Just for Kids March 2023

Hi kids!

Have you ever heard the term “spring cleaning”? The first day of spring is this month, which means that many people will start cleaning their houses from floor to ceiling, wiping away the dust bunnies from the wintertime, packing away all their coats and winter clothes, and freshening up their space for a new season.

At church, you might have also heard the phrase “cleanse your sins.” This is kind of like spring cleaning. When we love God and we are faithful to Him, He will forgive us and wash away our sins. He will make us clean and new.

The Bible teaches us a lot about forgiveness. When Jesus was on the cross, He even forgave the people who hurt Him. In this issue of Just for Kids, you will read about a woman who had lived a sinful life. Because she loved Jesus, she was forgiven and cleansed of her sins. Your friend, Abby

ISSUE 9

will

What does this mean? This verse comes from a poem where King David asked God for forgiveness. He asked God to wash away his sins, like we do when we wash our clothes to make them clean again. Without sin, we are pure and bright like snow.

Match the shadows.

Mop Maze

“Wash me, then I

be whiter than snow.”

—Psalm 51:7

Bible Story Word Search

C C Q K B T J N P R

S C E C S E E B E E

S H I A S V X Q R N

W S A U I Y H O F N

R A S G D R Q S U I

Y W R T E A R S M D

L O B S F T M Z E A

F O T E H P O R P B

O W V W R R Q B O Y

Y B T E W B N Z F T

Jesus Forgives

Luke 7:36-50

Jesus was invited to dinner at a Pharisee’s house one day. A Pharisee was a Jewish leader who knew a lot about God's laws. Jesus sat at the table to eat with him.

There was a woman in town who had lived a sinful life. When she learned that Jesus would be at the Pharisee’s house, she wanted to see Him. She went to the house and brought with her a special jar of perfume. When she saw Jesus, she cried at His feet. She wiped His feet with her hair and perfume because she loved Jesus so much.

The Pharisee did not understand. “If this man were a prophet, He would know that a sinner is touching Him!” he said to himself.

Colour Me

Source: coloringhome.com

Jesus answered, “I came into your house and you did not give me any water to wash My feet. She washed My feet with her tears. Her many sins have been forgiven. She has shown that she understands this by her great acts of love.”

and gettyimages.ca unless otherwise stated. ISSN 2368- 626X

Hi kids!

Imagine that a movie premiere is happening in the town where you live. Your favourite actor is starring in the movie and will be coming for the premiere. This is your chance to meet them in person! How excited would you be? Would you line up outside the theatre, hoping to get a selfie with them?

That’s how Zacchaeus felt when Jesus came to his hometown, Jericho. He had heard amazing things about Jesus and couldn’t wait to meet Him.

Now, Zacchaeus wasn’t exactly a “good” guy. In fact, he was known for being a cheater. Yet, Jesus chose to go to his house, even though there were tons of other people who wanted to meet Him. Jesus’ love and forgiveness changed Zacchaeus, and he became good.

Your friend, Abby

Zacchaeus the Tree-Climber

ISSUE10

Which Canadian city is a favourite?tree’s

Mon-tree-al

What was wrong with the tree’s car?

What type of tree likes to give high fives? It wooden go!

A palm tree

Jesus came to a town called Jericho. Zacchaeus, a man who lived there, wanted to see Jesus. But he was short. He could not see Jesus because of the crowd. He asked taller people to move over, but they ignored him. Nobody would help him because Zacchaeus had cheated them all out of a lot of money.

So Zacchaeus climbed a tree and waited. Jesus stopped under the tree and said, “Zacchaeus, come down. I must stay at your house today.”

The people were shocked. They said, “Can you believe Jesus is having dinner with him?”

Zacchaeus climbed down the tree. He wanted to do what was right. He told Jesus he would give half of everything he had to the poor. He promised to give back four times anything he had stolen.

Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to your house.”

Climb the Tree!

Luke 19:1-10

Did You Know?

Trees can live for a very long time. The oldest tree that has been discovered is almost 5,000 years old! If you count the rings inside a tree trunk, you can learn how many years old the tree is.

The tallest tree on earth, the Hyperion, lives in California. It is protected by a national park, so nobody can visit.

