Setting Our Hope

This seven-week summer series invites us to look at the Epistle to the Ephesians. To connect with children, use the visual aid of learning how to ride a bicycle, which is something that every child (and adult) understands. If you are able, bring in a real bike for each message to help children understand each message. Or you could project imagery of bicycles on the video screens in your place of worship. This will reinforce multiple intelligence learning for all ages worshiping with you.

July 11, 2021 – Ephesians 1:3-6, NIRV

Praise God for His Spiritual Blessings in Christ

³Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Those blessings come from the heavenly world. They belong to us because we belong to Christ. ⁴God chose us to belong to Christ before the world was created. He chose us to be holy and without blame in his eyes. He loved us. ⁵So he decided long ago to adopt us. He adopted us as his children with all the rights children have. He did it because of what Jesus Christ has done. It pleased God to do it. ⁶All those things bring praise to his glorious grace. God freely gave us his grace because of the One he loves.

Prop: Small bicycle that resembles a first bike a child would learn to ride.

Theme: We set our hope on Christ; now let us live that hope each day.

Bike theme: Be a better follower of Jesus through learning how to ride a bike without assistance or with help from someone. That is our goal, our hope.

Message

How many of you know how to ride a bike? (Allow children to respond.) This summer, during our children’s messages, we are going to talk about the things we must do to learn to ride a bike like this one (show them the bicycle). We are going to use our Bible and a letter from the New Testament found in it to give us guidance about how to ride a bike and, more important, about how we should live our lives as followers of Jesus.

Remember when you were first learning to ride a bike? Maybe some of us are still learning or haven’t learned yet, and that is just fine. When you are first learning to ride a bike, you need to set some goals for the future. Maybe you say, “I want to ride this bike all by myself by the end of summer.” We set our hope to ride the bike by the end of summer. Most all of us must practice while we learn to ride the bike. We can’t just jump on and ride off down the sidewalk immediately. It takes time to learn. And we learn each day.

Did you know that the Bible has letters written to people who lived in certain places? (Allow children to respond.) Today, and all through the summer, the letter in the Bible we are learning from is called Ephesians. Most say that it was written by the apostle Paul to the people who lived in a place called Ephesus. He begins the letter this week by telling the people known as Ephesians to remember that they are loved by God and that they are part of God’s family. He wants people to know they will experience joy and abundant life with Jesus. When we remember this, we set our hope in Jesus. That means we understand that the goal as part of God’s family is to live with love and compassion as Jesus did. It also means that we should live each day understanding that our hope is in Jesus. Paul wants us to think about how we might live as new people in Jesus. Jesus helps us. Jesus loves us. Jesus sent the power of the Holy Spirit to protect us and to help us live and love like Jesus did. Just as we need help (guidance and advice) on riding a bike, we also need help to live a new life – through the Holy Spirit and through prayer.

How do you think Jesus will help us learn to ride a bicycle? (Allow children to respond.)

Learning to ride the bike without assistance or help from someone or without training wheels is our goal and our hope for this summer.

Let’s pray to give thanks for Paul’s reminder that we are blessed by being a part of God’s family because of Jesus.

Prayer: Loving and gracious God, we do give you thanks. We give you thanks for the letter to the Ephesians reminding them, and us, that we are blessed to be called your family. Remind us of this each and every day of our lives. In your precious and strong name, we pray. Amen.

New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.