Sunday 28th June 2020 - "Don't Worry!"
“Don’t Worry!”
Worship:
Sing along to and join in the actions to ‘Lean on You’ with Hillsong Kids:
Word:
How do we learn to live by the motto: “Don’t worry, put your hope in God”?
Have a conversation about what kind of things you worry about (or people you know worry about). Talk about how worrying can make you feel.
Read Matthew 6: 25-34 (NLT or ICB are good versions). You may also like to watch this animated retelling - ‘Don’t worry’ from Saddleback Kids:
Questions to consider:
- What can we learn by looking at the birds (Matt. 6:26)?
- How does God provide for the flowers?
- Can we add time to our lives by worrying (Matt: 6: 27)?
- What then can we do instead of worrying?
- What should we be seeking (Matt. 6: 33)? Talk together about what you think it means by the ‘Kingdom of God’ and how we can learn to do what He wants us to do.
- How can we share the hope of God’s kingdom with others?
Activity Suggestions:
Under 7’s: Outdoor scavenger hunt: Challenge your child(ren) to find the following things outside in the garden or on a walk - a flower, a leaf, a rock, a stick, a clover, a feather, grass, a spider’s web etc. (Make sure you give instructions about whether they can touch the things and if they do have wipes/anti-bacterial hand gel with you.) Talk about the fact that God created all of these things in nature and He cares for them and He promises to take care of us too.
7-11’s: Go outside (in the garden or on a walk) and take time to stop and study the flowers that you see. Look carefully at them; their colours, their sizes, their detail. You may want to take some photographs of the flowers and create a montage of flowers to show their beauty and to remind you that if God cares this much about the flowers, He surely cares for each of us!
Reflection:
When we look around our world, there are lots of messages trying to tell us that we are ‘missing out’. Adverts tell us if we buy this, we will be happy. Or if we dress this way or get our hair cut in that new style or eat this new food, we’ll fill that emptiness we all feel inside.
That emptiness can only be filled by one thing. Jesus! Jesus is God’s son. He came to save us from our sins and give us direct access to God, so that we can lay all our worries at His feet. When you keep Jesus in your day, you can stop worrying and just enjoy each moment as it comes.
Flowers don’t worry about what to wear. They know that God will clothe them in the colours of the rainbow. Birds don't worry about harvest time, they know they will eat. They know that God will provide.
Imagine if you remembered to start every day with Jesus. What would it be like? You’ll worry a lot less, knowing God is looking after you!
This week - start each day by talking to God in prayer and offering anything that might worry us to Him to take care of. Ask Jesus to be with us, to fill us with hope and keep worries away.
You might want to draw a picture of a flower or a bird to stick up by your bedside as a reminder to pray at the start of each day.