Following
WELCOME TO WEEK 1
This month we will see the early part of Jesus ministry. We will see how Jesus sometimes people thought Jesus’ teachings were backwards or the opposite from how they thought. Jesus was showing them a new way to love, to live and to serve God!
BIBLE STORY
We call people lots of different ways. We have new technology and sometimes we still do things the old fashioned way when we want to call someone. Think of an opposite, or backwards way from what is listed in order to call someone. As I call out a way to call someone, show or tell me how to do it in a backwards way. (There are suggestions besides each statement for things your child could do as an opposite if they get stuck)
On the phone (holding the receiver with your feet)
Using text (use your knuckle to type the letters)
Using Morse code (tap a message by blinking your eyes)
Send a note (sing your message loudly)
Use a megaphone (whisper the message)
Send a postcard (send a picture by phone)
Visit them at their home (sneak up behind them)
When Jesus began his ministry He called a few disciples to follow him. Some of the things Jesus said may have seemed backwards or different from what they were used to. They didn’t know what to expect when they chose to follow Jesus, but they knew nothing would ever be the same. They believed they were following the Messiah, even if they didn’t exactly know what to expect. Let’s read or listen to how Jesus called his disciples to follow him.
Read or listen to the Bible verse for this week: Luke 5:1-11
What was Jesus doing when he standing by the Lake of Gennesaret? (Preaching the word of God to those standing by
What were the fishermen doing while their boats were at the shore? Washing out their nets)
What did he ask Simon to do after he got into his boat? (To push it further out from shore)
Why did Jesus want the boat pushed further out? (So the crowd gathered could hear his teaching)
When he was finished teaching, what did he ask Simon to do? (Put his nets back out on the other side)
Did Simon want to put his nets back out or believe anything would happen? (Not really. He said “Master, we have worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything, but because you say so, I will let down the nets”)
What happened after they let their nets down? (They caught such a large amount of fish their nets began to break and they asked another boat to come help)
How did Simon respond once he witnessed all of the fish? (He asked Jesus to go from him because he was a sinful man)
What did Jesus tell Simon? (Do not be afraid, from now on you will fish for people)
When did the fishermen decide to follow Jesus? ( they pulled their boats to shore, left everything and followed him)
BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY
Activity
Do this activity as a family. Find a small blanket or large towel. Have your family each take an end of the small blanket and hold it as a net. Walk around your house and collect things in your “net” that are round. They can be a variety of sizes, as long as they fit in your net. When Simon and the fishermen pulled up their nets, they were bursting! So much, that they could barely pull up the nets without them breaking. They had to call for help from others. See how many things you can fit into your “net” before it is bursting at the seams. Catching this many fish was not normal for the disciples. This was unlike anything they had ever seen before! God can do things we would never expect and in a way that seems the opposite of normal!
Materials: Small blanket, round objects found around your house
Alternate
Fill up a small jar or container with little objects such as skittles, M&M’s, marbles, Cheerios, etc. Have your child guess how many objects are in the jar. After everyone has guessed, count the objects in an unusual or backwards way. So instead of counting by ones, maybe count backwards from 10 and place the objects in groups of 10 as you count backwards. Then count how many groups of ten there are, therefore finding the amount. Can you image seeing a boat filled with fish that were caught after a night of catching nothing? Simon and the other fishermen could hardly believe it as well. Jesus made their fishing night backwards. The time of day they should have caught something, they caught nothing. At a time when they should have been finished fishing, they caught the largest catch they’d ever seen. God can turn our troubles upside down and Innside out! He has a way that we may not always understand, but is best for us.
Materials: small jar or container, small object such as skittles or marbles
Independent activity:
Simon and the other fisherman chose to follow Jesus. Even though they didn’t fully understand everything that would happen, they trusted and believed Jesus was the Messiah. They were willing to follow Jesus’ instructions to simply cast their nets back into the water. Complete the following activity sheet, following the instructions, even if they sometimes seem backwards.
Materials: printed activity sheet
ARTS & CAFTS
CRAFT 1
Halves boat Shapes:
Materials: 2 pieces of paper, scissors, glue, crayons or coloring utenstil
Craft 2
Coloring page
Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons
FOLLOW-UP
How did Jesus call His disciples?
What may have seemed strange about the request Jesus made of Peter after he has fished all night?
Has God ever called you to do something that was the opposite of what you wanted to do?
Did you obey what he asked?
How do we know the voice we hear telling us to do something is of God?What are some things Jesus asks us to do that are the opposite of how we see people in the world behave?
Can we be followers of Jesus while following what others want us to do?
When you play the game, Follow the Leader, who is the only person you can follow in order to stay in the game?
Practical Application at Home
We want our thoughts to follow after how God would want us think and therefore act. There are times when it is easy to see we do not have the answers and we need help from God. Then there are every day situations where we think we already have all the answers and we don’t need any help from God. God wants us to seek Him in all things, even when we think we know what is best. We have all made mistakes in how we treated someone, responded in disobedience when we knew we should obey and didn’t step up to do what was right because we were afraid of standing out. God sees it all and forgives our mistakes, and then He calls us to follow His ways instead of ours.
Listen to these situations and tell the selfish way we may want to respond, and then tell the way you think God would want us to respond.
-Susan is being teased by several kids at school every day
-Johnny comes to school with not enough food to eat at lunch
-Kim is not the best player on the team and the other teammates are starting to get upset
-Mom asked you to help her with chores while your siblings didn’t have to help at all
-Dad expects you to help mow the lawn all summer which cuts into your play time
-a kid at school is mean to you every day for seemingly no reason
-Your neighbor always leaves their trash cans in the street days after trash day.
It’s easy to sometimes see these situations from our human point of view and handle them selfishly, only in how it affects us. God wants us to live our lives according to what He knows is best. We can show the same love God has given us, to others. Try to see situations this week as opportunities to invite God to show you the way He wants you to deal with them.
Additional Resources
Outings to Reinforce Lesson
Enjoy the cool weather and take a nature walk. Observe the things God created and how they work together in His plan. What part do each of us play in God’s plan for us?