There are lots of really good children's Bibles out there. In our house we love The Jesus Storybook Bible. There are also a number of good resources to help parents read the Bible with their children. We use Table Talk written by The Good Book Company. However I haven't found a version of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John suitable to read with a 3-5 year old. I wanted a version of one of the gospels that I could read with Amelia, Alice and Annabelle that captures the action and the application of the stories. I don't just want my girls to know what Jesus said but I want them to know why he said it. So I've had a go at 're-writing' some of the stories in the gospel of Mark with that aim in mind. Each story is short - 200 words or less. Each story is simple - I've tried to use language that a 3-7 year old understands. And I've also included a few questions at the end to try and help move the conversation between parent(s) and child(ren) towards the point of the passage for us today. Below is the first story. Over the coming weeks I'll post a few more too...
The King Arrives based on Mark 1:1-15:
This is the start of the good news. The very, very, very good news! And it’s good news all about a King called Jesus. And this is what happened when King Jesus arrived…
There was a man called John the Baptist. And John lived in the desert. And John wore clothes made of camel’s hair and he ate honey and grasshoppers! God had sent John with a very important message. And this was the very important message that John told people: ‘Jesus is God’s King – and he is a really, really, really powerful King!’
But it wasn’t just John the Baptist who told people this important message. God shouted this message from the sky - and when God shouts a message from the sky it must be very important! When King Jesus arrived lots of people heard God shout: ‘Jesus is my King – and I really, really, really love him!’
And then King Jesus said: ‘I am God’s King – and I have some very, very, very good news for you!’ And the good news is that all of us – from the youngest child to the oldest adult - can be forgiven by King Jesus and can be friends with King Jesus.
Questions:
Who said that Jesus is the King?
What type of King is Jesus?
Why is this very, very, very good news for us?
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