Joseph Forgives His Brothers

Genesis 45:1-15 Story

God, thank You for forgiving us. Please help us remember Joseph and find the strength to forgive people who wrong us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Never Give Up

Have you ever heard of Fanny J. Crosby? Fanny was a hymn writer and poet who wrote over 8,000 hymns! A very short list of the most popular hymns written by Fanny would include such great hymns as “To God Be the Glory,” “I Am Thine, O Lord,” “Tell Me the Story of Jesus,” “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross,” and “All the Way My Savior Leads Me.” You may be surprised to learn that Fanny was totally blind. She lost her sight when she was only six weeks old through the negligence of a doctor who was treating an inflammation in her eyes.

Because she was blind, I am sure that many times Fanny heard the words, “You can’t do this” or “You can’t do that.” One reason I feel sure she heard those words is that she once wrote a song entitled, “Never Give Up!” The words to the refrain of that song go like this:

Never give up, never give up,
Never give up to thy sorrows,
Jesus will bid them depart;
Trust in the Lord, trust in the Lord,
Sing when your trials are greatest,
Trust in the Lord and take heart.

Fanny never gave up! “Blindness,” she wrote, “can not keep the sunlight of hope from the trusting soul.” Fanny had great faith in God and put her trust in him to get her through the obstacles she faced in her life. She never gave up!

Our Bible lesson today tells about another woman who had great faith and refused to give up. The Bible doesn’t tell us her name, it simply calls her “a Canaanite woman.” That means that she was a Gentile and, as you know, Jesus and his disciples were Jews. The Jews would have very little to do with gentiles. The Canaanite woman met Jesus one day as he was traveling in the region of Tyre and Sidon. She came toward him crying out, “Have mercy on me, for my daughter is possessed by an evil spirit.”

Jesus did not reply to the woman and his disciples came to him complaining that she was bothering them and asked him to tell her to leave. Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”

But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”

Jesus replied, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”

The woman answered, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”

“Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” At that very moment, her daughter was healed.

What if she had given up? What if her faith had not been so strong? The end of this story would be quite different, wouldn’t it? Let us follow the example set by Fanny Crosby and the Canaanite woman. Let’s “Keep the Faith” and “Never Give Up!”

Activities + Resources

Theme: Jesus walks on the water.

Has there ever been a time in your life when you needed someone to give you a helping hand? Of course, there has! Can you name some? (Give them time to respond, then continue.) How about when you first began to try to tie your own shoes, did you need someone to help you? It was probably your mother, wasn’t it? She worked patiently with you until you were able to do it all by yourself. How about when you got your first bicycle, didn’t your dad run along beside you and hold you up? When you began to learn to read, did you just pick up a book and start reading? Of course not, someone—probably a teacher—helped you learn. Did any of you need any help learning how to play soccer? There are always going to be times when you need a helping hand—even when you are grown!

Today’s Bible lesson is about a time when the disciples of Jesus needed a helping hand — one disciple in particular whose name was Simon Peter.

It had been a long, hard day for Jesus and his disciples. After the disciples had helped Jesus feed more than five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two small fish, Jesus told them to get into their boat and go on ahead of him to the other side of the lake. Jesus then went up on a mountainside to be alone and to pray.

Later that evening, the disciples were quite far out onto the lake when the wind began to blow and the waves began to bounce their boat around on the water.

Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to the disciples, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they cried.

Jesus immediately spoke to them: “Don’t be afraid! Take courage. I am here!”

Peter spoke up, “Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

“Yes, come,” Jesus answered.

So, Peter climbed out of the boat and started walking on the water toward Jesus. But when he started looking around and saw the waves being blown about by the wind. He was afraid and he began to sink. “Lord, save me!” he cried.

Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter. “Why did you doubt?” Jesus asked.

So, you see, even a grown-up fisherman like Simon Peter needed a hand from Jesus when it came to walking on the water. You and I may face some pretty rough times in our life, but as long as we keep our eyes on Jesus, he will always be there to give us a hand.

