St John’s Kids – 30 August 2020

St John’s Kids – 30 August 2020

 SUNDAY 30 August

 

Events:

  • This week (30Aug): After the 9:30am service (approx. 10:30am for those who are not watching the service at that time), Krissy will facilitate a family friendly conversation and activity about maintaining good mental health during lockdown. All welcome, whether you have kids with you or not! Join here. (If prompted – Zoom Meeting ID: 833 565 287 / Password: SJDC)
  • Next week (06Sep): Mark will run a family friendly game, with a Father’s Day focus, after the 9:30am service. Zoom link will be provided in next week’s blog.

Note: You can also find the Zoom links for these events in the 9:30am service description on YouTube on the day.

 

Today’s service:

Access our streamed services here.

Kids, do you think it is better to live now, or would have been better to have lived at a time when we could have seen Jesus in person and heard him teach?

It is easy to think that nothing else could compare to following Jesus in person 2000+ years ago. However, in today’s passage, John 15:26-16:11, Jesus tells the disciples that it is for their good that he is leaving them, and that things will be better AFTER he has gone! The reason for that was because he was going to send his Spirit to be with his followers, then and NOW. The Spirit is not limited to a physical body, so it can be everywhere at once and it lives and works within us to help be in relationship with God the Father and God the Son ALWAYS.

Activities, if needed, to keep hands busy while listening to Tim’s talk:

  • Holy Spirit Activity Book – John 15:26 Craft idea p.1-2 and Colouring p.3 (If you use the Codebreaker and Wordsearch on p.4-5, you might like to look up the other bible passages referred to)
  • Colouring John 15:26
  • Holy Spirit Activity Sheet – have your bibles handy to refer to this week’s passage and to look up others.
  • Wordsearch John 15:26-16:11
  • Crossword read Romans 8:23-27 in preparation for this week’s family devotion

 

Family Devotion Time:

Before/After your service of choice, or at another time during the day/week that best suits your family, spend some time together exploring God’s word.

Romans 8 reminds us that everyone who has God’s Spirit can talk to God. We can talk to God our Father anytime, anywhere!

Read … Romans 8:23-27

The Holy Spirit feels our pain and talks to God when we do not have the words.

Watch this week’s video from James …

Icebreaker …

  • What makes you sad or cry?
  • When were you the most scared you have ever been?
  • On a teardrop draw or write about something that has made you sad and/or draw your face when sad.

Discuss …

  • Who do you talk to when you are sad?
  • Have you ever been so sad or scared that you have found it hard to talk?
  • Remember James’ story about Emma. She was a confident little girl who did not normally have trouble talking, but sometimes she found she had no words to speak. What things happened to Emma? (she almost got run over, her best friend’s grandfather died, she was lost and frightened)
  • Who spoke up for Emma when she found it hard to speak? (her brother, her teacher, the woman in the park)
  • Reread Romans 8:26 – The Spirit helps us when we are ‘weak’ and do not know what we should pray for. It speaks for us. When do you think we are ‘weak’? (When our feelings are too deep for words – when sadness, pain or fear overwhelm us)
  • Reread Romans 8:27 – What does God know about us? (Everything! He knows our hearts. Nothing is hidden from him, he knows all our pain, our sadness and fear)
  • Even though God knows all, what does God’s Spirit do for us when we are weak? (He puts into words our deep feelings when we find it hard to, he prays for us in a way that God loves to hear)

Dig Deeper …

  • If God’s Spirit prays for us, does that mean we don’t have to pray at all, ever?
  • What do you say to someone who says that God knows what is in their heart, so they don’t need to pray to him?
  • What sort of relationship do you think you would have with your family or friends if you chose never to speak to them?

Activity …

Try these Tongue Twisters. Start slow and then see how fast you can say them:

  • She sees cheese.
  • Six sticky skeletons.
  • Which witch is which?
  • Willy’s real rear wheel.
  • Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards.
  • Scissors sizzle, thistles sizzle.
  • A happy hippo hopped and hiccuped.
  • Cooks cook cupcakes quickly.

One a bit longer to try:

  • She sells seashells on the seashore.
    The shells she sells are seashells, I’m sure.
    And if she sells seashells on the seashore,
    Then I’m sure she sells seashore shells.

How does this apply to me …

  • When you are sad or scared, do you talk to God? Or do you only talk to people?
  • Have you ever found it hard to pray because your feelings are so deep you do not have the words to say how your feel?
  • What could you say to God when you find it hard to pray?

Remember …

  • Sometimes our words get all twisted up, not because of Tongue Twisters, but because we are so sad, scared or hurt that we find it hard to find the right words.
  • God hears our sadness and pain.
  • We can ask the Holy Spirit to talk for us, and he will!

Pray …

Talk to God about the things that make you sad and scared. Thank him for Holy Spirit that comes and lives in us when we follow Jesus. Ask God to help us remember to ask the Holy Spirit to speak for us when we can’t find the words to tell him how we are feeling.

 

 

Family Devotion resource credit: Kidswise.

 

 

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