Week 32 · New Testament · about 3 minutes · 171 words
🕊️ Jesus in the River
Jesus is baptized, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father speaks love.
Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. John tried to stop him. “I need to be baptized by you,” he said. Jesus had not sinned. He still stepped into the water. He was standing with people, beginning the work he came to do.
When Jesus came up out of the water, heaven opened. The Spirit of God descended like a dove and rested on him. A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Before Jesus preached a sermon or healed a crowd, his Father named him and loved him. The pleasure of God was not a prize at the end of a busy day. It was the truth at the start.
If you belong to Jesus, the Father’s love is the truest thing about you too. You do not have to earn the sentence “with you I am well pleased” by being impressive tomorrow. You receive it in the Son, and then you live from it.
“Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.””
Matthew 3:17 · Matthew 3:13–17
Say it
Practice Matthew 3:17
Tap the words in order. The blanks follow the verse from left to right.
aoutoftheheavenssaid,“ThisismySon,withwhomIamwellpleased.”
Talk about it
- What did the voice from heaven say?
- What came down like a dove?
- How does it change a day to know you are loved first?
Prayer
Father, thank you for loving your Son and for loving us in him. Help me live like someone who is already loved. Amen.
Parent tip
Say the Father’s sentence over your child by name if that fits your family’s way of blessing them.
Week 32 · the whole night
🕊️ Jesus in the River
Story, coloring page, word search, and the verse to trace.