Early Childhood | Week of April 5

Bible Story

Today, we are going to talk about a time when Jesus went into the garden to spend time with God. Jesus was going to do something really hard — the hardest thing ever. But Jesus trusted God. Click here for the Bible Story.

  • How many times did Jesus pray? Jesus prayed three times because Jesus was about to do something really hard. Can you count with me? One, two, three (Ask the kids to count along on their fingers).
  • What did Jesus’ friends do while Jesus was praying? That’s right! They were sleeping! Show me how you sleep (Ask kids to pretend to sleep).
  • How do you think Jesus felt while praying? Jesus was probably very sad. How do you look when you are sad (Ask everyone to make a sad face)?
  • Jesus had a hard choice to make. But Jesus trusted God.

Prayer

Pray this Prayer: Dear God, help us to trust You just like Jesus did, even when things get scary. Amen.

Activities

Activity: TRUST POSTER

  • Write TRUST in big letters in the center of a poster board or paper. As you ask the kids these questions, write some of the answers on the poster.
  • Who can you trust in your life?
  • How do you know you can trust them?
  • Do you think you can trust God?
  • What things remind you that you can trust God?
  • What hard things might God be asking us to do?

Activity: PLAY-DOH GARDEN

  • Use Play-doh to create flowers. Use chenille wires/pipe cleaners to make the stems.
  • Talk about the Garden being a special place where Jesus prayed to God.

Activity: MEMORY VERSE GARDEN

  • Cut colored construction paper into shapes of flowers. Write one word of the Memory Verse on each flower.
  • Help the kids place them in oder. Repeat the verse together several times.

Snack Time

Snack Time: SNACK TIME CONVERSATION

While the kids are eating a snack, have an informal discussion about what the kids have learned today! You can ask questions like:

  • Why was Jesus in the garden?
  • What did Jesus do?
  • What did Jesus’ disciples do?
  • Do you think they understood what Jesus was going through?

Connect with Us!

Be sure to send us photos of your children enjoying this week’s lesson and videos. We would LOVE to see their faces and hear from you!

Elementary | Week of April 5

Welcome to Grow Kids Elementary Online! We believe that God has something for each of you this morning as you continue to grow at home.

DISCUSSION

  • Who was Jesus with in the Garden of Gethsemane?
  • What was Jesus praying for?
  • How do you think Jesus felt knowing how hard going to the cross would be?
  • How did Jesus show trust in God?
  • Read Psalm 28:7a. What does this verse say about God?
  • What are some things you know God wants you to do, but is difficult to do?
  • How can you show you trust God in those kinds of situations?
  • What are ways God can give you strength?

ACTIVITY

Let’s think back to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was “pressed,” meaning Jesus was pushed to the limit of how much He could handle. It was during this time that Jesus became more and more determined to carry out God’s plan, even though it was going to cost Jesus everything.

What are some ways we are also “pressed”? They can be anything, from having to practice an instrument or a sport over and over again, or finding a way to be kind to someone who annoys you or is mean to you. When you are in the middle of it, it’s hard to see where you’re headed – like when you had to walk with a blindfold. But when you trust God just like Jesus did, God will show you how to understand the challenging things. And we will find out we were pressed for a purpose.

INSTRUCTIONS:  Ask them to write down a few ways God is “pressing” them or challenging them to do something for God. Using little slips of paper, write on one side something that is “pressing” you. (Ex. School online, fighting with siblings, wanting to see friends…). On the opposite side of the paper, write a prayer asking God to show you how you can trust Him during this challenge.

No matter what the challenges, let’s do our best and let God handle everything else.
Remember, we can always trust God just like Jesus trusted God!

Ask: How can we trust God even in hard situations?

PRAYER

God, thank You for being trustworthy. Thank you for showing us how in in hard time, we can trust you. We trust you with our struggles and challenges. Show us how we can trust you best. Thank you for loving us.
In Jesus name, Amen!

We would love to hear from you this week! Let’s use social media to stay connected. Share your discussion conversations, completed crafts or coloring sheets, or snap a pic of your family dancing to this month’s worship song and tag Grow Kids!