April 2023 - Week 3 “A Dark Night in the Garden”

As promised, here is the last of three lessons based on the story “A Dark Night in the Garden” found in The Jesus Storybook Bible written by Sally Lloyd-Jones on pages 294-301.     Children: Please reread the story out loud, maybe with a family member listening, or silently by yourself. There’s a lot of emotion in this story. Maybe you could draw your own picture of one of the scenes.
     There are two main ideas to remember in this story. The first is that Jesus really loves us. I mean he really, REALLY loves us. In our world today, there aren’t too many people who would die for someone, especially someone they never met. Jesus died for his friends, his enemies, for you, and for me. He obeyed God because he knew by obeying God, he could give all of us a new life.
     The second main idea is a challenge for us. Jesus was obedient to God, and God wants us to be obedient to Him. We need to obey our parents, teachers, coaches, and other mentors, but more than anything, we need to obey God.
     Adults: This story is biblically referenced in Luke 22, Mark 14, and John 18. Jesus didn’t want to suffer, but He nevertheless chose voluntarily to be obedient. That incredible obedience means we can have help to be just as obedient when it’s our time. It shows God provides strength in tough circumstances, and that even when we might not understand everything going on or are unsure about our next step, we can trust the one who controls all things to see through his vision for our lives. God might not make a difficult situation disappear, but he'll give us much-needed strength.
~This week’s prayer: We thank God for the obedience of Jesus, and ask him to help us to be just as obedient.
     This coming Sunday, April 23, Sunday School will meet right after church services at 11:00 a.m. for a story discussion and a related, fun craft. Please bring any of your artwork, or questions, or comments with you. Looking forward to seeing you!
Goodbye for now,
Margo Greer edit.