The Sheep and the Goats

Scripture:

Matthew 25:31-46

Quick Summary:

Jesus separates people into two groups like a farmer separates sheep and goats. He welcomes into heaven those who: fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, invited in strangers, clothed the needy, visited the sick and imprisoned.

The Point:

Jesus says when we help others, it is as if we were helping Jesus himself.

Questions for Family Time:

1.Tell me the story you heard today.

        a. (see above)

2.  Who does Jesus call sheep?

        a. the people who help others.  

3.How did you help others like Jesus said to?

        a. We fed the hungry, (and visited) the elderly    

4. How does our church do these things?

a. Feed the hungry and  give drink to the thirsty - help at the food pantry, Feed my Sheep

       c. invite the stranger- welcome people into our church; Heart House shelters the homeless, YES home provides housing for teens

       d. clothe the needy- help at the food pantry, make blankets for babies

       e. visit the sick and imprisoned- visit those in the hospital; Bible Study at the jail

4. How can you help others?

     a. Come up with some creative ways you can do each one of these: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, invite in strangers, clothe the needy, visit the sick and imprisoned.

Deeper:

          This is one of those stories Jesus tells that is pretty foundational for how we understand who we are and what our responsibilities are as followers of Jesus. This passage says that if we are to call ourselves Christians, our lives are to be filled with acts of compassion. Jesus’ disciples are to treat every person they meet as if that person was Jesus himself.  We are to help those in need, whatever that need is.

  

I think Jesus was intentional to make a list of needs that we can easily look past. It is easy to avoid people struggling with these needs. It is easy to say that it is someone else’s responsibility. But Jesus says his followers go out seeking these people, stuck in their home because of their health, or even tucked away in jail out of the view of the community. He tells us to find ignored people, people struggling with the daily necessities of life, and to help them. He tells us that we are to be proactive with our compassion.

          Jesus is such a strange king because rather than bowing at his feet, or demanding our praise, he instead says he is The Poor. The God of the Universe says he is the person who can’t afford their next meal. He is the child who walks miles each morning to find clean drinking water. He is the kid who grows too fast for his parents’ income to manage. He is the refugee running for their lives with only what they can carry. He is the sick patient. He is the inmate. How we treat the poor is how we treat Jesus. If we choose to demonize them and blame them for their struggles, we do it to Jesus. If we choose to come alongside them, empower them and treat them as wholly human, we do it to Jesus. When we love them like neighbors, we love Jesus.

          It’s easy to lose sight of these people in our busy lives, to say we have too much on our plate already. I get it. But, it’s important for us to teach our children compassion now. It’s important for us to notice Jesus in our midst, dressed in rags instead of robes. So I want to encourage you to start seeing the invisible people in the world. Let us teach our children that we have a responsibility not just to help those closest to us, but to all humankind.

Personal Reflection:

Answer #4 for yourself and your family. When have you specifically done each one? How can you show compassion in a new way in the next month?

Good News is Proclaimed to the Poor

Scripture:

Luke 6:17-23

Quick Summary:

Jesus blesses the people who thought they were cursed.

The Point:

No matter what is going wrong in your life, God still love you and is with you!

Questions for Family Time:

1.     Why did people think they were cursed by God?

a.      Bad stuff was happening to them.

2.     Like what bad stuff?

a.      They were poor and hungry. People they loved kept dying.

3.      What was the good news Jesus proclaimed?

a.        When we go through hard stuff, it’s not because we are cursed by God.

Deeper:

In the Old Testament, when the Hebrews came into the Promised Land, they were told to stop in a valley. On one side was Mount Gerizim, on the other side Mount Ebal. There in the valley, the whole Law was read to them. Every rule, every commandment was said in front of all the people. Then half of the Hebrews went and stood on one mountain the other half on the other mountain. The ones on Mount Gerizim shouted out what would happen if they followed God’s Law. They shouted The Blessings. Then, those on Mount Ebal shouted out what would happen if the law was disobeyed…the curses.

Right at the birth of the nation, the people learn that if they do right by God, they will be blessed. If they do wrong by God, they will be cursed. For thousands of years later, they held this belief that if your life appears to be cursed, like you live in poverty, or are disabled, or keep losing people you love, you must have broken God’s law to receive such a curse.

This is the world that Jesus comes into. In this world, to these people who seem to be cursed by God, Jesus comes down the mountains to the people. He proclaims good news by blessing the cursed people:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

²¹ Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

²² Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

²³ “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

Jesus takes the cursed and rejected and he tells them that God has not cursed them.  Instead God has blessed them. God has given his kingdom to the poor. He will feed the hungry. He will bring joy to those with sorrow. He will bless the lonely and rejected. God has an eternal home for these people.

Jesus lifts the curse that these people were carrying. When everyone around them are accusing them of sin, and telling them they must have deserved their misfortune, Jesus shows up.  Is there really any news that could have been better for them?

