A House Divided

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

Matthew 12:22-37, Mark 3:20-30

Some people brought Jesus a man who was demon possessed who was blind a mute, and Jesus healed him. The people were amazed and started wondering Jesus could possibly be the Son of David that God had promised them. The religious leaders were angered upon hearing these speculations. They claim that only by Satan’s power that Jesus was casting out demons. Jesus told everyone that a house divided against itself cannot stand. If Satan is driving out Satan, then he is divided against himself and his kingdom would not be able to stand. Jesus said if He drives out demons by the power of God, then the kingdom of God has arrived. Jesus continued by saying that you must tie up a strong man before you can enter his house. He also said if anyone is not with Him, then they are against him. Next Jesus reminds everyone that a tree is recognized by its fruit. Good fruit means a good tree and bad fruit means a bad tree. It is what is in the heart that makes a person good or bad. If we fill our hearts with good, then good will be produced, but if we fill our hearts with bad, then bad will be produced. We will be held responsible for every word we speak, both the good and the bad.

Object Lesson:

A House Divided

Supplies Needed:
• Wooden blocks
Directions:
1. Ask for two volunteers. Have the two children work together to build a simple house with 4 walls.
2. Talk to the children about how simple this task was. Ask them what made it so easy. Explain that when we work together, things get done much better and faster.
3. Now ask for 4 volunteers. Tell the children they will also be building one house, but they are not working together. Each child is responsible for the wall directly in front of them and may only touch the block they are putting on their wall.
4. Talk to the children about the difficulty of this task. Ask them what made this task so much harder than the first. Explain that when we are not working together, things are much more difficult and much slower to accomplish, if they can be accomplished at all!

Memory Verse:

Mark 3:24-25
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand, If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

Jesus Connection:

The Pharisees and teachers of the law could not deny the reality and supernatural power of the miracles that Jesus was performing. To admit that these miracles were powered by God would be to admit that Jesus came from God, just as he had been saying. The only other option was for the Pharisees to attribute the power to Satan. We know that God is not divided. James 2:9 says that even the demons know this and shudder. Jesus’ power is from God. For those of us who know this, it is plain to see that Jesus is the Messiah that the Pharisees have been waiting for.

Songs

The Wise Man Built His House

The wise man built his house upon the rock
The wise man built his house upon the rock
The wise man built his house upon the rock
And the rain came tumbling down

Oh, the rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
And the wise man's house stood firm.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
And the rain came tumbling down

Oh, the rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
And the foolish man's house went "splat!" [clap hands once]

So, build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
And the blessings will come down

Oh, the blessings come down
As your prayers go up
The blessings come down
As your prayers go up
The blessings come down
As your prayer go up
So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Games/Activities

Three-Legged Race

Supplies Needed:
• Bandannas
• Obstacles
Directions:
1. Pair kids up in twos. Tie the pairs together at the ankle using a bandanna.
2. Select an area for a start and finish line and line the children up to race.
3. The first pair to cross the finish line wins. (If you have a large group, split the kids up into heats, with the top two pairs moving on to the next round.)
4. For the obstacle course, use objects that can be found in your classroom to create obstacles on the race track. (ie: going under a table, through a doorway, between chairs).
5. Race one team at a time against the clock to determine the winner.

Crafts

Coloring Page

Supplies needed:
• Coloring page
• Scissors
• Stick glue
• Colored paper
Directions:
1. Give each child a coloring page and scissors. Supply the table with stick glue and colored paper.
2. Create a patchwork of the coloring page by cutting different shapes from the colored paper and gluing it to the coloring page.

Jesus: The Good Shepherd

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

John 10:1-21

Right after he healed the man born blind, Jesus told the people a parable about sheep.  Jesus told people that someone who tried to enter a sheep pen without using the gate was a robber. Then Jesus said that he himself was the gate to the pen. The only way someone can enter the pen is through Him. Next Jesus said that only the shepherd would be willing to protect the sheep. A hired worker does not care for the sheep because he does not own them. Jesus said that he was the good shepherd, the only one willing to lay down his life for the sheep to protect them because he cares for them. The good shepherd knows his sheep, and the sheep know him. Jesus says he has other sheep in other places, and he will bring them all together to make one large flock with one good shepherd. Jesus’ words divided the people who were listening. Some people thought he was crazy, even demon possessed. Others protested that these were not the words of a demon possessed man because a demon cannot open the eyes of the blind like they just saw happen.

