STORY 25 MINUTES WORSHIP 10 MINUTES GROUPS 25 MINUTES

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1 PRELUDE SOCIAL 15 MINUTES STORY WORSHIP HOME Chief Executive Officer Reggie Joiner Creative Team Kristen Ivy Mike Clear Molly Bell Elloa Davis Elizabeth Hansen Brandon O Dell Greg Payne Phil Pierce Dan Scott Jon Williams Contributing Writers Becky Jarrett Julie Tiemann Editors Molly Bell Elloa Davis Illustrations & Graphic Design Brian Bascle Mike Davis Joe Goode Technical & Web Support Hadley Brandt Orange Specialists Amy Grisham Abbey Carr Amy Fenton Leslie Galema Misty Phillips Stephanie Porter Courtney Templeton Statement of Faith ABOUT GOD God is the one and only true God, yet He exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator, so everything belongs to Him and is under His control. God is holy, so He is righteous, majestic, and loving. God is all knowing and purposeful, so He s at work to bring about His will. No person, thing, or idea compares to God. ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES God reveals Himself to us through the Bible, and it is 100% accurate, reliable, and authoritative. ABOUT PEOPLE People are made in God s image and for His pleasure. But everybody falls short of God s intention, or ideal, for people. In other words, everyone has sinned. As a result, we are all separated from Him, even though He wants an intimate relationship with each of us. ABOUT SALVATION That s why Jesus God s Son came and lived on this earth, died, and rose again. God offers His free gift of salvation to all who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Savior the only way to be forgiven and reconciled to God. Anyone who accepts this gift is adopted as a son or daughter into God s family and will live with Him forever in heaven. User Agreement Orange gladly grants permission to churches, schools, and other licensees to tailor 252 Basics materials to fit their unique leadership requirements, locale and format preferences, and physical environment needs. However, if you wish to edit the content substantively, including Bible stories, learning activities, scripts, and any other content in which biblical principles and concepts are presented, you are obligated to do so within the doctrinal guidelines we ve expressed in our Statement of Faith. These resources are intended to be downloaded and printed for use by the subscribing entity only and may not be electronically transferred to or duplicated by other non-subscribing entities. Any unauthorized reproduction of this material or incorporation into a new work is a direct violation of US copyright laws The rethink Group. All rights reserved. 252 Basics and the 252 Basics logo are trademarks of Orange and the rethink Group. Scripture marked NIrV is taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL READER S VERSION. Copyright 1996, 1998, 2014 Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of Biblica. Scripture marked NIV is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

2 PRELUDE SOCIAL 15 MINUTES STORY WORSHIP HOME BIBLE STORY Dude, Where s My Sheep? The Lost Sheep Luke 15:1-7 BOTTOM LINE God forgives you. MEMORY VERSE Put up with one another. Forgive one another if you are holding something against someone. Forgive, just as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13, NIrV LIFE APP 15 MINUTES 25 MINUTES 10 MINUTES 25 MINUTES PRELUDE: Setting the tone for the experience For Leaders Only Create the Environment SOCIAL: Providing time for fun interaction Ideas for Early Arrivers Missing! STORY: Communicating God s truth in engaging ways Opener Worship Bible Story Prayer Closer WORSHIP: Inviting people to respond to God Let It Be Known from Movin Me Forever Reign from Living Inside Out : Creating a safe place to connect Sheep Toss Give Fluffy Frame of Forgiveness Prayer HOME: Prompting action beyond the experience GodTime Parent Cue Forgiveness deciding that someone who has wronged you doesn t have to pay. BASIC TRUTH I can trust God no matter what. PAGE 2

3 PRELUDE SOCIAL 15 MINUTES STORY WORSHIP HOME BIBLE STORY Dude, Where s My Sheep? The Lost Sheep Luke 15:1-7 BOTTOM LINE God forgives you. MEMORY VERSE Put up with one another. Forgive one another if you are holding something against someone. Forgive, just as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13, NIrV LIFE APP Forgiveness deciding that someone who has wronged you doesn t have to pay. BASIC TRUTH I can trust God no matter what. Note: This version of the curriculum is designed especially for churches with fewer leaders and kids. You may want to use it if you have just one or two leaders and if you combine all your kids in both Large and Small Group time. GETTING READY SOCIAL: PROVIDING TIME FOR FUN INTERACTION (Choose one or both of these activities.) Early Arriver An offering container Missing! Missing! Posters Activity Pages; one for every pair of kids in your small group Markers Crayons A pillowcase filled with small random objects (ex. toys, household utensils, office supplies, etc.) STORY: COMMUNICATING GOD S TRUTH IN ENGAGING WAYS 1. Opener/Closer WHAT YOU NEED: Leader Work coveralls Ball cap A paint rag An old chair A lot of screws; one per child Phone timer Music and Sound Effects (SFX): Upbeat music to use as kids enter and exit the room Fun upbeat music of your choice for the game Large Group Visuals (downloadable from the website): Forgiveness Slide Memory Verse Slide Bottom Line Slide PAGE 3

