Every Sunday morning at 9:00 am
Every Sunday morning our Sunday School classes provide biblical instruction for all ages. From infant to adult, the Bible comes alive through stories, activities and in-depth Bible study.
For the kids we have:
Nursery,
Combined Pre-K/1st Grade class,
Combined 2nd-5th Grade class, and
Combined Middle School/High School class.
There are also two adult Sunday School classes offered.
All Sunday School classes begin at 9:00 am and we'd love for you to join us on Sunday mornings.
Respect
Read Matthew 22:11-14
Do you remember Jesus telling a parable of a wedding banquet? In it a king gave a great feast for his son’s wedding. At the end of the lesson the king did something totally unexpected. When he saw that one guest was not wearing wedding clothes, he became angry. So angry that he had his servants tie up the guest and throw him out of the party. Was that harsh? Why did Jesus want us to know this? To understand what happened here, you need to know a little about banquet manners of the day.
The father of the groom oversaw all details of the wedding. Not only did he have to plan the wedding and the banquet, but he also had to buy and provide clothes for everyone to wear during the celebration.
It was customary to give each guest a garment to wear to the wedding when they arrived. Guests put on these garments right away. Then they joined in the celebration and feasting in their new wedding clothes. This was done to provide everyone with a special garment that was just right for the event. No one was dressed poorly because they could not afford the right kind of clothes. No one wore clothes that were dirty from work or travelling. Rich and poor were dressed alike.
Any guest who refused to wear these garments insulted their host. The king had planned and paid for the feast. Guests had accepted the invitation and come. Now they just had to put on the new clothes given to them and enjoy the fun. Not wearing the clothes given to them was rude and disrespectful. No wonder the king was angry.
Today it is still important to show respect. You show respect to others by what you say and do every day. Look people in the eye when you talk to them. Say thank you. Listen to directions. Be patient. Encourage others. Do not make excuses. Don’t these things sound just like good old manners? How are your manners? Jesus wants you to pay attention to them. Jesus wants you show respect.
Think about this verse – I Peter 2:17
"Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king." (New Living Translation)
Close in prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, I am glad that I am a part of Your family. Help me be respectful with my family, my friends, and others that I will meet. I want my manners to show everyone the respect that You teach. Amen.
Seeds and Weeds
Read Matthew 13:24-30
Every gardener knows about weeds. No one plants weed seeds, so how do they get into the garden? Why do they grow so well in every type of weather? Can you ever get rid of them? Jesus used weeds to teach us about the evil that flourishes all around us.
Have you ever been frustrated by someone who gets ahead by cheating? Have you ever been angry when something was stollen from you? Have you wondered why some people are often so mean to others? These are all simple examples of evil growing in your world, and I bet you can think of more examples.
Jesus, who is our gardener, knows this is going to happen. You are good seed planted in His garden. The devil will sneak in and plant things that will crowd, irritate, and try to rob you of the good connection you have with Jesus. Jesus tells us that when you try to pull out weeds, you may also accidently pull out good plants. (This has happened in my own garden.) It is just better to let them grow along together. At harvest time the vegetables will go into the refrigerator, the weeds will go into the trash can.
As long as you water plants and care for them, their roots are still connected to the soil. They can take nourishment and grow. Jesus knows you can survive the evil that the devil throws into your life in the same way.
Stay in touch with Jesus. Pray, read the Bible, attend church, seek guidance from fellow Christians. Keep you roots growing in good soil. Evil will always come because the devil never gives up. Just remember, Jesus is always there for you too. Do not let the evil you see or hear about discourage you. Keep your roots growing in Jesus. He has promised to take you into His home in heaven when the harvest day comes.
Think about this verse – II Timothy 4:18
"The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (NIV)
Close in prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for planting me in Your garden and giving me Jesus as my own gardener. Help me to grow strong roots and keep me growing until it is the harvest day in heaven. Amen.
Our Church Family
Read Mark 3:31-34
Usually, when you talk about your family you are talking about the people who are related to you. Your parents, your brothers and sisters are part your family. You eat meals with them and talk to them each day. You help each other with chores around the house. You play together and travel together and come to church with them. Still your family is bigger than those who live at your house. It includes grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. Family gatherings are fun!
Jesus taught that we have another family. Anyone who obeys God and loves Him is one of His children. This makes us a part of the family of God. This is our church family. The church family meets to worship God. They work together to spread the Good News about Jesus. They care about each other and help each other. Getting together is fun and we look forward to time spent together.
Just how big is our church family? It certainly includes everyone we see at church on Sunday and during the week. How about people who go to other churches in our community? Do they love God and do His work? Jesus says that makes them part of His family. How about Christians in other countries and missionaries around the world? Yes, Jesus would include them too!
It is great to be part of God’s big family! We look different and talk different languages. We enjoy different foods and play different games. It is true that our lives may be very different, but we all share one important thing. Do you know what it is? We all love Jesus! The love we have in our hearts binds us together to do God’s work. Aren’t you glad you are part of the church family! Aren’t you glad you are part of The Family of God!
