February Leader Guide
Lessons at a Glance:
We invite you to pause, listen, and shift your gaze toward the Father …
Word of Wonder/Memory Verse:
Exodus 15:11c
February 8
Wonder Truth/Big Idea:
Because Jesus Loves Me, I Am Loved
Scripture/Bible Story:
Colossians 1
John 3
Bible Story:
Jesus loves the world
February 15
Wonder Truth/Big Idea:
Because the Holy Spirit Leads Me, I Am Led
Scripture/Bible Story:
John 14
Bible Story:
JESUS PROMISES THE HOLY SPIRIT
February 22
Wonder Truth/Big Idea:
Because of Jesus, I Am a Child of God
Scripture/Bible Story:
Galatians 3
1 John 3
Bible Story:
WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD
Week 1
FOUNDATION BUILDING BLOCKS
WHO?
God is the Creator and Lord of all things. The first people were Adam and Eve, who were appointed by God to tend His creation but eventually sinned against Him. Psalm 8 is attributed to David, the shepherd who God appointed as king over Israel.
WHAT?
God gave humans the authority to rule over and care for His creation. Psalm 8 marvels at this God-given task, along with the reality that the majestic God of heaven thinks about and cares for humans. We are known by God.
WHERE?
In Genesis 2, God places Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The location of Eden remains a mystery, but the context suggests somewhere in Mesopotamia, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow. Psalm 8 was likely written in Jerusalem.
WHEN?
According to Genesis 1, humanity was created on the sixth day of creation. King David ruled many years later, after God had formed a people from Abraham’s family and later established them as the nation of Israel. David was the second king of Israel.
CONNECTING TO GOD’S BIG STORY
God created people to know Him and care for His creation. Though humanity sinned and creation went awry, Jesus makes all things new again. He invites us to know Him and participate as children of God in His new creation work.
INVITATION
Read Psalm 8. I remember lying flat on my back in a field in Wisconsin. I had never seen stars like that before. I was on a camping trip with some college friends, far away from the electric light that sometimes obscures the night sky. We had played football earlier in the evening, but when darkness fell, we took time to be still and look up. The sky was so big, and I felt so small. Small, but not insignificant. What amazed me then and amazes me still is that the God who made all those wonders also took time to make me. He even knows my name.
I think everyone longs to be known. When I’m in a crowd, I feel such relief when I see a familiar face. A smile. A wave. One of those looks that says, “Come, sit over here.” There’s great comfort in being known—in realizing you matter to someone. Now read Genesis 2:7, 15, and 22. Do you know that you matter to God? Not just in your past or on your best days, but right now as you prepare for this lesson. Maybe you feel insignificant at times, but the truth is God made you on purpose and is pleased to include you in His plans to bring about His kingdom on earth. God knows you, which means you are always known, always seen, and never just another face in the crowd.
—Michael Rade
Care & Support Ministry Assistant; Itinerant Preacher
Contributor to Wonder Ink
Week 2
FOUNDATION BUILDING BLOCKS
WHO?
Jesus is the divine Son of God, uncreated and eternal. He is the exact likeness of God, perfectly revealing who God is because He is Himself God with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is Savior of the world and Lord of creation.
WHAT?
Jesus came to save the world, bringing life to those who believe. Jesus loved the world, and by dying on the cross, He made the way to reconcile all things to God. Through Jesus’ death, God made peace with people, bringing them back to Himself.
WHERE?
Paul wrote Colossians as a letter to the church in Colossae. Colossae was located in the Roman province of Phrygia in the territory of Asia Minor. The Gospel of John may have been written in Ephesus, which was about 100 miles east of Colossae.
WHEN?
These passages discuss who the Son of God is and has been from all eternity, before the beginning of creation. They also discuss what happened when the eternal Son took on flesh and became a man, dying on the cross in approximately AD 30.
CONNECTING TO GOD’S BIG STORY
Jesus’ death and resurrection is the central event of history. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, the same God who created all things redeemed all things—defeating death and breaking the power of sin, making way for a new heaven and a new earth.
INVITATION
Read Colossians 1:15–23 and John 3:16–17. Sometimes I have trouble believing Jesus really loves me, even though His love is all over the pages of Scripture. Instead of remembering His love, I remember ways I’ve disobeyed God or gone against His perfect plan. Then I start thinking that maybe God is mad at me. Or that God doesn’t like me. Or wondering how God could love someone who’s done what I’ve done. Do you ever feel that way?
The voice of accusation is loud and unrelenting, whether it comes from our own hearts or the devil himself. Regularly, I pray, “God, help me hear Your voice above the voice of the accuser.” Amen, right?
I need to hear God’s big story, over and over again. I need to hear about Jesus, the rescuer who came to break the power of sin and gather the broken parts of creation back to God. Even me. And even you! He presents us to God without blemish and free from accusation. He loves us!
