field.

In a certain city, one Christmas season the children of the Sunday School brought gifts to fill a box. Some brought clothes they had outgrown. Some who had two coats decided they could give one. Others brought books. One little girl brought a beautiful doll. She had other dolls, and this one she dearly loved, but she said, "I want some other little girl to be happy, and I think I can get along without this doll, though I shall miss her dreadfully."

One day the committee came together to sort the gifts and pack the box. One woman picked up a boy's coat. She felt something, hard in one of the pockets. Another woman said, "Better look all through those pockets; you can never tell what a boy will use his pockets for." So she went all through the pockets. In one of them she found a soiled handkerchief tied in a knot. With much pulling, for it was a hard knot, she loosed the little package, and there she found five marbles. With the marbles was a note written in a boy's hand—

"DEAR BOY WHO GETS THIS COAT,

I have eight marbles. First I put in four for you. Then I put in another one. I hope you will like the coat, and the marbles.

From your friend,

JOHN MASON."

Now what do you think of that? Isn't it glorious? To give more to the other fellow than you keep for yourself, especially when that other fellow is someone you have never met, is Christlike.

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 7: 12

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.


KIDS CRAFT: Shoe Box Gift Box
Ask the children to bring a small shoe box. Then, let the children decorate the top cover of the shoe box using colored pens, colored paper, glitter glue or anything they can use for designs.

Then, this boxes can be filled with a toy, a shirt or a small gift like a comb, toothbrush, candies which the children would like to give to poor children. The gifts need not be new, they can be clothes that the kids have outgrown or toys that still looks nice but they don't want to play with anymore.

Give the children some time to do this but make sure that the gift boxes can be shared with other children before Christmas day.

Lesson on Steadfastness and Integirty: The Young Martyr

Here's another life story from the Public Domain which can be used to teach the children about steadfastness and integrity.  Below the story is another Sunday School lesson.

In the afternoon of August 9, 1853, there was a little Norwegian boy named Kund Iverson.  He lived in the city of Chicago, Illinois. He was going to the pastures for his cow on that summer afternoon. On his way, he came at a stream of water where there was a gang of idle, ill-looking, big boys. When they saw Kund, they came up to him; and said they wanted him to go into Mr. Elston's garden and steal some apples.

"No," said Kund promptly; "I cannot steal, I am sure."

"Well, but you've got to," they cried. 


They threatened to duck him, but the threat did not frighten Kund. So to make their words good, they seized him and dragged him into the river, and in spite of his cries and struggles, plunged him in. But the heroic boy even with the water gurgling and choking in his throat, never changed his mind.  For he knew that God had said: "Thou shalt not steal."  And he had made God's law to be his law; and no cursing, or threats, or cruelty of the big boys would make him give up.

Provoked by his firmness, the bullies ducked him again, but it still was, "No, no"; and they kept him under water. Was there no one near to hear his distressing cries, and rescue the poor child from their cruel grip? No; there was none to rescue him. Gradually the cries of the drowning child grew fainter and fainter, and his struggles less and less, and the boy was drowned.

He could die, but would not steal.

There was a German boy who had stood near, much frightened by what he saw, ran home to tell the news. The agonized parents quickly came and searched for their lost boy all night. It was found the next morning; and who shall describe their feelings as they clasped the little form to their bosoms? Early piety had blossomed in his little life. He loved his Bible and his Savior. His seat was never vacant at Sunday school, and so intelligent, conscientious and steadfast had he been.

The little boy thought he was only going after his cows that afternoon. His mother, the other boys, and the neighbors, if they saw him, thought so, too. They did not then know that instead of going to the pasture he was going to preach one of the most powerful sermons the country ever heard. They did not know that he was going to give an example of steadfastness of purpose and of unwavering integrity, such as should thrill the heart of this nation with wonder and admiration.

Kund Iverson was only thirteen years old, but his name was soon to be reckoned with martyrs and heroes. And as the story of his moral heroism winged its way from state to state, and city to city, and village to village, how many mothers cried with full hearts: "May his spirit rest upon my boy!" And strong men have wept over it and exclaimed: "God be praised for the lad!"  May there be a generation of Kund Iversons, strong in their integrity, true to their Bibles, ready to die rather than do wrong.

BIBLE STORY LESSON:  Read Exodus 20:1-17; 24:1-7
This passage is taken from the time when the Israelites reached Mount Sinai and God told the people throught Moses to prepare themselves because He is going to come in a dense cloud and speak to them. Exodus 20:1-17 lists the 10 commandments that God spoke to them. When the people saw the thunder and lightning, they were afraid.  So they told Moses that he speak to God himself and they will listen.

