This Week's Bible Lesson

January 17th: The Family of God
Main Point: God wants YOU in His family!
Bible Passage: Matthew 12:46-50
Memory Verse: John 3:17

Kiddie Korner: (Message Summary for Wiggly Little Ones)


Did you know that you can be in God’s family? Jesus teaches us that anyone who loves God and does his will are in his family. That means that God is our father, and we have TONS of brothers and sisters! Pretty cool, huh? 

For Tot-friendly activities, check out our Family Tree activity below! Preschoolers may also have fun with the hopscotch memory verse game!


Talk it over:

• What do you think it means to be a family?
• How should we treat members of our family?
• Who do you know that is in God’s family?
• Who do you hope will JOIN God’s family someday?

 God wants you in His family!

Galatians 3:26 says, “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”  This is the perfect opportunity to talk with them about what it means to become a follower of Jesus.  If you think your kids would benefit from a short, animated video about God’s story of salvation, check out this one: HERE

If any of your kids seem ready to accept Jesus, invite them to pray a prayer like this with you: “Dear God, thank you for loving us and for sending Jesus to save us!  I am sorry for the bad things I have done, and I want to follow the Lord Jesus.  Please teach me how to love you and follow you better.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.”

God’s Family Tree

Use the tree template provided in your supply envelope to help your children build God’s Family Tree! Or, download a PDF of it HERE.  

• Cut out some of the apple, leaf or flower images and help your child write names of fellow Christians on each image.  Let your child tape or glue them onto the tree.  Start with Jesus, then add yourselves, followed by other family members and friends.
• Invite your children also to brainstorm a few names of people to pray for, hoping that they will someday choose to follow Jesus.  Write these names on a few more images, and tape them up near the tree, so you will remember to pray for them!
• Hang your tree somewhere prominent as a reminder to pray for and love your brothers and sisters in Christ! 
• For older children, extend the lesson by looking at John 17:13-23, where Jesus prays for his future followers, and Ephesians 1:15-19, where Paul prays for a new church.  Use these to get ideas about how to pray for fellow believers. 

Memory Verse Game:

“God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world. He sent his Son to save the world through him.” John 3:17. Last week I posted the verse in the New International Version, but I slightly prefer the NIrV, which is more kid friendly. Feel free to use whichever you prefer.


Create a hopscotch course on your sidewalk with chalk, or in your house with masking tape.  Write a few words of the verse in each box, (or write them on sticky notes if you’re inside) and let your kids hop up and down the course saying the words as they go.  For little ones who are not yet confident readers, say the words call-and-response style as they hop.  For older kids ready for a challenge, gradually erase the words one box at a time and see if they can still say the whole verse as they hop.

Pray together, thanking God for loving us enough to welcome ALL of us into His family. Pray for members of your family tree, and for people you hope will join God’s family.

Look for opportunities to share God’s love with people who might not have joined God’s family yet!

Our goal: to help our kids come to love Jesus Christ. 

CityKids Vimeo Channel (to view past videos)

Parent|Child Dedication
Trout Lake Camp

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