Sunday Mornings
Pre-K and K - 5th
River Kids | River of Life Church | March 21, 2021
March 21, 2021 • Pastor Mark Eskew
It can be tough to be patient. Such as waiting on your parent to stop working, waiting on virtual class to load, waiting for the next movie in your favorite series. What could you LOSE if you’re NOT patient? God had promised to make Abraham the father of a great nation—and God said He would bless all people through him. God began to fulfill this promise when Abraham had a son named Isaac. When Isaac grew up, he married Rebekah. It seemed that Isaac and Rebekah couldn’t have children, but God kept His promise. Isaac prayed, God answered his prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with TWINS. Rebekah could feel the twin boys struggling inside her, and went to ask God what she should do. The time came for Rebekah to have her babies. Esau was born first; he had a head full of red hair. Then Jacob was born—still holding onto Esau’s heel. Esau loved to roam in the wilderness. He grew up to become a skillful hunter Jacob was happy to stay at home among the tents. He probably spent his days cooking. One day, Jacob was cooking stew and baking bread. Esau came in from the open country, very hungry. Esau demanded that Jacob give him some food Jacob. Back then, the oldest son had the right to be the new leader of the family when the father passed away. Jacob was telling Esau to give those rights to HIM—just for a bowl of stew. Esau wasn’t willing to wait. Jacob made Esau promise to trade his rights if he gave him some stew. Esau promised his rights to Jacob just so he could fill his belly. Esau had traded away the rights of a lifetime, for a meal that would last a few hours. God provides what we need, in HIS perfect timing Bottom line, If you don’t wait, it could cost you.
River Kids | River of Life Church | March 14, 2021
March 7, 2021 • Pastor Mark Eskew
For hundreds of years, God’s people lived as slaves in Egypt. They cried out to God, and He rescued them. God parted the waters of the Red Sea. He led them through to freedom in the wilderness. He showed His love and care by providing bread from heaven and water from solid rock. After three months, God led His people to Mount Sinai where they set up camp in the desert at the foot of the mountain. God calls to Moses. God called out to their leader, Moses, from the mountain. Moses shared God’s words with the people, and they agreed to do everything God said. Later, God called Moses to meet with Him again on the mountaintop. Before he left, Moses told the elders that if anyone had a problem, they could talk to Aaron and Hur. Then Moses and his helper, Joshua, went up the mountain. The glory of God settled on the mountain like clouds and fire. Moses stayed within the cloud on the mountain, talking with God for 40 days and 40 nights. The people went to Aaron and complained that Moses had left them. Aaron told them to give him their gold jewelry. Aaron melted the jewelry down and formed it into a statue in the shape of a golden calf. The people wanted to make a statue of God that they could see and worship The next day, the people brought sacrifices to honor the golden calf. They ate and drank and danced wildly in front of it party foul. Up on the mountain, God spoke to Moses and Joshua began their trip down the mountain. Moses carried two heavy stone tablets covered with the laws God had given Joshua heard the people shouting, thought it sounded like they were at war As Moses approached the camp, he saw the people dancing. He heard their cheers and chants as they worshipped the golden calf. Moses was so angry that he threw the tablets down and broke them. He burned the golden calf in the fire, ground it into powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it. Through the years, God had helped His people over and over. When they had to wait, they forgot His goodness. They chose their own way . . . and they had to face the consequences. God was faithful and trustworthy through it all, and He is faithful and trustworthy to us, too. Bottom Line: When you have to wait, remember what’s true. We can choose to be patient and remember how good God has been to us.
River Kids | River of Life Church | February 28, 2021
February 28, 2021 • Pastor Mark Eskew
Wherever Jesus went, crowds of people followed Him. This made the religious leaders nervous. They looked for ways to try to trick Jesus and make Him look bad. One day, a law expert stopped Jesus with a question. Luke 10:25-28 The law expert wanted to find out the LEAST he had to do in order to obey the law. Jesus answered by teaching truth through a story. Jesus’ story is for US, just like it was for the people who listened that day. We should always be ready to show kindness, to ANYONE, because every person is important to God. Bottom Line: Be kind to people who are different from you.
