Big Idea:  We become a part of God's Kingdom because of God's goodness to us- not the things we have or the things we do.

Bible Passage: Matthew 16:19 – 20:19

Parent Prep: This week is all about assurance. This week Mr John shared a fantastic analogy. He asked kids to imagine what it would be like if they had to work hard enough every day to remain beloved members of their own families. As ridiculous as it sounds, this is what many children understand God's love is like. This week, as we look at Jesus' answer to the rich young ruler, and the story Jesus tells His followers, we will explore God's grace to us and how it brings us an everlasting assurance of His love.

Read the Bible story together from your children's Bible, or online here; or watch the story of the Rich Young Ruler here.

Talk

Say to children, In verse 25 of chapter 19, it says the disciples were amazed and surprised that Jesus said it was very difficult for the rich man to enter heaven. He said it would be harder than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle! The disciples were surprised because they thought that rich people were God's favourite people. They thought having lots of money was a sign of God's favouritism and blessing. But Jesus used the parable in the next chapter to teach his disciples that God doesn't just choose the people that the world says are "best" to be in his family. God isn't impressed by lots of money or good behaviour – he loves us whether we are rich or poor, good or bad. He chooses to give His grace to whoever He pleases, not because we have earned it, but because he is full of love for us.

Ask older children if you were a king and you could choose who would be in your kingdom, who would you choose? Why would you choose those people? Would you choose to invite cheaters, liars, or mean people who hurt others? Why do you think God invites people who do those things to be a part of his Kingdom? Have you ever broken any of God's commandments? [Read the 10 Commandments together in Exodus 20]. Do you feel like you deserve to be in God's kingdom? Why or Why not? Assure children that because of Jesus' sacrifice for us, our sins are paid for, and so we can praise God that He invites us to be in His family and kingdom. We are not called in because we are good or impressive, but because He is a good God and in His love chooses to show us GRACE. This means that because we didn't earn it, we can't ever mess up so bad that we will get kicked out. God's love for us is completely free and never-ending!

Ask younger children Do you think that there is anywhere you could hide that God's love couldn't get to you? Ask children to come up with their best hiding spots – maybe even play hide and seek as you explain this to them. Each time you find your children say, "there is no where you can go that God's love can't find you!" Ask Do you ever think you could be so naughty that your mummy and daddy won't love you? Of course not! Just like there was no where to hide that God's love couldn't find you, our love for you goes on forever and ever and ever no matter what you do! It is the same with God's love. You can never make it go away or do anything to make Him love you any more because He already loves you always and forever! This means we can always, always tell God when we make a mistake and choose to sin because He will always, always forgive us and love us! When God chooses to love us, it is called His GRACE.

Do

Jesus said it would be "easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone with lots of riches to enter the kingdom of heaven,". Find a needle if you have one and show children how small the size of a needle eye is compared to a camel. Explain to children that it is easy to rely on the things we have, and to let how 'good' we think we are to trick us into believing that we don't need God's grace. Set up a challenge course in your home with tiny 'hoops' (as the 'eye' of the needle) and large items to throw (as the 'camels'). Have children try to aim their large throwing-toys through a small space. Whether they are successful or unsuccessful, discuss, just as it is difficult to get the toy through the hoop, it is hard to keep our eyes on Jesus when we think we are 'good enough' to earn His love on our own. Every time a child throws a toy, call out "Thank God for His grace to us!" 

Pray together. Charles Spurgeon says, "His grace is given as freely as the light of the sun." Each morning this week, when you see the sunlight together, explain to children, that just as the sun freely gives light to the whole earth,  God's grace is freely given to us. Use the sunlight (or sunrise if you have early risers!) as your reminder of God's grace. Sit together in the warm sunlight and thank God for His grace – as sure, certain and freely given to us as the light of the sun.

Have a great week – see you online this Sunday!

Big Idea: We can live as 'Easter people' every day.

Bible Passage: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Parent Prep: I'm sure over the last week that you've spent alot of time thinking about the Easter message and what it means for you. This week, as we reflect on the story of Easter, we will be spending our time talking about what it means to be 'Easter people' every day as we wait to be united with our Lord Jesus forever. 

