Gatlinburg Lutheran Church Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) Lutheran confessing worship in Gatlinburg, Tennessee at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Church in Gatlinburg Tennessee
Worship in Gatlinburg Our Savior Lutheran Church Gatlinburg TN Lutheran Church
Our Savior Lutheran Church is part of the largest Lutheran body in the United States of America, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Church in Gatlinburg TN Gatlinburg Tennessee Lutheran Church
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January 27

Jesus Calls his Disciples

Matthew 4:12-23

Bibleland

February 3

Transfiguration of our Lord

Matthew 17:1-9

Bibleland

February 10

Temptation of Jesus

Matthew 4:1-11

Parable Power Center

February 17

Born Again!

John 3:1-17

Bibleland

February 24

The Woman at the Well

John 4:5-42

Apostle's Playhouse

March 2

Jesus Heals, The Miracles

John 9:1-41

Bibleland

March 9

Jesus and Lazarus

John 11:1-45

Parable Power Center

March 16

Palm Sunday

Matthew 26:14-2

Apostle's Playhouse

March 23

Glorious Easter Morning

Matthew  28:9-15a

Bibleland

CALLING ALL KIDS!

During this Lent season, Kid's Character Club will be joining with the kids of Our Savior Lutheran Church. We want to learn the meaning of Lent and learn more about Jesus Christ. We will try and take a walk in His shoes as we "Journey to Jerusalem." Become a part of this exciting program on Wednesday at 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM. All children are welcome to attend our Sunday School 9:45 AM - 10:45 AM and again on Sunday evenings during Manifest from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM. Remember the future of our church and our community will be in the hands of our children.

Help Them Grow Strong in the Body of Christ

Missed Previous Lessons?

Hey Kids!  We have a very interesting lessons today about the Transfiguration of Christ!  Dig in with me and learn what God is teaching us in his Word!

Here is Today's Text from Matthew 17:1-9
The Transfiguration
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.  Listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be  afraid."  When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.  As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

Let's think about what is being said in God's Word:  The Jews waited for a Messiah, a savior, from God. Because the Messiah was described in scripture as a King and a mighty savior, they were expecting a King who would make Israel great again. The scriptures also described the Messiah as  a sacrifice, a man of peace, rejected by his people. Jesus performed many miracles to prove that he was from God, even though he wasn't a powerful ruler.  This was confusing to many, even the disciples. When Peter, James and John saw Jesus shining brightly and speaking to two powerful prophets of old, they were amazed.  All three men, Moses, Elijah, and Jesus were messengers from God. But only one, Jesus, the Messiah. To make this clear, God himself made himself known. He spoke to the disciples and told them to listen to Jesus, because this Messiah was not just a man, He was the very son of God.

Since we have the entire Bible to read, and we know how the story ends, it's hard for us to see how the disciples would be confused. God himself said that Jesus is the savior of the world and His only begotten son. If we deny that, we make God a liar.


Hey Kids!  Welcome Back as we learn more about Jesus calling his disciples!

Read the Bible Text Here:
The Calling of the First Disciples
18
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.  Jesus Heals the Sick 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people

Memory Verse:
"Follow me and I will make you fishers of people." Matthew 4:19

One day as Jesus walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers - Simon Peter and Andrew - throwing a net into the water because they fished for a living. Jesus called to them, "Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!" The Bible tells us that they immediately dropped what  they were doing and followed Jesus.

As Jesus, Peter, and Andrew walked along the shore, they saw two other brothers - James and John - sitting in their boat mending nets. They called and invited them to come along too. They dropped their nets, left their boat behind, and followed Jesus. If you have ever been fishing, you know what a thrill it is to land a big one. Can you imagine what a thrill it is to go fishing for people and to help someone else come to know Jesus and become one of his followers? Even though this story in the Bible is about Jesus calling the first disciples, it is for us  too. It is a message from Jesus that he wants us to go and make disciples. Will we return his call? What will our answer be?  Dear Jesus, just like Peter, Andrew, James, and John, we want to join you and go fishing for people. Amen


The Lesson for the week of January 20th
Hey Kids!  Welcome!

Go to your Bibles and read in John 1:29-42

What does it mean when we say Jesus is the Lamb of God? The Bible tells us that the Prophet  John, who baptized Jesus in the river Jordan, was the forerunner of Jesus. This means that John was the one to tell the people of Israel that the great King whom God had promised was now with them. John did what God wanted him to do, and  so he told the people that Jesus was a "lamb.' Isn't that strange? Yes, he said that Jesus was the "Lamb of God," and that he would take away "the sin of the world."

