God Showed His Grace by Sending His Son

Transcription

1 6 God Showed His Grace by Sending His Son BIBLE BASIS This is it. The crux of our faith. God showed his grace by sending his Son to die on a cross for our sins. Jesus willingly did so. Then he rose again to break the bonds of sin Bible Focus: Luke 23:44 24:7 Discovery Point: God showed his grace by sending his Son. Worship Response: Kids will praise God for showing his grace through Jesus. Key Verse: 24:6a). He isn t here! He is risen from the dead! (Luke and death for all eternity. Because of Jesus, we can be forgiven and live forever with him in A Look at the Session Mix and match to meet your needs. For more ideas, see For-Extra-Time Activities on page 70. heaven. Use this session to bring home to kids these Session Sequence What Kids Will Do Supplies awesome, amazing acts of love God giving up his Son, and Jesus giving up his life. Amazing grace! Welcome! (up to 15 minutes) Imagine a new disease, and then share a special cure. Sticking With God: Grasping His Grace CD or DVD, CD player or TV/DVD player, paper cups, fruit drink, glass, index cards, pens or pencils Let s Explore! (up to 20 minutes) Use creative presentations to tell parts of the account of Jesus resurrection, and then explore the sacrifice God made in the name of grace and love! Hands-On Bibles, Sticking With God: Grasping His Grace CD, CD player, art supplies, paper, pens or pencils, markers, tape, index cards, newsprint, scissors Let s Praise! (up to 15 minutes) Make reminder crosses as they praise God in song to thank him for sending Jesus. Sticking With God: Grasping His Grace CD or DVD, CD player or TV/DVD player, chenille wires, tape, newsprint cross and cards from Let s Explore! Let s Pray! (up to 10 minutes) Thank God for sending Jesus to forgive our sins, and then remove their paper sins from a cross and tear them. Sticking With God: Grasping His Grace CD, CD player, newsprint cross and cards from Let s Explore!, wire crosses from Let s Praise! 62 Hands-On Bible MAX

2 Before This Session o Pour fruit drink into a cup for each child, and set the cups out of sight. Pour the same drink into a clear glass for yourself, and set it at the front of the room. o Before class, cut a large sheet of newsprint into a cross shape. Tape the cross to a wall at kids eye level. See page 9. o Assemble Bible Exploration Kits (one per four or five kids): one Hands-On Bible, paper, pens or pencils, markers, index cards, tape, and one chenille wire per child. o CD/DVD Cue the Sticking With God: Grasping His Grace CD (1) or DVD (1). o Huddle briefly with volunteers before the session. Answer questions they have. Encourage them, and pray for the session, the volunteers, and the kids. TEACHER TIP Bible Exploration Kits are an easy way to give each group supplies. The Jabber Mat from Group Publishing is a great tool that can be used as a Bible Exploration Kit and as a space for a Bible Crew to gather. Check it out at group.com/jabbermat. Session 6 God Showed His Grace by Sending His Son 63

3 Welcome! Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits (see page 63) CD player or TV/DVD player prepared fruit drink (see page 63) DVD CD 1. Play CD/DVD Into the Bible (1) as kids arrive. 2. As kids arrive, give each child an index card and a pen or pencil. Ask each child to secretly think up a new disease. Encourage kids to write descriptions of the new diseases, including its symptoms, without showing anyone. 3. When everyone has arrived and made up a disease, let kids who want to read their diseases out loud. Then show everyone your glass of fruit drink. SAY: Imagine you have the disease you just invented and it s deadly. You ll certainly die from this disease if you don t get the right medicine. Your symptoms are getting worse, and you know your death is coming soon. I happen to have a medicine that cures everything, but it s precious to me, and curing your diseases would take it all. This is the only batch of this medicine in the world, and we can t make any more. It would be hard for me to let go of this medicine because I love it and I m proud of it. ASK: What should I do? What one thing in your life would it be most difficult to give up, even if it meant saving the world? 4. SAY: I care deeply for all of you, and I don t want you to die of these terrible diseases. So I m going to share my medicine with you. Distribute cups of fruit drink, and allow kids to enjoy the drinks. This reminds me of something God did. He saw that the world was dying from a terrible disease: sin. So God gave up the one most important thing to him. GOD SHOWED HIS GRACE BY SENDING HIS SON. 64 Hands-On Bible MAX

