Hey-O Stories Of The Bible - Saddleback Kids

THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY

Hey parents! Use these questions as a guide to talk over this week’s lesson, The Triumphal Entry , with your child after they’ve watched the video service!

1. What was your favorite part of the video we just watched? Do you have any questions about what you saw or heard?
2. Why was Jesus going to Jerusalem?
   To celebrate Passover, a Jewish holiday. He was getting ready for what we celebrate at Easter: to die on a cross to save us from our sins
3. Why did Jesus send two disciples ahead of him? Why is this detail important?
   To get a young donkey for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem. It’s important because God had said a long time ago that this is how Jesus would enter Jerusalem – he was doing what God said he would do.
4. Why did the people run to see Jesus?
   They had heard about the amazing things Jesus had done and wanted to worship him.
5. How did they worship Jesus?
   They waved palm branches and laid coats on the street before him. They worshipped him like a king. They shouted, “Hosanna” which means, “Save us!”
6. What are some ways you can worship Jesus this Easter?
   Getting ready for Easter by reading or watching the Easter story. Praying and thanking him for what Easter means. Singing, giving offerings to the church, and helping others are also all ways to worship God.

Parent Devotional

Hey parents! We have something just for you to enjoy this Bible story for yourself. We encourage you to read over this devotional sometime this week as a way to reflect on the Bible story your child saw from Church at Home. We love you!

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Elementary Activity Sheets

Each week we have a variety of activities to help your child remember the week’s lesson. They include new coloring pages and activity sheets to enjoy!

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Navigating Parenthood

Hey parents! Saddleback Parents has great training, tips, and tools to help you win. As we begin to talk about the grace extended to us through Christ’s death and resurrection, perhaps there are some areas where you can extend grace as well. Check out this Two-Minute Tip all about extending grace in your family.

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Once Moses was all grown up, everything seemed to fall apart. He left his great life in the palace and became a shepherd on a mountain. But one day he saw something pretty strange...

Hey parents! Download this FREE kid’s ministry resource 12 FREE Bible Stories here: https://bit.ly/2UAS1w7

We are proud to present podcasts for all ages! Don't forget to check out these other kids and parent podcasts from Saddleback:
🎧 Happy Harbor - Join Arlo the bear, Tilly the penguin, and Kelby the octopus each week as they learn that God made you, God loves you, and God wants to be your friend!

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Today's story comes from Exodus 3 and 4. Here's the passage courtesy of Bible Gateway!

Moses and the Burning Bush

3 Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro,[a] the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb,[b] the mountain of God. 2 Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed. 3 So Moses thought, “I must go over and look at this remarkable sight. Why isn’t the bush burning up?”

4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!”

“Here I am,” he answered.

5 “Do not come closer,” he said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he continued, “I am the God of your father,[c] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

7 Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors. I know about their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the territory of the Canaanites, Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 9 So because the Israelites’ cry for help has come to me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them, 10 therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

11 But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

12 He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship[d] God at this mountain.”

13 Then Moses asked God, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what should I tell them?”

14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.[e] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.

16 “Go and assemble the elders of Israel and say to them: The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me and said: I have paid close attention to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised you that I will bring you up from the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey. 18 They will listen to what you say. Then you, along with the elders of Israel, must go to the king of Egypt and say to him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us go on a three-day trip into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

19 “However, I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go, even under force from a strong hand. 20 But when I stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my miracles that I will perform in it, after that, he will let you go. 21 And I will give these people such favor with the Egyptians that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22 Each woman will ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry, and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”

Miraculous Signs for Moses

4 Moses answered, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

2 The Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A staff,” he replied.

3 “Throw it on the ground,” he said. So Moses threw it on the ground, it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 The Lord told Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail.” So he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand. 5 “This will take place,” he continued, “so that they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

6 In addition the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was diseased, resembling snow.[f] 7 “Put your hand back inside your cloak,” he said. So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, it had again become like the rest of his skin. 8 “If they will not believe you and will not respond to the evidence of the first sign, they may believe the evidence of the second sign. 9 And if they don’t believe even these two signs or listen to ...

