March 4th - What We Learned

This Sunday, March 4th, your Reign Forest child (ages 2-5) learned that God loves EVERYONE!  Jesus showed us this by spending time with a lady whom nobody liked.  (John 4:1-26)  This lady was a Samaritan so the Jews hated her, but her own people, the Samaritans, hated her too.  She had done a lot of wrong things, and she was outcast in her town.  No one would talk with her.  None of the other people wanted to be friends with her.

One day, the lady came to get water from the well, and she saw Jesus sitting there.  She knew He wouldn't talk with her - she could see that He was a Jew.  But He did talk to her!  He asked her for a drink!  She was so surprised that she asked Him why He would talk with her.  They began a conversation, and Jesus showed her that He even knew about all of the bad things she had done and was still doing.  He knew, and He still loved her!  The lady couldn't believe it.

She ran back into the village and shouted to everyone, "Come see this man who knows all about me and still loves me!"  All the people in the village came out to the well, and Jesus loved all of them, too!

We began learning a new verse this month - John 15:12 "Love each other as I have loved you."  Ask your child what that means.  Who should we love?  How should we love them?

To help this lesson sink in at home, plan a special play date with a couple of your child’s friends. Talk with your child before the play date about how Jesus loves all her friends and He wants her to love them too. Brainstorm ways she can show love to her friends before they arrive. Some ideas? Set out a special snack. Give them a hug when they walk in. Allow them to play with a favorite toy. Make a special gift to give them. Once you have a plan, put it into action and help your child make it happen. Talk with your child about all the ways she showed love after her friends leave. Pray together and thank God for helping you love everyone.

Your Land of Promise child (kindergarten through fifth grade) has started a new virtue for the month of March - Conviction: standing for what is right, even when others don't.  This Sunday, your child learned that Daniel and his three friends choose to eat only what God had said was right to eat, even when everyone around them was eating the wrong things. (Daniel 1)  Daniel and his friends were young boys when they were kidnapped and taken to another country named Babylon.  In Babylon, they were going to become servants for the king, and they were given certain food to eat.  All of the other boys who were kidnapped obeyed the bad king and ate the food they were served, but Daniel and his three friends knew that this was food that God did not want them to eat.  They very nicely asked if they could have only vegetables to eat and only water to drink.  No desserts, no fried chicken, no steaks, no hamburgers...only vegetables.  No chocolate milk, no soda pop, no lemonade...only water.  The man in charge let them eat and drink that way for ten days.  After ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and stronger than all the other boys who had eaten the other food, so the man in charge let them continue eating only vegetables and drinking only water for the rest of their years in the palace.

Our new memory verse for March is “Never tire of doing what is right.” 2 Thessalonians 3:13, NIV

To help this lesson sink in at home, during MEAL or DRIVE TIME tell your child about a time when you had to show conviction all by yourself, or tell about a time when you have seen someone else stand up for the right thing.  Ask your child to tell about a time when they have had to do what was right while others around them were doing wrong.  In what ways can they show conviction this week at home or at church or at school?