4 Let s Explore! Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits (see page 63) CD player various art supplies prepared newsprint cross (see page 63) CD 1. Have kids form Bible Crews by interest (art, music, drama, storytelling, and so on). If you have more than five kids in a crew, have the crew split into two. Give each crew a Bible Exploration Kit, and SAY: Today we ll explore the most amazing, most powerful, most awesome act of love and grace ever recorded in history. But before we get into it, discuss this question in your Bible Crews. ASK: TEACHER TIP Bible Crews can be as small as one or as large as five kids. It s best if crews include a range of ages so older kids can help younger ones. What s the most powerful thing you ve ever seen anyone do? Let crews discuss, and then ask several kids to share some of their crews answers with the large group. SAY: Those are powerful things! But really, none can compare with what happened more than 2,000 years ago. Let s find out more. 2. Play CD The Easter Chicken (18) on the CD. SAY: Flying chickens would be pretty cool, but Hannah was right. Easter is all about the greatest event of all time. Have crews take the Hands-On Bibles from their kits and turn to Luke 23:44 24:7. Each crew will have a section of the passage to portray for the rest of the group in cliffhanger fashion. Assign crews the following sections: Luke 23:44-46; Luke 23:47-49; Luke 23:50-56; Luke 24:1-4; and Luke 24:5-7. If you have more than five crews, it s OK to repeat. Fewer than five? Go ahead and combine the sections. Explain that crews can use the art supplies to make a mural, or they can use the paper, markers, and pens in their kits to create a skit, a song, or another means of expression. The only requirement is that each presentation needs to end with: And then to build anticipation for what comes next. Tell groups they ll have about six or seven minutes to create their presentations. As kids work, move around the room to offer encouragement and help as needed. When crews have finished, let each crew present its part of the cliffhanger to the large group. At the end, lead everyone in a round of applause. Session 6 God Showed His Grace by Sending His Son 65

5 3. SAY: Thanks for using your creativity to tell about the greatest event of all time! ASK: Why do you think this is the greatest event of all time? What strikes you as the most amazing part of this account? SAY: This event is incredible not only because it s true, but because each part is more amazing than the last! From start to finish, it s the most important experience you ll ever hear about! GOD SHOWED HIS GRACE BY SENDING HIS SON, Jesus, to die for our sins. That s the greatest event of all time because it can affect everyone! Jesus died for you. And for me. And for your mom. And for your neighbor. And for that mean kid at school. 66 Hands-On Bible MAX

6 By dying on the cross, Jesus took the punishment for your sins. And mine. And your mom s. And your neighbor s. And the mean kid s. None of us deserved it. None of us did anything to earn it. Jesus died on the cross for our sins the bad things we do because he loves us. He didn t have to die on the cross. He chose to. 4. Ask kids to take the index cards from the Bible Exploration Kits. Have kids write their names on one side and then turn the cards over and write or draw three bad things they ve done recently. Then ask for volunteers to share something they ve written. SAY: Did you hear those sins? And those are just a few bad things done by a few people. Imagine all of the sins you might commit this week. Or in your whole lifetime. Then multiply those sins by all the other kids in our church, in your school, in this town. And imagine all of the sins committed by all of the people in the whole world. And by all of the people who ever lived! You start to see how huge what Jesus did is. He died to take the punishment for all of the bad things done by all of the people who ever lived, even though he himself had never sinned. That s incredible grace! But do you know what s even more incredible to me? If you were the only person on the earth, I m certain Jesus would climb on that cross and nail himself to it for you. That s how much he loves you. That cross has your name on it. 5. Have crews take turns coming forward to the cross you taped on the wall. Give each person a piece of tape, and have kids tape their cards to the cross, name-side showing. SAY: GOD SHOWED HIS GRACE BY SENDING HIS SON. And Jesus died for you. He did it because he loves you. Now that s grace. Let s take a moment to silently thank Jesus. Pause to silently pray. All you have to do is believe in Jesus, and your sins will be forgiven and you can live with Jesus forever. Jesus died for you. And then could it get any more amazing he came back to life on the third day. He broke the power of death and sin for all time! I can t think of anything more amazing! Let s celebrate Jesus resurrection power! Session 6 God Showed His Grace by Sending His Son 67

7 Let s Praise! Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits (see page 63) newsprint cross and cards from Let s Explore! CD player or TV/DVD player DVD CD 1. PLAY: CD/DVD It Is by Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9) (2) 2. Give each child a chenille wire. Encourage kids to mold the wires into the shape of a cross as they sing the next song. Remind kids that Jesus willingly died on a cross to take the punishment for our sins. As kids work on the crosses, PLAY: CD/DVD Because of His Mercy (Titus 3:5a) (4) 3. SAY: GOD SHOWED HIS GRACE BY SENDING HIS SON to die for us. Now it s our turn to show our love to God. As we sing our next song, bring your cross to the big cross up front. Add your cross to the card with your name on it, and quietly thank God for showing his grace. PLAY: CD/DVD A New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) (6) 68 Hands-On Bible MAX

