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:

Water to Wine

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

John 2: 1-11

Jesus and his new disciples were in Galilee, in a city called Cana. Jesus and his family had been invited to a wedding. The disciples were also welcomed to come to the wedding. At one point in the celebrations, the supply of wine ran out. Jesus’ mother, Mary, came and informed Jesus of the situation. Mary was hoping that Jesus would help solve the situation, but Jesus responded by saying that it was not yet his time. Mary told the servants of the wedding to do whatever Jesus told them to do. Jesus told the servants to fill 6 large stone water jars with water. After they were filled, Jesus told them to take some of it out and serve it to the one in charge of the ceremony. The water the that was tasted by the one in charge was no longer water, but wine! The man in charge was impressed with the quality of the wine that was served to him. He congratulated the groom for saving the best wine until later in the celebration, rather than serving the best first. This miracle of turning water into wine was the first of Jesus’ many miracles. After seeing this miracle, Jesus’ disciples began to believe in him.

Object Lesson

Water into Wine

Supplies Needed:
• A large, non see through pitcher
• A large clear pitcher
• Powdered drink mix
• *sugar
• Wooden spoon
• ladel
• Small paper cups
Directions:
1. Before class pour the powdered drink mix into the non see through pitcher. Fill the clear pitcher with water.  If the directions on the packet call for sugar, also add the sugar to the same pitcher and stir until dissolved.
2. As you are telling the story, use your supplies as props to help tell the story. The non see through pitcher represents one of the 6 large stone jars. When Jesus tells the servants to fill the stone jars with water, pour the water from your clear pitcher into the non see through pitcher. When Jesus tells them to serve it to the man in charge, use your ladle to pour some of the newly created drink into the small paper cups. Give the drink a slight stir before pouring to ensure everything is mixed.
3. Share your newly created drink with the kids and enjoy their reactions to the ‘miracle’. Ask the kids how the servants and disciples who saw the miracle must have felt.

Memory Verse:

John 2:11

This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

Jesus Connection

Life is full of problems that we cannot fix. When the wedding ran out of wine, this was a big problem! Mary and the servants turned to Jesus, the only one who could fix their problem.  And fix their problem he did! When we come to Jesus, and confess our sins, he can help fix what is broken and wrong in our lives. We must first come to him and share our problems with him!

Songs

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
look full in His wonderful face
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of His glory and grace

Come to Jesus

*This is only the first two verse of the song by Christ Rice.
Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain
So sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live

Games/Activities

Here Comes the Bride!

Supplies Needed:
• Several rolls of cheap toilet paper
Directions:
1. Divide the class into teams of 3-5 kids per team. Give each team 1-2 rolls of toilet paper
2. Give the children 5-10 mins, timed, to dress one of their team members as a bride, using only the rolls of toilet paper they were given. No scissors, no tape, no glue, no staplers. Just toilet paper.
3. Encourage the children to think of everything a bride wears: the dress, shoes, a vail, flowers, necklaces, the ring…
4. At the end of their allotted time, judge the beautiful brides and pick a winner. If you want to make it a little bit more exciting, bring in an outside person to be the judge!

Jar Memory Verse Game

Supplies Needed:
• Jar templates
• Marker
• This week’s memory verse
Directions:
1. Before class, print several copies of the jar template. (Think ahead to how many teams you would like to divide your children into. I recommend no more than 4 per team. ) Write the verse out on each copy of the template, and then cut the template out and into puzzle pieces. Be sure to keep each set of puzzles separated from the others!
2. Divide the children into teams. Give each team a set of the jar puzzles.
3. Have the teams compete to complete the puzzle the fastest. The winning team is the one who completes the puzzle and jumps up and reads the revealed verse together first.
4. If you want to replay the game, mix up the teams and start again.

Crafts:

Clay Pitchers

Supplies needed:
• Air drying modeling clay
• Toothpicks
• Pictures of old water pitchers
Directions:
1. Show the children several pictures of what really old water pitchers looked like to give them inspiration before they begin creating their own.
2. Give each child a portion of modeling clay and encourage them to make their own water pitcher.
3. Give the children toothpicks to draw designs and decorations on their pitchers

Coloring Page

Sermon on the Mount: The Lord's Prayer

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passages:

Matthew 6:5-15; Luke 11:1-13

People were following Jesus everywhere. One day they followed him up the side of a mountain. Jesus turned to the crowd of people and began teaching them many things. At one point some of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them who to pray, just as John the baptizer had taught his disciples how to pray. So, Jesus told them to pray this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be don’t on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6: 9-13) In Luke’s account of this teaching, Jesus goes on to tell two parables to show us how we should ask for things. The first parable shows us that we should ask with persistence. The second shows us when we ask for good things, God will give us good things.

Object Lesson:

Supplies Needed:
• An assortment of random objects (rocks, sticks, crumbled paper, an empty candy wrapper…)
• A bag
Directions:
1. Before class, place all your items in a bag. Make sure you have enough items that each child can be given one.
2. As an example for the second parable in this story, instruct the children one at a time to ask you for anything they can think of that they would like to have at that moment.
3. As they ask for something, pull and item out of the bag and give it to them. Try to make it as far away from what they asked as possible.
4. Discuss how it felt for them when you gave them the things they did not like. Explain to them that God likes to give us good thing.