February 14 - K-5th Grade - River Kids Church
February 14, 2021 • Pastor Mark Eskew
Family Ties (Ruth and Boaz) • Ruth We can be kind to others because God is kind to us. It isn’t always easy to be kind. Sometimes it’s hardest to be kind to the people who are closest to us—like our family members and our closest friends. The story of Ruth shows us how. Naomi’s Decision Naomi and her family were from Judah, but there wasn’t enough food there . . . so they traveled to Moab. While they were in Moab, Naomi’s husband died. But both of Naomi’s sons got married. One son married Orpah, and the other son married Ruth. BOTH of Naomi’s sons died. Naomi heard there was once again food in Judah; she decided to go back. Naomi told Ruth and Orpah to go back to their homes. Orpah left, but Ruth said she would stay with Naomi: Ruth 1:16. Meet Boaz Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to come with her. The two women left for Naomi’s hometown, Bethlehem. Boaz was related to Naomi, and he owned fields of grain. Ruth and Naomi needed food, so Ruth went into Boaz’s fields to try to get grain. God had made a law that landowners were supposed to leave some grain behind for people who needed food Ruth was able to gather food for herself and for Naomi. Boaz asked the man who was in charge of his workers who Ruth was. He had heard about Ruth’s kindness to Naomi, so he went to Ruth and told her she could gather grain from his fields: Ruth 2:8-9. Boaz even gave Ruth some bread and roasted grain to eat. At the end of the day, Ruth was able to bring grain home to Naomi. Wrapping Up the Story A short time later, Boaz and Ruth had a baby named Obed. Obed later had a son named Jesse who was the father of King David. Many, many years later, JESUS was born as part of their family line. God can use our kindness to accomplish His plan. Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi were kind to their family and friends . We can choose to do that, too.
February 7 - K-5th Grade - River Kids Church
February 7, 2021 • Pastor Mark Eskew
When you choose kindness, you are choosing your words wisely. You are offering to help others. People will begin to see the love of God through you. Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and tender to one another. Forgive one another, just as God forgave you because of what Christ has done." God sent Jesus to die for our sins, not because he deserved it, but because he loves us. God showed kindness by the way that he loves us. And we can return that same kindness to him by loving others. That means, forgiving people even if they let you down. It means, helping someone, even if they did ask you. Sometimes, kindness means just being a friend. Be kind to others, because God is kind to you.
January 17th - K-5th
January 17, 2021 • Pastor Mark Eskew
King Solomon was young when he became a ruler of Israel after his father David. You can imagine he might have felt nervous about doing the job. But one night God spoke to Solomon in a dream. Can you imagine God offering anything you might want? Do you know what Solomon asked for? By making good choices, God says that he will entrust us with more (Luke 16:10). 1 King 3:5 NIRV The Lord appeared to Solomon at Gibeon. He spoke to him in a dream during the night. God said, “Ask for anything you want me to give you.
January 3rd - K-5th
January 3, 2021 • Pastor Mark Eskew
Another week with the River Kids crew! We are loving our interaction with our viewers, and are looking forward to hanging out with you again! January we are bringing a whole new series on Playing well and finishing strong. To live with responsibility, you’ve got to play well and finish strong. That’s how you show you can be trusted with what is expected of you. Today we'll learn all about Loving God and Loving People. Join us this service as we worship with dynamic, fun songs for kids that lead us to the Father's heart, and meet some new characters as we discover what Christmas means! Parents, make sure to head to http://www.riveroflifeag.org/parenttoolbox to find resources for you and your family, and make sure to head over to our website http://www.riveroflifeag.org to find out how you can connect with our church! Have a great week!
December 20th - K-5th
December 20, 2020 • Pastor Mark Eskew
Another week with the River Kids crew! We are loving our interaction with our viewers, and are looking forward to hanging out with you again! December we are bringing a whole new series on Christmas and what it means to be "Simply Christmas". The real meaning of Christmas is simple: we celebrate Jesus, God’s greatest gift. We can find hope, joy, love, and peace when we remember that God sent Jesus to be our Savior. Today we'll learn God loved us so much that He gave us a Savior.. Join us this service as we worship with dynamic, fun songs for kids that lead us to the Father's heart, and meet some new characters as we discover what Christmas means! Parents, make sure to head to http://www.riveroflifeag.org/parenttoolbox to find resources for you and your family, and make sure to head over to our website http://www.riveroflifeag.org to find out how you can connect with our church! Have a great week!
December 13th - K-5th
December 13, 2020
Another week with the River Kids crew! We are loving our interaction with our viewers, and are looking forward to hanging out with you again! December we are bringing a whole new series on Christmas and what it means to be "Simply Christmas". The real meaning of Christmas is simple: we celebrate Jesus, God’s greatest gift. We can find hope, joy, love, and peace when we remember that God sent Jesus to be our Savior. Today we'll learn that you can have joy because God has a plan for you. Join us this service as we worship with dynamic, fun songs for kids that lead us to the Father's heart, and meet some new characters as we discover what Christmas means! Parents, make sure to head to http://www.riveroflifeag.org/parenttoolbox to find resources for you and your family, and make sure to head over to our website http://www.riveroflifeag.org to find out how you can connect with our church! Have a great week!