4 PRELUDE SOCIAL 15 MINUTES STORY WORSHIP HOME Download the slides and have them ready to use. If you do not have CG capabilities, you have Orange s permission to enlarge and print the slides on paper. Hide one screw per child you expect for Large Group in the room. You may want to hide a couple of extra screws in case some can t be found. Download the music from a resource such as itunes and have it ready to play. Note: Legally a song belongs to the songwriter/composer who created it and the publisher who markets it. Performance rights organizations (PROs) license public performances (live or recorded) of their members music. Usually, but not always, PROs give general permission for performances in worship services. We recommend you obtain permission from the PRO representing the song or the publisher of the song you wish to play. PROs in the U.S. are ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. For a list of PROs in your part of the world: Look at the copyright on the CD or sheet music to discover the PRO or publisher of the song. It is up to you to make sure your church has permission to perform or play a recording of a song. 2. Bible Story WHAT YOU NEED: Leader Bible Script in a binder (optional) Thick card stock Frame (or masking tape) Masking tape or other adhesive Large Group Visuals (downloadable from the website): The Lost Sheep Puzzle Bottom Line Slide Download the slides and have them ready to use. If you do not have CG capabilities, you have Orange s permission to enlarge and print the slides on paper. Since there are lots of starts and stops in the story with kids bringing the puzzle pieces up, it might be easy for the Leader to lose his/her place in the story. You can print out the script and place it in a binder if you think that will help the pace of the story. Print out the puzzle in a size large enough that your kids will be able to see the artwork well from the audience. Print on the thickest card stock possible so the pieces will hold up. Label each piece in order from left to right, top to bottom with the numbers Give number 12 to another adult volunteer before Large Group with instructions on how to hide the piece during the Bible story. Figure out a frame for the puzzle, based on the size that you printed the puzzle. You can use an actual frame hanging on the wall or make a frame out of masking tape (use something fun and colorful if you can!). Put 12 pieces of tape (rolled up so both sides are sticky) inside the frame for the kids to place the puzzle pieces. PAGE 4

5 PRELUDE SOCIAL 15 MINUTES STORY WORSHIP HOME 3. Worship WHAT YOU NEED: Leader(s) Music and Sound Effects (SFX): Let It Be Known from Movin Me* Forever Reign from Living Inside Out* *Live lyrics video available from Download all songs (available on AmberSkyRecords.com) and have them ready to use. Note: Make sure your church has obtained licensing rights to play or perform music. You can obtain a license to perform worship music from Christian Copyright Licensing International ( It covers over 200,000 worship songs for congregational singing. You are responsible for including the copyright information on all songs reproduced under the Church Copyright License (including song lyrics projected onscreen). This includes the song title, writer credit(s), copyright notice, and your church s CCLI license number. You can include this information on one of the lyric slides, or you can create a separate slide detailing this information, but the copyright information must appear at least once for each song you play or perform. For example: Hallelujah words and music by John Doe 2000 Good Music Co. CCLI License # 0000 Download and print this week s tech sheet for everyone helping with Large Group. 4. Additional Resources GET REEL: This month with Get Reel 2.0, we re discovering what kind of work goes into true forgiveness. This week, we recommend playing the Discovery video to inspire the key faith skill of Navigate the Bible. Our Host literally jumps into the Bible to help us discover how God wants us to learn what He says and apply it to our lives. Also on Get Reel 2.0, you can enhance your environment with an M.C. Haggis video. M.C. Haggis and his sidekick Shamus McFamus tell us all about this month s widget. FEATURE PRESENTATION: We know that sometimes you want to mix things up to keep kids engaged with the most important thing you do every week in your Large Group: tell the Bible story. You also like having a back-up plan in case your Assistant or Leader cancels at the last minute. This is why our Large Group script is interchangeable with the Feature Presentation DVDs so you can plug and play the way you need to each week. Similar to the flow we create with our Large Group script, Feature Presentation also has weekly Intro and Outro videos with a Assistant. The Intros set up the Bible story and Life App, while the Outros smoothly transition from Large Group to Small Group. For the K-5 combined age group, we recommend playing 252 Story, which brings you the Bible story in a simple and direct way through a professional Leader accompanied by illustrations. PAGE 5