Father, help us to remember that you are always there when we need a helping hand. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Activities + Resources

Theme: God knows your heart

What is prayer? How many of you like to talk? I know quite a few of you are big talkers. Prayer is talking to God. It’s telling Him what’s going on, asking for help, thanking and praising him and seeking forgiveness. Prayer is also about listening to God. Sometimes we talk too much about what we want and fail to listen to what God is telling us. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Why do we pray? God already knows what is going to happen, He has already gone before us. But He wants us to talk to him because He wants a RELATIONSHIP with us. Think about your best friend. If you never talked with them, hung out with them or even looked at them, are they really your best friend? No. God wants to be our best friend. He wants us to talk with him and tell him our worries, our fears, and even funny things that happen to us. We can talk to God about everything!

Here’s what we know about prayer

1. God wants us to know Him: He created us for a relationship with him. He wants to be our best friend
2. 2. God really does answer prayer. God in his sovereignty chooses to use our prayers to accomplish his purposes, his will. So, God has ordained that certain things would happen in response to our prayer. Basically what we’re asking in prayer matters! This is so cool and should cause us to pray without ceasing or stopping!
3. God loves us through prayer: We get to know God through prayer and He loves us through it. We feel closer to Him and that means we feel His love even greater.
4. We love God through prayer: When we worship God through prayer, we tell Him we love him. We thank Him for everything He has done. Sometimes it can be hard to come up with the right words. We don’t always know what to say, but the Bible says the Holy Spirit speaks for us!

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” God wants it all!

Sometimes you and I have heart problems too. We might have some things in our heart that shouldn’t be there. Things like bitterness, anger, jealousy, selfishness, pride, and greed. When we come to church, everything may look great on the outside, but God may look inside and see that our heart isn’t right. When we know that we have a heart problem, we need to do what David did. We need to pray to God and say, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Do you have some things in your heart that shouldn’t be there? I do! Let’s ask God to fix it!

Dear Father, we know that you can see what is in our heart and we know that there are some things there that shouldn’t be there. Create a clean heart in us, O God. Amen.

Activities + Resources

X Marks the Spot

There was a time, when someone who had something of great value would often bury their treasure so that no one could find it and take it away. Of course, there was always the risk that one might forget where their treasure was buried, so to make sure that they would remember where it was, they would often make a map like this one. Usually they would mark the spot where the treasure was with an “X” like the one on this map. That is where we get the expression, “X marks the spot.”

Jesus once said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and then hid again; in his joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.” If you would like to find the treasure that Jesus was talking about, perhaps the Bible could be the map that leads us to that treasure. The Bible has a lotc of information in it, but it is sometimes hard for us to understand, so how do you know exactly where the treasure is? That’s easy, because “X marks the spot.” (Hold up the cross at an angle so that it looks like the letter x.) Jesus died on the cross so that you and I could enter into the kingdom of heaven. When you look to the cross and put your trust in Jesus, the treasure will be yours.

To enter the kingdom of heaven is the greatest treasure one could ever desire. It is more precious than silver, gold, or jewels. That is why Jesus calls us to give up all that we have and follow him.

Dear Jesus, nothing we have can compare to life in the kingdom of heaven. Help us to place our trust in you, so that we may find that priceless treasure. In your name we pray. Amen.

Activities + Resources

Theme:  Jacob’s dream about a ladder. 

Memory Verse:  When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought ”Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”  Genesis 28:16 

Today’s Bible lesson includes a really crazy dream, so pay close attention so you don’t miss it.  

Jacob had a dream about a ladder that reached up to heaven. Jacob started on a long journey to a town called Haran. When Jacob reached a certain place, he stopped to spend the night.  Jacob took a large stone and rested his head on it and went to sleep. Does that sound like a comfortable pillow to you? Not me!  

As he slept, Jacob had a dream.  Jacob’s dream, there was a ladder that reached from the ground all the way up to heaven. There were angels running up and down the ladder. Jacob looked and saw God himself standing at the top of the ladder. God spoke to Jacob and told him that He was going to bless him and his people and that He would watch over him and keep him wherever he went. 

When Jacob woke up he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place.” Then Jacob took the stone he had used for a pillow and poured oil on it. He named the place Bethel, which means the house of the Lord.  

This is a wonderful story of how God blessed Jacob, but it is much more than that. It is also a picture of what Jesus has done for you and me. Jesus came down to earth to make a way for you and me to get to heaven. Jesus is the way, the only way, for us to get to heaven. 

Dear God, thank You for providing a way for us to get to heaven. If there are some here today who have not found the way, we pray that they will find Your way today. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Activities + Resources 

Theme: Wherever we go, God is there.

