ONE DAY JESUS SAT down on a mountain with His friends. He looked around the crowd and saw many tired and worried faces. So He blessed them and told them many wonderful and surprising things! We call these sayings of Jesus the Beatitudes, and you can find them in Matthew 5. His beautiful words bless us today too!
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO FEEL SAD
Jesus blessed the sad people because He longs to wipe away all our tears forever. When our friends know we are sad, they comfort us and help us feel better.
• Tell each other when you felt sad this week. Then describe how you most like to be comforted. Take a very large sheet of paper and divide it into twelve rectangles like a patchwork quilt: four rows of three squares. Draw or write something in each square that helps to comfort you or someone else in your family.
• Ask your parents to wrap you in a blanket and give you a big hug! Imagine God is giving you a big comforting hug too! What would God whisper in your ear to comfort you today?
BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT
Jesus blessed the people who didn’t feel spiritually good enough. He told them not to be discouraged. When we know we are spiritually weak, we make space for God to work in our hearts!
• Hold an empty cup in your hands as you pray. Tell God you feel empty and want Him to fill you with His love and peace. Pour some delicious juice or fresh water into the cup and drink it slowly. Just as the water we drink reaches every part of our body and makes it feel alive and healthy, so God wants to fill all our empty parts with His love so that we can have a healthy relationship with Him!
• Draw a big heart on a piece of paper. It’s empty. Fill the heart with pictures and words that will remind you of God’s love, even when you feel poor in spirit.
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO DON’T NEED TO BE FIRST
Jesus said that meek and humble people will inherit the earth! In God’s kingdom, the people who serve others are the greatest. When we feel safe and loved by God, we don’t need to win all the time or boss others around.
• What did Jesus do to serve others? Read John 13:1–17. Washing feet was a job for the lowest servants, but Jesus was happy to care for His friends. Act out the story with your family, or take turns washing each other’s feet kindly and gently.
• Draw around your feet on a sheet of paper. Inside each foot, write different ways you could serve others.
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO WANT TO PUT THINGS RIGHT
Jesus knew that many things in the world needed to be made right. Whenever people are being hurt, put down, robbed, teased, bullied, or misused, or don’t have enough food, clothes, or a safe home, we need to help put things right for them.
• Find a local newspaper and look for stories of people who are making your town a better place. Who feeds hungry people? Who protects people who don’t have a home? Who cares for refugees? Who looks after abandoned animals or picks up trash? Choose someone who is putting things right in your community and make a card to thank them.
• What are the sad things in your community that your family wants to put right and make better? What could you do to make a tiny difference? Look for ways to tidy up the streets, donate food and clothes, and make things better for people who are poor and have difficult lives.
BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART
Jesus explained that people who have pure hearts will learn to see God clearly. We have pure hearts when we are honest and want the best for others.
What’s in Your Heart?
• Go on a scavenger hunt to find objects that depict your values, your priorities, and the things you love.
• Arrange your objects on a tray. What do they say about your heart? Does anything stop you from seeing a clear picture of God’s love? Is there anything you want to change or add?
• Ask each person in your family to do this so you can see inside their hearts, too.
• Make a collection of objects that represent what God loves and display His values. How is it different from each of your collections?
How Do You See God?
• We all see God differently. Draw a picture of how you imagine God to look. Around your picture, write some words that describe Him.
• Compare them with the pictures of God drawn by your family. What can you learn from each other’s pictures of God?
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ARE KIND
Jesus came to show us how much God loves us! We are like little lights shining on God’s love each time we are kind to others!
Light Up Jesus’ Love!
• Find a jar, a piece of white paper, scissors, tape, a red pen or crayon, a black pen or crayon, and a battery-operated candle (or a real candle if an adult supervises).
• Cut a paper strip to fit around the glass jar with a little overlap. In the middle of the strip, color a red heart about 2 inches wide and high. Use a pen or crayon that does not leak through the paper.
• Write the name of Jesus with the black pen or crayon, back-to-front, inside the edges of the heart shape. Ask an adult to help you if this is difficult.
• Tape the paper around the jar with the heart on the inside so that the paper around the jar looks white. Place a light or candle inside the jar and watch the heart and the name of Jesus appear when the light shines through the paper. If it doesn’t look right, try again!
Kindness Names
• Write the letters of your name down the side of a sheet of paper.
• Think of one kind thing you could do for others, beginning with each letter of your name.
• Each time you do something kind, draw a heart next to the idea.
• How quickly can you complete all your kindness challenges?
BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS
Jesus told us that when we help people to be friends instead of enemies, we show the world that we are God’s children.
Making Peace
• Read the story of Abigail, Nabal, and David in 1 Samuel 25.
• Search for all the lovely things Abigail did to make peace with David after her husband, Nabal, had been rude to him.
• Think of ten things you could do to make friends with someone
Peace Project
• Ask family members and friends what they do to make peace again after an argument.
• Can you list ten things you could do to help make peace? Here are some ideas to get you started: listen, show you understand, care, and apologize
BEAUTIFUL BEATITUDES
Explore the Beatitudes with these beautiful ideas.
• Create a different action with your body to illustrate each verse.
• Draw pictures or posters to illustrate each Beatitude.
• Take photos to illustrate each Beatitude.
• Write a poem or song about the Beatitudes. Or write a short story that illustrates each Beatitude.
