Easter is the precise moment when a promise God made centuries earlier was fulfilled. When any and all doubts about Jesus were answered by an empty tomb. When death literally died.

So why—for many of us—does Easter feel sort of… ho hum?

Yes, we celebrate, but Easter doesn’t get nearly the hoopla and fanfare we give Christmas. Not at church … not at home … and not in our hearts.  Apart from a basket of chocolate and a few stray eggs that roll under the couch, it usually slips by with a shrug.

Maybe it’s that Easter involves death, and Christmas is all about life? That and it’s far easier to snuggle up to baby Jesus than hanging-on-the-cross Jesus.

But here’s the thing: The Apostle Paul tells us Jesus asked us to remember and celebrate His death (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Not once does Jesus suggest we throw Him an annual birthday bash.

So, let’s approach Easter differently this year. Instead of giving Easter a respectful nod, let’s pause, see it clearly, and embrace it fully. Let’s let it drill down through our busy-ness and traditions and truly connect with Easter.

Do that, and you won’t mind someone else nibbling the ears off your chocolate bunny.

Ideas for Approaching Easter

Visit a Cemetery

Some years ago, I took my young children to our local cemetery early on Easter morning. Tombstones there date back to the late 1800’s which, to my kids, was ancient history. I told them I’d give the first child who found Jesus’ headstone a dollar, so off they tore on a desperate hunt.

Half an hour later, they returned with the news they couldn’t find it … which gave me the perfect opportunity to tell them they’d never find it because Jesus wasn’t dead. He’s alive!

You may or may not have young kids in your care, but a thoughtful stroll through a cemetery will remind you too: He’s alive. Jesus is alive.

Launch a Gratitude Journal

More than one study has found that writing down what prompts gratitude in your life is good for your mental health … and it is.

But it’s also good for your spiritual health.

Find a fresh piece of paper and a pen and write “Easter” at the top of the page. Then consider: Is Easter something for which you’re truly grateful? If not, why not? If so, why? What does Jesus rising from the dead mean in your life?

Write and keep writing.  

Create a Sacred Space

Whether it’s for a day or an hour, find time to unplug. Put your phone on “Do Not Disturb.” Ignore emails and texts. Turn off your computer.

Sit in a comfortable chair, read Luke 23-24:7, and ask God why what you just read matters. Then—listen. You’ll be stunned by what the Holy Spirit will whisper to you when you’re listening.

Read Luke 23-24:7 Aloud

Too often we mentally skip through familiar passages. We’ve heard it before and know what’s coming, so we don’t really focus.

But when you read aloud you slow down, you can see and taste each word. Stuff sinks in.

Let Luke help you experience Easter in a new way.

Respond to Easter

Write a poem or piece of music. Paint or sketch. Dance. Sing. Sculpt something. Create a collage.

However you express yourself, turn your attention to Easter and respond to what Jesus did. Don’t worry if your clay sculpture looks like a second-grade art project. This is between God and you, and God works with cracked vessels and imperfect pots all day long.

Your response is worship; God will receive and honor it.

And you’ll experience Easter in a deeper way.

Seek Out a Passion Play

Since the 1600’s the townspeople in Oberammergau, Germany, have put on a play telling the story of Jesus and Easter. It’s only staged every decade, tickets sell out years in advance, and it’s in Germany—so that play probably won’t work out. But local churches sometimes stage less grandiose versions of the passion play. And seeing a bunch of kids in borrowed bathrobes share the story can bring you to tears.

Do whatever you can to let Easter touch your emotions as well as your thoughts—and cute kids in a play can do the trick.  

Do Lent—Even If You Don’t Do Lent

Lent is a tradition that isn’t universally practiced—but that doesn’t have to stop you.

The purpose of the 40-day Lenten season is to ready Christians to meet Easter through repentance, prayer, and a degree of self-discipline. It begins with Ash Wednesday.

I find all three either intimidating or challenging, so last Easter I decided to organize my own Lent … and it was powerful. I added specific, regular prayer to my schedule. And I stopped to consider who I’d wronged and reached out to a few people to ask their forgiveness and if my wrongs had hurt them. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, but the asking brought us closer.

And I fasted. Not for 40 days, thank you, but for two … and that was enough. My mind cleared, and I could look at Easter through eyes that appreciated Jesus’ suffering—and victory.

Watch the JESUS movie

You’ll find this account of Jesus’ life online and on TV during the Easter season. It includes what happens at Easter in the larger context of Jesus’ life on earth.

This is a powerful film, so no fast-forwarding.

Watch prayerfully. Before the film starts, ask God to help you see Him in what’s coming, to help you lean into responding to His love shown on the cross.

Craft a Cross Out of Found Objects

There’s no Easter without the cross, so make one to hang on your door. Sticks, twine, recycled plastic straws, and rubber bands—they all work.

Walk your neighborhood looking for supplies. Invite Jesus to walk with you and have a chat with Him as you go. Pray for the people who live in the houses you pass. Tell Him why you need Him. Ask for forgiveness.

Then, once you’ve gathered supplies, make the cross as you consider what it was like for Jesus on the one He dragged to the Place of the Skull.

Let that break your heart. It will let Easter in.

Find a Rock That Speaks to You

We know, we know: Rocks don’t talk. But in the same way there’s no Easter without a cross, there’s no Easter without a stone rolled away from a tomb.

Put your rock where you’ll see it all through the Easter season. When you see it, thank God for Easter the life you find in the shadow of that empty tomb.

Mikal Keefer is a children’s ministry volunteer in Loveland, Colorado, the author of the bestselling Notes From Jesus, and should you be filling his Easter basket he wants you to know he hates jelly beans.

For more ideas this Easter, check out the articles here.

The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages

Need coloring pages for your family or the families in your ministry? We’ve got you covered in our new resource download from Ministry Spark, The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages.

Download your coloring pages

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The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages

Need coloring pages for your family or the families in your ministry? We’ve got you covered in our new resource download from Ministry Spark, The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages.

Download your coloring pages

Free Activity

The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages

Need coloring pages for your family or the families in your ministry? We’ve got you covered in our new resource download from Ministry Spark, The Easter Storybook Coloring Pages.

Download your coloring pages

Free Activity

Our church’s midweek program was looking for volunteers and, since I’m all for helping kids meet Jesus, I signed up. I was given a job in the shallow end of the pool: I became a Bible Verse Listener.

In our program kids could earn “bucks” to spend at our store: a tabletop of Christian books, Bibles, and Jesus-themed toys. One way to earn bucks was for kids to memorize and recite Bible verses … and that’s where I came in.

It worked like this: kids lined up in front of a Bible Verse Listener and were expected to recite Bible verses word for word, perfectly. One mistake, one pause of more than two seconds, and it was all over.

No bucks for those kids.

However, I didn’t see the point of demanding perfection, so I initiated a new rule in my corner of the listening lineup: kids could paraphrase verses so long as they could also explain what those verses meant. And if kids could apply a Bible verse to their lives, I’d toss in a bonus buck or two.

You’d think I’d introduced animal sacrifices to the program.

The program leader pulled me aside to inform me that since kids were hiding God’s Word in their hearts, they should hide the precise language of Scripture. I said our kids were hiding God’s Word in their short-term memories; five minutes after reciting verses kids couldn’t recall the Bible verses.

And we were both right … though I’m the only one who got fired.

Hiding God’s Word in Kids’ Heart

If you value your kids knowing Scripture, you can do worse than encouraging memorization. There’s value there—if kids know what passages mean. And if kids come to Scripture seeking transformation as well as retention.

Pharisees were champion memorizers, and Satan himself could beat most of us in a game of Bible Trivia. Simply parroting words does little to bring about spiritual growth.

But when you connect kids with passages they find meaningful, the Holy Spirit can use that to shape their hearts and minds—that’s pure gold.

Following is a handful of short (easy to memorize!) Bible verses I love seeing kids encounter. Why? Because these verses help kids discover who God is, who Jesus is, and who they are in Him. They help kids know how to grow closer to God and to entrust themselves to Him.    

How you integrate these passages into your teaching is up to you—but please consider making it happen.

One approach is to occasionally reserve a few minutes at the end of a lesson to share one of these passages. Read it aloud (even better: recite it from memory!) and briefly explain why it’s important to you. Shining a spotlight on passages in that context will make them important to your kids, too.

Oh, and there’s this: If you should happen to stumble over a word or two while reciting a Bible verse, come see me. I’ll have a buck for you anyway.

Bible Verses for Kids

• God is love. (1 John 4:8b)
  
• See what amazing love the Father has given us! Because of it, we are called children of God. And that’s what we really are! (1 John 3:1a)
  
• God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. (John 3:16)
  
• Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay. You are the potter. Your hands made all of us. (Isaiah 64:8)
  
• The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need. (Psalm 23:1)
  
• But God is faithful and fair. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure. (1 John 1:9)
  
• Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
  
• When you sin, the pay you get is death. But God gives you the gift of eternal life. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done. (Romans 6:23)
  
• Look to the Lord and to his strength. Always look to him. (1 Chronicles 16:11)
  
• Don’t worry about anything. No matter what happens, tell God about everything. Ask and pray, and give thanks to him. (Philippians 4:6)
  
• Always be joyful because you belong to the Lord. I will say it again. Be joyful! (Philippians 4:4)
  
• So obey God. Stand up to the devil. He will run away from you. (James 4:7)
  
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)
  
• Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way. It is like a light that guides me. (Psalm 119:105)
  
• In peace I will lie down and sleep. Lord, you alone keep me safe. (Psalm 4:8)
  
• The Lord is my light, and he saves me. Why should I fear anyone? The Lord is my place of safety. Why should I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

66 Short Bible Verses Perfect for Kids to Memorize

Memorized verses are the rails the Spirit’s instructions run on. How much track have we laid? Download this guide on Short Bible Verses. With 1 verse from every book, kids will learn to hide God’s Word in their hearts!

Download your free guide

Free Guide

66 Short Bible Verses Perfect for Kids to Memorize

Memorized verses are the rails the Spirit’s instructions run on. How much track have we laid? Download this guide on Short Bible Verses. With 1 verse from every book, kids will learn to hide God’s Word in their hearts!

Download your free guide

Free Guide

66 Short Bible Verses Perfect for Kids to Memorize

Memorized verses are the rails the Spirit’s instructions run on. How much track have we laid? Download this guide on Short Bible Verses. With 1 verse from every book, kids will learn to hide God’s Word in their hearts!

Download your free guide

Free Guide

Want more articles like this one?

• 13 Creative Bible Verse Memory Games and Activities for Kids
• 66 short Bible verses perfect for kids to memorize (1 from every book!)
• 30 Powerful and Unusual Bible Verses about Children
• 13+ Children’s Ministry Bible Games that Spark Joy
• How to Help Kids Connect with the Bible Outside of Church
• Simple Ways for Kids to Learn the Books of the Bible
• 52 FREE Bible Coloring Pages for Kids from Popular Stories
• Unexpected Ways to Help Kids See the Bible Is Real
• Why Kids Need to Know the Old Testament
• Scripture Connection: Does It Really Matter?

Mikal Keefer has taught Sunday school for nearly 50 years and still loves it.  

Supplies

This was Stephen’s first sermon, and he had a tough audience. The very people who saw to it that Jesus was arrested and killed were in the crowd—and Stephen knew it.

This was the perfect time to try and avoid mentioning things that would arouse the anger of the men who wanted to harm Stephen. But that’s not what Stephen did. He told the truth—the whole truth—and paid the price for it as a flurry of rocks hurt and killed him.

Bad day? A painful one, certainly, but not a bad one.

Stephen understood that the angry men gnashing their teeth and threatening him weren’t his only audience. God was in the audience too, and God was pleased.

Did Jesus save Stephen? Not his body, but Jesus never promised to keep his followers from dying. Jesus saved Stephen’s soul—something only Jesus could do.

It’s true—Jesus saves us!

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoing’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week–except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: Turn the Key

Explain that in a few moments you’ll ask one child to leave the room while the rest of the children circle up. (Small group? You can be the “circle” alone, if necessary!)

While the “outcast” child is out of earshot, you and the others will decide on one action that opens up your circle and lets the outcast in. It may be touching a nose, blinking twice, anything that the child can do. Don’t determine a secret password; it’s unlikely the outcast will ever guess that word.

Call the temporarily exiled child back into the room. Say: You have been shut out of the circle, but there is a way to get back in—if you can guess what it is. You will have help. You can ask five yes and no questions to help you determine what action gets you in the circle.

If a child guesses the way in, give him or her high fives. If the way in is not determined, choose a new “outcast” and play again. Play several rounds and then have your group discuss:

• How was this activity like or unlike real life?
• What actions get you admitted to the groups you want to join at school?

Say: If you want to enter into a friendship with God, there’s just one way: through Jesus. That’s something a man named Stephen said, and it created a problem for him. Today we’ll explore what happened to Stephen—and that even in difficult times, Jesus saves us!

GAME FOR A BAD DAY

Save Me!

Say: There are so many ways you can get in trouble and need help. Let’s act some out. I’ll call out a situation, and you act out how you’d look if you were in that situation. Ready?

Here are a dozen situations . . . feel free to add your own!

1. You jumped into the deep end of the pool, and I can’t swim.
2. You walked into the opposite sex’s restroom by mistake.
3. Your bike is about to crash into a wall.
4. You just found out there’s a test, and you’re not ready.
5. Your left foot is on fire.
6. You’re late—you decide to sneak into the house.
7. You just took a big drink of spoiled milk.
8. Someone dropped an ice cube down your back.
9. You fell asleep in class and woke up to find everyone looking at you.
10. You accidentally glued your thumbs together and have to pull them apart.
11. You’re walking and slip on the ice.
12. You have a heavy box to lift and wish you had some help.

Say: Great job! You’re all qualified to be movie stunt doubles! Get with a partner and find a place to sit as we discuss some important questions! Discuss:

• Would you rather be the person giving help . . . or getting it? Why?
• How do you feel when you have to ask someone for help?
• In what ways do you need Jesus’ help?

Say: We need more than Jesus’ help. We need Jesus to save us—something a man named Stephen discovered. Let’s dive into his story!

BAD DAY BIBLE STORY

To Stone or Not to Stone

Supplies

• Bible
• 1 fist-size stone

Hold up the stone. Say: Let’s think together: what could we do with this stone?

Take and affirm suggestions. When suggestions slow down, say: Or we could throw it at someone and hurt him. That would get a reaction!

Say: In New Testament times, stones were used lots of ways. Most of the time it was for building, but if someone blasphemed God or even spoke his name, it was considered disrespectful of God. That person was sometimes punished by having heavy stones thrown at him.

People threatened to punish Jesus with stones because Jesus said he was God’s Son. Today we’ll explore a time when people punished a Christian named Stephen with stones.

I’ll play the part of Stephen. You play the part of the crowd. Let’s find out what happens and if Jesus protects and saves Stephen.

You decide if I say anything untrue or if I disrespect God. If so, vote to hit me with a stone. I’ll place this stone over here (set it at least five feet from where you’ll be as you’re reading), and the first time I say something untrue or disrespectful of God, go stand next to it—but do not throw the stone. Ready?

Read aloud Acts 6:8-7:1, 51- 56.

Then say: OK, it’s almost time to vote. But first let’s discuss a few questions together. Discuss the following as a whole group or have kids discuss each with a partner.

• Has Stephen said anything untrue?
• Has Stephen disrespected God?
• Do you think it’s fair to stone Stephen?

Ask for a vote. If children want to let Stephen go, have them stand along the wall opposite the stone. If they want to punish and stone Stephen, have them go and stand beside the stone on the floor.

Say: So we can expect Jesus to save Stephen, right? Let’s see! Read aloud Acts 7:57-60. Ask:

• What happened in the story?
• Why didn’t Jesus save Stephen—or did he?

Listen to and affirm answers. Then say: Jesus saved Stephen, but not in the way we might have wanted. We think that not being in pain and not dying are the best things possible. But really, being with God in Heaven is the best thing. Loving and serving God is the best thing. Following Jesus is the best thing.

Jesus took great care of Stephen . . . Jesus just didn’t save his earthly life. He saved Stephen’s eternal soul—and Jesus can save us too!

CLOSING PRAYER

Save Me Prayer

Ask children to sit in a circle, facing outward so they can’t see each other. Say: In old cartoons when someone is drowning, he raises one index finger when he slips under the water the first time, two fingers the second time, and three fingers the third and last time. We’re going to do that too—as a prayer.

I’ll mention three things that many people need Jesus to save them from. If it’s something you need Jesus’ help with, raise one, then two, then three fingers. You won’t see each other, but God will see you. Please close your eyes.

Pray: Dear God, we need Jesus to save us. Some of us have done wrong things we need you to forgive through Jesus. If you’ve done something wrong and need to be forgiven, raise one finger. Silently tell God what you’ve done. (pause)

Some of us find it hard to follow you, Jesus. We forget to listen to you. We don’t pray, read the Bible, or grow in our friendship with you. If you ever forget to do what Jesus asks you to do, raise two fingers. Tell Jesus about how you need his help being faithful. (pause)

Some of us don’t tell others about you, Jesus. If you find it hard to tell friends about Jesus, raise three fingers. Tell Jesus why you find it difficult. (pause)

Please help us, Jesus. Save us from what gets between you and us. Amen.

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Horseshoe Shoes

Supplies

• Masking tape
• Newspaper

Tape a sheet of newspaper to the floor and position children to stand at least 15 feet away. Ask children to remove their shoes.

Explain that this is a game like horseshoes: a tossed shoe completely on the paper is worth three points, one partially on is worth one point. It’s legal to knock another player’s shoe off the paper. Play several rounds. Then have children put their shoes back on.

Say: In some things—like the game of horseshoes—”almost” is close enough to earn points. But in truth telling, being absolutely truthful and not just close to the truth is important. Stephen did that and paid a price. How truthful are you willing to be about Jesus when you have the chance to tell others?

Option 2: You Too?

Supplies

• 1 sheet of paper and 1 pencil for every 2 kids

This activity works best with older kids.

Ask children to form pairs or trios. Give each pair a sheet of paper and a pencil. If you’re playing with young children, be sure to pair them with older kids who can write down answers!

Say: You’re about to play a game called You Too? In two minutes or less, I want you to discover ten things you have in common. And not {93} easy stuff like “We both have ears” or “We both think you’re handsome/ beautiful.” Find unusual things like “We both speak French” or “We both have 17 letters in our middle names.” Write down what you have in common as you go. Ready? Start now!

At the end of two minutes, ask groups to share some of their You Too? discoveries. After they’re finished, say: Here’s another thing you have in common: Jesus wants to save you both. That’s something everyone can have in common!

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: If being saved by Jesus is such a smart thing, why don’t all people want to have that happen?

See more lessons like this one, here!

13 Very Famous Friends and How Jesus Loved Them

Help kids discover the faith-building, life-changing love of Jesus tucked into 13 stories of Jesus’s famous friends and how He loved them. They will begin to understand what it means to love one another as Jesus did.

Download your Bible lesson

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13 Very Famous Friends and How Jesus Loved Them

Help kids discover the faith-building, life-changing love of Jesus tucked into 13 stories of Jesus’s famous friends and how He loved them. They will begin to understand what it means to love one another as Jesus did.

Download your bible lesson

Free Lesson

13 Very Famous Friends and How Jesus Loved Them

Help kids discover the faith-building, life-changing love of Jesus tucked into 13 stories of Jesus’s famous friends and how He loved them. They will begin to understand what it means to love one another as Jesus did.

Download your bible lesson

Free Lesson

Supplies

The guy had it all. He was young, rich, and confident enough to ask Jesus a question. But even with all he had, he had nothing . . . because he didn’t put God first.

Having money wasn’t a sin in itself. The young man’s problem was in letting his money get between himself and following Jesus.

Letting anything get between us and following Jesus is a big mistake—one that can make it almost impossible for God to use us.

Is God first in your own life? Or is he coming in second behind your hobbies, your work or school . . . or your money (even just the desire for money)? As you experience this session with your kids, think about the importance God has in your life as well as in the lives of the kids.

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoin’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: Don’t Fall!

Supplies

• Long rope or twine (enough to allow about 3 feet of rope per child—but don’t cut the rope)

Stretch out the length of rope on the floor in a straight line. Ask children to stand on the rope with both feet as they face you.

Say: Let’s pretend you’re tightrope walkers. The rope isn’t really on the floor. It’s stretched between two buildings . . . five floors up from the ground. And the guys with the nets forgot to come in today, so if you step off the rope, you’ll break every bone in your body!

Here’s what I need you to do: work together to line up from tallest to shortest, but . . . don’t step off the rope!

What to Do

Pause as kids work together to line up. Then say: Wait! I meant line up in ABC order by first name. If you’re named Aaron you’ll be on the left. Zebediah will be on the other end. Do that, please.

Pause as kids line up again. Then say: I’m sorry! This is so embarrassing! I meant line up by birthday, from January 1 to December 31.

Pause as kids line up one more time. Then drop this zinger: Uh-oh. I got one more thing wrong. The rope wasn’t really strung up from roof to roof. It’s on the floor, so it’s safe to step off and join me over here in a circle. After kids join you, discuss as a group:

• What made this game hard or easy?
• How did it feel to have other people in your way?

Say: I remember a time I needed to get somewhere and someone got in my way. It was . . . Briefly tell about a time this happened to you, perhaps when you were rushing to a class or appointment. Model the sort of story you want kids to share.

Then say: Your turn now. Find a partner and tell about a time someone was in your way when you needed to get somewhere. Tell what happened and how you felt.

Get Their Attention

After kids have had time to share with their partners, get their attention. Say: Thanks for sharing. When someone or something gets in our way, we usually don’t like it. I don’t want anything between me and the hospital if I have to get there. And when you have to go to the bathroom, it’s no fun to find a line of people waiting ahead of you! When we want to do something but someone or something is in our way, it can even be dangerous.