Memory Verse:

Luke 11:9-10
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Jesus Connection:

In teaching the disciples to pray and sharing the parables along with it, Jesus is telling us that prayer is something that should always be on our lips. Jesus is continually demonstrating the importance of prayer. We often see him going to a lonely place to pray. The disciples understood the importance of prayer, too. That is why we are told to pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) It is how we stay connected with Jesus.

Songs

God is so Good

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

He answers prayer,
He answers prayer,
He answers prayer,
He’s so good to me.

He loves us so,
He loves us so,
He loves us so,
He’s so good to me.

Games/Activities

Mother May I

Directions:
1. Choose one child to be the ‘mother’. Have that child stand at one end of the classroom, facing the wall. Have all the other children line up against the wall on the other side of the room.
2. The children will now take turns asking “Mother, may I ___?” and makes a movement suggestion.  The mother either replies “Yes, you may” or “No, you may not do that, but you may ___ instead”.
a. Take (#) steps forward
b. Take (#) giant steps forward
c. Take (#) baby steps forward
d. Hop forward like a frog (#) times
e. Run forward for (#) seconds
f. Crabwalk for (#) seconds
g. Ect….
3. The child who reaches the mother first wins and gets to be the mother for the next round.

Crafts

Prayer Journal

Supplies Needed:
• Pens
• Washi tape of different designs
• Small, cheap notebooks
• Colored Paper
• Colors
• Stick glue
• Scissors
Directions:
1. Give each child a pen and a notebook. These will be theirs to keep.
2. Use the washi tape to decorate the pens
3. Open the notebook and lay it flat on a piece of colored paper. Trace the notebook and cut it out. Close the notebook. Glue the cut out onto the outside of the closed notebook.  Decorate the outside of the notebook with colors.
4. Encourage the children to write down their prayer requests in the notebook. Also encourage them to write down when God answers those prayers.

Coloring Page

Jesus teaches Nicodemus

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

John 3:1-21

Nicodemus, one of Israel’s religious teachers, came to Jesus at night to ask him some questions. He wanted to know how it is that Jesus does the things that he was doing. Jesus told him that he must be born again to see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus asked how one is to be born again when they are old. Jesus told him that you are born in the flesh once, and then you must be born in the Spirit. This was confusing to Nicodemus and he did not understand what Jesus was telling him. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that God sent his only Son into the world so that all might have the chance for eternal life. He also explained that some people would rather stay in the dark so that their evil deeds are not exposed, but when we come into the light our deeds are plainly seen by God and then he can extend to us his salvation.

Object Lesson

#1

Supplies needed:
• The following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhyyPPPgL_w
Directions:
1. Show this video at the beginning of class. It is a little on the long side. Pre-watch the video and make a note toward the end where you can stop it a little early. (Devin starts telling about his video sponsor.)
2. Talk to the children about the changes that the caterpillar went through to become a butterfly.
a. It was first born from an egg.
b. It created a chrysalis by shedding its old skin.
c. It was born a second time by breaking out of the chrysalis, revealing its new form, a beautiful butterfly.
3. Explain to the children that God has great things planned for our lives, but first we also must be born again. Share today’s story at this time.
4. At the end of the story reference back to the video and talk about how when we are born again of the Spirit, it is like the caterpillar being born again in the form of a butterfly. We cannot fully experience all that God has for us if we are not born again, just like the caterpillar cannot fully experience its full potential if it does not change into a butterfly.

#2

Supplies Needed:
• Large blanket
• Flashlight
Directions:
1. Gather all the children, and yourself under the blanket. (At least your heads!)
2. When everyone is under, turn on the flashlight.
3. Ask the children where the light went? Do you like the light or the dark better?
4. Tell the children that Jesus explained people love darkness when they are doing bad things and do not want to be caught. When we do things in the light we show God that we want to do good things. Even if we make a mistake, God can see it and help us do better next time.

Memory Verse:

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus Connection:

In this passage, Jesus reveals God’s mission. Through Jesus, the one and only Son of God, you can have eternal life! The only thing you have to do is believe in him! (vs. 16) This is what people have been waiting for since the fall of man, and now Jesus is telling people the time has come and the plan is simple. Is message is the same for us today. Believe in Him and you will not perish but have eternal life!

Songs

Jesus Loves Me

Jesus love me this I know,
For the bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong,
They are weak but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me,
The bible tells me so.

Games/Activities

Blanket Game

Supplies Needed:
• Blanket
• Small objects, enough for one per child (I used finger puppets)
• Small pieces of paper
• Bucket
Directions:
• Before class lay out your small objects. For each object, write it down on a small piece of paper. Put all the objects in the bucket. Cover the bucket with a blanket.
• Have the children sit in a circle round the bucket. Give each child a piece of paper with the name of an object written on it. One at a time the children will reach under the blanket and try to find their object. Give them only one or two tries. See how many people grab their objects on the first try.
• Talk to the children about how difficult it was to find their objects. When we do things in the light, it is easier. Light helps is see what we are doing. Jesus is the light of the world!

Crafts

Light Shades

Supplies Needed:
• One flashlight
• Large blanket
• White paper
• Scissors
• Tape
• Multiple colors of tissue paper
• Stick glue
Directions:
1. Give each child a piece of white paper and tell them to create a colorful picture using tissue paper. They can create any scene they want using scissors and glue.
2. When they are done, roll the paper into a tube and tape together so that their image is hidden on the inside of the tube.
3. When everyone is done, gather everyone under the large blanket with their creations. One at a time put the flashlight in their paper tube and let the light shine through to reveal their colorful images.

Coloring Page