God Helps Me Do Great Things

Let’s get up and dance with your kids in praise! Play some worship music in your home, have fun with it! Raise your hands, jump, close your eyes – enjoy a time of worship as a family. To get you into a groove, here are some songs to choose from:

Alive - by Hillsong Young & Free https://youtu.be/qEvEVALLjNQ
Who You Say I Am - by Hillsong Kids https://youtu.be/Y0LHTDVy5C0

Bible Passage: Acts 3:1-10, Peter Heals the Crippled Beggar

God helps me do great things
Lesson: God has great things for us to do, and gives us the power to do them.

Today’s story comes to us from the Bible. (Hold up a Bible.) The Bible is God’s word to us, so we know that everything it says is true. (Open the Bible and set it down in front of you as you give the lesson.)

God made all the animals. Puppies, kittens, fish and birds. Birds do great things. They use their strong wings to lift themselves into the air, flying to new heights – higher and higher. Birds remind us that God wants to take us higher and higher.

God helps us do great things. God helped Peter do great things. Peter and John were walking to the temple. They met a man who could not walk. The man was sitting outside the temple begging for money.

Peter went up to him and said, “I have no money to give you. But in the name of Jesus, get up and walk.” The man tried. And guess what? He could walk! He starting walking, and jumping and praising God.

God helped Peter to heal the man who couldn’t walk. God helped the man who couldn’t walk, by sending him Peter to heal him. God had great things in mind for them. God has great things in mind for you too. Each person’s great thing is different.

We can’t do them on our own. We need God. God helps us do great things.

Simple Prayer:
Dear God, Help us to do great things for you.
Amen

Discussion Questions:
Wiggle Tamer: Play a few rounds of Follow The Leader.

Small Group Memory Verse: Have kids repeat the verse popcorn style. Point to kids randomly. Each time you point to a kid, he or she says the verse. (If a kid can’t repeat the verse, say a gentle “that’s okay” and move on to another kid.)

Questions: Who did Peter and John meet on their way to the temple?
Did they give him money?
What did they do for him?
Who helps us do great things?

Game: Make a simple paper airplane. Give each kid a chance to throw the paper plane to see who can get it to soar the highest/furthers/most gracefully. Have paper available for those who want to try and make their own paper airplane.

Make this week’s lesson real:
At Dinner: During the mealtime prayer, thank God for the uniqueness of each member of the family. Mention specific qualities and talents that you see at work in them. Pray that each member of the family would put their trust in Him, so that He can do great things through them.

Hanging Out: Turn you and your little one into superheroes. Put together simple costumes with fabric, clothes and accessories you have around the house. Come up with superhero names. Determine what your special powers are. What can your hero do that no one else can do? Have fun stopping the bad guys and saving the world. After the play, remind your kids that when we trust God, he makes us into superheroes of sorts. He has a job for each of us that only we can do. God helps us to do great things.

Bedtime: Snuggle up and read the memory verse: “But I know that God helps me. The Lord is the one who keeps me going.” Psalm 54:4 (NIrV). Talk about how God helps us to do great things – things we would not be able to do on our own.

Activity:
Items Needed: Card stock, construction paper shapes, glue sticks

Prepare Ahead: Cut different colors of construction paper into various geometric shapes: ovals, circles, triangles, rectangles, and half-circles.

Directions: Give each kid a piece of card stock and a glue stick. Set out the shapes and invite kids to create a bird out of those shapes.

One examples would be: Large oval for the body, circle for the head, smaller circles for the eyes, small triangle for the beak, half-circles for the wings, and small rectangles for the feet. Assure nervous artists that there isn’t a “right” way to do it. It’s whatever they want it to be. Step in and help where asked; but otherwise, let the kids’ imaginations soar like a bird. Compliment kids on their great work. Remind them that God helps us do great things.