Timeline: Understanding God’s Story
EMAIL 1
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Subject Line: Experience God’s Story
Dear Parents,
This month we have a treat for you. In our parent video we’ve laid out God’s story in a creative way. Our hope is that you might share this with your family and enjoy it together. Sometimes it just helps to get the big picture of a story so that the little details can come to life. That’s what we hope will happen for you and your family through this resource.
To watch the brief video, click the link below.
https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/669241383/518dd9ae7d
Thank you for the privilege of partnering with your family. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
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EMAIL 2
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Subject Line: Did you catch the Timeline video?
Dear Parents,
This month we’re sharing a resource for your family that gives them a big picture of God’s story through the timeline. We hope that it’s meaningful to your family and helps all of you grow in your relationship with God.
To view the full video, click on the link below.
https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/669241383/518dd9ae7d
As always, I enjoy partnering with your family. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you,
[INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE]
VIDEO
SOCIAL MEDIA SWAG
We’ve got a treat for you in this month’s parent video. It’s called “Timeline” and it gives you the big picture of God’s story.
We just released the parent video for the month. It’s all about God’s beautiful story. We can’t wait for your family to experience the “Timeline”.
You have a very place in God’s story. We discuss that in this month’s parent video.
This month’s parent video is called the “Timeline”. It lays out God’s story to help you understand where you fit in God’s Story.. Check your inbox for more information.
VIDEO SCRIPT
You might have heard many people refer to the Bible as a number of things. It’s a collection of true stories or It’s God guide for how to live. Yes, it is all those things, but first and foremost, it is a love story. Let me share it with you in story form…
God imagined a world that was bright and blue. He dreamed of green- avocado green, fern green, moss green. Using His creativity, He spoke into existence the skies, the seas, and two souls. He chose to give them each a personal name. The boy is named Adam and the girl, Eve. Although God has many names, He wanted to introduce Himself with His personal name: LORD. He created a safe world for them, where they felt loved and accepted. They never felt pain or sadness.
Their safe place was called the Garden of Eden. It was special here because Adam and Eve did not know about fear, comparison, competition, loneliness, doubt, or death. No one got sick. Ever. They could enjoy Him. He could adore them. They laughed, played, worked, and created together. It was God + Adam + Eve = Greatest Love Story Ever Told.
This world, this God-created, perfect garden of goodness, was their Home. But did you know?!? This world was our Home, too? God created the world for us to enjoy and experience pleasure. But, one day…
…God’s enemy visited Adam and Eve and invited them to a different kind of experience. God’s enemy tried to influence them to focus on what they didn’t have instead of on the good gifts of God. God loved Adam and Eve from the tops of their heads to the bottoms of their toes. They were accepted just as they are, never-ever thirsting or hunting to find love. But when they thought about what they were missing instead of what they had in front of them, they were not happy or content. Was it true, what God’s enemy said? Are we missing out, lacking, and incomplete? If so, what must be done?
Doubt replaced confidence, and it caused them to see the world in a whole new way. They decided something must be done- even if it meant forgetting about all the goodness and pleasure of Home, forgetting about God’s love, and, even if it meant going against God, the kind Creator of their souls.
But did you know?!? They had all they needed. Adam and Eve didn’t see, couldn’t see, or perhaps forgot that the LORD had given them all they will ever need. In the end, the very thing they thought they needed was the thing that caused them to lose it all. They chose to listen to God’s enemy. And so, a break up occurred. Adam and Eve had to leave their home, our home, the garden of goodness.
When they sinned, also known as “going against God’s goodness,” pain, hurt, evil, shame, blame, illness, betrayal, fear, loneliness, comparison, competition, racism, injustice, and much more entered the world. (So much yuk!) As days turned to months and then years, Adam and Eve grew a family so large that people were everywhere! But this new world was filled with evil, so people hurt each other – over and over. The LORD saw this pain and made a decision.
The LORD decided to rescue them with love, so they could experience goodness again. He put a rescue plan in place to chase after them because they were not meant to live under this cloud of darkness. The world was now filled with bullying, shame, blame, illness, and fear.
God started His plan with a man named Abraham, who was called a friend of God. God promised Abraham he would have lots of children, and they would grow into a LARGE family called the Israelites (or Jews). The promise said Abraham would have a family so big that it would be like the stars in the sky. This promise was a BIG promise to give Abraham because he could not have kids- yet. But God kept His promise, and it came true.
He is a Promise-Keeper.
God promised to always be friends with the Israelites- just like He did with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Goodness. His loyalty was on point. He never went back and forth or was two-faced. A little Israelite girl would grow up to become a grandmother, and she saw God keep His promises. Then her granddaughter would grow up to become a grandmother, and she saw God do the same thing. God is not a confusing God, so He gave them directions on how to be in a friendship with Him and each other. When the people made mistakes in that friendship (Everyone does! Whew!), He told them what to do about it, and He called it “the Law.” Then, God told them He was bringing a hero to save them from the evil. This protector would be a part of the Israelite family (just like them!), and they grew excited with hope.
The time finally came when God’s Hero arrived on earth. The hero was God’s own Son, and His name was Jesus. But did you know?!? Jesus was also God! Do you know how ice is just water in a different form? Jesus is God in human form! The Israelites had waited years and years for this Hero, so people were expecting a BIG, GRAND, SUPER-DUPER, HUGE party. But instead, God chose to come down to earth as a human being. He was born in a manger, which is a big box where animals eat! (Ewww!)
God became the very thing He created in the good garden: human. But why? He wanted to show humans that He understood what it was like to be human and live in a world full of hurt, evil, loneliness, betrayal, comparison, and competition. God wants us to know we are not alone because Jesus understands what it’s like to be human. Jesus spent time healing people’s physical pain and hurts of the heart. Like a good doctor, God wants us to know He can care for our wounds from this world.
