Big Idea: We say "Hosanna, Our God Saves!" Our God made a way to save us.

Bible Passage: Mark 11:1-11

This week we celebrated Palm Sunday – the story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As Jesus rode into the town, the people welcomed him as King and Messiah. They waved palms and shouted, "Hosanna!". They were celebrating that Jesus was the long-awaited saviour to save them. However, the people believed Jesus was going to save the Jews from Roman rule. Jesus had actually come to save the world from sin. Our God made a way for us to be saved, and to have our relationship with Him restored through the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

We talked about how we can praise God with our palms, too. We don't need to wave tree branches around, but we can use our hands to praise God. We asked the children to think of ways we can use our palms (or, our hands) to worship and praise our God. Some ways we talked about were: lifting them in worship as we sing, hugging others, making food for others, and Hi-5s. We can use our palms in many ways to praise God for saving us by sending our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Family Activity

Throughout the week, give children opportunities to use their hands for service to others. Encourage them to pick up laundry, write letters of encouragement, or even dry the dishes. Clean up the yard togehter, or wash the car. Whatever fits into your week this week, be intentional about pointing out that when we serve others in kindness with our hands, we are doing so because Jesus first did this for us in dying on the cross. Use Hi-5's as a reminder that we can use our palms to bring glory to God. 

Whenever you see a palm tree this week as you drive or walk, call out 'Hosanna!' See how many palms you can see on each journey as you drive. Ask children to remember what "Hosanna" means (Save now!) and why the people called it out to Jesus. 

Big Idea: We can't always understand why things happen, but we can always trust God is in control, and that He is good.

Bible Passage: 1-42

This week the kids learned about the story of Job. Many terrible things happened to Job. He lost his family, his animals, and even got a disease. Job was confused about why these things happened to him. Eventually when Job turned to God, God answered him through a storm.

God told Job that He is in control. That He is mighty, powerful and the Creator of all things. God says He controls the seasons, the skies, all of creation and says 'Everything under heaven belongs to me.' God also says He is the one who knows when the animals give birth, and counts the months until the baby animals are born. He is the one who cares for all creation. The things God says about HImself in the word tell us these things:

1. God is always in control, and 2. God is always good. He cares for us – more than all of the rest of creation! We can always trust our God. He is powerful, His ways are far beyond our understanding, and He cares for us and loves us – even in our brokenness, and especially when we are hurting.

Family Activity

Take a packet of plain band-aids or skin plasters. Write on the band-aids phrases like: "God is always in control." "God loves me, always, no matter what." "God loves me in my brokenness." "He sees, He cares." "Psalm 38:18". Be as creative as you like, and ask children to come up with phrases that comfort them. Then, place the band-aids back in the box. Be reminded when you use them, that even though we may experience hurt in this life because of sin and brokenness, our God is always in control, and always loves us and cares for us.

Big Idea: Who is the greatest? We are not the greatest, God is the greatest! 

Bible Passage: Genesis 11

This week the kids learned the story of the Tower of Babel. After the flood, it didn't take long before the people of God's earth began to mess up God's world again. Instead of spreading out and filling the earth as God had told the people, they gathered together to make a big city, with a tower all the way to heaven! Instead of saying 'God, you are great', the people were saying "Look how great we are!". The people thought they didn't need God. God was not happy about this, so he confused their languages. The people could not build the tower any more. All the glory for being great belongs to our God, not to people. He is far smarter, stronger and more powerful than we can ever imagine!

This is why God had a plan to rescue us from our sin. He knew we could never save ourselves from our sin, or be like Him on our own. God's plan was not for us to climb up to Him, but for Him to come down to us. That is why Jesus came to save us. We are not great, God is great! All the glory for bringing us back to His family belongs to Him alone. 

Family Activity

As a family, build a tower out of anything you like in your home. (Tupperware, blocks, cardboard etc) Be as creative as you like. Each piece you put on the tower, say 'this is for God's glory – our God is great!'. Ask children to discuss their heroes, and who they think are people of 'greatness'. Remind children that God's word teaches us that the greatest thing we can do with our lives is not live for our own glory, but for the glory of God who saved us. How can we give God glory in our lives?

See you next week!

Big Idea: Our God got messy to clean us up.

