Memory Verse

“I praise you,

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very very well.”

Psalm 139:14

Day 1- I Am Light

Key Verse- Matthew 5:16

• Pray.
• Review the memory verse.
• Have your kids come up with all the different types of lights they can think of (flashlight, lightbulb, street lamp, table lamp, lantern, candle, etc.).
• Explain that what we are going to read today are words that Jesus said to His disciples, and they are words that He wants us, we who follow Jesus, to hear now.
• Read Matthew 5:14-16.
• Take the passage verse by verse and discuss.
• Verse 14
  • What do lights do?
  • Think of a city at night. What would you see there? What if the city were on a hill and you were driving toward it. What would you see? Would the lights help you in any way?
• Verse 15
  • What happens if you turn on a light and then put a basket over it (you could demonstrate this)?
  • Contrast the previous question with what happens when you put a light on a stand, like a table.
  • Have them think about how bright a little light can seem when they are in a completely dark place and just a flashlight or small lamp is turned on. Things seem so much brighter.
• Verse 16
  • How are we to be the lights that Jesus is talking about here?
    • speech
    • behavior
    • choices
    • what we stand for/against
    • how we treat others
  • What happens when we live our lives as lights, when we live how God, through the Bible, instructs us to live?
  • Who will be made known, made famous, when we live as lights (God)?
• We were created to bring glory to God (Isaiah 43:7). When we live a Christ-centered life, we shine or stand out to people. This points them to Jesus, which is what He made us to do.
• Ask, “How will you be a light today?”
• Have each child pray by themselves. Encourage them to ask God how He wants them to shine for Him today.

Day 2-I Am Valuable

Key Verse-Matthew 6:26

• Pray.
• Review the memory verse.
• Show your kids a picture of a sparrow and of lilies in a field. Today we will be seeing how Jesus used these two examples from His creation to teach us something.
• Ask some age appropriate intro questions.
  • Older kids-“Do you ever feel like you are not as good as you are expected to be or that you don’t measure up?”
  • All kids-“What makes you worried right now?”
  • Younger kids-“What’s the coolest thing on earth? Do you think that God loves you more than _______?”
• Explain that we will be reading from the same section in the Bible as we did yesterday. Jesus is speaking to His followers, and it is known as the Sermon on the Mount.
• Read Matthew 6:25-26.
• Ask
  • What do we learn about God?
  • What do we learn about ourselves?
  • Are there any instructions given for us to follow?
• Read Matthew 6:27-32.
• Ask
  • What is the main idea of this passage? (Don’t ______.)
  • Why is Jesus telling us not to worry? What does worrying do? Parents, you may want to interject a story from your own life about worrying and how you have learned that it isn’t the best solution.
  • How does Jesus compare us to flowers?
  • Why does He do that?
  • What does verse 32 remind us about God?
• Read Matthew 6:33-34.
• Ask, “How would you fill in the blanks on this sentence?”
  • Instead of______ (worrying), I will _______. (Example-trust God, pray)
• Talk about how we can trust God with every situation because He cares about us so much; we are valuable and precious to him. Remind them that he knows about the needs of the birds and flowers and He provides for them. In the same way, He will provide for the needs we have.
• God loved us so much that He didn’t want us to be separated from Him because of our sin. He has already provided for our greatest need-a Savior (Romans 5:8) to bring us back to Him!

Day 3-I Am Called a Friend

Key Verse- John 15:15

• Pray.
• Review the memory verse (Psalm 139:14).
• Talk about friends. Ask questions like:
  • Who are your friends?
  • Why are you friends with them?
  • What makes someone a good friend?
  • Are you a good friend?
• Make a T-Chart with the Word FRIENDS at the top. On one side write Jesus. On the other side write Me.
• Read John 15:12-13.
• Discuss and fill in the chart with what we read from these verse.
• Read John 15:14.
• Discuss and fill in the chart.
• Read John 15:15.
• Discuss and fill in the chart. You might need to explain that when Jesus referenced us as slaves or servants, He was talking about how/why we obey Him. He laid down His life for us and He has not kept things secret from us, so we obey Him because we choose to and because we love him. We don’t have to obey Him as a slave or a servant would, who is forced to obey the master.
• Read John 15:17.
• Discuss and complete the chart.
• Ask
  • What does God want me to understand?
  • What does God want me to do?
• Activity
  • Write a note or card or draw a picture for a friend.

Day 4- I Am A Champion

Key Verse- Romans 8:35,37-39

• Pray.
• Review the memory verse.
• Today we will read a little bit about Paul. Begin with his conversion and then briefly read the list of hardships he faced.
  • Read or summarize Acts 9:1-19. Explain that he then went out and starting preaching about Jesus; he was a missionary. Many trusted in Jesus as their Savior because of Saul’s testimony, but many just got angry. He went through a lot so that people could hear about the love of Jesus.
  • Read 2 Corinthians 11:23b-27.
• Ask
  • What might you be thinking if you were Paul and had gone through all of those horrible things?
• Read what else Paul wrote in Romans 8:35, 37-39. He kept preaching even in the midst of all the persecution because he knew the truth found in these verses.
• Ask
  • Can anything separate you from the love of Jesus?
  • Will there be anything that happens that makes Him stop loving you?
  • Can any person take away Christ’s love for you?
  • Can you go anywhere where He doesn’t love you?
  • Can Satan take away the love that Jesus has for you?
• Help your kids understand that no matter what happens, God will never stop loving them. No matter what their battle is, they are already the champion because of Jesus. Paul kept preaching the good news of Jesus because he knew that he was already victorious. He would be in heaven one day with his Savior, Jesus, and that is the highest prize you can receive. Nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus!
• Have your kids show you their best champion face for fun!

Day 5- I Am Helped

Key Verse-Isaiah 41:10

• Pray.
• Review the memory verse. Today will be our last day memorizing Psalm 139:14. Have your kids each say the verse by themselves. A fun way to recite it is to have them stand on the fireplace, footstool, or the landing- some place that can be the “stage”. Give them something to use as a microphone and have them say the verse to their audience.
• Today’s lesson will be short so you can discuss what they have learned this month about who God says they are. I will provide a couple of ideas at the end of the lesson if you would like a wrap-up activity.
• Read Isaiah 41:10.
• Ask
  • Who is speaking in this verse?
  • What does this verse tell us about God?
  • What does God tell us to do/not to do?
  • What promise does God give us?
  • How does this Scripture help you today? Does it encourage you for the new school year? How?
• Read Isaiah 41:13.
• Have one of your children pray, thanking God for always upholding them and being with them. Ask Him to help them trust Him this year.
• Wrap-Up Activity
  • Older kids-Magazine word art collage
    • Cut out words or letters to make words from magazines or newspapers that describe who God says they are. Glue them to a blank paper. Pinterest has some good examples.
  • Younger kids-Self Portraits
    • Have them draw or paint themselves. Around the sides of their art, help them write words that describe who God says they are.
  • Youngest kids-Paper Self Portraits
    • Cut our shapes from construction paper or scrapbook paper. Let your child glue them down to make a self portrait. As you are working, you can remind them what God says about him/her.

Weekly Activity Ideas

• Lunch Box Notes
  • Write your kids a note each day this week, maybe on a sticky note or on their napkin. Send it to school with them or put it in a place where they will see it each day. Write something affirming on your note (You are….).