Big Idea: God’s grace is a free gift, so we can go to Him to have our sins washed clean.
Bible Basis: 2 Kings 5:1-16
Key Verse: ““God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do. It is God’s gift.” Ephesians 2:8 (NIrV)
OPENING PRAYER
Lord, open now my heart to hear, And through your Word to me draw near. Let me your Word ever pure retain; Let me your child and heir remain. All this I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THUMBS UP, THUMBS DOWN
Simply ask your child to share one good thing that happened today or this week (thumbs up) and one not-so-good thing (thumbs down). This is a great way to share celebrations and struggles with one another.
COMIC SHEET
This month’s theme, The Fab Five, has a superhero / comic sheet feel. So, as we go through the Bible lessons, your child will be able to add their drawings to the Bible History comic sheet available below. The comic sheet will include panels with background scenery, but the primary drawings are missing. As our leader goes through the story, encourage your child to draw the missing pictures.
BIBLE LESSON VIDEO
ASK THESE QUESTIONS
For younger kids:
What was your favorite part of this story? Why?
Why do you think Elisha refused to take a payment for healing Naaman?
For older kids:
What does this story teach you about God?
Why do you think Elisha refused to take a payment for healing Naaman?
REFLECT AND RESPOND
After the video, have your child pick one or more of the prompts on the GO! Home Guide.
Prayer Station prompt: Write a prayer to God. Tell Him thank you for washing your sins clean.
Journal Station prompt: When Naaman saw that his skin was healed, he was overcome with joy. Write a letter to God telling Him how it makes you feel knowing that your sins have been washed clean.
Bible Station prompt: Read it for yourself: 2 Kings 5:1-16. Draw a picture of the story or write to God about your favorite part of the story. Tell Him why you liked it.
Art Station prompt: The best way to say “thanks” to God for His grace is to praise Him. Draw a picture of yourself praising God.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
+ The Fab Five Connect Activity
- Say: Are you ready for another week of “The Fab Five”? Once again, we’ll be going on a comic book adventure through the Bible to learn about five fabulous prophets from the Old Testament. The prophets had something like a superpower—with the help of God, they could see things in the future. To get us started, I want to ask you a question. Instead of telling us the answer, though, you’re going to draw it!
- Directions: Give each kid a blank piece of paper. Place a box of markers, crayons, or colored pencils in the middle of the group. When ready, ask the question below and have the kids draw a picture of their answer. When finished, allow the kids to show their picture and tell a little bit about what they drew.
- Question: If you were a superhero, what kind of costume would you want to wear?
+ Mirror Mess Up (Application Activity)
- Say: In today’s lesson, we learned that God’s grace is a free gift. There is no amount of money that you can pay to get it. There is no amount of good things you can do to earn it. The only thing that can wash our sins away is believing in Jesus. We’re going to do an activity that will help us think about that.
- Directions: Place a small mirror in the middle of the circle. Ask your group for examples of different sins that a kid might commit. For each sin that is shared, use the permanent marker to color a small circle on the mirror. After everyone has had a chance to share, allow each kid to hold the mirror and look into it. It will appear as though they have spots on their face.
- Say: When you look into the mirror, you see what Naaman must have seen. But instead of leprosy, the spots you see are caused by sin. Sometimes people think they can get rid of their sin by being really good. (Try to rub the “sin” spots off with your finger. Allow kids to try too.) But the sin won’t go away. Sometimes people think they can get rid of their sin by giving lots of money to the church or poor people. (Try to rub the “sin” spot off with a paper towel or cloth. Allow kids to try too.) But the sin still won’t go away. There is only one thing that can wash away our sins.
- Directions: Hold up the red dry erase marker. Tell the kids that the red reminds us of Jesus’ blood. Tell them the only thing that can wash away our sins is believing that Jesus died for us and rose again. Use the dry erase marker to color over the top of the permanent marker, making it disappear. Allow some of the kids in the group to color over the remaining “sin” spots. When all of the spots have been colored over, wipe over the mirror with the paper towel or cloth. All of the marker will wipe away so that the mirror is clean again. When finished, share with the kids in your group when and how you became a Christian. Try to keep it around a few minutes and use age-appropriate details.
- Question: Did any of you pray to become a follower of Jesus for the first time today? (If yes, be sure to celebrate that kid.) What was that like?
- Question: Have any of you ever prayed in the past to become a follower of Jesus? When did you do it? How did it happen?
+ Battle-Verse (Bible Memorization Activity)
- Directions: : Lay the “Bible Verse Segment” cards face up in the middle of your group. Each card contains only a small part of the Bible verse. Encourage your group to help you place the cards in the right order. Read the verse carefully with your group several times so they can begin to memorize it. Today’s Bible verse says: “God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do. It is God’s gift.” Ephesians 2:8 Next, divide your group into 2 teams. Choose one kid from each team to battle against each other by playing a round of “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” Have both kids chant, “rock, paper, scissors, shoot.” On “shoot,” the kids will show with their hand which of the three items they’ve chosen. For “rock” they’ll display a closed fist. For “paper” they’ll hold their hand open flat with palm facing downward. For “scissors,” they’ll hold out their pointer and middle finger in the form of scissors. Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock. Play the best 2 out of 3 to determine which kid wins the round. Direct the winning kid to remove one card from the Bible verse. The team that lost the round will then have to recite the verse with the missing words. Continue playing until all of the cards have been removed and the teams have recited the verse completely from memory.
- Question: If there’s nothing you can do to earn a “forever life in heaven,” is there any reason to be good? Why or why not? (For help with the answer, look up Romans 6:1-2.)
+ Prayer Knot (Prayer Activity)
- Directions: Tell you group to get in a tight circle, standing shoulder to shoulder. Tell everyone to reach into the circle with their right hand and grab the hand of someone across the circle. Next, tell everyone to reach into the circle with their left hand and grab a different person’s hand. It’s important that everyone is holding the hands of two different people. Challenge your group to untangle themselves and make a circle without breaking the chain of hands. Consider the age and abilities of your group when determining how much help to give them. Once your group is in a circle and holding hands, have them take a seat. Choose a kid in the circle to share their name and a prayer request. Everyone should listen carefully to the request, but encourage the two kids on either side of her to pay special attention. Those two kids should remember her request and pray for her over the coming week. Continue around the circle sharing requests. Finish by closing in a group prayer .
(Due to copyright restrictions, the printable materials described in the activities above are only available to those who have registered for Our Savior’s Kids. To register your child(ren), click the button below)
CLOSING PRAYER
Dear God, in your grace and mercy, you have forgiven my sin by sending Jesus to be my Savior. Thank you for your grace and Christ’s forgiveness. Amen.
DURING THE WEEK
Read in the Bible the story that was the basis for this week’s lesson:
2 Kings 5
Do more of the activities list above with your child.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LESSON?
Leave them in the comments below!