252 Groups February 12, 2017, Week 2 Small Group, 2-3

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1 Storm Tamer Bible Story: Storm Tamer (Jesus calms the storm) Mark 4:35-41 (Supporting: Matthew 8:23-27) Bottom Line: Comfort others who are hurting. Memory Verse: Here is what love is. It is not that we loved God. It is that he loved us and sent his Son to give his life to pay for our sins. 1 John 4:10 (NIrV) Life App: Love choosing to treat others the way you want to be treated. Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated. PLUG IN: Providing Time for Fun Interaction (10 minutes) Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today s story. Plug In What You Need: No supplies Ask about boating experiences the kids have had. o Have you ever been on a boat in rough water and felt seasick? o What kind of boats have you been on? o How big were the boats? o Can you think of any movies you ve seen where people were in boats? What happened in the movie? Ever get queasy sitting in a rocking boat? [Transition] From what I hear, we re in for some rough waters during Large Group. By the way, did anyone happen to bring a life jacket today? (Pause.) Right. Me neither. Lead your group to the Large Group area. 1

2 SMALL GROUP: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (30 minutes) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. 1. Bible Review What You Need: Bibles What You Ask: Read Mark 4:35-36 o Were there other boats on the water when the storm hit? What do you think those other fishermen thought of Jesus calming the storm? o How can our response to the storms in our life impact those around us? Read Mark 4:37-38 o How does Mark describe the storm? (wild, crashing waves, about to sink the boat) o Have you ever run into a situation where you felt like you were going to sink? How did it make you feel? The disciples asked Jesus for help. Who do you go to when you feel like you re going to sink? Read Mark 4:39-41 o How did Jesus stop the storm? (he ordered it to stop) o What did Jesus say? What happened when He did? (quiet, be still, it was completely calm) o How do you become quiet and still with God? How does God help to calm you during life s storms? The wind power of a fan is nothing compared to the huge gales that nearly blew the disciples away. The disciples survived the storm, but they were blown away by the power of Jesus in a situation that was incredibly frightening. Isn t it great to know that the same God who calmed the sea is with us today? He shows His love to us over and over again. One of the most exciting examples of God s love is found in the words of our memory verse. He sent his Son to give his life to pay for our sins. When you see someone who is hurting, sad, or afraid, God wants to comfort them in the middle of their storm. And He wants to use YOU to help them. [Bottom Line] Comfort others who are hurting by telling them about the great love of God and power of Jesus. Share 1 John 4:10 with them and let them know that God is with them even when their life feels like a raging storm. 2. Paper Toss Live (application activity) What You Need: basket, recycled paper Put the wastebasket a distance from the group. Pass out paper. Encourage them to crumple it up into a paper ball. Take turns shooting the paper into the trashcan. As they shoot, each person should call out something that is hard to deal with something that makes them feel hurt or upset or that they struggle with. 2

3 If they make a basket, they get a point. To double their points, they should name one way they can help others that are hurting. If they miss, they can go retrieve their paper ball and try again and name something else that causes people to struggle. Write each item that the kids say on the board and discuss ways that they can help people struggling with that problem after the game You guys came up with a lot of things that cause people to be upset. No wonder Jesus wants us to [Bottom Line] comfort others who are hurting. But you also came up with lots of ways to help. Sometimes the best way to help is just to listen and be there for them, not to try and fix it. 3. Don t Rock the Boat (application activity / review the Bible story) This activity will take place in the 2/3 hallway outside of the 2/3 classrooms What You Need: Foam or plastic cups, paper, Bible Form two teams. Have one team sit together as if in a boat. Give each kid in the boat a cup containing a few tablespoons of water. Hand out two sheets of paper to each kid on the other team and ask them to wad the papers into two balls. Explain that you will read today s Bible story found in Mark 4: Whenever you pause, the team with the paper wads will pretend to be the storm by tossing their wads at the kids in the boat. The catch is that the kids in the boat have to balance the cups of water on one hand as the story is being read! Tell the teams throwing the paper wads they are not allowed to hit the cups of water, only the kids. The kids also need to avoid aiming at another members head. After each pause, let the storm team gather their paper wads, and then pick up reading the story where you left off. Read about halfway through the passage and then have teams switch spots. Ask kids to share some common storms that kids their age go through. What situations rock their boat and make them worried and fearful? [Make It Personal] (What are some bad storms and difficult situations you ve had to weather? How did God help you through? Did someone come alongside you to help you remember that God was with you? How has that experience helped you to comfort others who are hurting?) When the paper wads were coming at you in our game, it was easy to lose focus and spill the cup that was balancing on your hand. But if you were still and didn t freak out over the paper wads, you could keep your balance. Imagine how hard it must have been for the disciples to keep their cool and trust Jesus when they were in the worst storm of their lives. Isn t it amazing to think that the same God who stopped the fierce storm for the disciples is the very same God who is at work in your life and the lives of the people you meet? 3

