God Hears Our Prayers: Luke 2:25-38: Hearing Jesus for Kids

Have you ever been waiting for something so long that when it finally happens, it is almost hard to believe it is really here? For hundreds of years, God's people had been waiting for the promised rescuer. Today a wild, unexpected man shows up in the middle of nowhere with an urgent message: get ready, because Jesus is almost here. Who was John, and why did he show up in the wilderness? John was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the baby whose birth we already heard about, and he grew up out in the wilderness instead of the city. God's people had not heard from a prophet in four hundred years, and John looked and sounded like one of the old prophets, wearing camel's hair and a leather belt and eating locusts and wild honey. When God's word came to him, he went out preaching to huge crowds along the Jordan River. What was John's message? John's message was simple, even if it was hard to hear: repent, because the one you have been waiting for is almost here. Repent means to turn around, to go in a different direction. John told the crowds that if they were doing wrong things or thinking the wrong way, it was time to stop, because Jesus was coming soon. He gave very practical examples: if you have two coats and someone has none, give one away, if you are a tax collector, stop cheating people, if you have power, do not use it to push people around. Was John the Messiah? People started wondering if John himself might be the one they had been waiting for, but John made it very clear that he was not. He told them someone far greater was coming, someone so much greater that John was not even worthy to untie his sandals. John baptized with water, but the one coming after him would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. John was not the point. He was pointing the way to Jesus. What does repentance mean for kids? Repentance is like a spiritual U-turn. If you are riding your bike and realize you took a wrong turn, you have two choices: keep going and hope it works out, or stop and turn around and go back the right way. Most of us do not like to turn around, because it means admitting we got it wrong. But turning around is always possible, because of God's help. We do not have to pretend we are not going the wrong way. God already knows, and He wants to help us turn back toward Him. Talk about it as a family. What do you think makes it hard to turn around when you know you are going the wrong way? Is there something in your life right now where you know you have been heading in the wrong direction? What would it look like to ask God for help turning around? A prayer to pray together. God, thank You for sending people like John who told the truth and helped people get ready for Jesus. Help us to be honest with You about the places in our lives where we need to turn around. We thank You that we do not have to be perfect before we come to You, because You already knew that we could not be. Help us turn around when we need to, and remind us to ask You for help. Amen. Coming up next. Next time on Hearing Jesus for Kids, the one John was talking about finally shows up at the river. That's Jesus. Episode Reference: Luke 3:1-20

Faithful Every Day: Luke 2:41-52: Hearing Jesus for Kids Have you ever felt like your parents just did not understand you? Today we meet Jesus at twelve years old, and He says the very first words we ever hear Him speak in the book of Luke. It is a story about growing up faithful in the ordinary, everyday moments, even the ones nobody else is watching. What happened when Jesus stayed behind in the temple? Every year Mary and Joseph traveled about sixty five miles to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, usually with a big group of family and friends. One year, when Jesus was about twelve, they started the trip home assuming He was somewhere in the group. After traveling a whole day, they realized Jesus was not with them, so they went back to Jerusalem and searched for Him. They finally found Him in the temple, sitting with the teachers, listening and asking questions, and everyone who heard Him was amazed at how well He understood God. What were the first words Jesus ever spoke in Luke's Gospel? When Mary found Jesus, she said what any worried mother would say: Son, why have You done this? Your father and I have been searching everywhere for You. Jesus answered, Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I would be in My Father's house? He meant that the temple, God's house, was His Father's house. The Bible tells us that even then, Mary and Joseph did not fully understand what He meant, but Mary kept these things stored up in her heart. What happened after that day? Jesus went back to Nazareth with His parents, and Luke tells us He continued to grow and mature, gaining favor with both people and God. Eighteen more years passed before Jesus began His public ministry, eighteen years of living an ordinary life in a small town, working alongside His father Joseph as a carpenter. Even though Jesus knew He was the Son of God, He still spent nearly two decades where almost nobody outside His family knew who He really was. What does this story teach kids about being faithful? We might think that knowing who you are or what you are supposed to do means skipping straight to the big, important thing, but Jesus did not. He spent most of His life before ministry simply living ordinary days, growing up and being faithful in small things nobody else was watching. Those years were not wasted. They were the foundation for everything that came after. And even Jesus dealt with being misunderstood by His parents sometimes, which does not give us a reason to disrespect ours, but it is a normal part of growing up. In your own ordinary days, school, chores, even the moments you feel misunderstood, you can be faithful too, just like Jesus was. Talk about it as a family. Why do you think God designed it so Jesus spent eighteen quiet years growing up before He started His public ministry? Have you ever felt misunderstood by a parent, the way Jesus was that day in the temple? What would it look like for you to be faithful in your ordinary, everyday moments this week? A prayer to pray together. Jesus, thank You that You did not skip the ordinary years or the ordinary days, that You grew up and were faithful, and that the quiet days were not wasted, even the days You were misunderstood. Help us to be faithful in the ordinary seasons of our lives, knowing that You see us and that You are with us, even when those days do not feel big or important. Thank You for reminding us that You see us. Amen. Coming up next. Next time on Hearing Jesus for Kids, we learn more about John and what happened in the wilderness.