6 PRELUDE SOCIAL 15 MINUTES STORY WORSHIP HOME Widget*: The Wipe Out * widg et [wij-it] noun 1. Something unspecific whose name is either forgotten or not known. 2. A device that is very useful for a particular job Origin: ; perhaps an alternative form of gadget Ever have a day... week... month that just calls for a do-over? We re guessing the kids and families in your ministry often feel the same. That s why this month s widget, THE WIPE OUT, provides an awesome opportunity for kids to discover how God can give them and others a fresh start. Each old-school magic slate gives families a place to answer questions each week like What do you need to be forgiven for? and What do you need to forgive? with a stylus. Then pull up the plastic to erase the words and start over with a clean slate. : CREATING A SAFE PLACE TO CONNECT (Choose as many of these activities as you like.) * If you don t have time to do all these activities, be sure to do activity #1. * 1. Sheep Toss (application activity / review the Bible story) Cotton balls, at least one per kid Masking tape Measuring tape (either a few standard roll-up types, or consider providing paper measuring tapes for each child, like those found here Give (application activity) Balloons, one per pair of kids in your small group 3. Fluffy Frame of Forgiveness (memory verse activity) Fluffy Frame of Forgiveness Activity Pages; one per kid Cotton balls Glue sticks Markers Crayons Bibles (Optional) pieces of paper measuring tape (can be same as Sheep Toss ) Prayer Balloons from Activity #2 Scissors Additional Resources: Make copies on cardstock or this week s GodTime and Parent Cue cards. Tell parents about our additional family resources: Studio252.tv, CUE Box, and the Parent Cue app. To find out more about these great resources, go to PAGE 6

7 PRELUDE STORY WORSHIP HOME SOCIAL 15 MINUTES SOCIAL: PROVIDING TIME FOR FUN INTERACTION (SMALL, 15 MINUTES) Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today s story. Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Ask God for a month full of deep conversations and hearts that are hungry to know more about forgiveness. 1. EARLY ARRIVER IDEA WHAT YOU NEED: Offering container Greet kids as they arrive and encourage them to place their offering in the container. Ask the group to share about a time when they lost something. o When did they realize it was missing? o Where did they look for it? o How did they feel when they couldn t find it? o What is it like losing something? o If appropriate, ask if any of them have ever been lost, either separated from their grown-ups in a store or park; or if they have ever been riding in a car when the driver got lost. o What is it like being lost? 2. MISSING! WHAT YOU NEED: Missing! Activity Pages; one for every pair of kids in your small group, markers, crayons, pillowcase filled with small random objects (ex. toys, household utensils, office supplies, etc.) Pair kids up, with younger pre-readers buddied with older kids. Assign the younger kid in the pair to be the artist and the older kid to be the writer. Hand out the posters and make the coloring supplies available. Let kids select objects from the pillowcase. The younger kid will draw the item on the poster and the older kid will write a description. This can be factual or funny (i.e. Missing: teddy bear, brown and white; or Missing: Spatula, smells like syrup and answers to Charlie.) If time permits, send kids out of the room or make them stand and face a wall with their eyes closed. Hide the objects around the room. Then shuffle the posters up and give each pair one poster. Let kids go around and look for the object from the poster they re holding. WHAT YOU SAY: These things didn t seem all that valuable until they went missing! [Transition] Let s go hear about someone who lost something way more valuable than a spatula. Lead your group to the Large Group area. PAGE 7