Object Lesson:

The Sheep Pen

Supplies needed:
• Chairs
Directions:
1. Create a circle with the chairs, leaving a small opening in one section, large enough for one child at a time to enter. This will be the sheep pen. (If you do not have chairs, you can use boxes, pillows, rugs or other such items to create the enclosed area.)
2. Before you begin story time, tell the children that today they will pretend to be sheep. You need all sheep to sit down inside the sheep pen.
3. Observe how the children enter the circle. Then announce to the children that there may be some among them who are not really sheep!
4. Have everyone stand up. If they entered the circle by the opening, then they are the really sheep, and they can sit back down.
5. If they are left standing, they then entered the circle by jumping over the ‘fence’ this means that they are robbers! You can pretend to chase away the robber and encourage them to enter through the opening so they too can be sheep and listen to the story.

Memory Verse:

John 10:11

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Jesus Connection:

Jesus himself says in this passage that he is the good shepherd. He watches over the sheep, who are the believers. The sheep pen represents heaven. The only way to get into the pen is through the will of the shepherd. This means the only way to get into heaven is through Jesus. Like the good shepherd, Jesus is willing to lay down his life for the sheep because he cares for them. One day all believers will be brought together to be with Jesus in heaven and we will make one people from one kingdom.

Songs

I Just Wanna Be A Sheep

Chorus:
I just wanna be a sheep
Baa, baa, baa, baa
I just wanna be a sheep
Baa, baa, baa, baa
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
I just wanna be a sheep
Baa, baa, baa, baa

Don't wanna be a goat, nope
Don't wanna be a goat, nope
Haven't got any hope, nope
Don't wanna be a goat, nope

Don't wanna be a hypocrite
Don't wanna be a hypocrite
They're not hip to it
Don't wanna be a hypocrite

Don't wanna be a Pharisee
Don't wanna be a Pharisee
They're not fair you see
Don't wanna be a Pharisee

Don't wanna be a Sadducee
Don't wanna be a Sadducee
'Cause they're so sad you see
Don't wanna be a Sadducee

Just wanna be a child of God
Just wanna be a child of God
Walkin' the same path He trod
Just wanna be a child of God

Games/Activities

Know Your Sheep

Supplies Needed:
• Opaque blanket
Directions:
1. Divide the class into two teams.
2. Hold up the blanket between the two teams so that none of the children can see the other people from the other team.
3. Have each team pick one of their people to stand in front of the blanket.
4. When you drop the blanket, the two children who are now facing each other must say the name of the person who is in front of them. The first one to say the other’s name wins.
5. Repeat until all the children have had a turn.
6. Variations: You may choose to play by asking the children to say any of the following about the other child: color of an article of clothing, age, hair color, boy or girl, eye color, etc…

Shepherd Says

Supplies Needed:
• Two adults of the same gender
Directions:
1. This games plays like Simon says. One adult is the teacher and one is the stranger. Tell the children who is who.
2. The children are to obey the voice of the shepherd and ignore the voice of the stranger. Have the children turn around so they cannot see the adults. They must listen to their voices only.  
3. The shepherd and stranger take random turns giving commands for the children to obey. The shepherd’s commands are ‘sensible’ (touch your nose, pat your head…). The stranger’s commands are silly (pick your nose, kiss your toes…)
4. If the children respond to the voice of the stranger, they are out of the game and must sit down.

Crafts

Fingerprint Sheep

Supplies Needed:
• Colored paper
• White paint
• Black paint
• Paint trays
• Sheep head template
• Wiggly eyes
• Glue
• Scissors
Directions:
1. Give each child a piece of colored paper.
2. Dispense small amounts of white and black paint into paint trays.
3. Dip only one finger into the white paint and press the finger onto the colored paper. Dot the finger onto the paper until you have a large oval full of finger prints. Refill the finger with paint as needed.
4. Taking a new finger, dip into the black paint. Create feet and a tail with the black paint.
5. Color and cut out the sheep head template. Glue wiggly eyes to the head. Glue the head to the painted sheep body.

Coloring Page

A Withered Hand

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11

On the Sabbath Jesus was in the synagogue. There was also a man there who had a withered hand. Some Pharisees were there who were trying to trap Jesus. They were watching closely to see if Jesus would heal this man’s hand on the Sabbath, which was against their laws. Jesus knew what they Pharisees were thinking and he became angry with them because they had hard hearts. Jesus told the man with the withered hand to stand up in front of everybody. Then Jesus asked the people what was ok for them to do on the Sabbath, good or evil, to save a life or to kill. There was no response to Jesus’ questions. Jesus told the man with the withered hand to stretch it out. When the man did this, his hand was completely healed and looked just the same as his other hand. This angered the Pharisees and the left the synagogue to go plot how they might destroy Jesus.

Object Lesson:

Impossible Task

Supplies needed:
• A random object
Direction:
1. Place a random object someplace in the room. Put it in a place that is still visible, but out of reach for everyone except you. (I used a clown nose and stuck it on the light fixture on the ceiling.)
2. Tell the children you have a task for them. You want them each to try to retrieve your object. Give each child a chance to retrieve the object.
3. When all the children fail at retrieving the object, talk about how impossible this task must seem to them, since none of them could do it.
4. Tell the children there are things in our lives that also seem impossible, but with Jesus, all things are possible. Reach up retrieve the object. Tell the children that just as you were able to reach up and retrieve the object, Jesus is also able to accomplish things that seem impossible for us.