Do you think anyone ever tries to play “Hide and Seek” with God? Do you remember the story of Adam and Eve? After they had eaten the fruit that God had told them not to eat, they heard God walking in the garden. They were ashamed of what they had done and didn’t want God to find them. What did they do? They ran and hid among the trees. Did God find them? Sure he did. You can’t hide from God.

Do you remember the story of Jonah? God told him to go to Nineveh and tell the people there to repent of their sin. What did Jonah do? He ran from God and tried to hide. Did God find him? He sure did! And you will remember that Jonah found himself… in the belly of a great fish!

The Bible tells us that God chose David to be the king of Israel because he was “a man after God’s own heart.” (Acts 13:22) But even David did things that did not please God. There were probably times when David wished he could hide from God, but he knew it was impossible. Listen to the words of David. (Psalms 139:1-12 – NLT)

We can’t hide from God. He knows all about us. He knows what we are going to say before we say it and what we are going to do before we do it. It is foolish to play “Hide and Seek” with God. Besides, the reason God comes seeking is because he loves us and wants to bless us. Why would we want to hide from his blessing?

Father, we are thankful that even though you know everything about us, you love us anyway. Amen.

Activities + Resources

The Parable of the Sower

Memory Verse: “But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:23 (NIV)

As Jesus traveled around the countryside with his disciples, large crowds often gathered around him to hear him teach. He often taught them by using parables. A parable is a story that Jesus made up to help people understand what he wanted to teach them.

Our Bible lesson today is one of the parables of Jesus. It is called The Parable of the Sower. It was a story about a man who planted seeds in the field. Listen to the story that Jesus told.

A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he scattered the seed, some fell on the hard path nearby and the birds came and ate it up.

As the farmer continued to plant the seeds, some of them fell on soil that was full of rocks. There was not much dirt around the rocks so the seeds started to sprout and grow the very next day. The only problem was, there was little dirt, so the plants didn’t put down roots which would help them become strong and healthy. In the afternoon, the sun was very hot so the plants that had started to grow in the rocky soil withered and died because they had no root in the ground.

Some of the other seeds fell on soil that had been taken over with weeds and thorns. The weeds and thorns grew faster and taller than the plants from the seeds, so they choked out the plants that the sower wanted to grow.

Finally, some seed fell on the good soil that had been plowed, fertilized, and weeded to make a good place for the seed to grow. Those seeds made healthy plants and produced good fruit.

This is the lesson that Jesus wanted his disciples to learn, and it is also the lesson that he wants us to learn today. The seed that the sower was planting in the story represents the teachings of God’s Word. Our heart represents the soil where the sower planted the seeds.

Sometimes our Sunday School teacher or our Minister is trying plant the teaching of God’s love in our heart. If our heart is hard and filled with anger and bitterness, the teaching falls on hard ground and never grows, just like the seed that fell on the hard ground in the parable that Jesus told.

There are other times when we hear the Word and we get excited about it, but then our excitement fades away because our understanding is too shallow. That’s the way it was with the seed that fell on the rocky soil.

Sometimes we hear the Word and we believe what it says, but we want to keep on doing the same things we have been doing. That is like planting the seed in with a bunch of weeds. I’m sure you can guess what happens. The weeds will soon take over!

The last seed is the best, it fell on the good ground. If you learn from what you hear in Sunday School and church, the seed that Jesus plants in your heart will grow. Your life will produce good fruit just like Jesus intended. You will be helping others to grow in their knowledge and understanding of God’s love.

Our Father, help us to be like the good soil in our lesson today. Help us to listen to your Word and grow up to be the kind of boys and girls you want us to be. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Activities + Resources

When Your Load Is Heavy

Some of you have some pretty heavy burdens to carry in life. Perhaps you have a physical handicap that makes your life difficult. Or, perhaps your father has lost his job and your family is having financial difficulties. Maybe someone in your family has cancer or some other serious illness and you are worried about them. You may be having a hard time making passing grades in school. I don’t know what the burdens are that you have in your life, but I do know that there are some that you just can’t handle by yourself. Well, guess what? You don’t have to!

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” There is no reason for you to struggle with burdens that are too heavy for you. God’s Word is full of promises to help us in times of trouble. Here are just a few: “Don’t be afraid, I am with you.” (Gen.26:24) “I’ll give you strength.” (Psalm 28:7) “I’m with you in times of trouble.” (Psalm 34:6) These words of encouragement are just what we need to face the hard times that may come our way.

