ELEMENTARY KIDS AND FAMILIES For Sunday, March 12, 2017
HomeFront Weekly is designed for you to use during the week with your son or daughter. You’ll find out what they learned today at church, and can help them prepare for next week by exploring the theme (or Ponder Point) and spending time together in God’s Word.
WHAT WE LEARNED THIS WEEK PONDER POINT: GOD IS FAITHFUL John the Baptist Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3 God prepares the way for Jesus through John the Baptist.
WHERE WE’RE HEADED NEXT TIME
Lesson 3.2
CONNECT AS A FAMILY Ask your children how they would feel if they didn’t eat for a day. Two days? How about 40 days? Read Matthew 3:13–17 and 4:1–11. Explain that Jesus fasted, which means He turned the time and energy He would have used to prepare and eat food into time to God. People today still fast to spend more time with God. Pray about something you could fast from this week. It could be food, but it may be television, video games, or something else that uses your time and energy. Ask God to reveal His power to your family through this time of fasting. After reading the Scripture passage, discuss these questions together: • What happened when Jesus was baptized? • Why did Jesus go out into the wilderness? • How did Jesus respond to Satan’s temptations?
PONDER POINT: GOD LEADS Temptation in the Wilderness Matthew 3:13–17; 4:1–11 Jesus faces temptations from Satan while in the wilderness and responds with Scripture.
DID YOU KNOW? Share these facts to get the conversation started. • In Jesus’ day, baptism was seen as nothing unusual. According to Jewish tradition, baptism was one of many ceremonial purification rites. • Unlike some Christian customs, where individuals may be baptized only once, those in Jewish society might be baptized many times depending on the circumstances. • John asked his audience to repent, turn from their sins, and be baptized. This led the way to a wholly new baptism, one that symbolized being formed into a new creation.
GLOBAL TREKKING ADVENTURE Wednesday, March 15, 2017, 6:30-8 pm kids grades K-5 are invited to take a special journey through Afghanistan, Guatemala, India and Mali to experience what it is like to live as a child in these countries. Kids Club kids will already be participating, but those who do not attend Kids Club are also invited to join in. Kids attending the Prayer and Praise dinner event with their parents will be released to attend about 6:15 and can check-in at the Kids Connect desk.
© 2017 David C Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children’s ministry leaders. All rights reserved. Reproducible for church use only.
These questions can easily extend into the rest of the week. Look for opportunities to bring conversations about how God Leads into your everyday life as a family.
REMEMBER VERSE The Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that’s highlighted in next week’s portion of The Big God Story.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
BLESSING Blessings are often used in the Bible. A blessing can be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. A blessing to pray over your child: (Child’s name), may God fill you with the power of the Holy Spirit. May God’s Spirit lead you each day. For more information about blessing your child, go to truministry.com to the Parenting tab. And for more creative ideas on spiritually leading your family, visit HomeFrontMag.com.