The next time Moses went and told the people all the Lord's words and laws, they responded with one voice; "Everything the Lord has said we will do."


Kids Discussion:
1. How did God speak to the people? How did the people feel? What did they say in response?
2. What are the commands of the Lord?
3. What should we do with the Lord's words and laws?
4. How can the children follow the example of Kund Iverson? What is steadfastness and integrity? (loyalty in the face of trouble and difficulty)


MEMORY VERSE: Exodus 24:7
Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey."

KIDS ACTIVITY
Ten Commandments Quiz
Ten Commandments Coloring Pages:  1 2   3
Game: Let the children play some games (indoor: chess, snake and ladder; outdoor: relay games, sack race) and see how steadfast they are to the end.

The Very Brave Queen Esther

Esther was a beautiful young Jewish girl who lived in Persia with her cousin Mordecai.  God had a plan for Esther's life, even though she didn't know it from the beginning.  The King of Persia wanted to marry a beautiful young woman and make her the queen of the kingdom.  When King Xerxes saw Mordecai's cousin Esther, he fell in love with her.  Esther married King Xerxes and became the new queen.

One of the king's helpers, Haman, hated Mordecai because Mordecai would not bow down to him. Haman convinced King Xerxes to make a law that Mordecai and all the Jewish people should be killed.  King Xerxes did not know that his beautiful young queen was a Jewish girl.  When Mordecai heard the new law, he sent a message to Queen Esther, asking her for help.

Even though the King had not called for Esther and she might be punished, she bravely went to see the king. Esther invited the King and Haman to a banquet.  There, she told the king that Haman wanted to kill her and her people.  King Xerxes was angry with Haman and made a new law to save the Jewish people.

Esther's bravery and trust in God were part of God's plan to keep his people safe in Persia. 

Read the whole story of Queen Esther in the Bible:  Esther 2-8

KIDS DISCUSSION:

1.  How did Esther become a queen of Persia?  

2.  Who is Mordecai? Who is Haman?

3.  What bad thing did Haman do?
4.  How did Esther show her courage and bravery?
5.  What are your afraid of?  How can you be brave and not be afraid anymore?

MEMORY VERSE: Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

KIDS ACTIVITY/CRAFT:
1. Print and color the Story of Esther Coloring pages and use it as visual aid in telling the story.

2. Make easy crowns and use it in a simple play of the story of Queen Esther.  Print this simple template from teacherhelp dot org on yellow card stock and decorate it with gems (draw and color or use stickers).  

The Beginner's Bible Queen Esther Helps God's People

Lesson on Sharing

One day, Jesus went up on a mountain with his disciples.  He looked down and saw that there were many, many people in the crowd.  Since it was already late,  Jesus said, "Give them something to eat."  The disciple Philip said, "Two hundred silver coins would not buy enough food for all of them."  The disciples thought Jesus would send them to buy food in the nearby villages.

But Jesus said, "How much food is there?  Go and see."  The disciple Andrew answered, "There is a boy with five loaves of bread and two small fishes.  But how can we feed so many people with so little food?"

Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  The disciples told the people to sit down in the green grass.  There were about five thousand men in the crowd, and many women and children.  Jesus took the bread and fishes.  He looked up to heaven.  Then He blessed the loaves and broke them.  He handed the pieces to his disciples to give to the people.  The fishes, too, were broken and given to the people.

Though the food was only a little, and the crowd was huge, there was plenty for everyone after Jesus blessed the food.  When the people had eaten their fill, Jesus told his disciples to gather up the leftover pieces of bread and fish.  They filled 12 big baskets with the pieces that were left after everyone had eaten.

Story Reference:  John 6:1-14

REFLECTION WITH THE KIDS
1.  What would have happened if the boy brought the 5 loaves of bread and the 2 small fishes did not share his food with Jesus?
2.  What lessons can we learn from this story?  What will happen if share what we have?

MEMORY VERSE:  Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

KIDS' ACTIVITY:   
Butterfly Craft and Sharing Hands Booklet
As the kids do this Butterfly craft or Sharing Hands booklet, they will learn the concept of sharing.  Find the complete instructions for the Butterfly craft here and the Sharing Hands booklet here.  As an option, instead of using colored tissue paper for the butterfly craft, you can also use colored construction paper.

