Peter - Week 8
“God’s heroes have faith!”
Peter was one of Jesus’s twelve disciples. One night, Jesus wanted to spend some time alone in prayer so he told his disciples to go on ahead of him and take the boat to the other side of the lake. Later, the disciples were caught in a storm and looked over and saw Jesus walking towards them on the water! The disciples thought they were seeing a ghost. Then Peter did something brave and amazing, because of his faith in Jesus! (Check it out in the scripture reading for this week!)
We’ll read Peter’s story to help us understand that God’s heroes have faith! When we walk with God, we will still walk through hard, scary, or difficult situations. But when we have Jesus inside of us, we know that He will always be there to help us! So let’s get ready for week 8...God’s heroes have faith!
Memory Verse for the Summer - Hebrews 12:1 NIRV
A huge cloud of witnesses is all around us. So let us throw off everything that stands in our way. Let us throw off any sin that holds on to us so tightly. And let us keep on running the race marked out for us.
Read Matthew 14:22-33.
Response Activity
Peter had strong faith when he stepped out of the boat, but it weakened when he saw the waves. Like Peter, we all need to exercise our faith muscles to have the strong faith Jesus wants us to have. Think about something going on right now that seems scary. Ask God to help you to rely on Jesus’ strength all the time, especially in hard or scary times.
Memory Verse Activity
Toss Across
Toss or roll a ball to one player. Have that player say the first word of the verse before tossing or rolling the ball to someone else, who then says the next word, and so on. Continue until you complete the verse. If the ball is dropped, start over again. Time how long it takes to finish the verse; and try to beat the time!
Game
Options 1 - Backyard Ocean!
Fold the large plastic sheet over itself one time to create a pocket. Tape all of the open edges leaving just a hole for the hose to fit. Fill with water then play on top! You can even act out the Bible story!
2 - Walk on Water Race!
Make foot cutouts out of paper and tape to the floor as a path. Do this again so they are side by side. Now race across only stepping on the cutouts and see who can get to the other side the fastest!
Service Project
1 - Hope In Action Food Drive
Right before Jesus walked on water and called Peter out of the boat, He had taught and fed the 5000 (see Matthew 14:13-21). Our church also helps provide food for people who need it. This week, visit the food pantry website to see what items are needed and then drop them off at the COH campus closest to you.
2 - Spread faith and joy
Think about someone in your life who might be going through a hard time. Write them a card or a letter encouraging them to keep their faith in God! You might want to include your favorite Bible verse to encourage them.