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How can we teach teenagers to turn to God for help? The first step in doing so is recognizing what teenagers are seeking so we can show them how God meets their needs. All people, including teenagers, need forgiveness, acceptance, community, and endurance. We can use the acronym F.A.C.E. to remember these four things. Let’s take a look at the F.A.C.E. of Jesus and see how these gifts He brings through the Lord’s Supper apply to youth ministry today.

This Easter, celebrate the best event in our history—the empty tomb! Perhaps your congregation does a special event for your children and the kids in your community. As part of that event, consider tying in a special children’s message that will bring Easter into sharp focus for those in your congregation.

On the surface, this parable comforts us with the truth that Jesus treasures each of His children. But there’s more! What can we teach children regarding Christian love for the lost sheep? How can we teach children to care for the lost?

One of the very first concepts we teach children is contrasting. We show them the difference between right and wrong, quiet and loud, day and night, fast and slow.

Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan is a well-known, well-used, but often misunderstood piece of Scripture. Frequently, preachers and teachers, believers and unbelievers alike employ this parable to reinforce the importance of showing kindness to others, especially those we don’t know or those we might be naturally disinclined to assist.

Children’s ministries are often the first places little ones learn about the love Christ has for them. These programs give opportunities to share Gospel truths through games, crafts, snacks, and songs. To support children’s learning about Jesus, you can provide take-home sheets to help parents bring the Bible lessons into their homes. Here are some things to include on take-home sheets to help parents reinforce what their children learn from your ministry.

Continuing our yearlong journey through Jesus’ parables, let’s consider the barren fig tree as a lesson topic. I’ll examine the content and major themes of this parable from a Law and Gospel perspective, present a few teaching ideas, and suggest a couple of songs that complement the lesson.

I was helping a friend by driving her daughter home from school one day. My friend’s daughter is in kindergarten. She was telling me about her teacher, who was about to go on maternity leave. “Hmm . . . I never really thought about how the baby comes out. How does it come out?”

Jesus is the master teacher. Through parables, He repeatedly made the Kingdom of Heaven accessible to everyone, connecting spiritual truths with concrete elements of human life. Matthew 7:24–27, the parable of building your house on the rock, is a wonderful example of Jesus explaining spiritual matters in everyday terms.

The Christmas season brings lots of joy and cheer as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. One of my favorite parts of Advent is the hymns. Advent hymns are some of the most recognizable and well-known hymns, but they can be hard to remember because they are sung only during this time of year. Plus, hymns can be confusing if one is not aware of the Scripture and concepts behind it. That’s why it can be a good idea to create lessons based on the hymns that will be sung this season. Here are ways to teach and discuss four Advent hymns to help your youth understand what they will be singing about.