God Hears Our Prayers: Luke 2:25-38: Hearing Jesus for Kids Have you ever counted down the days until something exciting was about to happen, like Christmas morning or your birthday? Waiting can feel so hard, especially when you are excited. Now imagine waiting, not for days, but for your whole life. That is exactly what two people in today's story did, and it is why we are calling this episode God Hears Our Prayers. When Jesus was a baby, Mary and Joseph brought Him to the temple in Jerusalem, just like the law required for every firstborn son. Instead of offering a lamb, they offered two doves, a small clue that lets us know they did not have very much money. At the temple, they met two people who had been waiting on God their whole lives. Who were Simeon and Anna? Simeon was a man who loved the Lord, and the Holy Spirit was on him. God had made Simeon a promise: he would not die before he saw the Messiah. The day Mary and Joseph carried Jesus into the temple, God's Spirit led Simeon there too. The moment Simeon held Jesus in his arms, he knew God had kept His promise. Anna was 84 years old. She had lost her husband many years before and spent as much time as she could in the temple. Anna was a prophet, someone who spoke for God to the people. When she saw Jesus, she gave thanks to God and began telling everyone who was waiting for Him that He had finally come. What kept Simeon and Anna from giving up? Simeon and Anna had both spent most of their lives waiting for something they could not yet see. What they were doing has a name: faithfulness. Faithfulness means believing God not only when it is easy, but also when it takes a long time or nothing seems to be happening. It is a little like planting a garden. You put a seed in the ground, and for a while, you cannot see anything happening at all. But a good gardener keeps watering it anyway. Simeon and Anna kept showing up and praying even when they had no idea when the answer would come, and because they kept showing up, they were there on exactly the right day. Does God really hear our prayers, even when the answer takes a long time? Waiting can feel hard, and it can even feel like wasted time. But being faithful while you wait is never wasted. Even when nothing seems to be happening, even when you have prayed for something for a long time and have not seen the answer yet, God is not ignoring you. He sees every prayer. He sees every day you keep showing up, even when it is hard, and He wants you to keep showing up too. Talk about it as a family. What do you think kept Simeon and Anna from giving up while they waited? Is there something you have been waiting for and praying about? What would it look like to keep showing up while you wait? A prayer to pray together. God, thank You for Simeon and Anna, who did not give up. Thank You that being faithful and waiting is not wasted time, and that You see every prayer and keep every promise. Help us keep showing up even when we cannot see what You are doing. Help us recognize You when You arrive in ways we did not expect. Amen. Coming up next. Next time on Hearing Jesus for Kids, we meet Jesus at twelve years old and hear the very first words He ever speaks in Luke's Gospel.

