Shine At Home

Read page 230 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Luke 10:25–37. What did the Samaritan do to care for the injured man? Tell about a time when you helped someone you did not know.
Pray for your community’s first responders and healthcare workers who help us when we are sick or injured.
Make a list of all your neighbors’ names. If you don’t know them, make an effort to meet everyone and learn something about their lives.

Read page 238 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Luke 14:15–24. Tell about a special or surprising invitation you received.
Pray for people in our world who may feel left out or unwelcome.
Weave a special placemat for your table using construction paper. Find instructions online. Take turns sitting at the honored place this week.

Read page 240 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Luke 15:1–10. What do the shepherd and the woman both do when they find what was lost? Tell about a time when you lost something very important to you.
Pray, asking God to help you find ways to reach out to people who have lost their way. Thank God for seeking us when we are lost, like a shepherd seeks a beloved sheep and like a woman seeks a valuable coin.
Play a hiding game. Have one person hide a coin for the rest of the family to find. Celebrate when you find it!

Read page 242 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Luke 15:11–32. Talk about what you think happens next. Did the brothers reconcile? Why or why not?
Pray for people who live in places different from you, all around the world.
Read Adam Raccoon and the Circus Master by Glen Keane or find a read-aloud version online. Talk about how the book is similar to today’s Bible story.

Read page 260 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Luke 19:28–40. We can honor Jesus with words and actions. Share examples of ways to honor Jesus.
Pray. God is with us in good and bad times. Take turns sharing something good that happened this week and something that made you sad. Bring your joys and sorrows to God in prayer.
Make leaf rubbings to remind you that people laid leafy branches on the road to welcome Jesus. Place white paper over a leaf and use the side of a crayon to color over the area where the leaf is. Write “Hosanna!” on the paper.

Read page 274 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Luke 22:1–23. What do you do to remember Jesus? Name someone you know who serves others instead of expecting to be served.
Pray. Continue prayers of joy and sorrow. Take turns sharing something good that happened this week and something that made you sad. Bring your joys and sorrows to God in prayer.
Eat matzo bread or crackers to remember the unleavened bread Jesus shared with his disciples at the Last Supper.

Read page 277 and 279 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Luke 22:39–23:56. If you read directly from the Bible, read a bit of the story each day. Name all the feelings the various people may have experienced.
Pray. Continue prayers of joy and sorrow. Take turns sharing something good that happened this week and something that made you sad. Bring your joys and sorrows to God in prayer.
Search online to find instructions for how to fold a paper cross.

Read page 280 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Luke 24:1–12. The women brought spices to the tomb. Smell various spices in your kitchen cabinet.
Pray. Continue prayers of joy and sorrow. Take turns sharing something good that happened this week and something that made you sad. Bring your joys and sorrows to God in prayer.
Bake together! Fill large plastic easter eggs with spices and dry ingredients (in small containers or plastic bags). Once all the eggs are found, gather in the kitchen to bake a favorite easter treat.

Read page 316 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Romans 12:1–8. Talk about letters, cards, or emails you’ve received from relatives or friends who are far away.
Pray with your body! Sit or stand in place, feet slightly apart, and take a few deep breaths. Put your hands on your stomach and feel it rise and fall with a deep breath. Then praise God with your whole body (stomp feet, clap hands, reach arms up, jump)!
Talk about jobs that need to get done in your home. Do any of you have special tasks to help the family? Take a minute to say thanks for the ways each person helps.

Read pages 318–319 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or 1 Corinthians 1:10–11; 13. How many times is the word love used in 1 Corinthians 13? Name ways you can show love at home. Set a timer for three minutes. How many ideas did you list in three minutes?
Pray with your body to receive God’s love. Take a few slow breaths, putting your hands on your stomach to feel the air move in and out. Breathe God’s love in and then out to share it with others.
Paint hearts with watercolors and make a heart mobile to hang over your dining table. On each heart write one characteristic of love from 1 Corinthians 13.

Read page 320 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Ephesians 2:12–22. Whisper “Jesus gives us peace” so your family members can hear it. Now shout “Jesus gives us peace” so people far away can hear it.
Pray a prayer of thanks, making a stack out of your hands. As each person adds her or his hand to the stack, say “Thank you, God, for ____ (name).” Have everyone joyfully raise their hands and say amen together.
Read The Peace Book by Todd Parr or listen to a read aloud on YouTube. Give everyone a blank piece of paper and crayons or makers and have them draw what peace is to them. Staple or clip the pages together to make a family peace book.

Read page 322 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or Philippians 4:1–14. Talk about friends that you have and one thing that makes them fun to be with.
Pray with your body! Sit or stand in place, feet slightly apart, and take a few deep breaths. Put your hands on your stomach and feel it rise and fall with a deep breath. Then praise God with your whole body (stomp feet, clap hands, reach arms up, jump)!
Write “Rejoice in the Lord always” at the top of a blank piece of paper. Throughout the week, add things that you are rejoicing about to the list. Share your list with your pastor or a teacher next week.

Read page 328 in The Peace Table: A Storybook Bible or 1 John 4:7–21. John thought it was important for people to love one another like brothers and sisters. Spend some time sharing what you love about members of your family.
Pray with your body to receive and God’s love. Take a few slow breaths, putting your hands on your stomach to feel the air move in and out. Breathe God’s love in and then out to share it with others.
Share God’s love! Pass around a small box with a mirror inside. Say “When you get the box, open it and see who God loves.” Encourage everyone to keep it a secret until everyone has had a turn.