8 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME STORY: COMMUNICATING GOD S TRUTH IN ENGAGING WAYS (LARGE GROUP, 35 MINUTES) Engage kids hearts through a dynamic and interactive Bible story, worship, and prayer experience in a Large Group setting. SFX: Play high-energy music as kids enter. Leader enters, wearing work coveralls and a ball cap, wiping the sweat off your brow with a paint rag. OPENER LEADER: Whew. I m glad you guys got here so I could take a break. You may be wondering what this mess is all about. Well, what you see as a mess, I see as a project in progress. What project? I m glad you asked. I like to call this Fix It Up. It s a forgiveness project. CG: Forgiveness Slide Forgiveness is deciding that someone who has wronged you doesn t have to pay. The Bible has a ton to say about forgiveness. Check out our memory verse for this month. CG: Memory Verse Slide Put up with one another. Forgive one another if you are holding something against someone. Forgive, just as the Lord forgave you, Colossians 3:13, NIrV Forgiveness. It s easy to say it, but not always so easy to do it can take some work. But we re in it together this month, and I know we can do it. Speaking of which, I could use your help fixing up this chair. (Walk over to the chair.) It reminds me of one that my grandmother used to have, and I think all it will take is a little TLC to get it back in tip-top shape. But there s one problem. I m missing several screws that I ll need to make this thing sturdier. How about we make this a game? There are screws lost all over this room. You all will have two minutes to find as many screws as you can. But each person can only touch one screw, so once you find one, you can t touch anymore. But you can still help others search and point them in the right direction if you see another one. The game will be over when everyone has found a screw, or when two minutes are up whichever comes first. On your mark, get set, go! SFX: Fun, upbeat music Use a phone timer to give the kids two minutes to search. If everyone finds a screw before the two minutes are up, celebrate a victory. That was awesome. I loved how determined each of you were to find just one little screw. And it paid off! Now I ll be able to fix this chair. PAGE 8

9 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME SETTING UP THE STORY LEADER: The Bible has a lot to say about determination. Just like you guys searched and searched for a little screw, Jesus told the story of someone who never gave up to find something else small. I can t wait to share this story with you, but first I m going to need your help to do it! Hand out 11 of the puzzle pieces. If there aren t enough for everyone, then tell the kids who didn t get a piece that they will have a special challenge when the story is over. While you tell the story, have another adult volunteer discreetly hide the last piece (marked #12) somewhere in the room. As I tell you this story today, I will call out numbers from time to time. When I do, if you have that puzzle piece in your hands, come up to the front and stick it in the correct space on the puzzle board. Are you ready? Great! Let s get started. RELIGIOUS LEADERS LEADER: Today s story comes from the book of Luke (hold up your Bible) in the Bible. When Jesus was going around teaching, there was no telling whom you might meet in the crowd. Rich, poor, young, old, well-educated religious leaders, and even those looked down upon by those religious leaders... Yes, many of the people who crowded around Jesus were considered the lowest of the low. Tax collectors who cheated people by taking extra money for themselves and the Romans, as well as, other men and women who had made wrong choices and broken God s laws. Jesus was happy to see everyone, especially those who were eager to hear God s words and change their lives. But the religious leaders thought Jesus was bringing himself down to the level of these sinners. Jesus heard the religious leaders and their complaints against His teachings and His ways, and He also knew just what the religious leaders were thinking in their hearts. But instead of arguing with them, he told a story. You can read it for yourself in Luke 15, but if He told it today, it might sound something like this. (Open the binder and read the script.) THE PARABLE LEADER: There was once a man with one hundred sheep. We ll call him Bob. If you have puzzle piece #1, please bring it up. (Show the kid how to put the puzzle piece in the first spot.) Each day, Bob led his sheep out to the mountain pasture where they could munch on the rich green grass and wander down to the creek for a drink of clear cool water. It s time for piece #2. (Show the kid how to put the puzzle piece in the second spot. Hopefully after the first couple of pieces, the kids will understand they are going in order and you can pick up the pace.) Every evening, Bob led his flock back home to the sheepfold where they would be safe from all the wolves, lions, bears and other predators who liked to feast on the cute little sheep. Where s puzzle piece #3? One evening, Bob herded all the sheep inside as usual. He began to count the sheep... Let s see, Curly, you re 98. Cotton, 99. And Snowflake... hmm, where s Snowflake? PAGE 9