Candle Children

What is this I have here? It is a candle. There is something about a candle we all love. We have today brilliant electric bulbs, yet when the birthday comes, we want a cake with candles on it. Think of this as a birthday candle and let it speak to you.

First of all this candle speaks of Symmetry. How perfectly formed is this candle! It is smooth, there are no rough places that stand out like an ugly wart on one's face. Your life should have symmetry. God asks you to pay attention to your physical, mental and spiritual duties that your life may be well rounded, a life of beautiful symmetry.

Second, this candle stands for Fragrance. This is a fragrant candle. There are some children we do not like to have around, they are naughty, rude and mean. There are others we love to have with us at all times. They have what I call fragrance. They have the fragrance of thoughtfulness, the sweetness of unselfishness.

Third, this candle means Erectness. Look how straight it stands! Stand up straight, girls and boys. Do not stoop. Do not hump yourself over your school desk. Walk erect. It means so much now, it will mean much more in later years. Some day, if you listen to my word, you will be grateful that I said to you so emphatically that you could not forget, "John, Mary, stand up straight."

Fourth, the candle stands for Light. It is useless until the wick is lighted. It burns for others. Your life is a light. Jesus wants all Christians to think of themselves as lights in the world. "Let your light shine." Be a lighted candle for the Lord.

MEMORY VERSE: Proverbs 20: 27

"The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord."

KIDS CRAFT:
Make Cardboard Candlesticks :  Turn paper tubes into candlesticks complete with shimmering flames.  You can use paint to color the paper towel and tissue tubes or you can just glue colored construction paper or tissue paper to it.  See complete instructions here.  Another variation makes use of a template which the kids can print, cut, color and assemble to make a candle craft.  See here.

KIDS SONG:

The Marks of Disobedience

Photo credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivewires/ / CC BY 2.0

There is an old, old story about a father who had great difficulty in making his boy obey. The boy did wrong in spite of all that the father could say or do. One day the father said to the boy, "Here is the shed door, now every time you do wrong I am going to pound a nail into the door."

One by one the nails were pounded into the door, until it was literally filled with nails. The boy did not like the looks of the door, the thought of it began to trouble his conscience. So he spoke to his father about it. "Well," said his father, "I'll tell you what we will do. Every time you are obedient, every time you do a good deed rather than a wrong one, we will pull a nail out." The bargain was struck, and as, one by one, the nails were driven in, so, one by one, they were pulled out.

Finally the day arrived when there was but one nail left. You can imagine the joy of the boy when he and his father went together to pull that nail out. With great glee the claws of the hammer were fastened about the head of Mr. Nail and, jerk, out he came.

"Oh," exclaimed the boy, "the marks are left." Yes, it was true, for every nail driven in and pulled out a mark was left, and it was an ugly looking door. "That is the sad thing about it all," said the father, "every time you do an evil deed a mark is left upon the life. It is never the same as if the evil deed had not been committed. It is fine that we have all the nails out, but it would have been much better had they never been driven in."

Relate this object lesson to the story of Adam and Eve's disobedience (Genesis 3).  What mark did their disobedience leave for us to remember?  death, sin, no tree of life, pain in childbearing, work to eat, etc.  Share also the blessings of what Jesus did on the cross. 

MEMORY VERSE:  Romans 5:12

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—

KIDS CRAFT: 
Make a mini-book of the story of Adam and Eve.  Go to DLTK for templates and instructions.
Apple Stamp Craft:  Tell the children to follow carefully the instructions because "Obedience makes things beautiful."

The Human Camera - Be Pure

What a wonderful little machine a digital camera is! First we turn the power on, choose an object to take a picture of, hold the camera very steady, then snap, we have it. Next we press a little button to see on the LCD, "Oh, yes, perfect picture."  Lastly, we hook up the camera to the printer then print a very nice picture.  It's finished, all but pasting it in a photo book.

Wonderful little gadget, isn't it?  But, do you know each one of us has a camera?  God has given us a camera which works by itself. We have the open circle through which the pictures are taken, our eyes, and beyond the eyes, in the brain, are thousands of memory card. We start out in the morning and the moment we open our eyes we begin storing pictures in our memory card. We do not have to do any clicking for these pictures, one after another, click, click, click, and they are processed as fast as they are taken.

If you should say to a man who has reached 80 years old, "Tell me the clearest picture you can remember," he would not show a picture that was taken yesterday, or last week, or last year. He would turn back the pages of his memory book fifty, sixty years. The clearest pictures he possesses are those that were snapped in his boyhood.