God Sees You: Luke 2:1-20: Hearing Jesus for Kids Have you ever felt kind of ordinary, like you would not be the one picked for something special? Today we hear the story of the very first Christmas, and it is full of surprises: a king born in a barn, and the biggest news in history announced first to the people nobody expected. It is a story that shows kids exactly how much God sees them, no matter how ordinary or overlooked they might feel. Why did Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem? The Roman rulers in charge at the time decided everyone had to return to their family's hometown to be counted, so Joseph, who was part of King David's family, had to travel to Bethlehem, and Mary went with him right before she was ready to have baby Jesus. When they arrived, the city was so crowded there was no room for them anywhere, so Mary and Joseph stayed with the animals. After a long trip, Mary gave birth to Jesus there, wrapped Him in a blanket, and laid Him in a manger, the container that holds food for animals. Who did God tell first, and why does that matter? That night, some shepherds were out in a field watching their sheep. Shepherds were not considered very important back then. They were often the youngest or weakest members of a family, and nobody would have trusted them with big news. But God did not send the announcement of His Son's birth to the rulers in town or the religious leaders in Jerusalem. He sent an angel to the shepherds in the field, and the sky filled with angels singing and praising God. The angel told them not to be afraid, that the Savior had been born, and that the news would bring joy for all people. What did the shepherds do next? The shepherds went quickly to Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus lying in the manger, just as the angel had said. They told everyone what they had seen and heard, and then went back to their fields praising God for how good He was. Mary knew this was something very special, that God had told the shepherds and that angels were celebrating her baby boy, and she held on to all of it like treasures in her heart. What does this story teach kids about how God sees them? God has a pattern of doing really big things in small, quiet, and even overlooked ways. The biggest thing that had ever happened, the birth of the Savior of the world, looked very small from the outside: a baby in a feeding trough, on a cold night, announced to a handful of shepherds nobody else paid attention to. If you have ever felt ordinary, like nobody would pick you for something special, the shepherds knew exactly how that feels, and God picked them anyway. God sees you, He knows where you are, and He wants to use you to do amazing things in your life. Talk about it as a family. Why do you think God chose the shepherds, the people nobody else paid attention to, to hear the good news first? Have you ever felt overlooked or ordinary? What does it mean to you that God sees you exactly where you are? A prayer to pray together. God, thank You for being the kind of God who shows up in ordinary places and chooses ordinary people. Thank You for choosing the shepherds. Help us to look for You in the quiet and unexpected places, and help us to be available when You call. Amen. Coming up next. Next time on Hearing Jesus for Kids, we visit the temple where two people have been waiting their whole lives for one thing.

Praising While Waiting : Luke 1:39-80: Hearing Jesus for Kids Have you ever been so excited about something that you just wanted to sing? Today Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth carrying the most extraordinary secret in the world, and what happens next teaches kids one of the most important lessons in the whole Bible: how to praise God before you can see the answer to what you are waiting for. What happened when Mary visited Elizabeth? Mary had just learned from the angel Gabriel that she was going to be the mother of Jesus, and the first thing she did was travel several days to see her cousin Elizabeth. The moment Mary walked in and called out to her, the baby inside Elizabeth, who would grow up to be John the Baptist, leaped for joy. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out that Mary was blessed among women. Nobody had told Elizabeth who Mary was carrying. She simply knew, the moment Mary walked through the door. What did Mary sing about? Mary sang a song about a God who sees ordinary people, even when they do not feel special. She sang about how He feeds the hungry and keeps His promises, and how He lifts up the people who feel overlooked and down. What makes this song so remarkable is when she sang it: before Jesus was even born. Mary praised God for what He was going to do before she could see any of it. What happened when Elizabeth's baby was born? Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months before going home. When Elizabeth's baby was born, the neighbors and family gathered to celebrate, expecting the boy to be named Zechariah after his father. Elizabeth said no, his name is John. Everyone was confused and turned to Zechariah, who still could not speak. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, his name is John, and the moment he wrote it, his mouth opened for the first time in nine months. His first words were also a song, about how God had kept His promise and how his son John would prepare the way for Jesus. Why could Mary praise God before she saw the outcome? Mary had grown up learning about God and what He was like, and she knew Him well enough to trust Him even before she understood everything that was happening. It is a little like thanking someone for a gift before you even open it, not because you are pretending, but because you know the giver loves you and whatever is inside will be good. That is what Mary was doing. She trusted God so completely that she could praise Him in the middle of the waiting. Talk about it as a family. Is there something you are waiting on right now, something you are hoping for or something that feels uncertain? What would it look like to praise God in the middle of the waiting, before you can see how it turns out, because you trust Him? A prayer to pray together. God, You see the people who feel invisible. You keep Your promises even when it takes a long time. Thank You that You are the kind of God we can trust before we see the answer. Teach us to praise You while we are still waiting, the same way Mary did. Amen. Coming up next. Next time on Hearing Jesus for Kids, a Roman man makes a special announcement that sets into motion the most important birthday in history.

