During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
I will not leave you like children who don’t have parents. I will come to you.
John 14:18
Jesus is with you! Jesus will come to you and comfort you. Jesus walks with you in every situation in life. When you believe in Him, He says that He will not leave you. Have you ever felt that Jesus was with you? Maybe you were alone and needed help. When you ask for His help, Jesus will come to you.
As you face life’s challenges this week, talk to Jesus. Know that He is with you and will not leave you. Let the knowledge that Jesus is with you give you strength. He is with you when life is good and when life is difficult. He is the best friend that you will ever have. Make some quiet time this week to share your heart with your best friend, Jesus.
Encourage families to talk to their children about their friends—what they talk about and what they do together. Ask the families to encourage the children to talk with Jesus. He is a friend who will never leave them!
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Welcome each child as she comes to class. Have children sit in groups of 3–4.
Today, we will learn more about a very special friend. To help us understand this friend, let’s talk about your friends.
Think about a very good friend. Do you have a picture of that person in your mind? You do not need to say your friend’s name, but use this person as an example to help you answer the following questions.
Give the groups of children 2 minutes to answer each of the following questions. Walk around the room and listen to their answers.
Situation 1: Your bicycle just broke! You really liked your bicycle and used it to get around your village.
Situation 2: Your older sister works in a factory in another town to help your family earn money. You learn that she is coming to visit for a few days. You are really excited to see her!
Friends are people who you can talk to about the things that are happening in your life. They are often the first people to know when you are sad or when you are happy.
At the beginning of class, I told you that we would learn more about a very special friend. Think about who we have been learning about the last 3 weeks.
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
Our special friend is Jesus! We can come to Jesus with our thoughts and feelings just as we do with the friends we see and play with every day. But, unlike our other friends, Jesus is always with us!
Ask the children to sit in pairs for the next activity.
Jesus is with you all the time and everywhere you are. You can talk to Jesus anytime. You can talk to Jesus silently anywhere. When it is safe, you can talk to Jesus with your voice. Jesus is always ready to listen.
Jesus came to earth and lived as a human person, but He is also God’s only Son. We learned that God keeps His promises, right? Since Jesus is God’s Son, we can also trust Jesus to keep His promises. He promises to always be with us. Listen to what Jesus promises in the Bible:
Read the verse directly from your Bible.
I will not leave you like children who don’t have parents. I will come to you.
John 14:18
Jesus is with you! When you ask Jesus for help, He will come to you. When you want to talk to Him about something that is bothering you, He will come to you. Jesus is always with those who believe in Him. When you believe, His spirit comes to live with you. When you are frightened or when you have something good happening in your life, Jesus is with you!
Allow 1 minute for the children to discuss each of the following questions with their partners.
When you ask Him to be with you, Jesus will never leave you. With Jesus as your best friend, you are never alone. In everything you do, He is with you. When you believe that Jesus is God’s only Son and that He died for your sins, you can invite Him to live in your heart. The Bible says:
Then Christ will live in your hearts because you believe in him. And I pray that your love will have deep roots. I pray that it will have a strong foundation.
Ephesians 3:17
This verse compares love to a plant with deep roots.
Yes, it is strong.
Allow 1–2 children to respond.
If a plant has deep roots, it is difficult to pull that plant out of the ground. Even if you break the top of the plant, the roots are usually still in the ground. If the roots are still there, the plant can usually grow back. The love of Jesus is like a plant with deep roots. When you love Jesus Christ, nothing can take His love away from you. Listen again to these Bible verses:
Who can separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble or hard times or harm or hunger? Can nakedness or danger or war?…
Romans 8:35
Not even the highest places or the lowest, or anything else in all creation can separate us. Nothing at all can ever separate us from God’s love. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.
Romans 8:39
Allow 1 minute for the children to talk to their partners.
Once you have asked Jesus into your heart, He will not leave you. He is always with you.
Invite the children to spread out so they have a little space around them. Then, ask them to sit down.
Jesus is a friend to those who believe in Him. When I talk to Jesus, I talk to Him like I would talk to my friend. I share my thoughts and feelings with Him. When you talk to Jesus, you can use your voice or just use your thoughts. Listen as I talk with Jesus out loud so you can hear me and learn how to talk with Him.
Sit quietly for a moment. Then pray the following out loud.
Jesus, thank You for loving me. I know You are with me always. You care about me. When I am sad, You comfort me. Life can be difficult. Through everything, I am thankful that I can talk to You about my problems. I am also thankful that I can share the good things that happen in my life with You. Jesus, You are kind and caring. Please help me to know that You are always with me. In Your name, amen.
I always feel better after talking to Jesus! You can too! Let’s now take a few minutes to talk silently to Jesus. Talk to Him as you would your friends. You may have happy thoughts to share. You may have sad thoughts to share. You may have angry feelings you want to talk about. You may want to thank Him for the good things in your life.
You can use your voice or your thoughts to talk to Jesus. If you would like to talk to Jesus, you may do so where you are sitting.
Optional: If you are using Student Pages, allow the children 5 minutes to color their pictures and act out their discussions with Jesus.
After a few minutes, invite the children to continue the lesson with you.
Always remember Jesus is with you and you can talk to Him anytime. You can talk to Him silently anywhere. When it is safe, you can also talk to Jesus with your voice because He is always with you! Jesus sees and hears everything! Our memory verse today says:
The Son is the exact likeness of God, who can’t be seen. The Son is first, and he is over all creation.
Colossians 1:15
Repeat the actions 3 times with the children. End class by saying this blessing, based on John 14:8, over the children.
Blessing: May you all know that Jesus will come to you and listen to you when you talk to Him. May you know that Jesus will never leave you. May Jesus be your best friend!
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