Because Jesus loves me, I am loved. God’s big story says so, and God’s big story is true. Will you hold onto His love today? Will you share it with the kids you serve this week? After all, they need to hear the story too. Again and again. Jesus loves us! Amen, right?
—Michael Rade
Care & Support Ministry Assistant; Itinerant Preacher
Contributor to Wonder Ink
Week 3
FOUNDATION BUILDING BLOCKS
WHO?
The Holy Spirit is one with God the Father and God the Son. He is God’s powerful, wise, and loving presence, empowering believers to honor God and follow Jesus. The Spirit brings wisdom and knowledge of God’s Word, guiding and encouraging God’s children.
WHAT?
Before Jesus died on the cross, He comforted His disciples by promising that the Holy Spirit would come to them after He went to be with the Father. The Spirit would be their helper, teaching them all things and reminding them of Jesus’ words.
WHERE?
Jesus promised the Holy Spirit’s coming during His Passover supper with the disciples in an upper room of a house in Jerusalem. Shortly after, Jesus and His disciples crossed the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was arrested before His crucifixion.
WHEN?
This story took place shortly before Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion. Jesus and His disciples were in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Holy Spirit would later come on the disciples during Pentecost, after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.
CONNECTING TO GOD’S BIG STORY
In the book of Ezekiel, God promised to give His people new hearts by placing His own Spirit within them (Ezekiel 36:26–27). This promise was realized when the Holy Spirit came to Jesus’ followers, empowering all believers to reject sin and walk in newness of life.
INVITATION
Read John 14:15–21, 25–26. People today have so many voices competing for their attention. Social media and news media. Talk radio and podcasts. Ads on the internet. Ads on the interstate. It feels like everything everywhere is always shouting: “Look at me” or “Go this way” or “Trust this,” they say. I think that’s why people sometimes latch onto the wrong things. When life feels chaotic, it’s natural to long for an anchor in the storm, and it’s easy to grab after whatever’s making the most noise.
Followers of Jesus are not exempt from the chaos, but Jesus hasn’t left us without help in the world. We have an anchor that never fails—a helper who is always with us, dwelling deeply in our hearts. We have the Holy Spirit.
If you are a follower of Jesus, then God’s powerful, wise, and loving presence is leading you. The Holy Spirit is with you, comforting and encouraging you as you follow the way of Jesus. He gives wisdom and understanding. He plants the words of Jesus deep in our hearts and helps us see through every counterfeit.
What difference would it make if you trusted God’s presence today? What would you be able to do? Who would you be able to reach? Because the Holy Spirit leads you, you are led. Will you walk in step with Him today?
—Michael Rade
Care & Support Ministry Assistant; Itinerant Preacher
Contributor to Wonder Ink
Week 4
FOUNDATION BUILDING BLOCKS
WHO?
Abraham, whose name means “father of many nations,” was the ancestor of the 12 tribes of Israel. As Israel’s ancestor and the first convert to the worship of Yahweh, Abraham became the example for Gentiles who turn to Christ and join God’s family.
WHAT?
Paul tells the Galatian Christians that Abraham’s faith made him right with God. Likewise, those who have faith like Abraham are children of Abraham, and more importantly, children of God. Faith—specifically belief in Jesus—makes us God’s sons and daughters, led by His Spirit.
WHERE?
Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia, a Roman province in central Asia Minor (now modern-day Turkey). Many scholars believe Paul’s audience included only the churches in southern Galatia (Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe), but some suggest an audience in northern Galatia.
WHEN?
God’s promise to Abraham was made about 430 years before the people of Israel received the Law of Moses. Paul’s letter is addressed to Gentile Christians, who put their faith in Jesus after His death and resurrection. Paul is comparing their faith to Abraham’s.
CONNECTING TO GOD’S BIG STORY
God promised to bless the nations through Abraham’s descendants. Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, was born to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. Jesus blessed the nations by making the way for all people to be part of God’s family.
INVITATION
Read Galatians 3:5–14 and 1 John 3:1. When I was six, a chaperone at church camp led me in a prayer to receive Christ—a prayer to tell Jesus I needed His forgiveness and wanted to follow Him as Lord.
I got the impression that the exact words of that prayer were very important, almost magical. It was a “repeat after me” kind of prayer where I repeated what the chaperone said, line by line.
I meant every word of it. But as I grew, I sometimes worried I had said the prayer wrong. What if I didn’t repeat it perfectly? Was there something else I needed to do? To earn God’s love? To stay in His good graces?
The truth is Jesus has already done all the doing. He’s already made a way for those who are far from God to become part of God’s family. Including you and me. It’s not a trick. It’s not a test.
If you have faith in Jesus, then you are a child of God. Really and truly. There are no more boxes to check. You can live your life secure in the Father’s love, led by His Spirit. Will you walk in the light of that love today? Because of Jesus, you can. Because of Jesus, you are now and forever God’s child.
—Michael Rade
Care & Support Ministry Assistant; Itinerant Preacher
Contributor to Wonder Ink