​Well, we have reached the third and final March online Learning Together lesson. As always, you and your entire family are invited to read and listen and create and pray around our selected story.
    Our chosen story is called “The Singer” and can be found on pages 228-235 in the book The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. A free copy of this book is available to you at our church, Resurrection Lutheran Church, in New Berlin, or you can order a copy for yourself online.
     Below you will find a Children section, an Adult section, and a wrap-up section for Children and Adults together.
     Whether a child or an adult, if you have comments or questions, please use this blog to submit them to Pastor Matt, who welcomes discussion!
Children
     To begin, if you have your own book, please read the story “The Singer” again for review. You could also read the story out loud to a younger sister or brother, or maybe your mom or dad would listen to you read. If you do not have a book, listen again to our video above.
     The Lord has made all His creations and a bounty of flowers are part of that. If we look closer at our flowers, for example sunflowers, you will find some amazing miracles about them as programmed by God to thrive on their own.
     Did you know that God has built His sunflowers to ...
* have thousands of different types of sunflowers?
* range in color from yellow to white, orange, purple, brown, black and red?
* follow the sun during the day, which is important because, without enough light, they cannot produce seeds. Overnight, they return to facing east.
* slow their internal clocks after they bloom so they will no longer have to turn toward the sun? They remain facing east.
* absorb radioactive material from the soil? This makes them good plants to use in areas affected by radiation leaks.
     Sunflowers, like all flowers, find food and ways to protect themselves on their own because God has created them to know how to get the things they need to live and flourish.  From the Bible, we know that God loves US more than the flowers, or anything else for that matter, and doesn’t want His children, His dear lambs, to sit and worry. If He takes care of the sunflowers, which He does, He will take care of us.
Adults
     The Biblical reference is Matthew 5-7.
     The Sermon on the Mount could be the most well-known teaching of Jesus. It’s packed with valuable wisdom that has stood the test of time and informs our lives as followers of Jesus today just as much as it did back when it was given.  Below is the last four of ten interesting facts about this sermon of Jesus. (See the rest of the facts in the past two March lessons.)
It challenged the norms of who was “righteous” - The religious leaders of Jesus’ time heavily emphasized external behaviors as a marker for how faithful someone was. These leaders, the Pharisees, upheld strict rules from the Law of Moses – and were all too quick to point out when someone else failed to meet those standards. 
     Jesus turned these standards upside-down. In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus makes a bold statement: that he came to “accomplish the law of Moses.” He reveals that he’s come to make a new way for people to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, one that doesn’t require a perfect track record.  
     What does that mean? In John 14:6, Jesus puts it simply: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” Through Jesus – his sacrifice on the cross, which is what he knew would someday “accomplish the law of Moses” – our eternity in heaven can be secured. All we need to do is trust Jesus and invite him to change our lives. 
Jesus sat while he was teaching - In Jewish tradition, teachers often sat down when they were teaching. Jesus probably did the same thing when he delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:1 says, “When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountainside and sat down.” Sitting to teach was also a symbol of authority in Jewish culture. 
It ends with a call to action - The Sermon on the Mount isn’t just some good advice—it’s a call to action. Jesus wrapped up his sermon with a powerful story of two builders, one who built his house on the rock (a symbol of living out Jesus’ teachings) and another on sand (ignoring his teachings). “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” Matthew 7:24 
     The Sermon on the Mount is one of the key teachings of Jesus that gives us a glimpse into his heart for his people. These teachings stand the test of time and offer us insights into how we can better live out our faith today. 
Children and Adults
     This Sunday, March 23, 2025 is the fourth Sunday of the month, and that means our Sunday School will be meeting from 11 am – 12pm at our church right after service. We will start with a treat, followed by oral reading and discussing of our story, move on to assemble a fun craft, and end with a prayer. All ages are welcome!
~This Week’s Prayer~
Dear Lord, I am thankful for all Your
creations that so enrich my life. Amen
 
Have a safe week,
Margo Greer

I hope that this new online Lesson 3 for February finds everyone healthy! As always, you and your entire family are invited to read and listen and create and pray around our selected story. The title of our February story is “A Little Servant Girl and the Proud General”. It can be found on pages 136-143 of The Jesus Storybook Bible written by Sally Lloyd-Jones. A free copy of this book is available to you at our church, Resurrection Lutheran Church in New Berlin, or you can order a
copy online. Both children and adults can respond to Pastor Matt on this blog if there are questions or comments.