Saying Yes to God: Luke 1:5-38: Hearing Jesus for Kids   Has anyone ever told you something was impossible? Today we start the story of Jesus in the book of Luke with two families who both received impossible news from the same angel. Kids will meet Zechariah, a priest who needed proof before he could believe, and Mary, a young girl who said yes to God without knowing exactly how it would all work out. It's a story about learning to trust God with the impossible things in our own lives too. Who was Zechariah, and what happened to him? Zechariah was a priest in the temple in Jerusalem, and he had just been chosen for a job most priests only get to do once in their whole lives: going into the inner part of the temple to burn incense for God. While he was there, an angel named Gabriel appeared and told him something incredible. His wife Elizabeth, who was very old and had never had children, was going to have a son who would help prepare the way for Jesus. Zechariah asked the angel how he could know this would really happen, since they were both so old. Because he doubted, Gabriel told him he would not be able to speak again until the baby was born, and sure enough, when Zechariah came out of the temple, he could not say a word. Who was Mary, and how did she respond? A few months later, the angel Gabriel visited a young woman named Mary in a small town called Nazareth. Mary was probably only around 14 years old, an ordinary girl from an ordinary town who was engaged to a man named Joseph. Gabriel told her not to be afraid and said she was going to have a son named Jesus, who would become a king whose kingdom would never end. Mary asked a question too, but she was not doubting like Zechariah. She was trying to understand how it would work. When Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon her, Mary answered, "I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to Your word." What is the difference between Zechariah's response and Mary's response? Zechariah was not a bad person. He was a good man who had served the Lord faithfully his whole life, but when impossible news came, he needed proof before he could believe it. Mary did not have proof either, but she said yes and believed God anyway. God was gracious to both of them. He did not give up on Zechariah, and He kept His promise. He also chose Mary, knowing she was young and that nobody important knew who she was. What does this story teach kids about facing impossible things? God does not wait until things look possible. He often works right in the middle of the impossible. All of us face things in life that seem impossible, situations where we cannot see how they will work out. In those moments, we get to make the same choice Mary made: wait until it all makes sense before saying yes to God, or say yes to God before we can see how it will all work out. Talk about it as a family. Which response do you think was harder, Zechariah's or Mary's? What do you think you would have said if the angel came to you? Is there something in your life right now that feels impossible, where you could choose to say yes to God like Mary did? A prayer to pray together. Lord, thank You that You specialize in impossible things. Thank You that You did not wait until Mary had it all figured out before You trusted her with something that would change the world. Help us to be people who say yes to You even when we do not fully understand what You are doing, and help us trust that Your promises are true even when we cannot see the outcome yet. We love You, Lord. Amen. Coming up next. Next time on Hearing Jesus for Kids, Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth and sings one of the most beautiful songs in the whole Bible.

Paying Attention to Jesus : Luke 1:1-4: Hearing Jesus for Kids Have you ever wondered if God really notices you? Today we start a brand new series through the Gospel of Luke, written by a doctor who investigated every detail about Jesus before writing a single word. Kids will learn who Luke was, why his story about Jesus can be trusted, and what it means to pay close attention to Jesus, because the more we pay attention to Him, the more we discover He has been paying attention to us the whole time. This episode introduces Luke, the man who wrote this Gospel, and walks through Luke 1:1 through 4 to show kids why his careful, honest reporting means we can trust what he wrote about Jesus. Who Was Luke? Luke was a doctor. Doctors pay close attention to details, ask good questions, and do not guess, they investigate until they know for sure. That is exactly how Luke approached writing about Jesus. Before he wrote a single word, he went and talked to the people who were actually there: the disciples, the women who followed Jesus, and the people who watched Him teach, heal, and rise from the dead. Luke wanted to get the story right, because this was not just a good story. It was the most important thing that had ever happened. What Makes Luke's Gospel Different? Luke is the only writer in the whole Bible who was not Jewish. Every other book of Scripture was written by a Jewish author, but Luke was a Gentile, an outsider who would not have automatically been included in the story of God's people. And yet Luke wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else. He wrote two books, the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, meant to be read together as one long story. Luke wrote his Gospel to someone named Theophilus, whose name means lover of God. Bible teachers have long wondered if Theophilus was a real person Luke knew personally, and he may have been. But his name is also a reminder for us. Anyone who loves God and wants to know Jesus better can read these words and know they were written for them too, including your family. One more thing sets Luke apart. He pays close attention to the people everyone else walked past: the poor, women, children, and people who looked different. Jesus kept stopping for those people, and Luke made sure to write it down. Luke interviewed real eyewitnesses, people who were actually there with Jesus, and he paid attention to every detail of what they said. As we go through the Gospel of Luke together this season, kids will learn to do the same thing: pay attention to what Jesus says, what Jesus does, and who Jesus stops for. God, thank You for people like Luke, who paid close attention and wrote things down so carefully that we can still read them today. As we go through this book of the Bible together, help us to really hear it. Help us notice what You notice and love what You love. We want to know You, Jesus, not just about You, but really know You. Amen. Next time on Hearing Jesus for Kids, we get right into the story, and it starts with two pieces of news that seem impossible. You will not want to miss it.