Bible Passage: Genesis 6-9

Our Bible passage this week teaches us about God's hatred for sin, and His love for His people. Our God was so mad and sad at the sin and evil in all the world that He decided to wipe everything out and start again. But God chose one man, Noah – and his family, to save and to start again with. After the flood, when the whole world was empty except for Noah and his family, God sent a rainbow and made a covenant with Noah. God said that never again would He wipe out the whole world because of our sin, but instead make a way for us to be rescued and have perfect togetherness with Him. This is the grace of our good God.

We know that the way God saved us from our sin is through Jesus. God himself came to earth, and got messy with us -and died to save us- so that we wouldn't have to be wiped out because of our sin. When we see the rainbow, we can thank Jesus for His love for us and for saving us and making a way for us to have perfect togetherness with Him forever.

When we see the rainbow, we think Jesus!

Family Activity

This week, look out for rainbows after the rain. If you see one, have a member of the family call out "When we see the rainbow, we think," and have everyone else respond, "Jesus!". Give children the opportunity to wipe down the bench or table after a meal this week, or as your children bath, talk about 'wiping all the mess away.' When God destroyed the world with a flood, he was wiping all the mess of sin away. But it made God sad to destroy all that he had made. Talk about how our sin makes God sad, and how even though we hurt others and disappoint God because of our sin, he has made a way for us to be 'wiped clean' of it forever through Jesus. 

Big Idea: Our God what we couldn't to make up for us doing what we shouldn't.

Bible Passage: Genesis 3

This week we called 'sad week'. We learned how God's children chose to disobey God, abandoned His love for them, and chose to sin. They broke the perfect togetherness they had with God, and then everything was different. Sin had entered the world. Adam and Eve ate from the one tree God had said was off limits, because they listened to the serpent instead of to God. So God sent His children out of the perfect garden, and they didn't have perfect togetherness with God, or with each other, or with creation anymore. But, God had a plan. He would restore the perfect togetherness He had with His children. God sent Jesus, who was the sacrifice for our sin and died to pay the penalty for our brokenness so that we could be called children of God. "Our God did what we couldn't, to make up for us doing what we shouldn't. He kicked His children out of the garden, and then did whatever it took to bring us back again." – The Biggest Story.

Family Activity

List the rules in your household. Talk about the ones the children don't like. Talk about how the rules in your household are for our good and our joy. This is the same with God's rules. Go on a walk together as a family, or as you drive, point out ways sin has affected the world. Notice overgrown or dead plants, litter, buildings in need of repair and so forth. Talk about how because of Jesus, one day we can once again have perfect togetherness with God forever – even though we don't deserve it, because of our sin. Thank God for making a way for us to be called His children.

Big Idea: God created us to be like Him, in perfect togetherness forever.

Bible Passage: Genesis 2

This week we talked about how God created people. He made the man from dust, and created Eve from Adam's side. God made His children to be like Him, "in His image". He loves His children more than all of the rest of creation. God is our loving Creator and King. He made us to be in perfect togetherness, without shame or guilt or sin – with Himself, with each other and with creation – forever and ever. How wonderful to be called His beloved children!

We know that our world now is not perfect, and is broken because of our sin. It is only because of Jesus and His sacrifice for our sin that we can be called God's children. We can now look forward to perfect togetherness forever in eternity with Him.

Family Activity

Hold a 'funny face' contest. Take turns with your family around the table making the silliest faces you can. Then  see who can match each silly face. Discuss ways we can 'match' or 'be like' God. What are ways we cannot be like Him?

Ask children, "How are we like God?" "How are we different to God?" "What does it mean to be "made in the image" of God?" "If everyone is made in God's image, how should we treat them?"

Pray together and thank God for making a way for us to be in perfect togetherness forever with Him because of Jesus. 

Big Idea: Our perfect God made a home for His children.

Bible Passage: Genesis 1

Our first week back! This week we started the whole Bible – God's Big Story- right from the very beginning!

We talked about how in the very beginning, there was nothing, but God was there. God is holy and perfect and forever, and three in one. Father, Spirit & Son. And God, in His perfect holiness and love, spoke everything into existence. He spoke, and it was made – the whole entire universe. And it was beautiful. 

God was making a home for His children. And everything God created – all the stars, the skies, the clouds, the mountains, the trees- was all for His glory, so that His children would know how marvellous and loving He is. God made a beautiful home for His children. He made a special garden called Eden, and he put His children in the beautiful garden, and He was with them there. 

