Dear Parent,

The goal of this week’s lesson is to help your child understand that there is a service component to our Christian faith.  If we are not reaching out and helping others, then we are neglecting one of Jesus’ most basic teachings.  So, have fun and serve together, all in the name of Jesus.

 

Materials Needed: Water bottle, Granola bar, T shirt, Can of soup with a peel off lid, a plastic spoon, Brown lunch bag, Bible, Paper, Crayons, and Stickers

 

Bible Scripture: Matthew 25: 34-40

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’   “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me’.”

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Today’s Script:

I am so excited to play today’s bible lesson with you!

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How many brothers do you have?

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(Let your child answer.)

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Well, actually, Jesus would say that you have a lot more brothers than that!  He would say that you have a ton of “brothers” through Him.  Jesus’ love is so big that it makes everyone who loves Him into a family of sorts.

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Jesus spent His entire life helping people…helping these “brothers”.  He performed miracles in which He fed people and healed people.  He spent all day of every day meeting people’s physical needs to survive and meeting their emotional needs to thrive.  He wanted people to feel blessed and loved.

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So, today, we are going to be Christ-like and help a brother-in-Christ too.  We are going to gather up things that people NEED and make a special care package that we can deliver to someone in NEED.

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Jesus talked about these needs in the bible. 

 

Let’s open our bible and read Matthew 25: 34-40.

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(Read the passage together.)

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We can help with all of these, can’t we?

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First, let’s open our bag and remember our scripture.

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“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.”

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Can we put a granola bar in the bag?  Let’s do it!

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Back to the scripture, “I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.”

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Can we put a water bottle in the bag? OK!

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The next need in the scripture is an invitation to make a stranger feel welcome. 

 

Let’s write a letter to the person we want to help.  Even though we haven’t met him or her yet, we can still make them feel welcome and share God’s love with them.

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Let’s get our paper and crayons.  What should we say?

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(Let your child answer.)

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Sounds great!  Let’s add a few more sentences too.  We could add:

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Dear Brother in Christ,

I made this care package for you.  I hope you like it.  I hope it makes you feel welcome.  I hope you can feel God’s love.  I will be praying for you.

With love,

<Insert your child’s first name>

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That turned out great!  Now let’s put your letter in the bag and see what’s next in the scripture!

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Jesus said, “I needed clothes and you clothed me”.

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So, here we have a T shirt that we can add to the care package.

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Back to the scripture, it says, “I was sick and you looked after me.”  The best thing for someone who is sick is a can of soup.  Let’s add it to our bag with a spoon!  

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Should we decorate the outside of the bag?  That will make the receiver, our brother-in-Christ, feel even more special!

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Wow!  Now, it is ready to be delivered!

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(You can deliver it today or keep it in an accessible place for the next time you see someone in need.  If necessary, you can check with a local church or food center about the best way to distribute your child’s care package.  If you do deliver it personally, be sure to make safe choices for you and your child during the delivery.)

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I feel so much joy because I know we are going to help a brother-in-Christ.  Doesn’t it feel good?

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(Let your child answer.)

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Do you remember the last part of the scripture we read?  It said that JESUS said, “‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

 

So, not only did we help a brother-in-Christ today.  WE HELPED JESUS CHRIST, OUR LORD AND SAVIOR!!!

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I love Jesus so much.  I want to help him more often.  Don’t you?

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(If time allows, make more care packages to help more people.  Have fun and Godspeed!)