Football in the Living Room

Tell this simple story to your kids (or better yet, think of one that happened at your house).

Mrs. Jennings said, “Michael, I have to run to the store for a gallon of milk. I’ll be back in 10 minutes. Stay inside the house.”
Now that Michael was in the sixth grade, his mom felt she could trust him at home with his younger brother, Tate, for a few minutes if she was running late.
 
Michael was tossing the football in the air as Mrs. Jennings grabbed her keys. “Don’t throw that football in the house,” she reminded him.

Michael and Tate turned on the TV but didn’t find anything to watch, so Tate grabbed the football and tossed it to Michael. Michael tossed it back and soon the football was flying back and forth. That was…until Michael over threw the ball and it hit the lamp, causing it to fall to the floor and break. “What should we do?” Michael asked. They quickly cleaned up the mess and went to their rooms.

When Mrs. Jennings came home, they hid in their rooms. They didn’t want to see their mom or talk to her. Why? ( They knew they had done something wrong; they had broken her rule)

Ask the kids:
 What are God’s rules called? (The Ten Commandments)

Can you name any of the Ten Commandments? (They are listed in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.)

God is completely holy and has never sinned (never done anything wrong ). He made these rules because He knows what is best for you, but every person who ever lived (except Jesus) has broken God’s rules.

Grab some boxes from the pantry and build a wallor build a wall with blocks. Put a child on one side to represent God and another child on the other side of the wall to represent us.

Read Ephesians 2:14 (Jesus is our peace who broke down the wall between us and God.) After you read it, pick another person to knock down the wall and bring the two together  for a hug or hand shake.

Say a prayer thanking Jesus for bringing us to God and for giving us peace with God.

Easter in October

Before the kids wake up, hide Easter eggs around the house. (Hopefully, you still have those plastic eggs leftover from Easter.) Add pieces of candy or dimes to add interest. Let the kids find the eggs and talk about why we have Easter.

Ask:
Why do we celebrate Easter? (To celebrate the day Jesus was resurrected. He came alive from the dead.)

Why is it important to remember what Jesus did on that  day over 2000 years ago? (Jesus’ death brought man and God together--reconciled them. God is holy and man is sinful. Only Jesus had power over death. Because Jesus died on the cross and came alive again, we can someday live in heaven with Him.

Fruit of the Spirit: Peace

1.    Peace WITH God
When you invite Jesus into your life, you can have peace with God. The wall of sin is gone.

2.    Peace OF God
When you have Jesus in your life, you can have the peace that God gives EVEN in hard times. Peace is that inner calm you can have knowing that God is in control and that He will work things together for your good.

3.    Peace WITH others
Knowing that you have peace with God can help you to have peace with others. You don’t have to fight to get your way; ask God to help you get along with others.

Act out the three scenarios and brainstorm ways to make peace with others.
•    Jessica borrowed your book and lost it.
•    Matthew yelled at you for striking out at the baseball game and you’re mad!
•    Samantha blabbed a secret you told her to some other girls.