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April 11, 2021: God Initiates Relationship

*Today’s lesson is based on Exodus 24

Let’s Start!   

  • That was a fun way to get to know your family a little bit better! Did anyone’s responses surprise you?
  • When you really get to know someone and spend time with them, it means that you are in a relationship with them. Today we’re going to review the story of Moses and talk about how God was showing his people all along that he wanted to have a relationship with them. He wanted them to know what He was like, and to be like Him!

Let’s Watch!

Let’s Talk!

  • When Moses came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments, how do you think the people responded?
  • Let’s check out Exodus 24:3 together to find out!
  • The people said: “Everything the Lord has said we will do!”
  • When the Israelites agreed to obey God, they agreed to a covenant with Him. Do you know what a covenant is? A covenant is a special promise.
  • What was God’s promise to His people? That He would be with them, and they would be His people!
  • What was the promise God’s people made back to Him? To obey his commands.
  • God initiated relationship with His people. (To initiate means to start).
  • He didn’t just take them out of slavery in Egypt and tell them to figure things out on their own, he provided for them (with manna and water) and he gave them some guidelines for what it meant to be His people!
  • God STILL initiates relationship with US! Have you ever felt close to God when you were praying, or heard the Holy Spirit speak to you? His Spirit leads us as we live in relationship with Him! He may not give us stone tablets, but he teaches us and guides us and loves us. The Bible says that we are his children, we’re in relationship with Him too!

Let’s Do! 

In the Commandments that God gave His people, he made it clear that they were to love and worship only Him, AND that they were to love their neighbors! Think of someone today that your family can initiate relationship with. Perhaps you could write a letter or a card, look for someone who is being left out on the playground and introduce yourself and include them, or drop off a meal to a family in need. Maybe YOU can be part of how God initiates relationship with them – by showing them His love!!

Let’s Memorize!

Let’s Pray! 

  • When God gave his people the ten commandments, he had already established relationship with them. He had delivered them from Slavery in Egypt and taken care of them in the wilderness. The Israelites obeyed God as an act of Worship. Because He was their God, and because of all He had done for them!
  • What has God done for you?
  • God loves you and wants to be in relationship with you! How does knowing that make you want to respond to Him?
    • Take some time right now (perhaps play some quiet music) to think about how you want to respond to God! Some ideas: praising Him, obeying Him, sharing His love with others. . . (tactile learners could draw or build something out of play-doh to represent their idea)

Let’s Bless!

Parents, end your prayer time by praying the following blessing from Philippians 1:9-11 over your child(ren):

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March 14, 2021: God is the One True God

Today’s lesson is based on Exodus 19-20

Let’s Start!  (Map it Out)

  • Grab a piece of paper and a pencil and draw your own imaginary country! (or print out the country outlines below). Think about what you would want your imaginary country to look like: would you divide it up into cities and towns or would it be all farmland? Would there be mountains or rivers or roads? What kinds of animals would live there?
Imaginary Country TemplatesDownload
  • When you’re done, compare maps with your family members! Do you have any boundaries on your map(s)? (hint: boundaries are things that divide your map into sections: perhaps a fence to keep in animals, a river that divides the land, the border of a town or a wall around a city, etc).
  • Boundaries are helpful because they help us to know where things belong or how things should work. For instance: when you go outside to play, you usually just play in your yard – you don’t run all over your neighbor’s yard or go in their house without asking! Your yard is your boundary.
  • God set some boundaries for His people in today’s lesson. Let’s find out how:

Let’s Watch!

Let’s Talk!

  • God led his people through the wilderness in a super cool way. Can you remember how? A cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night.
  • What are some ways that God provided for the people’s needs? He provided food and water.
  • What was the name of the mountain where God met with Moses? Mt. Sinai
  • What were the rules that God gave to Moses? The 10 Commandments
  • What do you think it means when the Bible says that the Israelites feared God? To fear God is to recognize how powerful he is and choose to honor him by living our lives for him.
  • The 10 commandments gave the Israelites some instructions for how to live their lives in a way that honored God. It’s kind of like when you play a game and the game has some rules for how to play. The rules aren’t there to be mean, they’re to help you play the game well. Without some rules, with everyone playing however they want, the game would be chaos!