This is the good news He proclaims for us: No matter what circumstance you find yourself in, God loves you. Our blessings are not how well it rains, or how well the stock market does. Our blessings are not even if we are popular and well liked. Our blessings are this:

Ours is the kingdom of God!

We will be satisfied.

We will experience joy again.

God does not reject or desert us!

We have an eternity with him waiting for us.

This is the Good News! Even when the world tells us we are cursed, We know that God is for us!

Personal Reflection:

               When have you been surprisingly blessed in moments of hardship? What hardships are you facing right now? How do you see God blessing you in the midst of them?

The Easter Story

Scripture:

Matthew 28:1-10

Quick Summary:

Jesus dies on the cross for our sins. Then, on Sunday morning, a few women go to the tomb to honor him. There is an earthquake, an angel appears and the soldiers faint they are so scared. But the women or filled with so much joy that the grave couldn’t hold Jesus, that they run to tell everyone the good news. Jesus is victorious over death!

The Point:

Jesus dies for our sins and rises to new life.

Questions for Family Time:

1.     Why did Jesus die?

a.     He died so our sins and mistakes.

2.     Why did he rise from death?

a.  He rose to show he had the power of God in him. Because he rose, all of us can have life forever!

3.     What did everyone feel at first?

a.      scared still

4. What did the women feel next?

a. MEGA Joy!

5. What did the women do because of their joy?  

a. Ran to tell others about Jesus.  

Deeper:

Jesus has died on the cross and been laid in the tomb. This morning, the women are going to pay their respects at the tomb. Then something crazy happens. An earthquake announces the arrival of an angel who pushes the stone away from the entrance. This event is so wild, that the trained soldiers guarding the tomb faint. Actually the Bible says they “become like dead men” because of their fear. That inability to move is everyone’s reaction in Matthew to this kind of fear. The Greek word is actually phobos as in phobia. It is a fear that paralyzes people. It stops them in their tracks. It is a crippling shock that makes us, as we say “a deer in the headlights.”

The soldiers’ reaction is completely predictable, but the women’s response is completely not predictable. Rather than being stuck, we find them running. In fact, we find them sprinting as though they were racing, running to tell the disciples that Jesus is not dead…Jesus is ALIVE.

How did the women, who should have responded with paralysis, RUN with the good news? The answer is right there in our text. They were still afraid, but they also were filled with JOY. This is the same joy that Jesus talks about over and over in his parables…the joy we experience when God’s kingdom breaks through the darkness of our world.

These women had much to fear but their joy in God’s work on earth was greater than their fear. Because of joy, they would run into a dark and broken world. Because of joy they would be the first to worship the risen Lord. Because of joy they would be the first preachers of the Resurrection. Because of joy that God will not let darkness overtake his kingdom. God has broken into the world to save it, and no one can stop him. 

Personal Reflection:

               When has fear stopped you? When has the joy of Jesus moved you forward?

Christmas Party

It's our Christmas Party! 

Christmas is all about Jesus birth, so today we are starting with the KICK tradition of Jesus' birthday cake. Everyone gets a cupcake and birthday candle. We sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and blow out our candles. Then enjoy them with ice cream. 

After we finish our snack, we divide into 4 groups and go around to stations to learn about the people and places surrounding Jesus's birth. Each station has an activity. Check out our stations below: 

 

Mary and Joseph

Mary and Joseph were not even married when angels came to each of them. The angels told them that they would be parents to God’s son. They were to name him Jesus, which means, “God saves”. He would be called “Emmanuel” which means, God with us. What a big responsibility! They both agreed to do their best at being Jesus parents.

If you were Mary and Joseph, What would you name Jesus? Write the name on the name tag and put on bulletin board.

  

Bethlehem

When Mary was very pregnant, she and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem. That was where Joseph’s family was from, and they had to go there for a census. A census is when people are counted for the government. So many people were there, that by the time Joseph and Mary arrived, there wasn’t a free room to be found! So when Jesus was born he was put in a manger, where cows are fed.

Travel to Bethlehem, Sign the Census.

Shepherds

The shepherds were working the night shift watching their sheep, when angels appeared. The angel told them that the Messiah, the one who would save them, was in the world. They would find him wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger. Sure enough, they followed the angel’s instructions and found baby Jesus.

Put together craft of the scene the shepherds found at the manger.

Magi

There were some men called Magi (like the beginning of Magician) who studied stars. They believed that when a new star appeared in the sky, it meant a new king was born. Sure enough, when Jesus was born, a new star was born too. They followed that star to where Jesus lived. They brought Jesus gifts fit for a king: Frankincense, Gold, and Myrrh.

Wrap a gift for Jesus and put under Christmas Tree.

Ending 

After we finish with stations, we are going to sing some Christmas songs together. The KICK leaders also have a present for each kid. The supplies for these presents were donated by LaFontaine UMC members. 

Merry Christmas!

See you in 2018!