1st Aid Kit

Supplies Needed:
• A first aid kit
Directions:
1. Open the first aid kit and examine the items with the children. Ask how each item might be used to help someone who is sick or injured.
2. Tell the children that today’s story is about a man who was injured and the only thing that could help him was Jesus!

Lego Stop Motion:

Supplies Needed:
• This stop motion Lego video of this story (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diXcKDsA0ys)
Directions:
1. Play this stop motion video for the children. The audio is not in English, so you may wish to turn down the volume and read the passage straight from the Bible.

Memory Verse:

Matthew 12:12
How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

Jesus Connection:

When we are sick or injured, it may seem like we will never get better. Our healing may seem impossible. But God wants us to know that with Jesus, all things are possible! (Matthew 19:26) Not only that, but we do not have to wait to come to Jesus with our problems until a designated time. Jesus is available to us 24/7, and he wants us to come to him with our impossible problems and he will give us rest. (Matthew 11:28)

Songs

Ah Lord God

Ah Lord God, Thou hast made the heavens
And the earth by Thy great power;
Ah Lord God, Thou hast made the heavens
And the earth by Thine outstretched arm.

Nothing is too difficult for Thee,
Nothing is too difficult for Thee;
O, great and mighty God,
Great in power and mighty in deed,
Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing,
Nothing is too difficult for Thee.

Games/Activities

Band-Aid Relay

Supplies Needed:
• Two pieces of paper
• Two boxes of band-aids
Directions:
1. Before class, draw a person on each of the pieces of paper. It does not have to be fancy. (Mine was a stick person!)
2. Divide the class into two teams. Place each team on one side of the room, and tape the pieces of paper with your drawing on them on the opposite side of the room. Set a box of band-aids under each picture.
3. Have one child from each team run down to the drawing and open a band-aid. Then the child can apply the band-aid to their team’s picture and return to their team.
4. Continue this process until each team member has had a chance to go, or until a designated amount of time has run out.
5. The goal is to see which team can apply the most amount of band-aids the fastest.

A Wrapped Hand

Supplies Needed:
• Enough ace bandages for each child to have one.
• Scissors
• Pieces of paper
• Coat with a zipper
• A book
• Markers
• Band-aids
Directions:
1. Before class, set up several stations around the room. Each station will present a different task that needs to be completed
a. Paper with scissor- cut the paper
b. Coat with a zipper- put on coat and zip up
c. Book- read and turn pages in the book
d. Piece of paper and markers- color on the paper
e. Band-aid- open and apply the band-aid to self
2. Wrap one hand on each child with an ace bandage. You may want to recruit someone to help with the wrapping if you have a lot of children.
3. Explain to the children that they will get to experience what is might have been like for the man with the withered hand to do simple activities that we do every day. Encourage the children to explore each of the stations around the room. This is not a race, so the children can take their time.

Crafts

Wrapped Hands

Supplies Needed:
• Ace bandages used for the wrapped hands activity
• Fabric markers
Directions:
1. Wrap each child’s hand with an ace bandage. This may already be done if you have just finished playing the wrapped hand activity mentioned above.
2. Explain to the children that today, if the doctor gives you a cast or big bandage, it is often seen that people will decorate their bandages.
3. Provide fabric markers for the children to decorate their bandages.

Coloring Page

The Man Born Blind

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

John 9:1-49

As Jesus and his disciples were walking along, they saw a man who had been blind since he was born. The disciples wanted to know if the man or his parents had sinned to cause this man to be born blind. Jesus told them that no one had sinned, but he was blind so that glory could be given to God when he was healed. Jesus made some mud by spitting on the ground and then rubbed it on the blind man’s eyes. He then told the blind man to go wash his eyes in the Pool of Siloam. This is what the man did and when he came home, he could see! People who had known the man for a long time began to question if this really was the same man. The man insisted that he was. When they asked how he could now see, he told them what Jesus had done for them. When they asked where Jesus was, he told them he did not know.  The people brought the man to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were very upset because all this had taken place on the Sabbath.  A disagreement broke out among the Pharisees about how Jesus could have done this, and if this man really had been blind. The Pharisees asked the man’s parents about the events, and the parents told the Pharisees that this was their son, but they did not know anything about what had happened with his eyes. The parents told the Pharisees to talk to their son for themselves because he was old enough to answer them.  The Pharisees believed the man was full of sin since his birth and so they threw him out of the temple.  When Jesus heard the man had been thrown out of the temple, He found the man and revealed himself to the man and the man believed in Him.

