Winter Family Faith Formation – Jan 21
Join us each week as well follow and celebrate the life of Jesus!
Pick from watching our Welcome Videos, Worship Together, Reading the Bible, Talk About It, Family Activities, Pray Together and Bless Each Other – or do them all!
January Welcome Video
Worship Together
Share in some faith practices of worship together!
Shine a Light: Light a candle and sing
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine! This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine! This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine! Let it shine! Let it shine! Let it shine!
Offering: How can you make an offering today?
Give Thanks: Name three things you are thankful for and sing Thank You God
Read the Bible Together
Read this week’s God’s Great Story in the children’s Bible for you child’s age.
Spark Story Bible – The Sower
Mark 4:1-9
Talk About It!
Have fun asking question for all your family members!
We are still in the season of Epiphany, the time when we remember that the Wisemen followed the special star to find Jesus. Light illuminates, or helps us see. Jesus is called the “Light of the World” because He came to show us, by example, how to live in a way that pleases God. One way that Jesus would teach people was by telling parables. A parable is a story that has a deeper meaning, or is meant to teach a life lesson. Today’s parable tells about a farmer sowing seed on different types of soil. Have you ever planted a seed and hoped it would grow? The seed in the story represents God’s word. The ground represents our hearts. When the seed fell on dry, rocky, or weedy ground, it didn’t grow well. When the seed fell on deep, rich soil it grew and blossomed into a large crop. God wants us to hear and practice the words of Jesus so our hearts will be full of love to share!
Digging Deeper (great topics for Upper Elementary): Do you have any ideas about what the birds, rocks and weeds in the parable represent? In later verses, Mark 4:14-20, Jesus explains the parable. On the first path, birds came and ate the seed. The birds are like sin and temptation that steal the good lessons and thoughts from our hearts. The rocky soil lets the good ideas of God grow a little bit, but the roots are shallow. When trouble comes, people lose their faith in God. The seeds that fall on weedy ground also grow a little, but then the weeds choke them and cover them up. The weeds are like greed or jealousy or bad thoughts that make us forget to love our neighbor and ourselves. Jesus wants our hearts to be like good soil. When we hear God’s word and practice loving God and each other, good thoughts and actions will blossom and grow!
Family Activity
Put some flowers, real or artfully created, in a place where you will see them everyday. Make some paper hearts, tape them on toothpicks, and put them around the base of your flowers to remind yourself that, with God’s help, love grows!
Watch the “Holy Moly” video of “The Sower” parable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I2_ks1r8W4
Pray Together
“Dear God, open our hearts to hear you, and help us practice your loving ways. Amen.“
Bless Each Other
At the end of your time, give each other a special blessing to remember one of God’s promises.
Make sleeping hands next to your head and say “dream big!”