But why did John say that Jesus was  a lamb? I just hope you have read the stories about Adam and Eve; Cain and Abel; Abraham and Isaac; the death of the firstborn of Egypt; and the one which tells about the priests of Israel and how they served God in the tabernacle. If you have, you will remember that lambs were sacrificed.

Well, Jesus was sacrificed just  like all those lambs. Jesus always wanted to do what pleased God, so he was very  willing to be sacrificed in order that some day everybody in the whole world  could please God, and not have to die any more.

Jesus Was a Most Wonderful Man!


Today is Christ the King Sunday!
It is a special day in the church year, so today let's talk about kings.

You kids all know about kings, even though America got rid of her king about 200 years ago! So tell me about kings, what do king's wear?  That's right, they wear a crown and they wear royal robes. They also carry something that represents their power and authority -- do you know what that is called? It's called a scepter! Kings also have LOTS of this stuff. Where do kings get all that treasure and jewels and gold? You're right again! From the people!  If all these pictures show what a king looks like, then we have a serious problem in church today, because this morning we are supposed remember Jesus as Christ the King, and He certainly didn't look or act like the kind of kings we're used to!
We know Jesus didn't wear a gold and jeweled crown, he wore a different kind of crown, what was it? A crown of thorns!  And Jesus didn't wear royal robes with white ermine down the front did He? He wore a simple robe and sandals.  And Jesus didn't carry a scepter to show His power, what did He carry? You're right again! He carried a Cross and he carried all our sins to that cross too.

And finally, does Jesus want boxes of jewels and diamonds and gold coins? No, what Jesus wants to gather to Himself is our hearts and our love. Jesus is a king, but a different kind of king than we're used to. He isn't a king with a gold and jewel crown, who has riches and jewels and servants, and who orders people and armies around. Jesus is a king, but the best kind of king. He is the King of Heaven (where he promises to take us), the King of Love (which  he offers to us freely), the King of Sacrifice, who talks all of our
sins and the things we do wrong, and He wipes them away.  Jesus doesn't want to be king of countries and armies, He wants to be the King of our hearts and our lives. He is the most wonderful King, the best kind of King, a King who wants to give us forgiveness, love, heaven, and eternal life with Him!

Let's thank God for sending Christ the King to us! Dear God, thank you for being the kind of King who doesn't want gold and power and treasure, but a King who wants our hearts and love. Thank you for being a King who wants to give everything that is good to his people, and to us, his little children. Thank you for having Christ the King go to the cross for each one of us, to wash away our sins. And thank you for the home is preparing for us in heaven.  Amen


Hey Kids!  We hope your week has been terrific and we look forward to seeing
you at Sunday School or hearing from our friends online!

This week is an important lesson as Christians.

This week Jesus tells us I am the Bread of Life. Jesus is telling us HE will feed us.  HE will sustain us!

"I am the bread of life" John 6:48

Just prior to the events of this week's lesson, Jesus fed 5,000 with a boy's lunch. Another crowd now gathers around Jesus for a "free lunch." Their desire is to make life easier. His desire is to make life significant. He says, "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you" John 6:27.

The crowd reminisces about manna. Jesus says, "The bread of God is (he who comes) out of Heaven and gives life to the world" (v. 33). He says he is that bread. In verse 34, the people ask for that bread so they may be forever filled. Little do they know he will accomplish that request.

From verses 35 to 40 in John chapter 6, Jesus explains who he is and what he will do: "I am the bread of life, he who comes to me shall not hunger . . . he who believes in me shall never thirst . . . all that the Father gives me shall come to me . . . I have not come to do my will, but my Father's will . . . this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him may have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day."

As the bread of life and the provider of living water, Jesus gives sustenance, sufficiency, and the supernatural.


Hey Kids!
We had a great lesson last week introducing Isaiah in our lesson on Isaiah 11: 1-9

What do you know about the prophets of ancient Israel:
   a. Who were they?
   b. What did they say and do?
   c. Why were they important?

In contrast to the English word prophet, which means "one who predicts the future," the Hebrew word for prophet, "navi," means "spokesman for God." According to Jewish tradition, prophets were chosen by God, sometimes against their will, and were compelled to deliver the divine message, even if they personally disagreed with it or if the people did not wish to hear it.

Read these thumbnail sketches on some of the Prophets we will be learning about! AMOS was a humble shepherd who spoke out fearlessly about social injustice (slavery, poverty, war, oppression), the excesses of the rich and their exploitation of the poor, and what he considered a corrupt priesthood. Amos 2:4-8, 12-13, Amos states that God was aware of all of the immoral and blasphemous acts committed by the Israelites, and divine punishment was inevitable.

MICAH lived in the latter part of the eighth century BCE, during which the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria. He harshly criticized political and religious leaders for the injustices of society. Micah 3:1-7, 9-12, Micah describes the corruption and inequity of the Judean people, and prophesies divine punishment for all of Judah's inhabitants.

ISAIAH lived in the eighth century BCE, a period when Assyria conquered Israel, and Judah survived by agreeing to pay tribute to Assyria. Isaiah's fiery messages warned of disaster, but he also offered visions of peace. The biblical book of Isaiah relates to both the period of the First Temple (chapters 1-39) and the period of the return to the land of Israel following the Babylonian Exile (chapters 40-66). It is believed to include the words of more than one prophet, as most scholars believe later chapters were written two centuries after the prophet Isaiah's death (after the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE) by an author referred to as the Second Isaiah.  Isaiah 5:1-10, Isaiah uses poetic language to metaphorically compare the people of Judah to God's vineyard, which has not yielded the expected bounty despite the care with which it was planted.

JEREMIAH prophesied during the late seventh and early sixth centuries BCE, during the years before Judah was conquered by the Babylonians. His fiery sermons against the Temple cult of his day nearly resulted in his being killed. He was forbidden to go near the Temple area, his writings were burned, and he was twice arrested by the king; nevertheless, he continued prophesizing about Judah's ultimate demise. Yet Jeremiah is also remembered for his messages of comfort and hope.  Jeremiah 25:4, 8-14, Jeremiah tells the people that God will bring the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar against Judah, resulting in a seventy-year exile of the Judean people in Babylon.

Why did some think of John the Baptist as a prophet? Where do we find the story of John the Baptist?

We look forward to seeing you at Sunday School this week!  Bring your friends!

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Hey Kids!  How are you this week!
We are anxious to greet you with our lesson on Isaiah, one of the great prophets of the Old Testament.  Our lesson for today comes from Isaiah  11: 1-9.

Our lesson speaks of justice, peace and harmony.  Isaiah makes a prediction about the whom the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon, a stump of Jesse.  Read the Scripture Lesson with us! Print out this lesson to see how you understand the lesson.

The Branch From Jesse
1
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--

3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;

4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.


Consider the words "Protestant" and "Reformation". The roots of these words are "protest" and "reform." What does it mean to "protest" against something? Are there  circumstances affecting students' lives that they would like to protest? How might they go about such a protest?

In our current day, think of Tax Reform or Health Care Reform. Those are words I bet you have heard that teach you what reform means.

Martin Luther Basics to be In The Know!
*Martin Luther came to believe that salvation came through Faith Alone.

*Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of All Saints Church in Wittenburg

*Reformers protesting against the abuses of the Catholic church became known as Protestants.

*The printing press helped spread Luther's ideas.

*In 1546 war broke out between Catholic and Protestant princes in Germany.

*The Peace of Augsburg in 1555 allowed each German prince to decide which religion would be allowed in his state.

God Gives Us Faith and Makes Us Free
Romans 3:19-28
We walk by faith as Christians. Our awareness of faith and how it works in our lives comes from this passage in Romans.

This passage was the basis of the Reformation in Western Christianity, the solid rock on which Martin Luther based his teaching of the goodness of God. This basic belief of Lutheran Christians is called justification by faith: God gives us faith in him which saves us from ourselves and our sins.  We do not and cannot save ourselves by anything we do or anything we say.

We look forward to seeing all you kids at Reformation Sunday and the potluck dinner that follows!


Our Lesson This Week is Found in the Old Testament:  Daniel 6:4-27

Look Up and Memorize this Special Verse: Daniel 6:26

Who was Daniel?
Daniel was a great man of faith and prayer. When he had to choose between praying to God or facing death for his beliefs, he was faithful to God. He was protected all night by an angel when he was thrown in a den of lions. We have his example to be faithful and stand up for God.

Here is how the story goes:
Daniel was given a top job in the kingdom of Darius because he was a faithful hard worker. This made the other princes jealous of Daniel. The only way they could find him at fault was to make a law that was against his religious beliefs. The princes tricked the king and got him to pass a law that said no one could ask a petition of God or man, except to the king for thirty days.

Daniel was a man of prayer. He had a abit to pray to God three times a day. Daniel knew of the law, but he continued to pray each day as he always did. King Darius liked Daniel, but when the princess told him that Daniel had broken the law, the king had to punish Daniel.  He realized too late that the princes had tricked him into passing such a law.  The king ordered that Daniel be cast into a den of lions. The king hoped that Daniel's God would deliver him, saying, Thy God who thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. A large stone was placed over the den of lions and was sealed. The king was so worried about Daniel that he couldn't sleep that night. The first thing the next morning, the king went to see if Daniel had been killed. He cried out to see if Daniel was alive and Daniel answered him, My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me.

The king was overjoyed and had Daniel  pulled out of the lions den. He then brought the men who had accused Daniel and threw them in the den of lions, along with every member of their families. The lions tore them to pieces before they could even hit the ground.

Remember to give thanks in all things to our God, our Lord and Savior! Memorize this verse as you print and color this page!  Do you ever have moments when you must stand up for what you believe in?  Here in America, we are blessed to have great religious freedom. We are free to pray privately to God at any time and any place without breaking a law. Many people in the world still don't have this basic freedom. We can thank Jesus that we have this privilege. We can look to Daniel as an example to stand up for our religious freedom, and to be faithful to Jesus at all costs.

Here is another great Bible School Lesson to print and do with your family!

See you Sunday!


Howdy Kids!  Please read the story that Jesus tells us in Luke 17:11-19

Prodigal means to spend a lot of money on things you don't need and being very wasteful with what you have.  You will see that, that is exactly what this son does.
Memory Verse:  "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."   Luke 15:24

Jesus taught them by another parable: "A man had two grown sons and the younger came to him and said, 'Give me my share of the inheritance now.' So his father divided all his assets and gave the younger son his share. The first born was to inherit a double portion so the younger son now had one third of all his father's property." Soon after this the younger son took everything his father had given him and went away to a distant country where he lived a debauched live and squandered away everything.

"Just as he became destitute, a great famine spread over that country and the young man began to starve. So he hired himself out to a farmer and was sent to feed the swine. He was so hungry he even longed to eat the pig food.

"Finally he had learned his lesson and it came to him to return to his father, 'My father's lowliest servants have food in abundance and here I'm starving to death. I will go back to my father and tell him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Please take me on as one of your hired servants."'

"So he returned home and while he was still far down the road his father saw him and recognized him and was full of compassion and mercy. He excitedly ran out to meet him and hugged and kissed him. His son said, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer of fit character to be called your own son.'

"But his father told his servants, "Go and fetch the best robe and sandals and a ring for his finger and clothe him. Go and prepare a banquet; we will have a feast and celebrate, for this my son who was dead is alive again - he was lost but now is found.'

"The elder son had been working in fields and as he came home he heard the music and saw the dancing. He asked one of the servants what was going on and was told, 'Your brother has returned home and your father has killed the fatted calf and is celebrating his save return.'

"But the elder son became angry and would not join in the celebration, so his father came out and begged him to come in a celebrate.

"The son said, 'Father, I have served you faithfully for many years and have done everything you ever asked me to do, but you have never even given me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends, but here this son of yours, who has squandered a third of all your property, returns and you kill the fatted calf for him.'

His father answered him, 'Son, you are always with me and everything I own is yours; your brother has no more inheritance. By I have a right to celebrate, because your brother who was dead is alive - he was lost but is found."

Review and Reflection:
In this parable the father in the story is just like God.  This is how God would be if we ran away from him and we started doing things we shouldn't.  He doesn't give up on us when we do things that are wrong, and he will always forgive us if we've truly changed and repent for what we've done.

Now the older brother in this story just shows how most of us would act if this happened to us.  I think we would all be upset if our younger brother or sister ran away for a long time and did a whole bunch of bad things and then came home and your parents threw a big party for him.

The father who had been wronged, was forgiving.  But the eldest son, who had not been wronged, was unforgiving.  In this parable Jesus gives a clear picture of God and what God is like.  God is truly kinder than us.


Howdy Kids! Now that we have Rounded Up for Rally Day, Sunday School continues each Sunday Morning at 9:15! We will be having such a great time learning the Good News in the Gospel that we hope we can see you in class each Sunday Morning. We will be doing Maps, Games and Puzzles in Bibleland, Skits and more in Apostle's Playhouse, Laptops and DVDs in the Parable Power Center and Songs and Stories in Temple Tales and Tunes. Its guaranteed fun each Sunday!

If you cannot attend church any particular Sunday, find the lessons for that week here online! Share them with your friends! We welcome kids all over the country to greet us here - ealawhead@aol.com and send our Sunday School Class your questions and ideas and we will be happy to pen pal with you!

Keep Rockin' thru the Bible with us and learn all the great Good News in the Gospel!

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Enter to Worship...Depart to Serve.

Our Savior Lutheran Church
P.O. Box 511
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
865-436-5641
Email Pastor Wolff

Located on Historic Nature Trail Road,
Traffic Light #8 in Gatlinburg Across From the Glenstone Lodge.
Divine Worship:  10:30 a.m. Sundays