Object Lesson:

Supplies Needed:
• Blindfolds
Directions:
1. If possible, blindfold the kids before they enter the classroom.
2. Give the children directions to find their seats for the story.
3. Tell them the story while they are blindfolded.
4. Have the children remove their blindfolds at the end of the story so they can see you, just as the man could finally see Jesus.
5. Ask the children what it felt like to be blind the entire time. Ask them if they did anything wrong to deserve being blindfolded the whole time. Ask them why they were allowed to remove their blindfolds. Make the correlations between these questions and the story.

Memory Verse:

John 9:39b

I have come into this world, so that the blind will see.
Jesus Connection:
At the end of this passage (verses 35-41), Jesus asks a simple question: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” If we answer yes, we have eyes to see like the man who was healed. If we answer no, then we are like the Pharisees who are blinded by the guilt that their sin brings on them. We must believe in Him, because He is coming to judge the world for blinding sin.

Song

Open The Eyes of My Heart 

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You
(2x)
To see You high and lifted up
Shinin' in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy

Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy,
I want to see you

Games/Activities

Blindfold Challenge

Supplies Needed:
• Blind folds
• Blocks
Directions:
1. Set a pile of blocks in front of each child before blindfolding each of them.
2. When you say go, have the children race to see who can build their tower the fastest/tallest
3. Play multiple times, changing the winners objective for each round. (ie: set number of blocks the fastest; tallest tower while timed.

Crafts:

Blind Man Mask

Supplies Needed:
• Paper plates
• Hole punch
• String
• Colors
• Other decorations
Directions:
1. Give each child a paper plate. Allow them to draw and decorate the back side of the plate.
2. When the child finishes drawing, punch holes on each side of the plate and tie string through the holes to hold the plate to the child’s face. (Do not cut eye holes! This is a mask to make them blind!!)

Coloring Page

Sermon on the Mount: House Foundations

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

Matthew 7:21-29; Luke 6:46-49

In this section, Jesus is finishing his teaching of the Sermon on the Mount. He tells the people listening that there will be some who think they are going to heaven, but will not get in. People will cry out in desperation, saying that they had done so many wonderful things for God, but Jesus will send them away. Jesus says only those who do the will of God will enter heaven.
Jesus continues by telling a story of two houses. One was built on a strong rock foundation. The other was built on shifting sand. One day a big storm came with rain, flooding, and strong winds that beat against the houses. The house built on the sand fell down with a great crash, while the house on the rock stood firm.
After Jesus finished all his teaching on the mountain side, the people were amazed. Jesus taught them with great authority, which was very different from the way the other teachers of the law taught.

Object Lesson:

Supplies Needed:
• Two trays
• A brick or flat rock
• Bucket with packed sand
• Building blocks
• Pitcher of water
Directions:
1. Set the two trays out. On one tray place the brick. On the other tray turn out the bucket of sand as if you were making a sand castle.
2. As you tell the story, build little houses on the brick and sand. When the rain comes in the story, pour the water from the pitcher over the houses. When pouring over the sand be sure to get the sand good and wet so that is will crumble under the house.
3. Explain to the children that our lives are like the houses. Jesus is like the rock, and anything else we try to depend on is like the sand. When we build our lives on Jesus, and depend on him only, the storms of life will come, but will not be able to destroy us. When we depend on other things instead of Jesus, the storms of life will come and we will be destroyed.

Memory Verse:

Matthew 7:24

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Jesus Connection:

Jesus is the rock foundation upon which we should build our lives. If we have our foundation firmly planted in him, when the storms of life come and beat against us, we will remain standing. If we have our foundation in anything other than Jesus, as soon as the storms of life come, we will fall to the ground and our destruction will be great.

Songs

The Wise Man Built His House Upon The Rock

The wise man built his house upon the rock
The wise man built his house upon the rock
The wise man built his house upon the rock
And the rain came tumbling down

Oh, the rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
And the wise man's house stood firm.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
And the rain came tumbling down

Oh, the rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
And the foolish man's house went "splat!" [clap hands once]

So, build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
And the blessings will come down

Oh, the blessings come down
As your prayers go up
The blessings come down
As your prayers go up
The blessings come down
As your prayer go up
So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Games/Activities

Human Pyramid

Directions:
1. Ask the children to work together to make a human pyramid. Explain that they will need to have a strong foundation (the biggest kids) and everyone else will climb on their backs.
2. If you have small children who cannot climb well, help place the children on the upper levels of the pyramid.
3. You can take a picture of the finished pyramid and print it out to hang on the wall in the classroom for the children to see and remember the lesson.

Cup Stacking

Supplies Needed:
• 10 disposable cups per child
Directions:
1. Build a pyramid using the cups. (4 on the bottom row, then 3, then 2, then 1 on top)
2. After the children have practiced building their pyramid, have a race to see who can do it the fastest. You can also race to see who can do it with only one hand.

