ELEMENTARY KIDS & FAMILIES date
3.3
I MUST BEGIN PREPARING MYSELF FOR THE TRUTH THAT EVERY PARENT DOESN’T WANT TO ADMIT: MY KIDS WON’T BE PERFECT. Inspire (for parents) Having kids of my own has definitely given me a renewed appreciation for my own parents. Being a parent is hard work! I know, no surprises there, but I’m not just talking about the endless hours or thankless nature of the job, I’m talking about the heart-wrenching, gut-churning moments of parenting—the moments that if you knew what they would feel like, you would have never put your own parents through them.
they are my daughters, I will love them and care for them all the days of my life. I can’t imagine a thing they could do that would cause me to take that love back. And, I know their Father in heaven feels the same way. He knows every day of their lives, each choice they have yet to make, and He loves them anyway. And it’s His love in me that gives me such unconditional love for my girls. Come to think of it, maybe my renewed appreciation should be for His parenting, and His love for me even when He knows everything about me.
As a dad of two little girls, I often find myself wondering if they are going to put by Chad Coltman me through the same paces that my sisters and I put our own parents through. Then, in my brief moments of clarity, I know it’s inevitable. I’ll have to face the boys, the tantrums, the cars, the cheerleading, the proms, and the 4:1–42 college tours, all of it. ) Scripture: John oman at the Well (Jesus and the W Us I must begin preparing myself about Knows Everything Main Point: God for the truth that every parent ur family to ned to allow yo sig de is ce ur so doesn’t want to admit: My kids This re your children d’s Word before Go in e tim ve won’t be perfect. They will let me ha is for parents to cause God’s plan attend church. Be down, they will hurt my feelings, their children’s iritual nurturers of be the primary sp iritually, your sp and they will disappoint me. But as you grow at th ow kn we faith, despite these things, my love for spiritually as well. children will grow them will never change. Because
Getting Started
Equip (for parents) Equip is additional background information that will help you introduce this Scripture passage to your children this week. God knew everything about the Jews and the Samaritans, and He made clear in Scripture that the Jews and the Samaritans did not get along. John 4:9 explicitly states, “Jews do not associate with Samaritans.” This highlights how scandalous it was for Jesus to not only travel through Samaria, but also to ask a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. Why, exactly, were the Jews and Samaritans so hostile toward each other? Both the Samaritans and the Jews worshipped Yahweh, which stemmed from the original Israelites who were at Mt. Sinai with Moses. But the Samaritans claimed Mt. Gerizim was the place to build an altar or temple for public worship, while the Israelites claimed the sacred place of worship was Mt. Zion. Jesus makes it clear to the Samaritan woman that “salvation is from the Jews,” because Jesus Himself is a Jew. He also makes it clear that “a time is coming when [true worshippers] will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem … [but] will worship the Father in spirit and truth …” (John 4:21–23). By saying this, Jesus did not disregard the ancient feud, but said that, in Him, it was irrelevant. He was pointing her to the Truth that although He knows everything about us, He loves us anyway. Through the death and resurrection of Christ, worship would no longer be centered on a place or in a temple. It would center around Him, the hope of the Jews and of the world.
“For
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BER wor God s VER l o d SE o n e t h a l ov e who and o t he g d the s h a e ve r b n l y S o a ve h i e t e r l l n o t p e l i e ve n , t h a s t s e nal life. rish buin him ” Joh t ha n 3: ve 16
Support
(for parents & kids) JUST FOR FUN, get a pitcher of water and a glass for each family member. Before reading, pour each person a glass of water from the pitcher. Then read John 4:1–42. When you have finished reading, ask your children what they would think if a stranger revealed details of their lives that they thought no one knew. Then talk about what Jesus meant when He said, “living water.” Discuss together how the woman may have felt when she realized she was talking to the Messiah, the Promised Redeemer. How would you feel? Share with your children that what they just heard is part of The Big God Story, and they will hear more in church this week about Jesus and the woman at the well. Pray together praising God that nothing can separate us from His love and that while He knows everything about us, He loves us anyway!
© 2012 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.