Note that we have separated the worship and Sunday school materials into separate posts to keep things organized. You can find the Sunday morning sermon here.
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Family Sunday School Devotion for May 10
Family Lesson- “Jesus’ Early Miracles” from Mark 1
Listen to- “Eternal Life (John 3:16)” from Seeds Family Worship here:
Later, during Key Passage, watch “For God So Loved (John 3:16)- Tutorial” from Faith Inkubators here:
Summary- People came to Jesus, and He healed them.
Introduction Younger Kid Activity- Guess Who Describe a job in simple terms and invite children to guess whom you are talking about. You may describe a pastor by saying, “someone who helps a church family understand the Bible” or describe a doctor by saying, “this person helps you stay healthy” or describe a police officer by saying, “this person helps people follow laws”. End the activity by describing Jesus as “the Son of God who came to save us”. Say, “You knew exactly whom I was talking about! The people in our Bible story today knew that Jesus was the Son of God by the things He said and did. Let’s listen to find out how exactly they knew who Jesus was!”
Introduction Older Kid Activity- Help-O-Matic Provide each kid with paper and a pencil. Ask kids to draw a picture of a machine that could help them do something they have trouble with or really don’t like doing. Allow kids the opportunity to share about their machines. What do they do? How would their machines work? How much might they cost? Say, “It can be fun to imagine machines that help us in our everyday lives. Maybe someday you all will even find a way to invent your machines for real! Today we are going to learn about some things Jesus did to help people and heal them. But He did not need special machines or technology because He is God and has power to do miracles.”
Big Picture Question- Say, “As we get to the story, I want to ask you a new big picture question. While listening to the story, see if you can figure out the answer. What makes people special? As we hear our story, you’ll see that Jesus cares a lot about people. I want you to think about why that is. I’ll make sure we all know the answer after you hear the story.”
Bible Story- Timeline Say, “After sin entered the world, God could have said ‘too bad, you had your chance’. It would have been fair for Him to say that. Instead, God had a plan to defeat sin and death forever. It required a Savior, and after hundreds and hundreds of years, that Savior was born in Bethlehem. Jesus- the fully God and fully human Savior- grew into a man. He was wise and perfectly obeyed God. He was baptized and then resisted temptation to sin in the wilderness. John pointed to Him, and He called disciples to follow Him. Now, Jesus’ ministry of teaching and healing was coming into full swing. Today we will learn about Jesus’ early miracles.” Open a Bible to Mark 1:21-45. Either tell the story in your own words from this passage or read aloud from the Big Picture Interactive Bible Storybook (the Bible storybook your younger child received from Sunday School) pages 206, 208, 210. Say, “What makes people special? The answer is: People are special because we are made in His image, as male and female, to know Him.”
Christ Connection- Say, “All of us are born as sinners. The Bible says we are dead in sin. We cannot save ourselves. Thankfully, God’s perfect plan was to send His Son, Jesus, to die for our sin and give new life to everyone who believes in Jesus. Jesus’ miracles proved that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. They strengthened people’s faith and met their needs. Through Jesus, God did what is impossible for us to do on our own. He provided forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.”
Key Passage- Open a Bible to John 3:16. Read the verse aloud. You may watch the video of John 3:16 from Seeds Family Worship (see above). Come up with your own signs for the words of the verse or use the following sign language (it’s a long verse- feel free to teach a little bit each week over the next couple of weeks): “God” (open hand held upright coming down in front of face with thumb closest to face), “loved” (hug self), “world” (hold up 3 fingers on each hand to form sign language letter W and twirl hands around each other in a circle), “gave” (hook pointer fingers and pull hands toward self), “Son” (pinch hand together in front of forehead and pull down to two-handed rocking of a baby), “everyone” (make sign language for letters A by making fist with thumb up and L by holding out thumb and pointer finger, sweep hand with letter L across in front), “believes” (touch hand to forehead and then pull down to clasp hands together), “not” (shake pointer finger like saying “no”), “perish” (hold one palm face up and other palm face down, then flip flop them), “eternal” (point to head and make sign language for letter Y by making fist with thumb and pinkie finger sticking out, then push with letter Y outward), “life” (make sign for letter L with both hands, push upward). Say, “This key passage might be one of the most well-known verses in the entire Bible. Many people have heard it, memorized it, or seen it as a bumper sticker. In a way, this key passage sums up the whole Bible. God loved us and showed His love by sending Jesus. Everyone who has faith in Jesus won’t be punished for sin but will live forever with God.”