Jesus lived on earth, keeping all of God’s guidelines (remember “the Law?”) with zero mistakes! No other human has or will be able to do this. It was a miracle! God wants us to know that Jesus met all the “expectations” for friendship with God, so we don’t have to earn it. Jesus taught people how God wants His people to live so they can experience peace, security, laughter, creativity, fun work, and more. God wants us to know His instructions are how we experience the goodness (from the garden) today, right now! (Yay!) But WAIT! You haven’t heard the best part of the rescue plan…
…The most important part of the rescue is that God asked Jesus to pay the cost of Israelites’ mistakes made in their friendship with God. When they went against God’s good and safe instructions, they broke the “law,” so a price needed to be paid. God asked Jesus to cover it, even though Jesus never made a mistake or broke one of God’s guidelines. Jesus chose to pay the price so people could have the choice to be friends with God forever.
This choice wasn’t just for the Israelites, but for everyone, including you and me. He did this so we could be in friendship with God forever- without having to work for it. The cost to pay for sin was very high. It cost Jesus His life. He died in a terrible and painful way to pay the price for sin in the world. He faced death because He wanted us to experience the goodness of God forever. The goodness that existed in the garden with Adam and Eve. The goodness that will exist forever in Heaven.
Three days later, women went to the place where He was buried, but He was not there! (What?!?) Jesus had beaten death and was alive again! He did it! Jesus fought against all the bad, dark, evil stuff in this world, and HE WON! This win gave people an opportunity to enjoy the goodness that was in the garden. Right now. Today. Because of Jesus’ life, death, and return, we have an opportunity to be in a kind, healing, loving relationship, and God gives each of us a choice. He does not force anyone to choose His love. If He did, it would not be real love.
God’s greatest gift is giving people a choice to accept His friend request.
Guess what? People chose! They wanted to experience the same love Adam and Eve had experienced in the Garden, so they put their trust in Jesus. They wanted to know of the good world where God heals ALL, loves BIG and accepts ANYONE. When Adam and Eve doubted God’s love instead of trusting it, they made way for other people to have the same struggle. Boys and girls are all born with the question, Does God love me? And because of what Jesus did, people can answer the question! Does God love me? Yes, Yes, and Yes!!!
People of different skin colors and ages can choose to believe in Jesus and His power- not just the Israelites. It doesn’t matter what they have done or not done. God wants to be with friends with everyone. Once people choose Jesus, He lives inside He gives His new friends help. God sent another form of Himself, called the Holy Spirit, to live within them. Just like water can turn to ice, water can also turn to steam- three different forms of the same thing. God is the Creator, Jesus is the Hero, and the Holy Spirit is the Helper.
Because Jesus pleased God and followed the rules of the “Law,” followers of Jesus enjoy a friendship with God like Adam and Eve! Remember the goodness of the garden? It is now theirs! Yours! (What a love story!) So when we feel hurt, we have instant access to our best friend. We can talk with Him and tell Him how it feels. We can share every thought. We can ask Him to heal our heart’s aches and pains because healing is His special superpower.
When people put their trust in Jesus, they become friends with God. They join a big family called the Church. A long time ago, God asked a few people to write down some of His spoken words. They hand-made copies and sent them to Churches around the world who read it out loud to other Christians. As the Word was read, the Holy Spirit spoke to each individual and the group. He still does this today!
With the invention of the printing press, the Bible was recorded on paper, and copies of the Bible grew fast and wide. With cell phones and apps, people now get the Spoken Word with the swipe of a finger.
For the Church to know how to live this new, good life on earth with Him and others, God gave His Spoken Word, the Bible. Even though He spoke it aloud long ago, He stills speaks it today too! When we trust His love, His instructions become an important guide to understand and live in this world. They become a way to enjoy God’s goodness from the garden today. We can enjoy Him. He can adore us. We can laugh, play, work, and create together. We can ask Him to heal our hurts.
And this is the part of the story where you come in! Did you know God created every human being? Not one person is a mistake! You are a part of God’s Love Story. He thought up the idea of you. Why?!? The same reason He made Adam and Eve. He wants to experience friendship with you where you enjoy Him, and He adores you. You are like two peas in a pod- made for each other. He is sad that pain exists in your world, but He put a plan in place to help and, because of love, you have a choice. You can choose to believe the love story of God and in the power of Jesus to connect you with God forever.
When you do, Jesus is the Hero, and He ties you into a friendship that cannot ever end. Best. Friends. Forever.God wants you to know you are not alone because Jesus understands what it’s like to be human.
Like a good doctor, God wants you to know He can care for your wounds from this world. God wants you to know that Jesus met all the “expectations” for friendship with God, so you don’t have to earn it.
God wants you to know His instructions are how you experience the goodness (from the garden) today, right now!
The final part of God’s rescue plan is so exciting!
Jesus still has one mission left, and it is the final battle with evil.
Like any good love story, there is always an exciting, dramatic end!
Thankfully, we know the ending!
Jesus returns and crushes evil (and the bad guys) once and for all.
He gathers together His Church (the Christians) and sets up God’s Kingdom once and for all.
God creates a new heaven and a new earth. Jesus’ followers will live with peace, safety, joy, and love. There will be no more pain, hurt, illness, shame, blame, bullying, and more.
People who have rejected God and His Love Story will not be able to enjoy this life of safety and security.
Christians who have died will come back to this new life God promised.
Because Jesus beat death, no one will experience death again.
God created the world for us to enjoy and created us to experience friendship with Him. What His enemy stole, God will restore.
The Love Story will be complete.
God + You = Greatest Love Story Ever Told.