10 March 2024

---

Bible readings for today

• Numbers 21:4-9
• Psalms 107:1-3,17-22
• Ephesians 2:1-10
• John 3:14-21

Liturgical Colour: VIOLET

Collect

E te Atua tino atawhai,
nā te aurere o tāu Tama o Īhu Karaiti i whakaorangia mātou e koe mai i te kaha o te pōuritanga;
tukua mā te whakapono ki a ia i whakamamaetia ai i runga i te rīpeka mātou e pai ai ki tāu titiro,
ko Īhu Karaiti tō mātou Kaiwhakaora.
Āmine. 
Most merciful God,
by the passion of your Son Jesus Christ
you delivered us from the power of darkness;
grant that through faith in him who suffered on the cross
we may be found acceptable in your sight,
through our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen. 

God so loved the world (John 3:14-21)

The gospel reading contains one of the most famous scriptures in verse 16: "God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die"

Memory Verse

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life." - John 3:16

Kids talk

Have you ever been around a campfire at night? What was it like? (pause for answers) There is something special about gathering around a campfire with friends when everywhere else is really dark. You can only see things that are lit up by the fire, and people who are sitting further away are harder to see. 
In today’s story, we hear Jesus described as the light that has come into the world. Why do you think that is? (pause) As Christians, we are taught to use Jesus as an example for how we should live our lives. If you were trying to find your way in the dark, it would be easier if you had a torch or a candle, right? Today's story from the Bible reminds us that, just as a torch helps us see where to go, Jesus helps us find our way through life. If we follow Jesus’ example, then we will find our way through a lot easier than if we stumble around by ourselves. 

Gospel Conversations

This passage contains one of the most familiar passages in all Scripture - but our conversationalists may not react to it the way you expect! Whether or not you agree with them, we invite you to enter the conversation, listening, weighing up, accepting or rejecting their suggestions, and being part of the ongoing journey to know God and God's will better. This week Alec Clark, Gillian Townsley, and Andrew Metcalfe join Michael Godfrey to discuss "God so loved the world...."

Activities

• WORDSEARCH: Sermons 4 Kids has word search, decoder and crossword puzzle pages here: (links in the right hand sidebar)
• OBJECT LESSON: An object lesson about the immeasurable love of God, using a measuring cup, a tape measure, and a watch. The talk is found on the Sermons 4 Kids website, here​
• GAME: The Scripture Lady has a fun game involving lollies, learning to give, and learning the verse (John 3:16) as well. See here
• ​MEMORY VERSE: Help children to learn John 3:16 using these colourful flashcards. They can be downloaded in colour or black & white from the Bible Story Printables website
• ​COLOURING PAGE: A colouring in page for John 3:16, from the Bible Story Printables website

Game: Where's the light?

​What you need: three matching plastic cups (not transparent!) and a tea light candle and a table.
Preparation: You might like to practice this beforehand so that you get the hang of it!
What to do: Turn the three plastic cups upside-down on the table in a row. If you only have a small group, ask them to gather around the table so they can see better. 
​
Hold up the tea light candle and ask the children to tell you what it is. Then place it underneath one of the plastic cups on the table. Ask for a volunteer and ask them to point to the cup that has the light hidden under it. Then, swap the cups around with your hands, being careful not to lift them off the table. Do this a few times, as the idea is to try and confuse the children as to where the light is.

When you have swapped them around enough, ask the volunteer to guess which cup the light is under. Then lift up the cup and see if they were right.
You can repeat this game a few times to give everyone a chance to have a go. 

John 3:16 Memory verse song

Together we pray

The Anglican Diocese of Wellington have weekly prayers for church services here

Media

God's Masterpiece (Ephesians 2:1-10)

What is a Masterpiece?

The NLT version of verse 10 says, "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Other translations talk about us being God's handiwork. 

A master piece is the best piece of art that an artist creates. When we think of Masterpiece, we may think of Van Gogh's starry night, or Monet's water lillies, Michaelangelo's statue of David. 

Craft activity

Download this printable template to create your own masterpiece. Provide a range of mixed media for kids to express themselves - paints, pens, crayons, scrap paper, glue and colourful papers, as they create an image of themselves. 

---

​

Media

Grumbling Israelites (Numbers 21:4-9)

Today's story describes when the Israelites were grumbling and complaining to Moses, and God sends snakes to bite their heals. God tells Moses to make a bronze snake, and when the people looked at it, they would live