Daniel prayed. That's a good thing! But then the king passed a law that said NOBODY could pray (except to the king) for 30 days. God said to pray, the king said not to pray. What should Daniel do? What would you do? Oh yeah, there's one other thing... if you DO pray you get fed to a bunch of hungry lions. 

Prayer is talking to God

Daniel would continuously talk to God through prayer. Even when he was threatened to be thrown into the lion’s den, Daniel would continue to pray to God.

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
– Colossians 4:2

Daniel 2, Daniel 6

Daniel and the Lion’s Den
Daniel was a very good, faithful man, who always obeyed God. He would pray to God consistently, three times a day. Daniel had a very close relationship to God due to how often he would talk to God through prayer and because of his unshakable faith. God also gave Daniel an incredible gift—Daniel was able to interpret dreams. This gift led Daniel to successfully interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The king then gave Daniel a high up position in the kingdom and gave him many gifts. Because Daniel was so smart, other wise men in the kingdom were very jealous. Their jealousy led them to convince King Darius to make a new law—that the people were only allowed to pray to the king. If people chose not to obey this law, they would be thrown in the lion’s den. These jealous men knew that Daniel would never obey this law since he would pray to God several times a day.

Daniel continued to pray in his room, even when he had heard about this new law. After the jealous men saw him do this, they told King Darius. This made King very upset because he cared for Daniel and tried to get him out of trouble, but knew there was no way around it. Before throwing him in the den, King Darius told Daniel “Your God, to whom you are so loyal, is going to get you out of this.” The next morning, King Darius went to check on Daniel and heard Daniel say “My God sent his angel to shut the lion’s mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have wronged you, Your majesty.” Daniel had not been harmed! They both knew that Daniel was protected because he had completely trusted God and had faith in Him. Daniel had a great amount of love for the Lord. Daniel also had a deep and personal connection to God because he would intentionally talk to God all the time through prayer. Regardless of the situation he was facing, he would make time to pray. Sometimes, we can get so caught up in our daily routine, that we neglect to prioritize our quiet time with God. But the truth is, God wants to hear from us—He wants us to talk to Him because of His love for each and every one of us.

I can talk to God.

 
Questions to think about:

1. Why did Daniel continue to pray, even when he knew his life would be threatened?
2. Why did Daniel have such a close relationship with God?
3. How can I remember to talk to God on a daily basis?

Noah And The Flood

Hey parents! Use these questions as a guide to talk over this week’s lesson, Noah and the Flood, with your child after they’ve watched the video service!

1. What was your favorite part of the video we just watched? Do you have any questions about what you saw?
2. How was Noah different from the people around him?
   Noah was the only man on Earth who still walked with God and made the right choices. All of the other people were evil and were doing things God says are wrong.
3. What were God’s instructions to Noah? Why might that have seemed strange?
   God told Noah to build a boat and put two of each animal on it. It was strange because God warned of a flood, but it had never even rained like that before! Noah had to have faith and trust God’s plan.
4. What did God promise Noah? How did he show this promise?
   God promised he would never flood the Earth again, and he put a rainbow in the sky to show his promise.
5. What are some of God’s plans for me?
   To love him forever, to love other people, and to be a part of his family.
6. Think about this part of our Bible verse: “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.” What does it mean that God directs your path?
   It means he tells us what is best and the right way to live. He does that by speaking to us through the Bible, through his helper the Holy Spirit, by talking to us through other Christians, or by talking to him in prayer.

Parent Devotional - Step Up Week 3

Hey parents! We have something just for you to enjoy this week’s Bible story for yourself. Read over this devotion sometime this week as a way for you to reflect on the Bible story your child saw from Church at Home. We love you!

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Step Up Week 3: EL Coloring page and Activity Sheet

Each week we have new activity sheets and coloring pages to help your child remember the Bible story and learn more about how they can step up in faith.

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Navigating Parenthood: Step Up - Week 3

Hey parents! Saddleback Parents has great training, tips, and tools to help you win. Check out part 3 of this Two Minute Tip series all about how we can help our kids hold onto faith.

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Today's Bible Story Comes Genesis 6-8 (from Bible Gateway)

6 Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. 2 The sons of God saw the beautiful women[a] and took any they wanted as their wives. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not put up with[b] humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.”