10 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME Bob searched the sheepfold, and re-counted his sheep. Ninety-seven, 98, Snowflake? You rascal. Where are you? If you have piece #4, please bring it up. Bob made one more frantic sweep of the pen, but it quickly became clear: Snowflake was back up there on the mountain! Night was falling and darkness crept through the valley. Snowflake was out there all alone! Bob knew he had to find her. Where s piece #5? Bob grabbed his flashlight and shut the door, leaving the other 99 safely inside the sheepfold. As he hurried across the field, he texted all his friends and neighbors: FYI... Snowflake lost... Going to look. I need piece #6 now. Bob rushed back up the mountain, scrambling over loose rocks and through bramble patches. He heard the sound of a distant lion roar. Oh no! There was no way Snowflake could stand up to a lion! Then a wolf howled. The night grew darker. Bob flashed his light behind craggy rocks and into tangled thickets, but no sheep. Who has #7? Bob spun in a circle searching for any clues of his missing sheep. He heard a faint bleating. That had to be her! Bob plunged into a deep ravine, slipping and sliding down the steep slope. Time for piece #8. Even though Bob scraped his knee and bashed his elbow, it was worth it. There, trapped in vines at the bottom was Snowflake! Please bring up piece #9. Carefully, Bob freed his lost sheep. He draped her around his shoulders and clawed his way up out of the ravine. Filled with joy, he raced down the hillside calling friends as he went. I found her! She s safe! Big party at my place and you gotta come, he joyfully and breathlessly shouted into the phone. If you have piece #10, bring it. The rest of the sheep were happy to see Snowflake back. And Bob shared his great joy with friends and neighbors late into the night. EXPLAINING THE PARABLE LEADER: As Jesus finished the story the story that sounded a little like the one I just shared the crowd listened in silence. Jesus looked directly at the religious leaders. Let s read from the Bible exactly what he said. (Open your Bible and read Luke 15:7) I tell you, it will be the same in heaven. There will be great joy when one sinner turns away from sin. Yes, there will be more joy than for 99 godly people who do not need to turn away from their sins, (NIrV). If you have piece #11, please bring it up. PAGE 10

11 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME The religious leaders probably realized that they were the other sheep in Jesus story. It was like Jesus was saying that God actually LOVED all those lost sinners... the ones that they were always looking down on. Not one of them had the nerve to respond to Jesus. But many of them understood what he was saying. God is quick to seek out and forgive everyone no matter who they are or what they ve done. WRAPPING UP THE STORY LEADER: Great job putting together that puzzle, everyone! (Turn and notice the missing piece.) Oh wait, we are missing a piece! Who has number 12? Anyone? Hmm... we can t leave the puzzle like this! I know we don t really have time, but we can t leave a piece out there all alone! I need your help again. Let s find it together! Lead the kids in finding the piece. When you find it, complete the puzzle. Whew. Great job, you guys. I couldn t have rested until we found that! I m so glad we didn t give up until we found it, but mostly I m so glad that God didn t give up on us. It s clear that you [Basic Truth] can trust God no matter what, because it doesn t matter where you ve gone or what you ve done. CG: Bottom Line Slide [Bottom Line] God forgives you. That s right! Like the shepherd in Jesus story, God will come and find you. He will do whatever it takes to help you find your way to Him. Why? Because He wants a personal and close relationship with you. When you ask for forgiveness, just like the shepherd called all of his friends, God has a big party to celebrate His love for you. You are that special to God. How about we pray right now and thank God for His gift of forgiveness? Let s pray. PRAY LEADER: Dear God, just like the shepherd who went searching for the one sheep who was missing, we know that You pursue each of us too. You don t give up on us, and You desire for each of us to be safely at home with you one day in Heaven. Thank You for forgiving us. We love You. In Jesus name, we pray, amen. WORSHIP LEADER: Let s stand up on your feet, and let s get ready to sing. This first song is called Let It Be Known. And we are making it known that our God saves. Can you say that with me? Our God saves. (Repeat a couple times as needed to build engagement.) Now let s make it known to this world that our God saves! SFX: Let It Be Known / track 5 from Movin Me Yeah! I am so thankful that our God saves and forgives us. Ephesians 1:7 says: We have been set free because of what Christ has done. Because he bled and died our sins have been forgiven. We have been set free because God s grace is so rich (NIrV). This next song is Forever Reign. Let s honor God by singing this song that praises His goodness and faithfulness that lasts forever! Sing with me. SFX: Forever Reign / track 12 from Living Inside Out PAGE 11