Crafts

Jesus Is My Rock

Supplies Needed:
• Smooth rocks
• Paints
• Paint brushes
• Scrap paper
Directions:
1. Give each child a scrap paper. Place a rock on the scrap paper to keep the table underneath from being painted on.
2. Allow the children to pain their rock. Encourage them to draw pictures that would remind them of the lesson (a house, Jesus, rain…) Remind the children that their rock will dry faster if they do not have the paint on so thick.
3. Allow the rocks to dry. Perhaps leave the rocks in the classroom until your next meeting, or do the craft first so there is more time for it to dry.

House on the Rock

Supplies Needed:
• House template
• Colors
• Scissors
• Glue/tape
Directions:
1. Color the house template.
2. Cut out the template on the solid lines.
3. Fold the template on the dotted lines.
4. Assemble the house by matching the letters together. Glue or tape the flaps in place.

Coloring Page

Sermon on the Mount: Entering the Kingdom

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passages:

Matthew 7:13-20; Luke 6:43-45

In this passage, Jesus continues his teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. Here, Jesus is instructing people on how to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus says that we have two gates to choose from. One gate is very wide. It is easy to find and easy to get through, and so many people will enter into this gate. The other gate is very narrow. It is harder to find and therefore harder to get there. The wide is the way that leads to destruction. The narrow gate is the way that leads to life. Jesus says that only a few will find the narrow gate.
Next, Jesus teaches about fruit in people’s lives. He encourages the people to beware of false prophets. They are like wolfs disguised in sheep clothing. Jesus also says that you can tell what something is by the fruit that is bears. You will not pick grapes off of thorn bushes or figs from thistles. Instead, good trees give good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit. If a tree is good, it cannot give bad fruit and vice versa. If a tree does not give good fruit, it is cut down and thrown into the fire. So, by a person’s fruit you will be able to recognize them.

Object Lesson:

Narrow vs. Wide

Supplies needed:
• Objects from around the room, such as chairs or tables, to become barriers.
• Red stamp
• Green stamp
Directions:
1. Before class, set up your story area. Block off the area with obstacles. Create two entrances. On entrance should only be big enough for one child to get through at a time. The other should be big enough for several children to get through at the same time.
2. As the children enter class, encourage them to sit down in the story area. If they enter through the narrow way, mark their hands with a green stamp. If they enter through the wide way, mark their hands with a red stamp.
3. As you share the story, relate the wide gate to the children who have the red stamp. Relate the narrow gate to the children who have the green stamp.

Memory Verse:

Matthew 7:14

Small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Jesus Connection:

Believing in Jesus is the only way to heaven (John 14:6). Only a few people choose to live in a way that reflects this truth. This is why Jesus says the way is narrow that leads to life. You can tell who these people are by the fruit that they produce. Jesus says you will know who believes and follows him when they produce fruit in accordance with His Word. And that fruit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control” (Galatians 5:22).

Songs

I Have Decided To Follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back,
No turning back.

Games/Activities

Fruit Relay

Supplies Needed:
• Print outs of different kinds of fruit (4-5 copies of each fruit, per team)
• Full page pictures of fruit trees to correspond to the fruit printouts, one set per team(ie: if you print grapes, the you need a picture of a grape vine); for added challenge, print the tree without the fruit.
• One basket  per team.
Directions:
1. Place all the full page pictures of the trees on the floor at one end of the room. Place a basket of fruit near the trees. Arrange each set of trees with a basket to correspond to the number of teams you will divide your children into.
2. When the children arrive, divide them into teams. The teams will each send one child at a time down to the basket of fruit, where the child will have to select on piece of fruit and match it to the correct tree that produces that fruit.
3. The winning team is the first one to correctly place all the fruit on the trees.

Crafts

Wolf in Disguise 

Supplies needed:
• Wolf template
• Colors
• Scissors
• Glue
• Cotton balls
Directions:
1. Color and cut out the wolf template. Cut the solid lines, and fold the dotted lines.
2. Assemble the wolf by matching the letters together and sliding the strips through the slits.
3. Stretch out a few cotton balls and glue them to the wolf. The thinner the cotton is stretched, the better you can see the coloring underneath, giving a better illusion of a disguise.

Coloring Page

Jesus Calms the Storm

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25

Jesus and his disciples climbed into a boat to cross over to the other side of the lake. Jesus lay down and fell asleep. While he was sleeping, a great storm came on the lake and the disciples were filled with fear. Water was coming into the boat and the disciples thought they were all going to drown. They woke Jesus up and cried out for him to save them. Jesus asked why they had so little faith and why they were so afraid. Then, Jesus stretched out his hand and rebuked the winds and the waves and the stormed stopped. The disciples were amazed that even the winds and the waves obeyed Jesus.