10 Commandments Memory Challenge

  • Can you remember what the 10 commandments are? Grab a piece of paper and a pencil and write the numbers 1-10. Jot down as many as your family can think of (in any order) and then check your answers via Exodus 20 or the list below [worded to make it easier for younger kids to understand]. How many did you remember?
  • Take a closer look at the ten commandments. What do they tell you about what God is like? The rules God gave his people showed that he cared about them and how they lived their lives. They showed that he cared about other people because and wanted them to treat others with kindness. That he cared about their families. And that HE alone was to be their God.
  • As the people chose to follow God’s commands by trusting God and loving others, the world could see and know what He was like!

Let’s Do! 

For today’s activity, you’ll need a balloon or a beach ball.

  • Today, we’re going to play a game with only TWO rules.
    1. The balloon can’t touch the floor
    2. You cannot hold the balloon, you have to keep it moving!
  • Play some fun music, and see how long your family can keep the balloon up in the air! To make it more challenging you can add additional rules like each person can only hit it one time in a row, or that you have to use something other than your hand to touch the balloon.

Let’s Memorize!

Let’s Pray! 

  • Take some time today to look through the 10 commandments above. Are there any that stick out to you? Do any seem easy, or hard to obey?
  • Sometimes, it can be hard for us to follow the rules God has given us. Sometimes we feel jealous of what someone else has and we really want it for ourselves. Sometimes we don’t honor God as the most important in our lives and instead do what we want. Sometimes we lie about something because we don’t want someone to find out what we did. But God still loves us, and always forgives us when we come to Him.
  • None of us is going to perfectly do everything we should all of the time, and God knew that. That’s why Jesus came to be our rescuer. Jesus died to take the punishment for our sin and to set us free! He wants us to walk in freedom and in new life through Him!
  • Take some time to prayerfully look through the list. Ask God to show you if there are things you’ve done that don’t line up with how he wants you to live. And then pray about those things and ask Him to forgive you!

Note to Parents: A few months ago, I (Bethany) felt convicted that I had completely abandoned the idea of a Sabbath. Oh, I knew it was in the 10 Commandments, it just didn’t seem as important somehow. Especially in this season, with my husband and I trying to work from home and homeschool and handle all the complications that the past year has brought with it, even our weekends had become filled with catching up on work or things we needed to do. It was exhausting and overwhelming. As we prayed about it, we felt God ask us to honor the Sabbath. At first I thought it was crazy. “We have too much on our plates AND you want us to fit in a day off? What? That’s crazy!” But, we decided to honor God by creating a Sabbath for our family. We aren’t always perfect at it, but setting aside a day each week to rest has been HUGE for our family. Even our kids have noticed a change and look forward to our Sabbath day. Not only that, but even with a day of much-needed rest, we’re still getting what we need to done. It’s easy to see the guidelines that God has set as just a list of rules – but they’re so much more than that because He is so much more than that. He’s worthy of our worship and our obedience because He is a good God, who really does know what’s best for our lives. We can trust Him!

Let’s Bless!

Parents, end your prayer time by speaking the following blessing over your child(ren):

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January 31, 2021: God is Redeemer

Today’s lesson is based on Genesis 1 & 2

Let’s Start!

Let’s Do! (PART 1): What Can YOU Create?

  • First, raid your recycling bin or find some leftover craft supplies at your house! Some ideas are: popsicle sticks, old soda bottles or tin cans, empty cardboard boxes, etc.
  • Once you’ve gathered a pile of supplies, let each of your children sift through and choose the items they would like to use to make something! (parents, you can join in on this too and make your own creation)
  • What should they make? Anything they want! Encourage them to be as creative as they can!
  • Once they’ve made their masterpiece have everyone show off what they made.

Let’s Watch!

Let’s Talk!

