Family Worship is a devotional plan which equips your family to build upon the gospel truths your child learns Sunday in children’s church.
We include scripture, questions, and a prayer for you and your child to engage with throughout the week. It is our goal to give you tools to help model a personal worship practice for your children.
Scroll down to get started!
Unit 17: Session 4
Big Picture Unit Question:
How does God fix what sin broke? Before He created the world, God planned to send the Messiah.
Christ Connection:
Unit 18: Session 1
Big Picture Unit Question:
What is the Bible about? The Bible is the story of God’s plan to save people through Jesus.
Christ Connection:
In 2011, a car company aired a commercial featuring a young child dressed in a costume attempting to use imaginary powers to control objects around the house. After several failed attempts at moving objects, the boy stands in front of his dad’s car, puts his hands out toward the car, and the car engine starts! The boy is amazed at his powers, but the commercial reveals the dad is standing inside the house using a remote to start the car. The father was in control the whole time!
As we read the book of Esther, God’s name never appears in the story. He is not mentioned one time, yet it is evident that He is in control the whole time! When Mordecai heard Haman’s evil plan to kill the Jews, he reminded Esther that perhaps God had made her queen for a purpose. God used Esther to save His people from Haman.
Esther’s life did not go exactly the way she had planned. There were ups and downs, but God was in control the whole time! We can trust that God has a plan for us too. No matter what happens in our lives, we can know that God is in control, and His plans will always be for His glory and our good.
Even though Haman tried to hurt God’s people, God was in control and had a plan to save the Jews. Sin hurts us and breaks our relationship with God, but God had a plan from the very beginning to save us through Jesus’ death on the cross.
In October 2019, more than 1,600 students at Delaware State University set the Guinness World Record for the number of people making buzzing sounds at the same time. Such a record didn’t exist before that day, but Antonio Boyle, vice president for the university, came up with the idea and organized the students to set the record. The school’s mascot is the Hornets, so you could say the students were just “buzzing” with school spirit!
Even if they were only buzzing, you can imagine the thought and work it takes to get such a large group of people to work together. It takes a plan and a leader. When the time came for God’s people to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem, God gave Nehemiah a plan and called him to be the leader for the project.
The work was hard, and it was made harder by those who tried to stop Nehemiah and the people’s work. Through it all, God was with them. The people worked together to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. The gates and walls were finished in only 52 days!
The amazing feat was another reminder of how powerful God is and how much He loves His children. God’s greatest demonstration of power and love is seen in Jesus. God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to save sinners. Three days after Jesus died on the cross, He rose again and secured eternal life for all who trust in Him. This was God’s plan to rescue people from sin and to be with His people forever.
God’s enemies tried to stop His people, but they still rebuilt the wall. God’s enemies tried to stop Jesus by killing Him, but God planned for Jesus’ death and resurrection to be the only way for people to be saved.
Questions:
1) Why was it dangerous for Esther to go before the king?
Tell kids that it was dangerous for Esther to go before the king because, in Persia, no one was allowed to approach the king without being summoned. If someone went to the king without an invitation, he or she could be put to death unless the king showed them mercy by holding out his golden scepter. Esther had to trust God and be very brave because she didn’t know if the king would listen to her or punish her
2) Esther went to the king on behalf of her people. Who went before God on our behalf?
Remind kids that Jesus went before God on our behalf. Like Esther risked her life to save her people, Jesus gave His life to save us from sin. He is our mediator, the one who stands between us and God, making the way for us to be forgiven and have a right relationship with Him. Because of Jesus, we can come to God with confidence, knowing He hears us and loves us.
3) How can we trust God’s plans even when we don’t understand them?
Encourage kids to know that we can trust God’s plans, even when we don’t understand them, by remembering that He is always in control and loves us. God sees the whole picture, and He promises to take care of His people. We can pray, read the Bible, and look back at times when God has been faithful to help us trust Him, even when things felt uncertain. Remind kids that God showed His plans are for our good when He sent Jesus to die for our sins.
Pray:
God, You are always in control. Help us trust that You have a plan and Your plans are good. Even when we don’t understand what is happening, remind us that You have the power to use what the enemy meant for evil and turn it for good and for Your glory! Amen.
Questions:
1) God’s people had enemies. Do Christians have enemies today? Who?
Explain that yes, Christians do face enemies today, but these enemies are not always people. Instead, the Bible teaches that Christians’ real enemies are spiritual forces like Satan and his lies, which try to keep people from following God. However, just like Nehemiah and God’s people in Jerusalem, Christians can trust that God is stronger than any enemy.
2) God’s people worked together to rebuild the wall. Do Christians need to work together? Why should they?
Yes, Christians are called to work together with other believers. Just like God’s people worked together to rebuild the wall in Nehemiah’s time, we are called to support and help each other in our faith today. The Bible tells us that the church is like a body, and each person has a special role to play. When we work together, we can build up each other’s faith and help grow God’s kingdom.
3) How did Nehemiah trust God when facing the enemies who tried to stop the rebuilding?
Remind the kids that Nehemiah trusted God by praying first and asking for His protection. Nehemiah reminded the people that God was with them and encouraged them to keep working. Share how Nehemiah also took wise action to show he trusted God. He set up guards to protect the workers and had them carry weapons while they built the wall. Discuss how we can show we trust God through prayer and by being obedient to what He calls us to.
Pray:
God, we praise You because You are powerful and loving. Thank You for showing us Your power and love by sending Jesus to save people from sin. Help us to trust in Jesus and receive the salvation that comes from believing in Him. Amen.
Worship Video
The Apostle’s Creed
We believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