Every day you are taking pictures that are going to remain with you as long as you live. Girls and boys, I pray that as you go out each morning and your human camera begins clicking, that you shall take only pictures that are true, pure and clean.

Read Matthew 6:22-23 then discuss with the kids
According to Matthew 6:22-23, our eyes can be good or bad?  How is that?  What kind of pictures are we taking with our human camera?  Are your eyes good or bad?


MEMORY VERSE:  Proverbs 4: 25

Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.


KIDS ACTIVITY
Play a guessing game.  Put different objects in a bag or box.  Ask a child to close his eyes, pick an object and guess what it is.
Sing this song:  Be Careful Little Eyes What You See

Drawing Eyes:  Have fun with the kids as you teach them how to draw different kinds of eyes.  Then write at the top or bottom of the paper "Be Careful Little Eyes What You See."

Hear and Obey God's Call

God calls each one of you. He asks you to give your life to him. He has a special work for you to do. You have heard of Wendell Phillips who did so much to make slavery unlawful in America! When He was still a 14-year old boy, he heard Lyman Beecher preach. In one of his sermons, the preacher said, "You belong to God." The boy Wendell thought that the preacher looked straight at him when he said that. He went to his home at the close of the service, climbed the stairs to his room, shut the door, and knelt in prayer, saying, "O God, I belong to You, take what is Your own." He heard and answered God's call.

Many, many years before Wendell Phillips lived, there was another boy. His name was Samuel.  He worked in the temple. He was a young assistant to the High Priest Eli. I suppose he ran errands for him, and performed any and every service about the temple that Eli desired.

One night, as usual, the boy went to bed and fell asleep. As he slept, he heard a voice calling him. Now he was an obedient boy, and though it was hard for him to get himself up from a sound sleep and leave his comfortable bed, he did so.

He ran to Eli saying, "Here I am, you called me, what do you want?" Eli said, "No, my boy, I did not call you, go back to bed." The boy returned to his bed and again went to sleep. A second time, and even a third time he was called. Each time the faithful, obedient Samuel leaped from his bed and ran to the minister.

On the third time, Eli realized that the voice the lad heard was the voice of God, calling him to himself and to his special service. Being a wise and loving man he said to the boy, "Return to your bed, and if you hear the call again, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening'" The boy did as instructed and that night was forever memorable in his life, for that was the night God called Samuel and Samuel answered.


MEMORY VERSE: 1 Samuel 3: 10
The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"  Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

KIDS ACTIVITY:  

• Play the telephone game. Form 2 groups with about 4-5 kids each.  Whisper the verse or a sentence like "I will listen to my parents and obey" to the first person and they must whisper it to the next person. Then, that person whisper it to the next person etc. until it gets to the last person who must share out loud what the verse or sentence is. Hopefully, it will be correct.
• Play Jesus says.  You will give instructions to the kids starting with the phrase "Jesus says" like Jesus says clap your hands or jump 3 times and the kids should do it.  If you say an instruction without "Jesus says", they should not do it.  If they do it, they will be disqualified.  See how attentive the kids are and obedient to what you are saying.  Then talk about how we should listen to God and obey Him.
• Coloring Page of Samuel listening to God.
• Take home Activity - Samuel Listens to God

Lesson on Servanthood: Last But Not Least

How often have we heard this phrase! You girls and boys use it, "Here I am, last but not least."

When Jesus was on earth there was often a discussion among the disciples concerning rank among them. Some were fearful that they would be last. One day a mother, very proud of her two sons, as mothers are apt to be, asked Jesus to grant permission that her two sons might sit, the one on his left hand, the other on his right, in the kingdom. Then He made a very beautiful as well as perfectly true statement, "Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant; even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."

There was another time, when Jesus sat at supper with his disciples, wishing to show them, by example, the utter worthlessness of station, for station's sake, rose from the table, took a towel and basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet. Peter objected, but when he understood, he said, "Not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." At the last Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him."

Girls and boys, if you desire a high place in life, begin low. If you want to occupy a leading place you must be willing to serve in the least. It always has been so, it will never change, this great law of life, that he who would be first must be willing to be last. It is the eternal law of service.

MEMORY VERSE: Mark 10: 31
"... But many that are first shall be last; and the last first."

KIDS CRAFT: Make a Footprint Craft
Because Jesus washed Peter's feet, feet came to symbolize servant-hood. Read here from e-How a step-by-step guide to make use of the kid's feet to make a heart or fish-shaped paper craft.

