Feb. 11-17
John 2-4
"Ye Must Be Born Again"
Materials: glass of water, scriptures, video, cups, glue, yarn, scissors, handouts, coloring page
Opening Song: "I Lived in Heaven" verses 1&3 (Children's Songbook, 4)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: John 4:14 - But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Attention Activity:
Hold up a glass of water. Ask your family to describe the water. Why is water important? What does water do for us? Why do we need to drink water everyday?
Lesson:
Jesus lived in the deserts of Isreal. Deserts are hot dry places which do not receive a lot of rain. People in the desert would dig wells to get their water. What is a well? A well is a hole in the ground where people can get water from the ground. The Israelites would use jars or pots to collect water from the well.
When Jesus was traveling through the land of Samaria, he stopped at a place called Jacob’s well in the middle of the day. There he saw a Samaritan woman and asked if he could have a drink of water. She was surprised because usually Jews would avoid Samaritans. Jesus told the woman that he could give her a kind of water that would make it so she would never be thirsty again. Read John 4: 14.
Jesus didn’t want to give the woman literal water, he wanted to share the gospel with her. As the Savior, he could give her what he called, “living water” or eternal life. The woman liked the Savior’s message and said that he must be a prophet. Jesus answered her by saying that he was the Messiah. The woman left her pot at the well and told all the people in the nearby city about meeting the Christ.
What was the Savior teaching us when he compared the gospel to living water? We need the gospel every day just like we need to drink water everyday. We need to continually be learning about the gospel and "feasting upon the words of Christ" as we do things daily like read scriptures, say prayers, serve others, attend the temple, etc. "Christ's words to the Samaritan woman at the well remind us that if we continue on this path, eventually the gospel will become 'a well of water' inside us, 'springing up into everlasting life.' (John 4:14).' (Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families, 26). What do wells do? (bring water to the community) If we partake of the living water of the gospel we will eventually be able to share it with others. It will bubble out of us "springing up into everlasting life". The woman at the well demonstrated this when she ran and told others about meeting the Messiah.
Testimony:
Jesus promised that if we partake of the living water, or the gospel of Jesus Christ, we will never thirst. Bear your testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it has nourished your own life.
Activity:
Living Water Cups
Closing Song: "I'm trying to be like Jesus" (Children's Songbook, 78)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: Blue Raspberry lemonade party punch. Serve in your living water cups! For Recipe click here
