Jesus Is the Messiah

Transcription

1 March 20, 2016 Bible Passage: Matthew 21:1 11, Mark 11:1 11; Luke 19:28 38; John 12:12 19 (Palm Sunday) Jesus Is the Messiah REMEMBER VERSE This is what the LORD says your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17 SERVICE SCHEDULE Explore It and Discover 10 min Big God Story 20 min Small Group 15 min Bless 3 min 1

2 Inspire Daddy, again! My husband tossed our son s little body into the air and caught him in his arms. Noah shrieked with delight. Now me, Dad! our daughter cried out as she ran into his arms. Be careful, I chuckled, delighted at the sound of my children s laughter as they played. No matter how many times their daddy threw them in the air, they always wanted another turn. They delighted in that brief moment of excitement when they were suspended in the air. They had complete trust in him, knowing that he would catch them as they fell into his waiting arms. To my children, their daddy is their hero. In their eyes, he can do no wrong. He is the strongest, bravest, smartest person they know. There is nothing I love more than to watch them interact with him wide-eyed and trusting, knowing he ll save them from any impending danger. My children are fortunate to have such an amazing earthly father. He is, perhaps, the most important member of their young faith community. They re truly blessed to have him. As they played, my daughter shouted, Save me! and giggled with joy, knowing that his arms were waiting for her as she returned from her flight. I smiled as I thought about her words, and I was reminded of just how amazing Jesus is. He s unlike anyone else. There s no one on earth who can do what He has done for us. Jesus is the Messiah the Anointed One who came to save us so that we may always be in relationship with Him. Alyson Crockett City Church Equip Palm Sunday is the day we celebrate the fact that Jesus the Messiah has come. It s one of the most important and climactic days in human history. Jesus told His disciples many times that His time had not yet come. But the day He rode into Jerusalem was different. He specifically arranged to have a young donkey brought to Him so He could fulfill the messianic prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. The people were singing Psalm 118, a psalm written to welcome the coming of the Messiah. When the Pharisees heard this, they were shocked and told Jesus to order the people to stop. Jesus replied, If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out (Luke 19:40). Jesus acknowledged the day as one of cosmic importance in the history of mankind. God Himself had arrived to be acknowledged as the Savior. Nature itself would have testified to this fact if man had not. This triumphal entry was the very day the book of Daniel prophesied the Messiah would come (Daniel 9:24 27). As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, people from the crowd began to chant. However, they didn t understand the significance of His entry into the holy city. Nor did they recognize Him as the promised Savior. Israel had rejected Him as their Messiah. After He approached the city, Jesus wept over it saying, If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace but now it is hidden from your eyes (Luke 19:42). God told Israel through Daniel the very day the Messiah would arrive, and they still rejected Him. But God hasn t forgotten His people. He continues to reveal Himself in many ways. The Messiah has come and will come again just as God has promised. 2

3 Did You Know In Daniel 9:24 27, the angel Gabriel gave Daniel a history lesson not of Israel s past but of Israel s future. He told Daniel the precise date the long-awaited Messiah would arrive. Scholars have a variety of dating methods to help understand this passage in Daniel. However, most conservative scholars agree it gives a timeline for the arrival of Messiah. Daniel passed along this information to the ancient priestly caste called the Magi, over whom he was chief (Daniel 4:9). These men looked for the signs and actively awaited the arrival of Messiah. Approximately 500 years later, the Magi knew the Messiah had come. Because the Magi were known as King Makers, it s no surprise their presence scared King Herod when they arrived in Jerusalem. Support But what about you? he asked. Who do you say I am? Peter answered, You are the Messiah. (Mark 8:29). Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). Who do you say Jesus is? This is perhaps the most important question we can ask ourselves. The word messiah means anointed one, deliverer, and savior. Jesus is not just a wise teacher or a good and moral man. Jesus is fully man and fully God, sent by the Father to be our deliverer to save us from our sins. He is the Anointed One. It s only through a relationship with Him that we can have salvation and eternal life in heaven. This week, meditate on this question: Who do I say Jesus is? Are there children and families you ll be ministering to this week who may be struggling with this question? Perhaps they re just beginning to learn about Jesus, or maybe they ve been attending church for years and are still working through understanding faith in Christ. Ask God to show you ways He wants to use you to help others discover Jesus as Messiah. 3

4 Lesson Overview Leader Title Explanation All Leaders TRANSITION Welcome to Worship K 1 Kids will watch a fun DVD. Welcome and Opening Prayer Welcome Kids. Song 1 - Jesus By My Side Offering Offering Slide Kids put their offering in the squirrel feeder. Worship K1 Rules G. O. D. MAIL TIME Memory Verse Play Mail Time Intro Video Choose a child to retrieve the mail from the mailbox, to give to for Memory Verse. Show Memory Verse Image WARDROBE OF WONDER What s It Palm Banch Storyteller THE BIG GOD STORY Video Intro BGS Play Wardrobe of Wonder Intro Video Choose 1 volunteer Volunteer picks two hats from wardrobe one for himself, one for host. Tell other kids to put on their imaginary thinking caps. Volunteer peeks in the What s It box gives 3 clues, kids get to vote on what they think it is SMALL GROUP BREAK OUT Dismiss kids to go with their small group leaders for response, connect, and create. Small Group Leaders CREATE: Worship response time REGROUP FOR WORSHIP Play Worship Songs Song 2 Hosanna Song 3 I Like to Kids will make a Hosanna banner as they celebrate and give thanks to God. BLESSING Say a prayer of blessing over the children Review Memory Verse Slide /Small Group Leaders DISMISS Start DVD of Funny Videos Small group leaders listen for their students names. 4

