Three in One

This weeks verse is a long one, but a good one.  We will be working on Matthew 28:19.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Materials:

• A clover if you have one, or you can use the picture
• To help learn the verse you can use the song GO, from The Power of Encouragement, part of the Seeds of Worship series.   We really recommend them!  You will need to scroll down to the The Power of Encouragement Media link and look for the song Go, which is number 8!

Directions:

• Say the verse above with your tot.  We suggest that you print the verse off and use it every morning with your calendar time.  If you don’t do calendar time still say the verse each morning with your tot before you begin tot school.
• Follow the cues given in this devotional. 

Talk with your child about the following:
This week we have been learning a lot about St. Patrick’s Day!  We have played some fun games, and made some fun crafts, and we’ve talked some about the color green.  Today we are going to talk about one more thing that we see different places at St. Patrick’s Day-The Shamrock! 

Shamrocks are green little plants like this one (show a picture or a real clover).  Most of them look like this, and they have a special number of leaves.  Can you count the leaves with me?  Let’s count, 1,2,3!  That is very special number of leaves.  Do you know why?  Well, let me tell you. 

God made the world and everything in it.  He made this clover with three leaves and we can use it to help us remember something very special about God.  Just like this clover, God has three very special parts, but they are all part of one God, just like the three leaves here are part of one clover. 

God’s three parts in one have a special name called The Trinity, which is a fancy way of saying three.  The three parts of God have special names, too-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We heard about them in our verse today.  The Father part of God is the one who made everything that we see in the world, even us!  The Son part is Jesus, who died on the cross to save us from our sins.  The Holy Spirit part of God is the part that lives inside of our hearts and helps us to know right from wrong and obey God and His commands.  All three parts make one BIG God who loves us very much. 

We can use this clover (hold up picture again) to help us remember the Father (point to one leaf), the Son (point to second leaf), and the Holy Spirit (point to third leaf).  We can also use the clover as a way to tell other about God and what He has done through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, which is exactly what our verse tells us to do!  Let’s pray,

Dear Father, We know that you are the holy Three-in-One.  We know that you made all things, and that you sent your Son, Jesus, to redeem us and let us be in Heaven with you one day.  Thank you Lord for that gift, and thank you for the Holy Spirit which helps us to follow the commands you have given us in scripture, and helps live with joyful hearts.  We know that you are Big God who loves us and helps us in all things.  Be with us this week and we learn more about you!  In your name, Amen!

Questions to ask:

• You may want to review last weeks questions with your tot
• How many parts does God have?  Three!
• What are the three parts of God?  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!