Lesson 8: Jesus Describes His True Family

Welcome

            Thank kids for coming.

            Just for fun, have kids pat the people next to them on the back.

            Make announcements.

            Introduce new kids.

            Celebrate birthdays by having kids say “Feliz cumpleaños.”

            Collect the offering.

Introduce the Lesson

            Say: Jesus wants us in his family! Today we’ll learn about a time Jesus talked about what it means to be a part of his family.

Share

            Say: You became a part of your family when you were born or adopted. Your parents added you to their family.

            Tell about one person you would add to your family if you could and why.

            Have kids get in pairs and tell each other about one person they would add to their families if they could and why.

            After partners have discussed, ask two or three kids to share with the whole group what they talked about with their partners.

Summarize

            Open a Bible, and say: It’s great to be part of a family! Today we’ll learn how Jesus wants us in his family. We’ll dig into the Bible to find out what Jesus has to say about that. The Bible is amazing! It’s full of incredible stories—and they’re all true! God gave us the Bible so we can know him better and hear from him. Let’s hear from him as we explore the Bible.

            Pray, thanking Jesus that he wants us in his family.

Tip 

Sing Songs to God

            Sing the three songs in any order.

Talk About Who Is in Jesus’ Family

            Tell kids about someone you know who you think doesn’t believe in Jesus now but who you hope one day will believe in Jesus and become part of Jesus’ family.

            Ask kids to silently think of people they care about who might not be in Jesus’ family.

            Say: There are a lot of people who aren’t in Jesus’ family yet. But Jesus wants everyone in his family. There’s room for all the people you just thought about.

            Ask who knows what a family tree is, and have a few kids describe it.

            Say: Our craft today is a family prayer tree. We’ll use our family prayer trees to pray for the people we want to be in Jesus’ family.

Make a Family Prayer Tree

            Assign each preschooler an older child to help with the craft. Have kids make prayer trees by twisting eight chenille wires together. They’ll leave about 2 inches not twisted at the bottom and then twist about 3 inches above that.

            Have kids bend out the bottom 2 inches so their trees can stand up. Then have kids bend out the top parts to be branches. Kids will need to curl the ends of their branches (see the picture) so that the branches can hold pieces of paper.

Add the People

            Have kids cut shapes out of construction paper. They could make hearts, squares, circles, or other shapes that remind them of the people they want to pray for. Then have kids decorate the shapes by writing a name on each shape and adding illustrations that help them think of that person. For example, if Joey wants to pray for Graham who is on his soccer team, he might draw a soccer ball next to Graham’s name.

            Kids can stick the papers in their branches to complete their family prayer trees.

Pray Together

            Have kids form groups of four. In their groups, have kids share about the people they put on their family prayer trees. Then have groups pray together for all those people to become part of Jesus’ family.

            Ask: • Why do you want those people to be in Jesus’ family?

            Say: Just like you want the people you love to join Jesus’ family, Jesus wants us in his family. He loves everyone, so he wants everyone to be in his family!

Talk About Family

            Say: Today we’re going to learn that Jesus wants us in his family. That’s pretty awesome! But being in Jesus’ family doesn’t mean we stop being in our current families. Let’s talk about our families.

            Tell kids about your family. Show the picture you brought, and tell about who’s in your family and what each person is like.

            Then have kids form mixed-age groups of four and tell their groups about their families.

Talk About Jesus’ Family

            Read Matthew 12:46-47.

            Say: At Christmas, when we celebrate Jesus’ birth, we learn about his earthly mom and dad, Mary and Joseph. In today’s story, we find out Jesus also had brothers! In another part of the Bible, we learn that his brothers’ names were James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55-56). That verse also says he had sisters, but we don’t know their names.

            Ask: • What do you think it would be like to be Jesus’ brother or sister?

            Say: In Jesus’ family, he probably never got in trouble. That’s because Jesus is perfect!