Lesson on Kindness: A King's Kindness

http://www.flickr.com/photos/darinka/ / CC BY 2.0

There was a man who was crippled for life in both feet.  This was so since he was 5 years old after his nurse, Ziba, accidentally dropped him while she fled.  This man's name is Mephibosheth.  He is the son of Jonathan, grandson of King Saul.  But he does not live in the palace anymore.  He lives in Lo-debar after the accident.

Now, King David had just reigned over all Israel and  wanted to fulfill his promise to Jonathan - his best friend - that he would not cut off his loving kindness from his house forever.  So he asked, "Is there still anyone who is left  of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?

King David found Ziba and she told him about Mephibosheth.  He called for Mephibosheth and his son and gave them back all the property of his grandfather.  Ziba was also commanded to cultivate their land in his interest.  Mephibosheth from then on lived in Jerusalem and was a daily guest at the royal table.

That is how a king showed kindness.  What about kindness to other people? Have you ever seen an older person walking along the street with a little child of three or four years old.  While the child is reaching up as far as he could to take the hand of the older person, the older one is jerking, pulling, yanking, all the while saying, "Come now, hurry up, hurry up."  That is not kindness, is it?

How can we show kindness to others?

This Bible story can be read from 2 Samuel 4:4; 9:1-13

MEMORY VERSE:  Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another. 


KIDS CRAFT
Crafts for Kindergarteners: Making a Chain of Kindness
A fun and simple craft for children around age 5 to help them understand kindness. This craft also makes an excellent gift idea!
Read More

Lesson on Kindness: The Talking Donkey

There was once a diviner named Balaam.  Prince messengers were sent to him by Balak, King of Moab and Israel's enemy to pay him to put a curse on Israel.  God told Balaam clearly not to do it because God blesses Israel. 

When Balaam went with the princes, God was angry. The angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him.  Though Balaam did not see the angel, the donkey that he rode saw the angel with a sword in his hand.  At first, it turned into the field and Balaam beat it to get back on the road. When passing a narrow path with walls on both sides, the donkey saw the angel standing on the way. It pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat it again.

For the third time the angel appeared, there was no way to escape, so it lay down. This greatly angered Balaam and struck the donkey with a stick.  Then the donkey spoke and said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"

Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."  The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?"  "No," Balaam said.

Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. The angel asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now."

Balaam said to the angel, "I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back."  The angel said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

This Bible Story can be found in Numbers 22:1-39


Kids Reflection: 
1.  How did Balaam treat his donkey?  How did the donkey respond?
2.  Do you have a pet?  How do you treat your pet?  With kindness?  How?


Supplemental Story:  One day last week I saw a huge pair of bobsleds, heavily loaded up with coal, being pulled up the street by two big, fine-looking horses. There were two men on the sled. Their faces were black, but it was the dirt of honest labor, it was coal dust. They stopped the horses in front of the house straight across the street from me. The first thing one of the men did was to get down, take a plank, go about to the front of the horses, lift up the heavy wagon tongue, place the plank underneath it as a brace that the necks of the horses might be let off of the strain of the wagon tongue. At the same time the other man took two warm blankets and covered the horses with them, tucking in the corners below the harness to make them tight and warm. Then the men set to work to carry the coal, basket by basket, into the basement. That was kindness, was it not, to see that the horses were so well cared for on a cold winter day?

To my mind one of the finest acts of our city government is the way we are taught kindness to animals and birds, by allowing them to make their homes and nests in the public park. What a delight it is to walk through the park and have the squirrels come running up so close, to eat from one's hand! That is kindness.


MEMORY VERSE: Ephesians 4:32

"Be ye kind to one another."

KIDS CRAFT:  Make a print out of a donkey coloring page and ask the kids to color it.  There is a nice donkey coloring page at http://www.niteowl.org/kids.  It has a nursery rhyme printed on it that you can also learn together with the kids.

The Helping Fingers

For three years I lived in Manila, Philippines. Not far from my home was an orphanage for children who were deaf and dumb. Frequently, these children were seen at different entertainments that were about the city.

One evening I went to attend a lecture in the Y.M.C.A. Right in front of me sat three children. They were very quiet and orderly. When the lecture began the boy who sat in the middle began to make his fingers go as fast as he could.  The two children on either side watched him intently. That center boy could hear, the other two were deaf. So he heard the lecture for them and told it to them by the finger language.

