7th June 2020
God is good, and through drawing close to him and being filled with his Spirit we are made like him. So this week’s focus is on knowing God, on experiencing his goodness in our lives.
Enjoy these colouring pages:
“Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
Here are some ideas to help you explore goodness together at home.
Have you ever opened a banana that looked fine but was bruised inside? or the other way round? People can appear to be good by their outward acts, but can be ‘rotten’ inside.
Make a paper fruit like these ones, and on the first layer write some of the things that make people look good (being polite, well behaved, generous etc). On the layer underneath think about what true goodness is and what God is looking for in his children.
This flap picture is to help the younger ones to connect with the story of Zacchaeus. But we won’t hold it against any older ones who want to give it a try!
Print out and colour in the two layers, then cut the doors and stick together.
Decorate a paper plate with your favourite foods and the memory verse for the week.
Zacchaeus was excited to see Jesus but so were many other people. Imagine the excitement of the crowd, all trying to get a glimpse of Jesus.
Have you ever been in a crowd like that, or been excited to see someone? How did it feel?
How do you think Zacchaeus felt when Jesus stopped to talk to him and even called him by his name?
Read how the other people reacted in verse 7.
Do you know why they felt this way?
(People didn't think Zacchaeus deserved to have such a special person, like Jesus, at his house. Zacchaeus was a rich man (verse 2). He probably became rich by taking more money than he should have, when he collected taxes for the Roman ruler, and keeping the extra for himself.)
Why do you think Jesus chose to go to Zacchaeus' house?
Zacchaeus made some big decisions when Jesus came to visit. He chose to be generous - very generous!
Do you think Jesus told Zacchaeus to give the money away in the way described in verse 8?
When people spend time with Jesus, they start to show goodness from the inside, from their heart, because they love Jesus and want to please him. Their actions start to change to show goodness. Today we can't be with Jesus in person, like Zacchaeus was, because Jesus is in heaven. The way we spend time with Jesus is through reading about him in the Bible, learning about him, being filled with his Spirit and talking to him (praying).
How do you think the people felt about Zacchaeus after his encounter with Jesus?
Have you ever thought that someone else didn’t deserve Jesus' love?
Have you (or someone you know) started to show more goodness because you love Jesus? Can you give some examples?
What could you do when it's still difficult to show goodness to others?
Jesus showed love to Zacchaeus despite his greed, his reputation and his actions. Thank Jesus for his love for you. Ask him to fill you with his spirit and to show you how good he is, and you will grow in showing goodness to others, even when it's difficult.
You will need some chocolates from a selection box or some unfamiliar fruits - one piece for each person
What do you think it will taste like?
Discuss how you can’t know for sure what is inside without picking it up, holding it, and then tasting it.
God is like this. We can’t really know what he’s like if we don’t get close to him. He wants us to experience (taste) his goodness.
How can we “taste” God?
Read His word, pray, be filled with the Holy Spirit, look for Jesus at work in the world around us.
Now that you’ve tasted it, would you like to give one to a friend?
Once we “taste” the kindness of God, we want to share him with others.
Let everyone choose another chocolate/fruit to share with someone.
“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power ... to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