Today we’re going to dig into a time when a person learned there was something between him and where he needed to be. But first, let’s do some sculpting!

BIG MISTAKE GAME

Crown Me

Give each child a length of aluminum foil. Say: News flash! We’ve just discovered that you are all crown princes and princesses of the tiny nation of Limmilock. The royal crowns—which are covered with jewels—are being sent, but for now you’ll have to make your own. Take a few minutes and make the coolest crown you can with the precious silver I’ve just given you. Extra points for pointy tops and fake diamonds!

Allow several minutes for kids to craft crowns. Encourage them to wear their crowns while they circle up. Discuss:

• How would it change your life if you found out you were rich and famous?
• Lots of people want to be rich and famous. Why do you think that’s true?
• What do you think you’d have to give up if you were rich and famous?
• If you had to choose, would you rather be rich . . . or happy? Why?

Say: Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I have another news flash, by the way. Yes, as a royal person you’re totally rich now, but it seems that being rich is a problem for you. Ask:

• What problems might you have if you were rich?

Say: Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Put your crowns aside, and let’s find out why being rich was a problem for a guy who met Jesus.

NO MISTAKE BIBLE STORY

Price Tags

Supplies

• Index cards (2 per child)
• Pencils
• Bible

Ask kids to join you in forming a circle, seated on the floor. Give each child two index cards and a pencil.

Instruct kids to write on the front of one card how much all their stuff is worth. If they have a bike worth $100, figure that in. Plus their clothes are worth some money . . . and then there’s sports equipment or musical instruments. Tell them it’s not important they get an exact number; close is close enough.

When they’ve finished, continue. Say: Now on the back of that card, do the math to double that amount, because you probably forgot something (pause). Now double that amount again. Because you forgot something else, that’s why (pause). OK—now add $1 million to your number. (pause) Now go back to the front of the card, cross out what you first wrote, and write the new, bigger number there (pause).

• How does it feel to be really, really rich?

It’s nice to have lots of money. It means you don’t have to depend on others to give you things. It means you can get the stuff you want without having to wait. It’s fun! But it also means you’re sort of like a rich guy who came to Jesus with a question. Listen to this . . .

Read aloud Luke 18:18-23.

Then discuss as a group:

• What would you say if I told you to give away all that money on your card? Why?
• What would you say if Jesus told you to do it? Why?
• Do you think Jesus means for all rich people to give away all their money? Why or why not?

Say: Jesus never said that all rich people have to give away everything they own. But that’s what he told this man to do . . . and the man wouldn’t do it. On your other card write: treasure in Heaven.

After they’ve done so, read again Luke 18:22 and ask:

• What do you think Jesus meant by “treasure” in Heaven?

Help kids conclude that heavenly treasures aren’t material things but things like real happiness, real safety, being forgiven, and living forever with Jesus in Heaven. Thank kids for sharing their answers.

Continue

Then continue: Now pick up your two cards.

• Which of those cards is worth the most: your big amount of money or treasure in Heaven?

After kids share their answers, continue. Say: Please tear up the card that’s worth the least. (pause) If you tore up the money card, I think you made a good choice. Pleasing God and being with him forever is something you can’t buy with money. It’s worth more than all the money in the world!

The rich young man loved money more than Jesus. He hung onto his money instead of trusting Jesus and following him—and that was a big mistake. You see, money is something that doesn’t last. Even if we have millions of dollars, when we die it goes away. We can’t take it with us. But eternal life in Heaven is something we can’t lose—it’s forever.

It’s hard to give up something we have now so God can bless us later. Even Jesus’ followers didn’t quite understand how that worked.

Read aloud Luke 18:24-30.

• What’s something you’ve given up—or you’ve seen someone else give up–to better follow Jesus? Maybe it was giving up doing something with your friends that seemed fun–but was wrong. Or maybe you’ve given up buying something for yourself so you could give the money to help someone.

Allow kids to think about this and share. Then say: God wants us to put him first—because that lasts forever. Don’t let money—or anything—get in the way of following Jesus!

CLOSING PRAYER

Betcha Can’t Prayer

Supplies

• $1 bills (1 per child—but you’ll get them back!)

Ask kids to stand against a wall, their heels tight against the wall. Place a $1 bill on the floor in front of each child. Ask the kids to lean down and pick up the $1 bills without bending their knees or moving their feet. They won’t be able to do it.

Have kids kneel, pick up the $1 bills, and remain kneeling while you say: It’s easy to get excited about money and what it can buy. That’s why money is dangerous; we can stay so excited about money that we start loving money more than Jesus. Then the money gets between us and God. It scoots God out of the way. Please hold the $1 bills you’ve picked up, and let’s pray while we’re still kneeling.

Pray: God, thank you for taking care of us. Help us to look to you for what we need and never trust money more than you. Help us always to put you first in our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Ask kids to stand and pass the $1 bills back to you. Say: Yes, you have to give the money back. I don’t want you to be tempted like that rich young man!

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Making Money

Supplies

• Paper
• Pencils
• Paper money from your wallet

Give kids each a sheet of paper and ask them to draw a $1 million bill on one side of the paper. Show them paper money from your wallet as a sample, but tell them they can make any changes they’d like to their bills. Give them two minutes or less to complete their bills.

When time is up, have kids trade their papers with someone else and then, on the back of those $1 million bills, write (or draw) how they’d spend the money.

Say: This time you’ll have just one minute. Write (or draw) clearly—someone else will read what you’ve written.

After a minute has passed, ask kids to trade bills back with the person who drew the front of the bill. Say: Quickly look at what your partners wrote and then say to each other: “Looking at your paper, I think you like ________.”

Get Their Attention

After kids talk together, draw their attention to you.

• Here’s a question for all of us: what did you find on your list that might show that your partner loves and follows Jesus?

After kids share, say: How we spend our money says a lot about what we think is important. That’s true for grown-ups, and that’s true for kids too. If you spend all your money on yourself, maybe your money is getting between you and Jesus.

Don’t feel bad if your list didn’t have “give money to the church” or “take care of hungry people” on it—lots of grown-ups wouldn’t write those things either. But let’s never make the same mistake as the rich young man: letting money become more important than Jesus. God wants us to put him first.

Collect your money and the pencils. Encourage kids to take their $1 million bills home and place them somewhere as a reminder that Jesus is more important than money.

Option 2: Perishable

Supplies

• Index cards (5 per child)
• Pencils
• Food item with a “best when used by” date on it

Hold up the food item and point out the “best when used by” date. Say: The food in this container is perishable. That means it will someday spoil and have to be thrown out. It’s not meant to last forever.

And neither are other things we have. Someday you’ll outgrow your favorite clothes. That giant TV you love to watch will someday quit working. The bike you saved and saved to buy will someday be a pile of rust.

What lasts forever are people—not things. God created us to last so that even when our bodies die, we can still be with him someday in Heaven. But our stuff? That’s all perishable; it won’t last forever.

Make Visual

Give each kid five index cards to make “perishable” tags and then place the tags on or leaning against perishable items in the room: chairs, tables, even walls.

Then take kids on a quick tour of the room. If time permits, the group can chat about how long some items might last. Then say: See? It’s all perishable. Even this building will one day be gone.

• How does it feel knowing that nothing is made to last forever?
• How does it feel to know that you were made to last forever? (Be sure kids understand that our bodies are perishable but that we’ll get new ones.)
• The rich young man had a lot of perishable stuff. He hung onto that instead of letting it go and hanging onto Jesus. What can you do now to help you not make that mistake when you’re a grown-up? (Steer the discussion toward the idea of being happy with few things rather than asking for more and more.)

After kids have answered, say: The rich young man made a big mistake—and we don’t know if he ever changed his mind and decided to put Jesus first. I hope so—and I hope with all my heart that you all decide to put Jesus first too.

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: The rich young man put money first. Money got in the way of his following Jesus. What other things might we let get in the way? What things might we start loving more than Jesus?

See more lessons like this one, here!

13 Very Famous Friends and How Jesus Loved Them

Help kids discover the faith-building, life-changing love of Jesus tucked into 13 stories of Jesus’s famous friends and how He loved them. They will begin to understand what it means to love one another as Jesus did.

Download your Bible lesson

Free Lesson

13 Very Famous Friends and How Jesus Loved Them

Help kids discover the faith-building, life-changing love of Jesus tucked into 13 stories of Jesus’s famous friends and how He loved them. They will begin to understand what it means to love one another as Jesus did.

Download your bible lesson

Free Lesson

13 Very Famous Friends and How Jesus Loved Them

Help kids discover the faith-building, life-changing love of Jesus tucked into 13 stories of Jesus’s famous friends and how He loved them. They will begin to understand what it means to love one another as Jesus did.

Download your bible lesson

Free Lesson

Supplies

For much of his ministry, Jesus was the biggest show in town. Thousands of people would come to hear him teach. They hoped to see him heal a man with leprosy or feed an entire crowd with just a few fish sandwiches.

It’s one thing to hear Jesus teach. It’s another to take his teaching to heart—and obey him.

That’s the heart of the story you’ll share with children today—that when we obey Jesus, we build our lives on something solid and unmovable, something steady, something that won’t shift or fall apart. Ever.

Help your kids discover that truth today: it’s wise to obey Jesus!

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoin’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: Solid Foundation

Supplies

• 2 or more sofa cushions

Ask children to remove their shoes and socks. Place cushions on the floor. Say: You’re about to do something difficult: stand on these cushions. Trust me—it’s harder than it looks.

Form children into two teams and then have a child from Team One stand on the cushions—opposite a child on Team Two who is standing on the floor. Ask both children to do the following:

• Stand on both feet, arms outstretched to the side, eyes open.
• The same as step one, but on one foot only.
• The same as step two, but with eyes closed.
• The same as step three, but with arms at the child’s sides.

Children on the cushions will start wobbling at step three, so stand close so you can spot them. If you have lots of children (and lots of cushions), have more than one child stand on cushions at a time, but make sure you have adequate, responsible spotters.

After kids have finished, have teams switch locations so everyone can feel what it’s like to follow the instructions while standing on the cushions and the floor. Then discuss:

• How tempted were you to open your eyes? Did you open your eyes?
• Why couldn’t you stand firm?
• How would it have changed things if you’d been able to open your eyes?

Say: Your brain didn’t have the information you needed to keep your balance. That’s why you wanted to open your eyes.

When you don’t have a steady, solid foundation, it’s easy to fall over. When you don’t have the information you need to stay steady, it’s easy to tip in the wrong direction.

That’s true about your life too. Today we’ll dive into a story Jesus told about two builders who chose to place houses on two very different foundations!

COOL STORY GAME

Blow Hard

Supplies

• 1 popped kernel of popcorn per child
• Blankets (if needed)

Before children arrive, identify at least two different surfaces for the Blow Hard game. Look for varying amounts of friction such as a hardwood or tile floor and a carpeted floor. No way to leave your room? Use the floor you have and place several thick blankets on it to provide more friction.

Give each child a kernel of popped popcorn. Ask children to put their kernels in a line on the floor and about 8 feet from a wall. Have children propel their popcorn forward by blowing on it. The goal: to reach the wall first.

Give a three, two, one countdown, and then start the race. Step quickly to the wall to be the line judge for the big finish.

Repeat the race several times on different surfaces.

Applaud all efforts, collect the kernels, and say: Great job! Maybe you noticed that how hard you had to work depended on how smooth the surface was where you raced.

The foundation you pick makes a difference! That’s what two builders discovered in a story Jesus told. Let’s dive into it and see what happened to them.

COOL BIBLE STORY

Beach House Bonanza

Supplies

• Bible

Gather children in a circle and have them number off one, two, one, two around the circle. You’ll be the reader, so you won’t take a number.

Say: Congratulations! Each of you has just won a new beach house—one that you can have built any way you want! Turn to a partner and tell that person what you want to be a part of your new home. For instance, I want a full-size basketball court just off my bedroom (substitute any great big dream or wish).

Allow several moments to share. Then ask kids to report back how they’d create their new houses. Applaud their ideas.

Say: Here’s the thing: you, number one builders, will have your house built on a hill overlooking the beach. It has a nice view and is just a five-minute walk down to the water. The hill is solid rock, so it’s a sturdy foundation.

The number two builders will have your house built right on the beach. If you were any closer to the water, you could fish right off your porch. Your beach house is built on soft sand. So when the wind and waves are high, the sand under your house moves around.

Let’s see how that turns out for you as we consider a story Jesus told about two builders. One builder put a new house on rock—that’s you, number one builders. The other builder put his house on sand—that’s you, number two builders.

As I read, I’d like you all to make sound effects. Ready?

Read Aloud

Read aloud Matthew 7:24-27. Encourage kids to add sound effects at these points:

• verse 25: rain
• verse 25: floodwaters rushing in
• verse 25: winds howling
• verse 27: rain
• verse 27: floodwaters rising
• verse 27: winds howling

Say: Number one builders, how did your house do? Pause for answers. You’re rock solid because you’re built on rock—a firm foundation.

Number two builders, how did your house do? Encourage these kids to fall over onto the floor, like their house fell over.

Ask kids to form pairs and discuss:

• What made one builder foolish and the other wise?
• How can you tell if your life is built on rock or sand?
• What’s a storm—a tough thing—that’s happened to you? Did knowing Jesus help you stay strong? If so, how?

Say: When we listen to Jesus and follow his teaching, he helps us make good decisions. We build our lives on a solid foundation. It’s wise to obey Jesus!

CLOSING PRAYER

Firm Foundations Prayer

Ask children to start their prayer time on all fours—with both knees and hands on the floor. Explain that you’ll ask them to change positions three times as you pray together.

Pray: God, thank you for the firm foundation of your love and your Word. We want to be wise in where we build our lives—so we ask your help building our lives on you.

Ask children to raise one arm so they’re touching the floor with just one hand and both of their knees.

Pray: We pray for those who aren’t strong or sturdy in their faith. Sometimes it’s us, God. Help us to know and love you more.

Ask children to shift so they’re touching the floor with just one hand and one knee.

Pray: We pray for those times we forget to obey you, God. When that happens, we lose our firm foundation. Forgive us for those times.

Ask children to shift so they’re touching the floor with just one hand or knee. (Of course, they will probably topple over.)

Pray: We know that, when we don’t obey, we lose our firm foundation, God, and fall without you. Have kids kneel or stand in a steady position. Say: Thank you for loving us even then, and for giving us the chance to come back to you through love and obedience. Amen.

Ask children to sit on the floor and discuss:

• When was it easiest to pray: when you had a firm foundation or a shaky one? Why?

After your discussion, ask children to offer one-sentence prayers thanking God for being a solid rock they can count on.

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Do As I Say, Not As I Do

This will take some practice on your part—but it’s worth the effort. In this version of Simon Says, you say one thing but do another. For instance, you may say “touch your knee” while you touch your elbow.

Tell children to obey what you say, not what you actually do. Then lead kids in a fast-paced game of Simon Says that involves various actions, such as: standing on one foot, touching various body parts, leaning in different directions, or jumping.

When you’ve finished, expect kids to be thoroughly confused. Discuss:

• What made it hard to obey in this game?
• How do you feel when someone says to do something that he or she doesn’t do? Why?

Say: Good news! Jesus asks us to obey him and to do what he wants. And he shows us how to be obedient. He did exactly what God wanted him to do. We can obey Jesus!

Option 2: Foundation Quiz

Supplies

• 1 cooking spoon

Place a cooking spoon on the floor and have children sit in a circle within range of leaning forward and picking up the spoon.

Explain that you’ll call out the name of a famous building or landmark. You want to know where the “foundation” for that building or landmark is—the city or the country where the landmark is found. Whoever knows the answer can grab the spoon and offer a guess. If it’s correct, go to the next item on your list! If not, replace the spoon and ask again.

Should you have at least two older and two younger children, pair them up to make the contest more equal.

Here are buildings or landmarks—and the answers!

• The Eiffel Tower (Paris, France)
• The Great Pyramids (Egypt)
• The London Bridge (Lake Havasu City, Arizona)
• Lincoln’s Tomb (Springfield, Illinois)
• Great Wall of China (China)
• The Taj Mahal (Agra, India)

Say: These buildings and landmarks have firm foundations—so they’ve lasted. Is your foundation as solid because it’s based on your friendship with God through Jesus?

We build a solid foundation for our lives when we love and obey Jesus. That’s a rock-solid foundation that lasts forever!

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: What rules at home do you find hardest to obey? Why? What do you think Jesus wants you to do about that?

Wonder Ink

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Explore Wonder Ink

Supplies

This is a simple story—and a richer one when you have some background. In Jesus’ day, pearls were far more expensive than they are today. There were no pearl farms or cultured pearls; each pearl had to be found in nature and imported.

The Romans were especially fond of pearls, and a large, perfect pearl was considered a vast treasure. The Roman historian Suetonius reported that General Vitellius financed a Roman military campaign by selling just one of his mother’s pearl earrings!

So when Jesus painted the word picture of a merchant sorting among pearls and finding one that’s superior—a perfect pear—his audience understood the merchant’s excitement and perhaps the merchant’s willingness to give up everything to own the treasure.

Today you’ll help your children discover that meaning behind Jesus’ story, that there is something worth their time, devotion, possessions. That’s far more valuable than anything else.

Jesus is worth everything!

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoin’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: Better and Better

Supplies

• Junk drawer stuff (such as old keys, buttons, batteries)

Empty out the junk drawer and invite children to each take an object they especially like. Tell children they’ll give the items back though!

Say: Look carefully at the item you chose. Think about how you might use it and why it’s worth more than the items you didn’t take. (pause)

After a few moments, say: In the next three minutes, trade your item for something even better. Maybe you’ve got a button—hugely helpful if one pops off your shirt as you’re about to give a report at school. But someone else has a battery, which you could use to power up a small transmitter to call the coast guard if your ship is about to sink. So see if you can trade your button for the battery. Try hard to make someone else trade. Go!

After three minutes, have kids sit in a circle. Ask anyone who made a trade to explain why what he or she got was better than what was traded. Identify the item that was most traded. Ask kids to tell what their friends said to make them trade.

Collect the items and return them to the drawer. Say: One thing that makes an item especially desirable and valuable is if the item is rare. Today we’ll explore a story Jesus told about an item that was so valuable that a man went home and sold everything he owned to come up with enough money to buy it!

COOL STORY GAME

Carry On

Supplies

• 10 rolls of toilet tissue

Time for a trip to the discount store! You’ll need at least ten rolls of toilet tissue for this game, but the rolls will be in usable shape after the game.

Place the rolls in two stacks of five rolls on one side of your room. Form your kids into two equal teams (join in if necessary to even up teams) and place one team by each stack of toilet tissue.

Say: Let’s say you’re shipwrecked on a deserted island—one that has lots of fresh water, plenty of food, tons of fish waiting to be caught, and a long, beautiful beach. It’s a perfect place to be stuck except for one detail: you have no toilet tissue.

So your goal is to carry five rolls to the far wall and back again—delivering it to the needy people there on Uncomfortable Island. To carry the rolls you must hold all five rolls across, touching only the rolls on the ends. Demonstrate how to hold and carry the rolls.

Say: This is a relay race and time is key. Looks like some of your friends on the island are hopping around hoping you show up soon!

After the race, discuss:

• What else would you miss if you were stuck on an island like I described?
• What’s the most expensive item you’ve ever bought with your own money? Why was the item worth the cost to you?
• If you could sell everything you own and buy just one thing—would you do it? What would the thing be and why?

Say: Let’s dig into a story that Jesus told about a man who gave all he had to own a pearl—one perfect pearl. Let’s find out what happened.

COOL BIBLE STORY

Pennies and Pearls

Supplies

• Bible
• 1 dull and 1 shiny penny for each child

Ask children to sit in a circle. Give each child a dull penny, but keep the shiny ones in your pocket. Say: In a few moments I’ll be telling you about a merchant who bought a pearl. Before I do, though, you need to become pearl merchants yourselves. You need to learn how to tell a regular pearl from a good pearl, and a good pearl from a great pearl. We’ll practice on the pennies I’ve given you.

Ask children to examine their pennies. Say: Five things make a great pearl. Look at your pennies to see how they stack up in each category.

Category 1 is SHAPE. In nature, very few pearls come out of an oyster round. They’re lopsided. The more round a pearl, the better. Look at your penny. Is it round? If so, you’ve got the start of a top-notch pearl!

Category 2 is SIZE. In pearls, the bigger, the better—if the pearl scores well in other categories. I’m assuming all your pennies are the same size, but check with your neighbor. If yours is larger than average, that’s a good thing!

Category 3 is COLOR. Pearls come in many colors, with pure white being the most valued. Look at your pennies. Is your penny shiny and bright, or dull? If it’s bright, your “pearl” is worth more. With pearls, the brighter, the better.

Category 4 is LUSTER. Oysters secrete calcium-carbonate crystals to cover specks of dirt or other irritants. That’s what makes a pearl. If there are lots of layers of crystals and they’re worn smooth, that’s luster. Does your penny reflect the light well? Is it smooth, or worn out and pitted?

Category 5 is called ORIENT. If you can look at a pearl and it almost seems to glow from the inside, it has “orient.” It’s a matter of light refracting from the various layers. Does your penny glow? I’m guessing not—but maybe it does.

Hold up your pennies. If they were pearls, they’d be worth different amounts because of the things I’ve mentioned. Now imagine you made your living buying and selling pearls. You’d get very good at telling one pearl from another and knowing which one was worth the most.

Jesus’ story is about a pearl merchant. He probably looked through handfuls of pearls, looking for those that would get the best price. And then, one day, he spotted this. Hold up a bright new penny. Say: He knew he had something special. Here’s what Jesus said he did.

Read aloud Matthew 13:45, 46. Then discuss:

• Why do you think the merchant was eager to get the perfect pearl?
• What do you think the pearl stands for in this story?
• Where do we fit into the story?

Say: We’re like the pearl merchant. We give our lives to a lot of things—but only one is perfect and that’s Jesus. We can give him our old, worn-out lives and he gives us new life. New life that lasts forever!

Ask children if they want to trade their dull, less-than-perfect pennies for the shiny ones you have. Trade, and let them keep the shiny ones.

Say: That’s what we can do with our lives: give them to Jesus and get shiny, new lives. Let’s give ourselves to Jesus because Jesus is worth everything!

CLOSING PRAYER

Personal Pearl Prayer

Ask children to stand in a circle, facing in, and join them. Say: Jesus is worth everything—no question about it. But Jesus said there was something else nearly as valuable as himself. Something so important that he was willing to go through death to save it. And that’s you.

You’re a pearl of great price too, and so are the people to your left and right. Look at them and think this: The King of the Universe came and died in their place on a cross so they can be his friends. That’s how important those people are and how precious they are to God. So let’s silently pray for each other now. I’ll start and finish—you silently fill in the middle of our prayer time.

Pray: Dear God, thank you for your love. And for loving us so deeply that you gave your Son to rescue us. That’s amazing, God, and we praise you for it.

Hear our prayers as we pray for the people standing on our right. (pause) And hear our prayers as we pray for the people standing on our left. (pause) You’re so good, God. We love you. Amen.

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Pearl Pricing

Supplies

• Calculator
• 1 sheet of paper and 1 pencil per child

This activity is best suited for older kids who are good at multiplying very large numbers! You may wish to do this activity together using a calculator instead of old-fashioned multiplication.

Give each child a sheet of paper and a pencil. Say: The largest—and most expensive—pearl is the Pearl of Lao Tzu. (Good luck pronouncing that!) It weighs 14.1 pounds and is valued at nearly $60 million. Let’s round that off to 14 pounds at $60 million . . . or $4,285,714.29 per pound. We’ll round that off to $4,286,000 per pound—write that down. Help younger children write the amount.

Here’s my question: using pearl pricing, what are you worth? Multiply your weight in pounds by $4,286,000, and let’s see what you’re worth. You don’t have to share the total—but do take a look at that number! If you get stuck, I’ve got a calculator to use, and I’ll help.

After numbers are totaled, as a group discuss:

• What would you do with that much money?
• What can Jesus do for you that the Pearl of Lao Tzu can’t do?

Option 2: Price Tags

Supplies

• 1 sheet of paper and 1 pencil per child
• Watch with a second hand

Ask children to tear their paper into ten or twelve pieces. Say: In a few moments I’ll ask you to quickly put a price tag on everything in this room. Write down what you think the item is worth and place the tag on or near the item. Then move along to the next item, because you’ve got to go through all your price tags in just 72 seconds! If there’s already a price tag on an item, find something that hasn’t yet been priced. (If you have younger kids, consider pairing them with older kids as they price their items.)

Start the timer and set kids free. When 72 seconds have gone by, have kids sit down in a circle. Collect pencils and extra price tags. Walk around the room and announce some of the estimates, asking whoever wrote the amount to defend his or her estimate. Have fun with this!

Come back to the circle and say: I’m not sure what anything in this room is worth except for a very few items. And those I can price exactly.

Walk around the circle touching each child’s shoulder in turn and addressing the child by name, such as, “Frank, you are priceless.” Explain that priceless means they’re so valuable, there’s no number big enough to use for their price tags.

Say: How can I know you’re worth so much? Because Jesus is beyond price, and he chose to come to earth and die on the cross in your place. He finds you so valuable that he was willing to go through death for you. That’s how much you’re worth. That’s how much God loves you.

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: Jesus is worth everything. He’s a pearl beyond price. Great—but how does that change how you’ll live tomorrow?

Supplies

A crowd had formed around Jesus, people pushing and elbowing to get near enough to hear. And a voice cried out from the crowd: “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me!”

A practical request—but one easily settled by law and custom. Jesus saw something lurking beneath the request and that’s what he addressed: greed. More specifically, how concern about wealth on earth gets in the way of being rich in a relationship with God.

Keeping God first is more than just a set of rules. It’s more than doing the right thing at the right time. It’s doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason. And that reason is a deepening love for God.

Through today’s story you’ll help children discover what a rich fool should have discovered: it’s a good idea to keep God first!

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoin’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: First in Line

Have children face you, single file. Then ask them to line up again, but in alphabetical order of their first names. Have older kids help younger ones get in their correct places in line.

Applaud the effort, but tell children to move more quickly as they line up several more times. For each of the following rounds, ask kids to get lined up within 30 seconds.

Have children line up by height, exact age, alphabetical order of their middle names, distance to their homes from your meeting place, the number of buttons being worn, alphabetical order of their birthplace (city), or hair length.

Keep lineups moving quickly—it’s more fun!

After playing several rounds, say: Most people love being first in line—and it was fun in this game too. But when it comes to putting someone else first in your life, who gets that spot? Is it you . . . someone else . . . or God?

Today we’ll dive into a story Jesus told about a rich fool and see what he learned about putting God first.

COOL STORY GAME

How High Can You Go?

Supplies

• At least 5 paper or foam cups per child
• Watch with a second hand

Form children into even-numbered teams. (You may need to join a team to keep the numbers even.) Give each team the same number of cups and this challenge: stack cups to make the tallest tower possible. Explain and demonstrate the following rules:

• The first cup must be placed on the floor (or a table) right side up. The next cup is placed upside down over it. Continue this pattern to make a tall tower.
• Cups must be freestanding.
• Team members must take turns placing cups on the tower.
• Whichever tower is highest at the final signal wins—and I won’t announce how long you have to work in each of three rounds.

Say: A winning tower might be just one cup high, depending on when time is called. Or it might be ten cups high or more. And if your tower of eight cups is steady, maybe it’s not a good idea to get greedy and go for a tower of ten cups—even if you have time to keep building. It’s up to you. Ready? Go!

Vary the times of each round. Suggested: 25 seconds for the first round, 47 seconds for the second, and 30 seconds for the third round.

Collect the cups and gather children in a circle. Discuss as a group:

• What encouraged you to keep adding cups? to stop adding them?
• How did it feel when your tower fell?
• How was this activity like people always wanting more?
• In what way, if any, did greed play a part in this activity?

Say: Let’s meet a man Jesus described in a story. He was like many people we know—he wanted more and more. He had a lot of trust in his money, but he ran into a snag.

Wonder Ink

What if Sunday morning was just the starting point? Wonder Ink is a customizable digital curriculum and toolkit for creatively engaging kids and families in God’s Word. Wonder Ink sparks curiosity and guides children on a journey of faith through the wonder of God.

Explore Wonder Ink

COOL BIBLE STORY

Last Interview

Supplies

• Bible
• 1 hat
• 1 pencil

Gather children in a circle. Say: Good news! A newspaper reporter is coming any minute to interview you for an article. Word has gotten out about how you’re going to put up some new barns on your farm. Wait . . . you don’t know anything about this, do you?

Explain to kids that they’ll play the part of a successful farmer, and you’ll play the part of a newspaper reporter. They’ve got to become very familiar with the details, so read aloud Luke 12:16-19. Explain that any details they’re asked about will have to fit with the larger story—that they grow wheat and probably some other crops, and they’re building bigger barns. In other words, they’re rich! But other details? Those they can make up.

Pull on your reporter hat and pretend a pencil is a microphone. Then ask:

• How long have you been in farming?
• Why do you think your fields have such large harvests?
• How many people do you hire to work on your farm?
• What crops do you grow?
• How large will your new barns be? When will they be finished?
• Now that you’re rich, what will you do?
• Were you surprised about the announcement?

Your children won’t know quite how to respond to the last question. You may hear, “What announcement?”

Say: Oh, you thought I was from the business page of the paper. I’m not. I write the obituaries. I write about people who’ve just died. Or in your case, people who are about to die. I guess you didn’t hear the rest of Jesus’ story. Let’s hear it now!

Read aloud verses 20, 21.

Say: So, Mr. Rich Farmer, how would you answer these questions?

• What do you think your bigger barns will do for you now?
• What matters more: your riches or your friendship with God?
• Is it ever too late to put God first? Explain.

Pull off your hat. Thank your kids for playing the part of the rich farmer. Then say: Our farmer friend discovered—too late—that riches don’t take the place of loving and serving God. You can’t trust money to get to Heaven! For that you have to put God first!

CLOSING PRAYER

Give-to-God Prayer

Gather kids and ask: Is it OK to have stuff and to have money? Give children time to respond.

Say: Money isn’t good or bad. It is just . . . money. What matters most is the place money has in your life and what you do with the money you have.

Let’s thank God for the money he’s given to us and to our families. And let’s tell him that when it comes to money, we’ll put God first.

Ask children to pray with their palms open and up, as a symbol of their willingness to give all they have to God. Ask children to briefly pray aloud, mentioning one thing they have that they consider valuable—and offering it to God. Close the prayer time by doing the same yourself.

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Instant Millionaire—10 Times Over!

Woo-hoo! Every child in your group has just received $10 million from an unknown donor. But there’s a catch: the money must be spent on themselves or others, or given away, in the next five minutes.

Give each child a sheet of paper and a pencil for taking notes. Then give them this challenge: How will you get rid of your $10 million? Be ready to report back in five minutes!

Ask children to report back to the larger group. Then ask:

• How many of you will need a bigger house to keep your stuff?
• How did you decide where to give money?
• If you could change your plan, how would you change it?

Say: How much is enough? How much is too much? The rich fool had too much—not because he had to build bigger barns, but because he quit putting God first. Instead, he put money first. Are you putting God first in your life—before anything or anyone else?

Option 2: Young and Old

Supplies

• 1 cooking spoon

Ask children to sit in a circle on the floor, all within range of leaning forward and picking up the spoon. Explain that you’re about to call out the name of an animal. Kids who know the correct name for the animal’s young will grab for the spoon. For example, if you say “cat,” the first person to grab for the spoon should say “kitten!” Whoever nabs the spoon first can offer a guess. If it’s correct—great! If not, you’ll replace the spoon and ask again. Adapt the game as necessary to give younger children an equal chance.

Here are pairings—the grown-up animal’s name followed by the name of the animal when young.

• Chicken (chick)
• Sea lion (pup)
• Alligator (hatchling)
• Deer (fawn)
• Kangaroo (joey)
• Frog (polliwog)
• Bat (pup)
• Goose (gosling)

Say: In nature the young come first—and then they turn into adults. It doesn’t work the other way. In the kingdom of God, we have to put God first or things don’t work either. It doesn’t work any other way. Let’s do what the rich man should have done: keep God first!

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: If you really put God first, what might change in your life?

Get more lessons like this one!

THE BASICS FOR LEADERS

Supplies

Jesus’ promise: that after three days in a grave, he’d rise to life again. If that’s not true, Jesus is just another teacher (if not a liar!) whose words end up on a poster or in a book. But if it is true? Then it changes . . . well, everything.

It changes how you live. Why you live. What you can expect after you quit living (at least here on earth) . . .

So what do you believe? Really believe? Did Jesus keep this awesome promise? You see, Jesus not only promised that he would rise from the dead; he promised that if you love and follow him, you’ll do the same thing. And if there was power for him to do it, there’s power for you too.

As you experience this session, you’re helping your kids explore the single most important truth in their Christian faith.

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoin’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: Shadow Sketches

Supplies

• Paper
• Markers

Let children pair up. Give each child a sheet of paper and marker.

Say: Did you ever see an artist create a silhouette? They stand people sideways and then sketch just the outline of their heads. They sometimes frame the silhouettes in a cardboard frame, kind of like a cheap painting. We’re all about being cheap, so it’s silhouette time!

Explain that each child will draw a silhouette of his or her partner. The child in each pair whose birthday is larger (the 25th is larger than the 3rd) will pose first. Kids should keep everyone, including their partners, from seeing their work. When finished, kids will fold their sheets of paper and give them to you. Stress that this is to be a serious effort—no silly or mean pictures!

Allow up to two minutes for each silhouette. Then collect the sheets of paper and shuffle them. Then open them and display each. See whether the group can identify the subject of each sketch. Then say: Sometimes we have features that remind people of our parents or grandparents. For me it’s . . .

Briefly point out a feature of yours that is a family trait. Your hair color or height, for instance.

Say: Your turn now. Maybe you know a feature because people point it out. Maybe you don’t know your birth parents, and you’ll have to guess. Either way works.

• What do you think is a feature that shows up in others in your family?
• If you could choose one feature or trait from a parent or even a great-great-great grandparent and have it show up, what would it be? For instance, maybe your grandmother is a good artist or your uncle is very rich. Why would you choose that feature or trait?
• Some people say “like father, like son.” What do you think about that? Are people in families pretty much the same, or are they different?
• How are you like or different from your parents?

Say: Thanks for talking about your families. I know you better now—and I like that! Today we’re going to talk about another father and son and how they’re alike. But first, let’s play a game I call Don’t Fall into the Lava!

AWESOME PROMISE GAME

Don’t Fall into the Lava

Supplies

• Blanket (or large towel)
• Watch with a second hand
• Paper clips (and other options)

Select a blanket on which your kids can stand but will be crowded. If you have just a few kids, use a large towel. Before kids arrive, secretly do something to the blanket so one side is different from the other. For example, attach a couple of paper clips on the edge, sew on a colored thread, and add a small piece of tape. Add details that are small, but noticeable if you look.

Ask children to remove their shoes. Spread the blanket on the floor (“different” side down) and have kids stand on it. Explain that the kids are on an island. The floor around them is red-hot lava. Their challenge is to turn over the blanket and stand on the other side without anyone stepping off the blanket and into the lava in the process.

Time how long it takes. Allow them to try again to see if they can do it more quickly. Have them do it again while seated. Then gather everyone in a circle, sitting on or around the blanket. Discuss:

• What made this activity easy or hard?
• Which side of the blanket was safer for not falling into the lava?
• Without looking down at the blanket, describe the differences between the two sides.

After kids describe the differences they recall, have them investigate. Point out the paper clips, thread, tape, and any other details you planted and they missed.

Say: Even though there are some differences, you can tell that both sides of the blanket are the same blanket. Two sides, one blanket. It’s important to know that Jesus and God are one, sort of like two sides of the same blanket. Jesus told people that when they looked at him, they were looking at God (John 10:30; 14:7). That’s because when Jesus was on earth, he was God with skin on. But the people were like us with the blanket—they didn’t see all the details. We should remember that when we trust Jesus, we’re trusting God. And Jesus didn’t just say he was God; he proved it. Let’s find out more.

PROMISE KEPT BIBLE STORY

Flour Power

Supplies

• Flour (or white play sand, if kids have gluten allergies)
• 1/4 cup scoop
• Colored paper plates (1 per child)
• Large work table
• Newspapers or drop cloth (optional)
• Bible

(Note: If you’re concerned about the mess, spread newspapers or a drop cloth on the floor.) Give each child a plate at a large work table. Place 1/4 cup of flour on each plate. Demonstrate how kids can use a finger to trace a picture on the plate. As the flour moves, the color of the plate will be visible.

Ask children to listen to the Bible reading and to “sketch” on their plates the scene of Jesus’ crucifixion or the tomb where he was buried. Read aloud the sad parts of today’s Scripture: Luke 9:22 and Matthew 28:1.

After kids have sketched, have them carefully move around to examine each others’ art. Then, as a group, discuss:

• How do you think Jesus’ friends and family felt when he was nailed to a cross?
• If you’d been one of Jesus’ followers, how would you have felt to know he’d been buried in a tomb?
• How do you feel now when you think about all the pain Jesus must have felt?

Ask children to gently shake their own plates to erase their artwork.

Say: The good news is that, because Jesus is God, he rose from the dead! We don’t have to feel sad about what happened, because something wonderful came from it.

Read aloud Matthew 28:2-7 and ask kids to sketch how they feel knowing that Jesus is alive. When they finish, let them look at each others’ art again.

Say: Jesus promised to rise from the dead, and he did it. I’m glad! Let’s thank Jesus for who he is and for all he’s done.

CLOSING PRAYER

Blanket Prayer

Supplies

• Blanket

Ask kids to join you in holding the blanket by its edges. Be sure each child is holding part of the blanket, and that the blanket is held at waist height. Say: Let’s use this blanket to thank Jesus for what he’s done for us.

Encourage kids to offer sentence prayers, thanking Jesus for living for us. You begin.

Then have kids lower the blanket to just six inches from the floor. Say: While it’s here close to the ground, please join me in thanking Jesus for dying for us.

Encourage kids to offer sentence prayers. You begin.

When they’ve finished, ask them to raise the blanket to shoulder height. Encourage kids to offer sentence prayers, thanking Jesus for rising from the dead. You start.

When they’ve finished, raise the blanket high overhead. Encourage kids to thank Jesus for his awesome promise to come back someday. You begin. When they’ve finished, lower the blanket as you pray, In Jesus’ name, amen.

EXTRA TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Drum Beat

Ask kids to circle up and sit on the floor. Using your hands on the floor, establish the beat of “We will, we will rock you,” a refrain often heard in sports arenas and on classic rock stations.

You’ll be chanting “Jesus, Jesus is God.” Ask kids to call out words that describe Jesus at the appropriate time in the rhythm. For instance, after chanting “Jesus, Jesus is God,” someone might shout out “Strong!” or “Faithful!”

Practice the beat until it becomes almost automatic for your kids, and then see how long you can keep it going with descriptions of Jesus. Then discuss:

• If Jesus is all those things—if he’s God—why do you think he cares about people like us?
• What difference does knowing Jesus make in how you act?

Option 2: Obits

Supplies

• Newspaper obituaries

Briefly explain what an obituary is, and then read several from the newspaper. As a group, pray for the families of those who have died.

Say: When you love and follow Jesus, you have the promise that dying is just a bad day. The next thing you know, you’re with him—forever—in Heaven. Because Jesus is God and rose from the dead, through his power we’ll rise too. We don’t need to be afraid of dying. Let’s be thankful for the hope we have in Jesus!

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: Jesus promised that we’d rise from the dead too. Does the idea of rising from the dead make you happy, scared, or something else? Why?

Click here for more lessons like this one!

Supplies

God promised that Zechariah and Elizabeth would have a baby—and what a baby! Their son would grow up to be part of the greatest story ever. He’d point straight at the Savior, letting everyone know that God had shown up in person.

But there was a problem: Elizabeth couldn’t have children. That is, without God’s power she couldn’t have children.

Zechariah and Elizabeth knew all about God. Zechariah was a priest, and Elizabeth came from a long line of priests. They’d grown up learning about God and had given their lives to serving God. They were rock solid, but somewhere along the line they’d missed an important lesson. It’s the lesson you’ll share with your kids today.

It doesn’t matter if God’s awesome promises seem impossible. God’s good at impossible. God does impossible with one hand tied behind his back! As you experience this session with your kids, celebrate with them the truth that God does for us what he promises—always.

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoin’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: Call It Coin Toss

Supplies

• Wastebasket
• Coins (3 per child)

Place a wastebasket on the floor. Have kids form a circle, shoulder to shoulder, around it. Give each child three coins.

Ask: How many of you predict (that is, say ahead of time) that you can toss your three coins into the basket without a miss?

Have them predict, then toss, and then retrieve their coins. Re-form the circle, having kids turn so they’re facing away from the wastebasket. Then each person should take one step. Repeat the “predict, toss, and retrieve” process, having kids toss their coins over their shoulders. Do the activity again from two steps away, and then five. Kids’ ability to predict accurately will fade the farther they get from the wastebasket.

Gather coins and have kids sit together. Discuss:

• What happened to your predictions as we played the game? Why?
• What made it easy or hard to make predictions that were on target?

Say: We all make predictions about what we think will happen. And we also make promises about what we are sure will happen. Maybe you’ve promised a parent you’ll clean your room or turn in a homework assignment on time. We’re sure we’ll come through, but sometimes we don’t.

I’ll bet we’ve all made a promise that we didn’t keep. For me it was . . .

Briefly share a promise you made that you didn’t keep. You’ll model the sort of response you hope to hear from kids. Then say:

• Now it’s your turn. Tell about a promise you didn’t keep. What was the promise, and why didn’t you keep it?

After kids share, thank them and say: Today we’ll talk about an awesome promise that God made to a married couple. And the promise was hard to believe. But first, let’s see what sort of predictions and promises you have about yourself!

AWESOME PROMISE GAME

Wonder Words

Supplies

• Paper
• Markers

Give each child a sheet of paper and a marker. Say: Time to make some predictions and promises. Think about what you’ll be doing in a week. Write some words or draw pictures of what you think you’ll be doing in a week. Write or draw small—I’ll ask you to add more in a minute.

Assure kids that spelling isn’t important in this activity. Give them several minutes to write or draw.

Say: Now think about five years from now. How old will that make you? (pause to let kids do the math) Write or draw what you think you’ll be doing then.

Pause for several minutes as kids write or draw.

Then say: Now think about when you’ll be a grown-up. Write or draw what you think you’ll be doing then.

Pause for several minutes as kids write or draw.

Ask kids to take turns showing what they wrote or drew. If you have lots of kids, group them into pairs or trios and let them show their papers in those smaller groups. The goal is for everyone to have the chance to talk.

Then ask the whole group to gather in a circle and discuss:

• How sure are you that what you think you’ll be doing in a week will really happen? Why?
• How sure are you of your predictions for five years from now? for your grown-up years? Why?
• If I promised you that something on your sheet of paper would happen, how sure would you be that it would happen?

Say: I don’t know your future. I can’t know it. But God knows. And when God promises something will happen for you in the future, you can count on it. A couple named Zechariah and Elizabeth learned that God does for us what he promises. Let’s hear their story now.

PROMISE KEPT BIBLE STORY

2 Kids = 1 Actor

Supplies

• Bible

Ask for two volunteers of the same sex and approximately the same size. Have them stand in the front of the room, facing the rest of the kids, one behind the other. The child in the rear will extend his arms under the front person’s arms, and the front person will place his arms behind the other’s back.

As they act out the story you read, the front person will provide voices and facial expressions; the person in the back will provide hand movements.

Ask your “actor” to act out the actions of all the characters as you read aloud Luke 1:5-20, 57-64.

Lead the rest of the kids in applauding your volunteers’ efforts and then, as a group, discuss:

• God made Zechariah unable to speak. Do you think that was a fair punishment for doubting that God would keep a promise?
• If God punished you for doubting him, how much trouble would you be in? Why?
• When you hear “God does for us what he promises,” how do you feel?
• What’s a promise that you’re afraid God won’t keep?

Say: When Zechariah’s voice was returned, the first thing he did was praise God. Let’s use our voices to praise God through our prayers.

CLOSING PRAYER

Wonder Words Prayer

Supplies

• Bible
• Kids’ papers from the Wonder Words activity

Ask kids to stand and to pick up their Wonder Words papers. Place the Bible on a chair or stool.

Say: Some kids are scared of the future. They worry that a day will come when they don’t have any friends or their families won’t have any money. I don’t know what will come in my life or yours, but I do know this: God promises to be with us no matter what. I don’t have to be afraid of what’s coming–and you don’t have to be afraid either.

Pray: God, thank you for loving us. We trust you with our lives and our futures. We know you’ll do for us what you’ve promised.

Then say to the kids: If you’d like to trust your future to God, place your Wonder Words paper on the Bible. Then come back and we’ll thank God for being with us.

After those kids who want to place their papers on the Bible do so, invite them to pray out loud, thanking and praising God.

Close by praying: Thank you for always being true to your Word, God. In Jesus’ name, amen.

EXTRA TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Heads or Tails

Supplies

• Coins (3 per child)

Give each child three coins. Form kids into trios. Ask children to, in their trios, each flip a coin at the same time (tossing the coins in the air and catching them will work for kids who can’t flip coins). After they flip coins they will compare their coins. If two of the coins are the same (heads or tails) and one coin is different, whoever has the different coin will take the other two pennies. In this game, being unusual actually pays!

Continue to play. The game in each trio ends when one child runs out of coins. Then the two kids with coins count how many coins they have, and the one with the most is crowned Trio Coin King (or Queen). After playing for a few minutes, collect the pennies and have kids discuss:

• When you started this game, did you expect to win? Why?
• How do you feel about starting things when you don’t know how they’ll turn out?
• If you could know for sure how one thing in your life is going to turn out, what would you choose to know about? Why did you choose that?

Say: Zechariah and Elizabeth didn’t know what their future would hold. Then they were given a promise by God. We can trust all of God’s promises. God always does for us what he promises to do.

Option 2: Blessings

Ask children to separate around the room and sit quietly on the floor. Say: I don’t know what’s coming in your future, but I know God has given you gifts and talents he’ll use as you move into your future.

Move from child to child. When you reach each child, take the child’s hand (or place your hand on his or her shoulder), look into the child’s eyes, and briefly bless the child. Using the child’s name, say something like: (Child’s name), God loves you very much and has given you the gift of a great sense of humor (or whatever attribute you wish to affirm). I know God will use you and your gift in the future if you give your future to him.

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: God always does what he promises to do. What promise of God do you wish he wouldn’t keep—if any?

Supplies

Uh-oh.

Saul is heading to town to track down and arrest people who believe in Jesus. He’s got his posse, his orders from the high priest, his firm belief he’s doing the right thing. After all, Christians are claiming that the Messiah has already come, and Paul just doesn’t buy it.

Until that Messiah shows up—in a light so bright it knocks Saul to the ground.

Saul hears Jesus’ voice, and in one heart-wrenching moment his life is changed. Not only has he been wrong about the Messiah, he’s been wrong about hunting Christians. The thing he thought was right was totally wrong. Plus, dusting himself off, Saul realizes he’s blind.

Tough day, but one that set the stage for a wonderful day later in the week. That’s when Jesus sent a believer to visit Saul, to help Saul see again and so Saul could be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Saul became a Christ follower. A missionary. A maverick who pushed to carry the message of Jesus to non-Jews. The man who once was an enemy of Jesus became a passionate, focused follower—and a great example of the truth you’ll explore today: God can use us all!

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoing’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: One of a Kind

Supplies

• 1 sheet of paper and 1 pencil per 2 children

Ask children to form pairs. (If you have young children, consider pairing them with older kids for this activity.) Distribute a sheet of paper and pencil to each pair.

Explain: I’ll give you a category, and I want you to think of five things that fit in it. Write down or draw your answers. If you have something on your list that no other pair has, you get a point for that answer. If any other pair has that item on its list, you don’t get a point. Your goal: be creative and score some points!

If you have just a few children, ask for only three items per category, and let each child work on his or her own. It’s important you have at least three teams for scoring purposes. Jump in as a team, if necessary.

Here are categories to get you started—feel free to add your own!

• Favorite fast food
• Vegetables
• Pets at the pet store
• Ways to save money
• Brands of soda pop
• Makes of cars
• Sports in the Olympics
• Ways to encourage others
• Holidays
• Zoo animals

Total up the points and then declare everyone a winner. Say: None of us came up with exactly the same list for each category. We’re all different, but we all came up with good answers that helped our teams. That’s how it is in life: we’re different, but God uses all of us!

GAME FOR A BAD DAY

Snack Invasion

Before this activity, it may be a good idea to ask permission or clue in the adult group before having kids go on their snack invasion. Tell adults not to act as if they had prior warning of this unusual—and fun—invasion!

Gather kids and remind them that somewhere in the building are a bunch of adults having a small group experience and that where there are adults sitting around, there are . . . snacks! Together you’re going to find out what those snacks are, where they are, and retrieve a sample.

For this mission you’ll need volunteers to fill the following roles and make your snack invasion successful. If you have a lot of children, assign more than one child to each role. If you have very few children, assign one child per role and take one yourself, if necessary.

• Advance Scout—who’ll crawl across the floor to avoid being seen and retrieves a snack sample (not all of them, just a sample).
• Distracter—who’ll provide a distraction if the Advance Scout is spotted. This person will walk up to the adult group and draw attention away from the Scout by saying, “I think my belly button is broken.”
• Cover Crew—who’ll stay just out of sight, saying things like, “My favorite Bible verse is . . .” and “Let’s look that verse up.” This crew makes the adults think your session is still under way.

Say: To pull this off and get a snack sample, we’ve got to work together. Everyone has a part to play. Ready?

Do a bit of quick planning and launch your snack invasion. (If you want to ensure success, tip off the adult small group leader you’ll be coming.)

When children have their samples and are all back in their designated area, discuss:

• Why was it important we all did our part?
• What’s another place in life where it’s important that we all cooperate and work together?
• God can use all of us, but do you think he does? Are there people he can’t use? Why?

Say: Today we’ll explore the story of how God used someone you’d never expect could be used by God. Someone who was actually an enemy of Jesus and the church!

BAD DAY BIBLE STORY

Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign

Supplies

• Bible
• 1 sheet of paper and 1 pencil per child
• Tape

Before kids arrive, write the words fair and unfair on two sheets of paper, one word per paper. Tape the papers to opposite sides of the room.

Gather kids in the center of the room and point out the signs. Then say: Think about the meanest kid you know in school—someone who’s an honest-to-goodness bully.

This kid is mean to other kids, says hurtful things, maybe even cheats at games or tells lies about others.

Now imagine that the principal gives the bully the very best job in school!

By the way: what is the best job in the school? Raising the flag? Cleaning the restrooms? What do you think?

Allow children to respond and then say: Yeah—that’s it! That’s the job! Does it seem fair that a bully gets that great job? Pick one of the signs as your answer and hop over there.

After kids hop to their choice of signs, encourage them to share their thoughts and explain their reasons for answering as they did.

Then say: It seems wrong for a bully to have the chance to be the biggest help, doesn’t it?

Today we’ll meet a guy who lived in Jesus’ time who was meaner than the meanest bully! This guy hated God’s people and spent his time chasing, hurting, arresting, and even killing those who loved and followed Jesus! And yet God chose to use him in an amazing way!

Let’s read what the Bible says about this guy and how he met Jesus one day. As we read, you’ll have more chances to make choices—so hop back to the center of the room.

Read aloud Acts 9:1, 2. Briefly discuss what Saul was doing to be mean and hateful to God’s people. Then ask: **Was Saul treating God’s people fairly or unfairly? You choose. Hop to the sign that shows your answer! **

Ask kids to briefly explain their answers. Then say: Seems to me that Saul treated Jesus’ followers and God’s people with unfair hatred. Everyone back to the center of the room.

Now listen to what happened next—and be ready to make another choice!

Read aloud Acts 9:3-8.

Then say: Do you think it was fair or unfair of Saul to treat Jesus so badly? You choose. Hop to the sign that shows your answer.

When kids have chosen, ask children to briefly explain their decision and then to return to the center of the room.

Say: Saul treated Jesus and his followers in unfair, wicked ways—and yet Jesus came to Saul and spoke to him.

Read aloud Acts 9:19b-22 and then say: God told Saul to change his heart and life—and Saul began to serve and obey God. Do you think it was fair or unfair for God to give Saul a second chance and give Saul an important job to do? You choose and hop to the sign that shows your answer.

Ask children to briefly explain their answers again. Then say: Saul was a mean, hateful guy—a bully—until Jesus appeared to him and God chose Saul to serve him. Fair or unfair, God used Saul in amazing ways. And if God can use a bully like Saul in great ways, just think how God can use you!

CLOSING PRAYER

Cross-Eyed Prayer

Supplies

• 2 sheets of paper and a section of newspaper for each child
• Thick black markers

Before kids arrive, draw a cross on a sheet of paper. (Be sure you use very thick, black markers for this activity!) Make the cross about 4 inches high and 3 inches across. You’ll use this sample to show kids during the activity so they know about how large to draw their own crosses.

Give each child two sheets of paper and a section of newspaper. The newspaper is to place on the floor as a work surface—you don’t want any marker to stain the floor!

Ask children to place one sheet of paper on the newspaper and place the extra sheet of paper on their laps. Then have kids use markers to each draw a cross on the sheet of paper sitting on the newspaper. Encourage children to make the vertical and horizontal lines of the cross thick and solid.

Say: In a few moments I’ll ask you to hold your cross picture about a foot in front of your face and stare at it. Then, as quickly as you can, you’ll switch that sheet of paper with the blank one on your lap. You’ll hold the blank sheet of paper the same distance from your nose. Let’s practice once.

Once children have practiced, say: Now hold your cross about a foot in front of your face and stare at it for 30 seconds. I’ll tell you when to switch papers.

When 30 seconds have passed, tell children to quickly make the switch with their clean sheets of paper and stare at them instead. They should continue to see the cross as an afterimage. Ask children what they see.

Have children put down their papers. Say: Keeping our eyes on the cross—on Jesus—is what Saul did. He met Jesus in a life-changing encounter, and from that day forward he never took his eyes off Jesus, never forgot what happened on the cross.

Let’s ask God to keep us mindful of what he’s done for us, and ask him to use us in any way he wants. Ask your children to join you in prayer.

Pray: God, help us keep our focus on Jesus and to always remember that he can use each of us. We want to be used by you, Jesus. Show us how. Amen.

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Instant Talent Show

Yup—God can use us all . . . starting now.

Encourage children to give God their talents by holding an impromptu talent show where children can juggle, dance, sing, tell jokes, impersonate people (maybe you?), or whatever else they enjoy doing.

Encourage, but don’t force, everyone to participate. Then discuss:

• How might God use your talent–or another one—in the next week?
• Why is letting God use your abilities a good idea?

Option 2: Newspaper Huddle

Supplies

• 1 sheet of newspaper

Place a sheet of newspaper on the floor.

Say: Who can God use? All of us! Let’s celebrate how we all fit in God’s plans, by all standing on this sheet of paper. How can we stand so we all fit?

After kids sort out a way to fit, fold the sheet in half and invite them to do the same thing again. (Hint: one easy way to put lots of people on a sheet is for them to stand on one foot, lean back, and balance each other by holding on to one another.)

After you’ve gotten the paper as small as possible and still fit, ask children to sit. Say: We’re all different—and so are our feet! Yet there was a place for all of us on the paper. Ask:

• How is that like fitting into our church and church family?
• Where do you fit in serving Jesus?

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: If you could pick how God would use you, what would you ask him to help you do—and become?

Supplies

Jesus spent a lot of time explaining a very basic truth to his audiences. The kingdom of God isn’t just about rules or about behavior or about justice. It’s also about grace.

Jesus told this story to help his audience grab hold of a basic truth: God is generous, and his gifts of salvation and eternal life are available to anyone who believes in him and trusts him—whether that belief comes at the beginning of a long life or just moments before someone dies.

Something about that arrangement doesn’t seem fair to us. We want a bonus for spending a lifetime serving God. And in believing this, we miss the same three points that the people who heard Jesus’ story (or parable) missed:

1. God gives us a wonderful gift, just as he promised.
2. It’s up to God if he decides to be generous with others.
3. Having a lifetime serving God is a bonus!

You’ll help your kids discover these truths today as you share the story of the workers in the vineyard.

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoin’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: Puppy-Sitting Fluffy

Supplies

• 1 sheet of paper and 1 pencil per child

Form children into pairs and hand each child a sheet of paper and a pencil. Ask children to decide who in each pair will be the Day Person and who will be the Night Person.

Say: Let’s say I’ll be out of town and need someone to care for my puppy. I’ll be gone 24 hours, and I’ll pay someone to care for little Fluffy. Before you decide if you want the job, let’s list all of the things you need to do to care for a puppy during the day and night. The Day Person in each pair will list what it takes to care for Fluffy during the day, and the Night Person will list what it takes to care for Fluffy during the night.

As kids make suggestions, have them write the tasks on their papers. Be specific, making sure all tasks happen during the day. Explain that Fluffy sleeps from 8:00 pm to 8:00 am and doesn’t have “accidents,” so there’s really nothing to do at night.

When the lists are complete, have kids read them aloud. Then say: I’ll pay $100 for Fluffy’s care, but I want to hire a team of two people—one to handle the day and the other to handle the night. I’ll pay your team $100. What’s a fair way for you to split the money? Splitting the money right down the middle, with $50 each, isn’t fair because the Day Person is doing all the work. How would you split it? Give pairs time to talk, and then ask them to share with the larger group their split solutions. Ask:

• How did you decide what was fair?
• How would each Day Person feel if the Night Person got paid the same amount?

Say: Today we’re diving into a story Jesus told that’s much like what we just did. People were hired to work, but not all of them were happy with how they were paid.

The people listening to Jesus’ story discovered what we’ll discover: life’s not fair, but God is always loving!

COOL STORY GAME

Fair Teams

Supplies

• Masking tape

Place a masking tape line on the floor to separate the playing area into two sections. Tell kids to form two teams for Piggyback Races. Have each team stand on one side of the line.

When kids are in place, say: We’re not really going to have Piggyback Races, but I’m curious. How did you choose your teams? Was it because of size, height, weight, or age? Did this make fair teams? Why or why not?

Encourage kids to tell how they chose up their teams, and if this made them fair. Then say: People say life should be fair. Let’s see how well that works. We’ll form teams for a few pretend games and see if we can make the teams exactly, absolutely, completely fair.

When I call out a type of game, you’ll have 60 seconds to choose teams, one team on each side of the line. Make the teams fair and be able to explain why after each round. Ready?

Pick fair teams for a . . .

• Kitty-petting contest
• Relay race
• Dance contest
• Spelling bee
• Juggling contest
• Staring contest
• Handwriting contest
• Skipping contest

After each round, ask how kids decided what would make teams fair. Is it age? numbers? experience? strength? Push for specifics.

Say: Hard to make teams fair, huh? We’re all different and all good at different things. But God knows us all, and He knows what we need. And though life isn’t always fair, God loves us all! Jesus told a parable (or story) about a vineyard where grapes are grown, and about a boss who seemed unfair to his workers. Let’s explore that story now!

COOL BIBLE STORY

Fair or Not?

Supplies

• Bible
• 1 small sack or basket
• Treats or favors (1 per child)

Before children arrive, place small treats or favors in a sack or basket. Consider using small erasers, new pencils, or individually wrapped candies.

Invite children to form three groups. Remember, one child can be a group if necessary. Have groups sit on the floor. Hold the treat sack or basket. Explain that you have treats to share. But to receive them, groups need to do some work. Ask the first group to stand up and sit down 15 times—quickly—to get their treats. Have everyone count along out loud.

When the first group has completed the task, announce that the second group has to do the same thing—6 times—to earn a prize. Have everyone count aloud. Say: We have one last group. How many stand-up-sit-downs should they do? 35? 47? How about . . . 1?

When the last group has accomplished its task, give everyone one treat from the sack. Then have kids sit in place and discuss:

• Was it fair that some of you worked harder and still got the same reward? Explain.
• Are rewards always fair? Why or why not?

Say: Jesus told a story about a vineyard where grapes are grown, and about a boss and his workers. Let’s read the story aloud. As you listen, see whether you think the boss’s payment to the workers was fair or unfair, loving or unkind.

Read aloud Matthew 20:1-12. Invite older kids to take turns reading aloud if they’d like. When you finish reading the passage, ask:

• Do you think the boss was fair or unfair? Explain.
• In what ways can something or someone seem unfair, but still be kind and loving?

Read aloud Matthew 20:13-15. Then ask:

• Would you rather someone in charge be fair or loving? Explain.
• Would you rather God be absolutely fair or loving? Explain.

Say: God is fair . . . and loving. And it’s a good thing for us that he’s loving, because if he gave us what we deserve, we’d all be in trouble. Romans 3:23 says that we’ve all sinned and disappointed God. If you have older kids, read aloud Romans 6:23 to remind them of God’s loving grace through Jesus.

Say: Good news, though: God sent Jesus to save us! Read aloud Romans 5:8. Then say: Life isn’t always fair, but God is always loving. And for that we can be deeply thankful!

CLOSING PRAYER

Thumbnail Prayer

Supplies

• 1 cup or basket
• 10 coins per child (you’ll get them back)

Raid your piggy bank. You’ll give each child at least ten coins. Be clear you’d like the coins back.

Explain to children that in a few moments they’ll stack coins on their thumbs. Say: Hold your hand in a fist like this (demonstrate) with your thumbnail up. Stack as many coins on your thumbs as you can. How many you can stack depends on how flat your thumbnail is, how steady your hand is, and how big your thumb is. You may be a one-coin stacker or a ten-coin stacker. It all depends. Let’s give it a try.

Once children have finished stacking coins, say: Hey—it’s not fair if someone has a flatter thumb than you—or a bigger thumb! Life’s not fair!

Ask children to very slowly open their hands while keeping their coin stacks standing on their thumbs. It’s hard—some stacks will tumble!

Say: It’s not fair that some of us have steadier hands than others. Life’s not fair! Collect all but one coin from each child. Say: Life’s not fair, but no matter how God made your thumb, he loves you. He loves us all—whether we’re one-coin or ten-coin stackers! Ask children to each hold their coins in their palms with palms up and open.

Pray and thank God for loving us no matter what. Thank him that he hasn’t made us all the same. Thank God that he treats us with love and grace, not just punishing us for doing what he says is wrong. Invite kids to take turns thanking God for his love.

When children have finished praying, ask them to drop their coins in the cup or basket as a sign of thanking God for his love.

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Stand Up, Sit Down

Seat kids on the floor. Say: Life’s not fair. Some of us are good at one thing and not another. But we’re all good at something—God has given us each at least one talent or gift we can use to help others and to praise God.

I’ll call out a list of things we may be good at or enjoy doing even if we’re not yet all-stars. If something I mention describes you, jump up—then quickly sit down.

Read this list and add items you know will touch on what your kids enjoy doing. Read quickly with just a brief pause between items: reader, writer, runner, singer, actor, dancer, scientist, mountain climber, room cleaner, math whiz, hiker, biker, kite flyer, painter, ice-cream eater, and—ta-dah!—list reader.

Say: Good job! What’s something else you enjoy doing? After kids make suggestions, say: Life’s not fair. We aren’t all good at the same things. But isn’t it great that God made us all different? And that he loves us?

Option 2: Rules, Rules, Rules

Supplies

• 1 sheet of paper and 1 pencil per child

Ask children to write or draw (or simply discuss) what they feel is the right punishment for each of the broken house rules listed below. Then have kids share their answers.

• Trashing the house and refusing to clean up
• Saying, “Yuk! I won’t eat this slop!” when dinner is served
• Blaming someone else for something you did
• Not doing schoolwork and lying about it later

Say: Wow—sounds like punishments are different in different homes. Is that fair?

Parents don’t always respond the same way to situations. But something they pretty much have in common is that they love us enough to discipline us and help us behave properly. They may not always be fair, but they always love us!

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: Describe a time at school that something didn’t seem fair. How did you feel? Describe a time something wasn’t fair—but you came out ahead. How did you feel then?

Check out more lessons here!

Supplies

No one knows if the jailer who locked Paul and Silas in stocks enjoyed his job, but we do know he took it seriously. Good thing too, because he worked for the Romans—and they took prisoners very seriously.

So seriously, in fact, that Roman law held that jailers shown to be careless and who let prisoners escape, were killed.

Imagine, then, how the Philippian jailer felt when he awoke to an earthquake that sent walls tumbling and broke open his prisoners’ stocks.

A bad day for the jailer? A horrible day!

He drew a sword, prepared to take his own life before the Romans could reach him. And drawing back the blade, he heard Paul’s announcement from the rubble: no prisoner had escaped. The prisoners had time to run away, but they hadn’t done so.

What had been the jailer’s worst (and possibly last) day of his life took a sudden turn. He not only kept his job, but the actions of Paul and Silas convinced him that the Jesus they followed was worth a careful look.

It wasn’t Paul and Silas’ preaching that brought the jailer to Jesus; it was their actions . . . and actions speak louder than words.

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoing’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: Move Fast!

Supplies

• $1 bill per 2 children (you’ll get the bills back!)

Ask children to pick partners. Give the partner who has the longest hair in each pair a $1 bill—and mention you’ll want it back!

Explain that the person with the bill will hold it as shown in the diagram. The other partner in each pair will hold his or her thumb and index finger 4 inches apart (several inches below the bill) and attempt to catch the $1 bill when it’s dropped. It takes quick, catlike reflexes—or a bit of luck!

After several tries to catch the bill, reverse roles so each partner can both drop and catch (maybe!) the bill.

Collect the bills and then discuss:

• Which role did you prefer: dropper or catcher?
• What helped you catch the bill—if you did?
• If you could stretch time and have all of it you wanted for any activity that’s usually rushed, what activity would you pick? Why?

Say: Sometimes it helps accomplish a goal if we move fast, sometimes more slowly. Today we’ll consider a situation where there was time to do something you’d expect people to do—but nobody moved. Curious? Let’s find out more!

GAME FOR A BAD DAY

Human Locker Room

Say: Anybody can build a human pyramid—you just pile people on top of each other. We’re going to do something far more challenging: we’ll build other kinds of structures using just our bodies!

If you have very few children in your group, that’s fine—just modify your list. Most of the suggestions provided work well for two or more people. Give children just 30 seconds to “build” each structure you mention. Be encouraging and applaud creativity. Suggest that children work together to build some of the following using their bodies. Be sure to build a jail first.

• a jail
• a tepee
• the Leaning Tower of Pisa
• the Eiffel Tower
• a shower stall
• the Statue of Liberty
• a locker room

When kids have finished building their structures, applaud their efforts. Then ask them to discuss these questions:

• If you could move your room to any famous building and live there, what building would it be—and why?
• Of the buildings we built, which do you think would hold up best in an earthquake? Why?

Say: Our Bible story involves a building we constructed: a jail. It didn’t hold up well in an earthquake; the walls fell. But that let the apostle Paul and his friend, Silas, make a big impression on a jailer. Let’s see how!

BAD DAY BIBLE STORY

Sock Puppet Theater

Supplies

• Bible
• 1 pair of adult-size tube socks for each child (clean, various colors, will be returned)

Teach

Good news: even if you have just a few children at your meeting, you can still assign every part in this play. Each child can play two parts by putting a sock on each hand!

Ask children to sit in a circle. Cast these parts: Paul, Silas, prisoners, jailer, and the jailer’s family. Make extra kids prisoners or the jailer’s family.

Say: Actions speak louder than words—and God desires us to have active faith. Let’s test that by doing this puppet show with no words other than the narration. Your puppet can’t talk, but it can move. Communicate the actions I describe by using movement. For a stage we’ll use our imaginations. Ready?

Read aloud Acts 16:25-33. Pause after each verse and whenever there’s movement described. When finished, encourage the actors to take a bow. Collect the socks and then ask:

• How did Paul’s and Silas’s actions affect the other prisoners?
• Why did Paul’s and Silas’s actions have such an impact on the jailer?
• How do your actions affect people around you? How would you like your actions to affect others?
• Can both your words and actions tell others about Jesus as Paul’s and Silas’s did? How so?

Say: Paul could have told the jailer about how Jesus could save him— and, in fact, Paul later did just that. But when Paul showed the jailer what it felt like to be saved, that made a huge impact. Paul’s actions spoke loudly—and then the jailer could hear Paul’s words. God desires our faith to be active—not just expressed by words alone. Actions do speak louder than words!

CLOSING PRAYER

Earthquake Prayer

Say: Paul and Silas were locked in a jail, and God set them free— through an earthquake. Usually earthquakes are thought of as natural disasters. Nothing good happens in them, no good comes out of them. But God works through nature in powerful ways. Let’s thank God for working through his creation to do his will. Even in the middle of an earthquake, hurricane, or tornado, God can bring about good things.

Think of a natural disaster that scares you, and hold your hands in a shape that reminds you of it. For instance, if you’re scared of hurricanes, you might make a giant O—the shape of a hurricane. Ready? Then close your eyes, please, and let’s pray.

Pray: God, you see our hands. You see our hearts. You know how much damage an earthquake can cause, but you still used one to help Paul and Silas . . . and the jailer who came to you.

When scary things happen in nature or troubles happen in our lives, help us put our faith into action by trusting your power to help and love us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Two Lies and a Truth

Tell children to think of three facts about their lives that others may not know, such as a middle name or a secret talent or someone famous they may have met.

The catch: two facts will be true. The third will be a lie.

Ask children to form pairs and tell their partners the three facts. The goal is for each child to correctly identify which of the “facts” are true and which one is false.

Ask partners to report how they did and what they learned about each other.

Say: The jailer who heard Paul’s voice after the earthquake in Philippi thought he was hearing a lie. The prisoners hadn’t escaped? How could that be? But he discovered that Paul was telling the truth!

And not only did Paul tell the truth—he acted on it too. Paul knew that God wants us to put our faith into action and not just words. It’s good to remember that actions often speak louder than words!

Option 2: Show Me, Don’t Tell Me

Actions better speak louder than words, because there aren’t any words used in this activity!

Ask children to communicate messages through actions only—no writing or speaking any words. If desired, form two groups and take turns acting out the following and having the other team try to guess what’s being communicated.

You can add your own messages, but here are six to get you started:

• Fire! Come with me to safety!
• Don’t drink the water.
• I’ve got ants in my pants!
• I’m riding a camel.
• I’ve got $10 million and it’s all in quarters.
• I want a glass of iced tea.

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: What action speaks loudest to you if someone is saying, “I want to be your friend”? What actions speak loudest in telling your friend about Jesus?

Grab more fun lessons like this one in this post!

Supplies

Many Christians wish they had specific instructions from God. “If he’d just tell me what to do, I’d do it,” they say. “I’m willing to follow, but I just don’t know which direction to go.”

No problem for Jonah. He knew exactly where to go: Nineveh. God even told Jonah what to say when he got there.

Jonah’s problem was that he didn’t want to go, so he ran away in the opposite direction, believing that hiding from God would take care of the problem.

Um . . . no. Jonah was willfully disobedient—and God didn’t let him get away with it.

Jonah’s story is familiar to most children who’ve been in Sunday school. Jonah meets big fish, big fish eats him, Jonah decides if he gets out of fish alive he’ll do what God says, fish throws up, and out comes a very stinky Jonah. What gets missed is Jonah’s repentance . . . and God’s forgiveness. But without those, Jonah would have ended up fish food.

Today you’ll discover an important lesson: God forgives us.

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoing’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: Head and Shoulders. Knees and Toes

Supplies

• 4 hardcover books (that won’t be damaged if they fall)

Announce that you’ve decided to bring back an activity that helped their great-grandparents have perfect posture.

Demonstrate with a volunteer how to stand with two books balanced on one’s head. Help the volunteer walk without dropping the books. Then form kids into two teams for a relay race.

Ask the first person in each team to walk to a specific spot and then back again without the books falling. If (when!) books fall, children can simply pick them up, balance them, and keep moving forward.

Encourage kids to cheer one another on. When the relay is finished, collect the books and ask children to be seated on the floor to discuss:

• What made it so hard to keep the books from falling?
• After this experience, how would you rate your usual posture?
• You had to keep perfect posture to keep the books in place. What do you do in life absolutely perfectly?

Say: Most of us don’t have perfect posture—or perfect anything else! That’s why we need God’s forgiveness. And so did Jonah! We’ll find out why today.

GAME FOR A BAD DAY

Perfect Relay

Supplies

• 2 bendable wire coat hangers
• 2 inflated balloons (plus an extra)
• A watch with a second hand

Before children arrive, inflate two balloons and tie them off. Place the balloons out of sight.

Announce that since the book relay went so well, you’ll try another relay (mix up the two teams)—but this time with wire clothes hangers and balloons. Help children bend their hangers for the job of carrying the balloons.

Explain that the goal of the game is for each relay member to carry a balloon on a hanger to the far wall of the room and back. The catch: if the balloon hits the floor, the entire team starts over. Teams must run this relay perfectly. (Fewer than six kids? Work together as a single team!)

Run the first heat of the relay for two minutes (keep track on your watch) and see if any team has completed the course. If so, run it again to see if teams can improve their times.

Keep Going

When the game is over, collect the hangers and balloons. Discuss:

• How did the need to run this relay perfectly affect how fun the game was?
• What in your life do you have to do perfectly? What happens if you don’t do it perfectly?

Say: We know that being perfect or doing everything in a perfect way is impossible, isn’t it? Let’s discover how a guy named Jonah learned that since we’re not perfect, we need a special gift from God—we need God’s gift of forgiveness!

BAD DAY BIBLE STORY

Jonah Scoot

Supplies

• Bible

Ask children to sit close together on the floor, in the center of the room.

Say: Jonah’s story is here in the Bible. As I read, I’ll point out different places in the room that represent places Jonah went. When I point to one of those spots, please scoot over to that place.

With flair, read aloud Jonah 1:1-2:10. Point to the indicated spots when you read these verses:

Chapter 1:
verse 3: Left side of the room (Joppa)
verse 3: Center of room (getting on ship)
verse 4: Rock back and forth where seated
verse 5: Right side of the room and keep rocking (below deck)
verse 11: Rock back and forth harder
verse 13: Rock back and forth even harder!
verse 14: Scoot to center of room (going up above deck)
verse 15: Spin in place (tossed into sea)
verse 15: Stop rocking
verse 17: Scoot back to the left of the room (the fish is swimming)

Chapter 2:
verse 10: Throw yourself forward as if you got urped out of the fish’s belly!

Finish by saying: And then, when the Lord told Jonah to go to Nineveh again, that’s what Jonah did—so scoot over to the center of the room! 

Keep Going

When kids are in place, ask:

• In what ways did God seem angry or demanding?
• In what ways was God forgiving?
• When is a time you knew the right thing to do, but you chose to do the wrong thing? What happened?

Say: God got Jonah’s attention in a yucky way, but he gave Jonah a second chance to make the right choice: the choice to obey God. Jonah still had to suffer the consequences of his bad choice . . . three days inside a fish—ugh! But in the end, Jonah was forgiven and got to do the right thing.

When we disobey, we are punished too. But if we ask God to forgive us, he will. God forgives us and that’s good news!

Ask children to select partners and discuss in pairs:

• How hard or easy was it for Jonah to ask God’s forgiveness? Why?
• How hard or easy is it for you to ask God to forgive you? Why?

CLOSING PRAYER

Boat Float Prayers

Supplies

• Dishpan half filled with water
• plastic bowl or container
• Silverware (several pieces for each child)

Teach

Fill a dishpan half full of water. Float a plastic bowl or container in the pan. Give each child several pieces of silverware that will easily sink when children place all of their silverware in or on the container.

Practice this once so you have the right combination of container and silverware—you don’t want the boat to continue floating!

Say: Jonah thought climbing on a boat heading away from God would keep God from seeing him. Jonah was wrong.

Our lives are like this little boat. We sail along under our own power and then do something wrong. We sin.

Place a piece of silverware on the “boat.”

Say: Think of things you’ve done lately that were wrong, that would disappoint God. It might be a lie you told or a mean word you spoke. If there’s anything like that in your life, silently tell God about it. For each of those things, place a piece of silverware on this boat. I’ll need more than one piece of silverware—I’ll bet you do too.

Continue until the boat sinks. Then reach under the water, empty out the silverware, and float the boat again.

Say: Here’s good news: when we tell God what we’ve done wrong and ask him to forgive us—he does. First John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

Let’s pray out loud and thank God for his forgiveness. When children are finished, close your prayer time.

Collect the silverware and dishpan and set them aside.

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Salt Solution

Supplies

• A pinch of salt per child
• Dishpan half filled with water

Place the dishpan in the center of the room. Have children form a circle around it, and place a pinch of salt in each child’s hand.

Ask children to think of something they’ve done that has disappointed God—a sin. Explain that sins are actions and attitudes that don’t obey or glorify God. Pause to let children think.

Then ask children to silently ask God to forgive them for what they’ve done wrong.

One at a time, invite children to toss their pinches of salt into the dishpan. With your hand, gently stir the water as you read aloud Psalm 103:9-14. Invite children to look at the water—where the salt will have dissolved in the water.

Point out that’s how God forgives: thoroughly. Once and for all. The punishment of a sin may remain, but the sin itself will be forgiven.

Option 2: Spitting Contest

Supplies

• 1 bag of salted sunflower seeds
• 1 sheet of paper

Say: The big fish spit Jonah up, so let’s follow his example! Line children against a wall so they’re spitting sunflower seeds in the same direction. Even better: go outside if weather and location permit. You’ll give children seeds to spit in two events:

Distance: Just what it sounds like. Who can spit a seed the farthest?

Accuracy: Place a sheet of paper about 10 feet from the spitting line.

See who can come closest to landing a seed on the paper. Have a great time, but remember to clean up!

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: God asks us to forgive others the same way that he forgives us. What’s something you would find very difficult to forgive?

For more fun lessons like this one, check out this post!

Supplies

How many times do we need to forgive someone? How many times? Seventy times seven—that was Jesus’ reply.

That wasn’t a literal answer. We know that 490 times isn’t the cutoff point for grace. Jesus was making the point that forgiveness needs to be available until it’s no longer sought or needed.

But there’s another message in this story: forgiveness is a two-way street. Yes, we receive it from God through Jesus. But we’re also expected to be just as forgiving to others.

In this session you’ll help kids discover that the forgiveness they receive from God isn’t just for them. God wants to empower us to be equally forgiving, to pass along what we’ve received. With his help, we can forgive others!

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoin’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: Story Sacks

Supplies

• Paper lunch sacks
• Markers
• Yarn
• Glitter
• Glue
• Felt (optional)

Kids will use these puppets later, so be sure everyone makes one. Before the activity, you may wish to make a puppet as a sample. Also refer to the illustration.

Ask kids to sit in a circle on the floor, and join them. Give each child a sack. Provide markers.

Say: Today we’ll dive into a story Jesus told about a man who got into big trouble. He owed lots of money! You’re going to play a part in the story, so you each need to create a sack puppet that looks like you.

If children aren’t sure where to start, show them the illustration or your sample, if you made one. (If you’re feeling especially crafty and have extra time, provide the optional supplies so kids can make more elaborate puppets.) Tell children they should keep their work hidden for now. They have just five minutes to create their masterpieces. Give a two- and one-minute countdown.

Once children have finished, collect the puppets and place them behind you, as you remain seated with the children on the floor.

Say: Now let’s see how much these puppets look like their creators. I’ll show one puppet at a time. See if you can guess who it is.

After the guessing is finished, say: Great job! Set the puppets aside.

Say: Today we’ll talk about forgiveness—about being forgiven by God and about forgiving others who do things to us. They’re connected! God forgives us—so let’s forgive others.

COOL STORY GAME

Gone and Forgotten

Supplies

• Bible
• Dish towel
• Watch with a second hand
• Baking pan
• Variety of 30 or more objects from the junk drawer (buttons, nuts, bolts, nails, coins, beads)

Teach

Place the 30 objects in the pan, and cover them with the dish towel.

Gather children around the pan. Remove the towel and tell kids to look at the items in the pan and memorize them-—in 30 seconds.

Then pick up the pan and turn your back on the kids. Remove one item— without letting them see it—and hide it in a pocket or somewhere else.

Rearrange the remaining items. Turn back to the children, and let them guess which item you removed. No hints!

Play several rounds. Then reveal and replace the missing items. Ask:

• What made it easy or difficult to remember all the items?
• When have you forgotten something you needed to remember? What happened as a result?
• What’s something you think you’d like to forget?

Say: Our memories can play tricks on us. Things we want to remember, we sometimes forget. Things we’d rather forget, we sometimes remember. But here’s something that’s true: everybody forgets things . . . including God. That’s right: God sometimes forgets things.

Read aloud Hebrews 10:17.

Continue: Once God forgives us for something, he chooses not to recall it, not to not bring it up again. And here’s where things get hard: God wants us to forgive people in just the same way.

Read aloud Luke 11:1-4a.

Say: Notice the “forgive us as we forgive others” line. That means us. We are to forgive others as we want Jesus to forgive us. God forgives us—let’s forgive others!

COOL BIBLE STORY

The Not-So-Smart Servant

Supplies

• Bible
• Sack puppets from Opening Activity—Option 2

Assign the following roles to individual kids: king, king’s servant, the servant’s wife and children, and a second servant. (If you have more kids than roles, let them be extra children in the first servant’s family.)

Say: As I read aloud the story Jesus told, use your puppets to act out what happened to your characters. Feel free to move about. If your puppet is supposed to be afraid, shake in fear. If you’re supposed to attack another character, gently go after that puppet. Your puppet has to do the acting—you’re just along for the ride. And though there’s no talking, please whimper, snort, or provide other sound effects as you wish.

Read aloud Matthew 18:21-35, pausing often for the puppets to act out their roles.

When you’re done, have puppets take a bow. Collect them to send home later. Ask children to each sit facing a partner and discuss:

• What’s the lesson about forgiveness that Jesus is trying to teach?
• If Jesus is serious about that message, what does that mean to me?

After kids finish talking, have them circle up with you. Ask what kids think the moral of the story is. Are they on target? Congratulate the children. Are they off target? Gently redirect your children.

Say: Forgiveness is a two-way thing. Yes, God will forgive us if we ask. But we’re expected to be just as forgiving. In that way we begin to show other people what God is like. God is forgiving–let’s be forgiving too!

CLOSING PRAYER

Confession Is Good for the Soul

Read 1 John 1:8, 9 aloud. Say: God forgives, but he wants something from us when he forgives: he wants us to agree with him that what we did is wrong. That’s called “confession.” It’s agreeing with God that the wrong thing we did is wrong.

We’re going to confess to God and trust him to keep his word about forgiving us. We won’t confess out loud here—though it’s OK to do that sometimes. For now, please confess in your head and heart. I’ll lead us.

Ask children to bow their heads and close their eyes. Tell them that they can add their own silent prayers in the pauses.

Pray: Dear God, we trust that you keep your promises. We trust that if we confess, you will be faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Please hear us as we tell you about thoughts we have that don’t honor you. This includes our thoughts about people (pause) and our thoughts about the lives you’ve given us. (pause) It also includes our thoughts about you and how important we make you in our lives. (pause)

Forgive us for things we’ve done and for things that nobody knows about except us—and you. (pause)

Forgive things we’ve said, including angry words (pause) and unfair words. (pause) Forgive us for words that have harmed others (pause) and words that don’t honor you. (pause)

We confess that all these things are sin. They don’t please you, and we want to please you. They don’t show you love, and we want to love you. Help us be as forgiving of others. Bring to mind one person we need to forgive. (pause)

Thank you for your forgiveness. Amen.

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: You’ve Got Mail

Supplies

• 1 sheet of paper and 1 pencil per child

Ask kids to sit on the floor. Give each child a sheet of paper and pencil.

Say: We all have at least one person we could ask forgiveness from. Who is your person? Is that person someone at home or at school? Think about it for a moment and pick a person . . . and a reason you need to ask for forgiveness.

Pause for a few moments so children have time to think.

Say: Now you get the chance to apologize—at least to practice apologizing. In the next few minutes write a note asking the person to forgive you. And be specific—mention what you did or said that needs to be forgiven.

If you’d rather draw your apology, make a “Please Forgive Me” card. Draw a frown on the cover and a smile on the inside or decorate your card in another way.

Help young children write: “I’m sorry . . . please forgive me” on the insides of their cards.

Explain that kids don’t have to give their notes and cards to the people they’ve wronged. This is just practice. But suggest that if children want to act but don’t want to deliver notes and cards, they can simply talk to the people they’ve wronged and ask for their forgiveness.

Allow time to write or draw. Then have children find partners and discuss:

• What’s hard about asking for forgiveness?
• What would be a good thing about asking for forgiveness?
• How does forgiving someone bring us closer to God?

Option 2: Got It, Give It

Supplies

• Watch with a second hand
• 1 shoe

Ask children to sit in a circle. Invite a child to provide one shoe, or use yours. Choose a child who counts well to be the Lap Master, and hand that child the shoe. That child’s job is to keep track of the number of times a shoe makes it around the circle by calling out the lap number as the shoe passes him or her. One time around? One lap. Twice around? Two laps.

The game’s goal is to make as many laps as possible in 60 seconds. Tell kids there are three rules:

1. No throwing! The shoe must be passed.
2. If the shoe is dropped, the Lap Master subtracts one lap from the total and everyone must say, “It’s forgiven.”
3. If someone makes a poor pass—the shoe is fumbled or falls in a player’s lap—the person receiving the shoe says, “It’s forgiven.” No lost lap!

Play three rounds, trying to increase the number of laps each time. At any time you can call “reverse” and send the shoe in the opposite direction.

After playing, discuss as a group:

• How was this game like real life when someone needs forgiveness?
• In what ways does forgiving others make life—or our game—more pleasant?

Say: When we ask God’s forgiveness, he forgives us. He knows that forgiving us helps us be healthier, happier, and closer to him. And we can forgive others as God forgives us!

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: If God was only as forgiving of you as you are of others, how forgiven would you feel? Why? What can you do to change that?

For more fun lessons like this one check out this post!

Supplies

Two miles.

That’s how far Jesus had to walk to reach his friend Lazarus, who was dying in Bethany. But Jesus put off the trip for four days, and rather than come heal Lazarus, Jesus let his friend die.

Picture Lazarus lingering in bed, knowing that if Jesus would just come, he’d be healed. Lazarus waited, day after painful day, until at last he could hold on no longer. He died—literally died—as in dead-and-buried died.

We don’t know much about Lazarus beyond that he was the brother of Mary and Martha and a friend of Jesus. And that following his death, Lazarus walked out of his tomb once Jesus called him back to life.

Was the day Lazarus died a bad day? It must have felt that way to Lazarus and to his sisters. But four days later, that pain behind them, Lazarus became the reason many Jews came to believe in Jesus.

Lazarus became a living testimony to the truth that Jesus is powerful. And we can do the same!

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoing’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: Everybody Up!

Supplies

• Straight-backed chairs

Have children form pairs. Ask the person in each pair whose first name starts with the letter earliest in the alphabet to sit in a chair. (Help younger kids with this.)

Say: On the count of three, I’d like you to stand up. Ready? One . . .two . . . three. Children will have an easy time rising from the chair. If you have a child who’s physically unable to rise from a chair, ask that child to be your helper and give the countdowns.

After they stand, say: With your partner describe a time you think it’d be hard to stand up. Maybe it would be on a roller coaster or when there’s a bully saying he’ll beat you up.

After several minutes for discussion, say: You’re about to discover another time you can’t stand up. It’s when your partner has one finger on your forehead.

Ask the same child in each pair who was just seated to sit in the chair again, this time with arms folded across chest and legs stretched straight out with heels on the floor. The other child in each pair will place a finger firmly against the seated partner’s forehead.

Again give a one . . . two . . . three countdown. The seated partner won’t be able to rise from the seat! Have pairs change places so everyone can take a turn in each role.

Ask partners to discuss:

• How did it feel to be helpless to rise again?
• How is that like or unlike what it’s like to die and be buried?

Say: You’d think that once you’re dead and buried, that’s it. You’re down and staying down. But for Lazarus, because of Jesus’ power, death wasn’t the end of the story. Lazarus rose again! Let’s explore what happened.

GAME FOR A BAD DAY

Bowling Basket Softball Toss

Ask children to join you in sitting in a circle. Tell children you hold an imaginary ball—a basketball. Dribble the ball several times to help kids visualize it.

Say: When someone tosses the ball to you, you’ll change something about it before tossing it along to the next person. For instance, I could make the basketball much larger. Pretend to stretch the ball until it’s huge. Or I could change the weight. Shrink the ball, poke three “holes” in it and say: Now it’s a heavy bowling ball!

Change the ball however you like, but you have to change it somehow before tossing it along, and you can only hold it for seven seconds. Let’s see how long we can keep this going!

Toss the imaginary ball to someone in the circle. Encourage creativity. When you’ve finished, take the ball, shrink it to a marble, and toss it into a pocket. As a group discuss:

• How would this ability make a cool superpower? In what ways could you use it to help and serve others?
• Would you consider someone with a shape-shifting ability powerful? Why or why not?

Say: Today we’ll talk about someone who’s really powerful. And who proved it in a way that people have talked about for a long time!

BAD DAY BIBLE STORY

Point of View

Supplies

• Bible
• Roll of paper towels
• Facial tissues
• Pencils

Assign these roles to your children: Lazarus, Jesus, disciples, Martha. If you have just a few children, assign a role to yourself. If necessary, don’t assign the Martha role.

Give each child in the role of Lazarus enough paper towels to wrap them around his or her arm (two or three sheets). Give children in the Jesus role a facial tissue to hold, because Jesus is sad and give disciples pencils to hold as knives–they’re afraid of being attacked. (Caution kids not to stab anyone with the pencils!)

Hand children in the role of Martha three paper towels each to drape over their heads as scarves.

After children are ready, say: I’m going to share an incredible event found in the Bible. As I read, think about how your character experiences the event. What does your character feel? think? discover? Use your items to help express yourselves.

Read aloud John 11:1-16, 38-44. When you’ve finished, ask children to discuss the following questions from their characters’ points of view:

• How did your character feel? Why?
• What did your character think of Jesus? Why?
• What did your character learn from this experience? How might this experience change your character’s life?

Say: Can anything be more powerful than raising from death? And can anyone be more powerful than Jesus? Lazarus and his sisters learned in an amazing way how powerful Jesus is, and Jesus teaches us about his power in amazing ways too!

CLOSING PRAYER

Body Prayer

Ask children to lie down on the floor, on their backs. Dim the lights.

Say: I’m going to lead us in prayer by suggesting things we can pray about. With each suggestion, I’ll ask you to take a different posture.

Lying on backs: Please lie on your backs. (pause) The Bible says that without Jesus we’re dead in our sins. Consider how you’d feel if you didn’t have Jesus in your life. Silently tell God about that. After a few moments, continue.

Kneeling: Please kneel. (pause) When meeting a king, people sometimes kneel in respect. Tell Jesus why you respect him—why he’s worthy and powerful to be called a king. After a few moments, continue.

Standing: Now please stand. (pause) Jesus said that people who love him aren’t just servants—they’re friends. Thank Jesus for his friendship and love. After a few moments, continue.

Standing with arms raised: Now please raise your arms. (pause) Jesus is powerful! Praise Jesus for all he is and all he’s done! After a few moments, close with everyone saying “amen.”

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Headstones

Supplies

• Paper
• Pencils
• Tape

Before kids arrive, make a paper headstone for Lazarus. Use the words “Lazarus—Friend of Jesus, beloved brother to Mary and Martha.”

Give each child a sheet of paper and a pencil. Ask children to think of a famous person who has died, and to write or draw a tombstone for that person. Explain that tombstones usually include the person’s name and a line or two about what made the person loved or famous. (Invite older kids to help non-writers spell the words for their tombstones.)

After several minutes have kids tape to the wall the headstones they’ve written and drawn. At the same time, tape up the headstone you wrote earlier. Ask children to explain why they picked the person they picked, and to introduce the person on their headstone.

When everyone has had a turn to share their projects and introduce their people, point to Lazarus’s headstone. Say: Here’s why Lazarus is so special. Tear down the headstone. He didn’t stay dead! Jesus raised him, and he walked out of his grave. That’s something none of the other people you’ve named here did!

Option 2: Paper Fold

Supplies

• Various kinds of paper (including newspaper, cardboard, envelope, gift wrap, $1 bill)

Let each child select a piece of paper. Say: Seems simple enough to fold a piece of paper. I’ll bet you’re not powerful enough to fold your paper in half eight times. Give it a try!

After kids attempt to fold their papers in half eight times, ask:

• Why do you think you couldn’t do this simple task?
• How powerful do you think you are compared to Jesus? Explain.

Say: One way Jesus shows his power is through miracles. I’m sure he could even fold paper eight times! But the way I most like how he shows his power is this: he loves us!

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: What could Jesus do that would convince you beyond any doubt that he’s alive and powerfully working in your world?

Check out more fun lessons like this one in this post!

Supplies

Jesus was a dinner guest at the house of an important leader when he noticed that some of the guests were pushing to sit in the more honored seats, the ones closer to the host.

Jesus said a few words about humility, and then he told this story.

At that time, like now, it was important to know how many people were coming to a dinner party. That determined how much food was prepared. In this story, people accept the invitation and then, for a variety of reasons, don’t show up—even though they get a reminder. This was not only rude, but an actual insult.

The host invites people who don’t normally get invitations to banquets: people who are poor, crippled, lame, and blind. They’ll never be able to return the invitation, but the food is ready . . . the table set . . . so they’re invited in.

Jesus’ point is that even people who don’t “qualify” get invitations to be with him. They just have to agree to come.

Those people, by the way, include us. We’re invited to God’s party!

Help your kids discover they’re invited today, and encourage them to say “Yes!” to Jesus’ invitation!

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoin’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: You’re Invited

Supplies

• 1 sheet of paper per child
• Markers

Invite children to tell you about parties they’ve attended and enjoyed. Have kids describe any costumes, decorations, or party favors. Describe any party games. Ask what made those parties so much fun.

Say: Those sound like fun parties—but they aren’t the best party ever. What would your best-ever party be like? Would you hold it at your house or on a yacht bobbing around in the ocean? Would you serve pizza or lobster? What would you and your guests do at your perfect party?

Using paper and markers, create an invitation to the best party you can imagine. Write what guests would do at the party, how the guests should come dressed. List the food you’ll serve. If you’ll have a limo pick up guests, say so. Since money is no problem, be as bold as you can be! Go for it!

You’ll have five minutes to create your invitation, and then we’ll share what we wrote with others. Ready? Start inviting!

After five minutes, ask children to describe their parties to the larger group. Then as a group discuss:

• How would you feel if a friend agreed to come to your party—and then didn’t show?
• What would you say to your friend?

Say: Today we’ll dig into a story Jesus told about people not showing up at a very special party. The food was ready, the invitations were accepted—but people didn’t show up for that special party. What would the host do?

COOL STORY GAME

Party Pooper

Place a length of masking tape on the floor in the center of the room. Have all the children stand on the tape, single file, facing you. (Make sure the tape line is only about as long as the line of kids.)

Say: When people are planning parties there’s always someone who says, “Nah—not me” to every activity suggestion. For instance, you might all say, “Let’s go skydiving for Josh’s birthday party. And I’d say, “Nah—not me.”

Explain that in this game you’ll suggest an activity. If a child would do it, he or she should step forward (in front of the line). If not, step backward behind the line. Either answer is OK—but if there’s just one child behind the line, that person will be appointed the Designated Self-Confident Party Pooper. (Tell kids that it’s an honor!) The Party Pooper may give everyone high fives before returning to the line.

Keep Going

After you name each activity and kids have stepped forward or backward, have them return to the masking tape line for the next activity choice. Move fast! Here are suggested activities to name. Add more, if desired:

• Go skydiving after one lesson
• Go snorkeling in a pool
• Snorkel in shark-infested seas
• Pop balloons by sitting on them
• Ride on a roller coaster
• Ride a roller coaster minus seat belts
• Go on a horse ride
• Camp
• Swim in a pool
• Go swimming in a lake
• Dress up as superheroes
• Dress up as chickens
• Eat cake
• Eat chocolate
• Go eat worms
• Eat chocolate-covered worms
• Plant a garden for yourself
• Plant a garden to feed families

Have children sit on the floor in a circle. Say: At one time or another, we’re all party poopers. But imagine throwing a party and everyone is a party pooper—so much so that they don’t even show up!

Let’s see what happened when a man throwing a wedding party had that happen to him.

COOL BIBLE STORY

Party Prep On a Dime

Supplies

• Bible
• Masking tape
• Lots of newspapers

Teach

Before children arrive, create a rectangle on the floor using masking tape. Make it the size of a generous dining room table. Place the newspapers outside the rectangle.

Tell children they have just eight minutes to get ready for a party—a formal party with four guests—and they have only the newspapers to create both place settings and decorations. They’ll place what they create on the masking tape table you’ve outlined on the floor.

Making place mats will be easy. Tearing out plates and platters—that will be tougher. Utensils will be a major challenge. And decorations and centerpieces? Good luck.

Spend a few quick moments brainstorming together who will do what, and then get busy—time is short!

After the eight frantic minutes, gather kids where they can admire their handiwork. Compliment them—they deserve it! Say: Bad news: our four guests will be a little late. We sent out invitations, and they responded that they’d come on time—promised they’d come. We even reminded them earlier about coming.

Keep Going

By late I mean: our guests aren’t coming. At all. Ever. They all found something more important to do. Ask:

• How would you feel—after preparing a party and a feast–if your guests simply chose not to come?

Say: Have a seat around our table here, and as you enjoy an imaginary feast, I’ll share with you a story Jesus shared with an audience.

Read aloud Luke 14:16-24. Then discuss as a group:

• How do you think the master felt about the people he’d invited?
• What do you think of the master’s solution to finding guests?
• Where do you think we fit into the story?

Say: When it comes to joining the kingdom of God, we’re definitely latecomers. The Jews were God’s chosen people, but after many of them refused to walk faithfully with God and with Jesus, non-Jews were invited too. Most of us aren’t Jewish, so we’re like those poor people who got to come to the feast too. Good news for us!

But here’s the truth: Jesus died for everyone—Jews and non-Jews alike. We’re invited to God’s party. All we have to do is say “yes” and go!

CLOSING PRAYER

Responding to God’s Invitation

Ask children to stand in a circle, facing out. Tell them to close their eyes and keep their eyes closed until you say the “amen.”

Say: It’s great that we’ve been invited to God’s party, to come to him through his Son, Jesus. The party is our friendship with God, and it goes forever. It starts here, but one day we’ll be with God in Heaven forever. The party never ends! But if we don’t accept the invitation, it doesn’t matter much. So we’re now going to have a chance to say “yes.”

As I pray, please pray along with me. Talk to God about how you feel. At one point I’ll invite you to turn around and face into the circle as a way of saying “yes” to God. Keep your eyes closed so you can’t see how anyone else answers. What matters is whether you say “yes” to God–whether you accept his invitation to his party.

Keep Going

Pray: Dear God, you’re good. Every day, every moment, you’re loving. We know you invite us to be your friends because you love us.

Let’s pause and thank God for his love. How has God shown love to you? Pray out loud or silently. I’ll continue in a few moments. (pause) Inviting us to be with you is a forever thing, God. You’ll be our friend now—and forever in Heaven. Thank you for inviting us to be with you. (pause) God, thank you for your invitation. You know us by name. You invite us by name.

If you’d like to say “yes” to being God’s friend, turn around in the circle. Keep your eyes closed. (pause)

Dear God, thank you for your invitation. We trust you and we say “yes,” knowing that we can trust you forever. Amen.

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Party Feet

Ask kids to line up against one wall. The goal: reach the opposite wall first. But—here’s the catch—the only way to take a step forward is to first call out a type of party or a theme for a party. A second rule: you can’t use a theme or type of party that’s been called out by anyone else.

Ask children to take steps in rotation, one at a time, and allow just five seconds between answers. If a child can’t think of a theme, that child loses a turn or you can help with an answer (great chance to show grace!).

Some unlikely-to-be-called party types and themes to pull out in a pinch: bachelorette, bachelor, luau, 99th birthday, coffee, Italian cuisine, gymnastics, Navy, World Day of Prayer, Australia Day (Australia), the Queen’s Birthday (UK), Boxing Day, National Unity Day (Italy), Fisherman’s Day (Marshall Islands), King Harald V’s Birthday (Norway), Confederation Day.

When you’ve finished playing, read aloud John 3:16,17. Then ask:

• What would you say to a Live Forever with God party?
• What would you give for an invitation to that party?

Option 2: My New Favorite Dessert!

Supplies

• 1 sheet of paper and 1 pencil per child

Hold onto this list of ways to prepare or serve food: baked, boiled, braised, broiled, grilled, fried, frozen, poached, steamed, toasted, and raw.

Ask one or more children to write a list of at least ten ice cream flavors–the weirder, the better. Vanilla and chocolate will get a mention, but so should mangled mango or ketchup tofu.

Give another child or two the task of creating a list of at least ten specific objects. For instance: hockey pucks, diapers, computer keyboards.

When lists are finished, suggest that somewhere in your combined lists is your new favorite dessert. You and the children will call out what’s on your lists, rotating between your food prep list, the flavors list, and the objects list (in that order). For instance: “toasted mangled mango hockey pucks!” See what wacky combinations emerge, and then mix and match to get a group “favorite.” But decide together that you’ll never try it!

Say: Don’t try serving these goodies at your next party if you want people to come. But when God throws a party, its good stuff–forever. That’s a party I want to attend!

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: What do you think it will cost you to say “yes” to Jesus? Is it worth the price? Explain.

For more fun lessons like this one, check out this post!

What happened to Pharaoh sends a clear message: it’s a big mistake to say no to God. You end up with blood in your bathtub and frogs in your soup!

THE BASICS FOR LEADERS

Supplies

Some say that Pharaoh said no to Moses because that’s what God made him do. That God “[made] Pharaoh’s heart stubborn” (Exodus 7:3), which gave the king of Egypt a bad attitude that sealed the fate of Egypt.

However God’s will and timing were operating in those events, what happened to Pharaoh sends a clear message: it’s a big mistake to say no to God. You end up with blood in your bathtub and frogs in your soup!

Or do you? We say no to God all the time, and the sky doesn’t fall in on us. So are we getting away with saying no to God? 1) The fact that God is patient isn’t the same as his giving us permission to be disobedient—to say no. 2) Realize that when we say no to God, we’re the ones who suffer. We miss the chance to honor God, to find purpose in the amazing adventure of serving God.

As you lead this session, be reminded of God’s power. Consider the answer you usually give God when he calls on you. Is it a no or an enthusiastic yes?

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoin’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: 30-Second Missions

Supplies

• Watch with a second hand

Ask kids to pair up. Allow ten seconds for each pair to decide which partner will be “heads” and which will be “tails.”

Say: Those of you who are heads will go first (but you others will get a turn later). You’re going to think of a quick mission (a little job or a message) to assign to your partner—something that can be done in a few seconds. The rules:

1. It has to encourage someone in the room. For instance, I might ask my partner to go to a certain person and say, “You say good things when we answer questions.” Or I might ask my partner to go pat someone on the shoulder and say, “I’m so glad you’re here.”
2. When the mission is completed, your partner will hustle back, and you can send your partner out again. But keep missions short; you only have 30 seconds total. Try to do several.

Some instructions for the tails, those of you who are sent out:

1. When you’re finished, run back, salute, and say, “Mission accomplished!”
2. If you’re asked to do something that you just can’t do, say “No can do!” and you’ll get another mission.

Keep Going

OK, heads, be thinking of missions for your partners. Ready? Go!

Announce when 30 seconds is up and have kids switch heads and tails roles. When this next 30 seconds passes, tell kids to give you their attention. Ask:

• Which did you like best: sending someone out on a mission (being the head) or going on the mission yourself (being the tail)? Why?
• Why did those of you who said no to a mission turn it down?

Ask children to sit with their partners from this exercise and to discuss:

• Tell each other about a time someone asked you to do something— and you said no.

Allow several minutes for children to share their stories. Then gather kids together.

Say: There are times when it’s a good idea to say no when you’re asked to do something! But it’s a mistake to say no to God. God is more powerful than anyone. He knows us, loves us, and wants the best for us. When he asks us to do something, it’s always best to do it! We’ll find out more about that today.

BIG MISTAKE GAME

12 Questions

Say: Let’s play a game I call 12 Questions. I’ll be thinking of something, and as a group, you can ask me any 12 questions I can answer with a yes or a no, as you try to guess what I have in mind. Every guess you make counts as a question too, so ask smart questions before you start to guess!

Play several rounds. Use the information below as you lead kids to guess these things that are powerful. Give hints as needed. For example, for the first item you might say, “I’m thinking of a powerful bite.”

• What animal has the most powerful bite? (great white shark—the largest can bite with almost 4,000 pounds of pressure)
• What is the most powerfully dangerous animal on earth? (mosquitoes— they transmit diseases that kill millions of people each year)
• What’s the most powerful bird? (eagles—the African crowned eagle can carry around four times its weight while in flight)
• What’s the most powerful natural material made? (spider silk—it’s stronger than steel!)

Applaud kids’ efforts. Fill in the gaps so the kids have heard all the “powerful” information listed. The as a group, discuss:

• In what ways might someone think we are powerful?
• In what ways would you describe God as powerful?

Say: God is more powerful than anyone. And he created everything we think is powerful!

NO MISTAKE BIBLE STORY

Flag on the Field

Supplies

• Bible
• Clean socks (1 per child)
• Paper
• Pencils

Note: Meeting at someone’s house? Call ahead and let the host know you’ll need to raid the sock drawer. Or bring clean socks of your own!

Ask kids to join you in a circle, seated on the floor. Read aloud Exodus 5:1-4; 7:14-24. Then give each child a clean sock. Say: You’re now all officially referees. Referees are those people at soccer or football games who look for someone breaking the rules. When a referee sees someone break a rule, he blows a whistle or throws a flag on the field. Then there is some kind of penalty (punishment).

Your job is to listen as I read the story again, and if you hear someone in the story make a mistake, toss your “flag on the field” by throwing your sock into the center of our circle. Be fast! You want to be the first to catch every mistake. If you toss your flag, we’ll stop. And as you go get your flag, you’ll need to explain what you think the mistake was . . . and what a fair penalty (punishment) would be.

Read again Exodus 5:1-4; 7:14-24–slowly. Pause often and look around the circle. How you read aloud will keep kids actively listening. If someone throws a flag, ask that person what the mistake was—and what would be a fair penalty. Let any child throwing a flag offer his or her comments, and then ask those who didn’t throw a flag why they didn’t do so. As kids talk, they’ll make discoveries.

Keep Going

When you’ve finished, gather up the socks and, as a group, discuss:

• Pharaoh said no to God’s request. Why might that have been a mistake?
• What’s something God has asked you to do? How do you know? (Lead kids to mention things in the Bible that God has asked them to do, like obeying or being kind.)
• Why might it be a mistake for you to say no to God?

Say: God wants the best for us—and our country. God wanted the best for Egypt too, but they didn’t do what God wanted them to do. Pharaoh’s big mistake was saying no to God—lots of times. That got Pharaoh and his country in big trouble.

The good news is that God loves us—and our country! We may not be in charge of making sure our whole country obeys God, but we can obey God ourselves. Let’s not make the mistake Pharaoh made. Let’s say yes to God!

CLOSING PRAYER

Praising God’s Power

Ask kids to join you in standing in a circle. Say: God is more powerful than anyone, and he shows his power in lots of ways. Let’s take a few minutes to honor God by thanking him for how his power touches our lives. I’ll say a way in which we can see God’s power. Then I’ll pause so you can say a word or two out loud about how you see God’s power.

For instance, I may say, “God, thank you for showing your power in nature. You might say, “Thunderstorms” or “Tall trees.”

Pray: Dear God, you are so powerful! Thank you for your power in nature that we see in . . . Pause at least 15 seconds so kids can say words. Don’t rush; give them time to think and then pray. But do throw in your own words, if needed, to help the kids.

Thank you for showing us your powerful love through our friends. Say the name of a friend who shows you God’s love . . . Pause so children can pray.

Thank you for showing us your powerful forgiveness by forgiving us. If you would like to have God’s forgiveness, say your name out loud . . . Pause so children can do so. Say your name as well.

Thank you for showing us your power through how you’ve made us. Thank you for our talents that help us do special things. And Thank you that I can . . . Pause so children can name something they do.

Please hear our prayers, God. We love you! In Jesus’ name, amen.

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Flying Golf

Supplies

• Plastic lids from food storage containers (1 per child)

Give one plastic lid to each child. Gather kids to one corner of the room. Note: Too few lids for your kids? Put children in pairs and let them tag-team the tossing of lids.

Say: We’re going to play three holes of Flying Golf. The rules: you “tee off” from here and play your lid wherever it lands. Your goal is to get your lid to each “hole” I’ve chosen, in as few tosses as possible. We’ll take turns tossing.

Mentally select three “holes” (targets) and announce the first. But don’t reveal the second hole until all kids have finished with the first. Scratch your chin and pause as if you’re deciding what will work as a second hole. If a child suggests one, thank the child, but don’t use the suggestion. It’s OK if kids feel frustrated as they’re waiting for your decisions. Ideas might include: on the third step of the stairs, in a wastebasket, or in the base of a potted plant. Be creative! It’s not important to keep score.

When you’ve played three holes, collect lids and have kids discuss:

• Who do you think was more powerful in this game: you—because you were throwing lids, or me—because I was telling you what to do?
• Why is it a good idea for us to let God be in charge of our lives?

Say: God is more powerful than anyone. We honor him as we let him give us directions. He wants to help us land in a good place!

Option 2: Who’s in Charge?

Supplies

• Scarves (or strips of cloth)

This high-energy game is best played in an open, carpeted area or outside. Put kids into pairs, though they’ll be playing against each other. Have kids stand facing each other, with their left feet touching. Use scarves to loosely tie their left legs together just above their ankles. Have kids lift their left feet off the floor.

The goal of the game is for players to move their left feet in such a way as to cause their partners to lose balance. Players can’t push or tug on each other; they have to gain control by swinging or shaking their left legs. This game is about balance—not just raw power. Smaller children can easily win!

When one person has to drop his left foot, it counts as a point for the partner. The pair will then quickly raise their left feet again and keep playing. See how many points can be scored by each player in 21/2 minutes.

When time is up, have partners play one more round—this time for 60 seconds with the goal of not having any left feet touch the floor. It’s a cooperation round!

Untie players and, as a group, discuss:

• What made this game hard or easy?
• What can this game teach us about power?

Say: It’s not always the biggest person who’s most powerful. And it’s not the loudest either. God is more powerful than anyone, but God doesn’t bully us. God invites us to be his friends and followers through Jesus. We get to decide. If you haven’t decided to do that, I hope you’ll talk about that with your parents or with me before you leave today. It’s a great decision to make!

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: When—if ever—would it be OK to say no to someone we’re supposed to obey? Our teachers or our parents maybe?

For more fun lessons like this one check out this post!

Supplies

When Joseph hiked out to check on his brothers, he was a favored younger son—one wearing an expensive coat and big grin. By nightfall, Joseph was almost naked and was a slave on his way to Egypt.

Joseph had been betrayed by his own brothers. Now that’s a bad day . . . or was it?

Fast-forward a few years and Joseph himself tells his brothers it was God who sent him to Egypt, and they didn’t need to be angry with themselves for what they’d done in getting him there (Genesis 45:5).

Yes, it was a bad day when Joseph was dragged into slavery. And when his brothers stripped and sold him like an unwanted donkey, Joseph felt the pain. But God did something amazing with Joseph’s bad day just as he can do something amazing with ours.

Today you’ll help your kids discover what Joseph discovered: in the end, God’s in control.

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoing’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Teach

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: Not So Fast!

Ask children to pick partners.

Say: I want you to find ways to make a situation worse. For example, if I say, “We went to the beach and the water was warm” you might say, “Not so fast! The shark that ate Lenny thought the water was warm too!”

No matter what I say, with your partner find a way to turn it into a disaster. And always begin with “Not so fast!” Ready? Let’s go!

After reading each of the following statements, pause to let pairs respond. Move quickly from one statement to the next. Add more statements of your own if you wish.

• My new bicycle is right outside.
• Our teacher is really good—I’m learning a lot.
• My family’s taking a trip to the mountains.
• Our team has won six games in a row.
• You’re invited to my birthday party!

When finished, invite partners to give each other high fives. Then ask children to sit in a circle and discuss:

• If you could get a “do over” on any day in your life, what day would you pick–and why?

Say: Sometimes tough days happen. What starts out positive and fun can sometimes end in disaster. We wish we could control those days, but we can’t. In the Bible, Joseph discovered something we’ll discover too: though we’re not in control, God is. He’s even in control when our days are dark and difficult.

Joseph started a day by taking a walk in the sunshine, going off to see his brothers. By the end of the day, he’d been stripped of his fine clothes and sold into slavery. Joseph discovered that he didn’t have control over the situation, but God did! Let’s dig deeper to see what we can control and what we can’t—and what God can control.

GAME FOR A BAD DAY

Monkey Face

Say: When you look in a mirror and make a face, the mirror makes a face right back at you—even if it’s a funny face, like a monkey face.

Ask children to find partners and stand facing their partners. Say: Whoever has the darkest shoes will go first in this exercise. You’ll move and your partner will mirror what you do. What you do is up to you. Make a monkey face like this. (demonstrate) Or jump. (demonstrate) What you do, your partner will do. You’ve got 30 seconds. Go!

After 30 seconds, have partners switch roles. Then have kids be seated and ask:

• Which was most fun: leading or following? Why?
• Which was easier: leading or following? Why?

After kids answer, say: It’s fun to be in charge when you get to call the shots. You know what’s coming next. You get to do what you want. But are we ever really in control or in charge? Let’s see what we can learn from Joseph about being in control!

BAD DAY BIBLE STORY

Joseph Circle

Supplies

• Bible

Teach

Ask children to go to the center of the room and stand in a circle, facing inward, and with about a foot between kids.

Say: Let’s find out what happened to a man named Joseph. He lived hundreds of years before Jesus was on the earth. Joseph had ten older brothers, and they all hated him because Joseph was his father’s favorite. Joseph was treated better than his brothers. Plus he tattled on his brothers. And in his dreams, which he shared with his brothers, he was always in charge of them. How would you feel about your brother or sister if all that happened? (pause for responses)

I’ll read what happened to Joseph. When you hear something you think made Joseph’s day a good one, take a half step forward. If you hear something you think made Joseph’s day a bad one, take a step backward. We may not all agree what’s good and bad, or move at the same time, but that’s fine. We’ll see where we end up.

Read aloud Genesis 37:12-14, 18-24, 28. Pause to let children see where they’re standing. Say: Looks like we think Joseph had a tough few days.

Keep It Going

As a group, still standing where you are, discuss:

• How much control over what happened do you think Joseph had?

Say: Joseph’s story doesn’t end there. He was sold to an important man in Egypt, jailed for something he didn’t do, noticed by Pharaoh, and freed. He even saw his brothers again.

Ask children to keep listening and moving as you read Genesis 39:1-4, 20-22; 41:41-43; 45:1, 5, 8. Have kids continue stepping forward or backward as you read. Then see where children are standing now.

Say: Joseph may not have been in charge, but God was. God saved thousands of lives through Joseph in Egypt, something Joseph couldn’t have done unless he’d been dragged to Egypt.

Ask children to sit in a circle and discuss:

• How much control do you think God had over what happened to Joseph?
• Why is it better for God to be in control than for us to be in control?
• What are things that God controls in our lives?
• What’s one thing you could change that would give God more control in your life?

CLOSING PRAYER

Coin-Flip Prayer

Supplies

• 1 quarter for each child to keep

Teach

Give each child a quarter. Ask children to try and flip their coins and catch them in the air. If some children don’t know how to do this, ask older kids who have developed the skill to demonstrate.

After several flips, invite children to form pairs. Say: Let’s flip coins at the same time and see what comes up: heads or tails. If it’s heads, tell your partner about a tough thing that happened this week. If it’s tails, tell your partner about something fun that happened this week. And, if you tie, flip again!

Give partners time to flip their coins several times and share. Then say: Keep your fists closed so nobody can tell which hand you’re using to hold your coin. If you feel you’re having mostly tough days lately, hold the coin in you right hand. Everything seem easy this week? Place the coin in your left hand. Now close your eyes and pray with me.

Dear God, you’re in control of both our easy days and the tough ones. That’s a hard truth for us. Please help us trust and know that you’re in control even when things are difficult. Like Joseph, we want to serve you well on all of our days, whether they’re hard or easy ones.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Tell kids to keep the quarters as reminders that God is in control even when our days might be tough or frustrating. Ask children to pray during the week whenever they pull the quarters out of their pockets.

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Bring It In for a Landing

Supplies

• 1 sheet of paper per child

Give each child a sheet of paper and this challenge: in two minutes, craft a paper airplane to launch toward a wastebasket target on the other side of the room. The goal: bring your plane in for a landing inside the basket. (If you have younger kids, pair them with older kids who know how to fold paper airplanes.) Have kids explain their designs before launching their planes. Then, one at a time, send the creations off into the wild, blue yonder. See who comes closest to the target. Then discuss the following:

• What helped the winning plane have more control than the others?
• What helps you have self-control in your life?
• Why is letting God have control of your life a good idea?

Option 2: Popcorn Catch

Supplies

• Popped popcorn
• 1 clean bedsheet or blanket

You may want to cover the carpet with a clean bedsheet or blanket before trying this. Check with the person in charge of the place where you’re meeting!

Give each child five kernels of popped popcorn. Demonstrate how to toss a piece in the air and catch it in your open mouth—or how to almost catch it there. Your kids will catch on!

Explain that the goal of this activity is to have enough eye-hand-mouth control to snag five out of five kernels. After kids have tried out their popcorn-catching skills, serve more popcorn and discuss the following questions:

• What helps someone get better as a popcorn catcher?
• What helps us do a better job of letting God have control of our lives?

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: If you were being dragged off to Egypt as a slave, how certain would you be that God was in control? Why?

For more fun lessons like this one check out this post!

Supplies

Background

This story is actually an illustration, but it’s a powerful one. That mustard you glop on your hamburger doesn’t start out as sauce. It’s made from the seeds of a bush that can grow upwards of 10 feet tall. And that plant starts out as a seed so small that, in Jesus’ day, it was the tiniest seed most of his audience had ever seen.

There’s debate about what Jesus meant by “kingdom of God” in this illustration. Did he mean the number of people who would at first follow him compared with the millions to come later, or that his teaching would in time reach many more people? Either way, the point is true.

At first, thousands of people followed Jesus. But by the time he stumbled to the cross, Jesus’ followers were few. And yet, one day, everyone will bow to him.

At one time only his disciples heard all of Jesus’ teaching. Now, anyone with a Bible and the ability to read can know what he told his disciples.

No question about it: when God is there, big things come from small ones. You’ll share that principle with your kids today!

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoin’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Teach

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: 30-Second Service

Form children into pairs. Ask children in each pair to decide who’s the Mustard Seed and who will be the Tomato Seed. Give kids 10 seconds to accomplish the task, and then continue.

Say: Mustard Seeds, in a moment you’ll send your partners off to do a mission project. Not a week-long project in a foreign country; instead, it can take no more than 30 seconds and has to happen right here in this room.

There are three rules:

1. The project must be helpful and positive. It’s OK to send your Tomato Seed to hug me and say, “You’re great!” It’s not OK to send him to punch me and say, “You’re ugly!”
2. It can’t take more than 30 seconds. You can’t wash all the windows in this room, but you can give someone a 20-second back rub.
3. If your Tomato Seed says, “I can’t do that,” think of something else.

Remember, everyone, a service project isn’t about what you want. And it may not be easy! It’s all about helping someone else.

Ready? Mustard Seeds, assign projects now. (pause) Tomato Seeds, get started right . . . now!

What’s Next

After the first round, have Mustard and Tomato Seeds change roles and play again. Then have pairs sit down, facing each other, and discuss:

• Which did you like more—doing the project or assigning one?
• What was hard about your project? What was easy?
• Your 30-second mission was a small thing—how could it have a big impact?
• What’s something in your life that seemed small, but turned out to be big?

Gather kids back together and ask them to share what they learned from talking with their partners.

Say: Today we’re looking at a story Jesus told about a small thing that turned into something big. We’ll see how, with God’s help, that happens to our faith too!

COOL STORY GAME

Towel Time

Place a length of paper towels on the floor. Allow about 18 inches of paper toweling per child. Ask children to line up on the towels facing you.

Say: In a moment, I’ll ask you to line up again on the towels, shortest person to tallest person. The catch: you can’t step off the paper towels. Ready? (You may need to step in and replace the paper towels if they become too torn.)

Have children line up shortest to tallest and then reform in these lineups:

• Youngest to oldest
• Alphabetical order of first name
• Birth dates (earliest in calendar year to latest)
• Shortest hair length to longest

If you have all younger kids, help them line up initially and then ask them to line up in easier ways, such as:

• Color of shirts (darkest to lightest)
• Ages (by years, not by birth dates)
• Eye color (lightest to darkest)

After playing, say: Great job squirming and slithering to stay on the towels! There are lots of ways to arrange things—including us—from smallest to largest. And if we were lining up seeds from smallest to largest, down toward the smallest end would be mustard seeds. They’re tiny—but if you plant them properly, something huge follows. You can get a bush that’s 10 feet tall.

Jesus used that fact in a story he told about mustard seeds. Let’s dive into that story now!

COOL BIBLE STORY

Mustard Tasting

Supplies

• Bible
• 1 bag of pretzels
• Jar of mustard
• Several glasses of water

Teach

Form your children into pairs for this Bible story activity. Ask pairs to sit next to each other.

Say: Jesus’ story about a mustard plant hit home with his audience in a way it doesn’t hit home with us. How many of you live on farms? At least have a garden? And in your garden you have a mustard plant?

To us, the notion of making our own mustard—of caring for the plant, harvesting the seeds, and grinding seeds to mix with other spices and vinegar or wine . . . well, all that seems strange and unknown. But to Jesus’ audience, it was everyday life.

Give each child a pretzel, and then pass around the jar of mustard. Ask children to dip their pretzels in the jar and taste the mustard. (Tell kids there’s no double-dipping allowed!) Have glasses of water available for children who don’t like the lingering taste of mustard.

After the mustard has been sampled, collect any leftover pretzels. Say: Strong taste! And this isn’t as strong as pure mustard. The seed of a mustard plant is about the size of a pinhead. It’s tiny. Yet when a mustard plant is well tended, it can grow to 10 feet or more. The people listening to Jesus knew that.

With your partner, see if you can come up with other uses for a mustard plant. One is to provide flavor for food–but how else could people in Jesus’ day have used such a big plant?

Keep It Going

Allow time for children to share, and then ask for their suggestions. Some suggestions might include: provide shade, serve as firewood, be used as a hedge, anchor half a hammock, be a decorative plant, be used as an income source by harvesting and selling seeds, become a bird perch.

Say: Handy things, mustard plants! And Jesus found a use none of us mentioned. Here’s what he had to say. Read aloud Matthew 13:31, 32.

Say: Jesus used the mustard plant to teach a truth: that when God is involved, our faith grows. We believe, but as we feel God’s love and watch God work, our faith grows strong.

That’s true of how the church grew too. At first just a few people followed Jesus. Then there were a few more. But then . . . let’s look up and read two passages.

Help children find these passages and read them aloud: Acts 2:41 and Acts 4:4.

Say: The number of people coming to Jesus grew and grew. And so did their faith! God continued to multiply his followers in amazing ways— just as he multiplies our faith today!

CLOSING PRAYER

Small-to-Tall Prayer

Ask children to pray with partners. Say: Let’s pray for small things that can become large, for God to take those small things and do great things with them. I’ll suggest what we can pray for, and you and your partner can offer sentence prayers. For example, if I say, “Please help our family members grow by . . . ” you could finish my sentence by saying, “. . . obeying you more each day.” Ready?

Pray: God, please hear our prayers as we ask you to bless small things that you can help grow into large things.

Please help the small children in our church grow by . . . (pause)

Please help people who are poor grow by . . . (pause)

Please help people who are scared grow by . . . (pause)

Please help us grow closer to you by . . . (pause)

And please use us in your kingdom in both large and small ways, God. Amen.

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Baby Face

Ask kids to sit in a circle on the floor. Say: You started out in life small. You were a baby—and I’m sure you were all cute babies too. Let’s play a game called Baby Face. There are two simple rules:

1. When I call out an emotion or situation, you make a baby face that matches. Keep making the face as you look at the faces of your friends here in the circle.
2. Do not laugh! The goal is to get other people to laugh! Use the list below to prompt baby faces. Add your own situations.

• You’re a happy baby.
• You lost your blankie.
• You’re a scared baby.
• You’re hungry.
• You are a sleepy little baby.
• You’re a grumpy baby.
• Uh-oh, you’re about to fill your diaper!

Say: Way to go, baby faces! I can see why your mommies thought you were cute when you were little! And even though you started out small, now you’re big—kind of like mustard seeds!

Option 2: Big, Bigger, Biggest

Say: For this game, it’s best if you’ve watched a lot of nature shows on TV or you visit the zoo often. I’ll call off the names of two animals. Act like the biggest of the two animals. I’ll tell you if I mean biggest by length or by weight.

For instance, if I said, “Length: snakes and giraffes,” you’d lie down and stretch out. You’d imitate the longest animal! Let’s try it: Length: snakes and giraffes! 

Ask children to be seated again. Tell them that after each animal pair they’ll again be seated. Use the pairs below, and if you have older children, toss in a few of the challenge pairs.

• Weight: moose or mosquito?
  Moose: 1,430 pounds versus the mosquito at 2.5 milligrams
• Length: toad or turkey?
  Turkey: 3.75 feet versus the toad at 2.95 inches
• Length: alligator or ant?
  Alligator: 12.5 feet versus the ant at a half inch
• Weight: tiger shark or tiger?
  Tiger shark: 1,125 pounds versus the tiger at 370 pounds
• Weight: penguin or platypus?
  Penguin (emperor): 88 pounds versus the platypus at 3 pounds

Say: Good job! It looked like a zoo in here! Circle up and discuss:

• What’s something small in your life that you’d like to see grow into something big? For instance, maybe you’re playing hockey and you’d like to be a pro someday.
• What does it take for that to happen?
• How can you use that growing thing to serve God?

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: What will change in your life as your faith grows and becomes even bigger and stronger?

For more fun lessons like this one check out this post!

Supplies

Introduction

Waiting . . . That’s something most of us don’t do well.

To be fair, we’re trained to not wait. We eat fast food, get fast answers from the Internet, move around in fast cars. We’ve forgotten how to wait.

Which means that when someone makes us a promise—we expect fast results. But when that promise comes from God, fast results aren’t always part of the deal.

Just ask Abram.

God promised Abram that he’d move to a new land, have a child, and through Abram the world would be blessed. The move happened quickly. The child took 25 years.

And that big blessing? Another 40 generations, give or take.

God always keeps his promises. That’s good news because God has made some promises to you too. As you experience this session with your kids, you’ll have the chance to think about some of those promises.

You’ll also have the chance to consider whether you really trust God to deliver on his awesome promises. Because if we take God at his word—really take him at his word—that changes how we live.

That was true for Abram . . . and it’s true for you.

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoin’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week that you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10.

Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: Sloooooow Mail

Supplies

• Pencils
• Paper
• Envelopes (1 per child)

Have children get in groups of two. Give each child a sheet of paper and an envelope. Say: You’ll write a note to your partner. Please sit where your partner can’t read what you’re writing.

Tell children to write encouraging, positive notes. For instance, they might describe what they like about their partner, or promise to pray for their partner.

Give children two minutes to write. Then ask kids to fold their notes, seal their notes in envelopes, and write their partners’ names on the outside of their envelopes.

Have children join you in a circle. Ask partners to exchange envelopes–but not to open those envelopes.

Say: I’ll write “Do not open until (give kids a date six months away)” on your envelopes. (Do so.) Hold your envelopes as we talk.

As a group discuss:

• What’s making it easy or hard to wait to read your note?

Say: Waiting can be hard, can’t it? That’s especially true with promises. If I promised you an amazingly cool gift on your birthday, you’d want your birthday to be tomorrow!

One time when it was hard for me to wait for a promise to be kept was . . . Briefly share about a time you had to wait for a promise to be kept. Maybe your parents promised you a trip to Disney World, or you planned your wedding and looked forward to your wedding day. Sharing your story models what sort of story you’d like your kids to share. It also helps them get to know you better.

Say: Your turn now. Tell about a time it was hard for you to wait for a promise to be kept. Tell what the promise was and how it felt to wait.

Allow time for kids to share their stories. Then thank kids for sharing.

Say: Today we’ll meet someone who had to wait for promises to be kept. God made those promises to a man named Abram. Abram had to decide if he trusted God to keep his promises or not. And good news: God kept his promises to Abram . . . and God will keep his promises to you.

AWESOME PROMISE GAME

Ice Cold Questions

Supplies

• Ice cubes (1 per child)
• Paper towels
• Bowl

Dive In

Ask children to sit on the floor in a circle. Say: I promise you, it’s going to feel better. If you’re wondering what I mean, I’ll show you.

Give each child an ice cube. Say: Hold your cube in one hand—and no switching hands. Hold your ice cube as we talk about a few things. And I promise—your hand will feel better . . . sometime. Trust me!

As a group (and while everyone holds the cubes) discuss the following—as long as possible but not until the kids are really hurting:

• A man named Abram moved from one country to another. If you moved to a new country, what would you miss about this one?
• If you were to move today, what’s something you have that you’d want to be sure you took with you? Why?
• If you’ve ever moved, tell about that. How long until you felt at home in your new neighborhood?

Thank kids for sharing and give each child a paper towel. Collect melting ice cubes in the bowl and encourage kids to warm their hands.

Keep It Going

Say: I told you you’d feel better! Promise kept—just not as quickly as you might have liked.

Life can be like holding an ice cube. Sometimes life is “cold”—people treat us badly; life’s not fair. Sometimes life is hard—we have problems. But things will get better. Many things get better right away. But things will get better someday for sure! I know that’s true because God promised that if we know and love Jesus, someday we’ll be with him in Heaven. And God keeps his promises—always.

Here are some awesome promises God has made to you.

Read the following passages aloud. Or even better, if you have confident readers in your group, ask children to read the passages aloud. Be sure to emphasize the points in parentheses.

1. Matthew 11:28, 29 (In Jesus you’ll find comfort and rest.)
2. Romans 8:37-39 (Nothing can separate us from God’s love.)
3. Romans 10:9 (You can be saved from sin.)
4. 1 John 1:9 (You can be forgiven.)
5. John 14:3 (Jesus has a place for you in Heaven.)
6. Revelation 21:3, 4 (Heaven is a place of joy—forever.)

Say: Those are all promises God has made—to you. God made promises to Abram too. Let’s see what those promises were and how God kept them.

PROMISE KEPT BIBLE STORY

Do the Math

Supplies

• Bible
• Paper
• Pencils

Ask kids to join you in forming a circle, seated on the floor. Give each child a sheet of paper and a pencil.

Say: Math quiz! Please figure out the answer to this question: How long did it take God to keep his promises to Abram?

To figure that out, you’ll need to know what promises God made and how much time passed between when God made the promises and when God kept them.

Use your pencil and paper to take notes as I read passages from the Bible that contain hints. We’ll work together to figure this out.

Read

Read aloud Genesis 12:1-7; 13:14-18; and 21:1-5. As a group discuss:

• What promises did God make to Abram? (to give him a new home, to give him many descendants, to bless the world through him—Genesis 12:2, 3, 7; 13:14-16; 21:1, 2)
• How long did it take God to keep his promises? (new land: not long; having a son: 25 years; see below about blessing the world)
• The “blessing the world” promise was kept when Jesus was born—he came from the family of Abram. But how long did that take? Any ideas?

Give kids a chance to answer. Say: We can get closer to figuring it out by looking at the book of Matthew, chapter 1. Matthew lists 42 generations between Abram and Jesus.

Keep Going!

Show kids the chapter in the Bible. Say: I won’t read this out loud, because the names are way hard to pronounce—like Zerubbabel! But think about it: God promised Abram that the world would be blessed through him—through his family. That happened when his grandson was born. Wait . . . not grandson. Great-grandson. Actually . . .

Say the word great 42 times, counting on your fingers, and then say grandson.

If each generation was 30 years, how long would that be? 42 x 30 = 1,260 years! That’s a long time to wait for a promise to be kept—and it may have been longer. We don’t know exactly.

When we’re waiting for a promise to be kept, it’s easier if we trust the person who made the promise.

As a group discuss:

• What makes it easy for you to trust God?
• What makes it hard to trust God?
• Would anything make it even easier for you to trust God?

Say: I’m glad God always keeps his promises, even if I have to wait. Sometimes waiting for God helps me trust him more. I remember that God is in charge, and I’m not!

CLOSING PRAYER

Patience Prayer

Ask kids to join you in standing in a circle. Say: You have a friend who always keeps his promises. That friend is God. Let’s take a few minutes to thank God for being so faithful. And let’s thank God for those things he’s promised us—because he will deliver! He’ll keep his promises.

I’ll mention a promise of God and then pause. Please thank God for his promise as I pause, and then I’ll go on to the next one. You can pray out loud or quietly.

Pray: God, thank you for loving us. (pause) Thank you for saving us from sin. (pause) Thank you for forgiving us when we sin. (pause) Thank you for always keeping your promises. (pause) Thank you for your promise that we can be with you forever in Heaven. (pause) In Jesus’ name, amen.

EXTRA TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Silly Walk Central

Ask kids to line up against one wall, facing the opposite wall. Say: Abram and his family walked to their new home. Let’s see how many ways you can walk.

Ask kids to walk in a variety of ways, each time from wall to wall. (Suggestions: baby steps, giant steps, on tiptoe, like ice-skaters, running, hopping, like kangaroos “walk,” like snakes “walk,” like chickens walk.)

Have kids sit again and discuss:

• What was your favorite walk—and why?
• Abram was walking to a new home. Show the rest of us how you’d walk if you were walking to a new home.

Say: Maybe Abram walked quickly with a spring in his step—he was sure God would keep his promise. Maybe, as Abram walked, he looked back over his shoulder sometimes because he missed his old home.

Either way, he kept going. Abram trusted God’s promise. We can trust God too. God always keeps his promises—even if we have to wait awhile.

Option 2: Count Off

Ask kids to stand in random spots around the room (not touching each other) and to close their eyes. Tell them that the goal is for them, as a group, to count aloud from one to ten. The kids will call out numbers—”one,” “two,” and so forth until someone says “ten.”

It seems simple, but they have to make it from one to ten without two kids calling out a number at the same time, or calling out the same number twice. If that happens, the group must start over.

The rules: no peeking and no planning!

Discuss

When kids finish (and this could take a few minutes!) discuss:

• How did you feel while doing this game? Why?
• You didn’t know how long it would take to finish this game. Do you like not knowing when things will happen, or do you like to plan ahead?
• God keeps his promises—but he doesn’t tell us when he’ll keep all of them. If you could know when God would keep just one of his promises to you, which would you choose—and why?

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: If God loves us, why doesn’t he always keep his promises right away?

For more fun lessons like this one check out this post!

Supplies

Introduction

Quick! When’s the last time you saw a shepherd leading a flock of sheep around the countryside? Ever?

In Jesus’ day, it was a common sight—so common that when Jesus painted a word picture of his relationship with his followers, he chose the image of a shepherd and sheep.

And not just any shepherd—Jesus claimed the role of a shepherd who owns the flock, who’ll risk anything to protect his sheep . . . including his life.

That kind of commitment is rare. Think about who in your life is literally willing to die for you. For most of us, it’s a short list.

As you share this story with your kids, you’ll help them discover just how deep Jesus’ love is for his followers—for us—and that we can trust Jesus too!

OPENING ACTIVITY

Option 1: Howzitgoin’

Supplies

• Pencils
• Prepared poster

Before kids arrive, draw a line on a poster. Place a 1 on the left end of the line, a 10 on the right, and a 5 in the middle. As kids arrive, ask them to pencil in their initials on the line.

Say: If this past week was so awful you wish you’d slept through it, place your initials by the 1. If it was a great week you wish you could repeat, put your initials by the 10. Place your initials anywhere on the line that shows how you feel about this past week—except exactly on the 5. That’s because there’s no such thing as a week that’s exactly half good and half bad!

After kids have signed in, give them 30 seconds each to explain why they placed their initials where they did. Be sure to include your own initials and explain your placement on the line. Kids will begin to express themselves more over time-—and hearing their stories will help you adapt this lesson to make it relevant to your kids’ lives.

Option 2: A Spoon By Any Other Name

Supplies

• Identical spoons (metal or plastic, at least 1 per child)

Raid the kitchen! You’ll want as many spoons as possible—but the spoons must be identical, all made in the same style. No metal spoons? A fistful of plastic spoons (or forks) will work.

Place the spoons in a pile on the floor. Say: If I were a shepherd, I’d have one very big challenge: I can’t tell the sheep apart. They all look the same, like these spoons look the same. But if you look closely, you’ll find differences.

Ask each child to take a spoon and study it. Challenge everyone to carefully examine his or her spoon for scratches, bumps, dents, or anything that makes the spoon distinctive. You can do the same with your spoon.

Next, ask children to name their spoons. Name yours Fluffy. Gather the spoons and mix them up. Toss them back on the floor with a rattle.

Say: Our goal is to find our own spoons again. Let’s start by calling them to see if they come to us.

When that doesn’t work say: Guess these spoons are sort of like real sheep—they don’t come when you call them. Oh well, go find your spoon!

When children are certain they’ve located their unique spoons, have them circle up and discuss:

• You found your spoon among a bunch that looked pretty much the same. What helped you do that?
• Jesus knows each of us—even though people all look pretty much the same. How do you think he does that?
• How does it feel knowing that Jesus can pick you out of a crowd and knows your name?

Say: Today we’ll explore a story Jesus told about being a shepherd . . . a good shepherd!

Note: If kids can’t find their own spoons, use this as an opportunity to point out that Jesus is a far better shepherd than we are. His love causes him to know each one of us perfectly.

COOL STORY GAME

Quick Change

Ask children to each find a partner. If you have an odd number of children, jump in and be a partner.

Say: Stand facing your partner and discuss this: If you could go anywhere on a vacation, where would you go—and why? What would you do there?

Allow up to one minute for children to talk. Then say: You’ve had a minute to get a good look at your partner. Now turn around or sit back-to-back so you can’t see your partner.

Silently change one thing about how you look. Something small, like unbuttoning a button, or changing your hair, or untying your shoe— anything to slightly change your appearance. Take 30 seconds.

After they make the changes, ask partners to turn around and look at each other. See how many pairs can identify what changed about their partners. Play several rounds. Then ask children to sit and discuss:

• What made this game easy or difficult?
• What if I’d asked you to tell what your partner was thinking about? How well would you have done with that?

Say: Someone knows us well enough to tell when we change something about ourselves—and even what we’re thinking. Today we’ll dig into a story that has an important meaning: Jesus knows us!

COOL BIBLE STORY

Wolf!

Supplies

• Bible

Form your children into four groups: shepherds, hired hands, wolves, and sheep. Got just a few kids? You play the role of wolf and, if necessary, drop the sheep role. You’re good to go with just two kids and yourself!

Say: One day Jesus told a story that involved sheep and a shepherd. Jesus was trying to make a point to his listeners. These were Jewish leaders who said they were leading people closer to God . . . but they really weren’t. Let’s experience the story and see if we can discover a lesson for us.

Place the sheep in the center of the room on all fours. Ask them to get in character by delivering a few baaaas. Place your shepherds and hired hands near the sheep. Keep the wolf off to the side of the room.

Say: I’m going to read aloud the story Jesus told his listeners. As I read, do what’s described and what you think a wolf and sheep would do. Ready?

Read John 10:11-15, pausing when there’s action called for. Applaud your actors and ask kids to sit in a circle. Discuss the following questions:

• Two kinds of people were guarding the sheep: hired hands and shepherds. Why did they behave differently?
• Jesus describes himself as one of those two kinds of guards. Which one? And why?
• In what ways is Jesus a shepherd to us all? to you?
• How do you feel knowing that Jesus is watching out for you?
• In what ways does Jesus earn your trust?

Say: We don’t have many people in our lives who’d die for us. But that’s exactly what Jesus did . . . and he’s alive again and watching out for us. That makes it easy to love him and trust him!

CLOSING PRAYER

Know Me Prayer

Supplies

• 1 penny or nickel for each child (to keep)

Give each child a penny or nickel. (If you’re doing this activity in another country, adjust the activity to reflect a local coin.)

Say: On the front of your coin, you’ll find a face. On the back of the coin is a building. And on the edge, there’s . . . well, nothing.

We’ll use our coins as prayer prompts to help us tell Jesus what’s going on in our lives. I’ll lead and then pause, giving you time to silently tell Jesus what you want him to know.

Yes, he already knows what’s going on in our lives. But it’s also true he wants a friendship with us—and friends tell each other what’s happening!

First, please hold your coin so the face is up. Close your eyes and, for the next minute or two, tell Jesus about people in your life. Tell him about your friends (pause) and about your family. (pause) Tell Jesus about people who aren’t treating you well. (pause)

Now turn your coin so the building is up. Tell Jesus what’s happening in buildings in your life. Tell him about what’s happening at the building where you go to school. (pause) Tell Jesus about happenings in your home (pause) and at church. (pause)

Now turn your coin so the edge is up. Tell Jesus what’s keeping you on edge—worried—in your life. Maybe it’s a test coming up or a friendship that’s not happy. What is making you uncomfortable? (pause)

Close the prayer time by thanking Jesus for listening, for his friendship, and for being a good shepherd. Tell children to keep the coins as reminders to pray each time they see their coins during the coming week.

EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITY

Option 1: Fast Facts

Supplies

• 1 sheet of paper and 1 pencil per child

Give each child a sheet of paper and a pencil. Ask children to write or draw their answers to the following questions—and not to show anyone their answers.

• What’s your favorite pizza topping?
• What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
• What’s your favorite sports team?
• What’s your favorite movie?
• What’s your favorite kind of dog?
• Where were you born?
• If you could paint your room any color, what would that color be?

Collect and shuffle the papers. Then read several answers at a time from each paper. See how quickly kids can match up answers with names. After playing, have kids circle up and discuss:

• How well do you think we know each other?
• How well do you think Jesus knows us?
• Is having Jesus know you a good thing or a bad thing? Why?

Option 2: Wolf Attack!

Supplies

• 1 sheet (or scrap) of paper per child

On each sheet of paper (except one) write the word sheep. On the last, write wolf (or draw sheep and a wolf, depending on the ages of kids). Fold the papers. Ask children to sit in a circle with a lot of space between them. Tell them these rules:

• After I hand out the folded papers, wait to open them.
• When I give the signal, open your papers to see who you are. The “wolf” will try to touch as many “sheep” as possible in ten seconds. You sheep will scoot on your behinds to get away from the wolf.

Hand out the papers at random and play several rounds. You’ll play too! After playing, have children discuss:

• How would it feel to be a helpless sheep if a real wolf attacked?
• What would a good shepherd do to help his sheep?
• How does Jesus help you?
• What makes it easy—or hard—to trust Jesus as your shepherd?

Option 3: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Gather kids in a circle. Ask: Imagine that you’re all grown up and thinking back to this time. Who do you remember trusting? (like your grandma because she always told you the truth). What did you trust? (like the lock on the front door because it kept out bad guys). Was Jesus on your trust list? Why or why not?

For more fun lessons like this one check out this post!

Welcome to the “Meet an Amazing Animal” series.

God has done some remarkable things through his furry, fuzzy, and funny creations. A talking donkey? A fish carrying around a tax payment in its mouth? A rooster reminder that brought a grown man to his knees?

In this series we’re exploring how God has used animals to make himself and his purposes known. Get all twelve free lessons.

You’ll help your kids experience powerful transformation as they link Bible truths they need with the animals they love.

Let’s get started!

Have kids form two teams, the Rattlers and the Pythons. Place two 18-inch tape lines on the floor at opposite ends of the room to serve as goals.

EXPLAIN: Kids will play a game of soccer but the way snakes play— using only their heads to move the ball. And slithering. The entire game lasts just five minutes—with no time-outs.

After everyone lies down on the floor, toss an inflated balloon onto the field and let the snakes go at it. About two minutes in, toss a second balloon onto the field and then, with one minute left, a third balloon. After the match ends, ask both teams to give a mighty hiss (it’s not like they can applaud!) and then sit together to discuss:

• Was playing Slither Soccer tough or easy?

SAY: If you were a snake, you’d hate playing soccer. Snakes have to control their temperature by sunning themselves or finding shade, so soccer matches in the winter are out. Ditto for very hot days. Snakes are usually solitary animals, so team sports are out. And they shed their skin, which will make for a very messy field. Sometimes we have to do things we’re not good at either. Maybe we’re great at math but have to write a story about Brazil. Or we’re good at soccer but have to swim laps in a pool. Good news! God is powerful, and when we’re not strong he step in. A Jesus follower named Paul discovered that when he met an especially nasty snake.

Teaching Time

Share the story of Paul shipwrecked on Malta from Acts 28:1–10. Point out how God used the snake, and use the following questions to guide discussion:

• In what ways did God show His power in this story of Paul shipwrecked?
• If you were one of the people living on Malta, would you want Paul to come back? Why or why not? 
• What’s something you wanted to do, but even though you tried, you just weren’t powerful enough to pull it off? 
• What’s something you could use our powerful God’s help with this week?

Love these lesson ideas? Get 13 lessons filled with activity and teaching ideas in 13 Very Amazing Animals and How God Used Them.

Welcome to the “Meet an Amazing Animal” series.

God has done some remarkable things through his furry, fuzzy, and funny creations. A talking donkey? A fish carrying around a tax payment in its mouth? A rooster reminder that brought a grown man to his knees?

In this series we’re exploring how God has used animals to make himself and his purposes known. Get all twelve free lessons.

You’ll help your kids experience powerful transformation as they link Bible truths they need with the animals they love.

Let’s get started!

Ask kids to sit on the floor in a line facing you. Explain that you’ll be talking about how a school of fish made a surprise appearance. You’ll ask kids to pretend they are fish, but there’s no water. So instead, they’re crabs. Crabs who’ll walk in formation. 

Have kids assume the “crab walk” position: stomachs aimed toward the ceiling, feet and hands flat on the floor, bottoms lifted into the air. If a child—or you—can’t hold the position, it’s okay to scoot on one’s bottom. 

Tell kids you’ll give them instructions about which direction to move—forward, backward, to their left, or to their right. The goal is for them to obey every instruction immediately so they can avoid crab collisions. 

Run kids through switching directions at least 10 times, at an increasingly fast pace, until your crabs collapse. Then sit together on the floor and discuss: 

• That was a tough workout! When it comes to obeying orders, would you rather be giving orders or taking them? Why? 
• When is it hardest to obey? When is it easiest? 
• What’s an order you’d love to give and have everyone obey?

SAY: Earlier I mentioned a school of fish. Let’s join them now and see how things turned out for them—and for the guys who caught them.

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Discover the Enneagram’s Surprisingly Simple Approach to Engaging Volunteers

Ready to learn how the Enneagram can help you inspire your volunteers? The Enneagram is all the buzz right now, and we want to equip you to use it to motivate your folks for service! We’ve covered all 9 personality types, with helpful tips and Scripture verses.

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Discover the Enneagram’s Surprisingly Simple Approach to Engaging Volunteers

Ready to learn how the Enneagram can help you inspire your volunteers? The Enneagram is all the buzz right now, and we want to equip you to use it to motivate your folks for service! We’ve covered all 9 personality types, with helpful tips and Scripture verses.

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Teaching time

Share the story of Jesus calling His disciples from Luke 5:1–11, pointing out how God used fish. Use the following questions to guide discussion:

• What did you discover about Jesus from this event? About Peter? About James and John? About fish? 
• Who in this story obeyed? Was their obedience a good thing or not? 
• Peter, James, and John left everything and followed Jesus. Do you think He asks you to do that too? Why?
• How do you decide who you have to obey and who you don’t have to obey? 
• When you think about God, how do those things you mentioned apply?

Love these lesson ideas? Get 13 lessons filled with activity and teaching ideas in 13 Very Amazing Animals and How God Used Them.

You may also want to check out our list of short Bible verses perfect for kids to memorize. (There’s one from every book!)

Welcome to the “Meet an Amazing Animal” series.

God has done some remarkable things through his furry, fuzzy, and funny creations. A talking donkey? A fish carrying around a tax payment in its mouth? A rooster reminder that brought a grown man to his knees?

In this series we’re exploring how God has used animals to make himself and his purposes known. Get all twelve free lessons.

You’ll help your kids experience powerful transformation as they link Bible truths they need with the animals they love.

Let’s get started!

Ask kids to find a place in the room where they can be a bit apart from one another, and then to sit comfortably on the floor. Then ask them to lie on their backs and close their eyes. 

SAY: A bad surprise could happen right now, couldn’t it? A bowling ball could fall on your tummy. Or it could start hailing in here! 

(Be sure everyone laughs instead of getting scared.)

But let’s pray and thank God for all the good surprises He sends our way. God, thank you that there are no bowling balls falling. Or pianos. Or giant hail. Thank you that you protect us in ways we’d be surprised to see. Please thank God for walking with you every day.

(pause) 

God, thank You for your surprisingly huge love for us.

(pause) 

God, thank You for surprising us with moments of joy and happiness.

(pause) 

God, thank You for the surprising friends who come our way.

(pause) 

And thank You, God, for forgiving us when we ask for it. And You forgive us not just once or twice, but a surprising, shocking, amazingly generous number of times. 

(pause) 

 Amen. 

Then SAY: Today we’ll be talking about surprises.

Teaching Time

Share the story of Peter betraying Jesus from Luke 22:33–34, 54–62. Point out how God used the rooster, and use the following questions to guide discussion.

• Tell about a time you weren’t happy about a surprise. What was the surprise, and how did it all turn out? 
• If you were Peter in this account, what would you be feeling and why? 
• If you were the servant girl, what would you be feeling and why? 
• If you were Jesus, what would you be feeling and why?

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8 Downloadable Easter Sunday Activities

Wondering what to do this Easter Sunday? Get this guide and have multiple activities ready to go! Choose from coloring pages, crafts, puzzles, games, and science experiments. Let’s celebrate the risen King!

Download your free guide

Free Guide

8 Downloadable Easter Sunday Activities

Wondering what to do this Easter Sunday? Get this guide and have multiple activities ready to go! Choose from coloring pages, crafts, puzzles, games, and science experiments. Let’s celebrate the risen King!

Download your free guide

Free Guide