BIG POINT
I thank God for my parents
GOD’S WORD
Honour your parents (Ephesians 6:1-3)
Children, obey your parents in everything. That pleases the Lord
Colossians 3:20 NIRV
| PRAISE | Perfect Love – Planetshakers One Way – Hillsong |
| WORSHIP | I’m Forever Yours – Planetshakers |
| HEART PREP | Goodness of God – Bethel Worship |
TEACHING
Families are God’s gifts to us. He places us in our families so that we have a safe place to grow up, a wonderful environment where we can experience His love for us for our entire life, from the very beginning all the way to the end. Families fit in to His grand design and great plan for humankind.
And in our families, he set our parents as His representatives, the first people from whom we experience unconditional love. They are also the first leaders that we encounter. By their example, we learn how it is to honour and obey.
Thank God for my Parents!
This week we are reminded to Thank God for our Parents. The mothers and fathers that we have are God’s gifts to us, given to us even before we were born.
Let’s see what the Bible has to say about it:
Children, obey your parents as believers in the Lord. Obey them because it’s the right thing to do. Scripture says, “Honor your father and mother.” That is the first commandment that has a promise. “Then things will go well with you. You will live a long time on the earth.” (Deuteronomy 5:16)
Ephesians 6:1-3 NIRV
Let’s take that verse line by line:
Honor your father and mother – this means to love and obey them, and to treat them with respect. How do you show your parents that you love them?
Commandment with a promise – this means that God will reward you if you do this right. You will lead a blessed life, and you will have the peace and joy that Jesus brings. Have you experienced these sorts of promises in your life before?
Things will go well with you – this means that God will help your life work out for the better. It goes with the previous line about promise. He doesn’t promise a perfect life, but it will be a life lived well, with the added bonus of eternal life in heaven.
[Our parents are not perfect. Because of sin, they may sometimes do or say things that are wrong. If this happens, we don’t stop loving them, and we may seek help from other trusted adults.]
The best way of thanking God for the wonderful gifts that are our parents is by loving them. And the best way to show this love is by honouring them with obedience.
Children, obey your parents in everything. That pleases the Lord.
Colossians 3:20 NIRV
| Things to prepare for Circle of Blessings Activity | |
| 1 | Phone, book, ball |
| 2 | Candy/chocolate bar, video game disc, money |
| 3 | Video game disc, burger |
When we obey our parents, we are within what can be thought of as a “Circle of Blessing”. It’s an area where God watches over us and protects us from bad things that can happen to us. When we disobey, it’s like stepping out of that circle. Bad things can then start to happen in our lives.
[Setup up a big hula hoop on the floor, and ask for a volunteer for every example story to stay inside it. “Tempt” them to step out with the objects as they are being laid down, and mist them with water when they do.]
Example 1 Sometimes our parents will tell us to clean up our rooms. That’s usually not a fun job, and we would rather do something else, right? Like maybe go on your phone (lay down a phone out of reach of the circle). Read a book (lay down a book). Or play with your friends (lay down a ball). Staying in the circle is like obeying your parents and cleaning your room. What do you think will happen if you disobey?
Example 2 For those who get an allowance, sometimes there might be things that we want that is simply out of our reach. Maybe, it’s the latest console game that you just have to have. Or maybe, you want to be able to get more candy out of the vending machine. Now, what if, you see some money just lying around the house. No one is there to see you. Staying in the circle is like obeying your parents, and God, by not stealing the money. Would you take it?
Example 3 Studying is necessary, but sometimes it takes up so much of your fun time! Time you could be spending playing video games, or going out with your friends. Sometimes your parents will not let you go out when you need to study, because they know what’s best for you. Staying in the circle is like obeying your parents and studying when they tell you to. What are you going to do?
When we choose to disobey, we move out of that circle of blessing, and we are putting ourselves in the position of being hurt. We are allowing ourselves to get closer to harm’s way.
This is why we should ever be so thankful for our parents. They keep us in line, and teach us how to be obedient, and make sure that we are within God’s circle of blessing. It is only in His presence that we will experience the full life, the not-so-perfect but full-of-promises life, that God can give.
Let’s stand up to worship to seal all this with a prayer.
Teaching Slides here.
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Read the verse line by line. If someone else has different versions of the Bible, have them read it to compare how it was said.
- What’s the most expensive thing your parents ever gave you? (Let them answer one by one, and accept answers as diverse as personal material gifts, and obscure big things like ‘education’.)
- What’s the most expensive/valuable thing you ever gave your parents? (If they can’t think of any, lead them into thinking of gifts during events, or things they do for their parents.)
- Apart from obedience, what are other ways you can show honour and love to your parents?
Suggested Activity: Find blank Mother’s Day or Father’s Day coupon booklet templates on the Internet, and have the kids make at least five coupons that they can give to their mom and dad. Have them think of things or services that they know would please their parents.
