Old Testament – 1 Samuel 3:1-20
We meet Samuel for the first time in these events. Who was Samuel? Samuel
was the last judge of Israel and Israel’s first prophet. Before Israel had a king,
Israel was ruled by judges. Some of the famous judges include Samson, Gideon, and Deborah. The time when Israel was ruled by judges is found in the Book of
Judges.
Samuel’s mom, Hannah, had prayed for a baby. The Lord gave her Samuel.
Hannah was so grateful that she dedicated Samuel from his birth to the Lord.
Samuel went to live with Eli, the High Priest of Israel when he was a little boy.
Samuel hears a voice calling him and Samuel thinks it’s Eli. It isn’t – it is the Lord
calling Samuel. Eli knows it is the Lord and tells Samuel to say to the Lord “Speak
for your servant is listening.” Samuel does this and the Lord tells Samuel what He
plans to do to Eli and his sons. The Lord plans to punish Eli because Eli didn’t keep
his sons from doing evil.
This is a lesson for us also. The Lord is not happy when people do evil. He is also
not happy when people stand by and let evil things happen. We may not do evil
but we need to ask ourselves when we just let bad things happen to others. Do
we just let people bully other people? Do we let others talk badly about other
people and not stop them? This week decided to participate only in positive talk
and actions.
Psalm 139
David wrote this song. In this psalm, he praises God for all the wonderful parts of
our bodies. He praises God that God knows where anybody is no matter where
they are on earth. David thanks God for God knowing our every thought and
always being with us. Listen below and be happy knowing God loves you.
New Testament – 1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Our friend Paul tells us that God raised Jesus from the dead and God will also
raise us from death. Paul reminds us that we became God’s children because
Jesus died for us. As a result, Paul says we should thank God by taking care of our
bodies. We are to do this not for ego but we are to do it because our bodies are
the Temple of His Holy Spirit.
This year think of how you can take better care of your body, mind, and spirit. Do
you need to eat more veggies or spend more time outdoors? A good way to
spend time outdoors is to play croquet. You need two people to play but can add
more. It is fun and makes you use your mind. See below for how to play croquet.
New Testament – John 1:43-51
Jesus is starting to call his disciples. Jesus finds Philip who lived in the same city as
Peter and Andrew, Peter’s brother. We don’t know how Jesus found Philip or why
Jesus chose Philip. We do know Philip obeys Jesus and follows Him. Philip goes to
his friend, Nathanael, and tells Nathanael that Jesus is the Messiah. Nathanael
doesn’t believe Philip but follows Nathanael. When Jesus sees him, Jesus says
“Here is an Israelite who is honest,” Nathanael asks Jesus how He knows
Nathanael is honest. Jesus tells Nathanael he saw Nathanael sitting underneath a
fig tree. Nathanael then knows that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus promises
Nathanael that he will see angels ascending and descending to Jesus.
This lesson shows us that the only important thing is to follow Jesus. It doesn’t
matter when or how we start following Him.
Younger Children Lesson:
Today we learn about Samuel. Samuel was a little boy who would grow up and
become a famous leader in Israel. Below is today’s story about Samuel in a video.
We also learn today that God wants us to take care of our bodies. He wants us to
eat our veggies and fruit.
Today Jesus asks Philip and Nathanael to become His friends and follow Him. We
need to follow Jesus and become His friends.
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