Review Questions- Ask the following questions:
- *PreK- What did Jesus do for people who were sick? (He healed them.)
- What do these miracles show about Jesus? (Guide kids to discuss Jesus’ power as God’s Son. Jesus had authority over evil spirits and over the sickness people faced. We also see Jesus’ love and kindness toward people. Jesus meets physical needs and spiritual needs.)
- *PreK- When did Jesus go out by Himself to pray? (early in the morning)
- What reason did Jesus give for why He came? (Mark 1:38)
- Why was Jesus’ preaching more important than His miracles? (Help kids understand that Jesus’ miracles helped to show His power and authority, but the purpose was to support the truth of His teaching. A person healed of a sickness might later become sick again and is still spiritually dead in sin. A person who understands Jesus’ teaching and has faith in His death and resurrection is forgiven and gains eternal life.)
- *PreK- Where did Jesus want to go so He could preach more? (nearby villages; throughout the land)
- *PreK- Does Jesus care about people? (YES!)
- *PreK- What makes people special? (People are special because God made us in His own image. *shortened)
- How can we be like Jesus? (Discuss Jesus’ compassion, kindness, and preaching. Help kids see that we can show God’s love in the way we treat others. Explain that our love and kindness will help support the message of truth when we share the Gospel. Actions may ‘speak louder’ than words, but words are still essential for explaining the Gospel.)
Say, “People came to Jesus, and He healed them.”
For Older Kids- Also, ask the following questions:
- How did Jesus’ miracles show His care for creation? (read Psalm 77:14)
- Do we need to see miracles to believe in Jesus? Why (read John 20:29-31)
- In what ways does God reveal Himself today? (read John 1:14 and Romans 1:19-20)
Reflection- Ask older children to answer one of the following questions:
- What does this story teach me about God or the Gospel?
- What does the story teach me about myself?
- Whom can I tell about this story?
Closing Younger Kid Activity- Make a First Aid Kit Give children paper bags and encourage them to decorate with something that reminds them of the Bible story. Then help them add an assortment of first aid supplies to their bags. Explain what each item is used for and remind children to ask a grown-up for help anytime someone is hurt. Encourage children to tell others about Jesus’ love whenever they use the first aid kit. Write John 3:16 on the bags. Option #2: If you don’t wish to give out first aid supplies to your children😊, consider this: still give out a paper bag or draw a bag shape on a piece of paper. Then, show items from your family’s first aid kit, still explaining what each item is used for, but then have children draw the items on their bag. Say, “Jesus cares about people. What makes people special? People are special because God made us in His own image. Sickness and evil mess up God’s image in people, so Jesus came to heal us! We might still get hurt, but we can have forgiveness and life with God forever through Jesus. Whenever you see someone use something from a first aid kit to help people who are hurt, you can pray and tell them this good news while a grownup takes care of the hurt. Let’s practice by reviewing our key passage right now!” Say John 3:16 together.
Closing Older Kid Activity- Prayer Time Open your Bible to Mark 1:35. Say, “People came to Jesus, and He healed them. Jesus has power because He is the Son of God. Even though Jesus has incredible power to work miracles, He still needed time to pray to God. If Jesus chose to spend time praying, it must be extremely important for us to spend time praying, too. Prayer is talking to God. We can talk to God just as we would talk to a friend or to our parents. We can pray about anything.” Lead kids in a time of guided prayer. Remind them that they do not have to pray aloud if they feel uncomfortable doing so. Encourage them to pray about more than just things they want, but also to pray as a way to praise God and thank Him.
Pray- In closing, praise God for His power to perform miracles. Ask Him to meet the needs of your family. Thank Him for sending His Son Jesus to meet their greatest need of all- to be rescued from sin and death.