It was very good. That's what God said. It was perfect. And God did it all, just because. Just because He is God, and just because He wanted to share His glory and love with His children. 

In Colossians 1:16, we read this: "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him." This verse is talking about Jesus, and it tells us that everything in the whole world points to Him, and that He is King over everything.

Family Activity

Read Genesis 1 when you are all together. As you go about your week, make a game of pointing out parts of creation that you can see. (Trees, clouds, stars, water, fish, birds, animals, sun, moon, people) Everytime someone in your family calls out "God made that!" Other members of your family call out which day of creation God created whatever you can see. (Eg. "God created the stars and moon!" "Day 4!") Each time you point something out, remind children that God created all these things to remind us how great He is and how much He loves us. Talk about how God made all of creation to point to His glory and as a beautiful home for His children.

Together, you can pray, "Thank you Jesus for creating all these things so that we could know how wonderful you are." 

See you next week!

This week the kids celebrated that we have finished the whole entire Bible! Over the last four years, our Kidzone & Bees team have led our kids through the entire Big Story of the gospel -and guess what – we have learned ONE very important lesson:

THE WHOLE BIBLE POINTS TO JESUS.

He was the long awaited Messiah – the Saviour for the whole world, who reconciled us to God. We are able to have a relationship with God, life to the full here on earth, and life even though we die, for all eternity.

Watch this video here together as a family:

A 5-Minute Video Overview of the Whole Bible – for Kids

The Big Story from The Gospel Project on Vimeo.

Have a great week- and don't forget – next week is our Christmas celebration week for the last week of the year! We can't wait to see you all!

Big Idea: When Jesus returns, He will make all things new.

Bible Passage: Revelation 21-22

The last one! This week the kids heard the very last lesson of God's Big Story! We read together what will happen at the end of this age – when Jesus returns and makes all things new. Jesus says He will come back the way He left – through the clouds- and come to put all things right. No more tears, no more pain, no more death -and the best news ever – we will be with Him, face to face forever! We can look forward to the day He will wipe away all tears and make a new heaven and new earth for us to be with Him in for all eternity. This news should be shared with all people – so that they may know our hope in Jesus too, and can share eternity with Jesus with us. 

Family Activity – "Not Home Yet!"

We talked about how great it will be when we are finally 'home' with Jesus and all things are made right and perfect. We can trust Jesus because He always keeps His promises, and He has promised from the beginning of time that He will bring us back to Himself and restore our perfect relationship with Him. This week, take the opportunity to point out the brokenness of this world when you can (when your child cries, or when you are mad at one another, or when you see an ambulance, police car or fire truck) and use that moment to say, "We aren't home yet." Remind children that their true home is with Jesus, in His presence, and that while hurt and crying and pain may last here for a while, one day all things we be put right and made new – because 'Heaven is our Home'. It says in Revelation that in Jesus' presence, we won't need the sun or the moon because Jesus will be our light. Point out the sun and the moon to talk about how wonderful it will be to be in the presence of Jesus, once and for all.

Big Idea: Jesus is King over everything, and everything and everyone will worship Him.

Bible Passage: Revelation 4-5

This week the children learned what John saw when Jesus showed him a vision of 'the throne room of heaven'. Jesus is King over everything and sits on the throne and every creature and person bows in worship of Him. The creatures in the vision sing a never ending song of, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty who was and is and is to come." People lay down their crows at King Jesus' feet. John looked around to see who is worthy to open God's scroll – and no one that has ever lived is worthy. Only Jesus is worthy to open the scroll- only Jesus is worthy to be the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world – as only Jesus is perfect and holy. John concludes this description of the vision by telling us that there are people from every tribe, nation and people on earth, and that at the end of time, everyone and every creature will bow before King Jesus' throne and worship Him as Lord.

Family Activity

We asked the question of the children, Who is Jesus to you? Do you really believe He is King and Creator of all? Do you really believe He is the only Saviour who can save us from sin and put us right with God again? If the answer to those questions is 'yes', then do we really live like we believe it? The people in the story worshipped Jesus by singing. We sang a new song of worship together too. We sang 'What a Beautiful Name,' -by Hillsong Kids. Consider singing or making music and noise together in worship to Jesus this week to this song – or choose a family favourite! When we sang and prayed together on Sunday, we got down on our knees as it says in Revelation. This week, when you pray or sing together, kneel down together as an intentional and visual reminder that we serve Jesus, our King and Saviour.