Read the Easter story in Matthew 26-28 or watch the Easter story here.

Talk

Say to children, the message of Easter is the reason we celebrate not just on Easter weekend, but every weekend when we meet together, and every day of our lives! We are 'Easter people' – we celebrate & live everyday in hope because of what Jesus has done for us- by defeating sin and death. We also know that even though we will die one day, our death is just a passing on from this earthly life into perfect, eternal life with God forever! 

Listen

Ask older children

• Why do you think it matters that Jesus rose from the dead? (He told us that He would [Matthew 20:17-19], He proved He is God.)
• How should this change how I live? (Because of what Jesus did, if I trust in Him, I am forgiven. I don't need to fear anything in this life, because I know He will take care of me and hold me close forever. [Romans 8:38-39]). 
• Why do you think Jesus is waiting so long to come back? (He is patient, waiting for people to come to know Him [2 Peter 3:9] and He has work for us to do in healing a broken world  & telling others the good news of Jesus [2 Corinthians 5:16-21].

Ask younger children 

• Do you know how many people have defeated sin and death? Only 1! Our Lord Jesus! This is why we worship King Jesus – He is the only one who could beat sin and death forever.
• How does it make you feel to know that Jesus is alive?
• How do you feel knowing that our Mighty God who beat death promises to take care of you?
• If these things make you feel safe and happy, who could you share this with?
• Why do you think Jesus is waiting so long to come back to take us to be with Him? He has a special job for us! We have to tell others about His good news, and help to heal the broken world!

Do

If you haven't already, read together this passage here: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. Paul talks about being 'made new' and how when we trust in Jesus we see the world, and people, in a 'new way'. On a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle. Write 'Old' on one side, and 'New' on the other. Ask children to write or draw broken things or hurt they know of in the world on the 'old' side of the paper. (Eg. dead flowers or animals, sore/scraped knees, crying and sadness, hunger, poverty etc). Then, on the 'new' side, have children write or draw what it would look like for 'Easter people' with the hope of Jesus to meet these needs. (Eg. To tell others the stories of Jesus, give bandaids to people with sores, visit the sick in hospital, take care of the earth, comfort the sad, play with lonely children, give money to those in need.)

Say, "We don't see the hurt and brokenness of the world like everybody else, we see hurt and brokenness and have hope because of Jesus. We know that that one day we will enjoy perfect life forever with Him and all will be made new. Let's practice bringing healing and the hope of the gospel to people and our world every day, as Easter people."

We'd love to see your ideas posted on our new Facebook Group for our FLBC families here!

Here's some extra activities for you to do if you need during the week:

Preschool Activity Pages

Younger Children Activity Pages

Older Children Activity Pages

Big Idea: We are invited to God's dinner party table where we find our rest and joy!

Bible Passage: Psalm 23:5-6

Parent Prep: This week we looked at verses 5-6 of Psalm 23. These verses are a change from the scenic imagery of us as sheep in a pasture, with Jesus as our shepherd,  to Jesus, the great Banquet Host. Here we see we are invited to be guests at His dinner table, our cups overflowing with His blessings. He gives good things in abundance, and we are invited to 'dwell' there with Him at the banquet 'forever'. This picture is of a generous host – a God who invites us to be drawn to the 'rest' of being with Him. He has prepared the meal – there is no work for us to do, but sit and 'tarry there' as Ps Mark said. We are to sit and enjoy the abundance of His goodness forever. This week with the kids, we will explore this 'rest of soul' that our loving Father gives us by His presence, and why it is good to rest a while with Him at the table. 

In anticipation of this devotion together, we encourage you to set the table for a special meal together. Consider letting children use decorations to dress the table up like a party (or banquet). Have party hats, party napkins, candles or flowers, decorative place settings. Perhaps consider making some 'placemats' as a craft to use for this meal. Set placecards with names on them at each setting for the members of your household. An additional craft idea could be to make invitations to this meal for your family members.

Read

Read together Psalm 23, in a children's Bible, or here. Read again the last 2 verses together. Here are verses 5-6 with pictures of the book we read together on Sunday.