8 Let s Pray! Supplies: CD player newsprint cross and cards from Let s Explore! wire crosses from Let s Praise! CD 1. Have kids sit near the cross on the wall. SAY: Just like our sins are hanging on the cross, Jesus hung on the cross dying for us. Let s take some time to worship him through prayer for his grace. Talk silently with God, and thank him for showing his grace by sending his Son to die for you. Then ask God to help you remember his sacrifice. When you finish praying, please take your card off the large cross, and take your wire cross off the card. Tear your card in half to show that Jesus has defeated your sins when he came back to life. Then keep your cross to remind you of the sacrifice God made when HE SHOWED HIS GRACE BY SENDING HIS SON. 2. Play the instrumental version of CD It Is by Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9) (10) in the background as kids pray. When everyone is seated again, close your prayer time by thanking Jesus for taking our sins away. High Fives Supplies: none Have kids use their two index fingers to make a cross shape and then give high fives with the cross shape as they leave. Session 6 God Showed His Grace by Sending His Son 69

9 For-Extra-Time Activities See page 9 CRUNCHY CROSSES Supplies: pretzel sticks licorice strings napkins Have kids make edible crosses of pretzel sticks tied together with licorice strings. As kids enjoy their snacks, ask them to discuss what God s grace means to them. EMPTY TOMBS Supplies: paper or foam cups string scissors tape scrap paper Have kids carefully punch a small hole in the bottom of a cup and thread the string through the hole to the inside of the cup. Then have kids tape the end of the string to the outside of the bottom. Tape the other end of the string to a paper wad this will be the stone that was rolled away from the paper-cup tomb. SAY: Try to toss the stone in and out of the tomb. Take your cup home, and explain to your family and friends that Jesus tomb was empty because he had come back to life! FOCUS HIDING IT IN YOUR HEART Supplies: bowl of water cork Place a cork in a bowl of water. Let kids take turns dipping the cork under the water. Talk about how the cork always rises back to the surface. Read the Key Verse, Luke 24:6a, and talk about how Jesus came back to life. Death couldn t keep him down! CREATE A BIBLE DICTIONARY Supplies: paper markers dictionary Ask kids to create one or more new pages, each with a new word, for the Bible Dictionary. Ask for ideas of new words from today s session death and resurrection are two suggestions. Have them write each word on a sheet of paper in fun letters, add a definition, list Scripture references, and make illustrations. Add each page to a three-ring binder, and watch the dictionary grow! THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE Supplies: CD player Ask kids to read the intro page for any book of the Bible and create a motion for that book. For example, kids could make a motion for rain for Genesis or do a beauty pageant wave for Esther. Play CD The Books of the Bible Song (8), and have kids do all the motions they have learned. 70 Hands-On Bible MAX

10 Family Devotion Bible Focus: Luke 23:44 24:7 Discovery Point: God showed his grace by sending his Son. Key Verse: He isn t here! He is risen from the dead! (Luke 24:6a). God Showed His Grace by Sending His Son He Did It! Jesus caught the biggest bike jump? NOT! He did something way cooler. He died on the cross and then three days later came back to life. (Read LUKE 23:44 24:7 for the amazing story.) Jesus had Resurrection Power! He broke the chains of death and sin, and because he did, we can be forgiven for our sins. As a family, go outside and try this experiment. (Invite some neighbors over, too, so you can tell them about Jesus amazing Resurrection Power!) Then stand back and watch what happens! Blast OFF! Build this rocket to remind you that Jesus broke the bonds of death. 3 Put a teaspoon of baking soda into a square of bathroom tissue, and fold it like a packet. Cut two strips of paper towel, and tape them to the top of a cork. The cork blasts into the air because of the reaction between the lemon juice and baking soda. Jesus Resurrection Power came from the fact that Jesus is God s Son! Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible MAX granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO group.com/biblemax Go outside. Pour half an inch of lemon juice into a clean, empty 16-ounce plastic bottle. Then fill the bottle with water until it s not quite half full. 4 Drop the packet into the bottle, put the cork in place, and tape the paper towel strips to either side of the bottle. Shake the bottle, and stand back! Death couldn t hold Jesus. His Resurrection Power RULES! FAMILY CHALLENGE Grab a bunch of plastic eggs. Inside each one, tuck a paper slip on which you ve written something about Jesus. Maybe you ll write Jesus is alive! or Jesus loves you! Then hide the eggs around your neighborhood. Pray together for the people who find the eggs pray that they ll come to believe in Jesus. Session 6 God Showed His Grace by Sending His Son BE CAREFUL! You ll need safety glasses and an adult to help you. 71