**Before you start, make sure you have a mirror and a dry erase marker nearby.

  • What is your favorite thing that God created? Is it the prickly porcupine? A giant elephant? Juicy oranges? Trees that you can climb in? The salty ocean?
  • Of all the things that God created, one was extra special. Do you know what that was? People!
  • Why were people extra special? People are created in God’s image.
  • Hold up a mirror, or go stand in front of a mirror in your house and then ask: When you look in this mirror, what do you see? Myself!
  • That’s right! But God designed you so that not only would people see YOU when they look at you, they’d see HIM too! What are some ways that we show other people what God is like? Our creativity, our kindness, when we love others or help others. . .
  • But, when Adam and Eve sinned, and chose what they wanted to do, here’s what happened. (draw on the mirror with a dry erase marker, obscuring the image). Our sin makes it so that we don’t reflect God’s image anymore. It separates us from God – just like it did for Adam and Eve. Not only that, but sin made it so that things like pain and sickness entered the world. People started feeling guilty and ashamed, especially around God because he’s so good and Holy!
  • But God had a plan to send a redeemer – a rescuer. Do you know who that was? Jesus!
  • That’s right! Jesus! Jesus came to take our sin and make us new again. Just like this: (erase the marker smudges from the mirror).

From the EGC Kids Team: From the beginning, God had a plan to make things right! For the next few months, we’re going to be talking about what we call the BIG GOD STORY: the story that God has been writing from the very beginning. This week we’re at the VERY beginning of his story: creation. But something that you’ll find out is that no matter what story we look at or where in the Bible it is, it all points to Jesus and God’s plan to redeem his people: to set them free from their sin and restore their relationship with God, so that they could reflect His image to the world!!

Let’s Memorize!

Let’s Pray!

  • When Adam and Eve sinned, they knew they had done something wrong and did what? Hid from God.
  • When we do something wrong, sometimes it makes us feel guilty or ashamed. Sometimes we’re scared about what would happen if someone found out. Sometimes we lie to try and cover it up like Adam and Eve tried to cover up in the garden. And sin can make us feel really yucky inside. But, God doesn’t want us to hide from Him. He wants us to come to him. He wants to forgive us and set us free from those things!
  • Today, we’re going to spend some time talking with God. What has been hard for you lately? What things do you need Jesus’ help with? Maybe you need to ask Jesus to forgive you from sin. Maybe you know he’s forgiven you but you still feel guilty about something or ashamed of something. Maybe there’s something that you’ve been really worried about.
  • Take some time right now and talk to God about those things! Remember, he loves you and he wants you to be free.

Let’s Bless!

Parents/Guardians, end your prayer time by praying the following blessing over your child(ren):

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January 10, 2020: God Calls Us His own

Today’s lesson is based on Ephesians 1 & 2

Let’s Start!

Let’s Watch!

Let’s Talk!

  • What is something YOU love to eat?
  • What is something you love to do?
  • What is something unique about you?
    • Do you have a special talent?
    • Are you really good at sports or acting or math?
  • All of those things are really cool, and a lot of fun, but they don’t make you, YOU. What does? God does! After all, He’s the one who created you! Check out the following verses together as a family to see what He has to say about who you are:
    • Ephesians 1: 4-5; 7 God chose you! He forgives you and makes you part of His family!
    • Ephesians 2: 10 God made you just the way you are! He made each one of us unique and special, just like an artist who creates a beautiful masterpiece.
    • Ephesians 1: 13 You were created to glorify God. Not just by doing “good” things, but because he created you in His image! You were created to show other people how incredible God is!
  • So, who are you?? You are a child of God! You’re his masterpiece. Your identity isn’t in what you do (or what you can’t do) – it’s given to you by God, who created you and loves you and makes you part of His family!

Let’s Memorize! 

To help you memorize your verse this week, Print off one of the coloring pages below or draw your own self portrait. Write (or have a parent write) the words to the verse underneath your portrait and hang it up at your house. Every time you see it, practice saying your verse with YOU in it (see below).

Self Portrait Coloring SheetsDownload

I am God’s creation. He created me to belong to Christ Jesus.”

Let’s Do!

