Children's session

Read Bible notes on Isaiah 42:1-9

This passage points us to Jesus, our Hope. Isaiah 42:6-7 is similar to Isaiah 61 and both are referred to by Jesus as pointing to himself, the Messiah.

What do you do when you feel hopeless? Do you despair or do you turn to God? Spend a short time reflecting and being honest with yourself about how you respond to troubled times.

Children often have big hopes and dreams. Helping them to be realistic without squashing them can be a challenge. Having a Having a pet unicorn is unrealistic, but being an astronaut is not impossible for any child. (In 2025 a disabled man was approved for astronaut training.) While children’s worries may seem small to us, they are genuine, and we can help children learn how to deal with their concerns. If worries are large you may need to help them obtain professional support – speak to your safeguarding officer as necessary.

Epiphany Challenge: Week 2
For full details of the six-week challenge, look out for this symbol in the resources: .
This week as we think about ‘Hope refreshed’, children are invited to donate a pre-loved soft toy or pair of gloves, or to write a prayer.
Prepare for Week 3: Invite children to bring something in a container (e.g. a tin of beans) to donate to your selected cause.

Don't forget:
Activity and colouring sheets
Thrive: A resource to encourage family faith at home.
Plus: Songs, Prayers, Images
and links to templates and other online resources.

What do we hope? W

• Explain to the children that at the beginning of the year, people often think about what they hope for in the year ahead. Sometimes these are big hopes and sometimes these are small ones.
• Give each child the chance to share any hopes they have for the coming year. Some of these will be fabulous, unrealistic or things over which they have no influence.
• Talk about a hope you have that is something you can achieve or influence during the year (e.g. learn a new skill, clean your room every week). Ask the children to think about something that they could hope to do this year and challenge them to see if they can do it.

Run to corners game W

You will need: four A4 paper signs saying Hope, Love, Joy and Trust; water, jugs and cups.

• Place the signs in the four corners of your room where they can be seen clearly. Place water and cups on a table near the Hope sign.
• Check that the children know what the words say and then explain the game i.e. that you will say a word and they will run to that corner.
• Call out the words in quick succession sending the children running between the signs. Send them to Hope most, but do not mention or share out the water. As they tire, they will want a drink and will want to go to Hope. For a couple of times don’t send them there or let them stop there. End the game by sending everyone to Hope.
• Ask: Anyone hoping for a drink?
• Pass out the cups of water and talk briefly about how the hope of a drink made them feel and how the actual drink refreshed them.

Read the story and pause at the  to share these points with the children (see Stop and share below). Then use the activity to explore the passage together. (10 mins)

Click on the image to view a PDF. Once loaded, and depending on your browser, you may need to click on the three dots in the top right or the page view icon to view it as a 2 page spread.

Stop and share

The exiles had been forced to leave their home country (Israel) and were prisoners in faraway Babylon.

In the first half of the passage, the servant seems to be a person and many Christians have interpreted this as Jesus; in the second half, God speaks directly to the servant, who now seems to be the nation of Israel.

Justice means what is fair and right.

Idols are other gods, images of other gods, or anything that takes the place of God in people’s lives.

God’s hope in actions W S

• Work with the children to create some actions for the key words that occur in the passage: Spirit, justice, protected, promise, light, sight, freedom, bring out, Lord, new.
• As you read, encourage the children to listen out for the key words and use those actions.

Talk about worries W E A

Think about who to turn to when we feel hopeless

You will need: (optional) Ruby’s Worry video.

• Explain to the children that sometimes we have worries and that it usually helps to talk about them. You may like to show the ‘Ruby Worry’ video.
• Ask the children: ‘Who can you trust?’ Discuss with them who they can talk to about small worries and about big worries. At this point try  to keep the conversation general so that worries are not suggested. Explain that we can talk to God about any worries, big or small, when we pray. Remind them that there are people in church that they can talk to about worries. Make sure they know who the safeguarding people are.
•  Finish off by singing a worship song about God being with you in difficult times, e.g. My Lighthouse, Rend Collective.

Meditative colouring E S

Focus reflectively on the word ‘hope’

You will need: photocopied sheet (template), felt tips.

• Ask the children what they think of when we talk about hope.
• Give them time to colour the word and pictures on their sheet and add words and pictures around it that remind them of hope. Talk together about the hope that Jesus brings.

Talk together and talk to God

Discuss the theme, then bring your thoughts together in prayer

• What things make you feel worried, sad or hopeless?
• The passage says that God is able to help you. How can he do that?
• What can you do, when you are worried or hopeless, to remind yourself that God is here for you?

Memory verse race W

Link Jesus with hope

You will need: dice, A4 paper.

• Before the session, write Isaiah 42:6-7 on six numbered pieces of paper and create enough sets for the number of teams you’re likely to have.

1. ‘I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
2. I will take hold of your hand.
3. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people
4. and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind,
5. to free captives from prison
6. and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

• Divide the children into teams, each with a dice and place the numbered papers at the other end of the room.
• The children throw the die, run to the papers and collect the correct number. If they have already collected that number, they must throw again. Make sure all the children are included. They will then need to put the papers in order.
• While they play, talk about how they ‘hope’ to get certain numbers!
• When everyone has completed the verse, read it together and talk about the meaning – bringing hope to all. Mention that this verse is nearly the same as Luke 4:18. Older children might look this up. Who was the hope? – Jesus!

Epiphany Challenge: Week 2 W E S A

Pray for hope and light for others

You will need: candle to light, pre-loved items, equipment to make prayer cards (these could be in the shape of candles, flames or hands), donations box.

• Seat the children in a circle around the candle. If using a real candle remind the group of safety rules – no touching, adults to light, no moving near it, stay away, have water nearby.
• Read Isaiah 42:6-7. Talk together about what it means that God is holding our hand and keeping us safe. Think about the people in verse 7 who are feeling hopeless – we are called to share God’s light with people like them.
• Ask the children to look at the flame and the light it brings and pray for the people mentioned in the passage, remembering that there are people in these situations today, as you read the verses again slowly.
• If children have brought in a pre-loved soft toy, or a pair of gloves to gift, ask them to share a little about why they chose it and how
  they hope it might help someone else. And/or ask children to devise prayer cards, based on Isaiah 42:6-7, to share with your chosen charity.
• As they place their gifts and prayer cards in the donation box, you may like to say the Epiphany Challenge Prayer together:

  Epiphany Challenge Prayer
  Use this prayer each week as a focus:

  What can I bring to the King of Kings?
  I offer my heart, I offer myself, I offer what I can to you.
  Take my gift, Jesus my King, and use it to help others as you help me.
  Amen.

• Explain about the filled container to bring in for Week 3.

Activity and colouring sheet

Click on the graphic to view this week's sheets.

• Review with the children how God can help them and who they can talk to and trust. Remind them that we have that special gift – HOPE. Tell them that you have a special promise for them to put in a safe place to remind them. Give each child a card or folded letter saying:
  Dear [insert child’s name], I will take hold of your hand and always be with you. Love God.
• Encourage them to take it home and put somewhere safe.

Go with God challenge E S A

Put faith into action

During the week whenever you feel worried, sad or hopeless, remind yourself that God is always with you, and you can ask for God’s help.

Thrive

Before you finish,
give out the Thrive
resource to encourage
faith at home.