Subscribe to Newsletter
Search
-
March 7, 2021Supplies: the Bible, a "Tree box" filled with items found on trees - leaves, acorns, sticks, bark
Lesson:
We call the time that we get ready for Easter, Lent. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday which was last month and lasts until Easter. We spend Lent turning to Jesus. The priest wears purple and the church is decorated in purple during this time as purple reminds us to turn to Jesus and ask for forgiveness.
(Ask your child to turn around.) Now turn to Jesus! (Your child jumpts to faces forward again.) We turn to Jesus when we pray and ask Jesus for forgiveness. Have you ever hurt someone’s feelings? What do you say when you hurt someone’s feelings? Sorry. What does the other person say back? I forgive you. Do you remember what a sin is? Remember it is when we do things that are not-so-nice things that we do like pushing our friends or not doing what our mommy or daddy wants us to do. Did you know that Jesus forgives us even when we sin? We know that because of what he does in this book. (hold up the Bible)
Who remembers what this book is called? The Bible. In the Bible, Jesus forgives a man named Zaccheus. Zaccheus was a small man who sinned a lot. However, one day he decided to turn to Jesus. Zaccheus climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus pass by. Can you imagine climbing a tree to see Jesus? Let’s all pretend we are climbing a tree! (Have your child get up and pretend to climb a tree.) What would you touch or feel? (Pull out the “Tree Box - full of things like leaves, acorns, etc”.) What do you think you’d see? (Pull each thing out of the tree box and talk about if you’d see that in a tree.) That was a lot of work, wasn’t it! Then, Jesus saw Zaccheus and said, “Zaccheus, you come down.” Zaccheus climbed down. Jesus went to Zaccheus’s house. Jesus forgave Zaccheus for all the bad things he did. Zaccheus became a changed man, doing good things from then on.
Ask your child:- What was the name of the man who climbed the tree to see Jesus? (Zaccheus)
- What is the color of Lent? (Purple)
- Do God and Jesus always forgive us when we sin? (yes!)
Sing: Jesus Loves Me and Jesus Loves the Little Children
Zaccheus - check out Youtube for the melody!
Zaccheus was a wee, little man
And a wee little man was he. (put thumb and first finger together denoting little)
He climbed up in a sycamore tree (pretend you are climbing)
For the Lord he wanted to see (hand to brow like looking for something)
And as the Savior passed that way (act like walking)
He looked up in the tree (hand to brow, looking up)
And He said,
“Zaccheus, you come down!” (shaking finger)
For I’m going to your house today.
For I’m going to your house today
Craft Week 1: Let your child pick bark or leaves items from the “Tree box”. Place a white sheet of paper over the item. Then have your child take the side of a crayon and rub the crayon on the paper, getting a “print” of the item. Write, “Zaccheus turned to Jesus” at the top of the paper.
