In our desire to equip parents as they “train their children up in the way they should go,” we have created a new blog series to communicate the lessons our kids will be learning each Sunday, family discussion questions, resources for discipling children, and opportunities to engage in serving and loving the world with your kids.

Renew Kids

Our curriculum comes from The Gospel Project for Kids and systematically teaches the stories of the Bible starting in Genesis and finishing in Revelation. We are currently studying Jesus’ life in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).

Sunday, April 5th (Easter) | Sermon: He is Risen, He Is Risen, Indeed!

HeadHead » Learning the Story

This week in Renew Kids we are learning about Jesus crucifixion and resurrection and asking, “What did Jesus do for sinners?”

Jesus died on the cross and is alive.

Our story covers how when Jesus went to a garden with His disciples to pray, Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples betrayed Him and brought men to arrest Jesus. Peter tried to stop the men with a sword, but Jesus told him not to stop them because this was God’s plan. Jesus was taken to the high priest who wanted to put Jesus to death because Jesus admitted to being God’s Son and they didn’t believe Him. They sent Jesus to a roman ruler, Pilate, to be sentenced to death, but Pilate didn’t think Jesus was guilty of any crimes. Pilate gave the people a choice: he would release Barabbas (buh RAB uhs) — a very bad criminal — or he would release Jesus. The people asked for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be killed by crucifixion. Jesus was beaten, whipped, and cruelly treated before he was made to carry His cross to the place He would be crucified. They killed Jesus and buried Him in a tomb. Three days passed and, just as God had promised, death could not defeat Him and Jesus was raised from the dead. Jesus showed himself to several women and told them to go and tell His friends that He would meet them in Galilee (Matthew 26:36 through 28:10; John 18:1 through 20:18).

Review Questions:

  • What did Jesus do when He was sad? (Jesus prayed to God.)
  • When the high priest asked Jesus if He was God’s Son, what did He say? (Yes, He is God’s Son.)
  • What did the people do to Jesus? (The people killed Jesus on a cross.)
  • How long was Jesus in the tomb? (three days)
  • How did Jesus’ friends feel when the angel told them that Jesus was alive? (Jesus’ friends were so happy that Jesus wasn’t dead anymore!)
  • What did Jesus say when He saw His friends? (Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid!”)
  • What did Jesus do for sinners? (Jesus died on the cross and is alive.)

HeartHeart » Family Discussion

Jesus’ dying and being raised from the dead is the most important thing that ever happened! Jesus never did anything wrong, but He was punished because we sinned. God forgives us for sin because Jesus died for us. God raised Jesus from the dead to be King over everything. Easter is an opportunity to discuss with our children how much God loves them and the full extent He endured to offer them salvation.

  1. What does this story teach us about God?
  2. What do you think Jesus was thinking and feeling throughout?
  3. What do we learn about Jesus’ relationship with God from this story?
  4. Which character in today’s story do you most relate to (ie. Peter, the crowd, the women at the tomb, etc.)? Why?
  5. What does this story tell you about people? Yourself?

HandsHands » The Word at Work

The Bible says that God’s Word does not return to Him void without accomplishing what He wills (Isaiah 55:11). Spend some time as a family and ask God how He wants you to live out what He is teaching you through scripture. Then make a plan to do it!

As we look at how Jesus came to restore and save us spiritually, we also see how he came to restore and save us in all areas of our lives (see more about this on Kari’s blog here). The below are ideas of ways that we can join Christ in His redemptive work by bringing tangible restoration into the areas and/or lives of those whom we meet along the way.

Ideas:

  • Spring Restoration. Take a walk with your kids around your neighborhood or places you go regularly. Watch for things you see that remind you of the way that God created things. Take note of anything you see that is not in line with God’s original plans for people and this world. These are all things that God wants to restore and recreate. Write down 3-5 things that you see that are “broken” and consider how God might have you be part of His plan to bring restoration to the world. Here are some things you might notice: a park or public space that needs some lovin’; a neighbor’s fence; an alley or empty lot that is full of trash; kids with nowhere to go after school; people who seem lonely…
  • Spiritual Restoration. Identify two or three people or families in your neighborhood that do not know the gospel. How could you begin to speak the good news into their lives? How could you begin to serve them as a demonstration of the gospel? Write down some ideas with your kids.

Additional family resources:

Each week we will include a family resource for parents as they seek to disciple their children to love and follow Jesus.

Long Story Short is a great resource for studying God’s Word together as a family. Each devotion shares a story in the Bible and offers great tools for discussing and learning the Word together as a family.