Jesus was busy teaching. Was He too busy to see the children? The disciples assumed He was, but Jesus was not. He invited the children to come and He blessed them. Are we too busy to see the people that have come to see us; to ask about God; to ask for a favor? This lesson hits home for me. Oh to be like Jesus!
God has made the sun shine on the righteous and the unrighteous. He sends the rain on the fields of all. Jesus took time to hang out with crowds of Israelites and Canaanites. His miracle of feeding over 5,000 with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish is very similar to his feeding over 4,000 with 7 loaves of bread and a few fish. God is our Provider and Sustainer. Praise His Holy Name!
One of His names is Bread of Life. Jesus desires to fill us with His goodness and righteousness. He, one with God, also is our Provider. He sustains us. “Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35) Fills us Oh Lord. Make us more like you.
Feeding the 5000, is only one of the many examples of how Jesus can make a LOT out of just a little. Think of the mustard seed, leaven, and we, too, grow. With God all things are possible! The kids get to illustrate these stories with play dough in this presentation.
This PowerPoint lesson also has a several short stories. It starts with Jesus visiting Tyre and Sidon where a Syrophoenician, a Canaanite woman asks for Jesus to heal her daughter. He continues on His journey through Canaanite territory to the Decapolis where He healed a deaf and mute man. Then a crowd of people come and spend 3 days with Jesus, bringing their sick and listening to His teaching. Before He sends them home, He gives them food, feeding over 4,000 people with just 7 loaves! Everyone was filled and their were 7 baskets of left overs! The point is that Jesus did not just come for the Israelites. He came as the healer, savior, and provider for everyone!
You can print the 7 loaves with the memory verse phrases or the loaves that have one word on each loaf.
If you want your basket and loaves to be smaller, simply change your printing settings to print 2 (of the activity) pages on 1 (printed) page.
You can find the fourth commandment in Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Why does it say to “remember”? Because this is not the beginning of Sabbath. The Sabbath begins at the beginning of the world. Genesis 2 tells us, “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”
The Pharisees made a lot of rules to guard the boundaries of the Sabbath, however they lost the concept of ‘rest’ and celebration of creation. So how did Jesus keep the Sabbath? Let’s explore some of those stories:
In John 5:1-15, Jesus takes time to visit where the disabled hang out. He offers healing. Jesus still offers to heal us physically, emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually. We take time to ponder what it would be like to be a paralytic and play I Spy. We learn about muscles and bones. We have an opportunity to accept God’s healing.
When God finished creating the earth, He rested and blessed the 7th day and made the Sabbath Holy. From Sinai, He reminded His people that the Sabbath is holy and to do no work. The pharisees made many laws about the Sabbath. Jesus made it clear that the Sabbath was made for us, that we should do good on the Sabbath, and that God wants us to be healed and rejuvenated on this special day. In this presentation, Jesus and his disciples eat grain fresh off the stalk, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand and a woman who is stooped over. We have an opportunity to make blessing bags. There also is a Sabbath Activity ‘fortune teller’.
When God finished creating the earth, He rested and blessed the 7th day and made the Sabbath Holy. From Sinai, He reminded His people that the Sabbath is holy and to do no work. The pharisees made many laws about the Sabbath. Jesus made it clear that the Sabbath was made for us, that we should do good on the Sabbath, and that God wants us to be healed and rejuvenated on this special day. In this presentation, Jesus and his disciples eat grain fresh off the stalk, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand and a woman who is stooped over. We have an opportunity to make blessing bags. There also is a Sabbath Activity ‘fortune teller’.
Craft — Sabbath Restoration Teller
In John 5:1-15, Jesus takes time to visit where the disabled hang out. He offers healing. Jesus still offers to heal us physically, emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually. We take time to ponder what it would be like to be a paralytic and play I Spy. We learn about muscles and bones. We have an opportunity to accept God’s healing.
This fun PowerPoint Presentation and lesson teaches about the eye, gives students a chance to experience not being able to see, and champions the Great Healer, Jesus. Check out the lesson and crafts below.
Isn’t interesting that the black part of the eye is called a pupil and so is a student? The eye’s pupil lets in light. In many cartoons a light bulb is shown over the shoulder of a student. We say, the light has dawned. Jesus too, made this analogy in Matthew 6:22-23. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” So let’s be good pupils and let the light of God’s truth fill us with understanding.
Craft:
Just days before Jesus’ crucifixion, the crowds celebrated Jesus by singing Hosanna to the Son of David. It was a procession meant for a king. Are you ready to praise God and Jesus for all they are an have done for you? Let’s do it! But first let’s listen to the story and prepare either the stick figures or palm branches for our Praise Procession.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and life. Everyone who believes in me will have life, even if they die. After listening to John 11 with a live drama, the children get to use Lego people to retell this amazing story of the power of God. Planting a seeds represent how God brings new life after burial.
This presentation starts with a show and tell. After kids share their bright and beautiful objects, we’ll talk about how God is brighter and more glorious than all these. He is brighter and more glorious than the son. Peter, James, and John were privileged to see Jesus, Moses, and Elijah in all their heavenly glory.
This is such a fun interactive story. Encourage the kids to pretend they are on a boat. Bring a fan and maybe a spray bottle to add wind and water to the experience during the storm. Have them get out of the boat like Peter. This slide presentation also includes songs, a craft and more. Keeping our eyes on Jesus is like a tight-rope walker focusing ahead. Try it.
You can find the craft at: https://craftingthewordofgod.com/2014/01/07/jesus-walks-on-water/