TO THE RESCUE

TO THE RESCUE

Make the most of this activity:Parents, this week your child heard the story of Isaiah and his efforts to foretell the coming of the King of Israel. It’s important to know that even though we’ve sinned and are separated from the home God made for us, God had a plan to rescue us. You see, without Jesus we are simply walking around in darkness. We are lost. But with Jesus, we have the Light of the world. And when Jesus rescues us, we’re never lost again.

In this activity there are 3 basic parts: Read, Share & Do. A basic script is provided to help steer the conversation, however the magic isn’t in the script. It’s in you connecting with your child in a creative way.

The Point: When Jesus comes to the rescue, you’ll never be lost again!

Need: Jesus Storybook Bible, Clue Hunt cards, flashlights, special prize (i.e. candy, toy or game)

In advance, take the Clue Hunt cards and hide them in the correct places. Make sure the batteries in the flash-light work! Take your prize and hide it in the final loca-tion.

Share: “Have you ever walked through a dark room and got-ten a little scared? What makes darkness so scary?” Let your kids respond. “Well, in the Bible do you remember the story of Adam & Eve in the garden? Remember how they ate fruit from the tree that God told them not to eat? They made a big mistake, didn’t they? In fact, the mistake was so big, they had to leave the perfect home

WEEK ONE: LOST IN THE DARK

God made for them.” “And when they left that home they walked out of the light and into darkness. Well, it wasn’t literally dark. But when they sinned their hearts left God. Their hearts were in darkness. And everyone that was born after them were in darkness also. But God had a plan all along...”

Read: Operation ‘No More Tears!’ from the Jesus Storybook Bible (pg 144)

Share: “Do you see how God had a plan? He didn’t want us to remain in darkness. He didn’t want our hearts to be separated from Him. So He had a plan all along to make sure we had a way to get back to Him. To find the Light. To find Jesus. Jesus would be our Rescuer. He would be the One to bring us out of the darkness forever. Because... ‘When Jesus comes to the rescue, we’ll never be lost again’.”

Do: “It’s time for our own ‘Rescue’! There is a prize hidden in the house and we’ve got to rescue it. So we’re going on a Clue Hunt! But this won’t be any kind of Clue Hunt. We’re turning the lights out and searching for clues in the dark.” Use the flashlights to find and read each clue. Depending on the age of your kids (and their level of comfort in darkness) you may want to leave some lights on for slight visibility. The idea of the clue hunt is to emphasize throughout the game that searching for something in the dark isn’t easy. And God never intended for us to walk around in the dark. In fact, just like the prize... God wants us to be rescued also. And that’s why He sent Jesus.”

Clues:Parents, cut out the attached clues. Hide them in advance. Be sure to hide your ‘Rescue’ prize in the final clue destination!

Answers to these clues can be found at http://fpchur.ch/clues.

CLUE one

I go great with soup but not so well with �sh. Not so long ago I ran away with the dish What am I?

CLUE Two

I have at least 4 legs and can hold lots of weight. But don’t stand on me, instead sit up straight. I’ll take all your change while you sit and wait. Not just for sitting but for napping I’m great.

CLUE three

When you’re feeling dirty, there’s just one place to go. To wash and get clean and scrub between each toe. What am I?

CLUE four

Up and down, and up and down, you climb these everyday. You’ve likely seen the clue on these, but passed it anyway. What am I?

CLUE five

When your hungry and tummy starts to whine, and it just won’t be quiet. Get something from this chilly box, and you will satisfy it. What am I?

CLUE six

I can get rid of your rats or straighten your knots. I can untangle your tresses and main-tain your �ne locks. Hairs to you!

TO THE RESCUE

TO THE RESCUE

Make the most of this activity:Parents, this week your child heard the story of The Last Supper from Mark 14 & John 13-14. We want kids to know that “Taking Communion Reminds me of God’s Plan”. We are not just rescued from something but to something. We’re rescued to life in Jesus. Communion is a tradition that involves eating bread that represents Christ’ body and drinking wine that rep-resent Christ’ blood. If it’s unfamiliar to you, don’t worry. Reading the story in the Jesus Story-book Bible will help you understand more.

The Point: Take time to remember that God loves you.