Object Lesson:

Cast Your Fears

Supplies Needed:
• A sealed box with a slit cut in the top
• Small pieces of paper
• Pencils
Directions:
1. Explain to the children that we do not need to be afraid of things. Jesus tells us to cast all our cares onto him because he cares for us.
2. Give each child a pencil and some paper. Encourage the children to write down, or draw pictures of things that they are afraid of.
3. Give each child a chance to share one or more of the fears they wrote down.
4. Tell the children that we can give these fears to God and in doing so God will help us overcome our fears. Tell the children to put the papers into the sealed box.
5. Tell the children now that they have put these fears into the sealed box and given them to God, they can no longer take them back. When we try to take back our fears, we are saying that God is not big enough to help us with our fears. We have no faith. God wants us to have faith, not fear. We must believe that he will help us when we are afraid.

Memory Verse:

Matthew 8:27

The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Jesus Connection:

We all have fears. God does not tell us that we should not have any fears. Instead, he says that the fears we do have we should cast upon him, because he cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7) We must have faith in Jesus that he is big enough and powerful enough to take care of all our fears. Jesus is the only one who can calm the storms in our lives. We must have faith!

Songs

What A Mighty Hand

Words & Music by Stephen Elkins

Chorus:
What a mighty hand, a mighty hand has He
What a mighty hand that calms the raging sea
What a mighty hand, a hand protecting me
What a mighty hand has He

Humble yourselves, humble yourselves
Under God’s mighty hand
Humble yourselves, humble yourselves
Under God’s mighty hand
What a mighty hand

repeat chorus

Games/Activities:

Bailout

Supplies Needed:
• A large box that can hold 3-4 students (can get at a grocery or furniture store for free)
• An old newspaper
Directions:
1. Have the children make loose paper balls with the old newspaper.
2. Put 3 or 4 children inside the box. They will pretend to be the disciples. The rest of the children in the class with pretend to be the storm.
3. Place 10-12 paper balls in the boat with the ‘disciples’. When you say go, the ‘storm’ will take the remaining paper balls and try to fill the boat as fast as they can. The disciples in the boat will try to toss the paper balls out. Give the children two minutes to play. Encourage the ‘storm’ to make wind and rain sounds as they play.
4. Rotate the children in and out of the boat and continue playing until everyone has had a chance to be a disciple and everyone has had a chance to be the storm.

Crafts:

The Storm

Supplies Needed:
• Blue paper
• Yarn
• Star stickers
• Tin foil
• Markers
• Cotton balls
Directions:
1. On one side of the blue paper, have the children draw a picture of a boat on calm water. They can include people in the boat, such as Jesus and his disciples. Use start stickers in the sky to make a night scene.
2. Turn the paper over. On this side of the paper, have the children create a picture of a boat in a storm. They can use the yarn to create waves, the cotton balls to create clouds, and the tin foil for lightning.

Coloring Page

The Good Samaritan

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

Luke 10: 25-37

One day, Jesus was tested by an expert of the law. The expert asked how to gain eternal life. Jesus asked him what his interpretation of the Law was. The man said we are to love the Lord with everything we have and love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus agreed. The man then asked Jesus who our neighbor is and Jesus responded with this parable.
There was a man from Jerusalem who was traveling to Jericho. On the way, he was attacked by robbers who left him half dead in the middle of the road. A priest walked by the hurt traveler and passed by on the other side. A Levite also passed by on the other side when he saw the hurt man. Finally, a Samaritan can long and saw the hurt traveler. This man stopped and cared for the hurt traveler. He cleaned up his injuries and took him to an inn where he could sleep and recover. The Samaritan also paid for the lodging costs of the hurt traveler before going on his way.
Jesus asked the expert of the law who was a neighbor to the hurt traveler. The expert replied that the man who was helpful was a good neighbor. Jesus told the expert to go and do the same kinds of things for others.

Object Lesson:

Supplies Needed:
• 2 worthless prizes wrapped beautifully
• 1 nice prize wrapped shabby
• Small prizes/candy for everyone in the room
Directions:
1. Before class, prep the three prizes. For the two worthless prizes, wrap them to look beautifully appealing. For the nice prize, wrap it in a way that looks very unappealing.
2. When the children arrive to class, ask for three volunteers. One at a time, have the children choose a prize and open it. Make sure that the shabby prize is opened last.
3. After all the prizes have been opened, explain to the children that you cannot always know what someone is really like just by looking at them on the outside.
4. Give the child who received the nice prize a chance to help you pass out a little prize of candy for everyone in the room.