Talk

Say, "In this part of the Bible, we hear David describe our God as a party host. He is making a beautiful dinner table, and He invites us to have dinner with Him. He says that 'his cup overflows'. He is saying God gives Him more than He needs for his day each day. He says that God has goodness and 'loving-kindness' for him every single day, and that He is inviting him to this table to be with Him forever. David isn't the only one who talks about this party-table either. Read together Luke 13:29, John 14:3 and Revelation 19:9. (The wedding feast is like a 'reception' after a wedding – a great party when we all finally get to be with Jesus forever!). 

Listen

Ask Older Children: How do you feel when someone important invites you to sit with them? How does it make you feel knowing that the God who made the earth and all creation has set a placecard with your name on it at His dinner table? David says that God gives him more than all He needs ('my cup overflows'). Do you feel like God gives you all you need and even more? If not, what do you think you need more of? What are you missing out on? Sometimes the things we think we want and need are not the same as the things God knows we need. There is a difference between what our human hearts want in this world, and what our hearts actually need, isn't there? The promise is that God says He will generously give over and above what we need (His goodness and His loving-kindness). What really needs to change is not what God gives us, but our own hearts. We can come to God and ask Him for all we need to get through each day, and He promises always to give us what we need most: His presence with us. 

What are some ways I can 'dwell' or 'sit in' the presence of God to bring us joy like David? (Reading/memorising scripture to myself, singing to Him songs of worship, praying, walking in the garden pointing out things He has made.) 

Ask Younger Children: How does it feel when someone special invites you to a party? Did you know that King Jesus invites you to His party? What do you think it will be like to be at God's big dinner party? God promises that when we need anything, we can come to Him – because He gives us everything we need. It's like being at a party where the lollies and food and drinks never run out! We can always come to Jesus when we need things because He always wants to give us what we need. Do you know what the best thing that Jesus gives us is? HIMSELF! He gives us His Spirit to give us calm, happiness and protection. He loves us, and He loves to BE WITH us! 

What are some ways I can be with Jesus today? (Sing Him songs, talk about Him, read stories about Him, talk to Him in prayer, walk in the garden and point out things He has made.)

Do

At your special table, prepare cups and saucers for each person. Each member of the family gets to pour (with some help!) a drink for the next person, and fill the cup until it overflows and spills over onto the saucer. As it fills up, the rest of the family can say, "God gives us more than we need!". At the end of your time, hold hands and close your eyes together.  Sit in silence for a moment together and encourage children to take 5 deep breaths in and out. As you sit, explain to children that it is in God's presence where we have all we need, and he calls us to sit and rest and 'dwell' in Him. As they breathe out, have children repeat, "Jesus you are all I need,' or 'You are here with me,' or a similar phrase to help children slow down and rest in the truth of our God's promise to be with us always. 

Then, because it's a party, and parties are fun, have a 30 second dance party at your table! 

We will continue to pray for you – and give you lots of resources for your family's Easter celebrations!

Love, from the Kids ministry Team. 

Big Idea: God knows what is best for us, and we can trust Him to give it to us in His time.

Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 8-10.

Parent Prep: Over the last few weeks we have been working our way through Judges and now the book of Samuel. Since the start of last year, when we commenced in Genesis, we have been looking at God's Big Story to save the world and how He calls us into it. It's an exciting time for you to join us on this journey if you haven't already been following along. Here's a recap: It's a VIDEO from the Bible Project, which should bring you up to date with what's going on in the story so far, and will help you understand where we are as we begin in chapter 8 of 1 Samuel. (We will follow the same format each week: Prepare, Read, Talk, Listen, Do)

Read 1 Samuel 8-10 in a children's Bible, or read it here, and you can watch it here, too.

Next, Talk about the story with children:

The people wanted to be like every other nation and have a King. This meant that they were rejecting God as their king. God knew that a human king would boss them around, make their men fight in wars, make them pay taxes (take their money) and put them to work. God knew He was a better king than any human would be, but the people kept demanding a king. So, God gave them King Saul. As it turned out, Saul made a lot of mistakes and didn't turn out to be a very good king, even though he was very strong, handsome and smart. 

