Big Idea: Jesus went to Heaven, but He sent His friends His Holy Spirit.

Bible Passage: Acts 1:4-14

This week the kids learnt that after Jesus was resurrected, He spent time with His friends. He had eaten with them and given them a very important mission. Jesus’ friends were back in the city of Jerusalem. Jesus told His friends not to leave the city, but to wait. God was going to send the Holy Spirit. Then something amazing happened! Jesus’ friends saw Jesus go up into the sky! A cloud took Him out of their sight. As the disciples looked into the sky, two men in white clothes stood beside them. The men said, “Why are you staring up into the sky? Jesus has been taken into heaven. One day, He will come back again in the same way.” 

We learnt that even though Jesus went back to heaven, he did not leave His friends alone to fulfill His mission. He sent His Holy Spirit to be with His friends to give them power to share the gospel. He does this for us too – for anyone who trusts Jesus as Lord and Saviour, that His Holy Spirit will dwell in us and never leave us! He gives us the power to share the good news of Jesus with our friends and family.

Family Activity

Go out in the back yard and lie down. Look at the clouds in the sky and see if you can find pictures or shapes in the clouds together. Talk about how Jesus went back to heaven on the clouds, and how even though that seems very far away, we can always be assured that for those that trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour, His Holy Spirit is with us always, and will never leave. Talk about how great it will be when Jesus comes back, riding on the clouds (Revelation 1:7). Imagine together what it will be like, and celebrate that we can look forward together to the day that King Jesus comes back.

Big Idea: Kidzone: Jesus has given us the mission of making disciples of all nations.

               Bumblebees:  Jesus wants us to tell everyone everywhere about His love. He loves the whole world.

Bible Passage: Matthew 28:16-20

This week the kids learnt that we have a mission. A co-mission with Jesus to share the good news of Jesus with the whole world. The kids were given maps and pictures of cross-cultural missionaries and learnt stories of just how far Jesus' good news of the gospel has spread. We are called to be a part of this mission, too. To share the good news of Jesus with everyone we meet.

Family Activity

If your family has a sponsor child, or know a missionary family overseas, take this week to pray for them together, and consider using this week to write them a letter together, or an email. Find a map or search on Google Earth where they are. Talk about how great it is that we can spread the good news of Jesus far and wide across the world. 

If your family doesn't have a sponsor child or know of a missionary family, check out these guys. https://omf.org/thailand/south-thailand/jeff-belinda-callow/ Our church supports, prays for and loves this family! Find their home on a map and pray this week together that Jesus' good news would spread far and wide where they are. 

Have a great week – we'll see you Sunday!

The Big Idea: The Risen Jesus meets us where we are

This week the bible passage was Luke 24:36-49 & John 20:19-29.

Famil Activity: Find a way to answer the question "where is Jesus seen in our home?" You can do this by identifying places in your home where you might worship, serve & talk about or to Jesus in your house and mark it on your house plans that they made on Sunday. Make sure you post photos of these places with the hashtag #jesusinourhome on facebook.

Bible Passage: Mark 16:12-13 and Luke 24:13-35

Big Idea: The Bibe id God's Word and everything in it is about Jesus

This week the kids studied how Jesus appeared to the Emmaus disciples after His death and resurrection. The bible is about Jesus. When Adam and Eve sinned, God began to working out His plan to send Jesus to rescue people from sin (Genesis 3:15). All of the Old Testament points foward to Jesus' life, death, and resurrection – the time when Jesus would bring God's promised salvation for sinners. 

Family Journal Activity: Give each member of the family a Bible. Call out a book of the Bible and guide each person to race to find it. Vary the difficulty of the book being found. Read Luke 24: 13-35. Remind the kids that Jesus taught that the Bible is about him. Tell them that no matter where they turn in the Bible, they can know that it all points to God's plan for Jesus to come to earth, die on the cross for our sin, and rise again three days later, as a picture of His victory over sin and death. 

Bible Passage: Matthew 28:1-15; John 20:1-18

Big Idea: God raised Jesus back to life to show we are forgiven & He has victory over sin and death. 

This week the kids learnt that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but He didn’t stay dead. God was pleased with Jesus’ sacrifice and raised Jesus from the dead to reign as King over all creation. Jesus provides salvation from sin and the promise of eternal life. 

Family Activity

Talk about a time you needed proof to help someone believe you. Consider telling a story and challenging the kids to believe you, and provide some ‘evidence’ or ‘proof’ to consolidate your story. Ask kids why they believe that you love them. (You hug them, feed them, tuck them in at night.) Let them give you examples that mean a lot to them. Talk about how Jesus’ resurrection is the proof that Jesus is who He said He is, and that we can trust everything He said. Ask kids if they sometimes struggle to believe this big truth. Reassure them that doubt is okay, and that while it is an unbelievable fact that God raised Jesus to life, that we can trust the Bible and what it says. Pray with your kids that you would learn to trust God together, and thank Him for giving us a way to be with Him again. 

Bible Passage: Matthew 26:36-28:10

Big idea: Jesus died to pay the sacrifice for our sin so that we could be made right with God.

This week the kids learnt about Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is the center of the gospel. We took a look back at all the ways God has shown his people that He wants themt to be with Him throughout the Bible, and why Jesus had to die. We talked about how, because God is perfectly just, that sin needs to be paid for. We deserve to die because of our sin. But because God is not only perfectly just, but also perfectly loving, He sent Jesus to die in our place. He was the blood sacrifice made once and for all for the forgiveness of sin. God was pleased with Jesus' sacrifice and raised Him from the dead to reign as King over all creation. We are forgiven and made right with God only through Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross for us, he said "IT IS FINISHED'. 