Memory Verse:

Luke 10:27
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus Connection

The story of the Good Samaritan gives us  a picture of the love Jesus has for us. We are like the traveler. We have been left to die in our sin, and there is nothing we can do to help ourselves. Jesus is like the Good Samaritan. When Jesus comes in our lives, he takes care of us and brings us to a place where we can heal.  Jesus shows us love and mercy so we can be saved. We can be healed from our sins by putting our trust in Him

Songs

The Good Samaritan Song 

from http://www.dltk-bible.com/good_samaritan_song.htm
Sung to the tune of “Farmer in the Dell”
On the Jericho road,
there were some real bad men
saw a guy as he went by
and they said, "let's rob him!"
And then they beat him up
and knocked him to the ground,
and when he was just half-way up
they knocked him right back down.

On the Jericho road
there was a priestly man,
saw the guy as he went by
was he a neighbor then?
He didn't pick him up
and carry him to town
he giant stepped and giant stepped
and giant stepped around

On the Jericho road
there was a Levite man
saw the guy as he went by
was he a neighbor then?
He didn't pick him up
and carry him to town
he tip-py toed and tip-py toed
and tip-py toed around.

On the Jericho road
a good Samaritan,
saw the guy as he went by
was he a neighbor then?
he stopped to pick him up
and carried him to town
and paid a kindly inn-keeper
to keep him safe and sound.

Games/Activities

Drink of Water Relay

Supplies Needed:
• Small cups of water
• Crackers
• Plates or napkins
Directions:
1. Before class, prepare small cups of water and a napkin with a 1 or 2 crackers. If possible, have the portions set aside on a designated table for the game.
2. Dived the class into teams.
3. Each child must take a turn running to the snack table, eating and drinking ALL of the portioned our water and crackers, and then running back to the team for the next player to go.
4. Continue until all the children have had a chance to eat and drink their portion. The winning team is the team who finished first.

Crafts

Washcloth 

Supplies Needed:
• One washcloth per child
• Ribbon
• Tags templates with hole punched in top
• Colors
Directions:
1. Let each child color a tag template.
2. Fold the washcloths into quarters.  Roll the folded washcloth or bunch together one end of the folded washcloth.
3. Tie the tag to the washcloth using the ribbon.

Coloring Page

Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following:

Matthew 5: 1-12; Luke 6:20-26

Large crowds of people began following Jesus because of the things he was doing and teaching. Seeing the crowd, Jesus went up to the side of a mountain, sat down, and began teaching them. This set of teaching is known to us as the Sermon on the Mount. In the book of Matthew, Jesus began his teaching with a segment known as The Beatitudes. In this portion of Jesus’ teachings he shows us that certain attitudes will yield to us certain results. If we want the things of God then we must act in ways that are meek, merciful, peaceful, and pure in heart (and so on…). He ends this segment with an encouragement to those who are persecuted, reminding them that the prophets of old were persecuted in the same way.

Object Lesson:

Supplies Needed:
• Jar with lid
• Water
• Oil
• Food coloring
Directions:
1. Fill the jar half full with water. The water represents the people world; people who do not know God.
2. Fill the water the rest of the way with oil. The oil represents Christians; people who know and love God.
3. Add food coloring. It should mix with the water and not the oil.
4. Explain to the children that in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was telling people that if they loved God they needed to behave differently. They needed to be IN the world, but not OF the world. When the food coloring was added, it went into the water and became part of the water. You can no longer tell the difference between the water and the drops of color. They are the same. Jesus says that it is the same with people who are of the world. The color did not stick to the oil. Jesus says that it should be the same with people who belong to God and are IN the world, but not OF the world. The attitudes listed in this section of Jesus’ sermon show us how we can be IN the world and not OF it.

Memory Verse:

Matthew 5:3

Blessed are the pour in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus Connection:

We are all called to be like Christ. It can be hard to grasp how we can accomplish this feat. In this list of beatitudes we can see several ways that we can become more like Jesus. Each of the beatitude has a perfect example in the life of Jesus. The rewards that come with each beatitude we also see played out in Jesus. If we strive to attain these attitudes in our life, we will naturally become more holy, as He himself is holy. (1 Peter 1:16)

Songs

The Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
Theirs is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are the ones who mourn,
They will be comforted.
Blessed are the ones who mourn,
They will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek in spirit,
They will inherit the earth.
Blessed are the meek in spirit,
They will inherit the earth.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
They will see God.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
They will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
They will be sons of God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
Call them the sons of God.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Blessed are the pure in heart.

Games/Activities

Beatitudes Panorama

Supplies Needed:
• A large roll of paper (or 8 large pieces of paper)
• Colors
• The 8 beatitudes writing on slips of paper
Directions:
• The children will help you make a panorama of the beatitudes that can be hung on the classroom wall.
• Roll out the paper. If you do not have a paper roll, lay out 8 pieces of large paper.
• Give each child a beatitude that is written on a slip of paper. If you have more than 8 children, put them in small groups to work together. If you have less than 8 then some children may have more than one.
• Have the children write their beatitude on their section of the paper. Then, have them draw a picture of what they think that particular beatitude means. They may want to write down a short description of their picture on the bottom of the paper.
• It may be a good idea to have some practical examples ready for each beatitude, to give them an idea of what they can draw. Encourage the children to talk together to come up with ideas.