Need: Jesus Storybook Bible, small tub for water, wash cloth, lotion, paper & pencil

Share: “Remember last week we learned that God has a plan for our life. And the Bible is like a

light that can help us see His plan for us. This week we learned about the Last Supper where Jesus and His friends shared their last meal together. His friends didn’t know it would be their final night together. To them it was a special celebration in their culture and they were celebrating just like everyone else around them.

But for Jesus... this night was special. It was special be-cause Jesus had one last thing He wanted to share with His friends. He wanted to tell them how to live their life. He knew He would not be there on earth with them forever. He knew His time with them would end soon. And He wanted to make sure they knew how He wanted them to live their life after He left.

WEEK TWO: BROKEN & POURED OUT

But Jesus did something very unexpected! He didn’t just tell His friends... He showed them. He got down on his knees and served His friends by washing their feet... the lowest job a household servant could possibly have. That’s the job you get when you draw the short-straw on the worst day ever. Washing dirt, mud, animal poo and who knows what else off of other people’s feet. Gross!! But Jesus did this to show His friends that anyone that chooses to follow Him must live their life serving those around them.”

Read: The Servant King together (Jesus Storybook Bible pg 286)

Share: “Jesus told His friends about God’s plan to rescue them. How His life will break and God’s broken world will mend. How God will rescue us. But we’ve got to remember, we are not just rescued from something, but to something. There’s a reason Jesus started the night by humbly serving His friends. He wanted His friends... and everyone to know that God has res-cued us from death and to Life. And Life is found serving God with our whole heart.”

Do: Get a tub of water, a washcloth, and some lotion. Take a few minutes and (one by one) and wash each other’s feet. Talk about what it might have been like to have to wash ani-mal poo, dirt and other nasty stuff off of someones feet.

Next... Grab your paper and pencil and brainstorm. What are some ways that you can serve each other this week? Can you load the dishwasher without being told? Clean the bathroom? Take out the trash? Serving each other is a way to act out our love for each other and for Jesus. We are here to serve as Jesus served. In fact, He said, “Do this and remember me.”

Live your life broken and poured out before God

TO THE RESCUE

TO THE RESCUE

Make the most of this activity:Today your child learned about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and His conversation with God the night He was arrested. Gather the family together and turn out all the lights in the house. Using the flashlight on it’s lowest setting, demonstrate how the flashlight illumi-nates the path in front of you.

The Point: God’s Plan is for us to put Him first.

Need: Jesus Storybook Bible, Flashlight w/ 2 different settings

Share: “This flashlight is like the Bible. It lights the way for us. Psalm 119:105 even says, “Your Word is like a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”. Notice how it doesn’t light the whole room. But it provides enough light to know where to go. Reading God’s Word allows us to know

God and to know where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do.” Switch the flashlight to the next setting.

“See how the light increases when I change the setting? Just like this flashlight, when we increase our time with God. As we talk to Him more and we grow closer with Him then our light grows. The more our light grows the more we understand God’s plan for our life.”

Turn the lights back on, gather together and dig in deep-er.

WEEK THREE: THE LIT PATH

Read: “A Dark Night in the Garden” (Jesus Storybook Bible pg 294)

Share: “Jesus needed God’s help. He needed to talk to God about what was about to happen. You see, Jesus knew the secret rescue plan. He knew what God wanted Him to do. But He needed help to remember that this was the only way to rescue God’s people. He needed time with God to be reminded of God’s love for Him and God’s plan for Him. God’s plan to rescue the world through Jesus.”

Ask: “Did you know that God loves you and has a plan for you also? Talking to Him and reading the Bible helps us to understand His plan for us. Remember how we learned that the Bible is like a flashlight? It’s a light to our path. It gives us the light we need so we know where to go.”

“It’s also a light we can share. We want others to know that God has a plan for them also and they can know that plan when they know Jesus.”

Do: Make a plan today to read a book in the Bible together. For the next two weeks, choose a book like 1, 2, & 3rd John and read a little bit together each night. Make this a part of the bedtime routine and see the conversations it inspires.

TO THE RESCUE

TO THE RESCUE

Make the most of this activity:Parents, today your child learned about Jesus’ death on the Cross and how that plan was not what Jesus’ followers expected. In fact, they had a different idea for how God would save them. And Jesus dying on a cross was no where close to what they had in mind. But God’s plans can seem different from our plans and trusting His plan is the best thing we can do.

