ELEMENTARY KIDS & FAMILIES date
4.12
God dreamed about us, created us, loves us, and is waiting for us in Heaven. Inspire (for parents) My son, Austin, is an incredibly affectionate boy. He loves to cuddle, and he tells me he loves me so often that in fact, we have made a contest out of it!
It only took him a few days to come back with “Yeah, but, Mom, I have loved you my whole life, I WIN! I guess God is the only One who can love us more, right, Mom?”
“I love you, Mom,” he says randomly. “I love you more,” I say right back to him. “No … I love you a million times more,” he’d reply. “Uh-uh … I love you ten million times more; stampies, no erasies,” I retort with a giggle. “No, Mom, I love you a billion times more; stampies, no erasies!”
God dreamed about us, created us, loves us, and is waiting for us in Heaven. God is at the beginning and the end of our lives. Austin was right, He truly loves us more! by Nicki Straza
On and on it goes! We play this game often and it is quite predictable, so one day I decided to mix it up. I told Austin I loved him more because I loved him when he was still a twinkle in my eye. He stopped and looked at me with a funny look, asking me what I meant. “It’s simple, Austin. “I loved you before you were even born, when you were just a tiny little sparkle in my belly, before you even had a brain to think with and a heart to love me with—I loved you. I loved you because you were my boy! I have loved you longer than you have even existed, so, by that logic, I love you more! I win!”
tarted GettinevgelaS tion 19—22
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Equip (for parents) Jesus was with God from the beginning. When Jesus came to earth, He made Himself nothing. He became a servant. He relinquished His glorious state in heaven and instead took on human flesh. He was humble and meek and obedient. One of the images that most vividly portrayed Jesus’ humility was His choice to enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey. The Israelites longed for a day when their Messiah would appear. Their hope of the Messiah was central to their existence. But contrary to prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 that described the Messiah as “gentle and riding on a donkey,” they yearned for God to send a messiah who was strong, militarily. They expected a great king who would destroy their enemies in war. They waited for a messiah who would ride on horseback. But, of course, Jesus chose to ride a donkey. By doing this, He foreshadowed that His salvation would come by way of peace. But the story doesn’t end there. The Son of God wasn’t clothed in modesty forever. In Revelation 19, we see a picture of our Savior riding on a white horse. In the Roman world, white symbolized victory. And we read in Revelation that God will ultimately have victory and reign as not only a military King, but also King of Kings and Lord of Lords! When this time comes, we will see Jesus in all of His glory. He will be clothed in the majesty that He gave up for our sake. At the end of time, when God is victorious, we will see Jesus for who He is: the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. And we will know our true identity, too—children, heirs, worshippers of the King of Kings.
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5:17
Support
(for parents & kids) Just for fun, before you read The Big God Story this week, give your children some paper and crayons. Then, read together the account of Jesus coming back in Revelation 1:5–18, 19:11–16, and 21:1–7, 10–23. Think of some questions that reflect on what you just read such as, “What kinds of things does God say will happen in heaven?” or “Why is there no sun or moon in heaven?” When you have finished, invite your kids to draw a picture of what they imagine heaven will be like. Encourage them to tell you about their picture. Explain to them that, while none of us know exactly what heaven will be like, we do know we will be with God forever. It will be exciting to get there one day and discover exactly what it really is like! Share with your children that what they just heard is a part of The Big God Story in the Bible, and they will hear more in church this week about how God is the beginning and the end. Close your time together by praying and thanking God for being a victorious God who invites all of His children to join Him in heaven!
© 2011 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.