Bible Study – Christ the King of Love and Grace
Share: Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.
This Sunday we celebrate Christ the King. Today we hear a portion of the passion story in which Jesus is hanging on the cross in between two criminals. One is encouraging him to save himself. The other names that Jesus has done nothing wrong and asks that Jesus remember him. Jesus tells him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus’ life on earth challenged those in power because it created a new way of life as Jesus talks about liberation from what we normally know as power. Jesus came to “to spread a revolution of love and grace, which entailed identifying and embodying a new kind of power and priority.”
Name a word that you think of when you hear the word, “Jesus.” Today we are talking about Christ Jesus our King and all we have learned over the last year.
Opening Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for all you teach us and all that you have given us. Be with us today as we celebrate the love and grace you have given us. Amen.
Please open your Bibles to Luke: 23:33-43 and read or read the scriptures below.
Luke 23:33-43
33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[b]”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Questions:
- What do you like about this story today?
- What did you find difficult?
- As Jesus hangs on the cross, he asks for God’s forgiveness for those who had crucified him. What does that tells us about Jesus’ love for us and for all?
- What does this tells us about the magnitude of forgiveness?
- As Jesus is being mocked, one criminal is encouraging Jesus to save himself. What would it have been like to be this man next to Jesus?
- What would it have been like to be the other criminal who understood what Jesus was about, and to simply ask Jesus to “remember him” today?
- What do you think the man’s response was when Jesus told him, “Today, you will be with me in paradise?”
- What would your response be?
Bible Memory Verse: Luke 23:34 - “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Videos (Click on url)
Stories:
Luke 23:33-43 “We prepare for Baby Jesus” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOa5Mpf6ws0
Gospel of Luke Summary: A Complete Animated Overview (Part 2) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26z_KhwNdD8
Song: Rejoice, the Lord is King: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzAjwGFRnS0&list=RDUzAjwGFRnS0&start_radio=1
Activities:
Journal: What comes to mind when we hear the word Jesus? How might we celebrate, Jesus, our King? Write or draw a picture of how you are going to celebrate Jesus. Also write a closing prayer for this year and for this day.
Today we celebrate "Christ the King." Since it is the last day in the church year, it seems appropriate to remember who our year is all about. What comes to mind, immediately, when you hear the word King. The king meant more when most Christians lived in countries ruled by kings or queens, so the idea of someone who was wiser than the one ruling them made the title fit Jesus. If king doesn't resonate, what other word, or words, might you choose? (Like Main Man, Head Guy, and True Leader.)
Bracelet: you will need small beads (red for Christ’s blood, black for the dark night and white for our sins washed clean) with holes and stretch elastic cord. Following is the website with the instructions on how to make a Stretch Bracelet. https://www.themakeyourownzone.com/wprm_print/23101
Christ the King - Crossword: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/christ-the-king-2
Christ the King – Decoder: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/christ-the-king-3
Christ the King - Word Search: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/christ-the-king-5
Christ the King – Multiple Choice: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/christ-the-king-4
Christ the King – Word Shape: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/christ-the-king-6
Prayer: Loving God, we thank you for all you have given to us, especially for the stories that tell us more about you, for your servants from whom we learn, and especially for your Son, Jesus. Amen.
