Week 11
We are currently going through the Gospel of St. John. John tends to lead us to the heart and desires of Jesus.
The love Jesus has for each of us, the intimate relationship he desires to have with each of us and the communion he wishes all of us to share in Him.
There are a number of verses to choose from below. They have been chosen because they are appropriate for your child’s developmental ability. You may find that your children want, over the course of the week, to read the same verse again so they can wonder about its meaning and experience the presence of God. If they ask for another than move on to another one. Resist the temptation to “get through” all of these each week. Respond to your child and his/her desire for God.
Sunday, February 7th
John 12:3 Anointing of Jesus feet
"Mary (Mary of Bethany) took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
- Anointings with oil usually signify important moments in the bible.
- I wonder about the importance of this anointing.
- I wonder what motivated Mary to anoint the feet of Jesus and dry them with her hair.
- I wonder what this fragrance that filled the room smelled like.
- I wonder if this was to serve Him and show love for Him
- I wonder how we can serve Jesus and show our love for Him.
John 12:12-15 Jesus enters Jerusalem
On the next day, when the great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took palm branches and went out to meet Him, and cried out:
“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,
[even] the King of Israel.”
Jesus found a colt and sat upon it as it is written:
“Fear no more, O daughter of Zion; see, your King comes, sitting upon an ass’s colt.”
- I wonder what it was like to be there when Jesus passed by on a colt.
- Hosanna is a shout of praise and adoration for Jesus as the messiah (savior).
- I wonder how we could praise and adore Jesus our King and Lord.
- We can ponder this phrase, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. .
John 12:23-26 Grain of wheat
Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
- I wonder what Jesus wants us to know about this special hour. I wonder how He will be glorified.
- I wonder what the grain needs to do to produce much fruit.
- I wonder how we can be fruitful for others.
John 12:36 The Light
While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light.
- I wonder about the Light.
- I wonder about the gift given to us, to be a child of the light.
Monday, February 8th
John 13:12-15 Washing of the disciple’s feet.
"So when He had washed their feet [and] put His garments back on and reclined at table again, He said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do."
- I wonder what this says about the kind of king and Lord we have that washes feet of His disciples.
- I wonder should we not be the ones washing his feet.
- By washing the feet of others, I wonder if we are in some way washing the feet of Jesus.
John 13:34-35 A New Commandment
"I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know you are my disciples if you have love for one another."
- If Jesus wants us to love one another as He loves us, I wonder how He Love us.
- What does His kind of love look like, feels like.
- I wonder if we know anyone who is a role model of His kind of love.
- I wonder why Jesus commands us to love one another. This must be an important task to do.
- If it is important for others to know we are His disciples, I wonder what Jesus is calling us to do.
- I wonder if we can recognize His disciples.
Tuesday, February 9th
John 14:23 Dwelling Place
“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.”
- I wonder how we can show love to Jesus.
- I wonder Jesus says we will make a dwelling place inside us.
- I wonder about this intimate union God desires to share with us.
- I wonder the about the care and concern God has for each of us.
- I wonder how we will respond to the gift of God dwelling with us.
John 14:26 The Advocate
"The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name – He will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you."
- I wonder what the presence of the Holy Spirit with us is like.
- I wonder when the Father sends the Holy Spirit to us.
- I wonder how the Holy Spirit teaches us and remind us.
- I wonder how we could respond to such a gift of Gods self-giving love for us.
John 14:27 Peace be with you.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”
- I wonder what kind of peace Jesus has to give us that is different than the peace of the world.
- I wonder what care and concern Jesus has for us that He does not want us to be troubled or afraid.
- I wonder how we can respond to the gift of peace God gives to us.
Wednesday, February 10th
John 15:5 The Vine and the Branches.
"I am the Vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing."
- I wonder what a vine is. The roots, stem, branches, leaves and fruit are part of one whole plant not separate pieces.
- Jesus says remain in me and I in Him. He desires us to be intimately united with Him.
- I wonder how we can remain with Jesus.
- I wonder what it means to be fruitful.
- I wonder can we do anything without God.
Thursday, February 11th
John 16:12-13 Spirit of truth
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when He comes, the spirit of truth, He will guide you to all truth."
- I wonder how the spirit guides us.
- I wonder how we can know what truth is.
- Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” I wonder if the spirit will guide us to Jesus.
Friday, February 12th
John 17:20-23 The Prayer of Jesus
“I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you give me, so that they may be one, as we are one. I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.”
- I wonder how we all can become one in God.
- I wonder about the glory of God given to us.
- I wonder how great it is that Jesus prays for us.
- I wonder what prayer we might have for the world. What prayer we might have for Jesus.
Saturday, February 13th
John 18: 37-38 Pilate says, You are a King
"So Pilate said to Him, 'Then you are a king?' Jesus answered, 'You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.' Pilate said to Him, 'What is truth?'"
- I wonder how we can belong to the truth.
- I wonder how we can listen to His voice and hear His truth.
- I wonder how we respond to such a gift of Jesus coming into this world.
- I wonder how we can help others see the truth