WEEK ON 1 E In Kids Club, we talked about the time people first recognized Jesus as our promised king. Read about in Matthew 21:1-11 or watch God s Story: Palm Sunday on Tell me about King Jesus. Kids in K-5 have a Love Experiment card, which you ll get this week in your Journey group. Ask them to tell you about it. And for a little bonus love, try this week s Family Experiment. It s a Kingdom experiment for your entire household. (And this one works with roommates just as well as it does with four-year-olds and teenagers.) Here it is: 1. Write the names of everybody in your house on separate slips of paper. 2. Put the papers in a hat or jar and ask each family member to draw one. (Shh, no telling.) 3. Find at least one way to surprise that person with love this week, whether it s making him a card, saying sorry for something hurtful you did, or giving her the biggest piece of pizza at dinner.
WEEK TW 2 O God s Kingdom is full of love, and God is constantly reminding his family that he loves us. For some examples of his reminders, watch God s Story: God Reminds at Or read about Jesus Rescue (the biggest act of love in the history of mankind) in Luke 24 and Acts 1:1-10. When do you feel most loved by God? Receive God s love as a whole family this week by trying this: 1. Watch God s Story: God Reminds together at 2. Think about how God has shown love to your family. Make a list or create a collage by drawing words and pictures, cutting letters and images out of magazines, or printing photos of special memories. Include big things and little things! 3. Hang it up somewhere in your house for the rest of the Journey.
WEEK TH 3 REE Jesus made obedience to him really simple: he said, Follow me. When we act like Jesus acted, we re obeying him, which actually brings us freedom. To see an example of how obedience brought freedom, read the story of Paul and Silas in Acts 16:16-40. Or watch God s Story: Paul and Silas at What s one way you want to obey Jesus this week? Obedience and freedom can seem like opposites. But they re not. Find out for yourself by planning an Obey Day : gather round, family, and experiment like this: 1. Find a Bible and read Psalm 119:44-45. 1. Watch God s Story: God Reminds together at 2. As a family, create a list of 3 house rules that everybody has to obey for a whole day. (Anything goes...but it goes for everyone.) 3. After Obey Day, talk about different ways following them could make the whole family feel more free.
WEEK FO 4 UR We are in a constant struggle between the kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of God. But we can be warriors for God s Kingdom through obedience. God even gives us special armor! Read about it in Ephesians 6:10-17 or watch God s Story: The Armor of God at God loves it when we turn toward him by obeying. How can we say no to the world and yes to God? Fight for God s Kingdom as a family by repenting (turning away from the kingdom of the world...and toward the Kingdom of God): 1. Walk around outside and pick up one rock or leaf per person (big enough to write on). Use a marker to respond to this sentence: In the past week, I disobeyed Jesus by. 2. Share by saying, "I want to turn away from, and turn toward whatever God has for me." 3. After each person shares, another person should say, " (your name), God forgives you and loves you. He's proud of you for stepping closer to him. May His Spirit draw near to you, and may you experience the blessings that come from this step of obedience." Throw those rocks and leaves as far as you can!
WEEK FI 5 VE God wants us to walk in his Kingdom by constantly looking for it. That means spending time getting close to Jesus and following him. One person who did this well was a woman named Mary. Watch God s Story: Mary and Martha at How can we seek God s Kingdom? Experiment with seeking God s Kingdom like this: 1. As a family, pick a place to play Hide and Seek together (some ideas: your backyard, the public library, a nearby park, or grandma s house). 2. Play a few rounds. Winner gets a special treat (Mom or Dad s choice). 3. Discuss these questions together: What does it mean to seek? Why can it seem hard to find the Kingdom of God? How (and where) have you seen God s Kingdom at work? How can you seek the Kingdom as a family?
WEEK SI 6 X One day, God will re-create a perfect world, and Jesus will reign as King in this perfect Kingdom. Until then, we can catch glimpses of it here on earth. To know what to look for, watch God s Story: Re-Creation at kingdomcomejourney.com/family or read Revelation 21 to see what God promises for his future Kingdom. What is God s Kingdom like? Remember, while we wait for Jesus to re-create the earth, we have the special task of expanding that Kingdom and showing more and more people what following God is all about. Here s your final Kingdom experiment: 1. Go to kingdomcomejourney.com/family and watch the Come With Me music video (it s a description of Jesus job for us). 2. Then consider these questions: How can we follow Jesus today? What kinds of things will you see when you re following Jesus? What kinds of things will you do? How can we show the Kingdom of Jesus to others? *Bonus activities: use any ideas that have stuck with you to make up a family Kingdom song (you can use anything as instruments, even spoons and clapping), write a family plan for seeking the Kingdom, or build a Kingdom fort to celebrate the greatness of God s Kingdom.