            Ask: • Tell about a time you thought someone should get in trouble but they didn’t. Share your own example first, preferably something from your childhood that involves a sibling.

            Say: It might be kind of annoying to have one brother who never gets in trouble, while you do get in trouble. On the other hand, sometimes brothers and sisters are mean to us and hurt our feelings—but not Jesus! Because Jesus is perfect, he wouldn’t have ever been a mean brother.

            We don’t know exactly what it would’ve been like to be in Jesus’ family on earth. But Jesus wants us in his family forever! Let’s think about what it means to fit into a family.

Make a Family

            Have kids remain in their groups of four.

            Say: Your group is now a family. Think about what your new family is like. What do they like to do together? What’s your family’s name? What’s a phrase everyone in your new family likes to use a lot? You could even make a family flag or a family cheer!

            Have paper and crayons or markers available, and allow time for kids to create personalities for their family groups. Then have groups share about their new families.

            Ask the groups: • How would I join your family?

            • What would be different about me if I was in your family?

            Say: Every family has its own kind of culture. Your real family has a certain way of doing things or traditions you might have for holidays. Your made-up family here has its own personality, and every group is different. But no matter what our families on earth are like, we can all be a part of Jesus’ family. Jesus wants us in his family.

            Ask: • What is Jesus’ family like?

            Say: Jesus wants us in his family. But how do we join a new family? Let’s look at what Jesus said about that.

Read the Bible

            Read Matthew 12:48-50.

            Say: When people told Jesus his brothers and mother were waiting for him, Jesus said he wants everyone in his family! You don’t have to be related to him by blood! I’m going to reread one of these verses, and I want you to think about what it means.

            Read Matthew 12:50.

            Ask: • Based on just this verse, what does it take to be part of Jesus’ family?

            • What do you think of that idea?

            Say: Now let’s look at a different verse that talks about being in Jesus’ family.

            Read Galatians 3:26.

            Ask: • Based on just this verse, what does it take to be part of Jesus’ family?

            • How does that work with what Jesus said in our story?

            Say: It might sound like Jesus was saying if you’re a really good person who always obeys God, you can be in his family. But no one can be good enough to be in Jesus’ family. Jesus is saying that doing God’s will—what he wants you to do—is part of the culture of his family. Just like our family groups had different things they liked to do, people in Jesus’ family love doing what God wants!

            Read Galatians 3:26 again.

            Say: We’re all in Jesus’ family through faith in Jesus Christ, and when we’re in his family, we know that Jesus loves us like the best brother or friend we could ever have.

Tip 

Discuss and Watch “Instant Family”

          Say: You’ve probably heard of families that have adopted children. Maybe you have a friend who was adopted, or maybe you were adopted yourself! Tell about someone you know who is adopted. Tell about someone you know first, and then have kids get into groups and share about someone they know who is adopted. It’s possible that some kids won’t know of anyone who is adopted, and that’s fine. If a child is adopted and is comfortable talking about that, you might invite this child to tell a little about his or her experience.

          Say: There’s a family that adopted three kids from a country called Ukraine. Let’s watch their story.

          Watch “Instant Family.”

          Say: Sometimes we get annoyed with our families, like getting frustrated with a brother or a sister, but most of us are thankful to have a family.

          Ask: • As you listened to the kids in this story, what can you tell about how they felt before they were adopted and after they were adopted?

          Say: It must be an amazing feeling to not have a family one day and then to have an instant family the next day. No matter what our own families are like, Jesus wants us in his family. When we ask Jesus to be our forever friend and join his family, we have an instant family, too!

Experiment With Water and Oil

            Say: We can all be a part of Jesus’ family. Let’s do something to help us think about that.

            Have kids get into mixed-age groups of five, and give each group an empty water bottle. Say: Let’s say that these bottles represent God’s family and the oil and water represent different people in God’s family. Have groups each add two tablespoons of water and two tablespoons of oil to their bottles.

            Ask: • What do you notice about the oil and water?