Children
Let’s begin with a reread of the story or a re-listen to the video above as a review. Remember you can also find someone, a parent or a friend for example, to read the story together. Today we are going to look at the miracles in our story. A miracle is a surprising and welcome event that cannot be explained by the normal laws of nature.

Naaman, whose picture is to the left, was commander of the Army, wealthy, and a talented soldier.  He had everything going for him, except leprosy.  While leprosy may have been a terrible thing to Naaman, it brought him to Israel to the prophet Elisha who told him about the one true God. God could have helped Naaman’s leprosy in many ways, but He chose to use one small girl to bring Naaman to healing and to know God. And this little girl should have hated Naaman for killing her parents and making her a slave!! God miraculously softened her heart so she wanted to help him. Yes, God can use anybody to do His work. Just as He can use a little servant girl, He can use each and every one of us! He can use YOU! Do you think the little girl was treated differently once Naaman went back home? My answer would be yes, very much differently. She was not only
responsible for his healing, she had given him (and his wife, children, and servants) a chance to know the true God! I believe that Naaman and the little girl would have loved each other, and he would have welcomed her into the family. It was a miracle that her life was so amazingly changed by God! Healing Naaman’s leprosy was truly a miracle, also. Let’s think about what possibly could have been in the water of the Jordan River that healed Naaman?? Would the river Naaman could have used in his home country of Aram have worked? Could any river have worked? Yes is the answer to all three questions. Any body of water, large or small, an ocean or a puddle, chosen by God would have worked if Naaman wanted to try it. The water wasn’t the cure on its own; God used that water to deliver His miracle of healing and rebirth for Naaman. Why would God choose “washing in water” to do Naaman’s healing? Being washed in water should sound familiar to us in our religion. Amazingly, Naaman was baptizing himself and didn’t know it. And being baptized allowed
him to be a member of God’s kingdom, just as it does for us. Knowing and loving our Lord God and His grace is the greatest miracle of all!

Adults
The Biblical reference is 2 Kings 5 and is continued from the previous lesson. Naaman went straight back to Elisha’s house. Naaman wanted to give Elisha all the money, gold and silver, and beautiful fabrics he had brought from Aram. But Elisha would not accept the gifts. He had not done this for money. He told Naaman how to be healed because he wanted Naaman to know that God was real. “Elisha, since I have been healed of my leprosy, I know that the God of Israel is real. My wife’s servant girl was right. From now on, I will worship the Lord,” Naaman promised. Naaman left and began his journey back to Aram. Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, was not happy. He thought Elisha should have accepted all of the gifts. Gehazi did not tell Elisha, but he followed Naaman and told him a lie. Gehazi told Naaman that Elisha had changed his mind, and now Elisha wanted the gifts. Naaman was happy to give Gehazi the gifts, and then he continued on his journey.
Elisha was very angry with Gehazi for the way he had tricked Naaman. He told Gehazi that now he would have the leprosy that Naaman had had. Gehazi looked down at his skin and saw that he did have leprosy. Gehazi knew that he had made a big mistake. P.S. In this final note, adults/parents praise children for their accomplishments – earning good grades, scoring a soccer goal, or painting a pretty picture. Let us also praise them for helping others, for allowing someone else to go first, for volunteering to clean up or tidy an area, for trying to help someone solve a problem when difficulties arise. God wants us to praise their simple acts of kindness.

Children and Adults
This coming Sunday, February 23, 2024, from 11 am to 12pm, our monthly Sunday School will gather to talk about the little girl and Naaman. We will begin with a tasty treat, continue with an oral reading and discussion of our story, move on to a fun craft, and end with a prayer of the week. All are invited to join us! Hope to see you!