What you need:
– Ink Pad
– Paper
– Magnifying glass (optional)

What you say:
Did you know that one way you can tell that God made you unique is by looking at your fingers? It’s true! At tips of your fingers are some special lines that make up your fingerprints! No two people’s fingerprints are the same!

What you do:
– Have each person in your family take their finger and place it on the ink pad and then on the paper to make their fingerprint.
– Compare everyone’s fingerprints! Can you tell if they look different (a magnifying glass might help).

Let’s Pray!

  • Have you ever really, really wanted to belong, to be chosen, or to be picked for something? What was it? Were you chosen? Or were you disappointed?
  • The Bible tells us that NO matter WHAT happens in your family, or at school, or with your friends: whether or not you get the lead part in the play or are chosen last for a soccer team – you can know that you HAVE been chosen, by God to be part of His family! In fact, that’s why Jesus came! Jesus came to make a way for you to be part of God’s family. And God loves you no matter what. It doesn’t matter what you do or what anyone else thinks!

Parents/Guardians, pray the following blessing over your children to close your time today and then thank God for each one individually and who He has uniquely created them to be!

Let’s Bless!

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September 27, 2020: Jesus Restores

This week’s lesson is based on John 9.

Let’s Start!

Let’s Watch!

Let’s Talk!

  • How did Jesus heal the blind man? He spit in the mud and put it on his eyes. When the man washed it off, he could see!
  • Why were the Pharisees angry that Jesus healed the man? Because Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath (a day of rest) and they said that making mud counted as working!
  • When Jesus went back to talk to the man, he asks him about the “Son of Man.” Who is the Son of Man? Jesus! The Son of Man is one way Jesus refers to himself!
  • At the end of the story, the man who was healed believed in Jesus and then did what: Worshipped Him!
  • What does the word restore mean? To repair, return, or bring something back to its original condition.
  • If I had a really old car that was broken down and covered in rust, and I took out all the old parts, cleaned it all up, polished it, painted it, and made it look and run like a brand new car, that would be restoring it! Jesus, in the story, restored the man’s eyesight, but he also restored his heart – because he came to know and believe in Jesus.
  • How does Jesus restore us today?
    • He heals our bodies.
    • He heals our hearts. (by giving us his peace instead of fear, or joy instead of sadness).
    • He restores our relationship with God: By dying on the cross for us, and taking our sin, Jesus restores our relationship with God. Remember, sin separates us from God. But the Bible says that when we confess our sins and believe in Jesus (like the healed man did in today’s story), we are made new! We’re restored. And our broken relationship with God is restored too.
    • Someday, Jesus will restore ALL things. All sickness, all sadness, all pain, it will all be gone, forever!
  • Think about the things in the list above. Is there a place in your life that you need God to restore? What is it?
  • Take some time and ask Jesus to restore those things right now!

Let’s Do!

EGC Kids Tip: Today, we’re making “mud” at home! If you don’t want to make the recipe below, you could play with play doh, modeling clay or kinetic sand instead. As you squish it around with your hands, talk about what it would have felt like when Jesus put mud on the man’s face! What do you think the man was thinking? Why do you think Jesus used mud?

Click HERE for tutorial video!

What you need:

  • Large bowl
  • Flour (2 ½ cups)
  • Salt (1 cup)
  • Water
  • Food coloring (optional)
  • Tarp or disposable tablecloth (optional)

What you do:

  • Cover the table with the tarp or tablecloth (if desired).
  • Put all of the ingredients except the water in the bowl. If you have food coloring, add it to the water!
  • Then, slowly pour the water into the bowl and help your child(ren) mix it with their hands. Divide the “mud” for everyone to play with!

Let’s Memorize!

To help you memorize your verse this week, have an adult trace around your shoulders and head on large piece of paper or poster board.  Glue on (or draw) a red heart where your heart would be, and write “Jesus Restores Us” at the top of the page. Then write the words to this week’s verse on your poster (or print them off via the file below) and hang it up where you can see it and practice it!

Let’s Pray!

  • The verse right after our remember verse says that God has given US the ministry of reconciliation. We get to be part of his plan to restore others!
  • Do you know anyone who needs God to restore something for them? Maybe they need to be healed, or they don’t know Jesus. Take some time to pray for them right now. Pray that they would come to know Jesus, and that God would heal the broken things in their life too!