            Say: The oil won’t mix very well with the water. Even when you shake it up, the oil will always separate from the water. Have kids try shaking their bottles (with the lids on) and watch the oil separate from the water.

            Say: The oil and water are like each of us—we’re all unique people. We all have our own wants and needs, but sometimes those don’t mix well with each other. Sometimes we disagree with others and it make us feel separate.

            Ask: • What are some things that make you feel separate from other people?

            Say: Jesus wants us to come together to be part of the same family—his family. And he’s the one who can bring us together. Have groups add 3 to 4 tablespoons of dish soap to their bottles and gently swirl the bottles to watch how the dish soap causes the water and oil to combine permanently.

Talk About It

            Share a way that Jesus helps you be a loving part of his family.

            Ask: • What are some other ways that Jesus helps us be one loving family?

            Say: Jesus wants us to be part of his family, and he helps us come together as one family.

Look at the Bible

            Say: In our Core Bible Discovery time, we talked a little bit about what we need to do to be part of Jesus’ family. Let’s look more deeply at this and see what Jesus said.

            Read Matthew 12:50.

            Say: It sounds like Jesus is saying we have to do what God wants in order to be in Jesus’ family. Is that right? What do we need to do to be in Jesus’ family? And if it’s not obeying God, why did Jesus say that? Let’s dig into that.

Dig Deeper

            Say: There’s something that people who study the Bible talk a lot about, and it’s called “faith versus works.” Faith means you join Jesus’ family just by believing in him. Works means you join Jesus’ family when you do good things.

            Designate one side of the room to represent “faith” and the other to represent “works.” Say: I’m going to read some verses. When I read one, listen for what it says about how to be in Jesus’ family. Based on what you hear, think about whether that goes more with faith or works, and go to that side of the room.

            Read Ephesians 2:8-9, and let kids go to the side of the room they think that verse represents. Ask a few kids to share why they chose that side.

            Say: A lot of the stories about Jesus are written in a few different books of the Bible. Our story for today is in three places. Let’s see what Jesus said in one of the other versions of this story.

            Read Mark 3:35, and let kids choose a side of the room. Ask a few kids to share why they chose that side.

            Say: Here’s another verse from the third version of today’s Bible story.

            Read Luke 8:21, and let kids choose a side of the room. Ask a few kids to share why they chose that side.

            Say: Let’s read one more verse from another part of the Bible.

            Read Acts 16:30-31, and let kids choose a side of the room. Ask a few kids to share why they chose that side.

            Say: No wonder this is a confusing topic that people talk about so much! It sure sounds like what Jesus said about how to join his family is different from what other verses in the Bible say.

Escape the Fence

            Say: Let’s see if we can make sense of what seems to be a conflict. Have kids gather behind the fence. Say: My will is that you get out of this fence by ducking under the rope without touching it. Do you think you can do that? Allow for some responses.

            Say: There’s one thing I didn’t tell you: You have to wear a blindfold. Distribute blindfolds, and have kids put them on securely.

            Say: If you feel me tap your shoulder, you can remove your blindfold and try to do my will—getting out of the fence.

            Tap all the kids one at a time, and help them remove their blindfolds. Without a blindfold, it should be very easy to get out of the fence.

            After everyone has gotten out of the fence, lead kids in this discussion.

            Ask: • Who did my will? How do you know?

            • What helped them do it?

            • When I let people remove their blindfolds, did that automatically mean they did my will? Explain.

            Say: When I let people take off their blindfolds, that was kind of like God’s grace. You were able to do my will—getting out of the fence—because of the grace I showed you. But you still had to take action and get under the fence. That’s like faith, or deciding to believe in Jesus. God’s will is that everyone believes in Jesus because Jesus wants everyone in his family.

            Ask: • Now that you’ve done this experience, how do you think faith and works might work together?

Wrap Up

            Say: The Bible book of James can help us understand more about how faith might lead to good works.

            Read James 2:18.

            Ask: • How does this verse help you understand more about faith and works?

