Jesus' Early Miracles
Hi there parents! Welcome back! Or if you're new here, welcome! The following blog is here to be a tool for you to help your kids grow in their faith while we can't be meeting weekly during this pandemic. Please feel free to use as much of it as you choose. You know your kids and are the best possible teacher for them. God has given you the power of the Holy Spirit to enable you to do more than you think possible (Eph 3:20).
May I encourage you with a verse from Deuteronomy about teaching your children the scriptures? Chapter 6 verse 9 says, "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Maybe you don't have time to sit and have an hour of Bible time all at once, or maybe your children are to young to sit for that long. Take the key points and ask God to give you opportunities to speak them into the hearts of your children throughout the week. Let the Bible become a part of your day to day. Be blessed this week my friends!
Each week we will include songs, activity pages, the bible lesson video, memory verses and possibly a craft or 2. We pray this will help you find ways to engage your kids spiritually. It is written in script form from the K-2nd grade lesson so you can read directly from it or change it up to suit your children. Take a few moments to print the activity pages as well as the additional activities and review the lesson so you can make adjustments as needed. I have included the Bible and Discussion questions along with a breakdown of the Gospel in the Older Kids Activities pages and loads of activities and crafts on the Preschool Extra Activity Pages. Once you are ready, go ahead and start with these songs if you'd like or pick some of your favorite worship songs and then jump right in! Have fun! And remember, this does not need to be done in one sitting! Feel free to break it up over the course of the week. Please contact me if you have any questions or suggestions. I'd love to hear from you!
So let's get started. I like to begin each week with Blessings and Bummers. Tell me, what have you seen the Lord doing in your lives during this time at home? What have your greatest blessings been? How about your biggest bummers?
Parents share your blessings and bummers, and encourage the kids to do the same. Here is mine. We got to have a cookout with some friends! It was so nice to sit and talk, play some games, and have fun together. It was a blessing from God for sure!
Let's pray. Father God, we love you Lord. You are so good to us even though we don't deserve it! Thank you for continuing to bless us Lord. Thank you for our friends as well as our families. Help us to appreciate all you do for us and to look to you in all that we do. Be with our friends and families while we can not be with them in person. In Jesus name, Amen. (please add to or customize prayer time to fit your family)
Praise the Lord for hearing our prayers! Today we are going to learn about when Jesus first started His ministry and began healing people. He helped a lot of people while here on Earth. What are some ways that we can help others? Allow kids to answer Those are some great ideas!
Optional Session Starter Activity (Pick one of two options, or do both, this is your party) (In activity pages attached above)
As we get to the story, let’s take a look at the big picture question. We are beginning a new unit and so the Big Picture Question and Memory Verse are new this week. Hopefully we will have these memorized by the end of the unit.
While listening to the story, see if you can figure out the answer. What makes people special? As we hear our story, you’ll see that Jesus cares a lot about people. I want you to think about why that is. I’ll make sure we all know the answer after you hear the story.
After sin entered the world, God could have said “too bad, you had your chance.” It would have been fair for Him to say that. Instead, God had a plan to defeat sin and death forever. It required a Savior, and after hundreds and hundreds of years, that Savior was born in Bethlehem. Jesus—the fully God and fully human Savior—grew into a man. He was wise and perfectly obeyed God. He was baptized and then resisted temptation to sin in the wilderness. John pointed to Him, and He called disciples to follow Him. Now, Jesus’ ministry of teaching and healing was coming into full swing. Today we will learn about “Jesus’ Early Miracles.”
Let's watch this weeks video to learn more... (Watch session 1 video this week)
People came to Jesus, and He healed them. I want to make sure you noticed two things: first, Jesus consistently had compassion on people who were sick; second, Jesus specifically said that the reason He came was to preach.
Jesus saw the pain and suffering of the people around Him, and He worked to help them. He did not just say, “Oh, that’s sad. I’m sorry you are sick.” He actually met their physical needs by healing them. Jesus is compassionate and kind. He cares about people and wants to help us.
Even though Jesus’ miraculous healings and command over evil spirits were incredible, He wanted His teaching to be the focus of His work. When Jesus wanted to move on, He specifically said that He came to preach. His message of repenting of sin, loving God, and loving people was more important than His power to heal.
It is easy for us to focus only on what God can do for us. We don’t always do a good job remembering what God has commanded us to do. Jesus loves us, and He is able to heal and restore, but He also wants us to love and obey God. The most important healing is not physical, but spiritual. Jesus heals us from the damage caused by sin.
Let's go back to our pig picture question: What makes people special? People are special because we are made in the image of God, as male and female, to know Him. Jesus cares about people because He created us. He wants what is best for us, and that is to love and obey God.
We are all born as sinners. The Bible says we are dead in sin. We cannot save ourselves. Thankfully, God’s perfect plan was to send His Son, Jesus, to die for our sin and give new life to everyone who believes in Jesus.
Jesus’ miracles proved that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. They strengthened people’s faith and met their needs. Through Jesus, God did what is impossible for us to do on our own. He provided forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.
Bible Time!
Help kids find Mark 1. You may select a strong reader to find and read aloud select verses. Show where the story took place on the New Testament Israel Map.
Ask the following questions. Lead the kids to discuss:
Where was the synagogue in which Jesus taught? (Capernaum, Mark 1:21)
Why did Jesus say He came? (to teach, Mark 1:38)
Why did Jesus heal the man with leprosy? (Jesus had compassion on him, Mark 1:41)
What do these miracles show about Jesus? Guide kids to discuss Jesus’ power as God’s Son. Jesus had authority over evil spirits and over the sickness people faced. We also see Jesus’ love and kindness toward people. Jesus meets physical needs and spiritual needs.
Why was Jesus’ preaching more important than His miracles? Help kids understand that Jesus’ miracles helped to show His power and authority, but the purpose was to support the truth of His teaching. A person healed of a sickness might later become sick again and is still spiritually dead in sin. A person who understands Jesus’ teaching and has faith in His death and resurrection is forgiven and gains eternal life.
How can we be like Jesus? Discuss Jesus’ compassion, kindness, and preaching. Help kids see that we can show God’s love in the way we treat others. Explain that our love and kindness will help support the message of truth when we share the gospel. Actions may “speak louder” than words, but words are still essential for explaining the gospel.
Say • People came to Jesus, and He healed them. Jesus loves people. His greatest miracle happened when Jesus died and rose again to destroy sin’s power. Everyone who trusts in Jesus is saved from sin and can be healed of the damage sin causes.
Let's look at our new key memory verse together: I'm sure many of you already have this one memorized
Here's a fun activity to try:
Read the key passage aloud with the kids multiple times. Then hide or cover the key passage poster. Write the key passage incorrectly on a large sheet of paper or poster board, and challenge the kids to help you correct it. You may give out Bibles and challenge the kids to use their Bibles to find the verse.
Suggested incorrect passage:
“For Jesus so liked the world: He took His one and only Father so that everyone who wonders in Him will not sneeze but have eventual life.”
Say • Great job fixing those mistakes. God’s Word is perfect and true, and memorizing it is a wonderful way to make sure we have the truth with us all the time. This key passage, when read correctly, helps us understand the gospel. God loves people and showed His love by sending Jesus to save us from sin.
Let's close in prayer:
Lord God, as we learn more about You, we are amazed at all You are. No one is like You. The unclean spirits obey You. You have power over sickness and You want to help us! Give us faith to trust that You will give us everything we need. Thank You for forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. We love You. Amen.