Adult School Devotion for May 10
Adult Lesson- “Jesus Reveals His Power” from Mark 1
Listen to- “Compassion Hymn” from Keith and Kristyn Getty here:
and- “Love Divine All Loves Excelling” by Charles Wesley here:
Summary- Jesus taught with authority and performed miracles to reveal that He is the Son of God.
Christ Connection- From the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the people recognized that He was different. The authority with which Jesus taught and performed miracles both fulfilled the purpose of His earthly ministry and showed that He is the Son of God, the One who came to proclaim and provide salvation.
Point 1. Jesus reveals His power (read aloud Mark 1:21-28).
Note- As we see in this passage, it rapidly became evident to those around Jesus that His words were not like the typical teaching they were used to hearing in the synagogue. The scribes of the day did not merely copy things down but aided the people’s understanding of scriptural principles by teaching and interpreting the law. They were scholars, yet they did not interpret the Scriptures using solely their own opinions; rather, they quoted and cited other experts and scholars.
Note- Politicians often attempt to establish their authority through their words. By carefully crafting speeches and appealing to people’s policy preferences, they attempt to sway the public in their favor and convince people they are the right person for the job. Jesus, on the other hand, revealed His inherent authority and power through His words.
Respond- What makes someone recognizable and believable as an authority on a subject?
Point 2. Jesus proclaims His purpose (read aloud Mark 1:35-38).
Note- Jesus’ miracles were not to be an end in and of themselves. Jesus performed miracles partially because of His genuine love for the individual who received the healing, but His miracles also served as a sign of God’s kingdom coming and driving back the power of Satan and death. Thus, miracles assisted Jesus in His purpose to preach good news to the nations that He is the Son of God and He came to bring salvation to humankind. Jesus’ healings point to the fact that He is the One to heal our broken relationship with God- He is our Messiah, come to free us from our sin and heal us of our broken condition.
Respond- What are some things that may distract us from our purpose in life?
Note- Jesus didn’t get caught up in worldly passions and pleasures, in temptations to fame and the idolatry of works. He kept His heart, soul, mind, and strength fixed on His Father and His heavenly purpose. Even as fully God, Jesus chose to fulfill His purpose on earth in a manner fully dependent on His Father God. By communing with God through prayer, Jesus stayed focused on the mission set before Him.
Point 3. Jesus displays His compassion (read aloud Mark 1:39-42).
Note- That Jesus was not dispassionate to this man’s suffering is a source of great hope to each of us- Jesus cares about our suffering. This is great news to us because as the Son of God, Jesus is the One who has the power to do something about our suffering. By defeating death once and for all on the cross, He has freed us from the power of and eternal enslavement to death, both here and now and fully in the age to come.
Respond- What are some situations in your community that should move you to act with the compassion of Christ?
Note- Jesus’ compassion led the Son of God to come face to face with our sin as a man and to die for it on the cross. By faith in Him, Jesus takes on our guilt so that He might end it and we might enter into the family of God through Him. But the story doesn’t end there. The Son of God could not be defeated by death, the penalty earned by our sin. After substituting Himself in our place and paying our debt, He rose victoriously from the grave to be enthroned at the right hand of God, where He intercedes for us with continued compassion and continues to save sinners who have faith in Him.
Conclusion- Jesus’ teaching and miracles point us not only toward His power but to both His purpose and His compassion as well. All three- power, purpose, and compassion- flow from His identity as the Son of God. In light of this revelation, our purpose is clear: We are to continue to preach and share the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. Our purpose is defined by the One who is full of power. He equips us to fulfill that purpose with the same power through His Holy Spirit. We are to proclaim the Gospel with the deepest depths of compassion, entering with boldness into spaces of hurt and pain that our society tells us ought to be avoided at all costs. We have a calling to tell others about salvation through Christ with compassion for them today and concern for their eternity.
Apply- Because we have experienced the power of Jesus to save us from sin, we tell others about salvation through Christ with compassion for them today and concern for them for eternity.
-How will you act in faith in light of the power of the Son of God?
-What are some ways your family can display Jesus’ compassion to address the needs in your community?
-How will you adjust your priorities to focus on your purpose of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
(Take some time to pray for the physical and spiritual needs of your community and the Lord’s use of you to spread the Gospel.)