4 Storms are no big deal to our great God. But it s easy to forget that when we re being bombarded with problems. That s why it s so great when others come along to remind us that God is with us, and that He s in control of the storm. This week, when you see someone who is hurting, sad, or afraid, ask God to help you think of a way to [Bottom Line] comfort others who are hurting. You might be the one who comes along in the middle of a hard thing they are going through and prays with them. You might even read today s story in Mark 4:35-41 and remind them that Jesus is with them even in the storms. 4. Heart Hats What You Need: Paper plates, markers, decorations Cut out heart design on paper plate leaving the point of the heart attached Decorate the heart Bend the heart shape so that the remaining circle can be used as a hat Pray and Dismiss What You Need: No supplies needed Ask the kids to describe their pillows or cushions on their beds. Do they have princesses or heroes on them? Are they soft? How does it feel to lie down on them when you are tired? Encourage the kids to think about their pillows and the comfort they can bring. Tell the kids that when they see their pillow and lay down for the night, they can remember to pray, asking God to help them to bring comfort to people who are hurting. Just like our pillows give us comfort when we are tired and ready to rest, ask God to help you to notice others who are hurting in life and take action to give them some comfort in any way that you can. Like our Bottom Line says: [Bottom Line] Comfort others who are hurting. 4

5 READ EPHESIANS 6:18 DAY 4 There are SO many people around us who need comfort and peace in the midst of life s struggles. And if we re serious about loving them, then we need to be willing to put our love into action. Sometimes that can seem overwhelming because we don t even know where to begin. The great news is there s something POWERFUL that we can do anytime to show love and compassion to our friends. We can pray for them! On this clock, fill in the names of people you d like to pray for. Tomorrow, see if you can remember to pray throughout the day PRAY to God and trust that He knows exactly what you re friends are going through. 1. How does it feel when you know someone has been praying for you? 2. Why do you think God wants us to be involved in talking to Him about our friends needs? 3. What does it mean to be watchful, so that you can pray? READ MARK 4:38-39 DAY 1 This week, we looked at the time when Jesus was teaching, and He asked His friends to take their boat to the other side of the lake. It was in the evening and the Bible says a wild storm came up. Have you ever been in a wild storm? It doesn t matter how old you are storms can be terrifying! And aren t they even worse when it s dark out? Now imagine you were on a boat in the middle of a giant lake with waves crashing over the top of you. It wasn t just like the boat was rocking back and forth. It was literally about to sink! The disciples were afraid for their lives. But then they did the best thing they could have in that situation. They asked Jesus for help! They knew that the storm was about to take them down, but Jesus was in their boat and HE could do something about it. Of course, Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat. He sure wasn t worried! But when His friends woke Him up and He saw how scared they were, He ordered the wind and waves to stop. He had compassion on His disciples. He knew that He could comfort them when they were afraid. Just like He does with us, He offered them peace in the midst of the raging storm of life. THINK of a storm going on in your life and ask Jesus to help you. 1. How did Jesus show love to His friends with His actions in this story? 2. Do you think He was annoyed when they woke Him up? Why not? 3. Even if Jesus doesn t fix our problems the way we have in mind, what are some other ways He shows love to us when we ask? MEMORY VERSE Here is what love is. It is not that we loved God. It is that he loved us and sent his Son to give his life to pay for our sins. 1 John 4:10, NIrV WEEK TWO 2ND - 5TH

6 READ JOHN 13:34-35 READ 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-4 DAY 2 Has God ever comforted you when you were in trouble? Maybe you were really bummed out because of something somebody said or maybe you had a disagreement with a friend. In those times, isn t it great to know that God is with you and that He really understands how you feel? Now, have you ever had a friend stand by you when you were feeling down? Maybe they stood up for you. Maybe they made you laugh to make you feel better. It means everything to have a friend like that! So what if you were that kind of friend to them when they were going through something tough? What if you decided you were going to treat them the way you wanted to be treated? What if you chose to comfort them the same way God has comforted you? You probably know somebody who s dealing with trouble right now. One simple way to do that is to write them a note letting them know you ve got their back. In fact, you can actually write that on the note: I ve got your back! Write your message on a blank sheet of paper, make it into a paper airplane, and fly it to your friend sometime tomorrow. DON T MISS the chance to tell your friends that you ve got their back! 1. Why do you think it s so easy to think about our own problems, but not think about someone else s problems? 2. Do most people usually let you know when they re hurting? Or do they keep it inside? 3. When you comfort somebody, how does that show them God s love? DAY 3 Jesus was pretty clear that LOVE should be the number one thing people think of when they think of Christians. The cool thing about love is that it really stands out in a world where people don t always treat each other with love. When we forgive people who have hurt us, when we re quick to give them a second chance, we show the kind of LOVE that the world is starved for. We re representing Jesus in a world that desperately needs to know the difference His love can make. When we get this right, others see us as safe, trusted friends. They know they can come to us anytime and we ll always be there for them. They ll know they can count on us like we can count on God. What do you want YOUR reputation to be? Write down a few words that describe how you want others to see you. ASK God to help you live up to those words you listed above, so that others know you as someone who LOVES. 1. Would you say Christians are known for loving others? 2. Why is it important for us to have a great reputation for loving one another? 3. W hen you first got to know some Christians, who were the people who showed love to you? How did they show it? COMFORT OTHERS WHO ARE HURTING.