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February 5, 2021Supplies needed for lesson: Bible, Paper bag with colored hearts in it (blue, gold, purple, red, white, pink)Lesson:
Does anyone remember the holiday that is coming up? Valentines Day. When we think of Valentines Day what do we think of? Do you think of hearts? Love? (pull out the “Colors of the Heart” Bag). When you love, you give of yourself in different ways. I will use this special bag full of hearts to show you what I mean.
Today we are going to talk about a love story. It is in the Bible. (pull out the Bible). However, this story starts out kind of sad. Naomi was very old and had no family. Her husband and two sons were no longer alive and she was all alone in this world. She was feeling very “blue”. (pull out a blue heart from the bag) . Blue is just another way of saying “sad”. Are you sad when you miss someone you love? How do you act when you are sad? Do you cry? Let’s all pretend we are crying and sad like Naomi.
There was another girl named Ruth. She loved Naomi so much that she decided to take care of Naomi, because remember, Naomi was really old and needed help. Ruth had a heart of gold (pull out a gold heart from the bag), helping Naomi, going to the fields and getting Naomi food, cooking for Naomi, and washing her clothes. It was a lot of work helping Naomi, but it was worth it because Ruth loved Naomi.
Who do you love? Do you love your Mommy and Daddy? Do you love your sisters and brothers? How do you show that you love them? Do you help them like Ruth helped Naomi? Do you give them hugs? Do you have special names for them? Do you draw them pretty pictures? (Let your child volunteer answers to each of these questions.) How do they show that they love you? Do they take care of you? Do they listen to you? Do they play with you? (Let your child volunteer answers to each of these questions.) People who love each other take care of each other and are nice to each other, aren’t they? God wants all of us to love one another. God wants all of us to have hearts of gold!
Some soldiers in our country get Purple Hearts (pull out a purple heart from the bag), Purple Hearts are special awards for being so brave and protecting the people they love. Your mommy or daddy wants to protect you and keep you safe. They make sure you dress warm in the cold weather, feed you dinner so you can grow big and buckle you in the car seat to keep you safe. God wants to protect us too and He watches over us each day.
Did you know that God is a part of our family too? He is our Heavenly Father, and He loves us too! Can you show me how much you think God loves us? (Have your child open her/his arms as big as s/he can.) Did you know He loves us even more then that! We can’t even imagine how much God loves us! And, God loves us no matter what! So even when we mess up, God still loves us just as much!
God’s son Jesus loves us too! In fact the Bible tells us that Jesus loves us SO much that he gave his life for us! He died on the cross for us so we will be forgiven for our sins. Sins are all the not-so-nice things that we do like not sharing our toys when we should, not listening to our parents, or pushing our friends. We do not want to be bad, so we don’t want to sin, do we? However, we all do bad things sometimes. Jesus died for us so that all of those bad things or sins are forgiven. Red is the same as the color of the blood Jesus shed when he died for our sins (pull out a red heart from the bag). The color white reminds us that when we ask Jesus into our hearts (pull out a white heart from the bag). He washes our sins/bad things away.
The pink hearts (pull out a pink heart from the bag) that we see on Valentines Day remind all of us to love each other as much as God loves each of us. That is a WHOLE bunch, isn’t it?!
Ask your child:
1) How much does God love us? (More than we can imagine!)
2) What is a sin? (when we do not-so-nice things)
3) What are some ways that you show that you love someone?
Sing: Jesus Loves Me and Jesus Loves the Little Children
Craft Week 1: Use construction paper and crayons to make a Valentine for someone in a nursing home.
Craft Week 2: Make a heart out of your child's handprints (2 handprints, one of each hand, with the palms touching eachother to make a heart). Paint your child's hands and place them on a paper titled, "Jesus Loves Me" to create a heart shape. Ask: Who loves you? Mom, Dad, Grandma, Sister, etc. and Jesus? Who do you love?
Craft Week 3: Make a heart to remind your child of God's love. Make a heart out of construction paper. Write, "Bless Your Heart" in the center of the heart. Allow your child to decorate the heart with macaroni, beans, beads, or glitter. Optional: Make a hole at the top, stringing a piece of yarn through for a necklace. **Make sure you watch your child when s/he wears it as necklaces can be a choking hazard**