Zacchaeus

Meets Jesus

Zacchaeus Meets Jesus

Zacchaeus climbs a tree to see Jesus. Luke 19:1-9

10-03/11/23

Just for Kids is a Ready to Explore resource, published weekly by The Salvation Army, Canada and Bermuda, 2 Overlea Blvd, Toronto, ON, M4H 1P4. Phone: (416) 422-6119; fax: (416) 422-6217; email: justforkids@salvationarmy.ca. Brian Peddle, General; Commissioner Floyd Tidd, territorial commander; Geoff Moulton, editor-in-chief; Abbigail Oliver, editor; Rivonny Luchas, designer. International Headquarters, 101 Queen Victoria Street, London, England, EC4P 4EP. Subscription for one year, Canada $12 (includes GST/HST); USA $15; foreign $17. Agreement No 40064794. All Scripture references from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, unless otherwise stated. Illustrations: stock.Adobe.com and gettyimages.ca unless otherwise stated. ISSN 2368- 626X

Hi kids!

This week, many people celebrated St. Patrick's Day, an Irish holiday meant to honour the day that Christianity arrived in Ireland many years ago. Today, when we think of St. Patrick’s Day, we think of the colour green, shamrocks, leprechauns and rainbows with pots of gold.

Jesus once used a story about gold to teach His followers an important lesson about forgiveness. Read this issue of Just for Kids to find out what He said.

Your friend, Abby

What does a leprechaun eat for breakfast?

Lucky Charms!

Knock, knock Who’s there?

Irish.

Irish who?

Irish you a happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Create a Verse

Match the pictures and words to read Colossians 3:13.

Unscramble the Words

as you just the Lord forgave Forgive

The Forgiving King

But later, the servant was faced with the same problem—a man owed him money. Except the servant was not forgiving like the king. Instead, he wanted the man to pay him back right away and when he couldn’t, the man was put in jail.

Jesus taught His followers about forgiveness by telling them a story about a king and his gold: There once was a king who wanted to collect all the money his servants owed him. One man owed him 10,000 bags of gold but was not able to pay. “Give me time,” the servant pleaded with the king.

The king felt sorry for him. He forgave the servant what he owed and let him go.

Did You Know?

In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is a big feast, but it is also a religious celebration. Many people go to church on St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick’s Day was named after the man who brought Christianity from Britain to Ireland. Shamrocks are three-leaf clovers. In Irish tradition, they represent the Holy Trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

When the king found out, he was very angry. “I forgave all that you owed me. Shouldn’t you have forgiven the other servant just as I forgave you?”

The king handed him over to the jailers. He would be punished until he paid back everything he owed.

Jesus finished His story by saying, “This is why you should always forgive others, because God forgives you.”

unless otherwise stated. ISSN 2368- 626X

Hi kids!

Do you have siblings? I have an older sister and sometimes we have arguments. Even though we love each other, we don’t always get along. After an argument, it is important to say sorry and ask forgiveness. God always forgives us, even when our siblings don’t! In this issue of Just for Kids, you will read a story that Jesus told about two fighting brothers, and how important it is that we forgive one another.

Your friend, Abby

I’m

Riddle Time!

The Story of the Lost Son

Luke 15:11-32

Jesus once told a story about a man who had two sons. The younger son asked his father to give him a share of the family property. So, the father divided up the land. Not long after, the younger son packed up all he had and left to live far away. There, he wasted all his money and spent everything he had. When the country ran low on food, he became hungry. Then, one day, he said to himself, “My father’s servants back home have more than enough food, and here I am starving! I will go back to my father and ask for forgiveness. I will ask him to make me like one of his servants.”

When his father saw him again, he was filled with love for his son. He ran to him and hugged him.

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer fit to be your son,” the younger son said.

Lost Son Word Search

But the father told his servants to fetch his son the finest robe, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. “Let’s have a feast and celebrate!” he said.

When the older brother saw this, he was angry. “I have always obeyed your orders. I’ve been here the whole time. But your other son left and wasted your money. Now he comes home, and you celebrate.”

“You are always with me. Everything I have is yours,” the father said to his oldest son. “But we had to celebrate and be glad. Your brother came back to us. He was lost and now he is found.”