Bible Christian Church

Children’s Sermon Supplement

March 2015

March 7/8: Mark 2:1-12

Preschool/Younger Elementary

Watch the video on the Paralyzed man and his friend

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/366691594629948460/

Paralyzed Man Cut out craft

Healing of a Paralytic Coloring Page

Jesus Heals the Paralytic Word search (Easy)

Items That Can Help Me Get Well worksheet:

o Discuss how the praying hands and the Bible can also help us get well. The Bible teaches us

about Jesus, who can heal us not only when we are sick, but also from our sins. When we pray,

God hears our prayers, and is always willing to give us what we need.

Older Elementary

Woven Matt Craft

Digital puzzle http://www.dltk-bible.com/jesus/paralytic_puzzle.htm

Jesus Heals the Paralytic Anagram

1. Easy version

Jesus Heals the Paralytic Crossword

Jesus Heals the Paralytic Word Search (Harder)

Discussion questions

1. Why was it almost impossible for the men to get their friend to where Jesus was? (Because it

was so crowded.)

2. How did they solve this problem? (By cutting a hole in the roof and lowering him down on his

mat.)

3. Did Jesus heal the crippled man? (Yes.)

4. Did Jesus show compassion and provide comfort for this man? (Yes.)

5. How would you feel if you were one of the people who saw this miracle taking place? (Allow for

answers.)

6. Have you ever been sick, and prayed to God to make you better? What happened? (Allow for

answers.)

7. If you were crippled like this man, and Jesus made you walk again, what would you do? (Allow

for answers.)

March 14/15: Mark 2:13-17

Preschool/Younger Elementary

Preschool Bible Lesson: Jesus Calls Levi

Video https://vimeo.com/50117634

Set up an obstacle course. Make it difficult or unpleasant in spots. (For example, lead the children under a low object forcing them to crawl on their bellies.) Have the children line up and tell them, “Follow me.” Periodically as you are leading them through the course repeat the phrase, “Follow me.” When you are finished talk about when it was difficult to follow. Ask the children if they were tempted to side step an obstacle and go their own way. Talk about what Jesus meant when He said, “Follow me.”

I Follow Jesus Coloring page

Older Elementary

Discussion - Make the following points from the story:

1. Jesus called Levi, knowing that Levi was a tax collector. 2. Jesus called Levi to follow Him even though Levi did bad things even though Levi was a sinner. 3. Levi was “sick” spiritually He did not love God or follow God or do what was right 4. Jesus came to invite sick, sinful people into the family of God. 5. We are all sick, sinful people, even if we think and feel we are healthy.

Application 1. Do you think that it is important to be in the family of God? Is it more important to be in the family of

God than in your family? Why? 2. Do you think that you deserve to be in the family of God? Why? 3. What do you think it means to “follow Jesus”?

Word Scramble: FOLLOW ME. 1. As they are working, discuss the call of Jesus to His disciples and their response. Once the children have

unscrambled the word, discuss how the disciples followed Jesus. Ask the children what they might need to give up in order to follow Jesus or what they would be willing to give up.

Have a parent share how he/she was called by God

Set up an obstacle course. Make it difficult or unpleasant in spots. (For example, lead the children under a low object forcing them to crawl on their bellies.) Have the children line up and tell them, “Follow me.” Periodically as you are leading them through the course repeat the phrase, “Follow me.” When you are finished talk about when it was difficult to follow. Ask the children if they were tempted to side step an obstacle and go their own way. Talk about what Jesus meant when He said, “Follow me.”

March 21/22: Testimonies

Work on any other activities not completed yet.

March 28/29: Mark 2:18-3:6

A Question About Fasting Worksheet

Wedding Illustration Worksheet/Discussion

Illustration of a Patch Worksheet/Discussion

Illustration of a Wineskin/Discussion

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CIRCLE ITEMS THAT CAN HELP

YOU GET WELL

© Kids Sunday School Place, Inc. Al l Rights Reserved.

DLTK's Crafts for Kids

Woven Mexican Place Mats

Thanks to Darren for sharing this craft idea with us!

This craft offers children an opportunity to learn the basic

of weaving -- it's a great project for themes other than

Mexico as well (just use the colours that go with the season

or theme you are doing).

You can make a larger version to use as a Mexican blanket

or Poncho.