Crafts

Blessed Wreath

Supplies Needed:
• Paper plates
• Colored paper
• Pencils
• Scissors
• Stick glue
• A list of the beatitudes
Directions:
1. Create a list of the beatitudes that is large enough for the children to read easily. Display this in a prominent place in the classroom.
2. Give each child a paper plate and 8 pieces of colored paper. Have them trace their hands on each of the pieces of paper and cut them out.
3. On each of their hand cut-outs have them write a different beatitude.
4. In the center of the paper plates write the words: Blessed Are…
5. Glue the hands around the rim of the paper place with the fingers pointing outward and the words facing up.

Coloring Page

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following:

Genesis 41:1-57

Pharaoh had two nightmares. When he awoke from his sleep, he was still troubled by his dreams and called for all the wise men of the city to come and telling him the meaning of his dreams. No one was able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. The cupbearer to Pharaoh remembered at this time how Joseph was able to interpret both his dream and the dream of Pharaoh’s chief baker while they were in jail and both interpretations came to pass exactly as they were told. Impressed by this, Pharaoh called for Joseph to be brought from the jail. When he arrived, Pharaoh told Joseph his dreams: 7 ugly, skinny cows ate up 7 beautiful, fat cows and 7 pitiful heads of grain ate up 7 healthy heads of grain. Joseph told Pharaoh that his dreams were from God. God was showing Pharaoh what he was about to do. There was going to be 7 years of great plenty in the land of Egypt. After this there would be 7 years of famine so severe that no one would be able to remember the years of plenty. Joseph recommended that Pharaoh put someone in charge of collecting grain during the years of plenty and storing it so that it could be given out during the years of famine. This way the people would be saved. Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph that he put him in charge of all the land of Egypt. Joseph was now second in command, with only Pharaoh greater than he. Joseph collected the grain from the land of Egypt during the next 7 years. When the famine struck Egypt, Pharaoh sent the people to Joseph and they were able to buy grain so they could eat and not die. Joseph also sold grain to people from other countries because the famine was great everywhere.

Object Lesson:

Supplies Needed:
• A pitcher
• Several lemons, cut in half
• Sugar
• Water
• Stirring spoon
• Cups
Directions:
1. Share the saying with the children, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Ask the children what they thing that saying means.
2. As you squeeze lemons into the pitcher, talk to the children about how lemons are sour and if you bit into one it would make your lips pucker. But, if you squeeze the lemons and add water and sugar (add those ingredients as you talk), then you get something that is pretty good, lemonade!
3. Explain to the children that sometimes life is like that. Sometimes things do not go our way, or bad things could happen to us. That could make us angry and bitter, like a lemon. If we have the right attitude, however, we can make the best out of it, like lemonade!
4. You can now give each child a cup of lemonade, or save the drink until snack time.

Memory Verse:

1 Corinthians 10:31

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Jesus Connection:

The life of Joseph continues to give us glimpse of how God wanted to use his only Son, Jesus to be the savior of the world. Just as Joseph was taken from his lowly position (a man in prison) and raised to be the right hand man of the king of Egypt, Jesus was also raised up from the lowest place (death) and placed at the right hand of God.

Songs

God is so Good

God is so good.
God is so good.
God is so good,
He’s so good to me.

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands

He’s got the whole world in his hands
He’s got the whole wide world in his hands
He’s got the whole wide world in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands

He’s got the little bitty baby in his hands
He’s got the little bitty baby in his hands
He’s got the little bitty baby in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands

He’s got you and me brother in his hands
He’s got you and me sister in his hands
He’s got you and me brother in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands

He’s got everybody here in his hands
He’s got everybody here in his hands
He’s got everybody here in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands

Games/Activities

Pictionary

Supplies Needed:
• Dry erase board (or other form of display media)
• Dry erase pen
• List of words having to do with the story (ie: Pharaoh, cow, grain, river, ect.)
Directions:
1. Divide the children into two teams.
2. One child from one team comes to the board and draws a word from the story. (Either have the words written on pieces of paper or whisper it in their ears.) As the child draw, his/her team can guess the word. Give them one minute.  If this team guesses the word correctly, they get a point.
3. At the end of the time limit, if the drawing child’s team has not correctly guessed, the opposing team has one chance to guess the word and steal the point.
4. The team with the most points at the end of the games wins.

Crafts

Egyptian Headdress

Supplies Needed:
• Egyptian Headdress template
• Scissors
• Glue
• Tape
• Colors
• Paper strips

Directions:

1. Give each child a headdress template. Color and cut out the template
2.     Create a head band with strips of paper.
3. Glue the headdress to the band.
4. Adjust the size of the band to each child’s head and tape it in place.

Coloring Page: