Family Worship (Dec 14)

Have you ever seen a parent teaching a little child to walk? At first the child wobbles, and the parent holds their hands so they don’t fall. Sometimes the child lets go, runs the wrong way, or even gets grumpy. But the parent doesn’t stop loving them. They keep bending down, picking them up, and helping them try again. That is a lot like how God loves us.

In the book of Hosea, God talks about his people like they are his little children learning to walk. He says he taught them, carried them, healed them, and fed them. But even with all that love, they ran away from him. Instead of listening to God, they chose their own way. Even then, God didn’t give up. His heart was filled with compassion, and he promised to call them back home.

This story helps us understand the amazing love of God—a love that will not let us go, even when we mess up. And that same love is shown to us through Jesus, who came to bring us home to God.

Hosea 11:3-4
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. 4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.

Discussion Questions

1. How does God describe the way he cares for his people? What picture do these verses paint?
2. Why do you think God keeps loving us even when we disobey or run away from him?
3. How does Jesus show us the greatest example of God’s love that never lets go?

Activity: “Teach Me to Walk”
Have one parent or older sibling gently hold the hands of a younger child and pretend to teach them to walk. If children are older, have them take turns acting out “helping someone walk” by guiding a blindfolded family member safely across the room. Talk about what it felt like to guide and be guided.

Afterward, say: “This is how God cares for us—He guides us, protects us, and teaches us, even when we don’t realize it. And when we turn away, He calls us back with love.”

If you have time, create a simple poster together titled “God’s Love Never Lets Me Go.” Write or draw ways God shows kindness (feeding us, forgiving us, helping us grow, protecting us).

Prayer
Father, thank you for loving us like a parent teaching a child to walk. Thank you for being patient, kind, and full of compassion. Help us remember your love when we are tempted to go our own way. Teach our hearts to follow your Son, Jesus, who came to bring us home. Keep us close to you every day. Amen.

Memory Work

New City Catechism
50. What does Christ’s resurrection mean for us?
Christ triumphed over sin and death so that all who trust in him are raised to new life in this world and to everlasting life in the world to come.

Memory Verse
Galatians 3:29 (CSB)
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.