PRESCHOOL & KINDERGARTEN KIDS & FAMILIES date
3.7
The fact is that Jesus being my King is not always reflected in my daily life.
Inspire (for parents) My daughter and four-year-old granddaughter were driving through the Texas hill country when suddenly my granddaughter yelled out, “Mom, Mom, look! It’s a reindeer … No … It’s that thing, that thing Jesus rode on and everyone laid their coats down!” My daughter replied, “You mean a donkey?” “Yes, a donkey!” my granddaughter exclaimed with delight.
ruler of my kingdom! I expect Him to follow my agenda and make things happen in my life the way I want. In these times, I know I am setting an unhealthy example for my children and grandchildren. Jesus Christ came to die for my sins. If His salvation of me was a solitary act of grace, it would be more than enough to merit my loyalty, affection, and devotion for all eternity. Yet He has done so much more for me and for my family, and for that reason I will recognize and honor Him as my King!
Although reindeer may be more popular holiday symbols to our kids, we can’t forget the importance of the donkey. The donkey represents the reality of Jesus, King of kings, humbling Himself on our behalf. More by Debbie Guinn importantly, it represents the reality of what this humble King came to do. The fact is Jesus being my King is not always reflected in my daily life. At times the priority of honoring, serving, and ark 11:1–11; ew 21:1–11; M th at M : re worshipping Jesus gets overlooked tu ip 19 Scr ; John 12:12– Luke 19:28–38 by everything else I have going on. ) ; Palm Sunday (Triumphal Entry I expect Him to help me financially, esus Is King to Main Point: J or physically, socially, or vocationally. low your family designed to al n is re ce ild ur ch so re When things don’t go the way I feel ur This fore yo s God’s Word be nt in re e pa r tim fo is ve they should, I’m disappointed in my ha se God’s plan au ec B , . ith ch fa ur s children’ attend ch King and there’s a tendency in my heart rturers of their nu al n tu re iri ild sp ch e to be th iritually, your to want to call it quits. The definition of as you grow sp we know that l. a king is “a male ruler of a kingdom.” The ally as wel will grow spiritu truth is, at times I want Jesus to be the
ted Getting Star
Equip (for parents) The significance of the triumphal entry is magnified in its recording in all four gospel accounts. Matthew 21:10 (KJV) tells us: “All the city was moved, saying, Who is this?” The Greek word translated “moved” is seio, from which we get our word “seismic.” In other words, Matthew writes the whole city was “quaking” when Jesus made His entry. The population of Jerusalem would most likely have been three times its normal size due to Passover. So, it was with soldiers watching, people bustling, and the city almost bursting at the seams that Jesus made His way toward Jerusalem. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy from Zechariah 9 and sent His disciples to bring a donkey to Him. The normal pomp and circumstance that would accompany a king entering a city was absent as Jesus entered on a humble donkey with His ragtag disciples following. The tradition of waving palm branches and crying “Hosanna” began 200 years earlier, following the reign of a bloodthirsty Syrian king. After many years, the Maccabees drove them from Jerusalem. The people spontaneously celebrated by waving palm branches. From that point forward, the palm branch symbolized deliverance from oppression. Mark relates that as Jesus entered, “Many in the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, ‘Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!’” The Jewish people had hope that Jesus would be the one to overthrow the foreign rule of Rome, but Jesus was coming with an entirely different kingdom in mind.
REMEMBER VERSE
Serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13b
Support (for parents & kids) This week read together with your family the account of Palm Sunday in MATTHEW 21:1–11. JUST FOR FUN, gather some items, (leaves, pillows, large pieces of paper— anything), that your children can wave like palm branches. Encourage your children to imagine what this scene must have looked like and remind them of a time they may have seen a parade. Help them wave their “palm branches” and pretend that they’re waving them for Jesus. Ask them what the people were shouting and why the people were acting that way. Then ask them what they would be saying to Him as He passed by. Share with your children that what they just heard is a part of The Big God Story in the Bible, and that they’ll hear it in church this week. Ask your children to share with you their thoughts and questions about what they just heard. As you prepare to pray together, remind them that Jesus is King. Then pray and ask God to help you to keep Jesus as King in every area of your lives.
© 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.