~Weekly Prayer~
My dear Lord, thank You for the miracle of creating me.

Brrr … Stay warm,
Margo Greer

Hello again to you and your family! Today we are beginning a new Bible
story for the new month. As always, you and your entire family are invited to
read and listen and create and pray around this story.
Besides this first lesson, there will be two more online lessons this
month, one per week, and Sunday School will meet on Sunday, February 23,
2025. More information about that will be given at the end of this lesson.
February’s story is “A Little Servant Girl and the Proud General” and can
be found on pages 136-143 of The Jesus Storybook Bible written by Sally
Lloyd-Jones. A free copy of this book is available for you at church or you
can order one online.
Below, you will find a Children section, an Adult section, and a wrap-up
section for Children and Adults together.
Children
Please locate a comfortable spot, settle in, and listen to the oral read
recording of this story found at the beginning of this lesson. Close your eyes
as you listen and imagine the scenes as they take place, or you could draw
your own pictures as the story is read to you.
You have met our main character – Naaman. He was very rich, a high-
ranking army man, and very famous for winning a big battle that helped save
his country. He was very, very proud of himself and thought he knew best
about everything.
He was also a very sick man. His illness was called leprosy. Today it is
called Hansen’s Disease.
In the time of the Bible, leprosy was a chronic (doesn’t ever go away) and
incurable (can’t be healed) skin disease that was considered a punishment
from God for sinning. People with leprosy were treated as outcasts, meaning
they could not be allowed to live with their families and be in their
neighborhoods. It seems a very mean way to treat sick people, but everyone
knew this disease could spread, and there was no cure. It was best not to
take any chances and best to avoid a pandemic.

Today, modern medicine and science have taught doctors that leprosy is
caused by a certain type of germ called bacteria. Medicines called
antibiotics kill bacteria and can cure this disease now!
By the way, it is curious to know that skin doctors have noticed that
today’s patients with leprosy have one of these risk factors:
 Lived in a country where leprosy is more common, such as India, Brazil,
China, Indonesia, or parts of Africa
 Handled an armadillo
 Spent time outdoors in an area where armadillos live
If you have any comments or questions, please submit them on this blog
and Pastor Matt will respond to you.

Adults
The Biblical reference is 2 Kings 5.
Naaman was the commander of the whole army of the country of Aram
(now called Syria). He was very rich. He had many servants. Even his wife
had a servant girl. She was a little girl from the country of Israel. She had
been captured from her home and brought to the country of Aram to be a
slave in Naaman’s house. Naaman and his family did not believe in God, but
the little girl did. Even though she was far away from her parents and Israel,
she remembered what her parents had taught her when she was very little.
She remembered Elisha, the prophet, and all the good things he did for God.
Even though Naaman was a commander of the army and very rich, he had
a very big problem. He had a terrible disease called leprosy. Leprosy starts
out as white spots on the skin. Then, the white spots start becoming sorer.
If the leprosy spots were on a person’s hands, then their hands could
become so sore with leprosy that they could fall off. The spots would spread
all over your body, and finally, you would die. It was a horrible thing to have
leprosy because no medicine could make it better.
No one wanted to be around someone with leprosy because they might get
leprosy, too. Naaman had to stay away from everyone. He could not be a
soldier anymore, and he could not be with his family. Everyone was really
bummed about Naaman, especially Naaman.
To be continued next week.
As with the children, if you have any comments or questions, please
submit them on this blog. Pastor Matt welcomes the discussion.

Children and Adults

Sunday School will meet at our church on February 23, 2025, at 11am-
12pm after services. During our gathering, we will enjoy a treat, oral read
and discuss the story, assemble a craft, and end with a prayer. All ages are
invited to attend and participate. Put it on your calendar.
​
~This Week’s Prayer~
Sweet Jesus, give me strength to avoid being too proud and bossy.
Have a blessed week,
Margo Greer