YEA Lesson Library
Bring Them To Me
About This Lesson
This lesson teaches about Jesus blessing the children, using this to explain why we have a blessing of little children ceremony at the Feast of Tabernacles.
Scriptures
Matt 19:13-15
Mark 10:13-16
Mark 10:14
Luke 18:15-17
John 3:16
Romans 8:16
Galatians 3:26
1 John 3:1
Words to Know
TRUST - to believe in
CEREMONY - a special service
The Lesson
It was a warm summer day. Mom and Dad were busy working in the yard. Dad was mowing the grass. Mom was working in her flower bed. Grandpa was even working sweeping grass off the sidewalk.
Emily and Eric had been waiting all morning to go to the pool to swim. They went out to ask Dad if they could go now. Dad said, “In a little while.” It seemed like everyone was just too busy to take time for the twins. They were beginning to think no one loved them. After all, they were only children!
Children are very special to Jesus. He loves all children, whether your skin is red, brown, yellow, black, or white. He has a lot of love for you.
One day some mothers brought their children to Jesus. They wanted Him to bless them. There were lots of people around Jesus. The disciples told the mothers, “Jesus is too busy to bother with your little children.” The children must have felt like Emily and Eric!
Jesus heard what the disciples said. He wasn’t very happy. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t keep them away.” It doesn’t matter if you are big or small. Jesus is your Friend. He wants you to believe Him, trust Him, and obey Him.
Jesus asked to see the children. He wanted to hold them in His arms and bless them. He is never too tired or too busy for children. Jesus is never too tired or too busy for you. He took the children in His arms. Then He put His hands on them and blessed them. Jesus has a very special love for children.
Once a year we have an important service at church. It is called the blessing of children ceremony. The minister does what Jesus did. He takes babies and little children in his arms. Then he prays that God will bless them. The minister will ask God to bless and protect each child. Do you remember seeing this ceremony? Often it is done about the time of the Feast of Tabernacles.
That day, Jesus taught everyone a special lesson. “Everyone must be like a child to be in the Kingdom of God,” He said. The Kingdom of God is God’s home. Someday He will bring His Kingdom to this earth. God wants to share His Kingdom with us. That will be a great gift for you. It will be such a wonderful place to live. God’s Kingdom will be a much better place than this earth. It will be far better than anything you can imagine. It will be a safe place to live, and everyone will be happy. We should pray that God will bring His Kingdom to earth soon.
God’s love is so wonderful that we should thank Him daily for it. Always remember to pray before you eat and before you go to bed. Be sure to thank God for His love. Don’t forget to ask Him to hurry up and bring His Kingdom to this earth.
Remember, you will always be God’s child, even if you live to be a hundred years old!
Student Prayer
Our Father in heaven, thank you for loving me. Thank you for your Son Jesus who died for our sins. Please hurry and bring your kingdom to this earth soon. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Mark 10:13-16
Monday - Matthew 19:13-15
Tuesday - Luke 18:15-17
Wednesday - 1 John 3:1
Thursday - John 3:16
Friday - Romans 8:16
Saturday - Galatians 3:26
YEAH — At-Home Activity
1. Children’s Songs. Read Mark 10:13-16. Review the key points of the lesson with the students. Ask the students to think of songs which talk about Jesus loving children. (Several are listed in the REACH activities.) They might think of “Jesus Loves Me,” “Jesus Loves Even Me,” “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” “Jesus Loves the Little Ones,” “When He Cometh,” “Suffer the Children.” Sing several of them and discuss the message.
2. Retelling the Story. Read Mark 10:13-16. Review the key points of the lesson with the students. Have the students “teach” the lesson to you. You may have to ask some pointed/leading questions to help them along.
3. True or False. Read Mark 10:13-16. Review the key points of the lesson with the students. Have the students work in pairs to write a True/False quiz about the lesson. Switch with other students. When they’ve finished taking the quiz, switch back and grade them. Talk about any questions they might have missed.