God had a plan to give the people the very best King. Eventually, He came down to earth Himself, as King Jesus. King Jesus isn't like every other human king, because King Jesus doesn't just boss people around and make them love Him. King Jesus is caring, kind, forgiving, merciful, strong, protective, humble and never ever gives up. And, King Jesus is the only one who could really save the people from their sins. God knew that all along, and it was His plan to give us the perfect King, in His timing. We can trust that God always gives us what we really need, in His own time. 

Listen. Here's some questions to ask around the table:

Older children: Have you ever wanted something because everyone around you has it? How did it make you feel to be the only one without it? What would you do if you were missing out on something everybody else has? Is it difficult or easy to go without something when everyone else has it? When it's difficult, what could you do about how you feel? Who could you talk to about finding peace about this? If you have been praying for something and God hasn't given it to you yet, how does that make you feel? Read Luke 12:27-32 together for reassurance of God's care for us while we wait for His answers.

Younger children: Who is the boss in this family? Why are mummy and daddy the boss? The job of a boss is to take care of everyone. God is the boss because He knows best. We can trust Him and be patient when we don't get everything we want, because God is the boss and He will take care of us. Our God knows what is best for us.

Allow the questions to prompt natural discussion around this topic and feel free to lead the conversation to wherever it is most important to children. Ask if there are any questions or feelings they may have about this story. Take the opportunity to bring these questions and feelings to God in prayer, reminding children He is (and you are) okay with their doubts and fears. 

Then, Do:

Family Activity

Give every member of the family a piece of paper. Ask them to write or draw one rule that they would make everyone follow if they were king for a day. This rule can be anything they like (you get to set the boundaries ). Then crumple up the pieces of paper and throw them in a hat or basket. Each day, draw one rule out from the hat and make everyone obey that rule for a whole minute, or five minutes – or the whole day if you're game! Make a point of reminding children that human kings are not perfect, and that the only perfect King we have is King Jesus. His rules and commandments are for our best, because He knows what's best for us.

Worship together

Here's a song the Bumblebees have learned about King Jesus being the boss: Jesus is the Mighty, Mighty King.

Big Idea: So far God has always helped us, and He will help us now.

Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 7 (read this together from a children's Bible if you've got one, or here: Easy-to-Read ) 

If you want, you can use these words to explain the story to your children:

This story opens with an act of repentance ("saying sorry and turning back to God") of the people of Israel. Their enemies had been fighting them and winning, and so the Israelites eventually turned to their leader, Samuel, and Samuel approached the Lord on their behalf. Samuel told the people it was time to stop pretending to follow God, and actually worship Him with their whole hearts, ridding their homes of false gods and idols. 

Together the people assembled at special place, worshipped together and confessed their sin of loving idols. They promised to love Yahweh alone and offered a sacrifice for their sin. As this was going on, their enemies came to attack. God's response to His people's broken-hearted repentance was to step in and rescue them in a mighty way. He thundered 'a loud thunder' so great that the enemies were thrown into panic and retreated. The people of Israel won the battle and praised God.

Samuel took a stone, and He set it up as a reminder for the people. He called it Ebenezer, which is a Hebrew word meaning 'rock of help' and said, "Thus far the Lord has helped us." We are told as long as Samuel lived and led the people, God's hand was in the Israelites favour and there was peace in the land.

Our God is mighty to save. He can help us, and He delights in caring for us (see Luke 12:32). He desires our whole heart – to love Him most and Him alone, and to trust Him no matter what happens. He promises He will take care of us, and be with us, through it all. We can also, like Samuel look back at our lives and say, "Thus far the Lord has helped us." We can trust that He has been faithful to care for us, and that He will be faithful still. We have reason to trust God with our future because He has always been faithful in our past. 

Family Activity

Go into the garden as a family and choose a rock or stone of substantial size. Choose it as an Ebenezer for your family home and place it somewhere in your home that you will see it each day. Gather around your stone and remind each other, "So far God has always helped us, and He will help us now." If you start to worry in this season, or things seem tough, say these words to each other. Leave this stone in your home as long as you need. Gather around it for prayer & to encourage each other each day, or lay your hands on it and speak the words aloud to remember who it is who is our 'Rock of Help'. Our God, Yahweh, God almighty.