The Point: God’s Plan is always best.

Need: Jesus Storybook Bible

Share: “Have you ever been disappointed with how something turned out? Maybe a loss in basket-ball, a bad grade or a fight with a friend?” Parents first! Take some time to share an experi-

ence. “Tonight we’re going to read about how things didn’t turn out the way Jesus’ friends thought they would. In fact, as far as they knew... things couldn’t have been worse.”

Story in JSB: The Sun Stops shining (Jesus Storybook Bible pg 302)

Share: “This was not the plan the Jesus’ friends had. When they imagined how God would save the world, this is not what they had in mind. They didn’t understand how God could save the world now if Jesus dies? But we have to remember that God’s plan seems different from our

WEEK FOUR: THE BEST PLANS

plans. And just like Jesus, we want to yield to God’s plan. Why? Because our plans for us are based upon what we know. And God’s plans for us are based upon what He knows. And He knows so much more than us.”

Do: Write the main point on a card, “God’s Plan is always Best!”. Post the card on your refrigera-tor. For the next 2 weeks, each time something happens that wasn’t part of your plan re-mind each other “God’s Plan is always Best!”

TO THE RESCUE

TO THE RESCUE

Make the most of it: Parents, today we are talking about how we were created to be a light to the world. Jesus died on the cross and showed us (through His actions) how much He loves us. And we can show others that Jesus is alive and that He loves them too. And the best way to show others is with our actions.

This activity includes a brief summary of the gospel using an acronym called “A,B,C’s” (Ad-mit, Believe, Confess). It’s a simple, clear way to share how to make the decision for salva-tion. Your child may have already accepted Christ into their heart. Some have not yet. It’s up to you whether or not your child is ready to take that step. If they are, utilize the salvation prayer provided below as a guide. Now... light your candle and get started!

The Point: Our actions can show others Jesus is alive

Need: Jesus Storybook Bible, Candle, Lighter

Share: “Check out this candle. Somebody made this candle for a purpose. What was it designed to do? Give your kids some time to respond. That’s right. This candle was de-signed to make light. In fact, it can’t help but make light. Did you know that we were created to be lights? Just like this candle was made to bring light into a dark room, we were created to bring light into this world.”

Read: God’s Wonderful Surprise (Jesus Storybook Bible, pg 310)

WEEK FIVE: THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Share: “Jesus’ friends were so excited He was alive! They were heart broken when their friend died and they didn’t understand how God’s plan to rescue the world could work. But God knew. And that’s what mattered most. Over the past few weeks we’ve learned that:

• When Jesus comes to the rescue, you’ll never be lost again!

• It’s important to... Take time to remember that God loves you.

• God’s Plan is for us to put Him first.

• God’s Plan is always best.

God had a plan to rescue us from the beginning. His plan was to send Jesus to die on the cross, pay for our sins and return to life again. Why? Because God wouldn’t stop loving us and He wanted a way to get us back to Him. So He offers us a gift. The gift of Life. But we have action to take.

First, we have to accept the gift. When someone offers you a gift it isn’t actually yours un-til you reach out and take it. And receiving this gift is as easy as A,B,C. First you Admit that you’ve sinned. You’ve made mistakes that separate you from God. Next you Believe that Jesus is God’s Son, that He’s alive again and His death on the cross paid for your sin. Then you Confess that Jesus is your Boss and your Best Friend. Allow your child to ask questions and explore this more. If they express an interest in making Jesus their Boss & Best Friend then use the Salvation Prayer below as a guide.

Once we’ve accepted the gift then we have to tell the world. Just like the candle was created to make light, we were created to bring light to the world. The Light of Jesus. That means we show the world that Jesus loves them by the things we do and the things we say. The Bible says, “No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house. Matt 5:14” This means we can’t just keep this great news to ourselves. We’ve got to show others. In fact, we were created to show others with our actions how much God loves them.

Do: Write down names of 3 people that don’t know Jesus. Agree to pray for these friends for the next week. Ask God to give you the opportunity to show them that God loves them.

Salvation Prayer: “Dear Jesus, I admit that I’ve made mistakes. I’ve sinned but I don’t want to sin anymore. I know that You are God’s Son and I want You to be my Lord. Jesus, forgive me of my sins. Make me new again. Because You died for me, I want to live for You. Amen”