CHILDREN'S MINISTRY MESSAGE FROM LORI HERSON, MAY 24, 2020

Hi Families!

Just a reminder to register TODAY for your child's Rocky Railway - Home Adventure. Registration is open and seats are filling on this train adventure! We hope your family will be able to join us.

Below are some ideas for you and your family for your worship time on Sunday. Our lesson continues to follow the life of Jesus. This week we look at the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus.

Here is a worksheet for the lesson:

https://sharesync.serverdata.net/us/s/3f9MpO1TCxqwushGuRm84I003d1554

Check your email for a video to accompany the lesson

Here is a link to the theme song for Rocky Railway - Home Adventure!:

https://sharesync.serverdata.net/us/s/HM56Mc3VHvnxZ1SWgC85FT003d1554

Here is some wording you can use with your kids as you share this lesson with them:

• Jesus’ ministry had begun. His early miracles included turning water into wine, casting out demons, and healing people. John 2:23 says that “many believed in his name when they saw the signs he was doing.” Jesus likely spent a large part of His day teaching. When the day was done, He spent time alone or with His disciples. One night, a man named Nicodemus approached Jesus.
• Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews; that is, he was a religious leader who taught God’s law, and he was a member of the Sanhedrin—a Jewish governing body. Nicodemus held to the belief that if a person was a law-abiding Jew, he would be accepted by God. Jesus gave Nicodemus a lesson that would turn his belief system on its head.
• Jesus was a carpenter (Mark 6:3), so the religious teachers likely assumed He didn’t know theology. But they had seen Jesus’ miraculous signs in Jerusalem. Nicodemus had to conclude, “You are a teacher who has come from God” (John 3:2).
• Nicodemus initiated the conversation, but Jesus chose the subject. His words perplexed Nicodemus: “Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Jesus explained that spiritual birth is not unlike physical birth in that a person cannot do it himself; it is something that happens to him.
• Jesus reminded Nicodemus of an Old Testament account, the disobedient Israelites and the bronze snake. The Israelites could not help themselves, but when they trusted in God and looked to the bronze snake lifted up on the pole, they were healed. (Num. 21:4-9)
• Emphasize to your kids that every person is born a sinner—spiritually dead and alienated from God. It is by God’s Spirit—not our own effort—that we are born again. We look to Jesus and His finished work on the cross for our salvation.
• Nicodemus needed new life—eternal life—but he could not do anything to earn it. Eternal life is a gift that comes only from God. God showed His love in this way: He sent His one and only Son to save the world. Everyone who believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life.

Giving thanks with you as we remember this Memorial Day weekend those who have served our country!