4. God’s Kingdom. Read Mark 10:13-16. Review the key points of the lesson with the students. Read Isaiah 11:6. Give each student a piece of 11 x 17 sketch paper. Have them use their favorite color tools to depict this verse. Make sure to write a caption. It could be the title of the lesson, their memory verse, or something like “Children are important to God now and in His kingdom.”
5. Explaining the Blessing of Little Children. Read Mark 10:13-16. Review the key points of the lesson with the students. Each year at the Feast of Tabernacles, there is usually a Blessing of Little Children ceremony. In pairs, have the students role play explaining what this ceremony is and why we do it. One student explains; the other student pretends to be a much younger child who has never participated in the ceremony. Talk about the importance of blessing children and how it also can be done weekly by your parents as part of our sabbath observance.
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Explain what happens at the “Blessing of the Children” ceremony.
2. Explain that Jesus loves all the children of the world.
3. Recognize that they are important to Him.
4. Discuss that God will bring His Kingdom to this earth someday, and that it will be a much better and safer place to live.
5. Recite their memory verse.
Topics & Themes
Belief (Faith)
Blessing of Children
God’s Kingdom
God’s Love
Jesus and Children
Jesus, His Ministry
Obedience
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA student’s and teacher’s books, attendance and memory verse charts, stars, music player and music CD/cassette, songbook, scissors, crayons, pencils, construction paper, magazines with pictures of children, glue, Hershey’s Hugs, “sticky dots,” yarn or ribbon and hole punch.
Preparation
Review is always good for reinforcing the lesson learned the prior Sabbath. Consider starting by asking the children to tell what they remember about last week’s lesson. Help them to focus on the application.
As teacher and/or parent, your example will have a profound effect on the child. Often children in the class are experiencing difficult family situations. Their parents may be divorced or unemployed. This will take its toll on the child. Sabbath School can be one place where all the children can feel secure. The best way to teach a child about love and trust is by being a loving trustworthy person. Children mirror and learn from what they see and experience. Even though they may not fully comprehend the meaning of the word trust, they learn quickly which people they can count on to keep their word.
Look for opportunities to give positive reinforcement. Even if a child’s actions are unlovable, tell him that you love him. Give lots of approving smiles, hugs and pats on the head. Strive for an atmosphere where every child feels he belongs to the group.
Before you come to class, cut yarn or ribbon into twelve inch lengths. You will need one for each child in your class. You will also need to bring magazines that have lots of pictures of children of various ages in them. You may want to ask the children to bring a picture of themselves to class for this activity. Sending a note home to the parents ahead of time will help to facilitate their response.
You will need at least one Hershey’s Hug for each child in your class. Place a “sticky dot” on the bottom of each Hug, and number them from one to nine. These will correspond with the numbers of the review questions. (If your class is large, repeat the numbering.)
How to Teach This Lesson
“A little child is teachable, trustful, free from mental pride, unsophisticated and loving. Jesus loved children. The disciples did not think children were important enough to bother with. That made Jesus indignant” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, page 519).
This child centered lesson shows how important children are to Jesus, their Friend. The “Blessing of the Children” ceremony makes a real difference in the life of the child. God takes special notice and gives help and protection because of this blessing.
There is never a day in this present world that can compare to being with Jesus in His Kingdom. So it is never too early to help children anticipate God’s coming Kingdom. Try to find everyday illustrations to show why it is needed so badly. Help the children to understand that they should yearn and pray daily for it to come. As you bring the lesson to a close, help the children to appreciate the benefits they will experience from applying this lesson.
Review Questions
Place the Hershey’s Hugs on the table. One at a time, let the children pick one. Ask the child the question that corresponds with the number on the bottom of the candy. Make sure you have enough candy for each child to have at least one. When they answer their question correctly, they may eat their candy. Explain that Jesus loves children. We will pretend that this is a hug from Him.