5 Welcome Kids & Opening Prayer Song 1 - Jesus By My Side Offering Goal: $ Current: $ Kids will worship by placing their offering in the squirrel feeder Offering Fact: Nick goes to school in Joplin, Missouri, but his family lives in Pittsburg, Kansas. Just like a lot of you, he has a family that really misses him when he is gone. Sometimes it is hard to send your family members away to other countries, but we as the Church can help. While we continue to raise money to help send Nick to Thailand, let s pray for Nick s family in Kansas that will miss him when he s gone. Pray that they will encourage Nick and be filled with joy that Nick is serving the students in Thailand. Let s also pray for Nick as he is traveling by himself to Thailand and may get homesick or lonely not being able to speak the Thai language yet. Then thank God that Nick, and all of us, get to serve in His Kingdom wherever He may send us! Discover (10 min) Create space intended for wonder to pique children s curiosity and allow them to engage in hands-on experiences as they begin their time in worship. Ponder Point Jesus Is the Messiah 5

6 Worship K1 Rules > Mail Time GOD G-et out your listening ears O-bey your teachers D-on t get in your neighbor s space REMEMBER VERSE This is what the LORD says your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17 Remember Verse Definitions Redeemer: One who buys back. Jesus paid the price of our sin so we can have eternal life. Holy: Super special like nothing or no one else; perfect; only God is holy. > Remember Verse Motions This is what the LORD says: Touch hands to shoulders. Lower hands as words are spoken. your Redeemer: Point forward with both hands and then open palms outward. the Holy One of Israel: Bring both hands together, flat against each other, in prayer stance, in front of chest. I am the LORD your God: Make L with right hand. Cross right hand over front of body from left shoulder to right hip. who teaches you what is best for you: Touch forehead with both hands and move hands forward. who directs you in the way you should go: Hold palms facing each other and move them forward in a snakelike motion. Wardrobe of Wonder What sit: Palm Branch Jesus is the Messiah who came to save mankind and bring spiritual freedom. Palm fronds were an ancient symbol of Israel s liberation. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the people waved palm branches to celebrate Him as their liberator. > The What sit connected to The Big God Story is hidden in the wardrobe. Pick a volunteer, allow them to choose a hat for you and one for themselves. Let them take a peek at the hidden object. Have the other kids put on their imaginary thinking cap. Tell them they get to vote to see what they think is in the What sit. They vote by raising their hand for the object they think is hidden the Wardrobe. Then as host you say. If you think our clue is a If you think our clue is a If you think our clue is a, raise your hand,, raise your hand,, raise your hand, 6

7 Let the child volunteer tell which answer is correct! What did you find in the wardrobe? Children will answer. That s right, a palm branch! Why do you think there s a palm branch in the wardrobe today? Children will answer; interact with their responses. What special name do we have for this Sunday? Let s find out how this branch fits into the part of The Big God Story we re going to hear today. But before we go any further, let s stop and ask God to teach us. 7

8 The Big God Story 20 min Matthew 21:1 11; Mark 11:1 11; Luke 19:28 38; John 12:12 19 PRAYER OF RELEASE The Prayer of Release is a time for children and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet their hearts and minds. If you d like, encourage kids to hold their open hands in front of them in a spirit of releasing their worries and distractions, to better receive what the Holy Spirit might have for them. After the children quiet their voices and still their bodies, ask them to pray with you. SUPPLIES The Big God Story intro clip and image (see Resources) Storyteller: Hello, friends. I m so excited to be with you. Last week we heard in The Big God Story how God was faithful to bring His people home and rebuild the temple. Today we get to hear how many, many years later Jesus entered this same city in a very special way! Now I have a question for you, How many of you like to wait? Wait in line, wait for your birthday, or wait for Christmas? Waiting can be really hard especially when you re excited and have been waiting for something for a really, really long time! Did you know that God s people had to wait a really long time for something He had promised them? You see, God s people had been waiting a really long time for the Messiah to come. The Messiah is the Savior God promised to send for the people long ago. His name is?...(allow kids to answer) Jesus! That s right. God promised His people that He would send a Savior to fix the relationship between people and Himself. As we know, God always keeps His promises. However, the Israelites had to wait for hundreds and hundreds of years before Jesus came. God had told His people many years before to wait and watch for the Messiah. He gave special messages to prophets. God told the prophets what the people should look for and how they would know who the Messiah was. City of Zion, be full of joy! People Of Jerusalem, shout! See, your king comes to you He always does what is right. He has won the victory. He is humble and riding on a donkey. He is sitting on a donkey s colt. At the right time, Jesus began to travel to the city of Jerusalem. While He was on His way, He sent two of His disciples into a nearby village. He told them, Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, Why are you doing this? say, The Lord needs it. Did God tell the people to look for the Messiah riding on a young donkey? That s exactly right, Everything happened just as God had told the prophets. 8

