This lesson follows the format of FAITH5. The format can be used in a simple way for family devotions—as a bedtime ritual, at a meal time, or another time when your family is together. We encourage you to establish this pattern in your home, especially during the weeks when we cannot be together. Part 1 of 3: SHARE Take a few minutes and have everyone share their “highs and lows” from the day or the past few days. What are things that have made you happy? What are things that made you sad or frustrated? Are there things you are worried about? You might want to write these down on a paper or in a notebook to refer back to later. We will pray for all of these things at the end of the lesson. Part 2 of 3: READ Today we hear about “Perseverance” from Mrs Margie. You can also read the story of Joseph and his brothers in the Bible in Genesis chapters 37-42. It is a long story, so you can also choose your favorite story Bible to read this story.
Part 3 of 3: TALK (and do) Things to talk about:
What are things that make you want to give up? What frustrates you?
What things have frustrated you this week that made you just want to walk away?
Have you ever been encouraged by someone else when you are frustrated and discouraged? What did they do? Did it help you to keep going?
ACTIVITY OPTIONS
Sometimes it helps people to keep going when they know that someone cares about them. While we are apart from each other it can be easy for someone to forget that people care about them. Think of 3 people you know who might feel frustrated, discouraged, or alone this week. What can you do to encourage them? Make a plan with your family to help them persevere – you might call or video chat with them, write them a card, deliver them a meal, or some other way to help them know they are loved.
In the Bible look up Hebrews 12:1. What is this verse about? Write a song or a chant using the words from this verse (or put the idea into your own words.) If you wish, send a video of your creation to mketepa@bslcmi.org and it will be shared with our Sunday School friends.
It takes perseverance to learn something new. Perseverance means we keep trying when things are hard and we don’t get it right the first time. Have you been learning something new lately? Maybe you’re learning how to dance with your class over the internet. Did you learn how to ride a bike in the past few weeks? Have you learned how to do more difficult math problems? Did you learn new words in spelling or reading? Have you learned how to cook or do other things that help around the house? Think about something you used to find difficult that now you can do all by yourself. Draw a picture that shows before you learned and after. Celebrate with your family how you have grown and learned!
The Bible reminds us to persevere in prayer. (Romans 12:12) This means that we can pray to help ourselves keep going, and that we can pray for others. Even when it doesn’t feel like God is listening, we can know that God hears our prayers and will help us. Through the coming week, write 2-3 prayers (or more) on strips of paper each day. You can either write a prayer about something that you are upset about, something you can celebrate, or a prayer for someone else. Create a paper chain with your prayers and hang it someplace where you will see it. Let it remind you that we can always pray.
Help everyone in your family remember that they have important gifts that help you all work together and persevere. On a nice day, take turns tracing each other on the sidewalk with chalk. Then use your chalk to draw or write special things about each family member inside the chalk outlines. What does your family do that encourages you to persevere?
PRAY (5 minutes)
Close with prayer together. Pray about the highs and lows shared at the beginning of your time together. BLESS (5 minutes)
Close by gathering everyone in a circle and blessing each other. Make the cross on each other’s foreheads and speak a simple blessing, or if you wish you can use the words from the baptism service: “You are sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.”