Remember
Breath Prayer
Breath in: Where two or three are gathered
Breath out: You are with us
Song Themes: King Jesus
Remember one another
Is anyone celebrating something that happened this week? Let’s share so we can all thank God together.
Is anyone struggling, feeling sad, lonely or scared? How can we pray for one another?
Remember what we learned last week
Practice the Following Jesus Liturgy (With our youngest kids only focus on the portion that we’re currently learning)
Reflect: The Early Church
We gather together in the same way the early Christians did.
Read Acts 2:44-47
"All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
Let's watch a video about the early Church and se what we can learn.
Respond:
Facilitate a short discussion on the video
"The Church is you and me. The Church is the people. We are the Church!"
Where did the early church meet?
How did God do amazing things in the early church?
The early church sold things to help others.
How are we similar to the early church?
Activity: Demonstrate
On strips of paper, write out one-line statements of Truth about Jesus and the Gospel.
Ex. "God is Kind and loving" "God is patient" "My prayers are important and God responds." "God will rescue me when I call out to Him for help." "The Bible is the Word of God and will help me know God better." "God is infinitely powerful."
Write as many statements as you have children so that each child gets to hold one.
Tell the kids that their statement is like a treasure. It's a revelation, or piece of God's glory, that He has given to them. Tell them how true it is and how important it is. You can have them go around in a circle and read their Truth statement. Help the youngest ones who are not yet reading.
Next, tell the kids that we are going to spread out in the room and be quiet for one minute. During that time you want them to repeat their sentence to themselves again and again. Rehearse it. Memorize it. Even if it's simple, "God is Kind", have them meditate on it for one full minute. They can have fun with this step and hide throughout the space to make it more fun.
After everyone has spread out and you've had your moment of quiet reflection have everyone come back together.
Teach on the importance of coming together
God has given every Believer a revelation, of treasured understanding, of who He is. One of us knows, has experienced, and has testimony of God's miraculous provision. Another person loves reading God's Word and has experienced the Holy Spirit speaking to them through the Bible. We all have unique understanding and revelation due to how God has led and met us in our lives. That's why it's important to get together. If we never gather with other Christians, all we will ever know is our little revelation of who God is. That would be like sitting alone our whole life and only repeating one or two, or a few statements of Truth. It's not enough! We want more of God and so we gather together to share our bit and to receive from others.
Now have the kids read each of their statements out loud. Make it fun and see who can be the most expressive and enthusiastic when reading their Truth statement. Go first so that you can set the tone.
When we gather together we learn and experience way more of God than we ever would on our own. If we hide our lives away (like the example of spreading out and staying isolated) all we will ever know of God is our little piece. But, God wants us to experience the fullness of revelation, knowing Him and His plans. So we need one another!
When we gather together regularly in worship, prayer, and fellowship, we enjoy more of the fullness of what God intended for us.