Reading of the story: Lydia is baptized

Theme discussion

Today’s story is a story of hospitality, Lydia showed hospitality in a number of ways. She opened her heart to God and she opened her home to Paul. Hospitality is more than having people over to your house though. It’s opening our lives and making space in our hearts for others. It’s helping people around us feel welcomed and important. Paul showed Lydia hospitality by baptizing her and Lydia returned the hospitality by inviting him into her house. God wants all of us to show hospitality to each other, just like Paul and Lydia did. How can you show hospitality to people around you?

Why do you think God wanted Paul and Lydia to meet?

Why do you think Lydia wanted to be baptized? Have you been baptized?

Craft

Today’s craft is making a baptism scene where characters can be baptized. This craft requires two white paper plates, scissors, markers, and something to attach the plates. If you don’t have plates you can also use pieces of paper.

The first step is to cut waves and a sky out of the plates, you can use the picture below as inspiration for how to cut it.

Second step is to attach the waves and sky to the second plate. I recommend stapling around the outside but you could also glue around the outside or use tape.

Once the plates are attached you can draw on them to make it look like a sea and sky.

You now have a baptism scene, you can baptize objects or you can make characters. I recommend making a Paul out of paper and having him baptize things.