Does that mean that if we will ask him, God will take all of our troubles away? No, but he will help us. In fact, some of our struggles may help us to grow and become stronger. They may also help us to learn to trust in Jesus. But when the load is too heavy, he will help us to carry it — and there is no burden that is too heavy for Jesus.

Dear Father, we are thankful that when we struggle under the load of life’s burdens, you are there to help us carry the load. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Activities + Resources

Theme: God rewards those who welcome his disciples.

“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me,” Jesus told them. Who is the one who sent Jesus? It is God the Father. Isn’t it wonderful that we can know that when we welcome those who come to us in Jesus’ name, it is the same as welcoming Jesus and when we welcome Jesus, we also welcome God the Father who sent him? Jesus went on to tell the disciples that whoever welcomes a prophet would receive the same reward as the prophet and that whoever welcomes a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. Jesus also promised, “If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of my disciples, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

Father, help us to be faithful to your teachings each day. Help us to welcome those who come to us in Jesus’ name and care for others as we offer even a cup of cold water in your name. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Activities + Resources

Theme: God watches over His children.

Are you ever afraid? Do you ever worry? Are you ever discouraged? What are some things that discourage you? (Give the children an opportunity to answer.) Here are some things that might cause worry, fear or discouragement:

Be your Child’s Teacher

• Theme: Giving thanks to God for His blessings.
• Scripture: Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalms 100:4-5
• Memory Verse:. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalms 100:4-5

We have a lot to be thankful for, don’t we? What are some of the things you are thankful for? (give the children some time to name some things) Who should we thank for all that we have? That’s right, we should give thanks to God. The Bible tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from God. When someone gives you a gift, you say, “Thank you.” When do you think we should say, “Thank you” to God? Should we have one day each year that we give thanks? Should we have one day each week that we give thanks? I think EVERY DAY should be a day of thanksgiving. Don’t you agree?

Our Bible lesson today says:

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Let’s stop right now and give thanks and praise God for all he has done for us.

Lord, we thank you for your for all of the good gifts you give to us. Most of all, we thank you for your love and for the gift of your son, Jesus. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Activities and Resources

Be your Child’s Teacher

• Theme: God sends his Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost
• Scripture: Acts 2:1-4
• Memory Verse for Preschoolers: I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. Acts 2:17
• Memory Verse for Elementary School: When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 2:1-4Acts (NIV)

Activities and Resources

Be Your Child’s Teacher

In today’s Bible lesson in the book of Acts, we learn that when Jesus was ready to return to heaven, He took His disciples aside to make sure that they understood everything that had happened to Him. He explained why it was important for Him to be crucified and to be raised from the dead to fulfill what the Scriptures had said about Him. He also told them that he was going to return to His Father in heaven and that the Holy Spirit would come to be with them.

At first, the disciples were sad that Jesus would be leaving them, but then the Bible tells us that Jesus opened their minds so they would understand. Then, an amazing thing happened. The Bible tells us that Jesus lifted his hands and blessed His disciples. While He was blessing them, He lifted up and was taken up into heaven “up, up and away.”

Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus, Your only Son, to die for our sin. We know that He has risen from the dead and has returned to heaven. Bless us today as we worship Him with great joy! In Jesus’ name, amen.

Activities and Resources

Be Your Child’s Teacher

• Theme: The Holy Spirit is our comforter.
• Scripture:  John 14: 15-21
• Memory Verse: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Friend to help you and to be with you forever. John 14:16 (NIV)

Jesus understood that we all need help in times of trouble. When he was here on earth, he was a source of help and comfort to his disciples. When he was preparing to return to heaven, he knew that there would be times when disciples would need help and comfort and that he would not be there to give it to them. He told the disciples that he would ask his Father to send them another comforter who would stay with them forever. That is exactly what he did. He asked the Father, and he sent the Holy Spirit. God’s Holy Spirit is with us in times of trouble. He is there to comfort and to guide us.

We never outgrow the need for the comfort and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit.

Activities and Resources

Be Your Child’s Teacher

• Theme: Jesus is the Way
• Scripture:   
• Memory Verse: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (NIV)  (You may want to watch/sing this great video with your kids to help them learn.)

Children’s Activities