Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
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 time. 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).
As we begin to gather together again in person, I want to assure you that I will continue to publish this blog to keep our little ones engaged in the gospel until we can meet again for children's church.
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. As my kids are ending their school year I'm excited and blessed to be able to take some time off to have some fun this summer!
Let's go to the Lord in prayer. 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. 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 taught a Samaritan woman about Living water. How can water be alive? Let the kids answer, no answer is fine too. Those are good answers, lets see what the lesson has to say about it.
Optional Session Starter Activity (Pick one of two options in the activity pages, or do both, this is your party )
As we get to the story, let’s take another look at the big picture question.
As we hear this story, I want you to remember the big picture question and answer. What makes people special? People are special because we are made in God’s image, as male and female, to know Him. That means that God loves each of us uniquely. He wants all of us to be saved by trusting Jesus. He wants to have a loving relationship with us as our heavenly Father. No other created thing is described as “made in God’s image.” Only humans carry that extra special distinction.
As we look back we see that Jesus’ public ministry was under way. People came to Jesus and He healed them. Jesus taught that He is the Messiah, but some still rejected Him. Jesus taught that we must be born again. Let’s watch this video and hear what else He taught.
Look for Session 4
Jesus stopped to talk to a woman, which was a bit strange in those days. More than that, she was a Samaritan; the Samaritans and the Jews did not get along well. Many years before, when the Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria, some of the people living in Samaria—their capital—did not get taken away. However, most of those people did not obey God; they married people who worshiped false gods. As a result, the Jewish people who came back from Babylon did not like the disobedient Samaritans who were still living in the land.
Jesus loved the Samaritan woman though. He was not bothered that she was a woman or that she was a Samaritan; she was special to God. What makes people special? People are special because we are made in God’s image, as male and female, to know Him.
Jesus knew all about the woman’s sin and still wanted to know her and save her. He talked about living water, but she was confused. He didn’t mean literal water, He meant the Holy Spirit. Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to those who believe. The Holy Spirit lives inside believers, and He helps us to understand God’s Word and obey Him.
When we have the Holy Spirit living within us, love and joy begin to fill our lives and overflow into the lives of the people around us. We become like a new well that can provide refreshment to our friends, family, and everyone we meet. If we tell them the good news about Jesus, and they believe, they will be filled with the Holy Spirit also! In that way, it is almost like our “living water” can transfer into the lives of others.
Jesus offers something better than physical water; He gives us Himself. Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to everyone who comes to Him by faith. We can worship Him as Lord and Savior wherever we are. We can spread the good news about Jesus and help other people begin a relationship with Him. Then they can be filled with living water too!
Bible Time!
Help kids find John 4. Briefly review how to use the table of contents to find books of the Bible, and remind kids that the large numbers mark the different chapters, while the small numbers separate each chapter into different verses. Consider showing the New Testament Israel Map to help kids understand where Samaria is.
Ask the following questions. Lead the group to discuss:
What did Jesus ask for when He first saw the Samaritan woman? (a drink of water, John 4:7)
What did Jesus say would happen to a person who drinks the living water? (He will never thirst again. It will become a well in him. He will have eternal life; John 4:14)
Where did Jesus say people will worship God? (anywhere, in spirit and truth; John 4:23-24)
What is the living water Jesus spoke about? Guide kids to see that the living water is a picture of what the Holy Spirit is like. When we believe the gospel, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to live within us. He helps us to love and obey God and fills our lives with joy and love so that we can “overflow” joy and love onto other people.
What does it mean to worship God in spirit and in truth? Discuss how everyone worships something, but only believers worship the one true God. Point out that worshiping in spirit means that our very core, including our emotions, is involved in worshiping God. Explain that worshiping in truth means we worship the true God when we understand the wonderful truth of what He has done for us.
How can we receive “living water”? Remind the kids that the Bible teaches everyone who believes the gospel will be saved. Help them understand that when we believe the gospel, we repent of sin and love God. God forgives our sin, gives us new hearts, and sends the Holy Spirit to live in us and help us obey God out of love.
Say • Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to those who believe. Anyone can be a believer because Jesus loves all people. The gift of salvation is freely offered to us.
Before the memory verse, write each word or phrase of the key passage on a separate plastic cup. Invite kids to say the key passage from memory. Thank each kid for her efforts and encourage all the kids to keep working to memorize the verse. Then, provide the cups to the group and challenge them to work together to put the key passage in order.
Say • God didn’t just say He loves us, He showed it. God proved His love by His plan to send Jesus to die for us and make the way to have forgiveness and eternal life. Our key passage reminds us that we don’t have to do anything to earn this amazing gift. As soon as we believe the gospel, we get eternal life!
Let's look at our new key memory verse together: I'm sure many of you already have this one memorized
Let's close in prayer:
Father, thank You for sending Jesus. We cannot earn Your love, and we praise You for loving us anyway. Help us love others with love that overflows from You. Give us wisdom and courage to share the gospel with those around us. Amen.
*If anyone reading this has questions about being born again, eternal life with Jesus, or God's love for us please feel free to contact the church at fcbc@fcbc.church and someone will get back with you for help.*
