The child will be able to describe how Peter displayed faith.
Bible Story Reference: Matthew 14:22-33
Memory Verse:
Psalm 55:22 (NIV)
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
Introduction
In the last lesson, we learned about what it means to be a real neighbour and the importance of having compassion towards everyone. What is one specific way that you can be kind to others?
Today, we will learn about one of Jesus’ disciples named Peter and how Jesus taught him about the importance of faith.
Bible Story
It was the middle of the night. Jesus’ disciples were in a boat on a lake. The wind was blowing,and waves were tossing their boat all around.
Jesus had been up on a mountain praying alone. But a little before morning, Jesus came walking on the water towards the disciples. When they saw him, they thought he was a ghost. They were scared and started screaming.
“It is me, Jesus,” he said. “Do not worry. Do not be afraid.”
His disciple, Peter, called out to him.
“Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water,” he said.
“Come on!” Jesus replied. So, Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water towards him. But then Peter saw how strong the wind was. He became scared and started to sink.
“Save me, Lord!” Peter cried out. Right away, Jesus reached out his hand and helped Peter up.
“You do not have much faith,” Jesus said. “Why do you doubt?”
After Jesus and Peter were back in the boat, the wind died down. Then, all the disciples in the boat worshipped Jesus. They knew that Jesus was truly the Son of God.
Review
Peter allowed the wind that was blowing all around him to distract him. He became more focused on his fear than his faith in Jesus. Faith means believing in and trusting in someone or something.
There may be difficulties in our lives that feel like storms, too. We might not know how to escape them or how we will manage to survive them. But Jesus is always with us—just like he was with Peter—even when it does not feel like it.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for your love that never fails. Help me grow my faith in Jesus every day. Amen.
Crafts
Jesus Walks On The Water
What You Need
Note: If you only have white paper you can colour it into black, brown and blue.
Steps