Children’s Worship 4.19.20 – Gold Avenue Church

Dear Parents,

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, “We miss you!!!!” This lesson is brought to you straight from Asher and Eila’s bedroom (disregard the messes and clothing choices!). Today we are reminded of how Jesus did the will of the Father and we are called to as well, wherever we are at today and this week- I hope you will be encouraged as well!

OVERVIEW:

Activity One: Watch the video

Activity Two: Discuss the story using provided questions as prompts

Activity Three: Respond to the story by doing an art or serve project. Pray together.

Worship

Game: “Father Says”

Activity Four: Bless your children

EQUIP:

(It’s not an activity, but just a little background on the story for you, the parent, to read.)

In Luke 4, we find a mission statement from Jesus in the first message He preached in Nazareth when He said:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (Luke 4:18–19).

Before beginning His public ministry, Jesus was “taken by the Spirit” into the desert to be prepared for all His Father had planned for Him to do. During His time of prayer and fasting, He was tempted by the Devil, but He came out of this time fully empowered to do the ministry that lay before Him. Later in Scripture we often see Jesus going off to secluded places to be alone with His Father. Jesus was one who knew better than any other the importance of solitude.

In Mark’s gospel, Jesus heals not only through the words He speaks, but also through the touch He shares. After teaching in the synagogue, He heals the sick all through the night. Coming from serving, touching, giving, teaching, and healing, He makes the time to slip away to a secluded spot to pray and receive instructions concerning the day that is before Him.

Jesus cared about following His Father’s will. In John 5:19, Jesus affirms: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

God the Father entrusted ministry to Jesus, His Son. Jesus in turn entrusted the ministry to the 12 leaders He chose. Now, the ministry is entrusted to each of us.

Jesus is fully God and fully human. He knew the limitations of being human. Because of this He made it a priority to spend time with His Father. How much more, then, do we need to spend time alone with God, our Father? We need time with God to ensure we stay on the path He has set before us and remain connected to Him. In preparation to minister to your children this week, find some time to draw away and listen to God. Take this passage and meditate on it: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21). Ask God if there’s something He is specifically inviting you to do based on this Scripture.

Activity 1: STORY

Watch the story video below.

Activity 2: DISCUSSION

From today’s part of The Big God Story, we learned how important it was for Jesus to take time away to prepare for His Father’s plans for Him. He would go out to be alone and pray. God has plans for each one of us too.

I wonder … How did Jesus know what the Father wanted him to do?
I wonder … What other plans did God have for Jesus?
I wonder … What plans might God have for me?

These questions can easily extend into the rest of the week. Look for opportunities to bring conversations about how God Saves into your everyday life as a family.

Today’s Worship Songs:

“Every Move I Make”:

“I Will Praise the Lord”:

Activity 3: RESPONSE ACTIVITY

After your time discussing the Wonder Questions, you’ll have the opportunity to pray with and for each of the children in your group. Friends, we can pray and talk to God just like Jesus did. It’s good to be quiet and listen to things God might be telling us through His Holy Spirit. Jesus knew that He needed time with God to get ready for all the things He was going to do and to know God’s path for Him. We need time with God too, so we can see the path God has for our lives.

We can talk to God in all sorts of different ways and places and times. You can talk to God by yourself, or we can pray together as a family. Right now, let’s take some time to pray with each other. I’ll start. “Dear God, thank You for Your plans to send Jesus to earth as the promised Savior so we can be with You forever and ever. Please show us the way to live.”

God the Father had big plans for Jesus. He prepared Jesus to care for us and show us love, which were part of His big plan for Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. When we follow Jesus by choosing to love Him and trust and obey Him, we’ll see that God has big plans for our lives too. God can use us to care for people and tell them about Jesus. How do you think God may be getting you ready for the plans He has for you? After asking the question, let child(ren) take a minute to sit quietly and listen to God. Give them a piece of paper and crayons/markers. Talk together about any ideas God may have given them about plans God may have for their life- it could be something this week that they’d like to do to show God’s love or maybe a bigger picture of how they think God might be working in their lives for the future! Encourage them to draw their ideas on a piece of paper (it’s great if your whole family does this together- God is teaching all of us and we have the opportunity to model to our kids how God speaks to us! It’s also a good time to turn on some quiet music to listen to while you pray/draw)

Game: Father Says

When Jesus went about His ministry, He was careful to follow God the Father’s plans for Him, and He often spent time listening to God. Today, your kids will practice their listening and following skills in a version of Simon Says. Lead your (child)ren in a game of Father Says, modeled after Simon Says. Let’s play a game called Father Says. To play, you need to watch the leader and try to follow everything the leader is doing. Most importantly, though, you’ll need to listen carefully. Be sure to only do the things that the leader tells you to do after he says, “Father Says.”

Begin by being the leader yourself, and then invite your kids to come and lead. Command suggestions: clap your hands for joy, shout to the Lord, shake hands with your neighbor, dance for the Lord, whisper your favorite kind of pizza to your neighbor, say the ABC’s as fast as you can, etc. When the game is finished, share with them: You did an excellent job of listening. In the story we heard today, we learned how Jesus did everything His Father, God, had planned for Him, and how He always listened carefully so He could follow God’s plans exactly.

Activity 4: CLOSING BLESSING

A blessing to pray over your child(ren):

Walk in the ways of the Lord.

Obey His voice.

Hold tight to Him.

Love the Lord your God. (reference Deuteronomy 30)

Repeat these phrases a few times before moving on to the next portion.

The Lord will guide you.

He will comfort you.

He will give you rest.

He will pour His goodness and love upon you. (reference Psalm 23)

Repeat these phrases a few times. Then read the following statements as individual blessings over children before you close:

(Child’s name), may you walk in the ways of the Lord … The Lord will guide you.

(Child’s name), may you obey His voice … He will comfort you.

(Child’s name), may you hold tight to Him … He will give you rest.

(Child’s name), may you love the Lord your God … He will pour His goodness and love upon you.

Pray with your kids, asking them if they have any prayer requests and encouraging them to pray for others. Have a blessed week!

Note: Please let us know about how your family is enjoying Children’s Worship! Take some pictures of your family participating in Children’s Worship or share a story. You can post to the Gold Avenue Church Facebook page or send by email at goldavechurch@gmail.com