12 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME CLOSER LEADER: Alright, you all did a great job singing with me today. Maybe you saw it, or maybe you didn t, but the shepherd in the story Jesus told is God. And God wants us to know that like that lost sheep, there is nothing that we ve ever done or ever will do that is so terrible He can t forgive us. Nothing is too big for God s forgiveness. And He loves you so much that He will always come and find you. The fact is we ve all messed up. We ve made mistakes. We hurt other people. But God wants to forgive us for everything. Forgiveness starts with God. It s His idea, not ours. And we can t get right with Him on our own. Maybe you ve never asked God for His forgiveness before. Maybe you never even knew you needed it! That makes this a great time to ask God to forgive you for the wrong things you ve done. If you aren t sure where to start, talk with someone who s following God already, like a small group leader or family member. Or maybe you ve already asked God for His forgiveness. That s awesome! But it doesn t mean you don t still make mistakes. Don t forget to ask God for His forgiveness each day and to ask for His help to forgive others who wrong you. That s why this is the most important thing to remember today: CG: Bottom Line Slide [Bottom Line] God forgives you. Say that with me. LEADER and KIDS: [Bottom Line] God forgives you. LEADER: It s simple. It s true. There s no place so dark or hidden you can go that He won t search for you, ready to forgive. (Toss a screw up in the air and catch it.) Since you guys didn t give up on searching for my missing screws, I ve got some work to do now on this chair. And you guys have some fun times ahead in Small Group, so I ll see you next week! Dismiss children to their small groups. Play high-energy music as kids exit. PAGE 12

13 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME : CREATING A SAFE PLACE TO CONNECT (SMALL, ) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. * 1. SHEEP TOSS (application activity / review the Bible story) WHAT YOU NEED: Cotton balls; at least one per kid, masking tape, measuring tape Use the masking tape to make a circle in the middle of your small group area, large enough that all of the kids can stand inside it. Give each kid a cotton ball. Gather kids inside the circle, facing out. At your signal, they should all toss their sheep (cotton balls) outside the circle. Use the measuring tape to measure how far each sheep is from the edge of the circle. If time allows, also measure which sheep is the closest, nearest to another sheep, closest to the edge of your small group area, etc. WHAT YOU SAY: Sometimes we get caught up in measuring how far we, or other people, have wandered away from God. That s what the religious leaders in our Bible story were doing they always had their measuring tapes in their mind, checking the distance between other people and God, and then bragging about how much closer they were compared to the those other guys. But when Jesus told the story about the lost sheep, His point was that, no matter how far or long you ve been going your way, or what you ve done, or the foolish choices you ve made, [Bottom Line] God forgives you. He doesn t use a measuring tape oh, you sassed your mom so I ll forgive that, but then you stole your little brother s dessert right off his high chair, that s just too far for me to forgive. Nope, God is not like that at all. The point of Jesus story is that we all make mistakes, and we all do things that hurt others and ourselves, but that, just like the shepherd who went after the one sheep who ran away, crossed the line, and broke the rules, God is actively looking for people who need to be forgiven. That includes me and you GIVE (application activity) WHAT YOU NEED: One balloon for every 2 kids Blow up the balloons (or let older kids help you) and tie them off Pair up your group according to height and give each pair a balloon Designate a starting and finishing line (or mark them with masking tape on either side of your small group area) Tell the pairs they must hold the balloon between their two backs no hands allowed! and run together from the starting line to the finish. If they drop the balloon, they have to start over. PAGE 13