Materials:

scissors,

glue,

ruler

pencil,

one 18" x 12" piece of construction paper.

- this larger piece will become the background color for the placemat

16 strips of construction paper in a single color or multiple colors

- these strips should be 1 inch wide by 12 inches long

Optional: clear contact paper.

Instructions:

Take the large piece of construction paper and fold it in half across the width.

Use your ruler to mark inch wide spaces all along the folded edge.

Do the same along the open edge but the marks should be 1 inch from the edge of

the paper.

Draw a line connecting the marks.

With the paper still folded and starting at the fold cut along the lines being careful

to stop one inch from the open edge.

Unfold the paper to reveal the loom that you have created.

Weave the one inch strips through the loom. If you are using

multiple colors be sure to alternate them for the most colorful effect.

Printable Version http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/mexico/pplacemats.asp

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Glue the ends of the strips to the edges of the loom to hold

them in place.

Optional:

- Use clear contact paper to 'laminate' the placemat and

extend its life.

Printable Version http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/mexico/pplacemats.asp

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Cutoutandunscrambletheletters.GlueletterstoasheetofpaperwiththepictureofJesus.

A QUESTION ABOUT FASTING

John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” (Mark 2:18).

The first issue brought up by the Pharisees deals with the question of fasting. Fasting was an important part of their religion. It was their practice to fast twice a week. Monday and Thursday were their special days of fasting. There is nothing wrong with such a practice. The Bible teaches and encourages fasting.

Consecrate a FAST, proclaim a solemn assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. (Joel 1:14).

Blow a trumpet in Zion, consecrate a FAST, proclaim a solemn assembly. (Joel 2:15).

Fasting was used in times of crises. In times of emergency prayer, a fast would be proclaimed. It was at such a time that David fasted when his son was sick to the point of death. Likewise, the people of Nineveh entered into a fast at the preaching of Jonah when they were told of a coming judgment.

Furthermore, fasting is not limited to Old Testament times. It was also practiced within the early church.

And while they were ministering to the Lord and FASTING, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had FASTED and prayed and laid their hands on them, the sent them away. (Acts 13:2-3).

And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with FASTING, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. (Acts 14:23).

In each of these cases, fasting is linked with prayer. I believe it to be a sacrifice of comfort given to God as a part of prayer and worship.

The Pharisees knew about fasting. It was a part of their religious life. And they noticed something. They noticed that Tuesday and Friday had come and the disciples were still eating. They compared notes and found that these disciples were not in the habit of fasting at all. And while Jesus had fasted for 40 days in the wilderness at the beginning of His ministry, He did not participate in a regularly scheduled fast.

This stood in stark contrast to the disciples of John the Baptist. His disciples DID fast regularly.

“John's disciples fast”

and... “The disciples of the Pharisees fast”

BUT... “Your disciples do not fast”

Do you see what the Pharisees are saying? “Everyone who is spiritually minded is fasting, so why aren’t you?” This is religious peer pressure.

Peer pressure makes people do funny things. If you don’t believe that, then visit your local high school. Kids are notorious for trying to conform to the expectations of their peers. I grew up in a generation of non-conformists and we struggled to be exactly alike in our non-conformity.

But peer pressure isn’t limited to the young. It is just as evident among the old. And all too often, it is seen in the church. It is seen when we dress alike and talk alike and act in a manner that is expected of us - when we raise our hands alike or don’t raise our hands alike.

Spirituality is not to be measured in conformity to outward appearances. It is to be measured in our conformity to the person and character of Jesus Christ. Anything less is merely a cheap substitute. Jesus didn’t bow to peer pressure. He didn’t care that “everyone else is doing it.” And we shouldn’t, either.

 

WEDDING ILLUSTRATION:

The answer to the Pharisees’ question is given in the form of three illustrations. They are short parables.

2:19-20 2:21 2:22

Attendants of a Bridegroom

New Patches on Old Clothes

New Wine in Old Wineskins

Illustrates disciples Illustrates scribes and Pharisees

1. Illustration of a Bridegroom.

And Jesus said to them, “While the bridegroom is with them, the attendants of the bridegroom cannot

fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

“But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that

day. (Mark 2:19-20).

