Jesus Showed His Glory-Sunday September 6, 2020

Sunday September 6, 2020 (Vol 8, Unit 24, Session 4)

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 Children's Church is not meeting. 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).  

 Parent Devotional: Jesus showing His glory through the transfiguration is another well-known story in the Bible. It can be found in three of the four gospels. Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9. 

As Jesus traveled and taught, people were trying to figure Him out. Who was this man? Was He a prophet? Was He crazy? Where did He come from? Some people thought He was John the Baptist who had been raised from the dead; others thought He was Elijah or another ancient prophet. Peter recognized Jesus as God’s Messiah. (See Luke 9:19-20.) 

One of the ways Jesus revealed His identity was through His miracles. Jesus performed miracles to glorify God, to show He is the Son of God, and to care for people. For three of Jesus’ disciples—Peter, James, and John—Jesus’ identity became even more clear when they witnessed His transfiguration (change in appearance). The disciples accompanied Jesus to a mountain to pray. The location was likely Mount Hermon, which sits about 40 miles north of the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus’ appearance changed as He prayed: His face changed, and His clothes became dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appeared with Him, and they talked about Jesus’ upcoming departure (His death and resurrection). Peter, James, and John had been sleeping, but they awoke to the incredible sight.

When you teach, review who Moses and Elijah were. In the Old Testament, God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Later, Elijah was a prophet to Israel. As Moses and Elijah were leaving, a cloud covered the whole group and a voice—God the Father’s—said, “This is my Son, the Chosen One; listen to him!”

At the transfiguration, Peter, James, and John beheld Jesus’ glory. We look forward to the day when Jesus will return in full glory to make all things new. While we wait, God calls us to share the gospel with others so they can share in the joy of knowing Jesus, the Son of God, and seeing His glory when He returns.

 As we begin to explore this week’s lesson, take a moment to remember the verse from Deuteronomy about teaching your children the scriptures. Deuteronomy 6:9 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 information (found in the links at the bottom of the page) 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. 

Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father God, Thank you. Thank you for providing for our needs. You are so good to us even though we don't deserve it! Thank you for continuing to bless us Lord. Thank you for being patient with us. 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. In Jesus name, Amen. (please add to or customize prayer time to fit your family)

Praise the Lord for hearing our prayers! 

Prompt kids to discuss what they would do if they climbed or hiked to the top of a mountain.

Say • When you are at the top of a mountain, you can often see things you never would have thought you could see when you were on the ground below. Today, we will learn about a time three of Jesus’ closest friends and followers saw something miraculous at the top of a mountain. What do you think they might have seen?

 Optional Session Starter Activity Pick one of two options, or do both, this is your party. These are found in the activity pages attached below 

As we get to the story, let’s take another look at the big picture question. 

We’ve been studying a big picture question and answer about Jesus’ miracles. Remember that a miracle is something done by God’s power that would normally be impossible. Why did Jesus perform miracles? Jesus performed miracles to glorify God, to show He is the Son of God, and to care for people. When Jesus did impossible things, it proved that He has power over creation. It demonstrated that He is God the Son. He also used miracles to meet people’s needs for food, healing, and safety.

We learned that Jesus calmed a storm to show the disciples He is God. He protected His disciples from sinking and showed His power. We also talked about the time Jesus miraculously fed a crowd with five loaves and two fish. Again, Jesus was showing compassion on the hungry people and proving that He is God. When another storm put the disciples in danger, Jesus showed He is God by walking on water. They all worshiped Him and glorified God after that.  

 Today’s Bible story is called “Jesus Showed His Glory.”

Jesus showed His glory to Peter, James, and John. Mark wrote that Jesus’ clothing was whiter than any person could get them no matter how he or she washed them. Matthew explained that Jesus’ face shone like the sun! It would have been an incredible sight. Jesus’ glory is bright and intense, but it’s more than just a light.

Jesus’ glory is sort of like a combination of many different, wonderful things about Him. His glory is the intensity of His goodness. It is the depth of His love. It is the fullness of His holiness. It is the height of His fame. It is the length of His endlessness. It is also the majesty of His power. Jesus is the greatest treasure in the world. 

Jesus is more than a good man or a wise teacher, He is God the Son. The Bible tells us He is the image of the invisible God. He is the King of kings. All things were created by Him and for Him. Without Him, all of creation could no longer exist. When Peter, James, and John saw Jesus in His glory, they saw who Jesus really is more clearly than they ever had before.

Jesus showed His glory to Peter, James, and John. Jesus said He would die, rise from the dead, and return to heaven. One day, Jesus will come back to earth in His glory to make all things new. 

This story tells of the first time Jesus revealed His glory to humans, but it will not be the last time humans see Jesus in glory. When Jesus returns to earth wearing bright white clothing and shining brighter than the sun, He will destroy all evil and fix everything wrong in the world. Everyone who has faith in Jesus will receive new, glorified bodies to live forever with God.

Bible Time! 

Distribute a Bible to each kid. Help kids find Luke 9. Review which division of the Bible Luke is in. (New Testament, Gospels) Ask which other books are in the Gospels and what the division contains. (Matthew, Mark, John; accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection)

 Ask the following questions. Lead your children to discuss:

Where did Jesus show His glory? (at the top of a mountain, Mark 9:2)

Who stood with Jesus in glory? (Moses and Elijah, Mark 9:4)

What did the voice tell Peter, James, and John to do? (listen to Jesus, Mark 9:7)

Why do you think Jesus chose to reveal His glory to Peter, James, and John? Discuss those three disciples’ role as leaders among the disciples. Help the kids understand that they were Jesus’ closest friends as well as some of His most loyal followers. Help them understand that showing His glory to them was a way to help them see that He truly is God’s Son.

How should we respond to Jesus? Guide kids to discuss appropriate ways we might respond to the good news about Jesus. Talk to the kids about what it would look like to feel overjoyed, humbled, and awestruck. Remind the kids that part of our response to Jesus is loving obedience to His commands, including a desire to tell others about Him.

How do you feel when you think of Jesus’ return? Help the kids process through the different emotions they may feel about Jesus’ return. Remind them that everyone who has faith in Jesus will be glorified with Him and live forever with God. Focus on Jesus’ return as our source of hope.

Say *One of Jesus’ most impressive miracles happened when Jesus showed His glory to Peter, James, and John. Jesus wanted them to know for sure that He is God. Jesus will return in glory someday to restore the world and destroy all evil.

 Let's take one last look at our memory verse. Next week will begin a new unit with a fresh new verse. 

Instruct the kids to line up in a single file. Give a playground ball to the first kid in the line. He will pass the ball under his legs to the kid behind him, who will pass it over her head to the kid behind her. Each time a kid passes the ball, she should say a word from the key passage in order. Play multiple rounds. If your group has fewer kids than words in the key passage, kids must move to the back of the line after saying their word. If there are not enough children to do this, kids can pass the ball back and forth and say the verse word by word as they pass it.

 Say • Psalm 40:5 tells us that God’s works and plans are wonderful. We see this very clearly in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus taught about God and met people’s needs in miraculous ways. Why did Jesus perform miracles? Jesus performed miracles to glorify God, to show He is the Son of God, and to care for people.

 That's it for this week! 

Let's pray:   Lord, help us glorify You. Give us wisdom to obey and courage to tell others about You. We know that we can only imagine how wonderful You are. Help us live in hope for the time when Jesus will return to fix everything wrong. Amen.

Thanks for joining us! I hope to meet you here again next week!

 Thank you to Lifeway's Gospel Project for providing this material and allowing us to publish it.

Additional Activities and Information