14 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME Let all the pairs go at once. Allow kids to try this for a while, then, as they are moving toward the finish line, call Give! and tell them to drop the balloon and both run to the finish line without it. Play as many rounds as time allows. WHAT YOU SAY: Alright, everyone, which was easier to run with the balloon between you or to run without the balloon? Of course! It was much easier to run without holding something against someone else. Today we heard that forgiveness is deciding someone who wronged you doesn t have to pay; another way to say that we have to let go of something we re holding against someone else. When you let go of the balloon, you could run easier. Would that have worked if just one of you had moved away and let go of the balloon? (Allow for answers.) Yes, if just one person decides to let go of what they re holding against another person, forgiveness can happen. That s what God did for us. We had something against Him; the sin separating us from God is our fault, because God is perfect. But God didn t let that sin separate us, and He sent Jesus to make a way to forgive that sin. [Bottom Line] God forgives you and doesn t let anything get between you and Him. We can do that with others, too. We can forgive by letting go of what we re holding against someone, even if they are still trying to hold on to anger and blame. [Make It Personal] (Share an age appropriate example of a time when you forgave a person who had done something wrong to you. Make sure to emphasize the forgiveness you showed and not the details of the offense.) I could forgive them because long ago, when I did wrong, someone told me that [Bottom Line] God forgives you. Because God doesn t hold anything against me, I don t have to hold anything against other people. 3. FLUFFY FRAME OF FORGIVENESS (memory verse activity) WHAT YOU NEED: Fluffy Frame of Forgiveness Activity Pages; one per kid, cotton balls, glue sticks, markers, crayons, Bibles, (Optional) pieces of paper measuring tape Gather the group in a circle and look up Colossians 3:13 according to the multiage tips below. Pass out the Fluffy Frame of Forgiveness Activity Pages, and read the verse out loud again, encouraging younger kids to follow along with their fingers on the words. Set out the cotton balls, glue sticks, coloring materials and measuring tape (if using), and let kids decorate the frame around the verse. Set the frames aside to dry. Finding verses with a multi-age group: Guide all kids to open their Bibles to the front and find the table of contents. (Hold up a Bible opened to the table of contents to show the kids what the page looks like.) When the kids find the table of contents, ask a middle elementary kid (2nd -3rd grade) to find Colossians in the list under New Testament. When the kid finds Colossians, lead them to look at the page number beside the word and say it aloud, explaining that the number tells them on what page they can find Colossians. Ask older elementary kids (4th-5th grade) to help younger ones find the correct page in their own Bibles. When they all find Colossians, explain that the big numbers on the page are the chapter numbers. Ask a kindergartner or PAGE 14

15 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME 1st grader to find chapter 3, and give time for all the kids to turn the pages to find it. Explain that the small numbers are verse numbers, and ask a middle elementary kid to find verse 13 in chapter 3. Then, read the verse aloud slowly, especially for your pre-readers; or ask older kids to read it to the group. WHAT YOU SAY: These frames look so fluffy! Who can tell me what the cotton ball is like from our Bible story? (Allow for answers.) That s right, the sheep! And we used measuring tape earlier to show that no matter how far you ve strayed from the pasture, [Bottom Line] God forgives you. Our verse also reminds us to let go of things we re holding against others did we do that this week? (Allow for answers.) Yep, with the balloons. Have any of you done that in real life forgiven someone you were holding something against? Like if your best friend forgot your birthday, did you forgive him and let it go, or did you remember it for the whole year and then not invite him to your party? Or maybe your sister broke your amazing LEGO pirate ship and you decided to just forgive her and rebuild instead of reminding her every morning for two weeks that she was the one who destroyed your beloved creation? Have any of you done something like that? (Allow for answers.) How did that feel? (Allow for answers.) We re going to have a lot of time this month to explore what forgiveness looks like in real life, and this verse does a great job of starting us off. Optional Additional Discussion Questions for Older Kids In the story, Jesus says there will be rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents. Define sinner. What does it mean to sin? What does it mean to repent or to turn away from sin? How do you feel when you lose something? What about when you find something you lost, how do you feel? Why do you think there is rejoicing in heaven when someone turns to God and asks Him for forgiveness? How can God s forgiveness change the way you interact with others? How can it change the way you feel about yourself? PRAY AND DISMISS WHAT YOU NEED: The balloons from Activity #2, scissors Gather the group into a circle and have each kid sit next to their buddy from Activity #2. Give each pair a balloon and a pair of scissors. Start a prayer by saying Dear God, today each of us wants to say... Then, have kids go around the circle, with the younger kid holding the balloon and saying Thank You and the older kid cutting the balloon near the tie, deflating it, saying as they do so, for Your forgiveness. (Remind younger kids not to put the balloons in their mouths, especially as they re deflating.) After the group has finished praying, set the balloons and scissors in the middle and finish the prayer. WHAT YOU SAY: Dear God, thank You for forgiving us and sending Jesus to find us and pay the price for our sin so it s not held against us anymore. Please help us to remember Your forgiveness this week, and to talk to You when we ve made bad choices so that You can forgive us and we can start over, amen. PAGE 15

16 PRELUDE SOCIAL STORY WORSHIP HOME These balloons are all empty now, even though they were full and awkward when they were held against us in the other activity. Look at all these empty balloons and remember that, no matter what you ve done or thought or said or broken or messed up, [Bottom Line] God forgives you. He forgives what s between us so that it s no longer a big, awkward mess; it s gone like the air from these balloons. As adults arrive to pick up show the adults the broken balloons and have their child tell them about forgiveness and letting go of something that comes between you. PAGE 16