There was no more happy time in the ancient world than at a wedding. When we have a wedding, we go to a

church or some other meeting place, have a ceremony followed by a short party and then we send to couple off

on a honeymoon. They used to do it differently. In the ancient world, everyone went on the honeymoon. They

would have the wedding at the house of the groom and the couple would stay there with the guests for an entire

week of honeymooning. That entire week would be a party time for the people who loved the couple. It was

not a time of fasting. It was a time of rejoicing.

The attendants of the feast would be made up of the best friends of the groom. It was their responsibility to

keep the party alive. They would promote the festivities and carry out the celebrations. One thing that these

attendants would never do during the course of the party would be to mourn.

Do you see the connection? Fasting is always to be in conjunction with mourning or praying. It is used in

crisis situations. But the Pharisees had turned it into a meaningless routine. They fasted only because it was a

part of their program, not because there was any repentance on their part. They were only locked into their

ritual.

Here is the meaning of the parable. Jesus is the bridegroom. When the bridegroom is present, it is time to

party. Jesus is here. And that makes it a time of celebration, not of mourning. There will come a time of

mourning, but it has not come yet. It will not come until the bridegroom has been taken away.

Now I want to ask you a question. Should we fast today? I think that we should. We should fast in times of

mourning and in times of repentance and in times of spiritual crisis. But it should never become a mere

ritualistic routine that is to be followed so that we can look down our nose at someone else.

* From: http://www.angelfire.com/nt/theology/mk02-18.html

Illustration of a Patch

“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment;

otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse

tear results.” (Mark 2:21).

Now Jesus moves to a new parable. It deals with a patch from a new piece of cloth being

sewn onto an old suit of clothes.

How are we to understand this parable? Remember that Jesus is still explaining why His

disciples do not fast. He has not changed the subject. He is merely illustrating it further.

In those days, clothes were made either from cotton or from wool. Both of these fabrics

would shrink. If you had an old robe with a big hole in it and patched it up with a piece

of new cloth, then the next time you washed it, the patch would shrink and rip the robe.

The result would be an even bigger hole. If you wanted to patch an old robe, then you

had to patch it with an old patch.

Here is what Jesus is saying. There is no way that the things which He is teaching can fit

into the ritualistic systems of the Pharisees. His message of an internal holiness and a

repentance from sin is like a new patch being placed upon an old garment. It will tear

apart their system of legalism.

* From: http://www.angelfire.com/nt/theology/mk02-18.html

Illustration of a Wineskin.

“No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost

and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.” (Mark 2:22).

This is the third illustration. But it is still teaching the same truth. It illustrates it with new wine and old

wineskins.

The Jews used to take wine and place it into the skin of an animal. The neck of the animal would be used as

the spout and the rest of the skin would be sewn shut.

Once the skin had been emptied and then left without anything in it, the skin would begin to dry out and crack.

If you then tried to put wine back into it, the cracks would become greater until the entire skin would burst,

spilling the wine onto the ground and ruining it.

Old wineskins are a hazard. They become thicker and harder and eventually they will crack. They cease to be

flexible. They lose their elasticity. They become brittle. And as a result, when fresh wine is poured into them,

they cannot contain it.

Jesus is the new wine. He is fresh and new in His approach. He comes on the scene, threatening to break

asunder the old forms. The Pharisees are the old wineskins. They are already leaking. They cling to their

traditional hand-me-downs.

There is a principle here. Old structures cannot hold Jesus. The church must be ready to deal with change.

Our outward forms must never be so rigid that they cannot hold people who are different. The structures are not

bad in themselves. They are merely meant to hold reality. But when they become too rigid, then they begin to

strangle reality.

There are things which are essential - the wine. And then there are things which are useful, but not primary -

the skins. What is more important, the wine or the container which holds the wine?

The Pharisees had come to the place where their focus was on the wineskin. They loved the fancy exterior, old

and faded though it had become. They had lost sight of the reality behind the form.

The church has both reality and ritual. It has both faith and form. Faith is the gift from God - it doesn’t

change. Form is the packaging - it does change.

There are people who have the packaging, but who don’t have the gift. You can tell them because they are

only concerned that we never change the packaging. Others have the gift, but they are focusing upon the

packaging and want to hold onto the old packaging. Still others want to bring up new packaging, but they have

nothing to put into it. They want change, but there is no real content to their change.

Check out your wineskins. Are they looking a little worn around the edges? Stop patching up old wineskins.

Come to the new wine.

* http://www.angelfire.com/nt/theology/mk02-18.html