1. Is Jesus ever too tired or too busy for children?
2. Does Jesus love little children?
3. Who in our church blesses babies and children?
4. Did the disciples want the mothers to bother Jesus with their children?
5. Does everyone have to be like little children to be in God’s Kingdom?
6. Should we pray that God’s Kingdom will hurry up and come?
7. Will God’s Kingdom be a lot better place to live than our world today?
8. What will make God’s Kingdom a better place than our world?
9. How long will you be God’s child?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Today the children will make a “Jesus Loves Children” booklet. Give each child a sheet of colored construction paper and two sheets of white paper. Fold all of the paper in half and put together to form a booklet. Using a hole punch, punch two holes in the folded side of the booklet about four inches apart and one half inch from the folded edge. Thread a piece of ribbon or yarn through the holes and tie in a bow in the front of the booklet. Have the children write the words, “Jesus Loves Children” on the front cover. Allow them to cut out pictures from magazines and glue them to the pages inside their booklet. Have them write their memory verse on the inside of the back cover.
REACH Activity
Special Materials: Popsicle sticks, shoebox or similar box
1. In your Bible notebook, write five things that your parents do to show you that you are important to them. Then go give them a hug and tell them thank you.
2. Think of five things that God does which show you how important you are to Him. Write these in your Bible notebook.
3. Role play Mark 10:13-16.
4. Do a sword drill with the Daily Devotional Scriptures. (See Notes section for directions.)
5. Make popsicle stick puppets (see Notes for instructions) to portray the mothers bringing their children to be blessed.
6. Have you been blessed at a special ceremony at the Feast of Tabernacles called the Blessing of the Little Children? Find out more about the blessing of children ceremony. Why do we do this special blessing for children? If you haven’t been blessed like this, ask your parents why you haven’t. If they feel you are now too old, ask them if they will ask a special blessing on you this Sabbath, just your family, in your own home.
7. When is the blessing of children at your church? Find out and write it on a calendar. Make a card for each child being blessed. Write the memory verse on or in the card. Give it to the child or his/her family at the ceremony.
8. Children are very special to God. Read Psalm 127:3. What does this Psalm say children are?
9. Sing: “Jesus Loves Me” on page 6 of the Kids Classics Collection.
10. Sing: “Jesus Loves The Little Ones” on page 42 of the Kids Classics Collection.
11. Sing: “Jesus Loves Even Me” on page 8 of the Kids Classics Collection.
12. Sing: “Make Me a Blessing” on page 48 of the CEM Hymnal. After you sing the song, talk about how you can be a blessing to others.
13. Find pictures of children from magazines. Create a collage with the pictures. Write the memory verse on the collage.
14. Children and parents sometimes get very busy and don’t spend enough time together. Talk to your parents. Maybe you can set one day or night aside just for family. What will you do on family night? Ask your parents and decide what kind of fun you can have together.
15. Decorate a shoebox or similar box with paper, but leave a hole or opening large enough for a folded piece of paper to go through it. God’s Kingdom will be a great gift for us. Use a Bible and a concordance to find out more about God’s Kingdom. Write the verses that tell about or describe it on a piece of paper. Fold the paper and put it in the gift box. Share your special Kingdom box with family. Discuss the verses and learn more about God’s Kingdom!
16. God’s Kingdom will be a very special place for us. Read Isaiah 11:6-9. How do the verses make you feel? Draw what you think the Kingdom of God will look like.
17. Write a prayer of thanks to Jesus for being your special Friend.
18. Add a verse to the song “Jesus Loves Me.” Teach it to a friend.
19. Scramble each word of the memory verse. Let each student unscramble them. Practice the verse until memorized.
20. Let students make word scrambles for each other with other lesson words. Use these words as a lesson review.
21. Who wrote “Jesus Loves the Little Children”? Find out and share your information with family or friends. Sing the song with a younger group of students.
Song
“Jesus Loves the Little Children” is on page 56 of the Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Ask one of the children to lead in prayer. Remind the child to pray that Jesus will soon come and bring His Kingdom to earth.
Printable Pages
