23 October 2018 This year we’re looking at Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven from Matthew’s Gospel, so we’re covering the Parable of the Sower again (Matthew 13:1–23). The parable teaches about different responses to the message about Jesus. One, and only one, response produces something better than we could ever imagine – receiving … Read more …
21 September 2018 At Messy Church this year we’re looking at some of Jesus’ teaching about The Kingdom of Heaven, recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. This month we began with Matthew 4:17–25. Jesus bursts onto the scene announcing, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” The calling of the fishermen shows us what repentance looks … Read more …
10 August 2018 At Messy Church this month we looked at Jesus’ appearance to Thomas and what it means to have faith in Jesus (John 20:24–31). Our crafts and activities were related to many of Jesus’ resurrection appearances. Fruity Fish Jesus appeared to his disciples and gave them a miraculous catch of fish. The children … Read more …
10 August 2018 This month at Messy Church we looked at the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11). This sign validates Jesus’ claim in verse 25: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in … Read more …
10 August 2018 At Messy Church this month we looked at Jesus healing the blind man in John 9. The blind man is made to see but the Pharisees, who claim they can already see, are exposed as blind. They refuse to recognise who Jesus is. The key to the account is found in John … Read more …
10 August 2018 At our Easter Messy Church we covered the greatest sign of all in John’s Gospel – Jesus’ resurrection. As the children arrived they made an Easter basket from a paper bowl. They stuck pictures and words around it to tell the Easter story. They filled the basket with shredded paper and six … Read more …
14 May 2018 This month we were teaching the account of Jesus feeding the 5000 from John 6. This miracle, like others in John’s Gospel, is a sign pointing to something about Jesus. In this case we focussed on teaching John 6:35, “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to … Read more …
14 May 2018 This month at Messy Church we heard about Jesus walking on the water, from John 6:16–24. The miracle shows Jesus’ power to save from death, and the judgement which is coming at the last day. We focussed on John 6:40, “Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have … Read more …
5 January 2018 For our Christmas Messy Church we looked at one of the greatest miracles of all, the Incarnation – God became Man! As they arrived each person was given a small artificial Christmas tree (which we bought online). At each activity station they made a decoration to go on the tree, each decoration … Read more …
5 January 2018 The next sign miracle in John’s Gospel is the healing of the man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-30). Jesus’ power to command the man is a visual picture of Jesus’ words in John 5:24-25, “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not … Read more …