Jesus
Parents, use the following ideas to increase the impact of these stories:
• Pray with your child about how they can follow Jesus.
• Play “Follow the Leader” with your child and discuss ways to follow Jesus.
• Ask your child to point out the word God every time they see it printed in red.
• Encourage your child to find and count the hidden mushrooms throughout the story.
• As a family, work on memorizing Matthew 4:19 (ICB).
April 6-12, 2024
18Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Simon’s brother Andrew. The brothers were fishermen, and they were fishing in the lake with a net. 19Jesus said, “Come follow me. I will make you fishermen for men.” 20At once Simon and Andrew left their nets and followed him. 21Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets to catch fish. Jesus told them to come with him. 22At once they left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.
Jesus Teaches and Heals People
23Jesus went everywhere in Galilee. He taught in the synagogues and preached the Good News about the kingdom of heaven. And he healed all the people’s diseases and sicknesses. 24The news about Jesus spread all over Syria, and people brought all the sick to him. These sick people were suffering from different kinds of diseases and pain. Some were suffering very great pain, some had demons, some were epileptics, and some were paralyzed. Jesus healed all of them. 25Many people followed him. They came from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, Judea, and the land across the Jordan River.
Play a game of "Follow the Leader" with your child. Lead them in motions that will remind them of the story of Peter deciding to follow Jesus. Some examples would be fishing, dropping their net, following you, saying, "Come, follow Me." You could also choose motions that would remind them of ways we can follow Jesus, for example, praying, singing, reading the Bible, etc. When you are done, talk about how Jesus loves us and wants us to follow Him. It makes Jesus happy when we follow Him. Throughout the week, say the Heartprint: I Can Follow Jesus with your child.
Ask your child why Peter and Andrew decided to follow Jesus. They followed Jesus because they loved Him and wanted to make good choices. Ask your child to share some good choices they made today. Let them know that you are proud of them for their good choices and that God is pleased with them too. Discuss with your child some poor choices they have made. Talk about what a good choice would be in each of those situations, and assure them that your love and God's love remain the same no matter what they do. God wants us to follow Jesus, just like Peter and Andrew did. Share ways that we can follow Jesus. Peter and Andrew followed Jesus, and I Can Follow Jesus too.
April 13-19, 2024
Jesus Walks on the Water
22Then Jesus made his followers get into the boat. He told them to go ahead of him to the other side of the lake. Jesus stayed there to tell the people they could go home. 23After he said good-bye to them, he went alone up into the hills to pray. It was late, and Jesus was there alone. 24By this time, the boat was already far away on the lake. The boat was having trouble because of the waves, and the wind was blowing against it. 25Between three and six o’clock in the morning, Jesus’ followers were still in the boat. Jesus came to them. He was walking on the water. 26When the followers saw him walking on the water, they were afraid. They said, “It’s a ghost!” and cried out in fear. 27But Jesus quickly spoke to them. He said, “Have courage! It is I! Don’t be afraid.” 28Peter said, “Lord, if that is really you, then tell me to come to you on the water.” 29Jesus said, “Come.” And Peter left the boat and walked on the water to Jesus. 30But when Peter saw the wind and the waves, he became afraid and began to sink. He shouted, “Lord, save me!” 31Then Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter. Jesus said, “Your faith is small. Why did you doubt?” 32After Peter and Jesus were in the boat, the wind became calm. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, “Truly you are the Son of God!” 34After they crossed the lake, they came to the shore at Gennesaret. 35The people there saw Jesus and knew who he was. So they told people all around there that Jesus had come. They brought all their sick to him. 36They begged Jesus to let them just touch the edge of his coat to be healed. And all the sick people who touched it were healed.
Set aside time to pray with your child every day. Pray in the morning, asking God to be with them. Pray at each meal, teaching your child the importance of thanking God for our food and other blessings. End the day with prayer at bedtime. Encourage your child to repeat after you or pray on their own. Emphasize that God always hears our prayers and that we can pray anywhere, bringing everything to God in prayer. Allowing your child to hear you pray is the best way to teach them how to pray. Remind your child that Jesus prayed, and if we want to be like Him, we can pray too.
Take the time during this week to read Matthew 14:22-36 (ICB) with your child. Focus on the portion of the story where the men were afraid of the storm. Talk about Peter's fear when he begins to sink in the water. Ask your child to share times when they have been afraid. Share times when you have been afraid and the Lord helped calm your fears. Remind your child that God is with us at all times, and God can calm our fears. Throughout the week, say the Heartprint: I Can Follow Jesus with your child.
