Parable of the Lost Sheep

Lesson: We are important to Jesus

1. Story & Lesson

• The lesson is based on Luke 15:1-7
• When Jesus was on earth, many people liked to be His friends. However, many of them were not “respectable” people in the community. They were the outcasts — the tax collectors and the sinners.
• The Pharisees and scribes saw Jesus eating with these “sinners” — these unholy people — and they criticised Him. “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” These
• Pharisees didn’t like that Jesus was getting so popular. And they thought that He couldn’t be a holy man because He hung out with the “bad” crowd. After all, they were the holy ones — they kept all the laws and did all the right things.
• So Jesus told them this parable of the Lost Sheep. 

God's word on Peace in Jesus

Lesson: Jesus is our Peace

1. Intro: Hurricane facts (bring pix, vids etc)

• Who knows what a hurricane is?
• A hurricane is a huge storm. It starts from the sea, with strong winds.
• It can reach a speed of 600 miles an hour. (give example of how fast that is)
• When the hurricane reaches land, it causes big damage to buildings, plants, animals, people ... due to flooding, heavy rains and strong winds.
• The winds blow in anti-clockwise direction and the centre of the wind is called the "eye" of the hurricane.
• In the "eye" of the hurricane, it is very calm. 

• In Malaysia, we are very blessed to be safe from hurricanes.
• But in life, we all face different types of storms or hurricanes.
• Someone may be sick, or have trouble with homework, or lost something precious. These can all feel like storms that rob us of our peace and joy. We may end up worried or lose sleep over it.
• Do you know that peace is not just a feeling you get when everything is going well and there are no problems in the world?
• Do you know that you can still have peace even when everything goes horribly wrong around you?

Jesus heals the bent-over woman

Lesson: We are more important to God than ox and goats

1. Intro: OUT OF SHAPE WALK AROUND: Tell children to walk slowly and quietly (NO running or shouting) as if they are bent out of shape. And when the teacher calls out “FREEZE”, they have to freeze in their best “bent” pose.

Do it 2-3 times, depending on class response and control. 

2. Story: “Let me tell you about a woman who was bent like this for a very, very long time.”
(based on Luke 13:10-17)

Do not Worry (Pt 2)

Lesson: God takes care of the flowers. God takes care of me!

Luke 12:27-31. Matt 6:28-34

1. Intro: Show pictures of King Solomon and/or models in beautiful dresses

• Take a look at these pictures of these beautiful clothes.
• Do you know that all these splendid clothes needed a lot of money and effort to be made? All the silk and sequins and satin and sashes.
• But do you know that they cannot compare with the flowers of the field, with the beauty of God’s creation?

Do not Worry (Pt 1)

Lesson: God feeds the birds. And I am more valuable than birds.

1.  Intro: Fun facts about birds or Fun facts about ravens <use pictures, soft toys etc to illustrate; or as pop quiz>

     e.g.

• The raven is the largest bird of the crow family: it is 2x heavier than a common crow at 1.3kg
•  Ravens can live 40 years in the wild and 70 in captivity
•  Ravens can soar high above the trees and are capable of aerial stunts 
•  Ravens can live from deserts to forests and cliffs, nesting in either stick-made nests or rock cavities
• Ravens feed on almost anything — fruits, seeds, nuts, fish, carrion, small animals, food remains and garbage. They even dig on snow to inspect plastic bags with waste. They also follow fishers and hunters for days to “glean” from their hunts
• Ravens are considered one of the most intelligent birds in puzzle solving or performing series of complex actions, such as counting or opening a zipped bag
•  They often get other animals to do their work for them — e.g. making calls to attract wolves and foxes to break the carcass of a dead animal so that they can access the meat inside
•  Ravens have different dialects according to the area they are in
• In the Bible, the raven was the first animal to fly or leave Noah's Ark, to see if the flood had died down.
•  Ravens are mentioned in 7 verses of the Bible

God's Word on Faith

1. Lesson

• The Bible tells us that our Christian walk is a walk of faith. 
• 2 Cor 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

• What is faith?
• Believing that God keeps His promises even when we cannot see it fulfilled yet.
• Heb 1:1 To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.
• Just like when cannot see air, but we can trust that when we take our next breath, we will get what our body needs. Just like when we cannot see gravity, we can take a step knowing we won’t float away.

• What is our faith based on?
• Jesus’ finished work on the cross.
• Our faith is NOT wishy-washy. Not based on hopeful day dreams. Our faith is based on who God is (unchanging, faithful), and what Jesus has done to bring us into relationship with Him.
• Because of Jesus, we qualify for God’s promises!

The Parable of the Rich Fool

Lesson: Jesus is all we need

1.       Story

• Tell the story based on Luke 12:13-21; 32-34
• Once there were two brothers. Their daddy had died and left some money, and they both were fighting over it. They came to Jesus to complain about how to divide up what their father had given them.
• Jesus reminded them that our life is not measured by how many possessions or money we have. “Because your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be.” (Luke 12:14)
• He tells us a story of a rich man who had big harvest from his land. When he ran out of space to keep his crops, he decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. He thought, “If I keep all these for myself, I don’t have to worry about what I will eat or drink for many, many years. I can now enjoy life.” But one night, he died. And he couldn’t bring any of the crops or money with him.