Fishing With Jesus: John 21: The Gospel of John for Kids, Kids Daily Devotional, Daily Bible Study for Kids In this episode of Hearing Jesus for Kids, Rachael teaches kids about what it means to go fishing with Jesus. ☆Have a question for Rachael? Ask it here: Ask Rachael a Question ☆To Learn More About Compassion International here: ➤  Sponsor a Child ☆You can find the Family Discussion Guide that covers today’s content on our Patreon: patreon.com/HearingJesus ☆The Hearing Jesus for Kids Podcast is a companion to the Hearing Jesus Podcast. Learn more at RachaelGroll.com Hey friends, welcome to the Hearing Jesus for Kids Podcast!   Do you ever feel like you want to know more about the Bible but that it’s kind of hard to understand? Do you want to share your faith with your friends but have a hard time figuring out how to do that? Do you want to learn how to connect the Bible to your real life? Well then, this is the show for you.   My name is Rachael, and I am your host. I have been a Children’s Pastor for a long time, and one of my favorite things is helping kids learn how to understand the Bible. I think that sometimes people think that the Bible is just for adults, but God actually really wants kids to know about Him. So, on this podcast, we are going to learn all about God’s Big Story and how he shows Himself to us through the Bible. As we learn together what the stories in the Bible mean, we can learn how to live out our faith in our everyday lives.

Believing in Jesus: John 20:19–31: The Gospel of John for Kids, Kids Daily Devotional, Daily Bible Study for Kids In this episode of Hearing Jesus for Kids, Rachael teaches kids about what it means to really believe in Jesus. ☆Have a question for Rachael? Ask it here: Ask Rachael a Question ☆To Learn More About Compassion International here: ➤  Sponsor a Child ☆You can find the Family Discussion Guide that covers today’s content on our Patreon: patreon.com/HearingJesus ☆The Hearing Jesus for Kids Podcast is a companion to the Hearing Jesus Podcast. Learn more at RachaelGroll.com Hey friends, welcome to the Hearing Jesus for Kids Podcast!   Do you ever feel like you want to know more about the Bible but that it’s kind of hard to understand? Do you want to share your faith with your friends but have a hard time figuring out how to do that? Do you want to learn how to connect the Bible to your real life? Well then, this is the show for you.   My name is Rachael, and I am your host. I have been a Children’s Pastor for a long time, and one of my favorite things is helping kids learn how to understand the Bible. I think that sometimes people think that the Bible is just for adults, but God actually really wants kids to know about Him. So, on this podcast, we are going to learn all about God’s Big Story and how he shows Himself to us through the Bible. As we learn together what the stories in the Bible mean, we can learn how to live out our faith in our everyday lives.

Lost and Found: John 20:1-18: The Gospel of John for Kids, Kids Daily Devotional, Daily Bible Study for Kids In this episode of Hearing Jesus for Kids, Rachael teaches kids about what it means to be lost and then truly found. ☆Have a question for Rachael? Ask it here: Ask Rachael a Question ☆To Learn More About Compassion International here: ➤  Sponsor a Child ☆You can find the Family Discussion Guide that covers today’s content on our Patreon: patreon.com/HearingJesus ☆The Hearing Jesus for Kids Podcast is a companion to the Hearing Jesus Podcast. Learn more at RachaelGroll.com Hey friends, welcome to the Hearing Jesus for Kids Podcast!   Do you ever feel like you want to know more about the Bible but that it’s kind of hard to understand? Do you want to share your faith with your friends but have a hard time figuring out how to do that? Do you want to learn how to connect the Bible to your real life? Well then, this is the show for you.   My name is Rachael, and I am your host. I have been a Children’s Pastor for a long time, and one of my favorite things is helping kids learn how to understand the Bible. I think that sometimes people think that the Bible is just for adults, but God actually really wants kids to know about Him. So, on this podcast, we are going to learn all about God’s Big Story and how he shows Himself to us through the Bible. As we learn together what the stories in the Bible mean, we can learn how to live out our faith in our everyday lives.