April 20-26, 2024
Peter Heals a Crippled Man
1One day Peter and John went to the Temple. It was three o’clock in the afternoon. This was the time for the daily prayer service. 2There, at the Temple gate called Beautiful Gate, was a man who had been crippled all his life. Every day he was carried to this gate to beg. He would ask for money from the people going into the Temple. 3The man saw Peter and John going into the Temple and asked them for money. 4Peter and John looked straight at him and said, “Look at us!” 5The man looked at them; he thought they were going to give him some money. 6But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold, but I do have something else I can give you: By the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth—stand up and walk!” 7Then Peter took the man’s right hand and lifted him up. Immediately the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk. He went into the Temple with them, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9-10All the people recognized him. They knew he was the crippled man who always sat by the Beautiful Gate begging for money. Now they saw this same man walking and praising God. The people were amazed. They could not understand how this could happen.
11The man was holding on to Peter and John. All the people were amazed and ran to Peter and John at Solomon’s Porch.
Peter and John took time to stop and talk with the man sitting at the temple gate. This man couldn't walk and spent his days asking for money. When he asked Peter and John for money, they gave him something even better! They gave him the ability to walk. As a family, discuss the importance of helping others. Helping others can take time and be inconvenient, but it is clearly one way that we can follow Jesus. Ask your child about the people who help them. Make a point to help one person this week with your child, whether it is a neighbor, a friend, or a family member.
Talk about the importance of having a thankful heart. Remind your child of how the man who couldn't walk praised God when Peter healed his legs. Emphasize that God healed the man through Peter. As a family, spend time each night this week sharing things for which you can be thankful. Make a gratitude list and put it somewhere visible as a reminder throughout the week. Talk about different ways we can praise God: through prayer, singing, and telling others about Jesus. Throughout the week, say the Heartprint: I Can Follow Jesus with your child.
April 27-May 3, 2024
Herod Agrippa Hurts the Church
1During that same time King Herod began to do terrible things to some who belonged to the church. 2He ordered James, the brother of John, to be killed by the sword. 3Herod saw that the Jews liked this, so he decided to arrest Peter, too. (This happened during the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.) 4After Herod arrested Peter, he put him in jail and handed him over to be guarded by 16 soldiers. Herod planned to bring Peter before the people for trial after the Passover Feast. 5So Peter was kept in jail. But the church kept on praying to God for him.
Peter Leaves the Jail
6The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping. He was between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Other soldiers were guarding the door of the jail. 7Suddenly, an angel of the Lord stood there. A light shined in the room. The angel touched Peter on the side and woke him up. The angel said, “Hurry! Get up!” And the chains fell off Peter’s hands. 8The angel said to him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And so Peter did this. Then the angel said, “Put on your coat and follow me.” 9So the angel went out, and Peter followed him. Peter did not know if what the angel was doing was real. He thought he might be seeing a vision. 10They went past the first and the second guard. They came to the iron gate that separated them from the city. The gate opened itself for them. They went through the gate and walked down a street. And the angel suddenly left him. 11Then Peter realized what had happened. He thought, “Now I know that the Lord really sent his angel to me. He rescued me from Herod and from all the things the Jewish people thought would happen.” 12When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary. She was the mother of John. (John was also called Mark.) Many people were gathered there, praying. 13Peter knocked on the outside door. A servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it. 14She recognized Peter’s voice, and she was very happy. She even forgot to open the door. She ran inside and told the group, “Peter is at the door!” 15They said to her, “You are crazy!” But she kept on saying that it was true. So they said, “It must be Peter’s angel.” 16Peter continued to knock. When they opened the door, they saw him and were amazed. 17Peter made a sign with his hand to tell them to be quiet. He explained how the Lord led him out of the jail. And he said, “Tell James and the other believers what happened.” Then he left to go to another place. 18The next day the soldiers were very upset. They wondered what had happened to Peter. 19Herod looked everywhere for Peter but could not find him. So he questioned the guards and ordered that they be killed. Later Herod moved from Judea and went to the city of Caesarea, where he stayed for a while.
Plan to have a special dessert one night this week. You may want to pick up some party hats as well. Tell your child that you are going to have a time of rejoicing tonight. Share different things you can praise the Lord for (salvation, friends, church, school, house, family, health, etc.). Remind your child that when Peter joined his friends after he was rescued from jail, they rejoiced together. When we follow Jesus, we praise Him for what He does in our lives. Throughout the week, say the Heartprint: I Can Follow Jesus with your child.
Have a special prayer time with your family. Share times when God answered your prayers. Remind your child that the Bible tells us that even Jesus prayed. Prayer is one way that we can follow Jesus. Share with your child the importance of prayer, reminding them that God answers prayer with a "yes" sometimes and with a "no" other times. Ask your child if they have a prayer request and pray for these requests as a family. Thank God for hearing and answering our prayers. Remind them that whether or not God answers our prayers the way we want, He always loves us we can trust Him.
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