4 In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.

5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” 8 But Noah found favor with the Lord.

The Story of Noah

9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. 10 Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!

14 “Build a large boat[c] from cypress wood[d] and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. 15 Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.[e] 16 Leave an 18-inch opening[f] below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.

17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”

22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

The Flood Covers the Earth

7 When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous. 2 Take with you seven pairs—male and female—of each animal I have approved for eating and for sacrifice,[g] and take one pair of each of the others. 3 Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood. 4 Seven days from now I will make the rains pour down on the earth. And it will rain for forty days and forty nights, until I have wiped from the earth all the living things I have created.”

5 So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him.

Zacchaeus was not popular. A lot of people thought he was a liar and a cheater. Who knows why people thought that, except for the fact that he WAS a liar and a cheater. But then one day Jesus invited himself over for dinner. Find out what happened next!

Have you ever been in a spot where doing the right thing might get you in trouble? Three guys from today's story were in that kind of situation. Find out if this trouble was a little too hot to handle!

Who is your neighbor? Duh, the person next to you, right? Trick question! Jesus shares a story about who our neighbors are and how we should do about it. Stick around for the big twist!

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32

The father in this story had two sons and he obviously loved them very much. He worked hard to create an inheritance for them when he dies. The youngest son, however, did not want to wait until his father died so he asked for his inheritance early. The father gave him the inheritance and the son left. Imagine this from a father’s perspective. You have worked hard to provide the best for your sons. You have provided everything for them and instead of being grateful and respecting you, your son takes his money and leaves. He does not live out the end of your days with you. He does not make sure you are taken care of in your old age. He barely even says goodbye. He says, “You are no good to me alive, can I pretend you are dead already, take my money and never talk to you again?” Now that must have been hard to forgive. We do not know what the father’s emotions were in this moment, but he gives his son the money and then waits to see if his son would return. By the time his son comes back, he has forgiven him and is waiting for his return. He has compassion on the son and welcomes him back into the family with open arms. They even have a celebration for his return.

The example of forgiveness set by the father in this parable is almost unfathomable. We all go through life with people who have hurt and betrayed us. It is difficult to forgive them, but forgiveness is one of the most important things in our walk with God. Every one of us is indebted to God because of His forgiveness in our lives. He has set the standard for us to follow. Sometimes forgiveness is easy, sometimes it takes years to fully forgive someone. But if we continue to walk the process through with God, He will teach us how to forgive those who have hurt us the most.

Questions to think about:

1. Why do I need to forgive others?
2. What is the hardest part about forgiving someone?
3. Is there anyone who has hurt or betrayed me that I still to forgive?

Big and Strong: Joshua and the Walls of Jericho

“When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.” Joshua 6:5

Read: Joshua 6

Did you ever play the game “Simon Says” as a kid? If you remember, there is a leader playing the role of Simon who gives the players different instructions like “Simon says, ‘Rub your belly’” or “Simon says, ‘Spin in a circle.’” Some of these directions are silly and don’t make much sense, but if you follow all of Simon’s instructions you can win the game!

When God commanded Joshua to march in circles around the city of Jericho for seven days, the instructions sounded silly. How could walking around in circles and shouting cause the walls of Jericho to fall? God knew what He was doing, but the Israelites weren’t so certain. However, they followed the instructions anyway, and after seven days they overtook Jericho as God had promised.

The Israelites obeyed God even when His plan didn’t make much sense, and they were rewarded for it! If they had ignored God, they would have missed out on the incredible promises He had waiting for them in the Promised Land.

God knows what’s best for you, even if you don’t understand. Although it’s sometimes easier to follow our own plan, trusting God means believing He will do what He has promised. Believe that His plan is better than yours, have courage to follow Him, and see how He moves in your life!

Questions to think about:

1. Has God ever asked you to do something that sounded strange or scary?
2. How did you respond to His request?
3. What were your fears?
4. How will you respond to God’s instructions in the future, knowing Joshua’s story?

Parents! Did you know that there is a Stories of the Bible Junior! It's true! check it out by searching "Stories of the Bible Junior" in your favorite podcast app! And don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. We looove hearing from parents like you!