Ever After - Week 2
God gives us hope!
Fairy tales are full of fantasy and imagination. We love them because they take what could be real and add extraordinary circumstances. But what if there was a story where the extraordinary circumstances were real? Could a story like this exist? This month, we are going to look at the story of Ruth to see how God truly writes the best stories for us — full of companions, hope, boldness, and the knowledge that God is always taking care of us!
Click HERE to watch this month’s memory verse video!
BIG IDEA: God gives us hope.
MEMORY VERSE:
"The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Psalm 121:8
TODDLER TWIST:
"God always cares for me!" Psalm 121:8
READ: Ruth meets Boaz: Ruth 2
WATCH:
Preschool- Teaching Video
Elementary- Teaching Video
SONG: Oceans
COLORING: Ruth and Naomi leave Moab
DISCIPLE: Read Ruth 2 or retell for your children.
A lot of fairytales have characters we might call "hopeless romantics." These are people who continue to believe in love even though they have experienced heartbreak time and time again. No matter what kind of disappointment they might have faced, they never give up on finding love!
That doesn't sound hopeless at all! These people are full of hope! They should be called hopeful romantics!
Can you think of a time when you experienced hope? Share your own story of hope with your family. A time when someone showed up for you to offer you hope in a hopeless situation. Invite your kids to do the same.
God gives us hope, but also enables us to give hope to others. We can be the hands and feet that spread hope to people who are feeling hopeless.
INSTRUCTIONS: Discuss ways your family can give hope to other people around them this week. Then have them trace their hands and their feet (with or without shoes on, up to you!) on pieces of paper. On the hand, have them write one thing they can do to help someone have hope. On the foot, have them write a place they can go where they might find someone in need of hope.
Where is somewhere you can go where you might find someone in need of hope? Write or draw about it on the outline of your foot.
What can you do to give them hope? Write or draw about it on the outline of your hand.
Pray: Dear God, thank you for showing us through Ruth's story that in any situation, hope can always be found in you. Help us to never give up even when things are tough and show us how we can give others hope. Amen.
DISCUSSION:
How did Ruth provide for Naomi and herself?
What did Boaz do to show kindness to Ruth?
Why do you think Boaz did this for Ruth?
Read Romans 5:3-4. How does suffering lead to hope?
Describe hope in your own words.
Have you ever felt hopeless? How come?
What is an example of something God has done in the past that shows us hope?