Family Worship

The Friend of the Little Children

The focus of this family time is to use five easy steps to teach our family that God’s love is a gift and, like all gifts, it is free


Learn the Memory Verse together and say it throughout the week to help your family remember and apply what they have learned.


MEMORY VERSE:  

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8–9


STEP 1. GATHER!

Use this exercise to begin Family Worship Night and have fun!

  • Ask your family what is the best gift they have ever been given?
  • What would be the best gift they can think of receiving?
  • Have each family member tell the rest of the family what gift they would give each person if they could choose from anything in the world. 


STEP 2. WORSHIP!

Preschool:



Elementary:


  • Sing and have fun while worshiping then pray. Take a moment here to thank God for your family and your time together!! 


STEP 3. BIBLE!

Read Pages 256-263 in the Jesus Storybook Bible

Watch:


STEP 4. DISCUSSION! 

Use these questions and points to have a conversation with your children about the Bible story. 

  • At the end of the story, say: “Jesus wanted the disciples to trust him the way the children trusted him. 
  • I’m going to say some things about the disciples and about the children. Some of the things I say will be true and some will not be true. I will then say ‘Go!’ If what I say is true, stand up and raise both your hands in the air. If what I say is not true, then curl up into a ball. Ready?” 
  • The disciples argued about who had the best beard.
The disciples argued about who was the most important.
The disciples had to do something special for Jesus to love them.
The disciples understood that God’s love is a gift.
God’s love is a gift.
The disciples welcomed the children who came to see Jesus.
Jesus always had time for the children.
The children knew they did not have to do anything special for Jesus to love them. 
  • Say: “The disciples had forgotten that how clever, or how good, or how important you are makes no difference, because God’s love is a gift. Raise your hand if you have ever been given a gift. Thank you, hands down. Raise your hand if you had to pay for the gift. No, the point about a gift is that it’s free. God’s love is a gift and, like all gifts, it is free. You don’t have to do anything special to get it. The children in the story knew they did not have to do anything special for Jesus to love them. They trusted Jesus. We can trust Jesus just like they did.”

STEP 5. Pray!

  • Pray aloud, thanking God that his love is a gift and asking that you and the children would trust him, just like the little children in today’s story. 
  • Ask the children to think about a time when they find it hard to trust Jesus and to pray that God would help them to trust.