Love Lesson A

Key Truths Review:

For everyone in Christ, God becomes their Father.

In Christ, God puts me in His family, the church.

I need God to me my Father, and I need His family.

Day 4 (afternoon): LOVE lesson A

The Love of our Heavenly Father

Use Truth Book to go over this morning’s memory verse from Psalms 46:1-2.  Make sure everyone is comfortable and ready to listen to the lesson.

ASK:  If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?

SAY:  One thing God wants is to have many sons and daughters in HIS FAMILY, from every tribe on earth.  Today’s stories tell about how God’s love for us is unending. Jesus told these stories to show how much God loves sinners who repent and come back to Him.  Let’s listen to each of these stories.

TEACHING PICTURES: There are teaching pictures available for each of these stories. You may use them to predict the story before reading, display during reading or use it while asking questions or retelling the story.

READ:  Luke 15: 1-7 Parable of the Lost Sheep

ASK:  Who are the characters in this story?

What does the person do when he realizes the sheep is missing?

What happens when he finds the lost sheep?

How do you think that shows God’s love for us?

READ: Luke 15: 8-10 Parable of the Lost Coin

ASK: Who are the characters in this story?

What does the person do when they realize they have lost their coin?

When she finds it, what does she do?

How do you think this shows God’s love for us?

READ: Luke 15: 11-24 Parable of the Lost Son

ASK: Who are the characters in this story?

What did the younger son want from his Dad?

When the son returned, what did his Dad do?

How do you think this shows God’s love?

ACT IT OUT.  Assign younger son, older son, father, bad friends

After some acting fun, ASK:

How are we like the son who left?

How does God respond when one of His sons comes home?

SAY:  The father in this story is like GOD, and we are like the son who goes off on his own and then returns.  God rejoices over us when we turn away from sin and return to Him.  When we believe in Jesus and return to the Father, he makes us His sons.  We are not just servants, and we are not orphans. We are His own children!

SAY:  In those days one sign that you were a son was to wear the family ring.  Did you notice that the father put the ring on the younger son’s finger?  Why do you think he did that?

READ: John 14: 15-21.

ASK: What does the Holy Spirit do? What does Jesus promise to do?

SAY:  Jesus also shows how deep His love is for us by promising to send us the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is God Himself and Jesus will put Him inside our spirit.  He gives the Holy Spirit now, and He will return for us.  We are His children and have been adopted into God’s family through Jesus. We are not orphans when we are in the family of God.

REVIEW POINTS: LOVE lesson A

  1. For everyone in Christ, GOD becomes their Father.
  2. In Christ, God puts me in His family, the church.
  3. I need God to be my Father and I need His family.

MEMORY VERSE: 1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are! (Use Truth books to work on memory verses).

Pray together:  Thank the Lord for loving us and giving us a way to become part of the family of God.

CRAFT:  Hug Pin

Give each kid the hug pin YOU have made for them (The night before, write “Jesus loves (name)” on the spring clothespin and on the other side, “I love you”.  You may want to put your name and each child’s name in place of “I” and “you”.)  Hug each one as you give them their hug pin.  Instruct them to make one and go out and find someone who needs a hug to give it to.

(Continue to use craft time to meet individually with campers).

Lesson DAY 5 (morning): LOVE lesson B: No Greater Love

Last day of Camp… be very sensitive to hearts being touched today and let the Holy Spirit guide you.

ASK:  How do you know if someone really loves you? (Allow for responses)

Let’s look at one way Jesus showed love.  This story also shows us how we can be like Jesus.  This happens right before Jesus is taken to be killed on the cross.  Jesus went to Jerusalem for a Passover meal with His followers.  The Passover meal was a celebration of how God saved the nation of Israel from slavery and brought them to a promised land of their own.  Now Jesus came to this meal knowing that the religious leaders of Jerusalem were planning to kill Him.  He knew that one of His own followers would turn him in to be arrested.  Jesus knows this will be the last meal with His followers, and He gives them some final instructions.  Let’s listen to the word of God:

READ:  JOHN 13: 1-17; 34-35 (Teaching Picture Jesus Washes his Disciple’s Feet, use as desired)

ASK:  Why do you think Jesus wanted to wash the disciples’ (followers) feet during their last meal together?

What was the message in this example?  (He serves us so we should serve one another)

What was Jesus’ new command? (love one another)

ACT IT OUT:  If you can find a way to wash feet go ahead, or you can act like you are washing feet.

SAY:  God has a plan for His children on earth.  When they return to Him, He puts them in His family, the church.  In the Bible, those who are saved join the church.  Jesus wants us to be in His family.  Like any family, people are not perfect here on earth, and sometimes there are problems in the church family.  But it is God’s plan for us to each be part of a church family.

READ:  Acts 2: 41-47

ASK:  What did people do when they became a Christian?

How did the people show love for each other?

MEMORY VERSE:  LOVE lesson B: Ephesians 5:1-2a

Be imitators of GOD, therefore, as dearly beloved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us…”

PRAY:  Have silent prayer time and end with a prayer of thanksgiving to God for His gift of Jesus.

CRAFT:  Fuzzy Love Bugs

Going Beyond the Curriculum:

While the craft is drying, go over ways to share Christ with others or helping them with questions about how to follow Christ.

  1. You may also want to open up discussion about questions they may have about how to live a life as a follower of Christ. Allow yourself time to discuss this as a group if they have questions.
  2. Remind them of the “Good Man” story.
  3. Draw the BRIDGE illustration in the dirt, and show them how to use it to tell others about the gap between God and Man, and how the cross BRIDGES the gap.
  4. Teach them how to use their EOH five color GoodNewsWristbands: You will give them each one of these.

BLACK: Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

RED:  Romans 5:8: But GOD demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

WHITE:  The GOOD NEWS is that we can be washed of our sins through belief in Jesus: John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

GREEN: 2 Peter 3:18: But GROW in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

GOLD: Philippians 3:20:  Our citizenship is in HEAVEN.

Help them collect all their crafts, etc., from the week for their journey home.  Remind each one you are their brother/sister in Christ now and you will be praying for them.  Then DO IT!!  You now have a group of new brothers and sisters in the Lord, written in the book of life and on your heart forever.  Well done good and faithful servant!

WHEN you get HOME:  Several missionaries from previous trips have told us it helps to post a picture of their group, either on the fridge, their computer wallpaper, or on a bulletin board, with names next to each face, so they can pray daily for their campers.  You will no doubt feel some separation grief over the next few days and weeks; use it to direct your prayer life as these precious ones enter back into difficult environments.  Have faith, for they will surely feel your prayers and love by the power of the Holy Spirit.