Family Activity

Look at a cross on a necklace or other item in your home, or as you see one driving around your community. Ask kids to tell you in their own words why the cross is used as a decoration today. Remind kids that the cross is a reminder of what Jesus did by dying for us on the cross and rising three days later. Pray together and thank Jesus for His sacrifice for us, and that He won victory over sin and death when He rose again. Say together "it is finished" at the end of the prayer and talk about how Jesus' sacrifice was once and for all, and how we can praise Him for our hope even in death.

Bible Passage: Matthew 26:36-27:2

Big Idea: Jesus trusted His father's plan to bring salvation to the world.

On Sunday the kids learned that Jesus was arrested. Jesus knew he was going to die, so he went to the garden to pray. While he was there, his friends fell asleep. Then Judas, his friend, betrayed him and he was arrested. Peter even denied knowing him! Jesus was taken away by the guards and beaten up and made fun of. But through all of this, despite being alone, heart-broken and hurt, Jesus trusted in His Father's plan. Jesus knew that His death was God’s plan to save people from sin. Jesus’ friends turned against Him and He was arrested and put on trial, but Jesus followed His Father’s plan in order to bring salvation to the world. 

Family Activity

Ask Have you ever felt scared, alone, or betrayed? Why do you think Peter denied Jesus? Why would Jesus let Himself be arrested? When do you find it hard to trust God's plan? 

Do Go out into your garden or to a nearby park. Choose a place together and consider kneeling down together. Pray together as Jesus did, "Not our will Father, but yours. We trust you. We know you have a good plan. We love you and thank you for Jesus' sacrifice for us." Mark this place in your garden as a place of prayer and return to pray together in times of struggle and hardship or to thank Jesus. 

Have a wonderful week!

Bible Passage: Matthew 26:26-30, John 13:1-15

This week the children learnt that at the Passover, Jesus shared His last meal with the disciples before his death and resurrection. Jesus said that His death would establish a new covenant. God's people had broken the old covenant, and God promised to make a new covenant to forgive sins. God forgives the sins of those who trust in Jesus. Jesus said to Peter and the disciples, that unless He washes us clean, we can't be forgiven. Peter thought He was talking about washing His body, but Jesus was talking about washing him clean from sin by His blood. 

We take part in the Lord's Supper now to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made, once and for all, to wash us clean of our sin. 

Family Activity

Ask – What does this story teach us about God? How did Jesus serve His disciples in this story? How else did Jesus serve people? How can we, like Jesus, serve one another and other people we know? How does the Lord's Supper help us remember Jesus?

Do – Wash something together. (The car, the dog, some windows, or clothes with stains). Look at the items before and after the wash. Remark on the dirtiness before the wash, and how washing makes the item clean. Talk about how this is like what Jesus does for us – His sacrifice on the cross washes us clean from sin. Talk about how even though these things might get dirty and we need to wash them again, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was once and for all, and that is why we celebrate by remembering His sacrifice at the Lord's Supper.

If you don't already have one, write a chore list together of jobs to do around the house/during the week. Talk about how we can serve one another by sharing the jobs that a family does each week.

Have a great week!

Bible Passage: Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-19

This week the kids learnt that Jesus got mad. He got mad at the people who were misusing God's temple. It was supposed to be a place of worship, and instead, it was being used as a marketplace. This was not okay with Jesus, because Jesus knew, what you love the most, you will live for. And the people were not loving God most, but were distracted by what was around them -making money. We learnt that when the Pharisees asked Jesus why he thought he could go around bossing people in the temple, he replied that if they knocked the temple down, he would rebuild it in 3 days. We learnt that Jesus was actually calling Himself the temple – he was going to die and come back to life in 3 days.

Jesus called himself the temple because the temple, just like the tabernacle, and the garden of eden was a display of God wanting to be with His people. And then, God himself came to earth as Jesus! God with Us. He made a way for us to be with God through His death and resurrection. 

This is great news! Jesus went back to heaven, after he came back to life, and he told His disciples that all those who follow Him, all those who repent and follow Jesus, he gives His Holy Spirit. When we give our lives to Jesus, we are now where the Spirit dwells! God is with us! This is why we worship Him. He gave everything so that we could be with Him. To live a life of worship with our whole lives, we say "thank you, I love you" in all we do.

We don't just come to church to worship, like they did at the temple. Nor should we get distracted by earthly things like money and possessions, or other things.  We worship Jesus with our whole lives by saying "thank you, I love you" everyday: singing, serving others, being kind, talking about the Good News with others, praying, reading our Bibles to know God more, giving offerings of money to Him.

Our whole lives are to be like the temple – a display of worship to God's glory. Our whole lives, gifts and talents can show people that God loves us and wants us to be with Him. We can say "thank you, I love you" and worship Him just like Jesus says! "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind."

Family Activity

Take a trip to the grocery store, or to a market/farmer's market. For preschoolers, you could play 'market place' with kitchen toys and pretend money. Talk about why using the temple as a market angered Jesus. The temple was a place of worship. What are ways we can worship (to say 'thank you, I love you') to Jesus with our lives/in our family? What distracts us from worshipping Jesus? (money, possessions/toys, fears, failures, thinking we are the best/better than others etc)

Pray together that we would not be distracted from Jesus and His love, but use our whole lives to say 'thank you, I love you' to Jesus.