One day a girl, coming out from school, got on a street car to go to her home. The car was crowded. She found a seat next to a woman who was heavily laden with bundles. She did all she could to hold those bundles in her lap and keep them from falling and scattering their contents on the floor. Then the string of one of the packages became untied. She struggled to get that string fastened securely. She had so many packages, her fingers were numb with cold, and again and again the string slipped just at the crucial time.

Finally this school girl, who was an attractive, well-dressed girl, reached over and placed her nicely gloved finger on the obstreperous knot. There was a grateful smile from the troubled woman and a hearty "Thank you."

The next stop was the girl's home. As she went to the end of the car she passed a school friend who had watched the little incident. She said to her, "I see you belong to the helping hand society." "No," replied the girl, "not the helping hand, just the helping finger society."

This is a great society, girls and boys. Admission to it requires no initiation fee, no dues, simply the desire and the will to be helpful wherever you are.

Reflection:  Kids can use their hands and fingers to help others.  In what ways can they use their hands and fingers to help at home?  in school? in church? in the community?  God is happy when they use their hands and fingers to help others.

MEMORY VERSE: Ecclesiastes 9: 10
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might."

KIDS CRAFT:  Helping Hands Painting
This is a group craft.  We will need paint (different colors), cartolina or big sheet of paper, color pens or colored paper and scissor, and disposable plastic plates.

Pour some paint onto the plastic plate.  One plate for each color. Let the kids dip their hands and make a print on the paper. Then write "Helpers" using the color pens or cut out letters from the colored paper.

Alternatively, the kids can trace their hands and color it each a different color.

Lessons on Love and Loyalty

Once upon a time, long, long ago, there was a man who had a wife and two sons. There was a famine in the land where he lived, so he said to his wife and sons, "We will journey down to another country where the crops have not failed. There shall we find plenty to eat, and there will we make our home."

So the family moved to the strange land where they prospered and were happy. In time, the boys grew to young manhood and married young women of the new land where they dwelt. Then sorrow entered their homes, as sorrow comes sooner or later to every home. The father and the two sons died, and the mother and her two daughters-in-law were left alone.

The mother, whose name was Naomi, said, "I am going back to the land where I lived in former days, back to the people of my girlhood." The young women said, "We shall go with you also." "No," replied Naomi, "you must not do that. Go back to your homes, there you shall be cared for, and may the Lord deal gently with you."

The names of these two daughters-in-law were Ruth and Orpah. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye.  But Ruth spoke up and said:

"Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

Great words are these, words of love and loyalty.

(This Bible story is found in Ruth Chapter 1.)

MEMORY VERSE:  Exodus 20: 12
Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

KIDS CRAFT:  Dog Paper Craft
Dogs are known to show love and loyalty to their owners.  How do dogs show their love and loyalty?  What can we learn from dogs?   This puppy dog is a simple cut and paste paper craft that is fun for young children to make.  It makes a great project for preschool and kindergarten kids.  See complete instruction here.

The Doors of Life

This morning, after you were awake, you passed through your bedroom door. Then you went through the bathroom door. Later you entered, through a door, the dining room. After a time, with your father and mother, you left the house through the outside door. You walked down the street and here you are in church, having entered through the door.

Every day you are passing through various doors. What wonderful things doors are! I wonder who invented doors. What would we do without doors?

There are doors to houses and there are doors to life. Let me tell you about them. A door is made of wood. What beautiful wood is in these church doors! The doors of life are made of our will. By the exercise of our will we open and close whatsoever doors of life we choose.

The doors of our houses swing on hinges. Heavy doors seem as light as a feather because they are so delicately hung upon hinges. The hinges of the doors of life are made not of brass or iron, but of love.

When, in a little while, you leave this church you will take hold of a knob and pull open the door. The doors of life have knobs. Those knobs are called courtesy. You can open well any door you choose if only you will use the knob courtesy.

What about the lock? Yes, doors have locks. So also have the doors of life. Can you guess what locks the door of life? It is faith. If you have faith, faith in God, faith in the Savior, faith in things that are true and pure, you need never fear that your house of life will be broken into by burglars. You are secure if you have the lock of faith. Now here is a strange paradox,
namely — you lock your door only by opening it. Open your door to the Master.

MEMORY VERSE: Revelations 3: 20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice and open the door,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me.

KIDS CRAFT: What's Inside the Door? Craft
The idea and instructions for this craft can be found in Crayola. You can make a variation of this craft. Instead of drawing the child's favorite things inside the store, he can draw what is inside his heart - the things that are true and pure or people he loves.