Younger kids: Stack ‘em UpGet kids to stack blocks as high as they can.
Younger kids: Farmyard NoisesPrepare cards with pictures of 3 different farm animals. Tell the kids they have to make the animal sounds and find others in the same “family”.
Older kids: Human knotEveryone stands in a circle. Put their arms across and grabs the hands of someone else (each hand must be a different person). Then try to untangle themselves.
2. LESSON: New Covenant Family
What is church? <invite responses>
Church is not just a group of people coming together every week. It is not an exclusive organisation or country club.
The church is the body of people who believe in Jesus — they become a big family.
What did the early church (Jesus’ disciples) do?
Acts 2:42-47 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
They gathered together to fellowship and listen to the teaching about Jesus; they had Holy Communion and prayed.
They shared what they had with those who needed.
They praised God.
God performed many miracles and brought many to the church who accepted Jesus.
Why do we need to be part of this family?
We are all part of a body
Church is a living, growing body with Jesus as the head.
All of us are part of this body, and we all have parts to play. (1 Cor 12:12-26)
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
In Kyoto, Japan, there is a magnificent bamboo grove, with bamboo trees growing tall, up to 30m, in one season!
A bamboo is tall and thin. How does it grow so tall without toppling over?
First, all the bamboo trees are connected by a underground network — all its roots are connected to one another, so they hold each other steady underground.
Secondly, once it’s reached its full height, they start branching out and their leaves also grow widespread, holding on to each other on the top.
So on our own, we cannot stand. We need to support and encourage each other so we can grow strong and tall together.
Jesus holds us all together
We’ve learned that Jesus is the head of the body. Without the head, the body cannot function. Have you seen anyone walking around without a head
In a building, all the bricks need to “interlock” with each other to be secure (illustrate with Megabloks or Lego pieces). The Bible also tells us that Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone — the main/first stone that is laid so that all the other bricks can be aligned to it. It’s the most important brick in the whole building, because without it, the walls will not be straight.
Conclusion: Jesus came to die on the cross so that we can have a relationship with God the Father. All of us who belong to Jesus can call God Daddy. And on earth, we have a whole family of brothers and sisters who can support and encourage us to grow more and more in Jesus’ love.