9 The men entered the village and found everything exactly like Jesus told them. As they were untying the young donkey, its owners asked them, Why are you untying the young donkey? Friends, what do you think the disciples said? Allow kids to answer. That s right! The disciples answered by saying, The Lord needs it. And what do you think the animal s owners did? Children will answer. That s right, they let the men take the young donkey. When the men got back to Jesus, they threw their coats on the donkey s back to make a place for Jesus to sit. Now, there was a great crowd of people who had come to Jerusalem for a big celebration. Many of those people had heard and seen the many miracles of Jesus! They knew there was something very special about Him. So, when they heard Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, they went out to meet Him with palm branches in their hands. Take palm branch from the wardrobe. While some people placed palm branches on the ground, others spread their coats on the ground for the young donkey to walk on as it carried Jesus. The people were so excited that some of them ran ahead of Jesus and others followed behind. They shouted, Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! why were the people shouting Hosanna to Jesus? Do you know what Hosanna means? Hosanna is a word that means save us! The people were shouting, Save us, save us! And that s just what Jesus did. He came to save us from our sins! Jesus is the Messiah! The Bible tells us that Jesus disciples continued the praise to God in such loud voices and with such joy that some of the Jewish leaders didn t like it. They told Jesus to stop them. Jesus told the leaders, If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out. Do you think Jesus really meant that stones would cry out and praise him? Do rocks talk? Are they alive? No but you see, it was so important for the people to know that Jesus is the Messiah that if they didn t proclaim that Jesus is the promised Savior, the rocks would have shouted it out! Friends, can you imagine the rocks shouting that Jesus is the Messiah? God s Promise had come and everyone needed to know! God loves us so much. He loves each and every person in this room, He loves our families, He loves each person in the entire world. Jesus, the Messiah the promised Savior came so we can know Him and worship Him together! Friends, next week in The Big God Story there s a great big stone, some angels, and a garden. Come back and see what all of these things have to do with the promise God made to us all. 9

10 Attention and Small group leaders.today we will stay as one big class and use our small group time as a time for Worship response.!! Worship Response SUPPLIES Palm Branch from what s it Butcher paper Crepe paper (various colors) Glue sticks Buckets or baskets (3) Worship music Hosanna PREPARE AHEAD Use marker to write HOSANNA! in large open block letters on the butcher paper. Tape butcher paper to the Response Wall. Cut crepe paper into one-inch squares, making enough for each child to have one. Place glue sticks and crepe-paper squares in buckets or baskets in front of the walls. RELATE Jesus, the Messiah! That s something to celebrate! The promised Savior, Jesus the Messiah has come. We re going to take our palm branch and play a fun game of Follow the Leader. Instead of following what the person is doing, follow what the palm branch is doing! If the palm branch goes up and down, follow behind by moving your body (or arms) up and down. If I wave my palm branch side to side, then move your body side to side! Let s try it while we sing Hosanna! Tech Cue: Hosanna Great Job! That was fun! And God loves it when we praise Him. Let s have a seat and settle down. This wall has the word HOSANNA! written across it. Can anyone remind us what hosanna means? Encourage responses. Right, it means save us! Hosanna is a way to say what we know is true about Jesus He saves us! It s a great word to say to Jesus, because we know He came to save us. We are going to thank God today for sending us Jesus to save us. When the music starts, if you d like, you may come choose a piece of paper. As you hold the paper in your hands, think about what an amazing gift it is that Jesus came! You can talk to God about how you re feeling about Him today. You may want to say thank You to God, or tell Him how much you love Him. Whatever you choose to say is between you and God. Then, when you re ready, use a glue stick to add your paper inside the word Hosanna! and Small group leaders. (model for the kids, with the paper, quiet prayer, and gluing it on the Word, so kids know exactly what to do.) Tech Cue Music: Jesus Loves Me When kids finish, encourage them to spend the remainder of the time dancing to the music and celebrating God. 10

11 Worship in Singing * Song 1 Jesus By My Side * Song 2 Hosanna (in response time) * Song 3 I Like to Bless 3 min Children are encouraged and guided through a blessing of a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture or words asking God s Spirit to overflow from the child s life, for the purpose of declaring God s protection, joy and wisdom. SUPPLIES HomeFront Weekly and Remember Verse cards (see Resources) RELATE. Gather children and have them stand in a circle. While marching clockwise, encourage them to shout praises to God. When children finish, invite them to sit down and pray this blessing over them: Children, may you shout praises and worship the promised Savior wherever you go this week. He has come and will come again! 11