WELCOME TO WEEK 2

We have all made mistakes, whether on purpose or on accident. We usually say we are sorry and then wait to be forgiven. Did you know God has forgiven you? We can be forgiven and we can also forgive those who have wronged us. We can’t do this on our own, but we have the Holy Spirit to help. This week we will see how baptism is more than just getting wet.

Mark 1:4-11

BIBLE STORY

Play a game of ‘In the River, On the Bank’. Pick a line on the floor or create a line using string or masking tape. Have your child stand with both feet facing the line. When you call out “In the river” the child jumps across the line into the river. When you call out “On the bank” the child jumps backwards to the bank. Repeat saying it over and over switching up the order of jumping to the river or bank to make it challenging.

How well did you do? Were you able to make keep going without making any mistakes? We often make mistakes in life too. We don’t always obey our parents, we don’t always tell the truth and we don’t always take responsibility. This week we will see how we can have forgiveness through Jesus. John the Baptist preached about the forgiveness of sins through repentance and baptism. We can know forgives because of Jesus!

Materials: line of masking tape or string

Read or listen to the Bible scripture Mark 1:4-11

How did the Bible describe John the Baptist? (Clothes made of camel hair, a leather belt and ate locust and honey)

Where did John the Baptist baptize those confessing their sins? (In the Jordan River)

What did John say the one who came after him will baptize people with? (With the Holy Spirit)

When Jesus was baptized what happened? (The heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove)

What did the voice from heaven say? (You are my son, whom I love; with you I am very pleased)

BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY

It is hard to confess when we have done something wrong. We want to keep it a secret or pretend it never happened. Although it is hard to admit our wrongs, we can ask Jesus for forgiveness for the wrongs we did. We can be sure that God will forgive us of our sins. 

Activity

Print the following emoji faces or have your child use their own face to show emotions. Sometimes we do wrong things on accident and sometimes we do the wrong thing on purpose. We might say things to hurt others or disobey our parents. God does not like the bad things that we do, but He always loves us and will forgive us. Sometimes we show others God’s love by the kind things we do for them. These things don’t make God love us more but they are pleasing to Him. Listen to the following scenarios and hold up a smile face if you think the actions described were pleasing to God. Hold up the frown face if the things described were not pleasing to God.

Materials: printed scenarios, printed emoji faces (optional)

Alternate

Use Playdough to make images or write single words that describe our sins. Jesus forgives our sins when we confess and ask for forgiveness. When we realize we are doing something wrong and ask God to forgive us, He will forgive us of our wrongs. Take the play dough and reshape it so the words or picture of sin disappears. God will not remember our sins any more.

Materials: play dough

independent activity:

Listen to this story about forgiveness. Have you ever had to forgive someone for something they did to you? Its hard to forgive others but just as we want to be forgiven, we should forgive others as well.

Materials: device for listening to story

ARTS & CAFTS

CRAFT 1

Create a paper plate scene of Jesus’ baptism. Color the paper plate with water, sky, and background. Then color and cut out a Jesus and John the Baptist. Attach Jesus to a craft stick, then cut a small slit into the paper plate for the stick. Glue John the Baptist next to the slit. Add the small dove in the sky.

Materials: paper plate, printed characters, crayons, scissors, glue, craft stick

Craft 2

Coloring page

Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons

FOLLOW-UP

What did John say he baptized with?

What did John say Jesus would baptize with?

What do you think it means to be baptized by the Holy Spirit?

What can the Holy Spirit do in our lives?

Haas there ever been a time when you desperately wanted to be forgiven for a wrongdoing?

Have you ever had to forgive someone, even when it was really hard?

How does having the Holy Spirit help you show forgiveness to others?

Practical Application at Home

When we understand how much we have been forgiven, we are better able to forgive others. When we are believers in Jesus, God will forgiven our sins whether we think they are big or small. Listen to the following scenario and determine if there was any forgiveness shown. Although you may not have an experience exactly like this one, think about a time you have been forgiven a lot, and if you then returned that forgiveness to the next person who wronged you. 

You stole $25 from your moms dresser, thinking she wouldn’t notice. She finds out and you are punished, but she forgives you and doesn’t stay mad at you the rest of the day. You wonder if your mom has really forgiven you, but she does not remind you of your error nor does she start to hide all of her money from you from fear you may steal again. You are relieved as you realize your mom has given you a clean slate. A few days later your younger brother takes apart your Lego design to use a piece of your legos for his new Lego build. You are very upset. You worked for hours on your build and were proud of it. He says he is sorry and returns the Lego piece. You say you forgive him but for the next few days you decide to let him suffer. Every time he asks to play, you refuse to play with him. When he speaks to you and tells you stories about his day, you don’t talk with him but just give yes or no responses. You plan to forgive him at some point, but for now, you want him to suffer for what he did to you. 

Who truly forgave in this story?

Did you truly forgive your brother?

Which act would have been harder to forgive?

How can the feeling of being forgiven for something big, help you forgive someone else when they wrong you?

How can we show true forgiveness, especially when someone has asked for forgiveness for the wrongs they’ve done against you?

When we realize the wrongs we have done against God and how much he continues to love us and forgive us, even when we make the same mistakes again, we can share that forgiveness with others. Unlike in the scenario above, we should forgive others in the same way God has forgiven us. That means, when we say we forgive, we also need to let it go and not remind the person of how much they wronged us or try to make them suffer. Although this is not an easy thing to do, we can ask Jesus to help us remember how much we have been forgiven and to share that forgiveness with others.

Additional Resources

Outings to Reinforce Lesson

Donate to a local food shelter or toy drive this Christmas season. As a family, volunteer together or pick out toys you think another child your age might enjoy.