Children's Faith Formation

Read Mark 1:29-39.

Jesus enjoyed teaching others, he enjoyed healing others, and he enjoyed helping others.  People from all over heard that Jesus could heal people.  They brought their friends and family from all over to Jesus so that he could make them well.  And Jesus did.  He went out of his way to help.

But not everyone who needed to be healed by Jesus was a stranger.  One of Jesus’ followers, his disciple Simon Peter, invited Jesus to his house.  Simon Peter was married and his wife’s mother was sick. She had a terrible fever.  Simon Peter asked Jesus to heal her.

Let’s watch the video and hear what happened next.

Read:

Jesus could see how sad Simon Peter was and he could tell how sick his wife’s mother was.  Jesus knelt down beside her, took her had, and healed her.  She was made well.  In fact, she felt so much better that she got up and make something for them all to eat.  She didn’t just feel a little better, she was completely healed!

Jesus and his friends continued to travel from town to town teaching people about God’s love and healing those who were sick.  Jesus helped those who were in need of healing.  Jesus still helps people who are in need.  When we pray and tell Jesus about our needs, Jesus hears us and helps us.  Jesus often helps us through other people.  And when other people need help, Jesus often uses us to help them.  When someone at school is lonely because they don’t have any friends, Jesus can use to be a friend to them.  When someone we know is sick, Jesus can use to pray for them, to cheer them up, to remind them that there is hope because Jesus is with them.  When our mom and dad are tired and can’t get everything done, Jesus can use us to help them by vacuuming or picking up our room or by nor arguing with our brother or sister.  In St. Matthew’s gospel, we hear Jesus say, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Like Jesus helped his friend Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, Jesus helps us and call us to help others.

Discuss

• If you could bring someone to Jesus to be healed, who would you bring?  Why?
• Tell about people you know who need Jesus’ help.
• What can we do to care for people in need?

Song

Your Power Will Pull Us Through.  Lifetree Kids.

Activity

As Jesus traveled, he helped people by healing them.  He helped heal Simon Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever.  Jesus came to help us.  We’re going to play a game that teaches us a little about helping.

Have one person with a basket on its side on one end of the room.  The other person will have three tennis balls or balls that will fit into the basket and rolls them, trying to get them into the basket.  The person with the basket should move it to help make sure each ball makes it into the basket.  Take turns.

How did a helping hand affect your ability to get the ball into the basket?  What other tasks are easier when you have help?  Without God’s help, we could never know God or trust God.  But because of God’s great love for us, Jesus came to help us so we can know God.

Activity

Project Sunshine is a program to help bring smiles to hospitalized children.  Carefully read through the instructions on the flyer and see if you’d like to participate (download it below).  It is one way to help bring about healing for a child who is sick.

Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank you for your care for us.  Help us be like you and care for others.  Amen.

Pastor Dan Fugate, Assistant to the Bishop for Discipleship in the Indiana-Kentucky Synod, ELCA, put this lesson together for Sunday School @ Home.  There will be a new one for each Sunday while we are unable to gather together physically in our congregational buildings.  Contact him at dfugate@iksynod.org.