Let’s Bless!

Parents/Guardians, close out your prayer time by speaking this blessing over your child(ren):

May you experience the redeeming Love of Jesus today. May you see Him restore your heart and life—and may you help bring restoration to others.

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Sunday, April 19: Prayer

Let’s Start!

This week we are talking about prayer! Start by asking the following question: What are some things that you think about when you think of prayer?

First, let’s take a minute and open our hearts and ears to God.

God, we thank you that you are here with us. We give you our hearts and our minds. We ask you to come and speak to us and help us to listen and to obey what you say to us. Thank you that we are your children and we belong to you!

Let’s Watch!

Let’s Talk!

Prayer is talking and listening to God. There are so many different ways to do it, just like there are lots of ways to talk to and hang out with friends.

Now let’s write down the 4 letters we learned that spell PRAY. As you recall each letter and what it means, write it down on a large piece of paper, a letter board, chalk board or white board. Talk about what each word means.

Then take some time to talk about prayer with your family! Below are some questions you can use to guide your discussion:

  • How does it make you feel to know that you can talk to God anytime?
  • What parts of the P.R.A.Y. are the easiest for you?
  • Which parts do you sometimes forget when you’re praying?
  • When is your favorite time in the day to pray?
  • What things can we do as a family or by ourselves to help us to remember to pray?

Let’s Do!

EGC KIDS TIP: Today you’re going to make prayer notebooks to write down your prayers and how God speaks! There are some simple instructions below to make small, pocket-sized books out of any paper you have at home. You can make one per child or keep a prayer notebook for your whole family. You could also use a small journal or notebook that you already have at home.

  • Cut 2 8 ½” x 11″ paper pages in half the short way.
  • Fold the pages in half
  • Staple the books along the fold as a binding (or tape the pages together at the binding).
  • Decorate the covers!
  • How will your notebook help or remind you to talk to God this week? (Write down what you prayed about, write down answers God gave you, write a prayer poem, write out the Lord’s prayer, draw pictures of what God shows you)

Let’s Memorize!

Our Remember Verse is Philippians 4:6-7 NIV. This week, we’re going to learn a song to help us memorize our verse!

EGC KIDS TIP: There are some fun motions to go along with our Remember Verse song over on our Worship Page if you want an extra challenge! If you learn the motions, be sure to show us! Tag @egckidschurch on Instagram or Facebook in your posts!

If you would like a printable version of this week’s Remember Verse, click on the link below.

Philippians 4:6-7 printableDownload

Let’s Pray!

STEP 1: Get out your prayer notebooks.

STEP 2: Let’s pray through our P.R.A.Y. example.

P PRAISE: Pray and thank God for who He is and how He’s been faithful to you.Thank Him for answering some prayers you prayed. This might be a good time to draw a picture of God that reminds you of some way He shows Himself to you (strong, faithful, loving etc.).

R REPENT: Ask God to forgive you for bad choices, bad attitudes and disobedience. Think of some things that you need to ask Him specifically about. Thank Him for giving you a million do-overs. Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit to help you make good choices, have good attitudes and obey Him.

A ASK: Pray for people that you know who need God’s help. Talk to Him about the things on your heart. You might want to write these things down in your journal.

Y YIELD: Listen for what God says. Sit quietly and ask God to speak to you. Draw a picture or write what He says to you. Ask God to be the boss of your life.

Let’s Bless!

Take turns blessing each other with this blessing:

 “I bless you to grow in prayer in all it’s different forms. May you hear from God clearly and have a heart of obedience towards Him all the days of your life.”

FOR PARENTS: There are so many different ways to pray and things that can help us cultivate a lifestyle of prayer! The above P.R.A.Y format is a simple way you can introduce your children to different forms of prayer. If you’re looking for additional resources, EGC has compiled a prayer book that includes several prayer models to help you cultivate a deeper, fuller, and more engaging prayer life. You can download the book for free here!

EGC Prayer Book PDFDownload