May 15 In KidQuest -- Love and Respect

Its time for a new environment. The past 4 weeks, your elementary student was exposed to the compassion of Jesus and how he served those he came in contact with. Over the next 4 weeks, they will begin to see how Jesus loved and respected them as well.

For us the environment of "Love & Respect" means this:
Without love, our faith becomes futile. Chidlren need to experience love and respect in order to receive and give God's grace. Innate in this environment is the value that children are respected becasue they embody the image of God. We must speak TO them, not AT them, and we must commit as parents and as a church, to an environment where love and acceptance are never withheld due to one's behavior.

God’s desire is for restoration: spiritually, physically, and emotionally. In Genesis, God created man “from the dust of the ground.” By healing the blind man with mud, Jesus demonstrated again that He is the Creator. He was revealing the Truth of John 1:3:

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

That fact didn’t escape the blind man, because he said in John 9:33, “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” This might be a confusing statement, considering the fact that we see magicians performing signs throughout Scripture. However, the blind man realized, through faith, that Jesus is God.

Jesus did not just heal the blind man physically; He also healed him socially. After he was healed, his physical ailment no longer excluded him from the community or (according to the religious leaders) condemned him as a sinner. But most importantly, Jesus healed the blind man spiritually.

In John 9, we first saw the blind man as a beggar, condemned as a sinner by his community. Then, we saw him progress to a state of dignity—even to the point of standing up to the Pharisees. Finally, we watched as Jesus loved and respected the blind man enough to restore him—mind, body, and soul. Then, we rejoiced with him as he came to a state of belief, worshipping Jesus, the Son of Man.

JUST FOR FUN
This week take turns blindfolding yourself and your children while trying to do something that is in the normal rhythm of your everyday life (folding a shirt, sweeping the floors, making your bed etc.). Discuss how hard it is to work when you can’t see! Then, read about how Jesus healed a blind man in John 9:1–12.

After reading this part of The Big God Story, ask your children how they think the blind man might have felt after Jesus healed him? Did Jesus have to touch the man to heal him? Talk together about why they think Jesus touched the man. Together as a family, thank God that He loves us so much and desires to heal us. If someone in your family has specific needs for healing, take this time to lift these up to God in prayer.

Share with your children that what they just heard is a part of The Big God Story in the Bible, and they will hear more about how Jesus restores in church this week.