Join us today Epic Explorers as we discover Rocky Road and find out that following Jesus means putting him first even when it’s tough.
Over the past 5 months we been exploring Adventure Island. We’ve discovered together that Jesus is God’s Son and he came to rescue us. Last month we saw that Jesus didn’t stay dead. He died on the Friday, but came back to life on the Sunday – just as he said he would. God accepted the price Jesus paid for our sins.
Today we’re going to be thinking about God’s rescue plan and what it means to follow Jesus.
You might like to look on our map to see where we are today. Can you find Rocky Road?
Bible Story
For younger children
- How did Peter describe Jesus?
- Who do you think Jesus is?
A christian is someone who follows Jesus. They understand who Jesus is and why he came but they are also people who want to do things God’s way – not their way. I wonder what that looks like. You may want to chat together and share what it means to you to follow Jesus.
It’s important to give our children opportunities to choose to follow Jesus. The 4 points is a very visual and helpful way to explain this choice.
Craft
Door Hanger
You will need:
- foam sheets or card
- stickers
- glue
- scissors
- pens/pencils
- door hanger template
- Cut out your door hanger template
- Cut out a cross from a foam sheet and glue it to your door hanger
- Underneath add the Bible verse: Mark 8:34
- Decorate the door hanger with stickers/colouring
Prayer
Does your child want to accept Jesus’ invitation to be his friend, to start living Jesus way? You know your children best please use the resources on this page to talk about it together . You could use the 4 points illustration(above) or talk through the following points
- Jesus the sacrifice (Jesus takes our place)
- Jesus the reconciler (Jesus mends our broken relationship with God)
- Jesus the victor (Jesus defeats evil)
- Jesus the rescuer or redeemer (Jesus pays the price for our sins with his life)
If your child wants to Jesus to be their friend encourage them to pray their own prayer asking God to forgive them, thank him for sending Jesus to die in their place and ask him to send the Holy Spirit to help them live as a follower of Jesus from now on.
If they are not ready yet that’s fine. They may have some questions or just need some more time. Children will be ready when they are ready. As parents its our job is to surround them with the truth and teach them how to access God and his new life for them when they are ready. You can pray this prayer together
Dear God, thank you for the Bible and all we’ve been learning. Thank you that you want us to understand who Jesus is and why he came. Please help me understand more about you and how much you love me. Amen.
If you have any questions or want to talk more about this please get in touch: contact me