Great faith!
Children's Activity
Object:
Teachers or Parents: The theme of trusting in Jesus is most
difficult. Jesus is invisible and yet we are called to be
faithful to him. Children can best learn faithfulness by
observing faithfulness in mentors like teachers, parents, and
pastors.
*Ask parents to share their faith in Jesus.
*Ask your pastor(s) to share his or her faith.
*Share your faith. Talk about times of trouble or need when Jesus was there for you. Talk about daily prayer and devotional habits.
*Reread the story from the Gospel of Matthew. In it Jesus appears to reject the woman (see children's sermon about rejection in first lesson this Sunday). She rises above that rejection -- even though she was not a Jew -- and asks for healing for her child.
Another theme that comes from this story is that of asking for help. Independent Americans like to believe they never need help. There are times in every person's life when help from others is needed. Self-sufficiency is especially destructive when it comes to salvation. We cannot save ourselves.
*Ask: "Have you needed help before and were hesitant to ask for it?"
*"Why do people not ask for help when they need it?" (In children the most common answer will, of course, be that they wanted to prove how grown up they are.)
*"When is it a good time to ask for the Lord's help?" (Answer: ANYTIME!)
*"When is it a good time not to ask for help?" (God has given us amazing human resources and often uses human ingenuity and cooperation to accomplish God's will on earth.)
*"Which feels better: getting help or giving help?"
*Explore ways the children can be of help to others.
*Share a story from your life or have someone from within the congregation share a story of how the helpfulness of others made things better. People who have suffered loss often find it difficult to accept it. If you know of someone who has been quite successful in accepting help, ask them to help you today.
*Ask parents to share their faith in Jesus.
*Ask your pastor(s) to share his or her faith.
*Share your faith. Talk about times of trouble or need when Jesus was there for you. Talk about daily prayer and devotional habits.
*Reread the story from the Gospel of Matthew. In it Jesus appears to reject the woman (see children's sermon about rejection in first lesson this Sunday). She rises above that rejection -- even though she was not a Jew -- and asks for healing for her child.
Another theme that comes from this story is that of asking for help. Independent Americans like to believe they never need help. There are times in every person's life when help from others is needed. Self-sufficiency is especially destructive when it comes to salvation. We cannot save ourselves.
*Ask: "Have you needed help before and were hesitant to ask for it?"
*"Why do people not ask for help when they need it?" (In children the most common answer will, of course, be that they wanted to prove how grown up they are.)
*"When is it a good time to ask for the Lord's help?" (Answer: ANYTIME!)
*"When is it a good time not to ask for help?" (God has given us amazing human resources and often uses human ingenuity and cooperation to accomplish God's will on earth.)
*"Which feels better: getting help or giving help?"
*Explore ways the children can be of help to others.
*Share a story from your life or have someone from within the congregation share a story of how the helpfulness of others made things better. People who have suffered loss often find it difficult to accept it. If you know of someone who has been quite successful in accepting help, ask them to help you today.