Think about this verse – Mark 3:35
"Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (NIV)
Close in prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, I am glad that I am one of your children. Thank you for giving me parents, brothers and sisters, and aunts, uncles, and cousins. Thank you for also making me a part of my church family. Help us to all grow together. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Read Matthew 6:9-13
One day one of Jesus’s disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. Jesus said that they should pray in a special way. We call this prayer the Lord’s Prayer. Both Matthew and Luke told of this teaching in their gospels. Christians have used it as a pattern for our prayers ever since.
Some Christians learn the Lord’s Prayer at a young age. When my grandchildren were very young, they attended a Christian preschool. They said the Lord’s Prayer with their teachers and friends every day. They heard it as infants and repeated it daily until they graduated from kindergarten. When they visited church with me (Christ Reformed is not their home church) they were shocked that we knew their prayer. They were proud they could say it along with the adults.
We say the Lord’s Prayer frequently. We repeat it at church almost every week. We say it around gravesides. We sing it at weddings. It is a prayer that we all use often, and I am sure you can repeat it right now.
Sometimes it is just so easy to say the words, that the words come out while our minds travel to other places. Do you ever catch yourself doing this? Do you ever say the Lord’s Prayer without thinking about it? It is easy to just fly through something so familiar and move on to the next part of the service.
Slow down next time!
The words are so beautiful. In this prayer we praise God and tell Him that we believe in His plans for His Kingdom in heaven and on earth. We ask Him to provide our needs each day. We ask Him to forgive what we have done wrong and to help us forgive others. We ask Him to help us when we are tempted to do something wrong and to protect us from evil. It closes in praise that shows we believe in His power and glory in a kingdom that will never end. Amen.
Think about this verse – I Thessalonians 5:17
"Pray continually," (NIV)
Use the Lord’s Prayer to close today
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
(Taken from the Heidelberg Catechism, Question 119)
Living Stones
Read I Peter 2:4-5
In his first letter to believers, Peter calls the believers living stones. He compares believers to stones in a building. Each stone is needed to complete the building. No one can build anything with just one stone. In a building each stone fits together with other stones. Together they make strong walls and support roofs. The more the stones, the stronger and better the building.
Each stone plays its own part in the building. It is important to have big stones for the foundations and corners. Smaller stones are important to fill the cracks. Long stones are saved to be placed over windows or doors. Lighter stones are added as the building grows higher. All kinds and shapes of stones are needed to finish the project.
This is the way things work in the church, too. Have you ever watched people working together? Have you ever attended or helped with a church supper? Have you ever filled a shoe box with toys for Operation Christmas Child? Have you ever helped someone pack and move into a new home? If you have, you know that it takes a lot of people working together to get the job done.
That is why God places us in church families. Jobs that are too big for one person are no problem when we work together. Never think the part you play is unimportant. Remember all kinds of living stones are needed. You will find that working together can even be fun. Isn’t it good to know we do not have to do God’s work alone! As a church we can do mighty things when we work together.
Think about this verse – Ecclesiastes 4:9
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor." (NIV)
Close in prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for my church family and the way we work together and help each other. Help me remember that You have given me a part to play whenever my church family needs me. Amen.
Planting Seeds
Read Luke 8:5-8
When the snow melts, the sun gets stronger, and the weather warms up, it is time to think about planting some seeds. Every spring I get my garden ready. I clean away the dead plants from last fall and dig in the soil until it is crumbly. I smooth out the dirt with my rake and make a little ditch where I will plant the seeds. As I open the packet of seeds, I dream of the fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers I will have in a few weeks. The seeds go into the ditch, and I gently cover them up. Now I just wait for them to grow.
However, sometimes there are problems. Maybe it is too cold, and the seeds never sprout. Maybe the seeds sprout but it doesn’t rain, so they dry up and die. Maybe the groundhog who lives under my neighbor’s shed eats the young green plants and they vanish. Maybe weeds crowd them and they do not have space to grow.
But many seeds will grow well. The plants grow strong and tall and there are lots of vegetables to eat and flowers to enjoy. There is even enough to share with my neighbors.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke wrote about a gardening story that Jesus told. It is the Parable of the Sower. Jesus said that the gardener (the sower) planted lots of seeds, but they did not all grow. Some did not have good soil, some were eaten by birds, some got too hot, and some were crowded by weeds. (This sounds like my garden). But some grew and produced lots of new seeds to eat and plant.
Jesus explained that people are like this. Not everyone who hears about Jesus will believe. They might have hard hearts or be too busy with other things. They might be excited at first but forget later or listen to the wrong friends. Yet some will come to know Jesus, love Him, and tell others. Even though we do not know what will happen when we tell someone about Jesus, He wants us to keep planting those seeds. We can spread the Good News of Jesus until it blooms everywhere in the world. Have you been planting seeds this spring?
Think about this verse – Mark 16:15
"And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone." (NLT)
Close in prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, I am glad I know the Good News about Jesus. Show me others who need to know Jesus and help me share Him with them. Help these little seeds I plant grow. Amen.