Parent Connect

Forgiveness 1 (5/1)

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT

No Mercy

Virtue: Forgiveness - deciding that someone who has wronged you doesn't have to pay.
Memory Verse: "Forgive the things you are holding against one another. Forgive, just as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13, NIrV
Bible Story: No Mercy (The parable of the unmerciful servant) Matthew 18:21-35
Bottom Line: Since God forgives you, you should forgive others.

This month we're talking about forgiveness - (1) deciding that someone who has wronged you doesn't have to pay. "Doesn't have to pay" sounds pretty vengeful, doesn't it? And, of course, Christians aren't supposed to be vengeful. But don't we think in those terms when people do us wrong? We want them to PAY for what they did, to MAKE IT UP to us, to GET WHAT THEY DESERVE, because they OWE us. We think if we cancel their debt by forgiving them, we're letting them off the hook, condoning what they did, and becoming wimps in the process. When Peter came to Jesus and asked if he should forgive someone up to seven times, he thought he was being generous. So when Jesus said nope, more like 77 times, it had to have set Peter back on his heels. (2) But that's exactly what God has done for us: offered us unlimited forgiveness through His Son. And He did it "while we were yet sinners," without exacting a rightful payback from us. (3) So today, as you talk with kids about the parable Jesus told, help them grasp these important things about forgiveness: that God wants us to forgive since He forgives us; that if we're unwilling to forgive, it can prevent us from accepting God's forgiveness of our own wrongdoing; and that forgiving others means we want their well-being. (4) Forgiving is one of the best ways to act like God and to show others what He is like.

Humility 4 (4/24)

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Resurrected

Virtue: Humility - putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve.
Memory Verse: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Philippians 2:3, NIV
Bible Story: Resurrected (Jesus is buried and resurrected) Matthew 28:1-10,16-20
Bottom Line: You should put others first because Jesus is ALIVE!

We've spent the month learning about humility, (1) putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve, by taking a closer look at Jesus' attitudes and actions. (2) He modeled and taught humility when He washed the disciples' feet. He showed us we'd need God's help to put others first (especially when it would cost us a great deal personally) when He allowed Himself to be arrested. He sacrificed Himself for each one of us by paying for our salvation. He did for us what no one else could've done. When it was finished, He could've returned immediately to heaven, His rightful place. But He didn't. Instead He stuck around, making sure His followers understood exactly what He'd done, putting us first again. (3) We have the power to do hard things, like putting others first, because of what Jesus did for us. (4) Help kids discover the single most significant way to put others first: by telling others the good news about Jesus.

Humility 3 (4/17)

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Crucified

Virtue: Humility - putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve.
Memory Verse: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Philippians 2:3, NIV
Bible Story: Crucified (Jesus is tried and crucified) Mark 14:53,55-65; 15:1-20,22-33,37-39
Bottom Line: Jesus put you first when He died on the cross.

Today, we continue our focus on Jesus as our best model of humility, which is (1) putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve. (2) Kids need to know that no one - not their best friends, not their teachers, not even their parents - can love them more than God does. Jesus put them first when He died on the cross. (3) He wants us to (4) give others a glimpse of how very much He loves them through our own humble attitudes. How can the way we treat people show them what God thinks of them and how much He loves them?

Humility 2 (4/10)

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Arrested

Virtue: Humility - putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve.
Memory Verse: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Philippians 2:3, NIV
Bible Story: Arrested (Jesus prays and is arrested) Luke 22:39-44; John 18:2-11
Bottom Line: To put others first, you may need to put God first.

This month we're talking about humility, which is (1) putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve. All month we're taking a look at how Jesus showed humility, particularly through the events of the "Easter story." (2) Jesus consistently put His Father's will - and us - first, before His own needs, perhaps no more clearly than when He prayed in the garden before His arrest. It can be easy for longtime believers to "forget" what Jesus actually prayed in that garden. He wasn't looking forward to what was coming. He wanted out; He wanted God to offer us salvation in some other way. Scripture indicates He prayed about it a long time, wrestling His own desire into submission to His Father's plan. Luke 22:43 says an angel appeared and gave Him strength. If Jesus, who was both God and man, had to wrestle His human side into submission, (3) then there will certainly be times when we'll need God's help to put others first. This week, help your kids think about what it means to put God first and (4) what that can reveal about God to others.

Humility 1 (4/3)

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Served

Virtue: Humility- putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve.
Memory Verse: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Philippians 2:3, NIV
Bible Story: served (Jesus washes the disciples' feet) John 13:1-17
Bottom Line: Treat others like they're more important than you.

Today kicks off a new virtue, that of humility. We've defined humility as (1) putting others first by giving up what you think you deserve. It's natural for kids to think "me, me, me." God designed babies and small children to be concerned about themselves: they demand attention when they need something. Otherwise, they wouldn't get what they need to thrive. With age and maturity, God enables them to gradually start taking into account others' needs. (Most are able to put themselves in someone else's shoes around the age of seven.) But they need adults to guide them to do this. (2) No one is a better example of humility than Jesus. He left heaven - His rightful place - to come here, after all! He consistently showed us how important we are to Him. (3) And He wants us to do the same for others. "I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet," He said. "So you also should wash one another's feet. I have given you an example. You should do as I have done for you" (John 13:14-15, NIrV). (4) So this week, focus on helping kids understand what it means to "wash someone's feet" - and what that "you, you, you, then me" mentality can show others about Jesus' love for them.