            Say: When we really have faith in Jesus, it changes our lives! We do more good things not because we have to but because we want to! Good works show our faith in Jesus. Doing good works is not a rule in order to join Jesus’ family; it shows that we have joined Jesus’ family.

            God gives everyone the chance to be in his family through grace and faith. Jesus wants us in his family. And once we join Jesus’ family, we’ll be different people and our actions will show it!

Tip

• If you used the Music Video block, consider repeating the songs from today’s lesson during the game. You can find the album here.

Recommended for 6 or more kids.

Play a Version of Blob Tag

            Say: Let’s play a game of Tag!

            Choose two kids to be “Taggers.”

            Have the rest of the kids scatter throughout the room.

            Have each Tagger try to get everyone into his or her “family.” When kids are tagged, have them join the family by linking arms with the one who tagged them or the last child in that person’s line.

            Kids who’ve been tagged can also tag other kids as long as they stay connected to their line.

            If you’d like, play upbeat music as kids play.

            Play until all the kids have been tagged, and then see which line is longer.

            If you have time, play the game again, starting with two new Taggers.

Talk About It

            Gather children in the middle of the room, and have them sit on the floor.

            Say: In our game, both Taggers were trying to add everyone to their families.

            Ask: • Explain whether you wanted to join one of the families or not.

            • How is that like or unlike becoming part of Jesus’ family?

            Say: In the same way that both Taggers wanted everyone in their families, Jesus wants us in his family! Jesus adds us to his family when we believe in him.

Play a Memory Game

            Have children sit in a circle.

            Say: Each of you is unique! You’re different from everyone else! Without telling anyone what it is, everyone think of one word that starts with the same letter as your first name and describes something unique about you. For example, you might be “Musical Melanie” or “Bright Benjamin.”

            Allow about 30 seconds for kids to come up with a word.

            Choose a child to start the game. Have that child say the word he or she chose along with his or her first name.

            Have the child to the right repeat the first child’s word and name and then add his or her own word and name.

            Continue around the circle, having each child repeat all the words and names already shared before adding his or her own. Encourage older kids to help preschoolers remember everything to say.

            After all the kids have shared their words and names, have them move to different seats so that they’re sitting next to at least one new person.

            Have kids take turns trying to say all the words and names in the new order. Play as long as time allows.

Talk About It

            Ask: • What did you learn about others in the group that you didn’t know before?

            • How did you feel when people remembered what makes you unique?

            Say: We often feel more accepted when others see the things that make us unique. We know Jesus accepts us because he sees and knows everything that makes us unique, and he wants us in his family! We don’t have to be alike. We only have to believe in him.

Draw Themselves

            Say: We learned today that Jesus wants us in his family. That’s a great thing! He’s proud of us, and he’s not afraid to show it! That reminds me of those stick-figure families that people put on their cars. The owner of the car puts a stick figure for each person (and sometimes pets) on the rear window to show pride for the family.

            Give each child a sticky note and a pen. Say: If Jesus were driving around in a minivan with all of us, he might have one of those stick-figure families in his rear window, too! Let’s make a stick-figure family to show Jesus’ family.

            Have each child draw a stick figure to represent himself or herself. Older kids can help preschoolers as needed.

Create God’s Sticker Family

            Say: Jesus wants you in his family! Point to a window in your room. If you don’t have a window, then find a clear space on the wall. Let’s pretend this is Jesus’ car window. In a moment, you’ll have a chance to tell Jesus that you want to be in his family, or you can thank him if you already know you’re in his family.

            Open in prayer, thanking Jesus that he made us and he wants us to be in his family. Then allow time for kids to stick their stick figures on Jesus’ car window as they talk to Jesus. After all the kids have had a chance to pray, close the time with a brief prayer.

            Say: I’m glad that Jesus wants us all in his family. And I hope to see you—my family—next week!

           Distribute a copy of the “Dig In @ Home” handout to kids as they leave, or email it to parents during the week.